The white stone steps of the Temple of the Moon in Theramore gleamed like pearls in the sunlight. Deren stood outside the temple doors, somewhat awkwardly adjusting his collar. The moment the two sentries in silver armor saw him, they immediately straightened their backs and solemnly performed the highest level of Night Elf etiquette before him.
"Lord Deren," one of the sentries said, his eyes gleaming with reverence, "Should I inform him?"
Deren's lips twitched slightly. Ever since he "persuaded" the Goddess Elune to restore Aegwynn's youth, these Night Elf had been looking at him as if he were a living, breathing chosen one of the gods.
"No need for that, I just..."
Before he could finish speaking, another sentry had already turned and rushed into the temple. Deren heard hurried footsteps and hushed conversations coming from inside. In less than three minutes, a high priest dressed in a moon-white robe appeared at the top of the steps, his hands clasped in front of his chest as he bowed deeply.
"You favored by the Moon Goddess," her voice was like a clear spring, "Please come with me."
Deren followed the priest through the corridor, with maids and guards on both sides bowing in greeting. He noticed a young Priestess secretly glancing at him, a faint glow rising on her face—a characteristic gesture of Night Elf when shy. Deren immediately looked away, pretending not to see her.
In the quiet room, moonlight filtered through the stained glass, casting dappled shadows on the ceiling. The high priest personally poured him a cup of tea that exuded the fragrance of stardew.
"Is there anything the Temple of the Moon can do for you, sir?"
Deren picked up his teacup and took a sip, the crisp taste unfolding on his tongue. He carefully chose his words: "Recently... has the Temple of the Moon received any special operational instructions?"
The high priestess's long, slender fingers tapped lightly on her teacup. "Aside from the regular sacrificial rites, there are no special arrangements." She tilted her head slightly. " The Goddess has also been quiet lately, without issuing any new divine pronouncements."
Deren now realized that the Night Elf were unaware that the Eye of the Storm was about to bombard Theramore, so it seemed there was still room for negotiation.
Deren stared at the laurel branch floating in his teacup and said softly, "I need to speak directly with High Priestess Tyrande."
" The High Priestess, she."
"This concerns the very survival of the entire Night Elf; it's best to let her handle the negotiations. You can't make that decision." Deren raised his eyes, his voice turning serious.
The high priestess's fingers froze in mid-air. After a moment, she stood up, her robes tracing a silent arc on the ground. "I'll go contact the High Priestess right away."
A short while later, when Tyrande Whisperwind entered the quiet room, the moonlight seemed to come alive, flowing through her long hair. She waved for everyone to leave, and even the high priest who had just called her respectfully closed the door and left.
"Trying to bargain again?" Tyrande cut to the chase, her emerald eyes filled with wariness. " Elune 'Moon Goddess previous blessing, she had no choice but to put aside her work and teleport over to see the man who claimed to be in charge of the life and death of the Night Elf.
Deren calmly took a sip of tea. "Is it convenient to talk here?"
Tyrande said proudly, "Don't worry, this is Elune's territory; there's no possibility of eavesdropping."
Deren nodded, then suddenly said, "The orcs have already obtained the Eye of the Storm, that artifact. Didn't Elune tell you?"
Tyrande's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment. She closed her eyes, and the silver moon emblem on her forehead began to glow. A beam of pure moonlight pierced through the roof, enveloping her entirely.
As the moonlight faded, Tyrande opened her eyes, her voice chillingly calm. "Where's the evidence?" Clearly, Elune knew nothing about it.
" The Dragon Race in Theramore are all gone. Krasus, the Red Dragon, suddenly returned to Dalaran; Kalecgos, the Blue Dragon dragon, was forcibly recalled to the Nexus; even Chromie, the Bronze Dragon, disappeared after I sent her to the Dragonblight Temple. My family's three Red Dragon were also taken away by Alexstrasza. Except for the two silly Black Dragon siblings, who are still here. The other dragons must have gotten wind of this."
Deren listed the items one by one. "Goblin informants say they saw orc Warrior flaunting fragments of Blue Dragon wing bones. And my mage detected energy fluctuations resembling the Eye of the Storm underground in Orgrimmar."
Tyrande's long, slender fingers unconsciously traced the crest of the Moon Goddess: "Even so, if the orcs want to attack, they'll attack Theramore first. What does it have to do with the Night Elf?"
Deren suddenly laughed, a laugh that made Tyrande feel helpless. She knew she was going to have to pay a price again; this was a cunning human.
"You're right, Theramore is definitely the first target," he said slowly. "But I've heard that the conflict between the Night Elf and orcs in Ashenvale has been going on for several years? You two must have a very good relationship."
Tyrande narrowed her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"
"I'm thinking," Deren stroked his chin, "If the Night Elf were willing to offer a map of Ashenvale as a gift, along with some beautiful elven women as slaves, and then submit to Orgrimmar, and then offer tribute every year, and have the High Priestess dance for the orcs at the ceremonies, perhaps Garrosh would take pity on them and spare the World Tree after destroying Theramore?"
Tyrande suddenly stood up, the moonlight exploding around her into a blinding halo. Deren had to raise his hand to shield his eyes.
"How dare you—"
"It's not a question of whether I dare or not," Deren's voice pierced the moonlight, "But whether Garrosh would do it! The power of Eye of the Storm is enough to reduce the entire Teldrassil to ashes!"
An eerie silence suddenly fell over the room. The moonlight on Tyrande flickered, mirroring her turbulent emotions. After a long while, she slowly sat back down in her chair.
"He shouldn't dare to do that," Tyrande seemed to be convincing herself. "We have Elune's protection."
"Yes, yes, yes, you have your own powerful backers protecting you, Garrosh wouldn't dare do anything to you." Deren didn't offer any rebuttal. "While the Eye of the Storm is Titan Artifact, it shouldn't be able to withstand the power of a true god. So you can continue singing and dancing as usual. The elves of Ashenvale aren't afraid of fire."
Tyrande understood what Deren meant. Even if Elune could protect the World Tree, the Night Elf ' territory was not small, and it was impossible to make all the Night Elf retreat to Teldrassil. That would make the elves in other places become targets of the orcs.
" Elune," her voice trembled slightly, "I want to know your plans."
Deren dropped his feigned nonchalance, leaning closer to Tyrande: "I'll be launching a surprise attack on Orgrimmar in the future. It's extremely dangerous. It's the orcs' capital, heavily fortified. It practically eliminates any possibility of a ground attack. I need to infiltrate by air at night."
Tyrande's face contorted in disbelief. "Are you insane? Even if you manage to break in, you'll be surrounded by enemies. Even if you destroy the artifact, how will you escape? A suicide attack?" For the first time, Tyrande felt this man was not only greedy but also mentally unstable. However, he certainly didn't lack courage.
Deren shook his head, staring at Tyrande who was so close to him. "Don't worry about how I break through; I have my own methods. But I'll need some help from the Moon Goddess to increase the success rate of the raid."
A sharp glint flashed in Tyrande's eyes. "What do you want?"
First update.