Booty Bay

The trek, lasting over twenty days, was tedious and monotonous. Reaching Stranglethorn Vale safely was no easy feat, especially since they had to evade the Alliance of Stormwind City, and the Gnoll Defias Brotherhood roaming the Westfall were also extremely dangerous. Fortunately, everything went relatively smoothly. Upon arriving in Stranglethorn Vale, Nathanos didn't order the troops to stop and rest as he had done on previous occasions, but instead went straight into the perilous jungle.

"What have we gone through all this trouble to get here, Nathanos..." Veronalara was interrupted by a glance from her superior. Although Nathanos had reminded her many times, the Dark Ranger still made mistakes. "I'm sorry, Lord the Witherer, but I still need your wisdom. Many Forsaken are talking about you in private."

"Tell them we'll be staying here for a while. We'll set up temporary camp there!" Nathanos the Witherer pointed to a sloping hillside not far ahead.

Although the forests of Stranglethorn Vale were filled with tall, dense trees, Veronalara still sensed an unsettling aura lurking behind the green leaves.

"Excuse my boldness, my lord. I am very familiar with the forest. I can assure you that we have entered the territory of the Troll the moment we set foot on this land."

Nathanos simply grunted in response to her warning, seemingly unconcerned.

Veronalara was increasingly unable to understand the man gazing at the sea in front of her, but he must have his own plans.

"The Witherer?"

Nathanos looked at the person who had called his name; the Ranger Enya had a smile on her face, and it seemed she had brought good news.

"We've checked the place you're referring to. There are indeed traces of Troll there, but not those green-skinned monsters. And the space there is large enough to accommodate all of us."

"It wasn't entirely unexpected. Veronalara, you've settled our people. Enya, you're in charge of security, and while you're at it, have Liana patrol the coast and look for signs of human activity."

After Nathanos gave his orders and everyone began their tasks, he finally had time to consider his next move. Even before finding Veronalara and the others, Nathanos had considered finding a place for the Forsaken to settle. Lordaeron had been divided among several factions, making it difficult to establish a foothold, so leaving was essential.

No one in the world knows of the Forsaken's existence, and Nathanos doesn't want them to know either, so the Forsaken's base must be a secluded place worth staying in for a long time.

Nathanos considered many places, and logically, Karazhan should have been the most suitable. That place was filled with strange rocks, treacherous roads, and few people ventured there. Moreover, Medivh's residence had once been quite prosperous, leaving behind many houses for them to live in. But a Guardian is a Guardian, and people will never forget the name Medivh. One day, they will surely come to that place; for example, the organization of the Eye of Kirin Tor has never given up on uncovering Medivh's secrets.

After much deliberation, there was almost nowhere on this continent for them to stay, but Kalimdor could meet the needs of the Forsaken. Nathanos was thankful that the Horde did not have complete control of that continent.

"Excuse me for disturbing your thoughts, sir."

Nathanos turned around, and this time it wasn't the Dark Ranger who spoke, but a Forsaken. He was Nathanos's second-in-command, named Belmont.

"I'm listening!"

"My lord, as you instructed, I have drawn up the map. We have covered every place we have passed through from Lordaeron to here."

The Witherer nodded, and Belmont, who was standing in front of him, held his map in his hands, ready to give it to him.

"No need to give it to me, keep it yourself. I want you to memorize all the locations on the map. In the future, I will establish an organization, an intelligence organization that can infiltrate the entire Azeroth. When that time comes, I will need you to manage this organization."

"Yes, sir."

The moon had risen to its highest point, and the first to return was the Ranger Liana, who laboriously dragged someone along. This was beyond Nathanos's expectations.

"I found this Tauren on the beach. He was surrounded by several humans dressed in red..." Liana glanced at the red trail of blood behind her. She didn't need to elaborate on the Tauren's situation.

"Well done. Hand him over to me. Go find some herbs to stop the bleeding, and come back before he dies."

"It seems I'd better hurry." Liana accepted the order and left.

Nathanos banished his two Undead Hound that had approached the Tauren, and now they, like him, bear the burden of "decay."

The Tauren was unconscious, with multiple knife wounds on his body. Blood had soaked through his clothes. Without immediate treatment, he would soon bleed to death.

"This Tauren looks like a pirate," Belmont said, staring at the pirate hat on the Tauren's head.

"Liana's efficiency is the best among all the Dark Ranger," Nathanos casually remarked, then squatted down next to the Tauren, searching carefully as if he knew something beforehand.

Not long after, he actually found an identity tag in the Tauren's waist buckle.

"Look at this, Fleet Commander: K'ara Cape. We've rescued a big shot."

"You know him?" Belmont asked, now beginning to realize that Nathanos knew far more than he had imagined.

"Stranglethorn Vale is a pirate's paradise. Two pirate factions operate around here. This Tauren represents one of them, the Bloodsail Pirates. According to Liana's description, the human he is fighting should be the Bloodsail Pirates' mortal enemy— the Bloodsail Pirates. Our purpose in traveling all this way here is to make contact with the Bloodsail Pirates."

"We're going to cooperate with the pirates?"

Nathanos looked up at Belmont's lifeless face. "You don't want to?"

"No, I will obey any order you give. But what can the Bloodsail Pirates do for us?"

The Witherer reached out to check the Tauren's breath and found it was very weak. If Liana didn't hurry, the Tauren would really be beyond saving.

"We need a ship to leave this continent. On the southern coast, the Goblins have built a port, a floating city unknown to the Alliance — Booty Bay. The leader of this place is a Goblins tycoon named Rivigaz, who has hired Bloodsail Pirates to deal with the Bloodsail Pirates, and this K'ara Cape is one of Rivigaz's men. I want to make a deal with that Goblins."

"But would Rivigaz be willing? After all... we are the Undead."

Dealing with the living seemed to have dampened Belmont's confidence. He awaited Nathanos's answer, but the Witherer had already lowered his head to continue examining the Tauren's wounds. Belmont sighed, bowed, and slowly retreated.

The Witherer has already given him the answer: whether it works or not, you'll know once you try.