The morning light passed through the stained glass windows, reflecting the central hall of Theramore Mage Tower as brilliantly as a kaleidoscope. Jaina appeared in the center of Teleportation Array, golden Her long hair danced like running water in the aftermath of Arcane Energy. When she waved goodbye to Deren at his home, the aroma of blueberry jam from breakfast still lingered on her fingertips.
"Don't forget that I will be back after the municipal meeting at three o'clock in the afternoon." Her voice became ethereal as the teleportation magic was activated, "The dock area expansion plan is still waiting for my final signature."
Deren looked at Jaina's disappearing figure. He rubbed the newly sprouted stubble on his chin and sighed, "It's convenient for the mage. You can just recite a spell wherever you want. Unlike me, I have to walk thirty steps to the bathroom." What he didn't say was whether the mage can use teleportation to go to the bathroom. What if he teleports to the wrong place?
The moment Arcane Light completely dissipated, Jaina had accurately appeared in the center of her Mage Tower positioning circle. The constant temperature barrier in the tower maintained just the right amount of coolness, and the unique smell of parchment, magic ink and three hundred medicinal materials came to her face. She took a deep breath, this smell of accumulated knowledge always put her into work mode instantly.
"Lady Proudmoore!" A sharp voice came from behind the stack of books. Her chief assistant, Gnome mage Tex Gearspark, pushed the lenses that slid to the tip of his nose, and the pile of documents in his arms was almost taller than his short stature. "Last night's merchant ship records, five encrypted letters from Dalaran - two of which were marked 'top secret', Stormwind City's envoy's meeting request, and..." He suddenly lowered his voice, "The latest progress report of the 'special project'."
Jaina tapped the staff lightly with his slender fingers, and a string of magic runes flashed in the air, sorting the to-do items by priority. "Deal with the dock labor disputes first, and then." Her eyes scanned the suspended runes, "Wait, five letters? Didn't Teacher Antonidas just get a letter yesterday?"
"Two new envelopes have been added." Tex stood on tiptoes and handed the top gilt envelope to her, "Look at the fire lacquer seal, it's co-signed by Council of Six."
Jaina frowned almost imperceptibly. As the ruler of Theramore and an important member of Dalaran, this dual identity often made her feel like she was playing two completely different chess games at the same time. She walked quickly towards the spiral staircase and ran her fingertips across the monitoring crystals embedded in the wall. Each crystal was connected to the magic eyes all over the city, forming the "Eye of Theramore" monitoring network she designed herself.
"Ma'am, would you like to prepare breakfast for you?" Tex jogged to follow.
"No need." Jaina climbed up the stairs without looking back, "I have already used it with Mr. Deren." Thinking of the farce that night, the corners of her mouth turned up unconsciously. The way that man, who always looked lazy, was so helpless when he was "besieged" by a group of female creatures was really laughable.
The study door opened automatically when it sensed the owner's approach. The sun shone through the curved floor-to-ceiling windows on the ebony desk, and a steaming cup of jasmine tea was already placed in its usual place. Jaina picked up the tea cup and found that the temperature was just right - Tex could always accurately calculate the time she teleported back.
She unfolded the first document, which was a complaint from the dock union about the orc labor wage dispute. The quill dipped in special magic ink and left shimmering writing on the parchment. "Agree to implement the original contract, but may issue quarterly bonuses as appropriate." The moment the comment was written, the ink automatically copied three copies and flew to document baskets of different colors.
When the tea cup bottomed out, Jaina had already processed more than a dozen regular government documents. She moved her somewhat stiff neck and picked up the gilded letter. Council of Six's joint letter was anything but ordinary. She first cast a triple decryption spell, and then used her exclusive magic seal to confirm that the seal was complete before carefully opening it.
The content of the letter made her pupils shrink slightly. Dalaran detected abnormal magic fluctuations coming from the direction of Northrend, which seemed to be a strengthening of the connection with Twisting Nether. Some people thought that other evil creatures were escaping from the cage. Antonidas tactfully suggested that she "do not go to the Northland in the near future."
Jaina's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the pendant on her chest, and her heart began to stir: If Scourge was really planning something in Northrend, Theramore needed to prepare in advance. She quickly wrote down a few lines of passwords and summoned a magic messenger.
After finishing a bunch of things, Jaina walked out of the study and headed up the spiral staircase.
The top floor of Mage Tower is called "Chamber of Contemplation" by Jaina, where her most precious Magic Tome and private research notes are stored. The spiral staircase leading to this sanctuary may seem ordinary, but in fact it hides murderous intent: it is full of mechanisms and magic traps.
Therefore, when Jaina saw the oak door of her secret room open, a biting chill ran down her spine and up the back of her neck. Her fingers tightened instantly, and Arcane Crystal at the top of the staff burst out with a dangerous blue light.
No alarms were triggered.
No trace of magical disturbance.
There isn't even a sound of the engine resetting.
Jaina's breathing became slow and deep, which was her habit before casting high-level spells. Three layers of protective barriers unfolded around her like water waves: the innermost layer was the flowing Arcane Shield, the middle was the elemental deflection field, and the outermost layer was the rare time delay barrier - this was a technique she learned from Bronze Dragon.
"In the name of Lord Theramore," she chanted in a low voice, her staff making a crisp sound on the floor, "I order the intruder to appear immediately."
There was no response. Only the rustling of the pages in the draft.
Jaina moved forward slowly, leaving a glowing Rune Mark on the floor with each step. These marks formed a moving Magic Array, which could instantly release her best Frost Nova. When she turned the last corner, she finally saw the situation inside "Chamber of Contemplation" -
The bookshelf is neat as usual.
The experimental equipment remains in place.
Even the Crystal Ball she put on the coffee table last night remained the same.
The only exception is that there is a strange figure standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sea.
It was a woman wearing a simple black robe, her long silver hair was rolled up casually, and a few loose strands of hair were almost transparent in the sunlight. She was flipping through Jaina's private notes, her movements as natural as if she were in her own study.
"<On the relationship between Arcane Energy and space folds>," Black-Robed Woman commented without looking back, "The entry point is good, but the inference in the third chapter is flawed."
Jaina's staff pointed directly at the intruder's back, and frost condensed on the tip of the staff. "Trespassing into a spellcaster's private domain is equivalent to declaring war, madam."
But Black-Robed Woman was not anxious at all. Instead, he observed Jaina's shield spell with great interest. He let out a "tsk tsk" sound of admiration, "Not bad. At such a young age, your magic attainments have reached such a level, and you are still a female mage. Oh! It seems that you are my biggest gain from this trip."
Second update. Anyone who is familiar with World of Warcraft knows who is on the stage. Former Guardian, the ruthless character who plays Sargeras alone, the first human mage in history, the real golden thigh. Continue to ask for votes and subscribe.