In a room in Stratholme, Jiang Jie sat cross-legged.
Zul'jin is a formidable opponent; his combat skills are maxed out, placing him on par with the Sun King. However, his physical abilities are noticeably diminished, and the loss of an arm has further weakened his strength.
Even so, his combat abilities in Troll Form are still very strong.
It can be inferred that if Zul'jin were still in his prime, he would likely be High-tier Legendary powerhouse, no weaker than the Sun King, and would not need to rely on the power of the Loa.
However, he was old, as old as the Sun King.
A hero grows old.
If Zul'jin hadn't been past his prime, he wouldn't have been so thoroughly outmatched, unable to even retaliate.
If not for the fading of a hero's life, the Sun King would not have been killed by a mere Arthas.
Unfortunately, they are not immortal; they too will age.
After Zul'jin's death, a portion of the Loa separated and was sealed away by Anveena, while Zul'Aman's soul was devoured by the Shadow Phoenix Pyralis.
Mutual respect is one thing, but killing is still killing.
Zul'jin's soul cannot be spared. As long as he exists, even if only in soul form, he will not give up and will continue to fight against humans and High Elf. Therefore, he must be killed completely.
Having devoured so many souls, Pyralis finally felt full and stuffed. He returned to the divine sword Strom'kar to sleep, but it would probably take at least a month to fully digest them.
Once digested, Pyralis's soul will inevitably grow to an extremely powerful level, perhaps not far from the level of the Zanza the Restless and the Loa.
Perhaps it won't be long before Pyralis breaks through his limits, reaches the level of Demigod, and becomes the true " Phoenix God ".
Jiang Jie opened his hand, and eight gems appeared in his palm.
These thumb-sized gems contain sealed fragments of the souls of Loa, each one at the initial Legendary level.
The digestion and absorption rate is not 100%. Absorbing a Legendary soul does not mean that your own soul will grow that much stronger. It's like eating; eating a pound of rice does not mean you will gain a pound of weight.
Of course, the absorption rate at the soul level is much higher than that at the physical level.
Basically, if all 10 souls are absorbed, they should be equivalent to a relatively powerful ordinary Legendary soul, which would be able to elevate Jiang Jie's own soul to a level close to that of High-tier Legendary soul.
" Anveena, let's begin." Jiang Jie focused his mind and calmed himself.
As time passed, Fenna's belly grew bigger and bigger, and Calia began to entrust most of the state affairs to Uther and Marquis Lawrence, as well as a group of newly promoted state officials.
As for herself, she has become increasingly reclusive.
Two months later, when the horns of the Northern Expedition were officially sounded, few people in Lordaeron could see Her Majesty the Queen anymore. Matters, whether important or not, were all left to Marquis Lawrence to handle.
Some well-informed nobles quickly figured out the reason:
Her Majesty the Queen is pregnant!
How is that possible!
Her Majesty the Queen is not yet married, and Lordaeron does not yet have a prince. So, whose child is Her Majesty carrying?
The nobles speculated, and some of the more astute ones quickly narrowed it down to one person based on the timeline:
Nicholas Jiang, Grand Duke of Stromgarde.
Because during the days when the Queen was most likely to conceive, she summoned Grand Duke Nicholas.
More importantly, Grand Duke Nicholas stayed in the palace for a full day and night, only leaving hastily at noon the next day.
What exactly happened that day and night?
No one dared to spread the rumor openly; it circulated only among the nobles, and cautiously, not daring to reach Her Majesty the Queen or the Ashbringer's ears...
They were the two most powerful women in the entire Kingdom of Lordaeron; who would dare to offend them?
On this day, Jiang Jie arrived in Lordaeron.
He came to attend the Northern Expedition Conference.
The Northern Expedition is a major event for the entire Eastern Kingdoms, involving all the Alliance nations, and even the Night Elf and Horde from another continent. Therefore, the deployment of troops, the conduct of the war, and who should lead the army must all be carefully discussed and a detailed set of rules must be devised.
It is said that Her Majesty the Queen is unwell and will not attend this meeting. Instead, she will be represented by Uther the Lightbringer, Marquis Lawrence, and Jiang Jie.
However, Jiang Jie had just arrived at the palace when he encountered the maid Daphne.
"The Grand Duke."
The maid blushed slightly. "Her Majesty the Queen requests your presence."
Jiang Jie frowned slightly, his heart filled with conflict.
He's really hesitant to see Calia right now, because he doesn't know how to face her.
But since Her Majesty had summoned him, he had to obey and followed the maid to the Queen's bedchamber.
Just like two months ago, there wasn't a single extra person in the Queen's bedroom. In the vast bedroom, it seemed that only Daphne was serving as her maid. All the security was set up outside, and no one was allowed to set foot in the bedroom.
Jiang Jie frowned, noticing that Calia was a little chubby, with a slightly protruding belly, much like Fenna had been a month ago...
Jiang Jie's heart skipped a beat, and then he heard Calia say softly, " Nicholas, I'm pregnant."
Is she pregnant?
Jiang Jie was stunned for a moment, then completely bewildered:
Is she pregnant?
She got pregnant after just one time?
Oh, no, it's a whole day and night, not just once...
But it can't be that much of a coincidence, can it? That's too accurate!
"I timed it all down and took the medication, so I'm definitely going to get pregnant."
Calia looked up at Jiang Jie with a faint smile, " Fenna's baby is three months old, right? Is it a boy or a girl? You're so smart, you should be able to tell, right?"
"It's a girl."
Jiang Jie was still in a daze, and replied listlessly, "A very healthy girl."
"Then take a look at our child, is it a boy or a girl?"
Calia said quietly, "I hope it's a boy; girls are easily bullied."
Being bullied?
Are girls more easily bullied?
Which woman in the Menethil family is most easily bullied?
I'm the one who's being bullied, okay?
Jiang Jie thought to himself, looking at Calia with some hesitation.
Calia smiled gently and waved.
Then Jiang Jie immediately went over, reached out, and placed his hand on Calia's lower abdomen.
It's soft, warm, and very comfortable.
Calia reached out and placed her hand on his, and Jiang Jie's heart skipped a beat.
A minute later, he silently withdrew his hand, looked up, and said with a complicated expression, " Calia, it's a boy, a very healthy boy."
"It's a boy, that's good."
A smile appeared on Calia's face, and she said softly, "We don't know how long the Northern Expedition will take. By the time you return, the baby might already be born. Let's name him, okay?"
Jiang Jie remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "I heard that Varian's son is named ' Anduin,' in honor of Marshal Lothar. Varian hoped Anduin as brave and powerful as Marshal Lothar, and as wise and benevolent as King Llane. Let's name our child Thoradin, Thoradin Menethil. I hope he will become a great king, as great as Emperor Thoradin the Great."
" Thoradin? What a beautiful name, a great name."
Calia stroked her belly and whispered, "He will definitely become a great king, even an emperor, don't you think, Nicholas?"
"An emperor? Perhaps." Jiang Jie shook his head.
Humanity can only have an emperor if all nations are unified.
Varian was a great king, Admiral Daelin was equally great, and their sons were no less remarkable.
To annex those two countries would be no easy task, not to mention Dalaran as well.
Unless these two countries are destroyed, how could a civil war break out in the human world?
But who knows what will happen in the future?
"Go ahead, they're all waiting for you."
Calia smiled and said, "Go on, the meeting is about to start, don't be late."