free?
What the heck?
"Newly Lesser Keeper, thank you for freeing me from madness, for... restoring my sanity." The soul looked at Jiang Jie, but actually at Anveena hidden within Jiang Jie's body. Archaedas's voice rang out, filled with joy and surprise. "You are... the embodiment of the Blood of Azeroth?"
Jiang Jie frowned and slowly floated down. Anveena separated from his body and stood in front of Archaedas, still dressed in stone armor. She looked at Jiang Jie, clearly at a loss.
"Yes, Anveena is the embodiment of the Blood of Azeroth," Jiang Jie answered on Anveena's behalf.
He realized that Archaedas's soul seemed to have truly regained its senses, but it was too late.
He could sense Archaedas's soul strength, which was much stronger than his own, but it was nothing special. It wasn't even as strong as Cenarius's. Clearly, countless millennia of slumber had weakened his soul.
As a true Titan Keepers and the power-giver of the Titans " Khaz'goroth," his status once surpassed that of the Dragon Aspect and was far higher than that of the Wild God. He should have possessed a soul that transcended that of the Wild God, yet he has become so weak.
Moreover, it is rapidly weakening, clearly indicating that its soul has collapsed and its time in this world is running out; it is no longer a threat.
So, let's listen to what he has to say.
"Tens of thousands of years have passed in a sleep, and the world has changed." Archaedas sighed, "Humans, Dwarves, Pandaren... generation after generation of Keeper have faded away, and Azeroth is entering the age of mortals. The Disc of Norgannon is still collecting all the information of the world, but I haven't contacted it for tens of thousands of years. I never imagined that when I contact it again, I would vanish!"
"... Great Titan Keepers, please accept my condolences." Jiang Jie didn't know what to say, after all, it was his men who had killed Archaedas, so he said something completely nonsensical.
"Humans, there's no need for guilt. I should thank you. For me, death is a better ending than madness," Archaedas said. "I didn't even know it myself, but I had already been influenced by the Old Gods, all the Keeper were influenced, everything in Azeroth was influenced. If you hadn't killed me, perhaps one day I would have been completely corrupted by the Old Gods, an ending I never wanted to see."
Jiang Jie silent, still unsure of what to say. At this moment, it was best for him to be a quiet listener.
"Tens of thousands of years ago, I received a surge of power from ' Khaz'goroth.' At the time, I didn't understand what was happening. I tried to contact the Pantheon, but there was no response. I became anxious, panicked, and confused. The other Titan Keepers were the same. The Old Gods sensed our negative emotions and slowly affected our sanity."
Archaedas's voice was filled with sorrow. "We don't know what happened; the influence of the Old Gods drove us mad. But now, as my soul dissipates, I suddenly understand the reason: what surged into our bodies were the remnants of the Titans, and they... perished!"
Jiang Jie remained silent.
The Titans Sargeras Devastation the exiled demon plane, Mardum, and the tyrannical demonic power surged into Sargeras, transforming him into an even more powerful Dark Titan.
Then Sargeras killed all the Titans in the Pantheon.
In the final moments, Norgannon his last strength to protect the remnants of the Titans ' souls, which eventually came to Azeroth and merged into the bodies of several Titan Keepers —the very moment Archaedas spoke of.
The other Titan Keepers were unaware of what had happened, and their confusion and fear allowed the Old Gods to exploit the situation.
Only the most powerful and intelligent Highkeeper Ra, quickly guessed the truth, then became utterly terrified and ultimately imprisoned himself.
Unexpectedly, now, at the very end of his life, Archaedas has come to understand everything.
It is said that a person's thinking ability is enhanced countless times in the last moment before death, and they can instantly understand many things that they would never understand normally. It seems that the Titan Keepers are no exception.
Sargeras has betrayed us; Azeroth is our only hope.
Archaedas looked at Anveena, his voice tinged with madness. "All the Titan Keepers have been influenced by the Old Gods. The High Keeper has imprisoned himself, Tyr has fallen, Loken has betrayed us, and my companions are unreliable. But you are different! You are the newly crowned Titan Keepers, you are the embodiment of the Blood of Azeroth, you possess potential we lack, you are our hope!"
Anveena let out a cry of "Ah!", clearly startled by Archaedas's increasingly loud voice. She quickly ran behind Jiang Jie Jiang Jie, clutching his clothes with her small hands, looking pitiful.
"Every person, every living being on Azeroth is the hope of Azeroth."
Jiang Jie reached out and stroked Anveena's head to give her a sense of security, then looked directly at Archaedas and said calmly, "Hope is not in the hands of any one person, but in the hands of all of us!"
"Human, you have inherited the courage of the Vrykul, but you will never understand how powerful the enemy we face is!" Archaedas shook his head and said, "Our only hope is Azeroth, who is still just a child!"
"Perhaps," Jiang Jie said calmly. "Perhaps you're right, but we'll all try our best... Azeroth is my home, and I don't want to be homeless a thousand years from now!"
"All the Titan Keepers are unreliable; only you offer hope, Anveena."
Archaedas's eyes shone with hope. "You are the last Titan Keepers, but your level..."
Still too low! I now acknowledge you as Titan Keepers, but you still need the approval of other Titan Keepers to advance your rank! Go to Ulduar, to the Halls of Valor, to the Throne of Thunder, and gain their approval! If you can't, then Devastation them! When you are the only Titan Keepers left in Azeroth, then you will be the High Keeper!
Jiang Jie frowned.
Is this tantamount to Archaedas issuing a mission? It just so happens to coincide with my own thoughts.
That's what he thought too.
Either acknowledge me, or I'll eliminate you!
Anyway, none of those Titan Keepers can be relied on; if things get really bad, just kill them.
Yes, that's it.
Archaedas's soul finally dissipated completely. Anveena dismissed the Earthen, and Jiang Jie climbed onto Archaedas's shattered body, taking a stone slab from his chest.
This is an irregular black stone slab, pentagonal in shape, with each side neat and flat.
It was about the size of a hand, roughly two centimeters thick, and covered with densely packed runes, as if they had been carved using micro-engraving techniques. If Jiang Jie hadn't had amazing eyesight, he wouldn't have been able to see them at all.
The stone slab's surface was very smooth; the runes weren't carved on it, but rather hidden within it, only slightly different in color, which is why they were visible.
Jiang Jie's sword left a small wound on it, but this wound was slowly healing itself, just like a living thing.
Of course, Jiang Jie understood that it was the Titans power contained within that allowed it to heal.
This is the Stone of Archaedas, the true source of power within Archaedas, and it is extremely precious.
"Wow! Archaedas's body looks even better Ironaya's! It's covered in Titans Runes! Precious Titans Runes! I need to study them carefully! Nicholas, he..." Seeing that there was no danger, Brann pounced on Archaedas and took out a magnifying glass to examine him.
"He's mine." Jiang Jie had just overheard Anveena's whisper and knew this body was still useful, so he shook his head and said, "The distribution method was determined from the beginning: everything except the Disc of Norgannon is ours! Of course, I allow you to copy down all the Titans Runes on his body; that's all you need, isn't it?"
"... Alright, Nicholas." Brann was clearly dissatisfied, but there was nothing he could do, so he muttered, "But you have to give me plenty of time! He has too many Titans Runes; I need at least a month! Maybe more! And I want that giantess, Ironaya, too!"
"I'll give you plenty of time, Brann." Jiang Jie smiled, then turned his gaze to the large door inside. " Archaedas is dead, Anveena automatically gains supreme authority over Uldaman, and all Earthen and Stone Giants will pledge allegiance to Anveena... So, open the door, the time for harvest has arrived!"