Grim Batol, the Wildhammer Dwarves' once most prized creation, was naturally something they couldn't help but covet.
There are reasons why it has not been recovered.
"Now, only about 20,000 Wildhammer Dwarves remain in the entire Hinterlands." Falstad shook his head and said, " Nicholas, you don't know, in that battle, my father, Khardros, killed Queen Modgud of the Dark Iron. Before she died, she cursed Grim Batol, saying it was full of eeriness and evil; otherwise, we wouldn't have left."
Jiang Jie smiled and then said, "Curses aren't unbreakable. The one who truly cursed that city back then wasn't Modgud; she didn't have that ability. The one who truly cursed Grim Batol was actually a dagger called ' Xal'atath,' which was also Modgud's weapon at the time. To be honest, if that dagger hadn't abandoned Modgud at the most crucial moment, your father probably wouldn't have been able to kill her, and the Wildhammer Dwarves might not even exist anymore!"
Jiang Jie's words were clearly unpleasant, but Falstad wasn't like Kurdran and wouldn't get angry over such remarks. Instead, he nodded and said, " Modgud was the most powerful wizard among the Dwarves at the time, almost excessively so. When the Dark Iron Dwarves invaded Grim Batol, we couldn't stop them at all. She could summon terrifying and evil shadow creatures to crawl out from the depths of the earth, making it impossible for us to resist! My father was able to kill her; indeed... it's quite Legendary."
"The shadow creatures she summons are probably somewhat similar to these."
Jiang Jie took out the divine sword Strom'kar, and one by one, Corruption Thorns emerged from the ground, looking twisted and dark.
Falstad thought carefully, a look of surprise on his face. "I've seen ancient scrolls that record these things, but there's much more! Modgud's shadow power is far stronger than this sword!"
Jiang Jie sheathed his divine sword and said with a smile, "' Xal'atath ' is said to be the name of an Old Gods. That dagger was made from the claw of that Old Gods and was used in the sacrificial rituals of the Black Empire in the distant past. Its power is indeed much greater than that of Strom'kar."
Falstad looked completely bewildered.
Old Gods? What are those?
What, then, is the Black Empire?
He had absolutely no idea.
"I think there are at least three ways to break the curse of Grim Batol," Jiang Jie said.
Three methods?
There are three more?
Falstad was thrilled; his eyes widened and his heart pounded.
How could the Wildhammer Dwarves not want to reclaim Grim Batol? They just had no choice.
If the curse could be lifted and Grim Batol reclaimed, the Wildhammer Dwarves would be ecstatic!
" Holy Light is the natural enemy of Shadow. I think the curse of Xal'atath can be purified with powerful Holy Light. But Xal'atath's power is too great; even if we gather a thousand Paladin, it would probably take two or three months to accomplish it."
Jiang Jie smiled and held up one finger, "The only place in the world capable of mobilizing so many Paladin is Lordaeron. But nearly half of Lordaeron's land is still shrouded in the Undead Plague and needs purification. We can't help you for at least five years."
Falstad nodded secretly, making a mental note of it.
The Wildhammer Dwarves had waited three hundred years, so he wasn't afraid to wait another five years, but he still wanted to hear about other methods.
" The Druid of Kalimdor once tried to fight against the Old Gods. In Seradane, in the northeastern corner of the Hinterlands, there is a towering Tree of Life, which the Druid planted to extinguish the corrupting power of the Saronite, and it worked very well."
Jiang Jie extended his second finger. "Planting the Tree of Life requires branches from the World Tree, which is easy; I have a World Tree, ' Teldrassil.' But to nurture it to a size sufficient to destroy the power of the Grim Batol curse, it would probably require the personal care of many Druid. Teldrassil is already cared for by only five Druid; you can forget about it. The Druid have no reason to help you."
That's true.
The majority of the Druid's power now
They were all in the Emerald Dream, helping the Green Dragonflight fight the Emerald Nightmare, and a small portion of their forces were busy healing the forests and lands destroyed by the Burning Legion, leaving them with no time to spare. Falstad was somewhat disappointed.
"The third method is simple: the one who tied the knot must untie it. As long as we can find Xal'atath and completely control it, the curse can naturally be lifted."
Jiang Jie held up a third finger. "And I happen to know where Xal'atath is."
"Where?" Falstad jumped up, his eyes wide with excitement.
Jiang Jie smiled and said, "Don't get excited, Highlord. The power of Xal'atath is too terrifying. If I may be so bold, no one has the ability to completely control it yet."
Indeed, no one has that ability.
Of all the artifacts for every class in Azeroth, it is the most top-tier and has the most prestigious origins. Very few can rival it.
Jiang Jie didn't actually know where Xal'atath was, but one person did: Benedictus Holy Light Stormwind City, who obtained Xal'atath and sealed it away.
Once we find him, we can naturally find a way to locate Xal'atath.
However, Jiang Jie never considered that idea, not only because Benedictus was difficult to deal with, but also because he lacked confidence in controlling Xal'atath, even if he merged with Anveena, he was still not sure.
After all, Anveena was merely an incarnation of a small mass of Blood of Azeroth, while Xal'atath was a claw of the Old Gods —the difference was vast.
Just because it's not possible now doesn't mean it won't be possible in the future.
Seeing Falstad's disappointed expression, Jiang Jie smiled and said, "Don't worry, give me some time, I think I'll take control. I think we should get together for a meeting and discuss a strategy. Meetings, wrangling, and troop deployment will all take time, as will clearing out the Dragonmaw Orcs and Dark Iron Dwarves. By the time all of this is done, it'll probably be at least a year, right? I think by then, I'll have control of Xal'atath."
Several months have passed, and Jiang Jie has already reached the ninth level of the Xiantian Realm.
He believes that he can achieve a breakthrough and reach another higher level within a year.
When that time comes, it will be time to take control of Xal'atath and confront the Twilight's Hammer!
"Okay, I'll consider it." Falstad finally regained his composure and sat back down in his seat.
He was a mature and prudent Highlord, and it was impossible for him to make a decision easily based on a few words from Jiang Jie.
He had to find a way to get more information to confirm that what Jiang Jie said was true, and he also had to find a way to contact Lordaeron and the Night Elf to see if the other two methods would work.
In Falstad's view, Jiang Jie was still young and inexperienced, and underestimated some things:
If this were a joint development of Wetlands, it would involve the interests of several countries, and the endless wrangling would take several months. Moreover, the reactions of Blackrock Mountain Twilight Highlands would also need to be considered; it's not that simple.
It will definitely take more than a year to drive away the Dragonmaw Orcs and Dark Iron Dwarves from the Wetlands; it may take two or three years, or even longer. We can't rush it.
Furthermore, the Wildhammer Gryphon Rider have suffered heavy losses over the past year and must be replenished as soon as possible, otherwise their strength will be insufficient.
Falstad thought of more.
War of the Three Hammers, not all Wildhammer Dwarves followed their father to Aerie Peak; some fled to the east of Grim Batol, which is what Jiang Jie referred to as the " Twilight Highlands."
If we can truly reclaim Grim Batol, perhaps we can find the lost Wildhammer Dwarves. Then the Wildhammer Dwarves ' strength won't be at the bottom among the three Dwarves clans, which would be a tremendous achievement!
"You can think about it carefully. This matter can't be rushed; we have plenty of time."
Jiang Jie smiled and then said, "Now, let's talk about one last thing: Didn't you say that griffins are difficult to raise and eat too much meat? How about this, give me a portion, and I'll raise them for you, what do you think?"
Recommended reading: "Yuan Zun" by Tiancan Tudou, and "Da Dao Chao Tian" by Mao Ni.