"Emperor Archaeus protect us, this is truly a disgrace to the Trolls!"
Vol'jin sized up his poor relatives who had come to seek refuge, a sincere smile on his face but utter contempt in his heart.
These were a group of Drakkari Frost Trolls, each covered in dust, their clothes tattered, and as thin as the Forsaken.
They crossed the snowy mountains, but more than half of their tribe perished, becoming food for their companions.
After a difficult trek, the survivors finally made it into Grizzly Hills and found Vol'jin's group.
Warlord Zol'Maz, the leader of the group, brought his wife and children and became a guest of honor at Vol'jin's, enjoying beef and wine in the warmth of his tent.
Hundreds of his men gathered outside the tent, around the campfire, greedily gnawing on a pile of cow bones.
Tauren bones are known for their hardness and are often used to build tents, but these Trolls chewed them up and swallowed them.
Vol'jin has been under a lot of pressure lately, with one trouble after another. Although he successfully facilitated the Alliance's decisive battle against the Zul'Drak Trolls and was on the verge of reaping the rewards, Garrosh stole the fruits of his labor.
Warlord Zol'Maz was Vol'jin's last hope for a comeback, and he also brought news that greatly excited Vol'jin.
Vol'jin watched Zolmaz wolf down his food and asked calmly:
"The snow has been very heavy lately; Frost King Malakk must be having a tough time."
Zormaz stopped swallowing, raised his head, two slices of beef hanging from his fangs, and his face contorted with resentment. He roared furiously:
"We've all been fooled. The cunning Frost King Malakk has built a massive underground palace in the snowy mountains, a place to shelter from the wind and snow, with enough food to last for ten years. The Loa and their people were kept out and suffered heavy losses. Frost King Malakk took the opportunity to win over many of the Loa's the Betrayer. His power has never been this great. I couldn't stand by and watch, so I argued with him, and I was ruthlessly driven away by Frost King Malakk."
Warlord Zol'Maz did not mention that after discovering the existence of the underground palace, his first act was to pledge his loyalty to the Frost King and beg for forgiveness, only to be unsurprisingly turned away.
Vol'jin was secretly surprised; he had truly underestimated Frost King Malakk, who had hidden such a powerful hand.
Unfortunately, without the support of the Loa, Frost King Malakk was ultimately a rootless duckweed.
Despite its apparent expansion of power, the Zul'Drak Empire was merely at its last gasp, and it was not far from being abandoned by its people.
"The Loa of Zul'Drak have never been so helpless," Warlord Zol'Maz said in a deep voice. "This is my chance, Vol'jin. I think you will grant my request."
After a moment's thought, Vol'jin readily replied:
"That's right, I helped Novos gain the power of the Prophet Saronite, but I don't know why he became Lich. This must be the work of the Scourge."
Inadvertently, Vol'jin attributed all of Novos's achievements to himself.
In fact, without the absorption Magic Circle provided by Robbie, Novos would not have been able to absorb all the divine power and become a Loa- level Lich.
Warlord Zol'Maz nodded in satisfaction and grinned. "Vol'jin, the secret letter I sent made it very clear that I know the whereabouts of the Destroyer of Worlds. I think you'll be very interested."
Vol'jin was certainly interested. If he possessed the artifact of the Destroyer of Worlds, Vol'jin would become the rightful leader of the Darkspear Tribe, and could even unify the entire Gurubashi Trolls.
Vol'jin's expression turned serious, and he said in a measured tone:
"My ancestors were personally granted a title by Emperor Archaeus and bestowed with the heirloom, the Destroyer of Worlds, to rule over the entire Gurubashi Trolls. Unfortunately, they carelessly lost the Destroyer of Worlds, which led to a power struggle among ministers and the loss of the throne. From a very young age, my father made me understand the heavy responsibility on my shoulders, and I vowed from childhood to restore the glory of my ancestors and rebuild the Gurubashi Empire."
"A very interesting story, but unfortunately it's made up."
The Warlord Zol'Maz thought to himself, but didn't reveal it. Having eaten and drunk his fill, he loudly proclaimed:
"Vol'jin, you want to know the whereabouts of the Destroyer of Worlds? That's not difficult at all. Help me obtain the power of the Loa, just like Novos did, and I will tell you everything. However, the current situation is very bad. The Loa and their Followers are hiding in the snowy mountains, their whereabouts unknown. You must get that beast Garrosh out of the Zul'Drak Empire before I have a chance to seize their power."
Vol'jin frowned deeply upon hearing this. "That's impossible. Garrosh is not my subordinate; I have no right to order him around."
Warlord Zol'Maz chuckled and said, "You'll figure something out, won't you, Vol'jin!"
Looking at Vol'jin's unpredictable expression, Warlord Zol'Maz let out a burp, leaned back, and said lazily:
"Vol'jin, look around you. My wife, children, and people are all here. Perhaps you've decided to use them to threaten me, do you know that? Vol'jin, I've already risked my life countless times in the snowy mountains. If I had walked a few more days, I would have eaten them all. Such threats are useless against me."
"You must be thinking that you could kill me and torture my soul. Heh heh, Vol'jin, you know, among us Trolls, there are often those who secretly worship mysterious evil gods. Let me tell you the truth, I am a heinous follower of an evil god. It was this evil god who helped me become a warlord. If I die, my soul will be taken by the evil god, and you will get nothing."
Vol'jin couldn't ascertain Warlord Zol'Maz's true nature; perhaps he was lying. But the Destroyer of Worlds was of paramount importance, and Vol'jin dared not take the risk. He threatened fiercely:
"Very well, I'll find a way, Warlord Zol'Maz. I hope you keep your promise. If you deceive me, you will pay an unimaginable price; even the evil god behind you cannot protect you."
Getting Garrosh to withdraw from the Zul'Drak Empire is a very difficult task.
The whereabouts of the Destroyer of Worlds and the hope of unifying the Gurubashi Empire are more attractive to Vol'jin than the position of Warchief of the Horde.
After much deliberation, Vol'jin finally realized that neither his own abilities nor his ambitions were sufficient; the task would have to be accomplished by another ambitious individual.
Among the many heroes of the Horde, Vol'jin always considered himself resourceful and ambitious, and thought that heroes like Cairne Bloodhoof were simply not up to par.
But when he came into contact with Sylvanas, he saw an even more insanely ambitious woman than himself; the Dark Lady was practically a madwoman who could explode at any moment.
The only one who can stop Garrosh is Sylvanas.
However, Vol'jin needs to weave a new lie to get Sylvanas involved in the Zul'Drak Empire conflict.
To lure someone in, you have to cater to their interests.
What did Sylvanas want most? Vol'jin quickly made up his mind.
An urgent magical letter arrived in Undercity.
Sylvanas gracefully pulled out the letter. Although she had become Undead she herself Abomination, some of her habits from her life remained unchanged.
In Sylvanas's heart, she remained that beautiful and dignified High Elf.
In the secret letter, Vol'jin detailed the situation in the Zul'Drak Empire. To Sylvanas, this was all useless nonsense. Sylvanas appeared to be keeping a low profile, but in fact, she had been secretly monitoring the situation in Northrend.
"The fall of Prophet Saronite was indeed Vol'jin's doing." Sylvanas smiled slightly, then she saw Vol'jin's guess:
"Perhaps the Loa can resurrect the Undead."