"You really threw a hot potato at me. You were talking about a personal request, but I didn't expect it to be this."
Diakum, who returned to his guest room, looked at the Staff of the Guardian in his hand, caressing the magic-filled silk ribbon with some helplessness, and then touched the delicate head of the crow staff, admiring it for a moment like a treasure, and then put it into his Augure's Chest.
He is not a spell caster, and he has no desire for the pure Arcane Energy in it, and his higher moral standard does not allow him to keep it to himself.
This is what Aegwynn entrusted to him just now.
Ms. Guardian has a lot to do next. She can't run around with this sacred staff of great significance. In addition, Diakum originally planned to use the inheritance of "Guardians of Tirisfal" to win reinforcements for the Stormwind Kingdom, and his excellent character as a foreigner Saint makes him the best candidate to temporarily take care of Atiesh.
It's not that Aegwynn can't trust his two old friends Lich. The fact that they were able to prepare and send them over to help fight against Dark Power within one day after being invited already shows that there is a true friendship between these three people.
Mainly because the identities of Meryl Winterstorm and Farodis are somewhat sensitive.
Although the former has lived in seclusion for a long time and has no friendship with the current Council of Six, he is after all the veteran of Dalaran when the city was founded. Whether he wants it or not, he has the label of Kirin Tor on him. Giving this thing to Meryl basically puts him in a dilemma.
Give it to Council of Six. Old Lich himself doesn't trust those guys who are obsessed with chasing power. But don't give it to him. After all, he is his disciple and disciple, so he can't be too ruthless.
Farodis Not to mention.
As one of the "founding heads" of Quel'Thalas, he may be forced to make some decisions against his will in the face of the interests of the kingdom of High Elf.
To sum up, Diakum, an outsider who is not involved with other forces of Azeroth, has become the best "custodian".
"Perhaps you should call my mother back quickly!"
Garona appeared in the corner of the room, sitting on the armrest of the chair, holding a bright red apple in her hand, she said:
"Isn't it said that whoever gets the staff will be the next Guardians of Tirisfal? For such good things, you have to take care of our own people first.
I think my mother is very powerful!
She also learned Titan's Arcane Magic from Warlord Margok, she will definitely be able to be a good guardian."
"This is not a matter of strength. Garona, Lelan's character is not suitable for becoming Guardians of Tirisfal."
Diakum shook his head and explained:
"Atiesh - Guardian's Scepter has its own power!
It can elevate an ordinary mage to a powerful demigod with a harmless infusion of power at the moment the holder is selected, which means that for those who are eager to try it, their own strength has become the least important thing to consider.
Mind, will, ideal.
Or to use the word I say most often, morality!
This is the most important criterion for selecting Guardians of Tirisfal. Only spellcasters like the original guardian Alodi who are dedicated to the interests of the group Consecration are the most suitable people to hold it."
"But I heard that Alodi had a female Goblin lover, who was also a very skillful trading baroness. I didn't know what "Goblin" was at first, and I thought it was a goblin like Spriggans. But after Khadgar gave me a portrait of Goblin, I was dumbfounded on the spot."
Garona complained:
"It can be seen that the personal ethics and aesthetics of the first generation guardian are really in a mess. He is far worse than you. At least Archbishop Nali is also a first-class beauty Draenei.
Moreover, I don't know if I understood it wrong.
How come the moral principles you just described are so similar to the image you had when you were shaped by Holy Light? Do the holders of these great powers have to abandon personal desires and become the superhuman incarnation of certain beliefs?"
"Yes, because the Force has its own "justice"!"
Diakum nodded and said:
"You understand correctly, Arcane and Holy Light both belong to the positive force, and their modes of action are very similar. Holy Light the Shaper will tend to be "Moral Perfectionist", while Arcane the Shaper will become a "tyrant of order."
When wielding this Arcane Force Artifact, the holder will be continuously refined. This is why from the first generation of guardians to the present, including Aegwynn, all guardians will step down from their posts midway.
Mages are the most sane people in the material universe, and they cannot accept their transformation by being shaped by the Force.
This is actually a paradox.
If a spellcaster allows the holy staff to continuously refine himself while holding the Atiesh holy staff, then he is not qualified to continue to hold this staff.
Because Arcane Force will not allow practitioners to blindly follow other authorities.
If a spellcaster insists on himself and does not allow his character to be molded by the holy staff, he will give up the staff sooner or later.
There will never be a long-term guardian of Tirisfal in this world! This holy staff will not have a permanent owner. Passing back and forth between different holders is its destiny, and it is also the trial of the road left by Arcane Path to the casters.
That's what's so paradoxical and fascinating about Arcane Path.
Okay, stop thinking about this, you are not a mage, and thinking about this kind of philosophical speculation will burn out your brain."
Diakum stopped his granddaughter from trying to figure out such a complicated problem.
Garona is very smart, but her real age is only twelve or thirteen years old, and she is really not suitable to consider these issues that require rich experience to understand.
"Want to go for a walk?"
Diakum looked at the overly luxurious bed. He was not yet sleepy at this time, so he said to Garona:
"It's hard to come to Karazhan. While we are still distinguished guests, we can take a look around here. This tower is also one of Azeroth's most famous sights. You will rarely encounter such an interesting place in other worlds."
"But Lady Aegwynn didn't say that"
Garona was eager to give it a try, but she also wanted to show off her cuteness in front of her grandfather. She coyly made Diakum snort and said:
"You still care about this?
I guess you must have looked around and maybe found some "good stuff", but I know that the "justice" of your shadow way is "the thief does not leave empty-handed"."
"Ha, I was discovered by you."
The half-Orcs assassin turned her nimble fingers, and a beautiful crystal jade dagger jumped into her hand, spinning between her fingers like a butterfly piercing a flower.
She said:
"There is a box in the backstage of the opera house not far away. It is a magic box. It seems that it was left behind by a careless actor when Medivh invited Darkmoon Faire to perform.
I opened it and found this dagger. Although it is definitely not as good as Kingslayer, I can't fight with that deadly weapon every time.
It's nice to have some non-lethal weapons on hand.
But I am very confused, is Azeroth's circus so trendy?
This magic dagger looks like a masterpiece at first glance, how could it be held by a circus member?"
"Some people say they are Holy Light Walker even though they are surrounded by shadows."
Diakum leaned on the fine rosewood cane specially sent by the servant beside the bed, walked out of the room like an old man over 20,000 years old, and reminded his granddaughter:
"Just like some groups of cultists who worship the Shadow of the Void, they insist on hiding that they are Azeroth's most famous circus. Be careful when you meet them in the future.
That circus, which is very lively and good at performing, is one of the most dangerous forces in the world.
If you offend them, I'm afraid I won't be able to rush to save you in time."
"Is it so scary? How many demigods do they have?"
Garona was surprised and asked in a low voice. Diakum looked at Garona with a strange look. What's the matter with your strange "measurement unit"? How can anyone use the number of demigods to measure whether a force is dangerous?
But if you think about it carefully, this standard seems not bad.
So Diakum replied casually:
"On the surface, there is none, but as far as I know from the prophecy, the leader of Darkmoon Faire, His Excellency Silas Darkmoon, has raised a Darkmoon Rabbit as a pet. That thing is usually very well-behaved, but when it is hungry, it can chew demigods like bones.
In short, just enjoy their performances and have fun without delving into their true colors beneath the disguise.
When you see their "real face", they will see you.
In fact, I have always suspected that Darkmoon Faire is probably composed of a certain Void Lord in the family of Azeroth. It is even possible that Void Lord is hiding in it, using the same trick as Sargeras hid in Medivh, and in this way "games Mortal realm".
This indeed seems like something the Void Force can do.
Speaking of which, what is the opera program tonight?"
"Ouch, the Wizard of Oz."
Garona said:
"But Medivh is dead, who are they performing for?"
"Let's go watch it. It's a very interesting show. It is said that there is also an interactive session with the audience."
Dick waved his hand and said to his granddaughter like he was coaxing a child:
"Those actors are very generous. When you help them complete their performance and they give you a gift, remember to choose that pair of red dancing shoes. It can save your life when you are in danger."
If you still don't want to sleep after watching the opera, ask Khadgar to take you to play chess. Medivh will give you a reward after you win.
If you are lucky, you will become a "little rich woman" after tonight.
But don't cheat!
Medivh That bad chess player who always likes to cheat hates other cheaters cheating in front of him."
After saying that, Diakum leaned on a cane as if returning to his own home, turned into the corridor of the servants' dormitory next to him, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Garona Then she realized that her grandfather thought she was noisy and sent her to play by herself.
She shrugged and followed her grandfather's instructions to shuttle through the shadows towards the opera house. She had seen operas at Karabor Temple before, and was wondering about the difference between human operas and Draenei's.
"Found it! There is a legendary time rift where you can see the future."
Diakum spent some time and found what he wanted to "visit" in Karazhan's maze.
The strange crack in front of you is like a broken mirror from another space. It is said that this thing will randomly appear somewhere in the Karazhan tower, and everyone who approaches it can see their future from it.
The "victims" of this thing include but are not limited to Khadgar, Lothar, Reginald Windsor and others.
This thing can literally see into the future, and it's 100% accurate.
But other than that, it will not bring any benefits to life! Just like playing a game and knowing the ending in advance will make the interested players lose their fun in an instant.
This should also be a wonderful thing created by Medivh and Sargeras. Just a 100% correct future prediction already involves "destiny", which is considered an obscure path in Arcane Path.
"So, let me see where my future is going to be?"
Diakum stepped forward with a cane and looked with wide eyes. Many of him were reflected in the cracks in front of him like a broken mirror.
For a moment, Dick clearly saw the same self wearing different professional suits and walking on different career paths, but like an illusion, those images lasted less than a second, and he changed back to his current self.
This thing cannot represent his future.
But this was also Dick's guess. He shrugged. As a time traveler, it is a standard routine not to be caught by "fate", not to mention that he has been fighting against fate since he woke up.
"Then it's not too much for me to look at other people's futures, right?"
Dick said about the strange crack in front of him:
"Let me see if Maraad's future changes huh? What's going on?"
When he reached out and tried to touch the crack, the scene in front of him suddenly changed.
As Diakum watched with blinking eyes, the cracked image rippled like water waves, and then the image of Maraad appeared. Vigilant stretched out his hand in surprise. The next moment, he felt the world spinning, and then saw his apprentice and adopted son from a strange "third perspective".
Maraad is wearing an elf-style marching cloak and is trekking in the long yellow sand.
He was holding the Radiant War Hammer inlaid with Kara fragments in his hand, and was dragging several huge Hybrid Insect wrecks with ropes behind him. In front of him was an ancient fortress standing in the desert that had withstood the test of time for thousands of years.
Cenarion Hold!
The military camp of War of the Shifting Sands a thousand years ago was also the front line for the Kaldorei Moon Goddess Kingdom to monitor the dangerous servants of the ancient god, Qiraji.
Diakum watched as his disciples dragged the killed giant insects back to the fortress and handed them over to the elves amidst the thanks of the elven guards.
He keenly noticed that these supposedly strong elf guards looked sick, coughing constantly while dragging the trophies, and there were gray spots visible to the naked eye on their supposedly lavender skin.
Magic Plague!
Vigilant immediately narrowed his eyes, recognizing that this was the evil handiwork of Polluter.
Cenarius moves so fast?
How long did it take for Draenor to get Magic Plague before it released it on the elves of Azeroth so quickly? Looking at the weak state of these elf guards, it seems that they have been infected with Magic Plague for at least a week.
Dick's eyes continued to follow Maraad to change his perspective. He saw Great Uncle walking into the hotel and saying a few words to Nubodon who was treating the patient, Nubodon has the eternal Healer's Ring in his hands, which can greatly restrain the spread of Magic Plague, but without Draenor, the power of the divine ring is weakened, which can only delay the aggravation of these elves' illnesses and cannot completely cure them.
"Maraad! Can you hear me?"
Diakum felt something was wrong, so he asked mentally. The next second, he saw Maraad raise his head sharply, looking around suspiciously and warily.
He heard it!
After a moment, Maraad asked tentatively:
"Saint? Is it you? Are you still safe? Nubodon and I were lost during the transmission of Lelan"
"Silithus Desert! I know where you are. I am currently in a Mage Tower. The mysterious power here accidentally enabled me to activate my spiritual connection with you, the chosen one."
Dick asked briefly:
"Tell me, where did the Magic Plague on these elves come from? Has it spread?"
"No, Nubodon's timely intervention stopped the spread of Magic Plague, and Silithus is a closed zone, and the commander here, General Vastann Staghelm, also responded in a timely manner!"
Great Uncle replied:
"After learning about the existence of Magic Plague from us, he immediately chose to seal off the fortress and cut off all connections between it and other elven cities. But the bad news is that the Goblin employees of Steamwheedle Cartel who were delivering supplies to the fortress were also unfortunately infected with Magic Plague.
Those "little Green Skins" don't have such strong physical fitness as the elves.
Even though Nubodon tried his best to treat them, in the past few days, some Goblin have lost their wisdom and turned into muddle-headed walking zombies.
As for where Magic Plague comes from, I have been tracing it, but as I said, this is a closed area, and elves do not come here often."
"Holy Light revealed the truth to me. Silithus hides a Nathrezim lord in the thousands of years of yellow sand!"
Diakum thought about it and reminded:
"It should be called "Sorenor", nicknamed "The Slaughterer". It will appear in the form of a gentle dwarf doctor, claiming that he is best at treating finger cysts. Its pseudonym is "Nelson"."
"Yes! There is this person!"
Maraad quickly ran to communicate with the Elf Quartermaster, and he replied:
"The quartermaster told me that the last time the noisy dwarf doctor appeared in the fortress coincided with the time of the Magic Plague outbreak. Now he has gone to the Goblin city of Tanaris Gadgetzan. Not good!
There's going to be a problem with those Goblins! I'm going to set out immediately to deal with that damn demon!"
"Don't go alone."
Diakum warned:
"Sorenor is the dangerous Lord Dreadlord. It will be very dangerous for the Legend to fight against it. Take the bravest person you can find with you.
As for Magic Plague
Spriggans told me before that Holy Light can inhibit the performance of Magic Plague for washing Fel, plus Nubodon Healer's Divine Ring may make them feel better, but this thing is a trial from Life Force, so the elves still need to strengthen their will, and they can get the blessing of life by surviving it on their own.
Maraad, I've been busy with Orcs's invasion of Human King country recently, so I may not have time to pick you up, so."
"You don't have to worry, Saint."
Great Uncle replied:
"Holy Light has his own intention in sending me and Nubodon here!
Besides, I don't feel comfortable just leaving the infected elves here to die. They have guarded the dangerous Hybrid Insect for their country and the entire world for a thousand years. They are all warriors worthy of respect.
I will definitely be here to help them until they recover.
You should probably contact Yrel more than me, I'm worried that her fanaticism may cause her trouble."
"Well, I'm very satisfied to learn that you and Nubodon are practicing your own morality, so let's continue waiting! What did you just say, what is the name of Cenarion Hold's general?"
Diakum asked a question belatedly, and Maraad replied:
"General Vastann Staghelm! is the war hero of the Kaldorei Moon Goddess Kingdom, nicknamed "Hand of the Earth". This is the nickname given to him by the insects who are afraid of him. It is as glorious as your "Light Butcher".
He lost an arm.
It is said that it was because he almost died at the hands of a bug general a thousand years ago, but fortunately, he received timely assistance from Moon Guard's subordinates under Black Crow King, and was able to kill the ferocious monster at the critical moment. His battle sword came from the remains of that monster and he named it "Qiraji Ripper".
General Staghelm is very strong.
Although he was also infected with Magic Plague, he did not lose his judgment."
"So, is his father still alive?"
Dick's tone became more and more strange, and he added:
"I have heard the surname "Fandral Staghelm" from Arantien before. It is said that he is a member of the first batch of elves Druid."
"Oh, I heard General Staghelm say this during the previous conversation that his father is Archdruid of Cenarius Order, and is also the direct disciple of "Emerald Heart" Malfurion. He is the most famous "good old man" of the Elven Empire, and is deeply admired by the elves.
However, his father's violent temper troubled General Staghelm.
After General Staghelm's daughters and sons were born one after another, because the general's Archdruid wife was also busy with her duties, his old father was already in a semi-retired state, taking care of the family in a place called "Ashenvale".
This elf general has a happy family, which is really enviable."
Maraad sighed with emotion, Diakum was silent for a moment, and then he sighed:
"Indeed, Old Staghelm can retire peacefully, which is also a kind of happiness for this world. Although Flame Druids, forget it, it will be gone if it is gone. Anyway, it is not a happy force in the first place."