Large Garbage Disposal Center

Antonidas was going through documents with Lister. Marsh Crawlers... yes, these creatures were indeed experimental variants created by mages. There were quite a few strange things around Dalaran, such as Frenzy Fish. Some mage proficient in biology had attempted to create an edible fish with flesh as delicious as pike. He had succeeded, and failed. He had created Frenzy Fish. Their meat was indeed more delicious, but they were also fiercer and more violent. The largest Frenzy Fish could grow to two meters long—genuine ferocious beasts.

But the eastern lakes contained more than just those things: Vilefin Murlocs that raised great white sharks, sharks of the same species as sewer sharks that could live in both saltwater and freshwater; enormous turtles; mountain lions and grizzly bears that occasionally came to the lakeshore in search of fish; and huge spiders. They were not as large as broodmother spiders, but the Council of Kirin Tor had paid the steep price of fifty thousand gold coins for that terrifying monster.

And that was merely the situation near Dalaran. Lister braced both hands against the table as Antonidas searched for records of Alex's mistakes.

"Lakeside Crawlers, also called Marsh Crawlers by Master Alex. These monsters were living entities he created by mixing together various elements, including some flesh-and-blood lifeforms. That former councilor apparently wanted to create some kind of living elemental construct, but he failed. The test subjects all escaped into the wilderness."

Councilor Alex had recently vanished without a trace, along with his confidants. Astaroth had once again received a generous payment. His workload had increased greatly lately, and he had brought two high elf apprentices to help copy the materials. At Lister's request, he had recorded many interesting minor spells for him, all practical little tricks for everyday use.

"So..." Lister flipped through the materials Antonidas handed him, shaking his head as he read. No wonder mages had such a poor reputation outside. No one would be willing to believe that someone who threw trash around everywhere—no, biological weapons around everywhere—was a good person. And on this matter, all mages had collectively given up: "This is a complete mess. Is Dalaran just letting this place rot right under its nose?"

"Many apprentices need to make a living, and they need training as well." Antonidas explained patiently. "Mentors need all kinds of materials for their experiments. We cannot teach for free forever. Knowledge is priceless."

"Not everyone is like you, Lister. Most apprentices are ordinary people who follow the rules. They need jobs."

"Besides, you do not know this, but deep within the Alterac Mountains, there is a powerful being. I can be certain that it is a powerful elemental lifeform. It guards that place." Antonidas's words made Lister pause. Even Antonidas called it powerful—then did that mean... "Ninth circle?"

The other man shrugged. "Hard to say, but I am not confident I could defeat it."

Lister craned his neck, his expression turning strained. What kind of monster was an elemental lifeform that even Antonidas was not certain he could handle? The archmage continued, "In fact, that is not all."

"What?!" Lister's hair practically stood on end. "What do you mean, that is not all? Are all Alterac people idiots? They just let these monsters wander around in front of them?! If this place is really so terrible, they could just move the capital somewhere else, couldn't they?"

Antonidas gave him a look that said he understood, then sighed helplessly. "Indeed. As the founder of Alterac, King Aiden was not particularly wise. Building the capital in the mountains was extremely unfavorable for governance. Southshore would have been far better."

"Some..." Antonidas was choosing his words, and his expression showed that this mess was probably not so simple. "Yetis occasionally come down from the mountains to hunt by the lakeshore and improve their meals."

Only then did Lister think of those terrifying humanoid monsters hidden among cliffs and precipices.

The humans of Azeroth were descendants of Titan-forged creations. After the Titan-forged were afflicted by the Curse of Flesh from the Old Gods, they became giants; giants degenerated into vrykul, and vrykul continued to degenerate into humans. Even so, humans averaged over 1.9 meters in height, dwarves stood around 1.7 meters tall, and gnomes were about 1.2 meters.

Yetis were terrifying humanoid creatures. They averaged three meters in height, a full head taller than humans. They had curved horns like water buffaloes, and their bodies were covered in thick fur that shielded them from wind and snow. Their ape-like, thick arms displayed dreadful strength. They were magical creatures, capable of terrifying ice magic and able to learn the ways of shamans. A very small number of yetis could even rival sixth-circle mages in combat.

Lister fell silent for a moment. Kel'Thuzad really had not given him any easy bargain. Antonidas, however, reassured him, "This is precisely a good opportunity for you to gain experience. Dalaran has several outposts there, where you can obtain supplies. As it happens, a small team has applied to go there. You can travel with them."

"And I have a task for you as well." Antonidas lowered his thick glasses and pulled out an official document stamped with the Alterac family seal from beneath a pile of parchment. "A mountain lion appears to have mutated. According to eyewitnesses, it is a massive creature fully six meters long. I hope you can bring back its head."

"All right." Lister accepted the document. "Anything else?"

"You cannot bring anyone with you on this mission. You must go alone." Antonidas folded his arms, utterly confident. This self-assured apprentice would not miss any opportunity to prove himself—of that, he was certain. "If you can complete the mission alone, I will let you graduate early."

Lister considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right. Fair enough."

He had long wanted to act alone. He was bored to death here—really. All the watchers, tedious etiquette, insincere socializing, and especially Melis's nagging. If there was anything worse than her, it could only be the Old Gods.

"The official document in your hand is yours to handle. I will also arrange for you to join that team and travel with them to the eastern marshes." Antonidas's face beamed with delight. "I believe you will be very happy to discover the magical world beyond Dalaran."