[Got Your Eye on That Young Girl?]

Modera felt relieved.

She knew that, at the very least, she was safe for now.

This troll was very strange.

She studied the tall troll staring at her curiously.

He had no tusks.

If not for his distinctive face, ears, and hair, Modera might even have thought she had encountered a Kaldorei—one of the elves recorded in Dalaran's archives, who lived close to nature on the far side of the distant continent, dwelling atop unimaginably enormous trees.

Moreover, he did not look savage in the slightest. He lacked the fierce, brutal air of the barbaric, primitive cannibal trolls she had encountered in Azeroth before. In Modera's eyes, there was even a spark of intelligence in this troll's face. He seemed very civilized.

He was simply too tall.

Even squatting before her, he did not seem much shorter than she would be standing.

"Th-thank you."

They had already been talking for a while.

Though her body was in terrible condition, Modera still softly thanked him in halting Trollish.

She was now grateful that she had learned Trollish in order to decipher a troll holy relic.

Otherwise, today would have been troublesome.

"You're welcome."

Tonatiuh shrugged.

"Your condition is terrible. It's a pity. There isn't much I can do for you. If there's anything within my power, you can tell me what you need."

Making friends with an archmage—one who could become a future big shot like a Kirin Tor Council member, and who was not an evil person—would bring some benefits in the end.

To put it bluntly, humans were Azeroth's chosen race of destiny. In the "original plot," humans would hold up half of Azeroth forty or fifty years from now.

"I..."

Modera hesitated.

In the end, she did not ask him to send her back to the Kirin Tor and Dalaran.

First, because it would be difficult. She knew where she was now. Returning to Dalaran from here was far too distant and arduous.

Second, she was now somewhat too ashamed to return to Dalaran. Tirisfal had sent her to awaken the former Guardian, yet she had somehow stabbed Aegwynn...

Though she knew that her state of mind had been terribly wrong at the time, a stabbing was a stabbing. If Lady Guardian wanted revenge, she would have nothing to say in her defense.

Just as she was at a loss.

Her gaze, resting on Tonatiuh, suddenly tightened. Her pupils shrank, and an expression of alarm and fear appeared on her face. "Wait! Why are you carrying that with you? Put it down! It's dangerous!"

She was talking about Xal'atath.

"A very fine human. I didn't expect her to snap out of my influence so quickly. What a pity she's too young. If you need it, put me in her hand, and she will surely fall under my control again!"

The young Old God woman whispered.

Tonatiuh ignored her.

He said to Modera, "This? She's just an ordinary dagger. Look..."

Tonatiuh took out Xal'atath and waved her through the air. The dagger that had been so wicked in Modera's hands, filled with indescribable terror, seemed as ordinary as an obsidian stone tool in his.

Modera froze.

She was a little confused.

Why had the dagger changed?

She already knew the culprit and the true reason she had become like that and ended up in her current state.

It was this dagger.

As Modera recalled the events of the past few days, she felt both regret and the relief of having survived a disaster.

She had pursued Aegwynn into Fire Plume Ridge, and the two had clashed once along the way. Unable to defeat her, Modera had been somewhat dejected and planned to return directly to Dalaran. Then this dagger had suddenly appeared before her, emanating an aura that aroused her curiosity.

She had gripped it.

She heard a low whisper. It told her that it was an arcane entity from the Void, sealed within the dagger. If she released it, it was willing to acknowledge her as its master and provide her with arcane power.

It sounded remarkably similar to Aluneth's story. The Guardian's artifact had come about the same way back then, and Aluneth was actually the name of an arcane entity.

Though Modera had not immediately believed it, she knew that if she could obtain such help, her progress along the path of the arcane would increase by more than a hundredfold.

She approached it with suspicion.

An archmage had confidence in herself. She believed that even if there was a problem, she, a young genius, would be able to solve it.

However.

Even Neltharion, a figure of such stature, could be deceived by an Old God's power and temptation. What could a human girl with an unsteady mind possibly compare to the former Earth-Warder? Before long, she was seduced and bewildered by Xal'atath.

Then Aegwynn appeared.

She had been watching Modera all along, but even the Guardian had not known that the dagger housed the lingering will and power of an Old God.

Aegwynn had only sensed that the weapon was ominous and did not want a junior from Dalaran touching it.

Aegwynn seized the dagger.

That triggered the conflict that followed.

And because of her severe injuries, magical backlash, and the close contact when Tonatiuh carried her away, Modera had been affected by his unreasonable power. Xal'atath had also shifted her attention to Tonatiuh.

Modera had broken free of Xal'atath's influence.

But she knew.

This dagger was no good.

Yet in her current state, it was impossible for her to demand anything. Modera clenched her pearly teeth.

"I'm a little afraid of it. I hope you can keep it away from me."

Afraid of an Old God?

Of course.

What normal person wouldn't be?

Tonatiuh nodded and put Xal'atath back into a Devilsaur-hide case hanging at his waist.

He had previously used the case for small items, such as Aztek coins. It was unexpectedly just right for storing Xal'atath. Moreover, as long as Xal'atath stayed close to him, she would be affected and unable to cause trouble.

"Now it's gone."

"You can rest properly. My witch doctors will slowly heal the external injuries on your body. But the injuries inside you are beyond our ability."

"That is already enough. Thank you. My name is Modera Rod, and I come from Dalaran."

"Introductions? Hello, I'm Tonatiuh, from Zutona. Well, as you can see, I'm a troll."

"You look very different. And aren't you curious about what Dalaran is? You probably haven't heard of it, have you?"

"Heh..."

Tonatiuh smiled.

His tall body rose to its feet, and he smiled at Modera. "I'm not interested in such things. I'm more interested in your spells and the arcane. But in your current state, there's no point talking about that."

"Rest well. I'll have the trolls bring you food, but I'm sorry, we don't have your bread. There's only meat and a type of mushroom. I think they taste quite good, but I don't know about human tastes..."

"Thank you."

Before he had even finished speaking, Modera immediately thanked him.

Tonatiuh nodded and walked out.

But as he was leaving.

The young Old God woman, who had been quiet for a while, suddenly spoke in a somewhat strange tone. "Troll, don't tell me you've taken a liking to this human girl?!"

Tonatiuh paused.

He ignored her.

"Heh! How interesting!"