The understanding of power is generally insufficient on the Azeroth Continent, as exemplified by Varian and Sylvanas.
One is the King of Stormwind City, the leader of the Alliance; the other is a former Ranger-General of Silvermoon City, now the Dark Lady of the Forsaken, Warchief of the Horde.
In their minds, there is no difference between the backward magical feudal civilization and the advanced magical starship civilization.
The Draenei had starships, advanced technology, and the Holy Light, yet they were nearly wiped out by the less advanced Orcs. Prophet Velen certainly set a very bad example for the leaders of Azeroth.
In Sylvanas's mind, the Tomb of Sargeras wasn't that difficult to conquer. As long as her Iron Horde marched into Azeroth, it would only require a few more sacrifices, and she could easily take it down.
The reason for rejecting "Illidan" was simply because the terms could not be agreed upon.
When Sylvanas unfurled the scroll and saw the lifelike portrait on it, her breathing quickened.
The portrait depicts a Night Elf woman of indescribable beauty, with exquisite and flawless features. More importantly, she possesses a majestic, noble, and elegant aura, as if she were a born queen, inspiring awe and submission in all who behold her.
This is a vision of Queen Azshara from ten thousand years ago. At that time, when envoys from various races entered Azshara City, they would see the perfect queen on the throne. Although there was the curse of the Moon Goddess and the memory of living beings was forgotten, various Legendary still remain.
Such beauty, such majesty— Sylvanas was immediately captivated; this was how the Queen of Azeroth should be.
Khadgar, seeing an opportunity, quickly added, "Lord Illidan has promised to forge you a Highborne body in this style, granting you eternal youth, immortality, and unparalleled talent."
Sylvanas smiled slightly, returned to her throne, and pondered for a long while:
Does Illidan have that ability?
Khadgar was certainly a competent persuader, and he naturally explained, "Lord Illidan was once highly regarded by Sargeras and learned advanced magical knowledge from the Burning Legion. For you, this is nothing."
Sylvanas remained silent for a long time, until finally, her desire for this body prevailed.
"If Illidan can truly summon the Dark Portal," Sylvanas pondered carefully, "Our Iron Horde is willing to help him conquer the Tomb of Sargeras. I hope he doesn't try anything funny; Azeroth belongs to me."
"Of course, Lord Illidan only needs revenge against the Burning Legion; he has no interest whatsoever in ruling Azeroth," Khadgar assured him.
I hope so.
Sylvanas snorted.
Khadgar lived up to his mission, successfully persuading Sylvanas, and the two agreed on a time.
Sylvanas then led Antonidas to Draenor to prepare for the Iron Horde's invasion of Azeroth. When the Dark Lady's orders were delivered, the Orcs chieftains were eager to try, craving blood and war.
Only Mannoroth, the terrifying Pit Lord, had a somber expression. After all, he had been in the business for tens of thousands of years, and out of respect for the queen, Mannoroth did not express his opinion on the spot. Instead, he spoke with Sylvanas alone after the war council ended.
"Dark Lady, attacking the Tomb of Sargeras is not a good suggestion," Mannoroth advised.
"Mannoroth, what are your concerns? Is Illidan plotting something?" Sylvanas valued Archimonde's Adjutant highly, as he was a great contributor to her conquest of the Iron Horde.
Mannoroth tried to shrink his enormous body to appear more humble:
"I was unaware of Illidan's plot. What I worried about was the vast disparity in strength. Although I used the Burning Legion's technology to transform the Iron Horde, to be honest, the results were extremely poor. Orcs are not an easily reformed race. They are stubborn, violent, and disobedient. An Orcs combat strength is astonishing, but once they unite, it is difficult to unleash their collective power. They are more than capable of conquering Azeroth, but to defeat the Demons of the Tomb of Sargeras, even if they were all sacrificed, it would be impossible. This is by no means an exaggeration."
The so-called Iron Horde is nothing more than Orcs armed with armor and weapons.
Gunpowder weapons were limited to rudimentary cannons or wooden chariots powered by Blackrock. Combat relied mainly on close-quarters combat among large groups of Orcs. Mages were scarce, and there were only a small number of Shaman, indicating that the orcs were in a relatively primitive stage.
Sylvanas's expression darkened upon hearing this. In truth, she lacked a clear understanding of the relative strengths of the two sides. Driven by her longing for the woman's appearance in the portrait, she rejected Mannoroth's proposal from the bottom of her heart, coldly retorting, "Mannoroth, although the Orcs have drunk your blood, they are not your bloodline, nor are they your subordinates. You have no need to Mercy them."
Although Mannoroth was a simple-minded Pit Lord, he was not stupid. Despite having countless reasons in his heart, he would not risk his life to offer sound advice to a foolish queen.
The Burning Legion highly values Orcs of Draenor, which is why they sent Mannoroth, a high-ranking officer, into this world. However, it's merely an attempt; failure is insignificant. Mannoroth immediately stated:
"Your Majesty, the Fel modification of the Earth Giants's arm is complete. It's a powerful weapon that will certainly aid in the attack on the Tomb of Sargeras."
Sylvanas beamed with delight upon hearing this, nodding in satisfaction. "This is truly excellent news. I hope it will help me take Stormwind City."
"The Draenei in Shadowmoon Valley are stirring up trouble; I'm worried they might be plotting something," Mannoroth said, offering an excuse. "I hope to remain in Draenor to prevent these Draenei from taking advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack on our base."
Sylvanas pondered for a moment. She saw through Mannoroth's intentions. Since he lacked confidence in the war, she might as well let him stay in Draenor. An outsider Pit Lord was much better than an Orcs chieftain.
"Alright, Mannoroth, you stay on Draenor. Don't let those Draenei ruin our plans."
Led by Orcs chieftains such as Grom Hellscream, Blackhand Kilrogg Deadeye, and Undead, the Iron Horde's army set up camp before the Dark Portal, preparing to enter Azeroth.
Preparations for a war are massive, involving weapons, rations, and various supplies. Time is of the essence, and the Iron Horde is busy preparing. Various materials are constantly being transported to the camp, and war materials are piling up like mountains.
Mannoroth stood atop the mountain, gazing at the endless rows of tents, a mocking expression on his face:
"A bunch of idiots, completely unaware that they're walking into the arms of death. Strange, what is Illidan Stormrage thinking?"
Mannoroth shook his enormous head, knowing that his wisdom was limited and there were indeed some things he could not understand.
Meanwhile, the Blood Elves of Theramore, more accurately known as the Fel Elves and Forsaken, are also actively preparing for war, needing to prepare a large number of ships to head to the Broken Shore.
Sylvanas is already aware of the Alliance's actions; Varian's Alliance Legion will arrive at the Broken Shore at the same time as the Horde, making this a war in which the Alliance and the Horde join forces.