As he watched the Portal slowly close, Kalai's face turned pale. All along, he had tried every means to avoid the adventurers' questions for the safety of his family, but this time he was facing Jaina.
Jaina's strength is now vastly different from what it used to be. Kalai admitted his inferiority and had no choice but to bring his son and bravely step forward to meet Jaina.
Facing the beautiful Jaina, Kalai was cautious and wary, as if she were Demons of the Burning Legion. In some ways, Jaina was even more terrifying than the Legion's Demons.
Jaina coldly sized up Kalai, first speaking politely, "Senior, you and my mentor Antonidas are colleagues. I truly don't understand why you refuse to see me."
Kalai bit her lip and retorted bluntly:
"Jaina, you're still single, aren't you? And you're not getting any younger. Oh, and a Blue Dragonflight —that's not a good mate, not even as good as that Orcs."
Jaina's expression shifted between anger and rage as she struggled to control herself. Kalai shouted, "You have no idea what family means! My son has endured so much pressure since he became Worgen. I just don't want him to be bothered!"
Looking at the sickly son of Kalai, Jaina's expression softened slightly, barely able to understand, but she still refused to give up, pressing on relentlessly. "Senior Kalai, you should know the purpose of my trip. I will not give up until I obtain valuable information."
Kalai said with a bitter expression, "If I really knew any valuable information, I would have told everyone long ago, and I wouldn't be so troubled."
Looking at Kites beside him, Kalai said with a serious expression:
"He is the witness. He knows everything I went through. I was staying in Darkshire with my son when we were suddenly attacked by a large number of Worgen. We were chased by these cursed Worgen and fled into the Roland's Grave in a panic. My son was held captive by the Worgen's claws and knelt under the blade of a scythe. The Worgen's teeth pierced his shoulder."
Kalai's facial muscles trembled uncontrollably, the unpleasant memories making him unable to restrain himself.
Jaina, still unwilling to give up, pressed on aggressively, "I'm quite interested in why an Archmage from Dalaran would be in Darkshire?"
Kalai, in pain and torment, said in a heavy voice:
"Alright, I admit it. I was a very good friend of Abercrombie the Stitches. Years ago, I gave him a vial of the Plague of Lordaeron for research purposes, but I never expected it would lead to a tragedy for his family. My son has been sickly since childhood, and only the Stitches's potions can alleviate his symptoms."
Abercrombie, a skilled alchemist, became obsessed with the death of his wife Eliza and used the Plague to resurrect her.
The resurrected Eliza became a Ghoul. Unable to gain the acceptance of others, Abercrombie a deep hatred for Darkshire. He used body parts and metal to create a powerful stitched monster and launched an attack on Darkshire.
After his failed revenge, Abercrombie without a trace, and some suspected he was dead.
Kalai's answer was flawless; perhaps this was the truth.
Jaina realized that Kalai was telling the truth, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed. This investigation had yielded no results, and the clues might have gone cold.
Just then, Jaina suddenly noticed something, leaped in front of Kalai's son, and gently stroked the young man's face with her fair hand.
A clear six-pointed star appeared on the young man's forehead, flashing with an ominous crimson light. Kalai was shocked; he didn't understand what the six-pointed star represented.
The aura of the Old Gods —if Jaina hadn't possessed the power of two Old Gods and hadn't only just begun to understand the Old Gods, she certainly wouldn't have been able to detect their presence.
Kalecgos leaped in front of Kalai and shouted, "You liar! You're full of lies! How do you explain this six-pointed star?"
Kalai was dumbfounded, stammering and unable to speak. Jaina lowered her head and pondered for a long time before calmly analyzing:
"Kalai, I think you've been fooled. You think Abercrombie can cure your son's illness? Ha! Perhaps it's precisely because of Abercrombie's medicine that your son is so weak and sickly."
Kalai looked doubtful, still refusing to believe it. "Abercrombie and I are very good friends. I know the ingredients of his potion perfectly well. There's absolutely no problem."
"But what if the Power of the Old Gods is mixed in?" Jaina asked.
Kalai was stunned. The power of the Old Gods was indeed beyond his comprehension. He murmured, "Abercrombie has no reason to treat me like this."
Jaina snorted coldly, offering no explanation. The gains this time were enough; the Son of Kalai had been Corruption by the power of the Old Gods, which must be related to Abercrombie.
This mysterious the Stitches in Darkshire must be concealing some unknown secret.
Jaina and her two companions rushed back to Darkshire to investigate everything about Abercrombie.
Abercrombie originally lived in Darkshire with his wife Eliza. After Eliza tragically passed away, Abercrombie moved out of Darkshire and built a small house near his wife's grave to stay with her, who had become Ghoul.
I first searched for Abercrombie's former residence, but unfortunately found nothing.
Jaina returned to Abercrombie's hut and found a secret basement, which was Abercrombie's alchemical laboratory.
Unfortunately, Jaina was not the first guest at the laboratory. Numerous traces at the scene indicated that it had been visited more than once, and alchemical equipment, precious herbs, and a large number of priceless alchemical notes were all lost.
Unwilling to give up, Jaina returned to the grave of Abercrombie's wife. Urged on by Jaina, Kalecgos reluctantly picked up a shovel and, together with Kites, dug open the grave.
Eliza's body had long been chopped into pieces by the Night Watch and then burned to ashes. The tomb was empty. At the bottom of the tomb, Jaina found half of a token.
"What kind of token is this?" Kalecgos asked, leaning closer.
"A token for entering and exiting Winterstorm Academy." Jaina said coldly, a smirk playing on her lips.
"Duskwood Winterstorm, Winterstorm Academy Meryl monster who has lived for three thousand years, how could he not know of the existence of the Sixth Old Gods? How could I have overlooked him?"
Winterstorm Academy.
Jaina stormed into the Winterstorm Academy, while Meryl Winterstorm calmly sipped a cup of tea. Upon seeing half a token, Master Meryl remained unfazed and asked:
What do you want to know?
"Who is Abercrombie to you?" Jaina asked.
Meryl sipped his tea slowly. "Once, I passed through Darkshire and saw a boy with great potential, so I taught him some Alchemy techniques."
"What's wrong with Kalai's son being so sickly?" Jaina asked again.
"The backlash of the Old Gods's power; he is a potential Vessel, but such Vessels are extremely rare, one in ten thousand," Meryl replied calmly.
"Whose Vessel?" Jaina asked.
Meryl looked up at Jaina:
"You possess the aura of two Old Gods within you, and you have a tacit understanding with the Savior Thrall. A wise person never puts all their eggs in one basket; playing both sides is our means of survival. All along, I have been cooperating with an Old Gods."