Before Deren could answer, Jaina appeared at the top of the stairs. Her long golden hair shone like a flowing galaxy in the moonlight, and her eyes were still hazy with sleepiness.
Aegwynn's expression froze instantly. She observed Jaina closely, as if confirming something. Then she strode up to Jaina, suddenly knelt on one knee, and performed an ancient ritual.
"It's so good to see you again." The old guardian's voice trembled slightly.
Jaina's eyes suddenly deepened, as if stars were swirling in her pupils. She gently helped Aegwynn up, her voice ethereal and almost inhuman. "We meet again. You did very well."
The air in the room seemed to freeze. Deren keenly noticed that when Jaina said those words, the starry sky outside the window seemed to brighten, and even the moonlight seemed gentler.
Onyxia's scales all stood on end. She leaned close to Deren and whispered, "This is... Star Soul?"
Deren said in the same low voice, "Don't you think about this old man? He's lived for over a thousand years. He's comparable to a god with a human body—he's even killed a god. It's not surprising that he's seen Azeroth."
The Black Dragon nodded thoughtfully. She hadn't heard of Azeroth seeking out any Aspect Dragons, yet she had met with human guardians. The implications were unspeakable.
Aegwynn suddenly snapped out of her daze, "There's no time to explain." She grabbed Deren's arm. " Jaina needs you."
"Okay, okay, okay." Although he didn't know what had happened, Deren quickly greeted the many females in the house and followed Aegwynn into the teleportation.
A flash of teleportation light, and the two instantly appeared in the lounge of Theramore City Hall. Jaina was just walking into the room, holding a report in her hand, her eyes dark-circled, clearly having not slept all night.
"Ms. Deren Aegwynn?" She hurried over. "You've come."
"The outposts in the Barrens have been attacked," Jaina said, handing over the documents.
"What are the specifics?" Deren asked.
Jaina rubbed her temples wearily. "It happened in the first half of last night. An outer outpost was attacked. One human sentry was killed and another wounded. Fortunately, two Elf Ranger arrived in time and carried the wounded back." She unfolded a map and pointed to a marker in the northwest corner. "Based on the description, the attackers were likely orcs."
"A retaliatory action," Deren analyzed. "With so many orc families fleeing to Theramore a few days ago, Garrosh definitely can't sit still."
Jaina nodded. "I've arranged the compensation and increased border patrols." She hesitated, "But I'm not sure if I should take a more aggressive approach."
"Since the orcs dared to attack in the middle of the night, they're certain Theramore and their people can't do anything about it," Deren said calmly. "If we don't react, they'll attack even more outposts."
"So we have no way to deal with this?" Jaina asked, distressed.
"That's a good thing," Deren suddenly said.
Jaina's eyes widened. "Good news? Our people are dead!"
"I'm referring to the political aspect," Deren explained. "The fact that the orcs broke the peace first indicates that their internal conflicts have escalated to the point where they need to divert attention. Garrosh has thrown himself into disarray."
Aegwynn gazed thoughtfully at Deren: "Your way of thinking is quite unique."
Jaina sighed. "In any case, the fallen soldier was innocent. I've contacted his family."
"A merciful general cannot command an army, and you need not be too distressed about this, lest it distract you," Deren advised. "The lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people in Theramore are at stake. What did your meetings all night produce?"
Jaina sat down wearily, while Aegwynn stood quietly to the side without saying a word.
"What else can we do? Increase patrols, send more people, initiate diplomatic negotiations," Jaina said calmly. "Besides these old tricks, there's nothing new. That's why I asked my teacher to bring you here. After all, you're my Tactical Advisor. Heh. Hurry up and give me some ideas. You're usually the most relaxed one. I'm the one managing Theramore all by myself."
Deren nodded and said, "Aside from these, there really isn't a better way. After all, it was the orcs who launched the attack, but they haven't completely broken ties. Garrosh probably can't mobilize the regular orc army either. There are also the old guard like Vol'jin and Saurfang holding them back. So the only option is to send some privately organized orc forces to launch an attack and disrupt the relationship between Theramore and the orcs."
"I bet you have a plan!" Jaina looked at him expectantly. "I know you're full of tricks. You're the one who brought all those women into the house."
Deren was taken aback, but didn't have time to complain. After thinking carefully, he said, "I don't have a good solution, but I do have a crooked idea, though it's a bit expensive."
"Money is no problem!" Jaina was still quite generous, patting her not-so-generous chest to indicate that she was a very wealthy woman.
Aegwynn, on the other side, added, "I have some savings in Karazhan, but they're useless sitting there. I can give them to Jaina to manage."
Deren was startled. Karazhan! Good heavens, there you can find magical items just by picking a piece of wood from there.
Compared to the two of them, he was the poorest of them all. He quickly said, "That's good. Actually, it's not that mysterious. We can hire a group of orc laborers under the guise of building a fortress and put them at the outposts. Moving stones and wood, building walls, digging trenches, etc. In short, it will require a lot of labor and time, right?"
"And then?" Jaina bent down, leaning forward to look face-to-face with Deren, who was sitting on the sofa. She was wearing her standard collarless robes today.
"Then—" Deren's words suddenly stopped, because he suddenly realized that the scenery in front of him was too rich, even the Mage Tower was appearing. Was this something he could bear to look at? He quickly coughed a few times, turned his face away, and then continued, " Garrosh will definitely send people to attack when he hears that a fortress is going to be built here."
"You see, there's a large group of orc laborers there, earning wages for building the fortress. What is he going to do? Killing them all is impossible; he doesn't want to be branded as a genocide of his own kind yet. At most, he'll kill a few to scare them. If he takes them all back, these laborers will curse him to death when they return to their Horde. His infamy will spread throughout the Horde. If we don't kill or arrest them, our fortress can be built."
"Great idea!" Jaina straightened up, seemingly oblivious to the buoyancy she had just created. "That was disgusting, Garrosh. I'll get things arranged right away; anyway, a lot of orcs have arrived in Theramore, and many haven't found work."
"In the name of Theramore City Hall, we're hiring on a massive scale, not just orcs, but Troll, Tauren, and other races are all welcome. Food and lodging will be provided; let them build their own work sheds at the outpost. Let the fearless goblins handle logistics and transportation. Send a few rangers on Hawkstrider to supervise; if the orcs attack, just run away. Half the wages can be advanced, but if the work isn't completed, the rest will be withheld."
Aegwynn was stunned; Deren's plan was far more unusual than he had imagined. He began to re-evaluate this man who spoke of goblins so casually.
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