The night sky over Shadowmoon Valley was dark and somber, seemingly forever covered by thick, dark clouds, exuding an ominous and oppressive atmosphere.
The pale moon hung weakly in the sky, barely managing to emit a few rays of light.
At the top of the Truna Observatory, Vanessa stood gracefully, her beautiful face gazing up at the sky, her slender figure appearing somewhat frail. Yet, her sharp and determined gaze inspired boundless confidence and strength.
Robbie walked up to the observatory and stood beside Vanessa, admiring her ethereal beauty. His gaze drifted downwards, passing her delicate collarbone, which was faintly visible...
What a grudge!
Robbie couldn't help but shake his head.
I've heard that some Stealth users are annoyed because those extra lumps of flesh easily affect their Stealth abilities, but Vanessa has absolutely no such worries.
In this duel with Ner'zhul, Robbie outshone Ner'zhul on the surface and stole the show, even Yrel's eyes showed a hint of admiration.
Robbie knew perfectly well that Vanessa was the true hero.
Ner'zhul dared to venture deep into Draenei territory to cause trouble, and his greatest reliance was that shadow Demons.
It was Vanessa who controlled the Shadow Demons, using mysterious means to absorb its Shadow Energy, Ner'zhul ultimately destroyed it, thus creating the opportunity for Robbie to directly confront Demons.
Vanessa held the fragment of the Dark Star in her hand, gently closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling, and murmured, "The Dark Star, it is so beautiful, with endless Shadow power, Robbie, feel this great existence with me."
Robbie's hand was gripped tightly by a cool, delicate hand. He could clearly sense a black celestial body floating in the distant sky, radiating endless Shadow Energy.
The Orcs of Shadowmoon Valley have extremely detailed records about the Dark Star. Originally, the Orcs here called themselves the Pale Moon Clan and worshipped the "Azure Moon Lady" of Draenor.
Hundreds of years ago, a massive explosion occurred in the sky above Shadowmoon Valley. Five crystalline meteorites fell from the sky, and a black celestial body appeared below the Azure Moon, turning it black.
This celestial body gradually obscured the sky, and from then on, the place was never seen by the sun. Shadowmoon Valley got its name from this, and the Pale Moon Clan changed its name to the Shadowmoon Clan.
The Draenei know the truth perfectly well.
Centuries ago, the Draenei, fleeing the Burning Legion's pursuit, were forced to crash-land in Draenor, with five pieces of their ship falling into Shadowmoon Valley. The Naaru K'ara, who were protecting the Draenei, were also thrown from the ship and, due to the explosion, corrupted into a planet that absorbs Shadow Energy.
Shadowmoon Valley is shrouded in darkness because the convergence of Shadow Energy obscures the sky.
Strangely, the Draenei seem to have forgotten about this.
On the contrary, the Orcs of Shadowmoon Valley gained a great deal of knowledge through their study of the five meteorites and the black star, and their Shaman power was enhanced to an unprecedented degree.
Why would the Draenei overlook such a rich history?
Robbie guessed that it was probably because the corrupted Naaru needed to absorb souls, and many of the Shadowmoon Clan's ancestral souls had been harmed as a result. Orcs are a race that places great importance on ancestral heritage, and if the matter were brought up, it could very well cause conflict between the two races.
Vanessa's expression was cold and resolute as she asked in a low voice:
"Robbie, if you had the chance to control the Dark Star, even if the chance was slim and it was extremely dangerous, would you be willing to try?"
Robbie paused, then looked alarmed. "Commander, do you have designs on Dark Star?"
Vanessa suddenly opened her eyes, her beautiful eyes gleaming with a sharp light, like a poisoned dagger, alluring yet dangerous. "Such immense power, who wouldn't crave it?"
Azeroth is a chaotic world; without power, one is at the mercy of others.
All living beings crave great power.
But how can such a dangerous power be mastered?
Feel the dark stars in the sky, that boundless, immense Shadow Energy. Whoever masters it will be the true Warlords of Draenor.
Who would refuse such a temptation if given the chance!
Vanessa's pretty face turned slightly cold as she slowly said:
"A long time ago, I accidentally obtained a fragment of a fallen Naaru, which made me an eternally invisible Stealth. Robbie, do you remember when the Argent Crusade came to wreak havoc on the fortress?"
"Commander, you mean Tuyang Tusenpo?" Robbie thought for a moment and quickly grasped the key point, "That huge Frostwolf Clan, the Orcs skull entwined with Fel?"
Vanessa's expression shifted slightly, and she said with gratitude, "Originally, I wanted to hire the Auchindoun gatekeeper at a high price to help Paladin Elona. At most, Elona could drive those people away. But your performance was beyond expectations; you left that giant mechanical frost wolf behind."
"Whose Orcs skull is that?" Robbie asked.
"The Orcs skull is not important."
Vanessa remained calm and said, "The important thing is that there's a fragment of a fallen Naaru inside the skull. Our chances of controlling the Dark Star were originally less than 10%, but now they've risen to 20%."
"Twenty percent is too risky."
Robbie looked worried, staring into Vanessa's beautiful eyes, and asked with concern, "What will happen if we fail?"
Vanessa smiled faintly, and said in a tone of detachment from life and death:
"I will die, Vanessa will live."
That sentence contains a lot of information.
Robbie suddenly realized why Vanessa wasn't in version 0 of the game. But in a later version 0, Vanessa VanCleef appeared as a rogue Stealth.
Could it be that, following the normal course of history, the commander will die during the process of controlling the Dark Star?
Absolutely not.
Robbie could not accept this Destiny.
Robbie could never forget the regret of his lover from a past life, and lived like a walking corpse.
This time, Robbie vowed to take control of his own Destiny.
Vanessa looked up at the Dark Star in the sky. "Our investigation revealed that the Argent Crusade discovered a crater in Northrend and unearthed seven fragments of the fallen Naaru. The Brotherhood paid a considerable price to acquire one of them."
"That gives us three pieces, a 30% chance." Robbie's eyes lit up with hope, and he hurriedly asked, "Would the Argent Crusade be willing to sell the remaining five?"
"They're willing to sell if the price is right, but..."
Vanessa bit her lip and said resentfully, "Tirion Fordring is asking for the moon! One Naaru Shard in exchange for a set of Epic gear, no bargaining allowed."
Five Naaru Shards, five sets of Epic gear.
Such exorbitant prices could only be found in Stormwind City Royal Keep, Orgrimmar Warchief's Tent, or deep within the World Tree of the Night Elves.
"Five sets of Epic- level equipment? I have a way to deal with that." Vanessa narrowed her eyes, a wary expression on her face.
"I just don't trust Tirion. Tirion Fordring 've heard the Horde is involved, and Med'an is also interested in the Naaru Shards. Robbie, what do you think of Tirion Fordring?"
Robbie touched his chin and gasped.
Tirion Fordring's morality is a taboo subject.
But for the sake of the commander, Robbie had no choice but to risk it, regardless of whether he should or shouldn't say it.
"First of all, Tirion Fordring, he's not in the Alliance."
When adventurers mention Tirion Fordring, the most apt and objective assessment is this. "Tirion Fordring, he's not Alliance."
Of course, he wasn't from Horde either.
Tirion Fordring's famous quote is almost universally known. "One cannot judge a person's honor by their race... I know some Orcs who possess the highest sense of honor, like the noblest knights; I also know some humans who are as Evil as the cruelest Scourge."
Strictly speaking, this statement is fair and objective, and there is nothing wrong with it.
However, given Tirion Fordring's status—one of the original five Paladins of the Silver Hand and the Highlord of Hearthglen —it's highly problematic for him to say such things in the context of factional conflict.
This is like a group of the Alliance soldiers who have polished their armor, honed their weapons, eaten and drunk their fill, and are in high spirits, ready to engage in a decisive battle with the opposing Horde.
Then the commander came over to give a pre-battle pep talk:
"Do you see those Horde? Among them are noble knights with a sense of honor, and among us are the most Evil Scourge. One cannot judge a person's honor by their race. Warriors of the Alliance, let us go and destroy them!"
Let's just surrender; this war is hopeless.
All judgments about Justice and Evil should be based on one's own standpoint, and should not be made from the perspective of the enemy.
Otherwise, the Scourge and the Burning Legion cannot be considered Evil; they also believe they are fighting for Justice purposes.
By saying such a thing, Tirion Fordring had already expelled himself from the Alliance.
For the same reason, the Horde would not accept Tirion Fordring.
"And then?" Vanessa was not satisfied with such a superficial judgment.
Robbie's eyes darted around, and he asked with a smile, "I remember that Tirion Fordring fought against Thrall's Strategist, the Orcs Eitrigg."
"Yes, that's true, but I don't understand," Vanessa said, puzzled.
Robbie a deep breath, and with a dramatic, exaggerated tone, exclaimed in praise, "Tirion Fordring, your true strength is like a vast ocean, all water!"
Vanessa smiled.
Tirion Fordring was blessed with countless accolades throughout his life: one of the first five knights of the Silver Hand, the third wielder of Ashbringer, the leader of the Argent Crusade, and the greatest contributor to the Alliance Horde Horde's victory over the Lich King Arthas.
Orcs, an old Eitrigg Orcs Strategist, Thrall's Veteran.
He was an unknown nobody before, and he didn't have any particularly outstanding achievements later on.
I bet the thing he'd boast about most in his life was. "You know Tirion Fordring, the one who defeated the Lich King? I used to go toe-to-toe with him."
This proves that Tirion Fordring, without the artifact Ashbringer, at least during his time Highlord of Hearthglen, was only at the level of an ordinary Orcs Veteran.
One can know the whole leopard from a single spot.
Analyzing it from this perspective, some of Tirion Fordring's past events become quite intriguing.