Frost King Malakk wanted to ascertain the attitudes of the Red Dragonflight and the Horde. The Priests exchanged glances, and first, High Prophet Moorabi stepped forward and declared loudly:
"I am willing to represent the king on this mission to the Horde."
Then, Slad'ran, Priest of the serpent god, volunteered. "I am willing to go on a mission to the Red Dragonflight."
Frost King Malakk nodded. "With the two of you on this mission, I am very reassured. Besides probing the attitudes of the Horde and the Red Dragonflight, you must also take this opportunity to find out their true intentions. The Zul'Drak Empire is facing a life-or-death crisis, and I hope you will all fulfill your duties."
The meeting, which concerned the Destiny of the empire, came to an end. Back in his room, Marak looked out the window with a worried expression, with only his most trusted servant Drakuru, behind him.
"Drakuru."
Frost King Malakk did not turn around, but asked uneasily, "If the Horde joins forces with the Red Dragonflight to attack, what do you think these Priests and Loa will do?"
Drakuru hurriedly bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, if the Loa are willing to serve the country, and the empire's soldiers fight to the death, the Red Dragonflight and Horde will realize that the losses outweigh the gains and will naturally retreat on their own, then we will be safe. But this is only the ideal situation. In reality, the Loa and Priests each have their own ulterior motives, and I am worried."
"What are you worried about?" asked Frost King Malakk.
Drakuru hesitated for a moment, bit his lip hard, and said:
"Things have come to this point, and even if the King executes me directly, I have no choice but to speak. The Priests, aided by the Loa, wield great power. As long as they lead their people away from Zul'Drak, they can become Overlord of any region they settle in. There is really no need for them to risk their lives for Zul'Drak. I fear that once war breaks out, the Zul'Drak Empire will quickly fall apart, and the Loa and the Priests will go their separate ways."
Frost King Malakk sighed heavily and said:
"That's right, that's exactly what I'm worried about. The Priests served the Loa and took the opportunity to amass a vast Wealth, which they have already transferred to other continents. The Zul'Drak Empire has a harsh environment and is not suitable for habitation. I think they had already made plans for this."
Drakuru knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, the situation in Zul'Drak is beyond saving. I only hope that Your Majesty can make preparations as soon as possible and leave a way out."
Frost King Malakk was enraged. He turned around and slapped Drakuru across the face, roaring, "I am the great Frost King! Long ago, my ancestors created this empire, and I will live and die with it no matter what! How could you do such a shameless thing?"
Drakuru knelt on the ground, too submissive to utter a word. The naive Drakuru was unaware that Frost King Malakk had already secretly colluded with the Throne of Thunder in Pandaria, and that once the Zul'Drak Empire fell, Frost King Malakk would immediately go to join the Lei Shen.
"Besides, the most desperate moment hasn't arrived yet." Frost King Malakk's face twisted in a grimace. "Drakuru, in the entire Zul'Drak Empire, I trust you the most. I need you to disguise yourself and secretly travel to the Scourge to meet the Lich King Arthas."
Drakuru was flattered and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail in my mission. If I cannot bring back reinforcements from the Scourge, I am willing to atone with my death."
Frost King Malakk patted Drakuru on the shoulder and grinned maliciously:
"Listen, it would be best if you could bring back reinforcements from the Scourge, but if Arthas refuses, don't be discouraged. For the sake of the Zul'Drak Empire, you must bring back something."
"What is that?" Drakuru asked blankly.
Frost King Malakk remained silent for a long time, then uttered a single word through clenched teeth:
"Plague!"
Inside the New Warsong Legion's camp, Garrosh roared at Krasus:
"Damn it, we Orcs Consecration everything to save Azeroth, sacrificing tens of thousands of Orcs in this battle alone, and gained nothing. Who will compensate us for our losses?"
The Dragon Mage Krasus bowed his head, not daring to contradict the enraged Orcs. Explaining to the Horde on the orders of the Red Dragon Queen was a thankless and arduous task.
Krasus could only try to be tactful, saying, "Her Majesty the Queen is well aware of the Orcs' Consecration and specially sent me to bring some food to apologize to your army. Please accept it, General."
Garrosh's eyes widened:
"Do we Orcs care about your meager food? What we need is revenge. Why not exterminate the Blue Dragonflight? Why allow them to live in the Nexus?"
Krasus didn't know how to explain. For the sake of the Red Dragonflight's remaining dignity, what happened within the Nexus couldn't be told to outsiders. He could only force a smile and say:
"Malygos Aspect of the Blue, has already received his due punishment. The ringleader has been eliminated, and the Queen is merciful; there is no need to implicate all the Blue Dragonflight."
Garrosh was furious and punched Krasus hard in the face.
Although he had transformed into Blood Elf, Krasus was still a fully grown Dragon, and this punch couldn't hurt him at all. However, Krasus was very sensible and cooperated by flying away, spitting out a few mouthfuls of blood.
Garrosh relentlessly rained blows on Krasus, beating him until he was nearly dead before finally stopping and shouting:
"You despicable and insignificant Krasus, go back and tell your lowly queen that the Red Dragonflight owes me a favor, and that you must be at my beck and call whenever I need you."
Krasus, supporting himself against the tent, pretended to struggle to his feet and hurried away.
After the Dragon Mage disappeared, Garrosh opened his palm, wincing in pain, regretting that he had used too much force.
The war against the Blue Dragonflight, while preventing Malygos from "destroying the world" and bringing honor and fame, resulted in severe losses for the Orcs —a price they could not afford.
Vol'jin entered the tent, avoiding Garrosh's gaze, and said anxiously, "General, the Orcs Legion has suffered heavy losses, and their rations are running low. We must find a solution as soon as possible."
Garrosh waved his hand and pointed towards Zul'Drak on the map. "Easy. The Zul'Drak Empire has a large amount of military provisions and countless slaves. This is our next target."
Vol'jin shook his head and said worriedly:
"General, I think you should be aware that both of our Legions have suffered heavy losses, and we are also short of supplies. If we cannot take Zul'Drak in one fell swoop, we will surely be defeated if we are drawn into a protracted war. The Drak'Tharon Keep heavily fortified, and with the Loa guarding it, our chances of victory are slim."
Garrosh grinned, his voice filled with malice, "As long as the Red Dragon Queen makes a move, the Loa are nothing but trash."
Vol'jin remained silent, though he was deeply worried.
What exactly happened Battle of the Nexus? The Dragonkin are tight-lipped, and Vol'jin couldn't find out anything, but he knew the Red Dragon Queen's hatred for the Blue Dragonflight. Unless there was an irresistible force, the Red Dragon Queen would never let the Blue Dragonflight go.
Some Orcs saw the Red Dragon Queen burn her wings and flee from the Nexus back to the Wyrmrest Temple. The resourceful Vol'jin sensed something was wrong; he feared the Red Dragon Queen would not offer any help again.
In addition to Vol'jin and Garrosh's Legions, the Horde also has the Orgrimmar and Thrallmar fronts led by Keleina, the Frostwolf Cavalry of Dranosh, and the Kor'kron Elite Legions.
But neither the hot-tempered Garrosh nor the cunning Vol'jin wanted to share Zul'Drak's provisions and Wealth with others.
Vol'jin, looking at the blindly confident Garrosh, made up his mind to abandon his companion.