The Pieces on the Board

Hearing Jaina's words, Deren smiled indulgently and said to her, "That's right. Anyway, as the high Shaman of the Horde, whatever he says is reasonable in the name of the Ancestor's Spirit."

But he was a Great Chieftain known for his wisdom, and he clearly had the experienced and prudent Vol'jin or Cairne to choose from, or even High King Saurfang, who was also an orc and Great Chieftain would have been more in line with popular opinion. Yet he chose to promote the radical Garrosh.

Jaina's fingers unconsciously traced her pregnant belly. "It's like... someone is deliberately trying to escalate the conflicts within the Horde?"

"To be more precise, it's about creating a sufficiently insane pawn," Onyxia sneered, her dragon eyes gleaming golden in the shadows. "A madman who would stop at nothing to use the Eye of the Storm."

Chromie suddenly shuddered. "Are you implying that Thrall was also manipulated?"

Deren didn't answer directly, but instead turned to look out the window. "Remember how he described the ' Ancestor's Spirit '? Even though he didn't believe Medivh's prophecy about the world's destruction and the orcs crossing the sea, when he said, 'All the spirits tell me I should believe him,'..."

So tens of thousands of orcs, abandoning the old and weak, braved storms and shipwrecks, paying a heavy price to reach Kalimdor.

The candlelight in the room suddenly flickered.

Jaina said dryly, "So by then he had already become a puppet of his master."

Deren shook his head. "It's not about who listens to whom, but about mutual exploitation. If the orcs stay in the Eastern Kingdoms, when the Scourge comes, the orcs will have no choice but to fight alongside the Alliance, since the Undead are the enemy of all living beings."

But what will the orcs gain after the war? The freedom not to enter the internment camps? Or will they be driven back to the shattered world of Draenor? In short, they will still have nowhere to go.

But things were different when they reached Kalimdor. The Night Elf had been isolated for tens of thousands of years and were no match for the orcs. Other races, such as the Tauren and Troll, became allies of the orcs.

If the Undead and the Burning Legion were to invade Kalimdor, the Horde, led by the Horde, would become a formidable force of resistance. No one would dare underestimate them.

Jaina nodded, agreeing with Deren's analysis, "So he and the Ancestor's Spirit were actually using each other. But on the Theramore issue, he chose to tacitly allow Garrosh to take action, while he himself remained behind the scenes, controlling everything."

Deren nodded sympathetically. "That's right. Perhaps in Thrall's eyes, all of this is worth it. After all, the orcs have paid a heavy price for crossing the sea—stealing ships, abandoning the old and weak, enduring storms, shipwrecks, and disappearances."

Along the coast of Orgrimmar and the Echo Isles, orcish Undead roam the beaches. So compared to continuing the cooperation with the Ancestor's Spirit, this price is insignificant for little Theramore, a human city.

Perhaps Thrall felt a sliver of shame towards Jaina, but nothing more. After all, he was the Great Chieftain of the orcs.

Aegwynn slammed her staff on the floor. "Then why are the Old God behind the Twilight Cultists cooperating with this charade?" Her voice was filled with suppressed rage. "Why are those ancient beings, imprisoned, helping the Titan put on this show?"

"Because the word 'imprisonment' is quite intriguing." Deren picked up an apple from the table and slowly peeled it with a knife.

"After Y'Shaarj, the most powerful of the four Old God, was crushed by Aman'Thul, the remaining three suddenly became unusually docile."

Imagine four thugs are terrorizing the entire street. As the owner of the street, would you hang all four of them, or hang the ringleader and then lightly punish the remaining three to make them obey you? Then you could use them to intimidate the rest of the street and make it easier to collect taxes.

The blade sliced through the fruit flesh, making a soft sound. Chromie stared at the ever-expanding ring of peel, as if watching a noose tightening around its neck.

"Think about it," Deren handed the peeled apple to Jaina, "The Titan should have experience dealing with the Old Gods, right? They even crushed Y'Shaarj. If they dealt with the remaining three properly, they should never have a chance to rise again."

But the truth is, Yogg-Saron corrupted the Titan Watcher, N'Zoth subdued Deathwing, and C'Thun's insectoid army is still active today. Even the Old God ' Curse of Flesh caused the Titan ' steel creations to evolve into a new race on Azeroth, which can be considered a kind of controlled experiment.

His gaze swept over everyone. "Does this really feel like 'imprisonment'?"

The firewood in the fireplace suddenly popped with a crack, sparks flying everywhere. Chromie instinctively shrank back, and the dragon scale pattern flashed across her skin.

"You mean," her voice trembled slightly, "That the Old God weren't imprisoned, but rather... protected? And then subjected to some kind of controlled corruption, interfering with the historical process of Azeroth?"

Come to think of it, the only native species in Azeroth are the primitive civilizations of Troll, Tauren, Centaur, and oh, and the Pandaren of Pandaria.

All other beings—elves, humans, dwarves, Gnome, and even the Aspect Dragons —are products of the Titan' intervention. Now, with the addition of orcs and Undead, Azeroth truly is a paradise of biodiversity.

The Old God have always appeared in the history of Azeroth, from Deathwing's fall to the War of the Shifting Sands.

Onyxia's lips curled into a dangerous smile, "It's like keeping a venomous snake in a garden, preventing it from escaping, yet always available when needed."

Aegwynn's knuckles turned white from gripping his staff so tightly. "The Titan need the Old God as an excuse. Only a perpetual 'external threat' can justify their permanent interference in Azeroth."

Deren nodded slightly and walked to the center of the room. "And this time, they need a sufficiently brutal conflict to prove that Azeroth still needs the oversight of the 'Protectors'."

His gaze sharpened. "The Theramore's Fall should have been the climax of this drama—a full-scale war Alliance and Horde, the infighting of mortal races, and finally..."

"And in the end, let Azeroth be plunged into perpetual turmoil and chaos," Chromie finished his sentence, his face pale, "Just as they've always done."

The room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the soft ticking of Chromie's Time Sandglass. Jaina's hand unconsciously protected her abdomen, where the new life growing there seemed to be the most precious bargaining chip in this game.

Deren suddenly chuckled, breaking the silence. "Fortunately, we overturned the chessboard beforehand. They've already established a perfect positive image for themselves, so they can't directly cause us trouble. But in other aspects, it's hard to say."

He raised his teacup and toasted everyone. "Of course, we are backed by the Azeroth's Soul. We are not without anything. Ultimately, we still need to increase our strength and meet the Titan ' greater challenges."

First update