Aaron sighed inwardly and thought, With Falstad gone, this adventure has come to an end. What should I do next? Should I tour the northern Eastern Kingdoms first? But there doesn't seem to be much to see, and the orcs haven't been driven out completely. Trolls are still roaming the vast wilderness, too. No matter how I look at it, it isn't very safe.
Then should I just go to another continent? Aaron considered it carefully, but that did not seem very practical either. Northrend should only just have been discovered, and the Lich King had already landed on Icecrown Glacier. Add the local dragons, vrykul, trolls, and corrupted keepers, and the place was utter chaos. Aaron worried that if he went there unprepared, he would end up as a member of the Scourge.
Kalimdor was even more out of the question. It lay an ocean away from the Eastern Kingdoms, with the Maelstrom in between. Aaron had no desire to test whether he was lucky enough to reach Kalimdor directly.
Pandaria was not worth mentioning either. Before Deathwing emerged to cause trouble, the mists shrouding Pandaria probably would not disperse. Even if he wanted to go, he could not.
Where else, then... That leaves just one place. Should I go to the Broken Isles? A trip there might be nice. I could chat and laugh with Odyn, then stop by Val'sharah for a look. Aaron pondered his next destination. There were also several artifacts in the Broken Isles. If he could get his hands on them, his safety would improve considerably.
Seeing Aaron lost in thought by himself, Vereesa suddenly approached and asked softly, "Aaron, what are your plans next?"
"Me?" Aaron paused, then looked up at the sky and said, "I was thinking of visiting the Broken Isles, then Northrend."
Since he had come to this world, how could he do himself justice without exploring it? Aaron had come up with this idea after confirming that his command of the Holy Light was enough to protect himself.
Some things could not be avoided in the end. Though Northrend was dangerous, plenty of people had gone there even when the second Lich King was throwing his waking tantrum. Aaron figured that as long as he was careful, there should not be much of a problem. As for whether he would go to Kalimdor, that was a matter for the future. Perhaps he would die out in some remote wilderness, in which case there would be no need to think about what came afterward.
"Huh?" Even Rhonin was stunned by this. "Why are your future plans so... interesting? I remember there only being a few settlements in Northrend. What would you go to that miserable place for?"
Northrend was actually even more dangerous at present than Aaron or Rhonin imagined. After the Lich King Ner'zhul arrived there, one of his first acts had been to destroy the human settlements and turn their inhabitants into soldiers of the Scourge. If Aaron went now, he would probably have nothing but undead soldiers to deal with.
"It's a big world, after all. I ought to see it." Aaron motioned for Vereesa to set him on a boulder, then spoke leisurely once he was seated.
"Then... Aaron, would you be interested in visiting Quel'Thalas?" Vereesa suddenly suggested softly.
"Visit Quel'Thalas?" Aaron hesitated before saying, "Sure. I'm very interested in the sights of Silvermoon City, too."
That was the truth. The Silvermoon City map in World of Warcraft was somewhat crudely made, and Aaron was very interested in that legendary greatest city of the Eastern Kingdoms.
"Then it's settled. Once we've taken Rhonin back to Dalaran, come to Quel'Thalas with me." A playful smile appeared on Vereesa's face.
"Huh?" Aaron suddenly felt that something was off. Something seemed wrong with this plot.
Rhonin, however, appeared perfectly composed. It seemed he had not noticed that the course of his life had shifted slightly, nor that he seemed to have lost something very important.
After resting overnight in the mountain dwarves' camp, the three waited until the two dragons returned. Following a brief discussion, they finally decided that Krasus would take all three of them back to Dalaran. After all, Rhonin's mission had to be reported to Dalaran, and the Alliance also needed to be informed that the Red Dragonflight was no longer helping the orcs.
After arranging to visit the Red Dragon Queen at Wyrmrest Temple in Northrend later, Aaron joined Rhonin and Vereesa on Krasus's back and flew toward Dalaran. To be honest, Krasus truly lived up to being an adult dragon. He flew far faster than those young dragons, and his flight was very steady.
Dalaran was not particularly close to Grim Batol. Even a dragon like Krasus would need quite some time to fly there. Moreover, because the human kingdoms were extremely sensitive about the Red Dragonflight, Krasus landed after leaving the Wetlands and instead cast a teleportation spell to take them to Dalaran.
As a member of the Red Dragonflight, Krasus had a far greater mastery of the arcane than ordinary mages. Casting a long-distance teleportation spell was a piece of cake for him.
After recovering from the dizziness of long-distance teleportation, Aaron looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar surroundings and muttered, "So this is Dalaran?"
"Yes. Everyone, welcome to Dalaran, the city of magic." After assuming humanoid form, Krasus looked like a rather handsome middle-aged high elf. He spoke to Aaron and Vereesa, who were visiting Dalaran for the first time.
Unlike the flying city rebuilt after its destruction by Archimonde, which could travel all over the world, Dalaran was currently still an ordinary city on the shores of Lake Lordamere.
The founding of Dalaran could probably be traced back to the era when Emperor Thoradin united the human tribes. Afterward, in exchange for sending troops to help Quel'Thalas win the Troll Wars, the humans had the high elves teach them Arcane Magic.
But after that, mages were shunned by ordinary humans because of the power they wielded. They subsequently gathered in Dalaran, forming this city of magic.
At a glance, Dalaran did not cover a particularly vast area. Purple was the predominant color of its buildings, most of which had beautiful rounded spires, exquisite and magnificent.
What set Dalaran apart from other human cities was the evidence of magic everywhere. Whether it was the sentries operating automatically, the brooms moving without anyone controlling them, or even a high elf with three fireballs circling behind them, everything displayed the extraordinary nature of this city.
Of course, for Aaron, Dalaran was the first human city he had truly set foot in. This magical metropolis, similar in style to the game but far more real, left him momentarily overwhelmed by all there was to see.
Even Vereesa, who frequently visited Silvermoon City, was somewhat dazed upon entering Dalaran. Humans, once apprentices who had learned magic from the elves, had now taken a path in magic that differed from theirs. This predominantly purple city was very novel to Vereesa as well.
"It seems our guests are very interested in Dalaran." Krasus gave a gentle smile. Having finally rescued his beloved after enduring so much hardship, the Red Dragonflight member had at last gained a rare moment of peace, and his whole bearing radiated relief.
"All right, Rhonin, take our two guests to an inn to rest for a while. I need to report this mission to the Council of Six."
As Krasus disappeared from view, Aaron stretched his arms. Although he had rested for a night in the mountain dwarves' camp, how good could the accommodations provided by a group of dwarves without even permanent homes have been? Aaron still felt exceptionally exhausted.
"Rhonin, where do you live? An inn costs money, and we won't be staying here long. There's no need to waste money." Aaron turned to Rhonin beside him and made his suggestion.
Rhonin looked hesitant upon hearing Aaron's suggestion, then finally said, "My home is rather small and isn't really suited to entertaining guests. I'd better take you to an inn. The inns in Dalaran have hot water available at all times."
"Then let's go to an inn." Clearly, the chance to take a hot bath held considerable appeal for Vereesa, and the elven girl made the decision outright.
"All right, then. You're paying, Rhonin." Aaron did not insist. After all, he was not particularly interested in a bachelor mage's home either.