He woke from sleep to find it was...
Morning?
A ray of sunlight shone through the half-open window and fell on Jiang Jie. The light is so soft and comfortable. Could it all have been just a dream?
But the unmistakably medieval Western architecture before his eyes, and the jumbled memories flooding his mind, told him that he really had come to this world called "Azeroth," reborn in the body of someone named "Nicholas Barov." He was now incredibly weak, so hungry his stomach felt stuck to his spine, and he felt as though he could eat an entire cow!
"Gaming pod, are you awake?"
Jiang Jie called repeatedly, but the coffin-like gaming pod floating in his mind gave no response at all, leaving him wanting to tear his hair out.
Under these circumstances, what Jiang Jie ought to do most was...
"Is anyone there?"
Jiang Jie shouted at the top of his lungs, using the Azerothian Common that came with this body.
Soon, a young maid of fifteen or sixteen pushed the door open. Her bright eyes glanced at Jiang Jie, and then, overjoyed, she clapped and squealed, jumping three feet into the air. "You're awake? Wonderful, wonderful! His Highness the prince already told us to fetch him as soon as you woke up! Wait here, I'll go get him!"
Brimming with joy, the young maid was about to leave when Jiang Jie hurriedly waved her back. "Wait, wait! Come back first! Say, could you get me something to eat? Otherwise, I'll have starved to death by the time you bring that prince here... Huh, a prince? What prince?"
The young maid looked at him strangely, as though not knowing who that prince was were something very peculiar. "Prince Arthas, of course! He's the pride of the Kingdom of Lordaeron! The youngest full member of the Knights of the Silver Hand! The prized student of Lord Uther the Lightbringer! You don't even know that? Prince Arthas was the one who brought you back from Andorhal!"
At this point, the young maid suddenly composed herself, coughed, then tilted her head up and paced about with a deeply earnest expression as she recited:
"My child, when you were born, the forests of Lordaeron whispered your name: Arthas. My child, I have watched with pride as you grew day by day into an embodiment of righteousness. Remember, we have always ruled this nation with wisdom and strength. I also trust that you will use your great power with care. But true victory lies in stirring the fighting spirit in your people's hearts. One day, my life will reach its end, and you shall be crowned king!"
Having performed her impersonation, the young maid looked at Jiang Jie, blinking her big eyes, her face full of anticipation, as if to say, "That was such a good impression! Hurry up and praise me!"
Arthas!
Jiang Jie froze for a moment. That name was all too familiar-wasn't he one of the main characters in that game?
The words the young maid had recited had been spoken by Terenas Menethil, the king of Lordaeron, and everyone in Azeroth knew them. Prince Arthas had been famous throughout the Kingdom of Lordaeron from the moment he was born. He was probably the single most famous prince in all the Eastern Kingdoms, without exception!
So exactly when is it now? What point has history reached? Arthas is still the prince of Lordaeron? He hasn't fallen and become a Death Knight yet?
Wait!
This body of mine lived in a small town called Andorhal...
Andorhal!
Isn't that where the Undead Plague first appeared? The base from which the plague spread? Was I killed by the people planting the plague, then infected with it?
The plague in Andorhal has already broken out?
Prince Arthas brought me back?
So Arthas and Jaina have already taken Andorhal, and Kel'Thuzad has already been killed?
Then before long, Arthas will go to purge Stratholme, slaughtering everyone there who has been infected with the plague,
Then, to hunt down Mal'Ganis, the demon spreading the plague, he'll take the entire nation's fleet north to Northrend, draw the runeblade Frostmourne, become a Death Knight, and then... return to Lordaeron, kill the king, and destroy the entire kingdom?
In other words...
Lordaeron is no longer safe?
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you thinking about? What's your name? I'll go get you something to eat, then report to His Highness. Heehee, I get to see His Highness again! I'm so happy!" The young maid looked like a fangirl about to meet a superstar.
Jiang Jie very much wanted to tell her, Before long, the prince you worship and adore more than anyone will destroy the entire kingdom, and you'll most likely be killed too, your beauty extinguished, vanishing like smoke!
No, perhaps you'll be resurrected as some lowly undead, like a skeleton, a zombie, or a ghoul, and continue serving your beloved prince!
But of course he would not do that. He was no fool.
"My name is Nicholas Jiang," Jiang Jie said. "Now, could you go get me something to eat?"
Barov was not a surname to be spoken lightly.
In ancient times, the Arathi Empire had ruled all the humans of Azeroth, but that vast, unparalleled empire had ultimately split into seven kingdoms of varying sizes: the Kingdom of Stromgarde, the Kingdom of Azeroth (generally called the Kingdom of Stormwind), the magical kingdom of Dalaran, the Kingdom of Gilneas, the small mountain kingdom of Alterac, the powerful maritime nation of Kul Tiras, and the Kingdom of Lordaeron.
The Barov Family belonged to the Kingdom of Alterac, the weakest of the seven great kingdoms. It was a wealthy family that controlled vast lands east of the Alterac Mountains, possessing four prosperous fiefs-Brill, Tarren Mill, Caer Darrow, and Southshore-and enough wealth to rival Alterac's royal family.
During the Second War, the Kingdom of Alterac had chosen to submit to the orcs, but the Barov Family had remained with the Alliance led by Lordaeron's royal court, helping the Alliance forces defeat the Kingdom of Alterac's army. Afterward, the wrath of the magical kingdom of Dalaran had swept through the entire Kingdom of Alterac and destroyed it, but spared the Barov Family for its outstanding contributions.
However...
Someone had been unwilling to spare the Barov Family.
After the war ended, the supreme commander of the allied forces, Terenas Menethil, king of the most powerful kingdom, Lordaeron, had occupied the former Kingdom of Alterac's territory and stripped the Barov Family of its rule over Brill, Tarren Mill, and Southshore, leaving it only the territory of Caer Darrow.
And so...
The Barov Family had gone mad!
To take revenge on the Kingdom of Lordaeron, they had colluded with Kel'Thuzad and unleashed the Undead Scourge.
By now, most likely all the principal members of the Barov Family have become undead, haven't they? Even Caer Darrow, the Barovs' sole remaining territory, has become the base of the Cult of the Damned, called Scholomance?
Although Jiang Jie's body was merely an insignificant, ordinary member of the Barov Family, it was still best not to let anyone know his identity. Otherwise, if it caused some unnecessary misunderstanding...
Someone could die!
"All right, all right, wait here. I'll see what food is left in the kitchen. If you're thirsty, have some water first. There's some right beside you." Hearing Jiang Jie urge her on, the young maid quickly ran out.
Jiang Jie shook his head and closed his eyes.