The next morning, in Dren's residence in Theramore, the crackling fire in the fireplace highlighted Dren's furrowed brow. He lightly touched the location of Orgrimmar on the parchment map with his quill pen, the ink spreading into a small black hole.
" The Eye of the Storm is still there." Deren's voice was deep and firm. " The Titan Artifact are far more robust than imagined; the explosion that night couldn't have damaged it." He began to consider the aftermath of the Eye of the Storm incident.
Jaina looked up from the pile of documents, her blonde hair gleaming in the sunlight. "You wouldn't be thinking of..."
"We must dig it out." Deren's fingertips tapped heavily on the map. "While the orcs are embroiled in internal strife and have no time to spare. Otherwise, wait until Garrosh catches his breath..."
Aegwynn put down the Magic Tome in his hand, his grey robes billowing in a breeze as he turned. "Are you insane? Stealing a Titan Artifact from dozens of meters underground right under the orcs' noses?"
Onyxia leaned lazily against the window, sunlight gilding her silhouette. "Sounds interesting~"
Deren unfolded a yellowed blueprint with a precise floor plan of Orgrimmar: "The explosion created a massive crater in the center of the city. The artifact is covered only by loose soil that fell after being thrown from the crater. The main orc force is currently locked in a standoff with the Echo Isles Troll, providing us with cover. Once we pinpoint the location, we can dig a vertical tunnel through it."
Aegwynn's finger traced an Arcane path in the air, intricate runes flickering in the Void: "My Phase Fold can penetrate underground mud, but against an artifact like the Eye of the Storm..." The runes suddenly twisted and dissipated. " Titan-forged interfere with spatial magic."
Silence fell over the study. The firelight from the fireplace cast flickering shadows on everyone's faces.
"We need a more primitive method." Deren suddenly looked up, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Just dig straight down into the ground."
Jaina's teacup stopped mid-air. "You mean the goblin excavator? That noise will attract all the orcs in Orgrimmar."
"No." A slight smile played on Deren's lips. "Perhaps we can use the power of nature."
Aegwynn abruptly stood up, her robes billowing even without wind. " Druid's Root Growth spell? You're insane! Night Elf would never pass on such a secret technique!"
"But they owe me a huge favor. And they should be afraid, there's a ticking time bomb right next to Ashenvale that could destroy the World Tree at any moment." Deren was confident he could convince them.
Aegwynn: "So, it's possible to persuade them about their position?"
Deren stood up and said, "There's no harm in giving it a try, Lady Aegwynn. Please come with me to the Temple of the Moon. I'll leave the magic to you."
The "tool man Aegwynn, gave a wry smile: "You little rascal, you sure know how to slack off. Fine, I'm quite interested in nature magic. Learning it wouldn't hurt!"
As dusk fell, the Temple of the Moon in Theramore was shrouded in a pale purple mist. Deren and Aegwynn were led into a secret chamber by the temple's priests.
"Are you sure Tyrande will agree?" Aegwynn asked in a low voice, her fingers nervously rubbing her staff.
Deren didn't answer. A short while later, his gaze fell on the slowly opening door. Tyrande Whisperwind appeared in the room.
"Friends of the Night Elf," Tyrande's voice was like a clear forest spring, "Welcome to the realm of the Moon Goddess."
Deren bowed and said, " High Priestess, we need your help."
Deren asked her directly, "You should have received news of the Orgrimmar explosion, right?"
Tyrande nodded. Several days had passed, and the Night Elf had their own intelligence network.
"But the Eye of the Storm should still be buried beneath the soil of Orgrimmar. This Titan-forged cannot be destroyed lightly, meaning it could be unearthed and reused at any time. It poses a threat to Theramore and the World Tree as well."
"So what's your plan?" Tyrande asked.
"Dig it up secretly," Deren said with a grin.
"And then?" Tyrande asked calmly.
"Let's play for a while, then sacrifice ourselves to Elune," Deren proposed as the final solution.
Tyrande listened to Deren's words and silently looked up, communicating with the moonlight streaming into the room. After a long while, she said, " The Eye of the Storm is Titan Artifact kept by the Dragon Race. Elune is afraid that if she takes the artifact, the Blue Dragon or the Titan will come to reclaim it, which would put Elune in a difficult position."
Deren said nonchalantly, "That's easy. As long as Elune feels it's necessary to safeguard this artifact, everything else is fine. Look at the artifacts that the Dragon Race can't manage; it's more suitable for Elune to take care of them. Besides, why would an artifact that the Dragon Race were originally guarding end up scattered abroad? Even if it were the Titan, Elune would have plenty of reasons."
"Of course, it's most appropriate for Elune to keep this dangerous artifact safe," Tyrande said definitively, then looked to Deren for his opinion.
"That's good!" Deren had also guessed that Elune wanted to possess this artifact, after all, it posed a great threat to the Night Elf.
He continued, "The matter is quite simple. Someone accidentally unearthed a magical artifact in an orc city. Not knowing what it was, he sacrificed it to Elune. As a trustworthy deity, she was naturally obliged to bestow Divine Grace."
"For example, restoring an old woman's youth and extending her life by hundreds of years. Or granting a non- Druid the ability to master Nature Magic. Or promising a future opportunity where Elune's intervention is needed. These are all verifiable facts."
"If the Dragon Race come knocking, just say the artifacts are under their control. Why haven't we heard of any artifacts being lost elsewhere? You can take them back if you want. Elune can say that you'll return the Divine Grace I've bestowed upon you, and you'll have to pay the corresponding price. I don't believe the Dragon Race can afford to pay a price equivalent to these Divine Grace favors."
Upon hearing this, Tyrande understood Deren's meaning. "Interesting, this isn't exactly lying. It certainly shuts up the Dragon Race. It's just a matter of the order of cause and effect. Is this also your purpose this time?"
"Yes, digging up artifacts requires the Druid's Nature Magic. Using Directed Root Technique, one can silently reach the artifact's location directly from the ground. Of course, if your own people can dig directly, I'll save myself the trouble and avoid the risks, since it's Orgrimmar," Deren said casually.
After Deren explained the plan in detail, Tyrande's gaze deepened. She looked up at the moonlight in the room and murmured, "Teaching outsider Druid arcane arts," she whispered, "This goes against millennia of tradition. But it depends on Elune's will."
Aegwynn gripped her staff tightly, her knuckles turning white. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Tyrande suddenly looked up, a glint of silver in her eyes.
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