Just as Genn was getting used to his Worgen form, his son Liam finally returned to Gilneas.
Liam hurriedly led a team of tall, coarse-hooded "people" into Greymane's royal garden, where he happened to run into Tess practicing her sword skills.
"Brother?!"
Tess stopped swinging her sword and stared blankly at the bearded Liam; she seemed to have no idea why her brother had suddenly returned.
The princess disregarded royal etiquette and ran to Liam with her training sword. "Why are you back? Those Worgen didn't attack you, did they?!"
"The journey was safe, but it was a bit roundabout. We first went deep into Blackwald Forest, then were teleported to Silverpine Forest. Arthas had his cavalry and these High Elf allies escort Rona and me back."
"Rona? Where is she?" Tess looked around but didn't see the eldest daughter of the Crowley family.
"Of course, she went back to Lord Darius's home. Alright, let's stop with the small talk for now, Tess. Where's Father? I must see him immediately."
Tess's expression stiffened when she heard the word "Father," but she quickly composed herself, walked up to Liam, and whispered something in his ear.
Liam's expression also darkened, but he only nodded. "So it did flare up after all... Tess, take me to Father first. We can talk about other things later."
"Ah, alright, follow me."
At Liam's signal, one of the comparatively "shorter" cloaked figures behind him was dispatched to accompany Liam and Tess to the secret room where Genn was.
Entering the secret room, Liam saw Genn sitting at a desk, holding a pen somewhat clumsily as he reviewed documents, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"Father, I'm back."
"Liam?" Genn turned his head at the sound and saw Liam standing at the doorway looking at him. He bared his Worgen fangs, wanting to smile, but suddenly realized something and quickly closed his mouth. "Sorry, Liam, I look like this..."
"Father, this isn't your fault. By the way, I have good news for you. Prince Arthas has captured the culprit behind this anomaly, so we don't have to worry about a large-scale Worgen invasion for a while."
"Is that so..." Genn lowered his head and pondered for a moment, realizing that, just as Liam said, although there were still incidents of Worgen attacking civilians or livestock everywhere, the Worgen had not launched large-scale attacks on armies and crowds as they had in Blackwald Forest.
"Furthermore, the Night Elves from the continent across the Endless Sea have arrived here at Arthas's behest to help us solve the Worgen problem. Let me introduce you, this is Priestess Berylisa Starwind."
"Greetings, His Majesty the King King of Gilneas. I am Berylisa Starwind, a Priestess of Elune."
Berylisa pulled back her hood, revealing her light purple skin, which was different from humans, and her pointed ears, which were longer than those of High Elves. At the same time, she bowed to Genn.
"Hello," Genn returned the human greeting. "My son said you can resolve the curse on me and my people?"
"To be precise, it's a temporary alleviation. However, it's quite surprising that you can maintain your sanity in such a form."
Berylisa had expected King Genn to have long been consumed by the Worgen's rage, but to her surprise, although Genn appeared before her in Worgen form, he still possessed normal reason.
"I guess I was lucky. An old friend of mine, a master alchemist, his latest creation saved me from the fate of becoming a beast, although my appearance doesn't look much different from a beast." Genn shook his head helplessly.
"But his potion did work," Berylisa nodded. This was much better than she had imagined; at least she didn't have to help Genn regain his sanity. "I will help you regain your human form, but to completely get rid of the Worgen curse, we have to find Shaladrassil again."
"Shaladrassil?"
Genn paused, unsure what this somewhat awkward name referred to.
Berylisa quickly explained, "Shaladrassil is the sacred tree that sealed the Worgen. Its true location in the real world is in the center of Blackwald Forest. Our Priestess of the Moon and Arch Druid have already gone there with the moon god scythe."
"Deep in Blackwald Forest... so that's why they surged out from there?" Genn's Worgen face showed an unclear expression, making it impossible to know what he was truly thinking.
Liam was about to say something, but Berylisa spoke first, "Yes, that's right. Regarding the Worgen, some of my people and I bear an undeniable responsibility, but please don't misunderstand, this is not the fault of all Night Elves. We are here to atone for our mistakes."
Genn waved his hand. "I apologize for the misunderstanding. I'm not trying to place the blame for the Worgen on friends who are helping us. I just want to know who the true culprit behind this Worgen unrest is."
Liam quickly interjected, "Father, it's Archmage Arugal. He awakened the Worgen of the Eastern Kingdoms, freeing them from the sacred tree's seal. Those Worgen also took this opportunity to escape."
"Arugal..." Genn frowned. "I've heard that name, it was in... in the court mage's letter of recommendation. Someone recommended that I appoint him as the Royal Archmage of Gilneas, saying he possessed immense power and profound knowledge... I never expected him to be such a person?"
Genn had originally intended to meet this Archmage, but he was delayed by a series of events involving Liam and Darius. However, it was fortunate that he hadn't recruited this Archmage yet, otherwise the Worgen disaster might have erupted in the center of Gilneas City.
"If that mage is truly responsible, I will make him understand Greymane's wrath." Genn's voice carried a hint of anger, but the King had already learned how to suppress his rage in this form to prevent the Worgen form from becoming even more uncontrollable.
"Your control over your emotions is perfect. Perhaps... perhaps this form is not a complete curse."
Berylisa also realized this. Genn, like Lyral, had become a Worgen, but compared to the arrogant Lyral at the time, although Genn had only experienced a few short decades as a human, his control over emotions and reason as a King was much stronger than young Lyral's.
And indeed, Genn had already managed to control the rage within the Worgen's heart, making this power his own.
Berylisa nodded. "King Genn, I will prepare a ritual for you to temporarily suppress the Worgen form. During this time, you can return to your normal human appearance. But to completely eliminate the influence of the Worgen curse, we still need to go deep into Blackwald Forest."
"That's not a problem. However, Priestess, I would like to ask if the people of Gilneas who are also suffering from this curse can also go to the sacred tree to eliminate the influence of the Worgen curse." Genn showed no great emotional fluctuation upon hearing that he could return to his original form. Instead, he first thought of his people.
"Of course, His Majesty the King. We are here for precisely that. We will help everyone eliminate the influence of the Worgen curse. This is our responsibility, and it is what we must do." Berylisa nodded without hesitation. If there was anything in this world that could alleviate her inner guilt, it was helping these suffering lives.
As Berylisa performed the ritual to suppress Genn's Worgen form, she thought of her long-deceased lover, Aweil. The Priestess sighed softly: Aweil, I will atone for the mistakes I've made.
...
On the other side of Greymane Wall, Arthas stood on the lookout tower of a camp not far from the high wall. He glanced at Aweil, who was lying beside him but deliberately kept a distance.
"Why don't you go find your beloved Berylisa? Also, you don't need to deliberately keep a distance from me. Frostmourne will not harm souls without my authorization."
Aweil pawed at his chin with his front paw. "Berylisa has her duties, and besides, so much time has passed, she should have started a new life. I am just a wandering spirit in the wilderness, no longer the Druid who spent every day with her. My current task is to guard here and prevent those Worgen from escaping."
"You haven't even gone to see her, how do you know she should have forgotten you?" Arthas smiled and shook his head, leaning against the railing of the lookout tower. "Humans can wait a lifetime for their loved ones."
"Human lifespan is very short, just a few decades, from youth to old age," Aweil's voice was muffled. "But Elves are different. They have the protection of the moon god and the World Tree. Even thousands of years will not change their appearance in the slightest. They are immortal and forever young."
"Yes, human life is very short, from birth to eternal slumber, at most a hundred years. But how do you know that Night Elves will also, like humans, use their unimaginably long lives to wait for someone who may never return?"
Arthas looked up at the White Lady in the sky, the incarnation of the "moon god." "Sometimes, forging a powerful artifact is simple, but waiting for the right person is very difficult."
Aweil lay on the wooden floor of the lookout tower, silent for a long time, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the bright moon in the sky.
A Night Elf's life, compared to a human's, can be said to be almost eternal. One hundred, two hundred years, an unimaginable span of time for most humans, might only be a cycle of lonely waiting under the moon for a Night Elf.
And who would be willing to spend this almost eternal life waiting for an answer that they know doesn't exist?
....
"There are quite a number of Ogres!"
Ogrim knocked the Ogre in front of him to the ground with a single hammer blow.
He watched as the Scourge soldiers swiftly repelled the Dota Ogres, whose fighting morale was beyond Ogrim's expectation.
The terrifying aspect of the Scourge was that no matter how high their casualties, they would never fear or retreat, which was an absolutely dreadful situation for close-quarters combat.
Moreover, a new type of plague, teleported from Naxxramas, was rapidly encroaching upon the Ogre's territory.
Those fallen Ogres quickly "stood" up again, wielding their weapons and lunging at their former companions.
But even so, the Ogre's collapse was slower than Ogrim had imagined.
Although the Ogres being used to wear down the enemy were mostly expendable undead cannon fodder, and undead creatures transformed from the Ogres themselves, if they continued fighting at this efficiency, it would likely take much longer than they had anticipated.
The Ogre's desperate resistance did briefly delay the Scourge's advance, but they were not elite troops fighting with a suicidal resolve.
When casualties reached a certain level, the Dota Ogres still abandoned countless bodies and fled the stronghold in disarray.
Ogrim, holding his warhammer, flipped over a dead Ogre and, after observing it, said to Grommash beside him, "Grom, these Ogres are a bit strange."
"Strange? What's strange about them? Are they too weak?"
Gorehowl in Grommash's hand was covered in blood, and he seemed to still be craving more after the recent battle.
"They… they are a bit weak, but these guys' fighting will is completely inconsistent with their combat power," Ogrim's brows furrowed in confusion, "They abandoned at least half their numbers in corpses before choosing to flee, and I didn't see any overseers.
These scattered Ogres, by rights, shouldn't be so unafraid of death."
"That makes some sense," Grommash, prompted by this, also noticed something amiss, "These guys are much weaker than the Ogres from Highmaul.
There are quite a few skinny ones, yet they could hold on for so long?"
The Ogres of Highmaul had their own class divisions, including commoners, warriors, generals, and nobles.
Frankly, Grommash felt that even the Ogre army from Highmaul would find it difficult not to quickly lose their fighting will in front of the Scourge.
Although Ogres were a bit stupid, they weren't fearless brutes.
They were mostly cowards who bullied the weak and feared the strong, and when facing an opponent like the Scourge, a rapid collapse was not impossible.
Moreover, Ogrim and Grommash hardly saw any overseers.
Where did these Ogres get the courage to stand firm against the Scourge in this stronghold?
Unless…
"Unless if they ran, something even more terrifying would be waiting for them back home."
Grommash, who was familiar with Ogre characteristics, easily thought of this point.
The only thing that could make Ogres suffer such heavy casualties without retreating could only be something more terrifying than death.
As the two orcs conversed, the Death Wolf accompanying them let out a wary growl, as if some danger was approaching.
"What's wrong?" Grommash looked around.
Other than the Ogre corpses strewn across the ground, he didn't find anything unusual, but gradually, he suddenly noticed the small pebbles on the ground trembling slightly.
Grommash seemed to realize something, immediately lay on the ground, and pressed one ear close to the earth.
Soon, he looked up at Ogrim, "A big one is coming our way."
Ogrim summoned a Gargoyle, and this Gargoyle transmitted what it saw to Ogrim.
The Orc Death Knight's expression turned serious, "A Gronn is coming our way."
"It looks like the fleeing Ogres led this Gronn here, trying to get the Gronn to eliminate us," Grommash patted the dust off himself, but showed no sign of worry, "These Ogres aren't completely beyond saving in terms of stupidity."
Ogrim stared at Grommash for a moment, "Do you know what I want to do now?"
"Ogrim, this kind of boring guessing game is completely unnecessary," Grommash gripped his battle-axe Gorehowl with both hands, excitement evident in his voice, "Aren't we here for the Gronn? Do you want to just catch some useless Ogres and go back to report?"
"Hey, it seems we're on the same page this time."
Ogrim also uncharacteristically showed excitement—a Gronn.
Any Orc who had hunted a Gronn would be considered the embodiment of glory, an unmatched champion.
In his former life, Ogrim didn't have the chance to test himself against a Gronn, but now, the opportunity was right in front of him, which made his long-cold and stagnant blood stir once more.
…
"Those two, Ogrim and Grommash, have been gone for so long… normally they should have been back by now."
Lothar stood at the edge of the Scourge Outpost, gazing at the distant canyon plain, but as far as his eyes could see, everything was normal, without any abnormalities.
"They'll probably take a while."
Kel'Thuzad floated silently to Lothar's side, "Anub'arak said their troops encountered a Gronn, and Ogrim and Grommash are preparing to capture it."
"Those two hotheads!"
Through this period of learning and research, Lothar also gradually understood how terrifying the power of a Gronn was.
Let alone Death Knights, even the constructs being researched and produced in Naxxramas could only be torn to shreds by it.
Although Ogrim and Grommash were both extraordinary powerhouses, an encounter battle with a Gronn without any preparation was not a good idea.
While Lothar was angry about this, Kel'Thuzad calmly flipped through his experimental records, "There's no need to be so angry, Grand Marshal.
Aside from that 'Dragon Slayer,' other Gronn, while strong, are only strong to a limited extent.
Doomhammer and Hellscream can easily win when they team up, not to mention Anub'arak assisting them."
"It better be that way.
If their actions affect our plans, those two will definitely be in deep trouble."
Lothar waved his hand, "The Lich King doesn't just want Gronn—oh, right, how is the resurrection process of those Black Dragons coming along?"
"They are indeed perfect materials, but most of them suffered extremely violent means before death.
My Necromancers are repairing the damage on the dragon corpses, so it will take a bit more time for resurrection."
Kel'Thuzad stopped his experimental records on a certain page, "However… we have indeed encountered some unexpected trouble.
A considerable portion of the Black Dragons' souls are missing.
If there are no souls, the strength of the resurrected Bone Dragons will be greatly reduced."
The Black Dragons killed by the Gronn and Ogres should have possessed extremely strong resentment and hatred, which would have given them considerable power after being resurrected, but Kel'Thuzad found that many of these Black Dragons' souls were incomplete.
If that were the case, those resurrected Bone Dragons could only be filled with other inferior souls, like engineering products with inferior batteries, both their strength and efficiency would be significantly lower.
It seemed the Ogres were also intentionally or unintentionally collecting Black Dragon souls, but the number of spellcasters in the Ogre race was extremely small.
Where did such a large number of souls go? This remained a mystery.
"This trip is much more troublesome than I imagined."
The soul fire in Kel'Thuzad's eye sockets flickered continuously.
He was somewhat tired of playing these "games" with the Ogres.
He needed something that could efficiently destroy these guys.