More Important

Belmont walked step by step toward the Artisan District, but before he arrived, the leader of the Shadowblade shouted, "Where is he? Where is that Goblins?" He searched frantically for any trace of Gizzlok. Not only was the Goblins gone, but even his Abomination assistant had vanished without a trace.

"Razor Ridge is currently undergoing renovations, so Gizzlok is certainly not here."

Belmont turned around and glared at Meryl. "You dare show your face in front of me? Where is the master of the Witherer? What did you and Gizzlok do to him?"

The mage's pale face grew even colder, a flicker of anger flashing in his eyes. He could bury Belmont to dust if he wanted, but Nathanos had forbidden conflict between the Forsaken. Meryl finally managed to suppress his emotions and patiently explained to Belmont.

"I admire your loyalty to Nathanos, but you are not necessarily the most loyal to him among the Forsaken."

"You don't seem to have answered my question, Master."

Meryl cast a sharp glance at Belmont. In the past, Belmont would have trembled, but now he felt no fear. Nathanos had told him that the Forsaken must face the Lich King, and therefore could not afford to be afraid.

"Does that mean I don't need to tell you where Nathanos is?"

Just as the two were locked in a tense standoff, Veronalara spotted them and felt extremely disappointed. If the Witherer were to witness this, he would surely be furious.

During his time leading the Forsaken, Nathanos placed increasing emphasis on maintaining peace within the Forsaken. To this end, he would remind all senior leaders of this point at almost every meeting.

"What are you doing?" the Dark Ranger joined the argument. "Have you forgotten that the Witherer hate it most when we argue with each other?"

"I will absolutely obey my master. But..." Belmont replied sharply, "If any of the Forsaken are plotting something, Shadowblade, as the Witherer's intelligence organization, is not only monitoring others. The reason for doing so..." He glared fiercely at Meryl, "Is to eliminate any potential threats."

"There are no idiots here, Belmont," Meryl said calmly. "No need for indirection."

"Enough!" Veronalara snapped. "You two are even more blind and self-righteous than my foolish Ranger recruits. To this day, I still don't understand what you're arguing about."

Meryl's laughter carried no hint of a joke. "Didn't you hear? Belmont suspects I'm a threat from the Forsaken!"

"You dare say you aren't?" Belmont said, pointing at Meryl.

Veronalara sighed and raised her hand, gesturing for them to be quiet. "Tell me, Belmont. What happened?"

Belmont and Meryl exchanged glances for a moment before replying, "The Witherer has disappeared. None of the spies I sent out have found any trace of him. The only thing we can be sure of is that when he last disappeared, he was only with Gizzlok and this mage."

Veronalara frowned, her gaze towards Meryl becoming more wary. "Is what he said... true, Meryl?"

"Although the Darkblade Organization cannot infiltrate every part of Azeroth at present, the intelligence they provide is never fake."

"So where exactly did Nathanos go?" the female Ranger asked immediately.

"Nathanos will be back soon," Meryl replied. "He just went to see someone." The mage expected Belmont to press for details about who Nathanos had met, but the Forsaken simply snorted.

You'd better tell the truth!

"Why are you in such a hurry to find Nathanos? Is something wrong?"

"I have three very important pieces of information to tell him, one of which could affect our base in Razor Ridge. If we're too late, it will be too late!"

Veronalara, who had been standing by, watched Belmont storm off, worried he might do something drastic. "The most urgent thing is indeed to bring Nathanos back," she said, blinking, her tone becoming much more pleading, as if she were imploring Meryl. "If you know where he is, please bring him back."

The mage smiled. "You are more loyal than Belmont."

"I am loyal to the Forsaken," the female Ranger corrected.

To everyone's surprise, Meryl laughed even harder. "I have something to tell you."

Veronalara blinked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Remember this: Nathanos needs someone like you more than Belmont."

Meryl also left, leaving the Dark Ranger in a vortex of confusion.

What does this mean? Does Nathanos care more about the Forsaken than Belmont?

The Night Elf Legion quickly assembled, with Archdruid Fandral Staghelm at the forefront. The druids transformed into bear form, their eyes fixed intently on the front. After a while, the swarm of insects suddenly parted, and Rajaxus (the raid boss), the Ahn'Qiraj leader whose size was as tall as a small mountain, finally appeared before everyone. He held aloft his claws, carrying Archdruid's son Vastann, and strode heavily towards the front.

Sighs and uneasy whispers filled the ranks. Fandral Staghelm's heart sank, and he stood silently in place. Valstann, clutched in the enemy's claws, began to struggle, trying to speak to his father. But... the distance was too great for him to hear.

He was calling for help! Fandral Staghelm immediately thought of it and led the Night Elf Legion to charge at the general, but even if Rajaxx didn't make a move, the Night Elf who had reunited with Fandral Staghelm knew that they wouldn't have time to save Valstann.

Rajaxx grinned strangely. He raised his other scythe-like hand and plunged it into Valstann's bloodied body, beginning to squeeze... until the young Night Elf general was torn in two...

"My child!"

Fandral Staghelm awoke from his sleep, his whole body trembling with excitement. A fierce wind was howling on the Darkshore. He tried to close his eyes, but the wind vibrated his eardrums violently, unable to drown out the sounds of battle and Valstann's dying screams.

The Archdruid wailed in anguish as he glimpsed the shadow of Teldrassil, the World Tree, in the twilight outside his window, where his brethren and Darnassus. But at this moment, Fandral Staghelm hated the tree, for it now resembled Rajaxx, the murderer of Valstann in the War of the Shifting Sands a thousand years ago.

A thousand years have passed, but the heartbreaking scene remains as vivid as if it happened yesterday.