Since the army's rations had been lost and its troops were exhausted, Vol'jin was in no hurry to return to Dragonblight and instead set up camp nearby to rest.
Vol'jin, Eitrigg, and Tirion Fordring, leader of the Argent Crusade, warmly welcomed Kites, with Jaina accompanying them.
Tirion Fordring was the most sincere among them.
Inside a large tent, a roaring fire warded off the outside chill. Tirion Fordring, having taken a bath, stripped naked and lay on the dining table, smearing various sauces all over himself. Kites stared in disbelief, not quite understanding what kind of custom this was.
In the noble circles of Stormwind City, the custom of "body banquets" was once popular and flourished, but it gradually declined due to opposition from the Cathedral of Light.
When Kites was cramming on royal history, he came across related records.
No, if it's a "female body party," Tirion Fordring shouldn't be in charge of it.
Kites glanced at Jaina. No, no, Jaina isn't good enough. Only Agna, the most beautiful woman in Azeroth, deserves that title.
Jaina rolled her eyes at Kites and demonstrated the effect of this performance art with her own actions. Jaina took out a sharp knife, cut a thin piece of meat off Tirion Fordring's thigh, and put it into boiling water to steam.
Tirion Fordring grimaced in pain, but the Holy Light quickly healed his wounds without drawing blood. This sight made Kites tremble with fear, his face turning deathly pale.
It turned out that the so-called glorious and great, the representative of the Holy Light, Tirion Fordring, was just food for the Orcs. Soon, Kites saw large chunks of meat being served, and judging from the familiar faces, he recognized them as soldiers of the Argent Crusade.
Kites' head was buzzing, like a swarm of wasps.
The rumors turned out to be true: the seemingly great Argent Crusade was nothing more than a meat storehouse for the Orcs, a group of walking rations.
Jaina shrugged, somewhat disgusted, and said, "To be honest, I don't like this disgusting custom, and I don't like this meat either; it's awful."
Kites felt slightly comforted; it seemed Jaina still had some principles.
Jaina continued, "What I like is Tauren meat and succulent Pandaren meat. Humans are ranked last in terms of military rations; they're truly useless trash."
Kites was horrified as he listened, gaining a deeper understanding of Jaina. The exquisitely made-up human woman before him was actually a ruthless and inhuman Dreadlord.
Vol'jin stroked his fangs, cut off a piece of meat, and chewed it loudly, saying in a deep voice, "King Majesty, you have seen it with your own eyes. The duty of the Argent Crusade is to provide provisions for the Orcs. Don't feel guilty about betraying half a million humans. Even the great Tirion Fordring did this. Why should you refuse?"
Sweating profusely from the pain, Tirion Fordring forced a smile, "Your King, all of this is for the sake of saving Azeroth."
"This is utterly unreasonable. A bunch of inhuman beasts. Even the Burning Legion wouldn't do such a thing."
Kites almost slammed his fist on the table, but he knew it would be unwise to lose his temper at that moment.
Although he still found it hard to accept, strangely enough, after Tirion Fordring's personal experience, Kites was less resistant. As long as he could return to Stormwind City smoothly, betraying 500,000 humans was not out of the question.
Eitrigg ate the meat heartily and took a sip of wine:
"King Majesty, we Orcs are a civilized and kind race. We will not embarrass you too much. Rest assured, we will never ask you to hand over 500,000 humans at once. For example, in this Northrend War, as long as you send a large human army into Northrend in the name of conquering the Lich King, leave the rest to us. No one knows whether they will be eaten by the Orcs or wiped out by the Scourge. Hehe, the world will say that you are righteous and praise your greatness."
After hearing this, Kites, though still somewhat resistant, finally felt relieved. If this were true, as long as it was handled properly, it wouldn't damage his reputation in the slightest.
Vol'jin raised his glass, a sinister smile on his face, and said, "Your King, with the cooperation of our Horde, you will surely become the greatest King in human history. Cheers!"
Jaina smiled, raised her glass, and said, "A toast to a great King."
Tirion Fordring, with a piece of his flesh cut off, also raised his glass. "King Majesty, the opportunity to make a name for yourself has arrived! Cheers to Azeroth!"
Kites reluctantly picked up his glass, having no choice but to accept Vol'jin's suggestion. After downing the glass, he felt unwell, his mouth burning hot.
He felt nauseous and didn't eat a single bite of meat, only watching Vol'jin, Eitrigg, and the other ferocious beasts devour their food.
Vol'jin glanced at Kites, frowned in displeasure, grabbed the Battle Axe beside him, and chopped off Tirion Fordring's right hand.
Tirion Fordring screamed in agony, then his eyes rolled back and he lost consciousness.
Vol'jin pierced Tirion Fordring's right hand with a dagger, smoked it over a fire, smeared it with sauce, and placed it in front of Kites, revealing a ferocious, cannibalistic expression.
"Your King, the Horde is friendly. If you eat this, we will be good friends; otherwise, you will be on the table. You don't have Tirion Fordring's Holy Light."
Kites felt a chill run down his spine, a cold sensation coursing through his body as if he were in a frozen wasteland. He knew he couldn't refuse this gift, or his fate would be far worse than Tirion Fordring's.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the tent, and an Orcs rushed in, panting, and knelt down, shouting:
"This is bad! Garrosh's army is approaching our camp!"
"What, Garrosh?" Eitrigg stood up abruptly, his expression fierce. "The Scourge, what is Garrosh doing here?"
Vol'jin glanced at Kites and nodded, saying:
"So that's how it is. Garrosh came for you too, Your King. You should be glad Garrosh didn't capture you, otherwise he would have torn you to pieces, eaten you, and hung your head at the gates of Orgrimmar."
Kites did not forget his cooperation with Garrosh; he was able to ascend to the throne with Garrosh's help. However, by declaring Scourge, Kites betrayed this alliance.
The ruthless Garrosh will never forgive the Betrayer.
Vol'jin left behind several dozen elite Dragonblood Orcs to guard Kites, while he personally led the main army to welcome Garrosh's arrival.
Outside the tent were Dragonblood Orcs, a terrifying group of wild beasts with formidable strength. Although Kites possessed the power of the Goldrinn, he felt he could only handle a dozen or so of them, no more than that.
If they escaped, there was a chance of success, but the cowardly Kites had already lost confidence and could only wait anxiously in the tent.
After a long while, Tirion Fordring, who was sitting at the table, slowly opened his eyes.
"Give it to me." Tirion Fordring pointed to Kites's roasted right hand.
Kites clumsily handed over his right hand, and Tirion Fordring aligned it with the severed limb. Bright Holy Light enveloped the right hand, and it was restored to its original state in no time.
Tirion Fordring sat up, grabbed a piece of clothing and put it on, looking as weak as if he had just gone through a fierce battle.
"Tirion Fordring, do you like this kind of life? Why don't you want to rebel? You're perfectly capable of doing so," Kites asked, puzzled.
Tirion Fordring smiled slightly, poured himself a glass of wine, and slowly drank it, regaining some of his strength.
"Night Watch, you have only just begun to experience the cruelty of the world. There is an old saying in my hometown: 'No pain, no gain.' All the hardships I have endured will ultimately transform into boundless glory. History will remember me, the great Tirion Fordring."