A Month Later, and They Still Wouldn't Leave Deren Alone

Time passed quietly, Jaina returned to her Mage Tower each morning after spending the night in Deren.

Then, every morning, they would return to Deren's house with new intelligence.

Theramore's own intelligence system is now focusing on the movements of the orcs.

They've probably bribed the goblins in Ratchet, as they're sending new intelligence every day.

She's practically turning this place into her office now, always asking Deren for his opinion on everything.

However, the Black Dragon's face seemed to be getting darker and darker.

It's been almost a month, and they still won't let Deren go.

But Jaina pretended not to notice her expression and continued to cling to Deren.

Theramore streamed into the room through the gaps in the curtains. Deren sat at his desk, his fingertips tapping lightly on the surface as he pondered the current situation.

The situation in Orgrimmar was more chaotic than he had anticipated—the orcs were divided, the Troll were furious, the Tauren were dissatisfied, and the entire Horde was like a volcano about to erupt.

Suddenly, a familiar Arcane fluctuation emanated from the air, and a blue Portal opened in the center of the room.

Jaina strode out, her face grave, her blonde hair slightly disheveled from the hurried teleportation.

"Thrall is back," she said directly, her voice tinged with complex emotion. "The latest intelligence is that he returned to Orgrimmar early the day before yesterday. Garrosh was immediately stripped of his Great Chieftain position, and Thrall has regained control of the Horde."

Deren raised his head, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Just as I thought."

Jaina frowned. "You said he would definitely come back!"

"He had no choice but to return to clean up the mess in Orgrimmar." Deren closed the report, stood up, and walked to the window. "Garrosh's madness has brought the Horde to the brink of collapse. If Thrall doesn't return, the orcs will bring about their own destruction."

"But Orgrimmar is already half destroyed," Jaina whispered. "The Troll and Tauren won't easily forgive the orcs. No matter how hard Thrall tries, the rift in the Horde can't be easily mended."

Deren chuckled. "That's exactly what we wanted, isn't it? A divided Horde is always easier to deal with than a united Horde. Let Thrall have his headache."

Jaina was silent for a moment, a cold glint in her eyes. "You're right."

After thinking for a moment, Deren leaned closer to Jaina and whispered, "I reckon that after Thrall finishes reorganizing the Horde, he might come to Theramore to propose a reconciliation plan for the conflict between the two sides."

Then, to show his sincerity, he would propose continuing the previous lenient policies, such as allowing Horde to trade and work in Theramore.

"Hmph! Dream on! He just walked away and let Garrosh almost blow up Theramore. I won't agree to his conditions so easily," Jaina said angrily.

Deren smiled and shook his head:

"No, agree to his request. After all, we only had some minor skirmishes with the Horde in the Barrens. The policy of recalling Horde members working in Theramore was all Garrosh's doing."

We know absolutely nothing about the rest.

"This—" Jaina gasped, "You mean he came to Theramore to propose reconciliation, also to test whether we knew about the Orgrimmar explosion?"

Deren nodded. "Yes, if we knew, we would likely refuse his reconciliation. He'd also have to explain to his superiors. If we didn't know, he could at least salvage the relationship between the Horde and Theramore. Either way, he wouldn't lose out."

Jaina sighed heavily, "This is so frustrating!"

Deren laughed, "He's not strong enough, so he's hesitant. There's nothing we can do; life is like that, you always have to swallow your pride sometimes. Anyway, we didn't lose out. We made him pay with half of Orgrimmar. It'll just be tough on you later; you'll have to put on an act with him."

Jaina smiled sweetly, wrapped her arms around Deren's neck, and said with a laugh, "Then I'll put on this friendly act with him properly. Women are born actresses."

Don't worry! I'll make sure he can't find a single flaw.

"Cough~" Suddenly, a Black Dragon coughed outside the door, along with the crunching sound of its claws scratching the wall.

Jaina reluctantly released Deren.

At dinner time, Aegwynn, who hadn't been seen for a long time, arrived at the Deren family's house.

She has been engrossed in studying the Eye of the Storm during this period.

With only a few days left before she was to hand over the artifact to the Temple of the Moon, she studied it day and night.

She actually had time to come over today. Deren knew she must have made some major discovery.

Aegwynn nodded to Jaina, who understood that the old mage had something to say.

As the first priest of the Azeroth's Soul, he quickly cast Divine Arts, enveloping Deren's home in the Star Soul's arcane barrier to prevent outsiders from spying on it.

Aegwynn picked up the soup Jaina had served her and drank it, then said without looking up:

"The Titan Protection Array of Eye of the Storm is not activated."

"What do you mean?" Deren asked.

"This means that anyone with Blue Dragon blood, or even Blue Dragon flesh, can easily activate this artifact. The orcs cannot possibly attack the Nexus and seize it. The only chance is for the artifact to be stolen during its transport."

Aegwynn looked up, a look of confusion in her eyes. "Logically, Titan Artifact should be equipped with the highest level of protection during transport, but the Eye of the Storm seems to have... had its security measures deliberately disabled."

Deren narrowed his eyes. "You mean, the Blue Dragonflight deliberately let this artifact languish? That explains the contradictions in the Dragon Race ' actions. They've kept it safe for thousands of years without any major incidents, but recently they suddenly want to transfer this artifact."

And the information was leaked. Isn't that amazing? Isn't that a coincidence?

"Or worse—someone has tampered with the artifact's protective mechanisms." Aegwynn's voice was deep. "Malygos, the Blue Dragon King Aspect, may be mad, but he's not that stupid."

Deren sneered, "It seems that whether it was the Dragon Race ' stupidity or someone else breaking through the protection later, it all comes down to the guidance of those people. After all, who could be more familiar with the Titan's protective array of the artifact than the Dragon Race?"

I don't believe the Twilight Cultists can find a solution from the Old God.

"Clatter!" Jaina's spoon fell onto the table. She covered her mouth, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

Aegwynn walked over to her and hugged her, offering her comfort and support.

Deren calmly comforted her, "Although they don't want to admit it, they still care about their image. Don't worry, we've already ruined their plans this time, and we can do it again in the future."

Now that the research is complete, we'll hand the artifact over to the Temple of the Moon tomorrow. Thrall is back, and I'm afraid things might change if we delay."

Jaina covered her face and nodded. Onyxia said disapprovingly, "Eat your food properly. We can talk about it later. It's just Titan, what's so great about it? Darling, don't you agree?"

She winked at her partner, giving him a look that seemed to be asking for praise.

Deren reached out and touched the Black Dragon's straight, long hair, praising, "Oni is still the best!"

The Black Dragon revealed an expression of enjoyment.

Aegwynn:...

Second update.