Duke Bolvar had worked with the Black Dragon Princess for many years and was very familiar with Black Dragon Princess, recognizing the other dragon who had kidnapped Prince Anduin.
Prince Anduin has been kidnapped, but that's a perfectly good excuse.
Bolvar immediately proclaimed, "You are all heroes of Azeroth! My Kingdom of Stormwind is in trouble; the Prince has been kidnapped by the Black Dragon Princess. I implore you all to lend a helping hand!"
The Prince's disappearance and the opportunity to defeat the Black Dragon Princess presented an excellent chance.
If the Prince can be rescued, Stormwind City will owe a tremendous favor, not to mention the Black Dragon's Lair, which has accumulated wealth for thousands of years and is worth more than a nation.
Unfortunately, everyone present was intelligent and witnessed Khadgar's attack fail.
Khadgar remained silent, barely able to stand only with Rhonin's support.
The enemy was one that even Archmage Khadgar couldn't defeat, and the heroes present didn't believe they had any chance of winning.
Moreover, the Black Dragonflight definitely has more than just one dragon. When they conquered Blackwing Lair, they discovered it was just an abandoned laboratory. The numerous out-of-control Dragonspawn caused the adventurers immense suffering. The power of the Black Dragonflight was truly terrifying.
The cunning Tirion Fordring was the first to speak, stroking his beard as he said:
"Before my Ashbringer, the Black Dragon Princess would be no match for me. As the representative of the Holy Light, I should have taken action to slay the dragon. However, the Lich King is eyeing us covetously, and I must remain at Light's Hope Chapel. The Black Dragon Princess is merely an insignificant little dragon; I leave her to you all to deal with."
Magni Bronzebeard sheathed his Stormhammer, chuckled, and said, "Ironforge shouldn't get involved in Stormwind City's affairs, lest we give others ammunition against us."
Rhonin, supporting the weakened Khadgar, didn't have Tirion Fordring's shamelessness; he simply said:
"The Black Dragon Princess is nothing to fear. We in Dalaran should lend a helping hand, but Dustwallow Marsh is on the Kalimdor, which is quite inconvenient. This matter needs to be discussed with the Horde. It would be best if the Alliance and the Horde acted together." After saying this, he looked at Jaina.
Jaina was equally terrified by the terrifying power displayed by the "Black Dragon Princess." If Aegwynn hadn't been there to protect Theramore, she probably would have abandoned the territory immediately.
Feeling Rhonin's gaze, Jaina could only bite the bullet and say, "Dustwallow Marsh is near Theramore; leave the communication with the Horde to me."
Tirion Fordring's eyes lit up, an idea came to him, and he stepped forward to propose:
"I have a suggestion. The Black Dragon Princess is just an ordinary little dragon, and there's no need for all the heroes present to take action. Why not make it a challenge for these two Kings? Whoever can slay the Black Dragon Princess and bring back her head will become the King of Stormwind City."
Rhonin protested, "Tirion Fordring, what are you saying? The two Kings were originally one person, only split apart by the black magic of the Black Dragon Princess."
Tirion Fordring chuckled, then declared with righteous indignation, "That may be true, but there can only be one throne, and their opinions are diametrically opposed. One is willing to sacrifice everything to save Azeroth, even at the cost of all the people of Kingdom of Stormwind —a true hero and paragon of virtue. The other is only concerned with self-preservation, cowardly and weak. The King of Stormwind City must be a truly responsible warrior."
Jaina looked puzzled. Although she had promised to Horde the Horde, it was just an excuse. Jaina had no confidence in defeating the Black Dragon Princess.
Bronzebeard didn't understand Tirion Fordring's proposal, but he knew Tirion Fordring was cunning and treacherous, and there must be a trick involved, so he agreed:
"Brilliant, brilliant! What a wonderful suggestion! Humanity originated from the Vrykul, Legendary that Vrykul coming-of-age ceremony involves killing a Proto-Dragon. The King of Stormwind City should also be stained with dragon blood; this will surely become a legendary tale."
Rhonin seemed to understand something, and nodded. "That's a good idea, Duke Bolvar, Archbishop Benedictus, what do you think?"
Bolvar knew that the Black Dragon Princess had not kidnapped the Prince, and that it was impossible to enter Dustwallow Marsh to rescue Prince Anduin. Just as he was about to voice his opposition, Archbishop Benedictus spoke first:
"This is an excellent proposal, and we are willing to accept it."
Seeing this, Tirion Fordring couldn't help but show a smug look, as if victory was already in his grasp.
Rhonin, speaking as a neutral party, said, "Since neither side has any objections, then this matter is settled. The Lich King Arthas poses a constant threat to Azeroth. I urge everyone to prioritize the greater good and take action as soon as possible to confirm the choice of King."
The farce ended there. After leaving Stormwind Keep, Jaina loudly questioned Tirion Fordring, "Tirion Fordring, are you insane? You know perfectly well that the Black Dragon Princess and Duke Bolvar are close friends. With just a word from the Duke, the Black Dragon Princess would send Prince Anduin back. We're doomed."
Tirion Fordring chuckled. "No matter how good their relationship is, the Black Dragon Princess won't hand her head over to Duke Bolvar. According to my suggestion, we can only rescue Prince Anduin; the Night Watch won't become kings."
Jaina thought about it and realized that it made sense, but immediately countered, "The Black Dragon Princess is extremely powerful; neither of us is a match for her. How could we possibly obtain her head?"
Tirion Fordring, looking confident, asked, "Do you remember Chromaggus?"
Jaina's face darkened. "You mean that two-headed monster in Blackwing Lair, pieced together from countless dragon corpses? Nefarian's failed experiment?"
Tirion Fordring said with lingering fear, "Back then, a group of adventurers were misled and stormed Blackwing Lair, dreaming of finding the Black Dragon Prince's treasure. The Black Dragon Prince took the opportunity to release a bunch of failed experiments to test the power of the discarded ones. Chromaggus was the strongest among them. I bought Chromaggus's head from the adventurers at a low price. With simple modifications, it will be enough to pass for the real thing."
Jaina beamed, "Tirion Fordring, you truly deserve to be called the representative of the Holy Light."
After the farce at Stormwind Keep ended, Bolvar asked in bewilderment, "High Priest, why did you agree to such an unreasonable request?"
Archbishop Benedictus countered, "Duke, don't you find it strange? Who kidnapped Prince Anduin? And why did they mention Dustwallow Marsh?"
Bolvar calmly analyzed, "The appearance of Khadgar and Rhonin has thwarted our plans; this person is probably helping us."
Benedictus nodded and said solemnly, "I suspect there will be some unexpected discoveries in the Dustwallow Marsh. Let Kites go and try his luck."
Ratchet!
Theramore was Jaina's territory, Kites had to avoid. He traveled via Booty Bay to reach Ratchet by ship. As soon as he disembarked, Kites felt he was being watched.
"Lord Kites, Lion of Stormwind City, my master welcomes you." An Orcs approached and bowed respectfully.
Kites was very puzzled. He had put on a meticulous disguise, so how could he have been so easily discovered? He asked in bewilderment, "How did you find out my identity?"
The Orcs grinned. "There aren't many humans in Ratchet. This is how I greet human men. I'm very lucky to have met you, sir."
Kites secretly admired him and followed the Orcs through the streets and alleys, finally entering a hidden basement.
A tall Orcs stood up, grinned, revealing two sharp fangs:
"Haha, King of Stormwind City, I am Garrosh Hellscream, and I have been waiting for you for a long time."