Icecrown Citadel (III)

I told Meryl about Shadowmourne, and as I expected, he immediately condemned my actions and accused me of pursuing dark power. I didn't argue with him; there's never been a clear definition of power. Some people always believe that dark power is evil, but what they truly hate are the people who wield it.

Nathanos stepped out of the portal first. His view suddenly opened up, revealing not only the sky but also abundant mines. He could hear the sounds of mining echoing throughout the land. He could almost smell the Saronite.

"Look who's here! A bunch of overconfident reptiles have appeared on the master's territory!"

A disdainful voice descended from above. Everyone looked up and saw a Frost Wyrm, with Death Knight riding on its back—the one who had spoken. His eyes were as arrogant as his tone, and Nathanos suddenly felt an urge to strangle him with his own hands.

"Scourgelord Tyrannus, the Scourge Lord, is the overseer of the Saronite Mines," Calila whispered behind the Witherer.

"In other words, he also knows secrets that we don't." Nathanos stepped forward, and Scourgelord Tyrannus also spurred his mount to fly to the "guest."

"A bunch of arrogant fools, the source of raw materials for forging terrifying weapons for your master will be your grave."

He had seen many of the Lich King's terrifying weapons, Nathanos, and knew they all shared a common characteristic: they required enormous quantities of Saronite. The Witherer smiled inwardly; it seemed he had come to the right place. He turned to look at Cynthia, gave her a knowing glance, and she readily understood, turning and walking back into the portal. Lansber was astonished by all this; he sensed a great battle was about to unfold, but the Witherer had already sent one of his men away.

Is he planning to retreat?

"Let's save some time..." the person with the most authority to speak with Scourgelord Tyrannus said to the Scourge Lord in a half-joking tone, "We are looking for a way to the Hall of Reflection ... uh, please tell us, and then... I'll make sure you die a quick death."

"You arrogant traitor!" Scourgelord Tyrannus yanked the reins tighter, his eyes flashing with cold light. The Frost Wyrm beneath him also exhaled a breath of icy air. "Frostfang, finish him off!"

Upon hearing its master's command, the Frost Wyrm suddenly emitted a cold, dazzling light from its mouth, as if powerful energy was being compressed into an ice ball, about to be released.

Nathanos leaped out of the attack range without hesitation, but he underestimated the power of Frostfang. The ice ball merely struck the ground, yet it still froze the Witherer's legs. Seeing this, the others immediately surrounded him, cautiously guarding Nathanos while keeping a close watch on their surroundings.

"Hmm?" The Witherer looked at these people, their behavior catching his attention, and an idea flashed through his mind.

"You will not reach the master's secret chamber," Scourgelord Tyrannus roared. At the same time, he immediately escaped the attack range of his men. The Scourge Undead guarding the area seemed to have sensed the intruders and began to slowly gather in their direction.

The Witherer channeled his power to melt the ice on his legs, and he was somewhat surprised to find that this "binding" wasn't so easy to break free from. It seemed that the Frost Wyrm named "Frostfang" was no ordinary creature.

"If we retreat now, all our previous efforts will have been wasted. We must get through this mine, and thankfully we are not fighting alone. The outside world has always mistakenly believed that the Scourge does not take prisoners alive, but the truth is that most of those who go missing on the battlefield have been brought here to do hard labor. Liberate them and let them take up arms and attack their slave owners."

The Gryphon let out a sharp cry, expressing the discontent of its rider with the terrible weather. Sylvanas pulled her cloak tighter, pressing herself as close as possible to the Gryphon's feathered body, hoping to gain some warmth. She Dalaran for twenty minutes, and the chill above Icecrown Glacier was already unbearable; what about the Alliance generals aboard the Skybreaker? A sense of awe welled up within the Female Elf.

To avoid a direct confrontation with the Scourge's powerful ground forces, both the Alliance and the Horde chose to deploy airships as their fortresses in Icecrown Glacier. The Skybreaker was the first Galleon built and commissioned by the Alliance.

Before her departure, Sylvanas obtained the trajectory of the Skybreaker. She searched and finally heard the sound of propellers turning in the wind. A few minutes later, she saw a silhouette in the shadows.

As rumored, the Skybreaker was a converted cruiser, with massive vertical turbines on both sides providing buoyancy, and horizontal turbines providing propulsion for movement. The Female Elf didn't rush over, but cautiously observed for a while. She saw that the gunboat's main weapon was heavy bombs, to be dropped. Five fixed cannons and four large-caliber automatic cannons were mounted on each side. Two automatic anti-aircraft guns capable of firing in all directions were mounted at the bow.

Typical Gnome technology!

Sylvanas kicked the Gryphon and flew over. As she landed on the deck, a human approached. At first, he frowned when he saw the Elf behind the Gryphon, but his expression vanished immediately when the human produced a silver-white insignia.

"Welcome, beautiful lady from the Silver Covenant. I am Air Force Captain Mark Jackson. How may I help you?"

"Two things," Sylvanas said bluntly. "First, my Gryphon needs care, and second, I need to see Senior Commander Justin Barrett."

The air force captain stood frozen in place, seemingly surprised by the Female Elf. "Lord Barrett is holding a military meeting with his adjutants, I'm afraid..."

Sylvanas nodded indifferently and walked towards the command room.

"Lady!" Mark Jackson called from behind, but words alone could not stop the Female Elf.

The door to the command center of the Skybreaker was pushed open, and everyone inside looked towards the entrance at the same time. Who had barged into a military meeting without any prior notice?

"I am Ranger-General Sylvanas, the Silver Covenant Ranger-General. I am looking for the commander-in-chief of this gunship."