"The tomb has collapsed?"
Hidden in the darkness, the merchant Carlos was utterly stunned by what he saw!
What did he see?
A Lich teleported out of the tomb, then crushed the rune and destroyed the tomb!
Presumably not wanting to be discovered, the Lich immediately teleported away after crushing the talisman. Carlos was very glad that he had survived in front of a Lich; he would have something to brag about when he went to the tavern later.
But how are the adults?
Is he buried underneath?
Carlos immediately wanted to rush down to check, but reason made him stop.
The tomb has collapsed. If the adult is indeed buried underneath, then his presence there is useless. Whether it's good or bad, it's already a done deal and cannot be changed.
More importantly, the collapse of the tomb will definitely attract many people, and may even attract the Dreadlord Detheroc.
He must leave now, and absolutely cannot be discovered by Detheroc, or he will surely die!
Carlos left quietly, but he didn't go far.
Ten minutes later, many Stromgarde residents, awakened by the collapse of the mausoleum, rushed towards the cemetery. Carlos mingled among them, returning to check the situation.
However, he had no way to enter the cemetery, because the guards of Stromgarde had been mobilized and placed the entire cemetery under martial law, not allowing anyone to approach.
Carlos had excellent eyesight, and the guards' torches illuminated the cemetery brightly, so Carlos easily spotted Prince Galin, who looked terrified, and " King Thoradin " standing beside Prince Galin.
Of course, he now knew that it wasn't King Thoradin at all, but the Dreadlord Detheroc.
"Will the adult survive?"
Carlos didn't know.
But he knew his responsibility:
He must record everything that is happening now.
If the adults are still alive, then nothing else matters.
But if the Lord is truly dead, he must report everything he saw to Lord Miles, and even to Her Majesty the Queen and Ashbringer, without missing a single word or making a single mistake!
Carlos waited all night, as the guards kept watch all night. Detheroc and Prince Galin also stayed at the mausoleum all night, as if confirming something, and did not leave until dawn.
Carlos noticed that Prince Galin was distraught and even nearly tripped over a stone.
But the guards were still there.
Shortly after, the captain of the guards responsible for watching over the mausoleum announced an order personally issued by "His Majesty the King":
The mausoleum had fallen into disrepair over the years, and the recent continuous rains loosened the soil, causing it to finally collapse. We are now recruiting people to clean up the mausoleum ruins, retrieve the remains of the deceased king, and rebuild the mausoleum.
Carlos, sign up immediately!
He knew very well that Detheroc's order was not for rebuilding the mausoleum, but for searching for something, for confirming something—something he also wanted to find and confirm.
The underground tomb covers a vast area, and even with hundreds of people recruited, it would take at least a week to completely clear the ruins.
Carlos spent three days and three nights in the cemetery, but made no useful discoveries.
On the morning of the fourth day, Carlos was wondering whether he should give up and hurry back to Lordaeron to report when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves, a continuous sound of hooves!
The cemetery was located in the northeast corner of Stromgarde. The collapse of the cemetery even caused the collapse of this section of the city wall. When Carlos looked up, he saw an astonishing scene:
A group of cavalrymen clad in red battle robes were galloping towards them. Hundreds of cavalrymen formed a fiery red wave, like a crimson fire sweeping across the grassland, with the rising sun behind them.
"It's the Arathor Cavalry!"
Carlos recognized the unit immediately.
Stromgarde continues its ancient glory; its cavalry, which existed since the Empire of Arathor and once fought alongside Emperor Thoradin against the Amani Trolls Empire, was not called " Stromgarde Stromgarde."
It is the " Arathor Cavalry," unchanged. To protect the eastern farms and villages, this cavalry unit was stationed in Refuge Pointe several years ago by King Thoradin and hasn't returned to Stromgarde for years. Why are they back now?
Carlos was puzzled. Just then, a shadow covered the sky. Carlos quickly looked up and saw a giant dragon!
It was a bone dragon, its entire body engulfed in flames.
The bone dragon didn't fly very high, less than a hundred meters. Carlos could clearly see two people on its back, two people standing side by side.
The first thing he saw was a somewhat gray-looking figure.
It was a very tall figure, carrying a giant sword on his back that was almost as tall as him, with specks of green light shimmering on it.
What puzzled Carlos was that the figure resembled the deceased King Thoradin... No, if you ignored the ordinary knight's armor that was clearly taken from some soldier, and if you ignored the expressionless, dead face, they were practically identical!
Has King Thoradin been resurrected?
He... was resurrected as Death Knight?
Recalling the information he had once read about the Death Knight within the Assassins' Order, Carlos felt a chill run down his spine. He wondered if the Lich he had seen that night had gone to resurrect King Thoradin? And had he actually succeeded?
Was he returning to attack Stromgarde and turn Stromgarde into a city of death?
Carlos shuddered; he couldn't even imagine it!
But when the bone dragon flew overhead and changed direction, he saw another figure that was slightly shorter and thinner. Suddenly, his vision blurred, and two hot tears finally broke free of their confinement and rolled down his cheeks.
That familiar figure, that " Troll Stalker " from Quel'Thalas, that divine sword carried on his back—wasn't that the Marquis he almost thought was dead?
He understood instantly!
It turns out that the adult resurrected King Thoradin, and then, by some unknown method, left the underground tomb, went to the Refuge Pointe, and brought the Arathor Cavalry with him!
"My lord, so you really are still alive... I knew you were still alive!" Carlos murmured to himself.
As if hearing Carlos's words, the Marquis standing on the back of the bone dragon lowered his head, met Carlos's gaze, and then smiled gently.
A few seconds later, the bone dragon circled down and landed on the huge city gate not far away.
Then, the Death Knight looked exactly like King Thoradin leaped off the back of the bone dragon, strode into the city gate, and walked along the straight road toward the palace, each step firm and unwavering.
Da da da!
The red tide finally reached the city gates. The cavalry, inheriting the glory of the ancient empire, followed closely behind the Death Knight, silently but in unison placing their right hands on the hilts of the knight's swords hanging at their waists, ready to draw their swords at any moment.
In the height of summer, Stromgarde was desolate and bleak.