Military Victory and Diplomatic Success

It felt as if Azeroth had finally sensed Azar's prayers, granting him his wish at last. Azshara had heeded his advice—or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the plan she ultimately executed aligned closely with his own vision. She chose the Gurubashi as her target, for that tribe was currently in utter chaos; in their pursuit of greater power, some of their priests had begun to worship an evil god. Rallying around High Priest Yarol, Jeklik, Marli, Thekal, and Venoxis, they formed a new cabal dedicated to the dark deity Hakkar. They plotted to use the flesh and blood of their own kin to resurrect Hakkar from the Void, hoping to achieve world domination. It was a tragedy; these were the wise men of their race, each desiring to see their people stand at the pinnacle of the food chain. They struggled and fought for this goal, yet in the process, some lost themselves to the hunger for power. Take those five High Priests mentioned above: they originally worshipped the animal spirits, which was fine—everyone needs a faith. The priests would develop their followers, the followers would contribute their faith to the gods, and the gods would bestow power upon the followers. It was a symbiotic relationship, and even if some gods required sinister sacrifices, the followers offered themselves willingly. Thus, development was steady at first. But Hakkar! This evil god from the Void demanded blood sacrifice! How much blood can one person have? It was a cycle of death for every follower who joined; for the few receiving the blessings of power, it was nothing more than a pyramid scheme within World of Warcraft. This is why one must choose a powerful patron; notice how in Investiture of the Gods, those with strong backing survived, while those with weak masters perished. Similarly, in Journey to the West, the pets of powerful masters were always retrieved by their guardians without even an apology, while stray pets met a much grimmer fate—they were simply erased. But I digress; let us return to our story. A severe rift had formed within the upper echelons of the Gurubashi, leading to internal strife and an escalating civil war. It was then that the Night Elf peacekeeping forces appeared. Since the Gurubashi had exhausted themselves fighting, the Night Elves' victory was effortless—it would be no exaggeration to call it a clean sweep. They rapidly occupied vast swathes of Gurubashi territory before coming to a halt. They had to stop; even Azshara knew that if the Gurubashi rulers truly ignored all consequences to resurrect the evil god Hakkar, the outcome of the war would be uncertain. Adhering to the principle of taking what one could and leaving, the conflict in the southeast calmed as the Night Elves voluntarily withdrew. One side began digesting their gains and preparing for the next war of expansion, while the other remained locked in endless infighting.

As for Eldre'Thalas, they were busy welcoming back their diplomatic delegation. It had been a highly successful mission. Princess Sophia's status had garnered significant attention from the Zandalari leadership, who dispatched a high-level negotiation team. Jinkro and Sophia held cordial and friendly talks, reaching major concessions and effective consensus on trade goods and payment methods. Both sides obtained what they desired: Eldre'Thalas sent scholars and personnel to study and transcribe Zandalari texts, in exchange for which Eldre'Thalas provided necessary grain and medicine. The two sides also reached a consensus on global issues concerning Azeroth, pledging to work together to build a civilized and peaceful world. Princess Sophia further proposed that in the event of future Night Elf aggression against the northern Amani and Akkalai, the Zandalari must provide moral support. The Council of Elders had given preliminary approval to this intent. Kazra'jin of the Amani, Malakk the Frost King of the Drakkari, High Priest Marli of the Gurubashi, and Sul the Sandcrawler of the Farraki all indicated that should their tribes face trouble, they would support the Zandalari's decision when necessary. And so, the visit concluded on a high note. It is fair to say that this mission secured a very favorable diplomatic position for Eldre'Thalas for a long time to come, even through the later rise of Azshara and the Zandalari's retreat to their own borders; their relationship with Eldre'Thalas remained excellent. However, none of this was what Azar truly valued. As a transmigrator, he knew clearly that these were only temporary arrangements. The Zandalari would eventually be marginalized, and a confrontation over Pandaria would be inevitable. What he truly craved were their millennia of cultural heritage and recorded data. They were the only race currently in Azeroth with whom one could interact that possessed such deep knowledge of the planet they inhabited.

"My dear child, you have had a difficult journey."

"It was not difficult, Father. I spent the entire journey reading the texts recorded by the Zandalari, and I learned so much. Father, I finally understand why you and Mother have worked so hard. There is still so much unknown in the world we live in, and so many dangers surrounding us. We should take more responsibility for our people, rather than just enjoying the benefits they provide us."

"Can you tell me what you have learned?"

"For instance, this! The Earth-Warder—Ra-den, the creator of the Mogu, who are allies of the Zandalari. Father, who is our creator?"

"Us? We are... oh, Sophia, that is a long story. Let us go and rest first." It seemed our Prince did not know how to explain this to his daughter. But Princess Sophia did not want to let her father off the hook so easily.

"Then what are the Dragon Aspects? And what are the Wild Gods? Tell me, please! You must know, don't you?"

"I do know, actually. The Dragon Aspects are very powerful beings. To the northwest of our Feralas, there is a Twin Spire Mountain with a lake—I don't know the name, you can name it if you like. There is a group of dragons there, and they are entirely green, so I prefer to call them Green Dragon. If we go further north, we reach a new territory called Ashenvale, where there are many towering trees and a wise man lives. It is said he is the child of the Wild God Malorne and the Moon Goddess, named Cenarius; he is also a Wild God. I also know of other Wild Gods, like the ancestor of the Quillboar, Agamaggan, and the Raven God... oh, there are quite a few, I can't remember them all, but I imagine the texts you brought back have records of them."

"Then how should we face them? Do we fight them? Or do we worship them?"

"No, no, no. We should live in peace with them, respect each other's boundaries, learn from one another, and progress together. We share a common goal: we all need to protect the Azeroth we rely on for survival, to keep it free from external threats and make it more beautiful, isn't that right?"

"That is a bit profound. I need to think about it. But I am certain of one thing: we must make ourselves strong first, right?"

"A concise summary. Now, shall we go and have a proper meal? Nothing is more important than a good meal, after all."

"Yes, Father. Come to think of it, I have really missed our own food on this journey."