" Brann, long time no see."
In the reception room, Jiang Jie looked at his travel-worn old friend and smiled, "I thought King Magni would send an elite force, but it turns out it's the Explorers' League."
Jiang Jie had over a dozen barrels of fine wine and plenty of food brought over to entertain the Dwarves explorers and the four Pandaren, and then pulled Brann over here to discuss serious matters.
A month ago, he sent someone to Ironforge to invite Old Chen and his men to come and help teach the Pandaren Monk Stromgarde Guard the Chi arts. He also went to the Throne Hall to tell King Magni about an important matter and asked him to send someone to Stromgarde to discuss the reconstruction of the Thandol Span, the joint development of the Wetlands, and trade cooperation between Stromgarde and Ironforge.
He really hadn't expected that Brann would actually bring people from the Explorers' League!
Northrend is no safe haven. It's teeming with terrifying creatures: the Undead Scourge, the Old Gods, the Nerubians Empire Queens, the Iron Dwarves, the Frost Vrykul, and more. Without a strong and well-trained force, how can you possibly reach it safely?
" The Explorers' League is full of elites! Nicholas, don't underestimate us! We brought crates and crates of gunpowder, enough to take down ten dragons! Besides, Old Chen wants to try some Northrend wine; he'll be coming with us. With him there, you should feel more at ease, right?"
Brann picked up his glass of wine, took a sip, and wore an expression of lingering enjoyment. " Arathi wine is just as strong as Dwarves wine! My elder brother said Northrend is a complicated place; the more people there are, the more attention they attract, while fewer people are safer. I was also thinking of going to Ulduar anyway, so I volunteered to go see my second brother! Nicholas, how accurate is your intelligence?"
He looked at Jiang Jie with a tense expression, even more so than when he was searching for the Disc of Norgannon in Uldaman.
"I have my own channels. Don't worry, my intelligence is guaranteed to be accurate."
Jiang Jie took out a warhammer and placed it in front of Brann: " Muradin was struck by shards of ice from Frostmourne, severely wounded and knocked unconscious, but he didn't die. When he woke up, he had amnesia and was rescued by the Frostborn Dwarves of Storm Peaks, who named him 'Yorg Thunderheart'."
This is Muradin's warhammer, which was not taken away as Orgrim's weapon but left behind.
It was, after all, the warhammer of a Dwarves hero; it was unsuitable for Orgrim, nor could it be given to Orgrim.
"Ah, Mithrios! My brother's warhammer!"
Brann grabbed it and waved it around a couple of times. "This is the warhammer my eldest brother forged himself, and my second brother treasures it terribly! He's the greatest Mountain King the Dwarves, I knew Arthas couldn't possibly have killed him! Even three Arthas couldn't defeat him! Turns out it was an accident!"
Upon hearing the confirmation that his second brother was alive, Brann could no longer sit still. " Nicholas, goodbye, I can't wait any longer, I'm going to Northrend to find my second brother! We can talk about everything later!"
Brann stood up and ran outside in a great hurry.
"What's the rush!"
Jiang Jie grabbed him and asked, "How do you plan to get to Northrend? It's almost 3,000 kilometers away from Northrend. Do you want to swim there? And once you get to Northrend, how are you going to find Muradin? Do you know where Storm Peaks is? Do you know where Muradin is? Do you know the fastest way to get there?"
"I..."
Brann was dejected.
He seems to know nothing.
Over the years, the only Explorers' League to have ever ventured into Northrend was Muradin and his Dwarves, their mission being to find Frostmourne. They only reached the cave in the northeast corner of Dragonblight, never venturing into Storm Peaks. The Dwarves possess virtually no information about Northrend.
How could he possibly know what was going on there?
Moreover, he rushed here in such a hurry that he really didn't know how to get to Northrend.
Swimming across is impossible; you have to take a boat.
Dwarves don't have harbors or shipyards, but the Wetlands do have Menethil Harbor, the closest port to Ironforge, built by Lordaeron during World War II.
It's still a temporary port in Lordaeron, but unfortunately, that's all that's left. If you're heading forward, the best way is to take a boat from Southshore.
The problem is that most of the boats in Southshore are fishing boats and do not participate in ocean trade.
So what if we participate in ocean trade?
Northrend has no trading ports, and no ship goes there!
"A northern expedition is only a matter of time."
Jiang Jie pulled Brann back, pressed his shoulder to sit down, then returned to his own seat, took out an exquisite map, and unfolded it—it was a map of Northrend!
The map shows the terrain, the territories of almost all the local races, and a red line marks the fastest and safest route from the landing point in Howling Fjord all the way to Frosthold in Storm Peaks.
This was a map that Meryl had Teleport over not long ago. It was a map drawn by the Forsaken riding Frost Wyrm to explore the entire Northrend. It took them two whole months to complete, and it was hard-won.
While not entirely accurate, it's at least 99% correct.
"I contacted Jaina, and through her, I contacted Admiral Daelin. Kul Tiras, as part of the Alliance and a victim of the Undead Scourge, will certainly participate in the Northern Expedition. They've decided to send an advance fleet to land at Howling Fjord, build Alliance outpost to prepare for the expedition, and simultaneously construct trading ports. Northrend is roughly the size of Lordaeron and Khaz Modan combined, and it's rich in resources. Once the Alliance's Northern Expedition succeeds, Kul Tiras can conduct long-distance trade between the two continents and earn a fortune."
Jiang Jie smiled and said, "This matter has been finalized. People will be sent from Lordaeron, Dalaran, Gilneas, and Stormwind City. Of course, Stromgarde will also send a few. Stormwind City is sending its own ships, probably hoping to get a share of the overseas trade; the High Elf have the same idea. The people from Lordaeron and Gilneas will travel on the Kul Tiras fleet. One of the ships will arrive at Faldir's Cove tomorrow to take the people from Stromgarde. You can all go with them then."
All nations of Lordaeron are directly threatened by the Scourge. Even a small town in Kul Tiras has been captured by the Scourge, making their participation in the Northern Expedition inevitable.
So when Jiang Jie submitted the Northern Expedition plan to Calia two months ago, and Calia invited other leaders of various countries to a meeting to discuss it, all the leaders of the countries expressed their agreement. Even Sylvanas, the regent of the High Elf Kingdom, expressed her support and offered to contribute manpower and resources.
Stormwind City has also been affected by the Undead Plague. Raven Hill in Duskwood was captured by the Cult of the Damned and the Undead several months ago and has not been recaptured yet.
Of course, it's not that Stormwind City lacks the strength; the main issue is Stormwind City complex internal situation, with various constraints and compromises, plus Onyxia, the Black Dragon Princess, secretly manipulating the Stormwind City. Therefore, Stormwind City has not sent troops, which almost infuriated Marcus and Mathias Shaw.
As a result, Duke Eyir Eberlock of Darkshire, the lord of Darkshire, had to form the Night Watch to fight against the Undead threat from Raven Hill and the Ogres threat from Vul'Gol Ogre Mound.
Stormwind City agreed to participate not only because of King Varian, but also because the cunning nobles of Westfall saw a business opportunity and gave their full support, thus suppressing any opposition.
In the original history, the Northern Expedition should have started at the end of the 26th year of the Dark Portal.
But the situation is different now.
Arthas failed to become the Lich King, and the power he controlled was not strong enough, so he should theoretically be easier to deal with.
But he did not fall into a deep sleep; instead, he remained active in Northrend, even enslaving the Vrykul.
If things continue like this, by the time the Dark Portal is 26 years old, his power will likely have grown to an astonishing level, even more terrifying than in the original history!
Moreover, Arthas, never one to be idle, actually sent Kel'Thuzad to Arathi Highlands in an attempt to conquer the entire Arathi Highlands.
Today he can attack Arathi Highlands, tomorrow he can attack Lordaeron, Kul Tiras or other cities. Everyone is on edge, so Arthas cannot be given too many opportunities to develop his power. Once the situation stabilizes slightly, the Northern Expedition must be launched ahead of schedule.
Of course, even if it's brought forward, it will still be a year or two from now; it's still too early.
However, it is advisable to prepare in advance.
" Nicholas, you've thought of everything! Alright, I'll wait one more day!"
Brann made up his mind, so he left a letter in King Magni's own handwriting and hurriedly left the palace.
He was going on a shopping spree, since Northrend was an unknown territory, and they didn't know how long they would be staying there, so they had to bring enough essential supplies.
And so, on that day, a legend about a shopaholic began to circulate in Stromgarde.
There was once a very wealthy Dwarves who bought daily necessities everywhere, especially wine.
At first, the Dwarves paid with gold and silver coins, but when they ran out, they started paying with gems, which caused another wave of panic about gems turning into stone.
The next morning, Jiang Jie sent Dwarves transport cartloads of supplies to Faldir's Cove, where they boarded the Kul Tiras warships. Old Chen also took Li Li aboard, heading to Northrend.
During this time, they traveled to almost half of the Eastern Kingdoms, seeing the green hills of Stranglethorn Vale, the Dark Portal in the Blasted Lands, and even visiting the Blackrock Tavern in Blackrock Mountain to drink with the Dark Iron Dwarves.
Now a completely new and unknown continent awaits them; how could they possibly let it slip by?
Ji Huozhang originally planned to go with them, but Aysa Yunge said that she had been traveling and sightseeing every day and hadn't had time to train properly. In addition, Jiang Jie asked them to help teach the Pandaren Chi martial arts to the Royal Guard, so she chose to stay.
When Ji saw that Aysa refused to leave, he also stayed, saying things like " Huojin, Earth, and Water are all one family" and " The Arathi are brave and fearless, which is more suitable for Huojin." So he shamelessly stayed with Aysa, looking very happy.
Two days later, at Jiang Jie's invitation, Highlord Falstad once again came to the palace and was warmly received by Jiang Jie.
Recommended reading: "Yuan Zun" by Tiancan Tudou, and "Da Dao Chao Tian" by Mao Ni.