Black Dragon Dance

Mo Fei soared through the sky, looking down at the Black Dragon Legion below. The black dragons were resting and recovering their strength, while dragonkin mages opened portals to teleport in large numbers of dragonkin soldiers.

The priests of the Dragon Worship Cult were helping as well. They summoned vast numbers of Shadow Dragons. These magical creations looked like dragon phantoms. Though not very lethal, they could induce mass fear and were excellent in chaotic battles.

Naturally, the teleportees included all manner of monster servants: Goblins, Gnolls, Furbolgs, Quilboar, Ogres, Tauren, Trolls... Dragonkind usually had no strict standards when recruiting subordinates. As long as they could fight and were not afraid of dying, they would do.

Often, they would Scavenge Local Resources, recruiting whatever was available. They were cannon fodder anyway.

Mo Fei even spotted a group of Walrus-folk. He had no idea which Black Dragon Lord from the northern islands had brought them over.

Dragonkind had always maintained the fine tradition of driving monster armies into battle as cannon fodder. After all, proud dragons soared through the heavens and rarely deigned to fight on the ground.

These cannon fodder would bear the brunt of the ground battle.

The entire Corrupted Forest had now become a massive monster encampment.

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "See that, mortals? That is my Black Dragon Legion, my army of monsters! Tonight, I will lead this army to destroy Dalaran and obliterate your sacred land of magic."

[Holy crap, are you bluffing? Dragon Bro, weren't all your men dead?]

[Dragon Bro, you've got some nerve. I refuse to believe all those monsters down there listen to you.]

[Dragon Bro, give them a shout and see if they answer.]

[I admit the scene is spectacular, but I doubt many of them are actually Dragon Bro's subordinates.]

Mo Fei did not explain himself in response to the barrage's doubts. He had already found the other Black Dragon Lords, so he descended directly. Rather than landing, he hovered dozens of meters in the air, looking down imperiously at the Black Dragon Lords holding their meeting below.

Every Black Dragon Lord was enormous, with even the smallest possessing a wingspan of fifty or sixty meters. More than a dozen colossal black dragons gathered together made for an awe-inspiring sight.

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "Black Dragon Lords, I did not expect all of you to be here. Then heed my command. In the name of Murphys, prepare to begin this glorious battle!"

The Black Dragon Lords were quite displeased by Murphys's condescending posture, but they were still counting on him to lead the charge, so they could not openly undermine him.

Thus, they responded with a series of roars.

[Dragon Bro is mighty! Dragon Bro is badass! Dragon Bro, are you still taking followers? If you are, take me with you!]

[Holy shit, Dragon Bro is ridiculously awesome! Is he about to become the Black Dragon King?]

[Goddamn, so many big bosses saluting Dragon Bro. This lineup, this status—who else can compare?]

[Dragon Bro is incredible. Tell us the truth, is the game company's owner your relative?]

[Log in, hurry up and log in! Something huge is happening tonight!]

[Yeah, yeah, go wait in Dalaran for Dragon Bro. The NPCs can serve as cannon fodder while we pick up some gear.]

[More than a dozen big bosses! How much good stuff will they drop? Snag any one item and you'll be rich.]

[Dragon Bro still has the Dawn Divine Sword's and Midnight Arcane God's gear. Blow all that damn equipment off him tonight.]

[All Shanhai Brotherhood players, stop watching the stream! Get into the game and stand by in Dalaran!]

Mo Fei had not expected his stream to produce such an unexpected result, but it did not matter. The more debt one owed, the less one worried; the more lice one had, the less they itched. Adventurers would never miss an event of this scale anyway.

"Shadow, are you in position?" he messaged Black Shadow privately.

"Already in position."

"Then I'm starting."

Mo Fei let out a thunderous roar, loudly using Dragon Language to bolster the black dragons' morale in the air.

Murphys (Ancient Black Dragon): "The Black Dragon Legion has remained silent for too long. The world has forgotten those black wings that once covered the skies, forgotten the days when they were ruled by dragons. It is time for those lowly mortals to learn who truly rules this world! Take to the skies, soldiers, warriors, heroes of the Black Dragon Legion! In the name of Murphys, let the Dragon Calamity devour this world!"

At Murphys's command, countless black dragons rose into the air. Their sky-covering wings blotted out the starlight and moonlight as they howled toward Dalaran.

Mo Fei flew at the very front of the formation. Looking down from his position, he could see an army of tens of thousands of monsters rolling toward Dalaran under the driving whips of Dragonman Warlords.

[System Notification: You have approached Dalaran, the "Eternal City." You are about to trigger the story campaign [Black Dragon Dance]. Your identity has been determined as "Story Villain/Final Boss." Please prepare to enter.]

[System Notification: You have entered Dalaran, the "Eternal City." As the initiator of this Dragon Calamity, your identity has been determined as Story Villain/Final Boss. During this campaign, you will receive greater attention and hatred from the enemy faction. All enemy units will regard killing you as their primary objective.

Once you fall in the campaign, the Black Dragon Legion's morale will suffer a devastating blow. The Black Dragon Legion will be judged "defeated" in this story campaign.

You have gained a 400% bonus to maximum health. Your current maximum health is . This effect is only valid during the story campaign.]

Meanwhile, in Dalaran—Violet Citadel:

A secret yet grand official visit was taking place here.

The king of the Kingdom of Kul Tiras, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, was touring the Violet Citadel with his youngest daughter, Jaina, admiring Dalaran's night view.

"Admiral, this way, please. Look, these are our apprentice classrooms. Princess Jaina will be able to begin her preliminary magical studies here. Once she completes her apprenticeship, she can become an official mage.

"Of course, we will arrange for our finest mages to guide her."

As Antonidas spoke, he introduced Dalaran's educational system and its various academies to the visiting Admiral Daelin.

As the magical capital of the entire Eastern Continent, Dalaran possessed the most comprehensive magical education system. It had six magical academies alone, each focusing on a different school of magic.

And as a princess of a kingdom, Jaina was naturally being introduced to the very best: Violet Academy, whose dean was Antonidas himself.

Twelve-year-old Jaina curiously looked over the castle, its magical lights lending it a distinctly fantastical air.

Self-operating magical brooms moved along the tree-lined paths. Tiny Elves raised freely in the gardens played joyfully through the air, scattering specks of starlight. Mage-bred magical pets occasionally emerged, while Arcane Servants traveled through the corridors.

Everything left her dazzled.

"Well, Jaina, do you like it?" Daelin Proudmoore lovingly stroked Jaina's golden hair. He truly could not bear to send his biological daughter away from home to study magic in a foreign land, so he had come along under the pretext of inspecting the quality of education. That way, he could spend more time with her too.

"I love it!" Jaina's eyes practically sparkled. Those magical creations fascinated her deeply. Thinking of spending the next several years studying here made her cheer with excitement, completely unaware of the loneliness in her father's eyes.

In the castle's banquet hall, Admiral Daelin met several other archmages.

"This is Prince Kael'thas. He is the dean of Elemental Academy and a member of the Kirin Tor Six."

"Hello, Prince Kael'thas."

"Hello, Admiral Daelin." Kael'thas returned the greeting with a reserved, courteous bow. Though there was not a single flaw in his movements, Admiral Daelin still frowned. He sensed an indescribable arrogance in the prince's bearing. In truth, he was not wrong. As an Elven prince, Kael'thas naturally looked down somewhat on humanity's crudeness, even if the other party was the ruler of a kingdom.

However, when Kael'thas's gaze fell upon Jaina, it immediately softened.

What an adorable little girl. Kael'thas could not help but marvel. Her brilliant golden hair was truly dazzling, while her flawless white skin and delicate little face made his heart stir faintly.

He turned away to conceal the strange feeling in his heart, puzzled by the change in his emotions.

"This is Master Kel'Thuzad, currently the dean of the Arcane School."

Daelin shook hands with the balding middle-aged mage before him. The other man's cold attitude made him frown slightly.

"Mage Kel'Thuzad has always been pushing for the creation of another academy, but most of the council members do not support him."

"Oh? Why not?"

"He wants to establish a Necromancy Academy devoted to researching and teaching necromancy. Though Dalaran advocates academic freedom, necromancy is, ultimately, a taboo."

Daelin nodded, deeply agreeing. He had commanded fleets across the seven seas for years and had encountered ghost ships tainted by Undead power, as well as Undead on island shores. Those walking skeletons were hardly pleasant things. The thought of his precious daughter dealing with such creatures made goosebumps rise on his skin.

He would have to remind Jaina to keep her distance from Kel'Thuzad.

"This is Master Krasus, also one of the Council of Six."

Though he too was an Elf, Krasus left a very favorable impression on Daelin. He seemed sincere and warm.

Daelin's instincts were accurate. In truth, Krasus was actually a Red Dragon. The Elf was merely the humanoid form he had chosen, so he naturally lacked the arrogance common among Elves.

He had concealed his identity and come to Dalaran to study magic, making him quite an oddity among Dragonkind.

During a break before the banquet began, Antonidas asked, "What do you think, Admiral Daelin?"

Daelin nodded. "So far, I am very satisfied. It is an honor to have my daughter study here. The only matter I care about is safety. Perhaps this question is somewhat impolite, but please forgive a father's concern. Lord Antonidas, can you guarantee Jaina's safety in Dalaran?"

"Please rest assured, Admiral Daelin. Dalaran is the safest place in this world. No one would dare cause trouble here. It has not suffered an invasion for decades..."

Boom! A violent explosion and the shaking of the building interrupted Antonidas.

"What happened?"

A mage rushed in through the door.

"Lord Antonidas, come quickly! We're under attack! Dragons—so many black dragons!"

P.S.: The vote results are in. More than 80% of readers chose to have supernatural elements added.

Therefore, this book will feature supernatural abilities in future plotlines. There is nothing I can do for those who dislike that, since no book can satisfy everyone.

Also, regarding the recent real-world plotlines, many readers commented that they were actually well-written, or that there was no problem with them and no need to care too much about the comments. Big Sniper found that quite comforting.

Come to think of it, readers who felt there was no problem probably would not leave comments. Most of those criticizing it had their personal deal-breakers touched, but everyone's deal-breakers are different. So the same remains true: no book can satisfy everyone.

So the earlier content will not be changed. However, Big Sniper will try to reduce the real-world portions in the future, avoid excessive controversy, and focus the plot primarily within the game.

.