Accept the quest!
Was this Sun God, who had never officially appeared before, really that important? It had actually rewarded him with 50 points of World Power.
Jaina and Taelan Fordring were looking at Gogri's diary together. The rest was just about Gogri's daily life. Taelan decided to take it home and read it at his leisure.
Jandice couldn't be allowed to know what was in it. If she found out, it would only cause unnecessary trouble! He put the diary away, only to hear Jandice sigh in frustration. She had finished searching the skinny Rogue's corpse. One look at her darkening expression told him that reality had thoroughly crushed her.
In her hands were a letter, a note, and a few pitiful Silver Coins.
More precisely, it was an ordinary-looking letter. It was written on parchment and tied with nothing but a grass-green string. Anyone could untie it and see what was inside. At a glance, it clearly didn't contain anything important.
But that wasn't the case!
Jandice untied the string and opened the parchment. At the top, in Night Elf script, it read:
To Archmage Antonidas of Dalaran and Archmage Kel'Thuzad.
"Since it's already open, let's see what it says," Taelan Fordring said.
He still hadn't figured out the first quest he'd received. Every piece of loot here might be a clue!
Jandice didn't say anything. She unfolded the letter. It was written in clumsy Common Tongue, not in the Night Elf script they had expected.
To the esteemed Archmages Antonidas and Kel'Thuzad,
Greetings!
It's been more than half a year since I left Dalaran! I still want to thank you for supporting our society! Promoting an animal protection law in Dalaran is imperative!
I've recently experienced a few bizarre events! I really shouldn't have come to Northrend. It's full of Tuskarr who fish and violent, cruel Magnataurs! And those are the least of my worries! Can you guess what I encountered here?
Spiders! Lots of spiders! Huge spiders, evil and powerful. I nearly became their food!
One night, I snuck a little rum. It's just so cold here! Then I saw an enormous meteor fall over Northrend. Its breathtaking light illuminated all of Wintergrasp, but afterward, when I asked my companions, they all said they hadn't seen a thing!
I've had enough of those stupid Tuskarr. Later, I went out into the wilderness by myself to feel the north wind meet the warm air rising from the lowlands of Sholazar Basin! But then I heard what seemed like a voice calling to me! Its whispers filled my ears, much like the ones I heard in Tirisfal.
Those whispers have left me distracted all day, every day. My magic even went out of control and broke Pat's left leg! Why couldn't it have been Nesingwary's?
I once condemned him for killing the fish in Wintergrasp! But he said, "Am I not an animal, too? Don't I deserve protection? Do you want me to starve?"
Now I don't have to worry about him anymore! He and the fish are safe.
But my mentor gave me a harsh reprimand. He said I've been acting crazy lately! If I keep this up, he'll send me back to the Nordrassil Forest.
You know what I hate most! Fandral Staghelm's old face! I'd better get serious, or I'll have to see it every day!
Ever since Valstann died in Silithus, Fandral has been depressed. Although his behavior has become much more normal, he's also become increasingly uncontrollable! He's been planting trees everywhere like a madman! Now all he's got to show for it is a pile of bitter fruit.
What I want to tell you is that I feel disaster is about to strike this world. That meteor is nothing good! You'd better send some more sensible people to investigate! They don't believe me!
The people I live with are all wooden-headed. They're hopelessly set in their ways, watching everything around them every day, terrified that the slightest change will disturb their beautiful dreams. I must be the first Kaldorei to openly visit Dalaran.
Oh, maybe I've gotten used to it! These past few days, I've even forgotten why I wanted to write to you! But I can't hear those whispers anymore!
I might be getting better! But I really could be sent back!
I recently made a piece of equipment. I'm going to use it to have a proper talk with the Winterfin Murlocs!
Your friend,
—Barborien Winterwalker
Taelan Fordring felt terrible after reading it. But he knew how serious this matter was!
The letter's author might be insane, but there was an even greater chance the Lich King had arrived.
Wasn't Icecrown Glacier just north of Wintergrasp? And weren't whispers just endless babbling? The only ones who liked to babble were the Old Gods and the Lich King!
The whispers in Tirisfal might have come from servants of the Old Gods, while the ones in Northrend had to be Ner'zhul's. At this point in time, Yogg-Saron had yet to break free. This was an extremely important letter! But how had it ended up in the hands of this Rogue? That didn't matter.
Jaina wasn't interested in the letter at all. It was far too strange—utter nonsense! She ignored Jandice and Taelan, who had fallen into thought, and went to search the fat Rogue's pockets, hoping his belongings might cure her mental distress.
Then she found another little notebook. It contained a list of names, each followed by some numbers and incomprehensible remarks. As usual, she shoved it straight into Taelan's Magic Pouch. Then she let out a cheer! She pulled several handfuls of gold coins from the fat Rogue's bag—dozens in all! And this was just after the Second War! Gold had tremendous purchasing power. Those few dozen coins were worth a month's allowance to Jaina!
She happily divided the money into three portions. She put one in her own pocket and handed the other two to Jandice. Taelan stared at her, dumbfounded!
Finally, they all looked at the note they'd taken from the skinny Rogue. It was an IOU! The amount was enormous, truly enormous! Converted to modern terms, it was worth as much as the mortgage on Taelan's old-world home.
He tossed the note back to Jandice as if he didn't care, then said to the two girls, "They're Syndicate bandits. I'll tell my father when we get back, and he'll make them pay! There's nothing else worth taking here. Let's go. We'll conquer another Gnoll camp, then head back to Caer Darrow for dinner!"
Then he thoughtfully gave Jandice the chance to provide the two Rogues with some last rites. A few fireballs, and they were reduced to ashes!
After resting for a while, the three of them soon found a Kobold camp. It was an abandoned mine. Taelan and the two girls gave a Kobold foreman a thorough beating, extorted him for all he was worth, and then left!
By the time they returned to Caer Darrow, everyone was exhausted and skipped the banquet. They hastily ate a little and then went to rest.
At the banquet, Taelan Fordring only mentioned that the two Rogues had been sent by the Syndicate to Caer Darrow to search for something. He didn't take the letter out of the envelope! No one knew what it contained! After Alex read the letter they'd brought back, he decided to take Jandice to Dalaran and deliver it to Archmage Antonidas!
Jandice knew Taelan Fordring was keeping something from her, but she had played her own little tricks during the fight, so she didn't feel she could ask him about it! After all, Taelan hadn't abandoned her. When she was in danger, he had even saved her with Power Word: Shield! As for him casting Blessing of Protection on Jaina, she couldn't object to that either. Jaina had been in greater danger, after all. She was younger and not yet a formal mage apprentice, and as a frost mage, she had faced the greatest risk.
One additional point: In this world, fire mages were everywhere, but frost and arcane mages were more popular—and much rarer! That was because fire mages couldn't protect themselves the way frost mages could, so they needed better equipment. Many mages never learned high-level spells in their entire lives or got their hands on good magical items.
The Syndicate's appearance greatly shocked Alex Barov! He said he would strengthen Caer Darrow's defenses and clear out the Syndicate bandits soon!
Special thanks to I Dream It Can Come True, Quantum Meow, yuckwt, and Fragrant Rice for the monthly tickets! Wishing you all a happy life!
And thanks to everyone who has read this book for your support. Penglai has always typed on a phone and doesn't dare use a computer, so some things may have been overlooked. Please forgive me.
As usual, I'm asking for your collections and recommendation tickets!
Before you continue