It seemed that this time, Azeroth had heard Azar's prayers and finally granted his wish. Azshara had listened to his advice—or, perhaps, it wasn't quite that she had listened, but the plan she put into action was largely in line with his ideas. She chose Bash as her target because the tribe was in a state of terrible turmoil. Some of its priests, in pursuit of greater power, had begun worshipping an evil god. Around Yarol, Jeklik, Marli, Thekal, and Venoxis, they had formed a new cult devoted to Hakkar, an evil god of the void. They sought to use the flesh and blood of their own people to resurrect Hakkar from the void and thereby unify the entire world. What a pity. They were all wise people of their races, each hoping their own kind could stand at the top of the food chain. They had struggled toward that goal, but some had lost themselves in their pursuit of power. As mentioned above, those five High Priests had once worshipped animal spirits. There was nothing wrong with that—who didn't have something to believe in? Everyone worked to grow their own following; the faithful offered their faith to the gods, and the gods granted them power. It was a mutually dependent relationship. Even if some gods demanded wicked sacrifices, their followers willingly offered everything they had. So things had gone fairly smoothly at first. But Hakkar! This evil god of the void demanded blood sacrifice! How much blood did one person have? Becoming one of his followers meant you were doomed to die. Only a handful were receiving his blessings of power—that was like a pyramid scheme in World of Warcraft. So when choosing a faith, you had to find the one with the strongest backer. Just look at Investiture of the Gods: those with powerful patrons survived, while those whose bosses weren't strong enough were done for. And in Journey to the West, the powerful masters' pets were taken back by their owners without even needing to apologize, while stray pets weren't so lucky—they were simply killed. But I digress. Back to our story. Serious divisions had arisen among the Gurubashi elite, and the tribe began to splinter as its internal conflict escalated. Then the Night Elves arrived as peacekeepers. They showed up just as the tribe had worn itself out fighting, so the Night Elves won with ease. "Like a crushing force" would hardly be an exaggeration. They swiftly occupied a vast swath of Gurubashi territory, then stopped. They had to stop. Even Azshara knew that if the Gurubashi rulers truly ignored all consequences and resurrected the evil god Hakkar, the outcome would be anyone's guess. Following the principle of taking their gains and leaving, the fighting in the southeast died down after the Night Elves voluntarily withdrew. One side was consolidating its spoils and preparing for another war of expansion; the other kept on fighting among itself.
What was happening in Eldre'Thalas? They were welcoming their diplomatic delegation home. It had been a tremendous diplomatic success. Princess Sophia's status had earned the Zandalari leadership's serious attention, and they had sent a high-level negotiating team. Jinkro and Sophia had held warm and friendly talks, making major concessions on both sides over the types of goods they would trade and the methods of payment, and reaching many practical agreements. Both sides had gotten what they wanted. Eldre'Thalas would send scholars and other personnel to study and copy Zandalari texts, in return for providing food and medicine. They had also reached an understanding on issues affecting the whole world of Azeroth, pledging to build a civilized, peaceful Azeroth together. Princess Sophia also raised the possibility that, if the Night Elves attacked the Amani and Akkalai in the north in the future, the Zandalari should offer their support in principle. The Council of Elders had tentatively agreed. Kazra'jin of the Amani, Malakk, the Frost King of the Dakkarai, the Gurubashi High Priest Marli, and Sul the Sandwalker of the Farraki had all said that if their tribes ran into trouble, they would fully support the Zandalari's decision when necessary. And so the visit ended on a pleasant note. This mission had secured Eldre'Thalas a very favorable diplomatic position for a long time to come. Even after Azshara's rise to power and the Zandalari's retreat to their own territory, they would maintain good relations with Eldre'Thalas. But that wasn't what Azar cared about most. As a time traveler, he knew it was all temporary. The Zandalari would eventually be marginalized, and they would surely have to fight them over Pandaria. What he wanted most right now was their thousand years of cultural heritage and written records. They were among the few peoples in all of Azeroth who understood the planet they lived on—and with whom it was possible to build friendly ties.
"My dear child, that must have been quite a journey."
"It was no trouble. I spent the whole way reading the texts recorded by the Zandalari, and I learned so much. Father, now I understand why you and Mother work so hard. There's still so much we don't know about the place we live, and there are so many dangers around us. We should take more responsibility for our people instead of simply enjoying the benefits they provide us."
"Can you tell me some of what you've learned?"
"For example, this! Earth-Warder Ra-den, creator of the Mogu, who are allies of the Zandalari. Father, who created us?"
"Us? We were... Oh, Sophia, that's a long story. Let's get some rest first." It seemed even their Prince didn't know how to explain the matter to his daughter. But Princess Sophia wasn't going to let him off that easily.
"Then what are the Dragon Aspects? And what are the Wild Gods? Tell me! You must know, don't you?"
"I do know about that. The Dragon Aspects are powerful creatures. Northwest of Feralas, there's a mountain called Twin Spire Mountain. There's a lake there, though I don't know its name—you can give it one if you like. A group of dragons lives there. They're green all over, so I prefer to call them Green Dragons. Farther north, we can reach a new territory called Ashenvale. It's full of towering trees, and a wise being lives there. They say he's the son of Malorne, a demigod, and Elune, and that he's called Cenarius. He's a Wild God, too. I also know of Agamaggan, the ancestor of the Quillboar, and the Raven God. Oh, there are so many, child—I can't remember them all. But I imagine the texts you brought back will have records of them."
"Then how should we face them? Should we fight them or worship them?"
"No, no, no. We should live in peace with them, stay out of one another's way, learn from each other, and grow together. We share a common goal: we all need to protect the Azeroth we depend on, keep it safe from outside threats, and make it ever more beautiful, don't we?"
"That's a little profound. I'll have to think it over. But I'm sure we must first grow strong ourselves, right?"
"Very well put. Now, shouldn't we go and have a nice meal? Nothing matters more than food!"
"Yes, Father. Come to think of it, I really have missed our own food during the journey."
Before you continue