The entire Blackrock Depths was filled with carnage.
The Shadowforge Council and the Anvilrage Legion mobilized in full force, and one Twilight Cultists after another was dragged out, imprisoned, or killed.
The Twilight Cultists were also surprised that Emperor Thaurissan would suddenly make a move.
Their numbers were already small, and not all of them were elite.
Blackrock Depths is, after all, the territory of the Dark Iron Dwarves, and ultimately, Emperor Thaurissan calls the shots here. There is only one exit, and as long as it is sealed off, no one can get out.
In less than five hours, more than one hundred Twilight Cultists were detained, and many more died in the arrests.
Few will likely escape alive.
As for those fire elemental creatures scattered throughout the land?
Emperor Thaurissan didn't touch a single one; he simply placed them under full surveillance.
He will not attack these fire elementals until the battle in Molten Core is over.
He feared completely offending the fire elemental creatures and the Firelord.
Ultimately, he lacked confidence in Jiang Jie.
" Thaurissan, my king. Speculators will never be valued. Your choice may seem wise, but in reality, it lacks courage."
Princess Moira Thaurissan looked up at her beloved and gently shook her head. "If the Grand Duke fails, Ragnaros's wrath will return! He, so high and mighty, cares not for the thoughts of mortals. Whether the Dark Iron Dwarves harbor rebellious intentions or not is irrelevant to him. Anyone who challenges his authority will be met with his fury, and the only target for that fury is us."
Emperor Thaurissan's face darkened further. He grabbed Princess Moira Thaurissan's hand and said painfully, "What else can I do! I must consider my people! As long as we don't attack the fire elementals, Ragnaros's rage won't be unleashed too much! The Dark Iron Dwarves won't die too many times! He still needs his servants! But if we rebel, we will die far more, much more!"
"You lack courage, the entire Dark Iron Dwarves race lacks courage—the courage to disregard everything, the courage to face everything. I admire the wisdom and skill of the Dark Iron Dwarves, but your courage is far inferior to that of the Bronzebeard Dwarves, and even less to that of the Wildhammer who are willing to give up everything and start anew."
Princess Moira Thaurissan sighed and said, "Even if the Grand Duke wins, he won't have much goodwill towards the Dark Iron Dwarves. He's seen everything we and the Dark Iron Dwarves have done. Don't forget, the Dark Iron Dwarves attacked Uldaman's Lair, which is the Grand Duke's territory."
"Back then, who knew Uldaman had been taken over by him! We found Uldaman first! Nicholas snatched the delicious food from my mouth! What's wrong with me settling scores with him?"
Emperor Thaurissan shouted angrily, about to say something more.
Suddenly, the earth trembled, the walls cracked, and the entire the Imperial Seat shook violently.
"An earthquake! The Firelord is enraged!"
Emperor Thaurissan's expression changed drastically. He quickly grabbed Moira's hand, trying to teleport away. "We have to go! Get out of here! You can't die, my child can't die!"
"No one will die, Thaurissan."
Princess Moira Thaurissan shook her head, struggling, then looked at Emperor Thaurissan and asked, "You told me that Ragnaros's power could uproot a mountain! If he were truly enraged, would his power really be limited to that? Perhaps the entire Blackrock Depths would have Devastation by now?"
Emperor Thaurissan was stunned. "Could it be that the Grand Duke won? The Grand Duke really won? That's wonderful, wonderful! Oh no! Part of Blackrock Depths is about to collapse, part of Shadowforge City is about to be destroyed, and many people will be crushed to death by the collapsing buildings! I must summon the Shadowforge Council and the Anvilrage Legion to rescue my people!"
"The Grand Duke has won."
Princess Moira Thaurissan grabbed Emperor Thaurissan and said, "Forget about the Dark Iron Dwarves! Shadowforge City can be rebuilt, but you can't save your people who have died! My king, order the Shadowforge Council and the Anvilrage Legion to immediately exterminate all fire elementals! Also, let's go greet the Grand Duke! And think about how to repay the Grand Duke!"
"I agree to send troops to Blackrock Spire! To attack the Black Dragonflight! We don't know how many of us will die in this battle!"
Emperor Thaurissan was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed, "This isn't enough? This repayment isn't enough? I'll repay him with the lives of at least one or two thousand, or even more, of my people!"
"The Grand Duke saved over 50,000 members of the Dark Iron Clan, and your repayment is meager, Thaurissan. More importantly, your campaign against Blackrock Spire and the Black Dragonflight was actually helping Stormwind City and Ironforge, easing tensions, and preparing for joining the Alliance, rather than a repayment to the Grand Duke himself."
Princess Moira Thaurissan took Thaurissan's hand. "Let's go outside and greet the Grand Duke. Thaurissan, you look down on the Grand Duke deep down, believing you should be on equal footing with the Queen of Lordaeron, and that the Grand Duke's status is inferior to yours... Abandon that idea. Calia is the Queen of Lordaeron, and the Grand Duke is the Grand Duke of Azeroth! From now on, show him respect!"
Emperor Thaurissan wanted to say:
Join the Alliance? Why would Dark Iron want to join Alliance?
However, he quickly realized:
Stop messing around!
To the south lies Stormwind City's territory, to the north Ironforge's territory, and also the Grand Duke's Uldaman Dungeon.
If they defeat the Black Dragonflight next, Stormwind City and Ironforge will definitely not let the Orcs, Troll, and Ogres go, and will certainly want to occupy Blackrock Spire.
What will happen to the Dark Iron Dwarves then?
Even if they're not enemies, they're not friends either, so why would they treat you well?
How difficult will the situation be for Dark Iron in the future?
If we fail to defeat the Black Dragonflight, things will be even worse.
Without Ragnaros's protection, the Dark Iron Dwarves were no match for the Black Dragonflight.
The best option is to find a way to join the Alliance Alliance, no matter the cost, to join this unstoppable chariot.
In this regard, his queen could certainly do her part, for example, by trying to ease tensions with Ironforge.
Centuries have passed, but hatred isn't something that can't be erased, is it?
But that's not enough!
In the end, we'll probably have to rely on that Grand Duke!
Thaurissan is no ordinary person after all.
Having reigned King of Dark Iron for hundreds of years, he knew how to make choices in crucial moments.
He secretly made up his mind:
As long as the Grand Duke's demands aren't too unreasonable, grant them!
No, even if it's too much, we have to grit our teeth and agree, depending on the situation.
For Dark Iron!
"Pass down the order: the Shadowforge Council is responsible for rescuing the wounded members of our people, and the Anvilrage Legion is responsible for exterminating all fire elemental creatures! Execute immediately!"
Emperor Thaurissan gritted his teeth and gave the order, then followed Princess Moira Thaurissan outside. "I sense the Grand Duke's presence at the entrance to Molten Core... Let's go meet him!"