"You morons! You just let the Kirin Tor seal up all the shops?!"
Inside a luxurious manor in Hillsbrad, Gallywix was cursing at his subordinates who had brought him the sealing report. "Incompetent! Useless! And those damn mages, blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents! Do they have no conscience?!"
And even if they sealed the shops, why was this notice only delivered to him now? Were these managers below him just freeloaders?! Did they want those mages to throw him into prison to eat prison food before they were happy?
Gallywix had already decided that after leaving Lordaeron, he would fire all these incompetent subordinates… No, he would exile them to the most ruthless mines to dig for the rest of their lives!
After venting his anger, the fat on Gallywix's face trembled. "Chubby, hurry, pack our things, we need to leave Lordaeron immediately! And you, get back to Dalaran and stall those mages for me!"
Gallywix's personal bodyguard, Chubby, quickly gathered his men after receiving his boss's order and began collecting treasures from the luxurious manor. The goblin manager, who had just been scolded by Gallywix, said with a stiff face, "Me? But boss, the mages of Dalaran are like madmen, almost all of them have come out, I—"
"Remember, with me, no one can justify failure!"
Gallywix directly interrupted the manager's complaints. "I don't care how you do it, just go and stall those mages from Dalaran for me! You don't want your family to be disappointed in you, do you?"
Facing Gallywix's threat, the goblin manager's face showed a look of despair—he was not just working for this Trade Prince for a meager salary, but because his entire family had been forced to sign contracts that were almost equivalent to selling themselves. If he failed to do his job, his family would likely spend the rest of their lives in black mines.
"I promise I won't disappoint you, Your Excellency, Trade Prince!"
The goblin manager gritted his teeth as he spat out these words. He wished he could eat Gallywix alive at this moment, but the situation was stronger than him. If he became Gallywix's scapegoat, at least his family would not be affected, otherwise, he wouldn't be the only one to suffer.
He just didn't know how long he would have to eat prison food this time… The goblin manager thought of the terrifying rumors about the Violet Hold, and for a moment, he felt his life was hopeless.
After dismissing his subordinate, Gallywix supported the extravagant jeweled high hat on his head and scurried on his short legs. After confirming that no one was following him, he secretly opened a hidden door behind a painting in the study.
The space behind the hidden door was not wide. Besides a large number of jewels and treasures that Gallywix had collected through various channels, the most striking thing was an altar placed in the secret room.
However, judging from the items enshrined on that altar, Gallywix's faith was not in anything good—it was an orc's skull, and green flames burned in the skull's eye sockets.
"Cough cough…"
Gallywix cleared his throat, seemingly organizing his words. After a while, he barely managed to make his voice sound less awkward. "Respected Speaker, our little business seems to have been discovered by those mages from Dalaran…"
"…"
No sound came from the skull as Gallywix had expected. He initially thought it was a transmission delay, but after a while longer, he bravely walked to the skull. He originally wanted to pick up the skull directly with his hand, but he hesitated for a moment and first extended his staff, poking it with the tip of the staff.
Besides causing the flames in the skull to flicker slightly, Gallywix still did not receive the desired reply. He cursed under his breath, "Damn shoddy goods… those good-for-nothing Shadow Council members can't even make a communication device properly, no wonder they ended up like this."
"Hmm… I actually think there's nothing wrong with this thing."
"Then why is there no response?!" Gallywix questioned somewhat angrily, but as soon as the words left his mouth, his body froze.
Wait… who was talking to him?
"Perhaps the entity on the other side has given up on you? Gallywix—though I don't know why, I always feel that such a scene seems familiar to me, but I'm very sure that before this, I shouldn't have had any contact with you."
Xal'atath's figure darted out of the shadows like a ghost, hovering beside Gallywix. She held her chin with her finger, as if contemplating a problem.
But when Gallywix saw Xal'atath's captivating purple eyes, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. As a Trade Prince who had brought the trade industry to Lordaeron, how could he not recognize this renowned Governor?
"Heh heh, looking at your expression, you seem to know me?"
Looking at Gallywix, who was almost twice as bloated as a normal goblin, Xal'atath said with a hint of amusement, "Then you should also know what everything you've done means in this kingdom?"
"Lady Xal'atath, what are you saying? I don't quite understand."
While Gallywix chuckled dryly, he secretly shifted his feet, trying to use his body to cover the skull behind him. Such a childish act made Xal'atath laugh soundlessly. "This is indeed much more interesting than staying in the palace. Gallywix, regarding your human trafficking, selling dangerous goods, assassinating the King, and colluding with the Burning Legion, do you have anything else to say?"
"What assassination of the King, colluding with the Burning Legion… I don't quite understand."
Cold sweat was already pouring down Gallywix's back, but he still tried to stall for time by feigning ignorance. As long as Chubby and the others finished packing the valuables and noticed his disappearance, they would surely come looking for him.
But he clearly had no clear understanding of the dangerousness of the woman in front of him. Seeing Gallywix trying to trick her with some intelligence-insulting parlor tricks, Xal'atath's already limited patience began to gradually disappear.
She moved her fingers, and Gallywix only felt a blur before his eyes. The familiar secret room had been replaced by a strange steel hall, but the wails that occasionally came from this hall almost froze his soul.
"You are a well-traveled goblin tycoon, but I think these tortures from various planes of the universe should give you an eye-opening experience."
Xal'atath originally thought Gallywix was a soft target and that she wouldn't need much effort to get the information she wanted, leaving the rest of her time outside free to do as she pleased. But this goblin was clearly not honest and wanted to play games with her, so Xal'atath's anger at not being able to slack off due to work was about to be unleashed on someone.
"I heard that in a certain distant world, people who exploit subordinates and engage in ruthless trade are hanged on lampposts—it's a pity Torghast doesn't have lampposts, but I think the artisans here would be very enthusiastic about creating a custom golden lamppost for you?"
Every word Xal'atath spoke contained terrifying magic. When her words came out, Gallywix felt his body being controlled by an invisible force, suspending him in mid-air.
"But there's no suitable place for you here yet, so why don't you go wait in that coffin over there for a while?"
Xal'atath pointed to the iron coffin filled with spikes inside, and Gallywix let out a terrified shriek like a pig being slaughtered, "You can't do this, I have a legitimate business license from Lordaeron! You are harming an innocent citizen!"
This idiot, is he still unable to see the situation clearly even at death's door?
Xal'atath waved her hand with some disgust, and two Forsworn jailers who had been waiting for a long time came out and dragged Gallywix away, preparing to give him some of Maw's specialties.
But what made Xal'atath even angrier was that she would probably have to stay in this empty and boring high tower until she got the information Arthas wanted.
Damn it… she had even booked tickets for the opera that night. She hoped the theater had a refund service.
However, Gallywix's stubbornness was beyond Xal'atath's expectation. After all, according to the information, this Trade Prince should have been merely a scoundrel who bullied the weak and feared the strong, so what made him keep silent about the information of the mastermind behind him?
A ripple appeared in the space in front of Xal'atath. She reached into the ripple and took out the orc skull from the secret room.
The burning fel fire could not harm her delicate skin in the slightest. She held the skull and examined it. "Hmm… it is indeed made from an orc warlock's skull, but the craftsmanship is a bit crude, so it shouldn't be from a craftsman of the Burning Legion… But why is there a familiar scent in this fel fire?"
Her nostrils twitched, as if a cat was identifying a familiar scent. "The mark of an Old God… though very faint, it's almost certain. How interesting, do the servants of the Old Gods also change their allegiance?"
Xal'atath did not like Maw at all; its cold, desolate, and gloomy atmosphere always reminded her of everything in the Void Realm.
But work was work. As a former Void Pioneer and now the Administrator of Lordaeron, she had always performed her duties flawlessly—though when she was a Void Pioneer, she constantly thought about rebelling against her superiors, and that hasn't changed even now.
Arthas treated her like a workhorse, so Xal'atath began slacking off rebelliously—this waste of time was a pleasure she couldn't enjoy as a Void creature. After all, in that cold Void Plane, survival was their biggest job; lazy individuals had long been eliminated by the cruel law of survival.
Fortunately, Xal'atath, who had worked for the Void Lord for countless years, had a complete set of survival rules, and she was also very good at finding little pleasures in her work.
"Gallywix, that idiot, indeed colluded with the Shadow Council... but he's also purely stupid; he actually only wanted to acquire more treasures?"
When Maw Executioner reported the information extracted from Gallywix to Xal'atath, Xal'atath felt she had a new understanding of Goblins. For the sake of so-called wealth, Gallywix would betray anything, even the world they lived in.
Although in her long life, Xal'atath had seen many such 'world traitors' who, for personal gain or deliberate revenge, handed over their worlds to Demons or the Void, Goblins, these peculiar creatures that could be bought with gold, were rare in the entire universe. This was because those who betrayed their worlds generally sought extraordinary abilities that transcended the mundane order.
But soon, Xal'atath became dissatisfied with the information Gallywix revealed: precisely because Gallywix was so easy to deal with, the Shadow Council didn't even consider him a true member. Gallywix only had a superficial understanding of the Shadow Council's details; he didn't even understand what kind of creature their Speaker was before he started accepting benefits and working for them.
Or rather, Gallywix didn't care who the other party was; as long as they paid, and he could get enough profit from these jobs, he didn't care what he was cooperating with.
"It's such a pure idiot who, through money and violence, opened up trade channels across most of the Eastern Kingdoms, selling illegal goods everywhere."
Xal'atath unenthusiastically reviewed the intelligence obtained from Gallywix. The good news now was that with Gallywix's downfall, the illicit trade Arthas cared about was definitely coming to an end. But the bad news was that they still hadn't figured out how the Shadow Council revived and reconnected with the Legion.
And to continue digging into this question would undoubtedly increase Xal'atath's workload, so this narrow-minded lady, after issuing the order to the Forsworn to "continue to entertain Gallywix well," quickly left Maw.
"Most of the Goblins belonging to the Bilgewater Cartel were not involved in Gallywix's black industries. After all, although this Goblin was foolish, he did have some merits in business acumen. He also knew that what he was handling was not something presentable, so he basically used 'Blackfuse,' a shell company, to facilitate his business."
Xal'atath conveyed the information she had gathered to Arthas. Arthas, comparing it with the report submitted by Dalaran, also roughly sorted out the current situation.
"Dathrohan's search in Hillsbrad has also yielded some results. He captured some unregistered wild Warlocks, and some of them had clearly used high-level spells that they couldn't have acquired given their experience."
Arthas rubbed his forehead, "The Legion's usual trick. Before the real offensive arrives, they will use these low-level cannon fodder and minions to spread chaos."
Fortunately, the Alliance had already prepared for such situations, so the Burning Legion's plot only caused minor damage and failed to inflict any substantial blow on Azeroth—but no matter how minor this damage, placed on an individual, it was an unbearable huge blow. For ordinary people who were abducted and controlled by fel magic by the Shadow Council and Blackfuse Company, their latter half of life was almost completely ruined.
As for the aura Xal'atath detected from that Warlock skull, Arthas was almost certain it was the work of Gul'dan, the two-headed Ogre who was formerly Gul'dan's servant.
An existence that successively pledged allegiance to the Legion and the Old Gods—this characteristic was too obvious. But this two-headed Ogre was clearly incredibly cautious. He witnessed Gul'dan's death and lost the Old Gods as his backing. For him, who had committed many evil deeds, seeking a force that could shelter him was very important right now.
Although the Burning Legion had failed several times on Azeroth, as one of Gul'dan's most capable assistants, he still had some understanding of the Burning Legion's true power. After the Old Gods' power on Azeroth completely collapsed, the only thing that could give Gul'dan the strength to support his ambition was the Burning Legion.
"But these are all just guesses; we still need to know what the Shadow Council is doing..." Arthas had an ominous premonition, "Such minor skirmishes cannot shake Azeroth's foundation, and the Burning Legion will certainly not be satisfied with the status quo."
The Legion's methods were endless, and even Arthas couldn't fully predict what would happen next. That's why he always sought to strike first. The best way to counter the Legion was not to react to their moves but to preempt them, to deliver a heavy blow before the Legion's plans were implemented.
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The previous arrangement at Sargeras' Tomb followed this logic. Rather than falling into the Legion's trap, it was better to give them a severe blow first. Arthas was very sure that the attack, which utilized the power of the Origin Engine, was enough to inflict a heavy blow on the Legion. The fact that the Legion had been quiet during their dealings with the Old Gods was the best proof.
Now they faced the same predicament again, except this time Azeroth finally had the ability to counterattack. Once the Draenei's ships were built, they would have the ability to land and fight on Argus.
But just as Arthas was about to assign Xal'atath her next task, a psychic communication interrupted Arthas.
"Your Majesty... we have found something. It would be best if you came to see it yourself."
Archlich Kel'Thuzad's voice rang out. Arthas frowned slightly and could only say to Xal'atath, "Let's leave it at that for now."
He did not linger, rushing almost immediately to the top of Icecrown Citadel, where the Archlich had been waiting for a long time.
"What's wrong, Kel'Thuzad?"
"Your Majesty, do you still remember that Ethereal?" Kel'Thuzad mentioned the Netherwalker, that mysterious Ethereal. "According to his testimony, we used astral magic to see some images of Kalesh."
As Kel'Thuzad reported, he projected the seen images with magic—in the cold universe, a large expanse of shattered planetary remains was pulled by some mysterious force, converging in a spiral towards a single point, and within that convergence point, a dark presence that caused a sense of oppression pulsed.
"According to the Netherwalker, Dimensius and Kalesh perished together and cannot revive in a short time, but from what we have found... it is likely the exact opposite."
Arthas understood Kel'Thuzad's meaning, "So, Dimensius might return in a short time?"
Kel'Thuzad nodded gravely. Even though he had followed Arthas for many years, he was still shocked by this discovery. "And the worst-case scenario is that the structure of the physical universe cannot contain a Void Lord as powerful as Dimensius. The moment he truly revives in the physical plane, the entire physical universe will be reduced to dust."
It was like a domino effect, a cosmic tsunami triggered by a force like Dimensius—similar to what The Jailer Zovaal once tried to do by using the essence of Azeroth.
"This is impossible!"
A rare expression of horror appeared on Xal'atath's face, and her pupils began to tremble slightly. She even lost her composure for a moment upon hearing the news Arthas brought back.
"Dimensius did perish with Kalesh. Without external assistance, his revival speed in the real universe should be excruciatingly slow!"
Xal'atath said this as if to comfort herself, but under Arthas's calm gaze, she still couldn't maintain her composure. "Why are you so calm?! With your insight, you should understand what Dimensius's revival means, right?!"
"Hmm, that could lead to the collapse and fragmentation of the entire real universe, meaning everything we have will turn into meaningless nothingness." While stating the terrifying fact, Arthas picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of the black tea, and then frowned. "Why is it so sweet?"
"That was originally for me to drink—now is not the time to discuss the sweetness of black tea!" Xal'atath was almost driven to madness, but she forcefully controlled her expression, which was about to spiral out of control, only her eye twitching slightly. "Are you sure you can deal with the Burning Legion and the Void Lord simultaneously?!"
"Difficult."
Arthas's answer was not surprising. No matter how resilient Azeroth was, it had its limits. Dealing with this portion of the Burning Legion's forces on Argus was almost the limit. Adding a Void Lord who could break free at any moment meant they were truly standing on the edge of a cliff.
"But before we truly despair, we must first discuss the reason for Dimensius's rapid revival."
"Reason? Are you sure we still have the time and energy to bother with that?" Xal'atath couldn't understand why Arthas was so calm.
Although the collapse of the real universe might not threaten his current existence, everything he cared about would be genuinely shattered and destroyed. Logically, Arthas should be more anxious than her, but now it seemed she was the one truly worried about Dimensius.
...Phew, perhaps it was because of this body that her emotions leaned more towards mortals. Before this, Xal'atath might have also felt despair and powerlessness, but it certainly wouldn't have been expressed so directly.
Thinking of this, Xal'atath exhaled softly, and her emotions gradually stabilized. Arthas glanced at her sideways. "Have your emotions stabilized?"
"Heh, if you wanted to see me make a fool of myself, then you really succeeded." Xal'atath rubbed her forehead helplessly and leaned back on Arthas's desk. "That emotion just now... I couldn't control it."
"Loss of control is the norm, otherwise Dimensius wouldn't have awakened so quickly." Arthas's words were shocking, almost causing Xal'atath's newly calmed thoughts to spiral out of control again.
"What... are you saying?"
"Our universe isn't as sturdy as you imagine, otherwise it wouldn't be on the verge of collapse because of a mere Void Lord," Arthas sighed. "The Burning Legion, the Pantheon, the Eternals, the Void Lord... and the elites from the Life and Holy Light forces have been using our real universe as a chessboard for too long, and these players are not peaceful beings. Someone will always bear the consequences of their recklessness."
And this bearer was precisely the real universe, treated as a chessboard by the six great forces.
Arthas pushed the teacup containing black tea forward. "Our universe is like a teacup. To the water in the teacup, this cup seems indestructible, but as long as a little external force gently enters..."
Arthas's movement of pushing the teacup was very restrained, but it still caused the liquid in the teacup to shake continuously, creating ripples and splashing a little tea out of the cup.
"Do you see? Slight tremors are enough to cause earth-shattering changes to the contents of the universe, not to mention those beings who constantly want to add sugar, salt, and spice to this tea—in short, they want to change the tea to their desired flavor."
Arthas shook his head. "Then they found that what they added wasn't strong enough, gradually changing from seasonings to all sorts of messy things, just like what Dimensius wants to do: he's going to throw a stone directly into the cup."
So, when the stone falls into the cup, in a better scenario, the tea is splashed out, and in a worse scenario, even the cup will be smashed by the stone.
"So... in fact, our universe began to lose control when they were at loggerheads and vying for power within it?" Xal'atath gradually understood Arthas's analogy. Although it was somewhat abstract, she still slightly grasped the true meaning within it.
"Exactly. For some weak souls born in the real plane, it's difficult for them to perceive this change," Arthas was referring to most mortals in the universe. "But for a unique existence like you, especially after being reshaped, you can clearly feel the universe's... anxiety."
It was precisely this imbalance between the forces that led to the accelerated revival of Dimensius. The universe's own balance had been broken, and the Void was craving this.
However, Arthas speculated that the strongest beings among the six great forces probably had their own goals, just like The Jailer. They never wanted to destroy the universe but rather reshape it into the form they desired.
Just like Xal'atath liked to add more sugar to her black tea.
This might be the ultimate pursuit of all powerful beings, a new universe reshaped according to their will—but this would never be the future desired by the many lives in the universe, nor the future Arthas wanted to see.
So stopping the Burning Legion was only part of avoiding this future, after all, if Sargeras truly succeeded, this Dark Titan would certainly raise his own Dark Pantheon and mold the universe into what he considered the most suitable form.
"Right—no, there's something illogical here," Xal'atath felt something was amiss in this logic. "If other forces all want to enter the real universe to gain more share, why would the imbalance benefit the Void? Wouldn't other forces try to stop Dimensius?"
"That's the problem."
Arthas sighed helplessly, "The real universe is, after all, the real universe. No matter how other existing domains exert their influence, when their power enters the real universe, it will be distorted by the real universe itself. A sugar cube dissolving in water certainly increases sweetness, but it's no longer a sugar cube. Yet, even if water turns into sugar water, it still retains the form of water."
The real universe contains not only light and heat, chaos and order, life and death, but also the endless, boundless darkness. Within this cosmic starry sky, it is inherently linked to the imagery of the Void.
The Void is the elegy of matter's end, and also the cornerstone of the universe's birth. Without the clash of light and dark, there would be no birth of the real universe.
So when the power of other forces increased, the Void would also grow. Dimensius's dormancy in the real plane, paradoxically, allowed him to gain the opportunity to revive in the real plane during his dormancy.
"Hearing you say that, perhaps the end of all things isn't so bad after all?" Xal'atath joked.
"If the tea spills, just pour another cup. If the teacup breaks, just replace it with a new one. No one cares about the thoughts of a single drop of water in the teacup, or perhaps this drop of water has no thoughts at all."
Arthas gazed at the reflection in the surface of the black tea. "This is habit and also a rule. The laws of reality will not show mercy to anyone, so they all want to become beings who rewrite the laws—but we don't need to concern ourselves with that for now."
He took out a report from the drawer and handed it to Xal'atath. "Let's start with what's in front of us first. No matter how grand a cosmic epic is, it's built from the smallest particles."
Xal'atath took the stack of papers, whose ink seemed barely dry. On the cover was a line of beautifully written text, "Speculations on possible strongholds of the Shadow Council..."
"Master, our eyes in Lordaeron have been removed by those meddling mages from Dalaran."
In a dark underground cave, a human warlock tremblingly reported the news they had just received to the two-headed Ogre in front of him.
"A bunch of good-for-nothings, but it doesn't matter anymore, we will surely succeed!"
Powerful muscles were piled upon a massive body; his skin glowed like rock, and his two tree-trunk-thick arms had grown grotesque black bone spikes, transforming his original hands into terrifying giant claws.
Most horrifyingly, this monstrous upper body bore two distinct heads; although they still showed features of an Ogre, one head flowing with fel flames and the other with void fins indicated the kind of monsters they had become.
Gul'dan, the Ogre mage, a member of the Shadow Council, Gul'dan's once most capable assistant, had now completely transformed into a monster that had absorbed fel energy and the power of the Old Gods. Just as Arthas had guessed, he was now the leader manipulating the nascent Shadow Council, attempting to achieve some unspeakable goal through this organization.
Although displeased by the exposure of Gallywix's actions, Gul'dan had no mind to further question the rabble currently in the Shadow Council. When he formed this current force under the name of the Shadow Council, he never expected to achieve anything with such a group of useless individuals.
Arthas and the Alliance's control over Azeroth had almost reached its peak. Except for a few truly peripheral areas, such as Desolace where Gul'dan was currently hiding, most of Azeroth's lands were no longer suitable for organizations like the Shadow Council to operate.
After C'Thun's defeat, Gul'dan understood this point: Arthas was an enemy he could not contend with by his power alone. And since the Old Gods could no longer provide protection, he could only seek a more powerful existence.
After integrating the remnants of the Twilight's Hammer, Gul'dan executed those fanatical cultists who had been completely brainwashed by the Old Gods. After all, with the Old Gods all fallen, these cultists were almost useless, and keeping them within his organization would only create greater obstacles.
After all this, while Arthas's attention was drawn to N'Zoth, Gul'dan led his almost completely submissive subordinates out of Silithus, which was almost entirely controlled by the Scourge, fleeing all the way to the most desolate and neglected Desolace.
In this pure wasteland, there were only heretics and barbaric Centaur. The Alliance and Horde had little interest in this impoverished and treacherous land. The only relatively troublesome issue was the Cenarion Circle, who sought to improve the natural environment here.
However, the Cenarion Circle's influence was limited, and their attention was almost entirely focused on Maraudon. Gul'dan chose to hide in Desolace's continuous mountain ranges, using the widespread ancient elven ruins there to establish his current stronghold.
Although the environment here was extremely harsh, the presence of those ancient elven ruins meant that the area was filled with an extremely complex magical network, which was Gul'dan's main support for projecting his influence across the world.
Furthermore, with no oversight, Gul'dan quickly turned the new Shadow Council, born from the remnants of the old Shadow Council and the Twilight's Hammer, into a powerful tool for achieving his goals.
Those heinous criminals who had committed unforgivable sins in the secular world, or simply fanatics full of ambition and power, were recruited into the Shadow Council under his influence.
Using the power stolen from the remnants of the Old Gods, and the knowledge about the Burning Legion left behind by Gul'dan, Gul'dan tried more than once to re-summon the Burning Legion.
But the ley lines in Desolace and the life force and souls they plundered from the surrounding Centaur and wild animals were simply not enough to construct a portal large enough for the Burning Legion's army to descend.
Originally, Gul'dan had planned to spend decades or even a century slowly accumulating power, but then, one day, while he was meditating, an immensely majestic presence transcended the spatial limitations of the astral realm and descended into his mind.
He was first startled, then both of his brains trembled uncontrollably and were filled with ecstasy, "Leader of the Legion!, Lord Archimonde! You have finally answered me!"
Even though Archimonde's powerful energy almost instantly scorched Gul'dan's consciousness, this two-headed Ogre completely disregarded such a minor injury, practically scrambling to kneel at Archimonde's feet.
Archimonde looked at the creature before him, his brows furrowing almost instinctively. He took a moment to search his vast memory for the identity of this insignificant being, "You are the Ogre who was with Gul'dan, that traitor?"
Gazing at Gul'dan's body, stained with void energy and fel, Archimonde's face showed a playful smile, "Very well... As a traitor, I will give you an unforgettable death."
Gul'dan seemed to have anticipated Archimonde's actions. He quickly prostrated himself on the ground, "We have always been loyal to the Legion, and taking refuge with the Old Gods was only to use their power to pave the way for the Legion."
Archimonde originally had no intention of listening to any of Gul'dan's excuses. No matter what Gul'dan said, it was a fact that he had betrayed the Legion and sided with the Old Gods, so the Eredar Warlock had no intention of letting Gul'dan go. His hand had even begun to glow with chaotic energy, symbolizing death.
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But soon, a discovery made him abandon the idea of executing Gul'dan.
"You... have you touched the sargerite keystone?"
Gul'dan paused for a moment. Archimonde got his answer from his two faces, which were filled with ignorance and confusion—this Ogre didn't even know what the keystone was... But then again, the keystone was an extremely important item within the Legion, and ordinary grunts were not qualified to know of its existence.
But why could he sense a trace of the keystone's aura from this Ogre?
Countless thoughts flashed through Archimonde's mind, but in the end, he decided to let facts speak for themselves. He commanded fel magic to brand Gul'dan's soul. The deadly pain almost disintegrated the two-headed Ogre's soul on the spot, but to ascertain the truth, Archimonde intervened to preserve Gul'dan's soul and began to read Gul'dan's memories.
The scenes of following Gul'dan to conquer and kill, and siding with the Old Gods to conduct bloody rituals, offered nothing new. It wasn't until Archimonde came across the scene of Gul'dan secretly stealing power from C'Thun's corpse that Archimonde looked at C'Thun's remnants, cleansed by the Origin Engine's power, and finally understood why this Ogre, who didn't even know what the keystone was, would be tainted with its aura.
"Haha, Arthas, so you can make such a basic mistake too!"
Archimonde hadn't laughed like this in a long time. Ever since Argus was struck by the Origin Engine, the entire Legion had been in fear, afraid that Sargeras would come for them later. Only now did he dare to laugh out loud.
Not only because Gul'dan's memories reminded him of Kil'jaeden's miserable state back then, but also because his current deep dive into the astral realm to find the keystone's whereabouts had provided him with a new method of invading Azeroth.
—Arthas had used the Origin Engine to deal with C'Thun, and then used the keystone to direct the remaining energy towards Kil'jaeden, dealing a heavy blow to the Burning Legion. But he hadn't realized that the immense power released when the Origin Engine and the sargerite keystone were activated would ultimately have a huge impact on the surrounding environment.
As the first to endure the Origin Engine's strike, and not immediately dying, C'Thun unconsciously absorbed all surrounding energy in an attempt to avoid the fate of death. Although he ultimately failed, the energy mixed with the keystone's power still surged into his remnants deep within the earth.
Gul'dan found C'Thun's remnants and seized a portion of its power, inevitably causing him to be affected by the keystone's power, which allowed Archimonde to pinpoint Gul'dan's existence in the astral realm.
Although this tiny residual influence was not very useful, for Archimonde, with just this unguarded keystone aura, he could already pinpoint Azeroth's existence.
While this was not enough to provide a portal for the Legion's army, Archimonde himself could have an opportunity to descend upon Azeroth again... As long as he could stand on the ground of that world once more, he could summon an endless army of demons at any time.
"Gul'dan, if you want to live, do everything you can to summon me."
After leaving a deep soul imprint on Gul'dan, Archimonde left the astral realm. He had already provided Gul'dan with the means to summon him; all that remained was to wait.
That day, the Cenarion Circle welcomed two very special guests, and Hamuul Runetotem, the temporary administrator of the Cenarion Circle in Desolace, also put down his work to greet their arrival.
"Lady Proudmoore, long time no see." The Arch Druid's voice was as peaceful and kind as ever, and he scratched his head a bit sheepishly, "You've come a long way, but we don't have much to offer here."
Desolace was short on supplies; the barrenness of this land was beyond everyone's expectations, and even nature magic could not improve the situation here.
Many of the Cenarion Circle's supplies still relied on transportation from the outside to barely sustain them.
"No need for formalities, Arch Druid, I am merely here on orders to investigate some matters." Jaina sighed; she could, of course, see that the current situation of the Cenarion Circle's camp was not very good.
They had risked setting up their camp in the very center of the Desolace plains precisely to better explore the abnormalities of this land.
However, this plain was a considerable distance from other areas, and coupled with the dangers prevalent in Desolace, the ferocious wild animals and wandering Centaur clans would bring immense trouble and danger to any transport convoys.
"Investigate? Has the Alliance also discovered the abnormality of this land?"
Hamuul was a bit stunned; he had thought the Alliance had also discovered the situation in Desolace and was preparing to send aid to help them improve the ecological environment here.
"Although this is not our primary purpose, I think understanding some information about this land will also be helpful to us, don't you agree, Xal'atath?" Jaina wanted to obtain more intelligence about this place.
As for Xal'atath, who came with her, she was currently looking at the barren land before her with great interest.
Hamuul glanced at the somewhat unfamiliar elven lady.
Although he knew that Lordaeron had a new administrator, he had not seen her in person, so he was not clear about Xal'atath's true identity, nor did he know her background, only assuming she was Jaina's colleague.
"We already have some understanding of the reason for Desolace's desolation, but the various evils rampant on this land make it truly impossible for us to start now."
As a frontier region of Kalimdor, Desolace's northern part connected to the equally unfertile Stonetalon Mountains, while going south would lead deep into the most perilous areas of the Feralas forest.
And Desolace, sandwiched between these two areas, was a gray rocky wasteland covered in bones.
It was as if this place had suffered some supernatural curse; the sky was always overcast, lightning and strong winds continuously swept across this land, and yellow, murky ponds and streams were scattered in the depressions of the surface.
Logically, it would be difficult for life to survive in such barren land, but Desolace was merely desolate, not lifeless.
The gray earth was teeming with fierce creatures, and besides the wild animals, Centaur clans controlled most of the area here.
As a race that had lived here since ancient times, the Centaur clans were constantly embroiled in internal strife; they hated each other and almost never knew peace.
The chaotic situation also led to the attraction of those with ulterior motives to this land; they tried to use the convenience of this land to hide themselves, but as their power expanded repeatedly, their ambitions were also exposed.
"I wonder if Lady Proudmoore has heard of the Bladewing Clan?"
Jaina raised an eyebrow, "Bladewing Clan? A name from the Old Horde that should have disappeared after the Second War.
How could they be involved here? Would the Warchief just stand by?"
"The Horde's Warchief certainly wouldn't stand by," Hamuul sighed, "but the Warchief said that the current Bladewing Clan is no longer the Bladewing Clan of old.
They are merely evil heretics bearing the Bladewing name, and the Horde has been trying to deal with these heretics who could bring disaster, but they keep resurfacing and have even extended their reach into Durotar."
Hamuul's statement kept Jaina's brow furrowed.
"The strength of a single clan wouldn't make the Horde so troubled; there must be some power supporting this clan composed of warlocks and demons."
"The Horde thinks so too, and the Warchief did share some information with us," Hamuul said, "It's just that even the Warchief himself can't believe the news they received—the Bladewing Clan is very likely a front put out by the Shadow Council to cover their true objectives."
"Then it seems we've come to the right place…"
Jaina hadn't expected to hear the name of the Shadow Council from Hamuul, but this also precisely indicated that the Shadow Council's power was very likely hidden somewhere in this land, because only when they were in their main base would they relax their disguise; otherwise, they would act like rats scurrying away with their tails between their legs.
With a general direction, Jaina already had some confidence in finding the whereabouts of the Shadow Council, but before she could rejoice for long, Xal'atath poured cold water on her.
"Don't be so quick to celebrate, little girl, I can feel a terrible conspiracy brewing on this land."
Xal'atath glanced at Hamuul, knowing that the Tauren still had something left unsaid, but she had already confirmed her suspicions and told Jaina what she knew.
"Over a thousand years ago, this place was not called Desolace, but Marasmius, and it was not the barren wilderness it is today, but a vibrant green expanse."
Hearing Xal'atath recount the history of Desolace, a bitter smile appeared on Hamuul's Tauren face—how did Marasmius transform from that expanse into its current state?
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"It's related to a foolish mistake the Tauren race once made."
Xal'atath spoke without hesitation, "They discovered a powerful entity slumbering beneath the earth of Marasmius, and that entity had many similarities to the 'earth mother' in the Tauren's beliefs.
The Tauren shamans at the time thought they had found the presence of the earth mother and began to try every means to awaken this sleeping creature."
"After decades of tireless efforts, the Tauren shamans succeeded—but what answered them was not the benevolent earth mother, but a ravenously thirsty monster that instantly drained the life energy from the entire Marasmius ley line."
"Her name is Theradras, the only daughter of Stone Mother Therazane, an incredibly noble being even within the elemental realm."
Xal'atath had spent a long time within the dark empire blade, which made her almost perfectly aware of most information regarding Azeroth; aside from a few secrets that even the Titan chose to conceal, she knew almost everything.
She also knew very well the reason Hamuul had joined the Cenarion Circle's task of transforming Desolace; the Tauren wanted to atone for the mistakes his ancestors made and restore Desolace to its former appearance as Marasmius.
"The legend is indeed true…" Hamuul's face grew even more bitter.
After learning the druidic path from the Night Elves, he gained a deeper understanding of Kalimdor's history.
After all, what was a myth to the Tauren could very well be a personal cataclysmic experience for the Elves.
The story of Theradras and Cenarius's eldest son, Zalatar, was even adapted into plays by the Elves.
Although the plays preferred to present the love-hate relationship between Zalatar and Theradras, Hamuul, as a Druid, deeply empathized with the suffering of Marasmius.
"But what does this have to do with the Shadow Council?"
Although she learned the true history of Desolace, Jaina had more questions: If the changes in Desolace were all caused by Theradras, didn't that mean they had come to the wrong place?
"Quite the opposite," Xal'atath chuckled, seemingly having read Jaina's thoughts, "Theradras is currently hidden beneath this land, and she still retains Zalatar's soul.
These two powerful souls are enough to make the Shadow Council salivate.
Let me guess… they are definitely waiting now, waiting for the Cenarion Circle and Theradras to both be severely wounded.
At that time, the tragedy of Marasmius will play out once more."
Arthas stepped into the teleportation channel, precisely locating the temple in the astral realm. He had already sensed a large number of life responses gathered within the temple, and Velen had been waiting for a long time.
"Your Majesty, you have arrived."
Velen, who was silently reciting the Holy Light scripture, also sensed Arthas's arrival. He turned his head to look at Arthas.
"Sorry, I had to deal with some unexpected situations."
Arthas arrived a few days later than planned, but Velen was already aware of what had happened in Lordaeron. "Perhaps it would be better to deal with the Shadow Council's trouble first? They are a group of extreme fanatics, and quite dangerous."
Saraka's transformation ritual was not urgent; at least Velen and his people still had enough ability to control this Void God within the Void Light Temple. If they neglected the Alliance's defenses because of this matter, leading to the Shadow Council causing a greater disaster, it would be a case of losing sight of the bigger picture.
Velen knew very well that they must unite to overcome the coming disaster. In the face of major problems, the Devourer of Light was merely a minor issue to be dealt with. Velen would not do anything that would harm the collective interest.
"It's fine, Prophet. I have already sent special personnel to deal with the Shadow Council."
Arthas waved his hand, signaling Velen not to worry. The Shadow Council was still hiding in the dark, and it would take some time to find them. This waiting period could be used to deal with Saraka's problem; otherwise, when they truly had to face the Shadow Council, Arthas would be unable to spare his hands.
"That's good."
Velen nodded and turned to look at the priests beside him. At this time, all those gathered inside the Void Light Temple were the most outstanding Holy Light users in Azeroth. Velen and Faol had gathered them to ensure the greatest possible success of this unprecedented transformation ritual.
"Let's first check on the Devourer of Light."
With Arthas's suggestion, Velen led him through multiple layers of strict Holy Light seals. As they passed through each barrier, the destructive Void energy permeating the surrounding space became increasingly turbulent.
Those Holy Light prayers were gradually replaced by Void runes, because here, the power of Holy Light alone was no longer enough to suppress the Devourer of Light's power. To counter the enemy, the priests had to take risks and study the essence of the Void, touching that dangerous madness, guiding and weakening the Devourer of Light's power through the analysis of the Void.
Almost all of these priests who touched the power of the Void were the best in their sect, because only those outstanding individuals with the strongest will and a clear understanding of themselves could maintain their sanity after touching a large number of Void secrets.
Even so, in this process, countless predecessors sacrificed their lives, and even paid more painful prices, to obtain the method of safely imprisoning the Devourer of Light.
But today, everything was different. They finally had the opportunity to realize the wish for which their predecessors had made countless sacrifices: to bring the benevolent Naaru back into the world.
Although the ritual had not yet begun, sweat had already seeped into Velen's palms. He didn't know how many years it had been since he was this nervous. After receiving the blessing of the Naaru, he could always see fragments of the future—fragments that held both hope and despair. But this prophetic ability was not omnipotent; there would always be futures that even the Prophet could not see.
For instance, now, when Velen gazed at the Devourer of Light, his eyes only felt a slight stinging sensation, along with the Devourer of Light's insatiable hunger that had never ceased for countless eons. Although she was imprisoned here, she was constantly releasing her chaotic desires, wanting to annihilate and devour everything around her.
"You shouldn't be this way." Velen's voice carried pity and reluctance. For a Naaru who loved life to fall into such a state after death was perhaps a more terrifying outcome than complete death for a Naaru.
But Saraka still consumed her last wisp of Holy Light without hesitation, giving hope to others and leaving despair for herself.
Arthas could also hear the piercing, distorted cacophony—the unconscious whispers emitted by Void creatures, as if the ubiquitous radiation and electromagnetic waves in the universe were translated into human-audible words, only the content of those words was incomprehensible and chaotic. Yet, when you gazed at her, it was as if you heard the entire universe singing to you.
"Prophet, you've arrived."
Archbishop Faol had also been in this prison-like hall for some time. He was observing Saraka's condition to ensure the correct execution of the upcoming ritual.
"You've worked hard, Archbishop Faol," Velen nodded to Faol, they had cooperated for a long time and understood each other well, "Then let's begin."
Faol nodded and casually cast a Holy Light, the soft glow illuminating every Holy Light user participating in the ritual, giving them a signal—the ritual was about to begin.
At various anchor points of the Void Light Temple, priests and paladins, who had long been ready, began to channel their power into one place under Faol's guidance, and through the dual guidance of Velen and Faol, injected it into Saraka's body in an unprecedented manner.
This method was the result of hundreds and thousands of years of research by Velen and countless Draenei scholars, but they had never been able to gather enough power to use this ritual before, because the requirements for this ritual were extremely demanding, and even within the entire Draenei race, they could not find enough members who met the requirements.
It was not until they arrived in Azeroth that they rediscovered hope for implementing this plan.
Arthas did not rush to inject his power. He was actually an insurance policy brought by Velen, ensuring that even if the ritual went out of control, Saraka could be restrained, giving the priests a chance to re-seal her.
However, the moment the Holy Light was injected into the Void God's body, the pain of different energies dissolving and transforming was unbearable even for a Void creature. Almost as soon as the Holy Light began to fill Saraka's body, she let out an extremely tragic "wail."
What was called a "wail" was actually a chaotic, disordered, and highly destructive Void riot. The Void energy accumulated in the Void Light Temple over the years responded simultaneously to Saraka's wailing, indiscriminately attacking all Holy Light-reactive life and objects within the temple.
But Velen's contingency plan had a countermeasure. At the same moment the Void energy rioted, priests who were already prepared activated defensive barriers. They worked together to block the Void ripples caused by the Void God, isolating the deadly energy impacts from their colleagues.
Even if one person's power was incredibly small before Saraka, when they worked together, Saraka was powerless to break through the Holy Light barrier they collectively set up.
The waves of the Void were like splashes hitting a reef, unable to shake this temple, but Saraka still did not give up. Her instinct was still making her reject the baptism of the Holy Light. She was still manipulating the power of the Void to resist the infusion of the Holy Light.
The ritual, as expected, turned into a tug-of-war. Even Velen's forehead broke out in a fine layer of sweat. As one of the strongest Holy Light users, he bore an extremely important responsibility in this ritual, arguably the main force against Saraka.
The long standoff was a test for everyone, but even when their faces were pale from exhaustion and sweat poured down, no one present chose to give up.
Saraka let out a painful moan, a sound that filled Velen's heart with unbearable pity, "Hold on!"
He was speaking both to his colleagues and to the sacred being fallen into darkness—if either side couldn't hold on, the ritual would end in failure.
Until Saraka's body suddenly let out a crisp cracking sound, a hint of surprise appeared on Velen's face: the Void God's body was beginning to collapse? But this shouldn't be the result they had predicted!
"No… Saraka is rejecting the Holy Light. She doesn't want Saraka to be revived, and she's preparing to take us all down with her!"
Faol discovered this fact with horror. As one of the ritual's conductors, he keenly noticed this and understood where the Draenei's predicted ritual had gone wrong—their scholars and priests had accounted for almost every possibility, but they had never imagined that Saraka could choose such an extreme approach in this situation.
She was forcibly severing her connection with the real world, wanting to return to the Void in the purest way! Even if this meant her existence would also fall into complete silence, this Void God did just that!
"Stop."
Just when they thought the ritual was about to fail, Arthas's voice suddenly rang out. It was just a simple syllable, yet it seemed to make Saraka hear an unbreakable command, halting her self-destruction process in an extremely short time.
With Arthas's intervention, the Holy Light ritual groups were finally able to unleash their power without any reservations. The dazzling light almost overwhelmed the darkness from the Twisting Nether at this moment, and Saraka's wailing was replaced by a kind of pleasant singing.
"We succeeded!" Velen looked at the divine shadow standing in the halo with joyful surprise, and at the same time said to Arthas with deep gratitude, "Thank you for your help, Arthas! We have given an old friend new life, and gained a powerful helper in the fight against the Burning Legion!"
As the Holy Light wave gradually subsided, the sacred and graceful being emitted a melodious sound.
"Velen, thank you for your help, which allowed me to break free from the suffering that the Void brought me."
The Naaru Zera's gratitude was sincere and genuine; although she lost most of her self-awareness after transforming into a Void God, due to the special nature of Naaru, she could still recall the endless hunger and emptiness of being a Void creature.
She couldn't imagine how many unforgivable sins she would have committed over the years if Velen and the Draenei hadn't desperately stopped her.
"This is not my achievement alone, but the result of all of us working together in unity." Velen turned to look at the priests and knights, most of whom were exhausted but whose faces were filled with smiles and relief.
Without their power, Velen alone would never have been able to pull Zera out of the abyss of the Void.
"And of course, Arthas, our great King, it was he who helped us through the difficulties at the most crucial moment." Velen enthusiastically introduced his allies. After countless years of wandering the cosmos, he became increasingly aware of the value of like-minded individuals like Arthas.
Arthas was currently staring at Zera, not speaking, wondering what he was thinking.
It was Zera who responded first, but her voice carried a hint of confusion and shock, "You... you've used the sargerite keystone?"
Arthas was stunned for a moment by Zera's question, "The keystone is indeed in my possession, but I haven't activated it for a long time; it should have remained dormant."
Is Zera's perception so keen? He hadn't used the keystone's power for several years. After all, it was a creation of Sargeras, a key to violently tearing open space and traveling between demon-occupied worlds. Arthas had no use for it unless there was a large-scale military transfer.
Moreover, after returning from the Shadowlands, Arthas could already do similar things without the keystone's power. The only reason he kept the keystone was simply because it not only had the ability to cross space but was also a 'pass' to many of the Burning Legion's worlds.
Relying on the keystone could save a lot of trouble when launching an offensive against the Burning Legion, which might be the stone's greatest value at present.
"That is a creation of a Dark Titan, it's not that simple." Zera sighed. Her life experience as a Void creature was not only a torment but also allowed her to glimpse information she couldn't understand as a Naaru. "Sargeras's power flows within this keystone, and with each use, the Dark Titan's power leaves an indelible mark on reality. Although these marks are very difficult to detect, for those who have been 'blessed' by Sargeras himself, they can sense these faint traces through this connection."
Ordinary Naaru also couldn't glimpse such information, but Zera had once existed as the Void God Saraka and had undergone two transformations of light and darkness, which made her understanding of the world's origin far deeper than that of ordinary Naaru, and also allowed her to see this completely inconspicuous characteristic of the sargerite keystone.
Zera's words made Arthas fall into brief thought. He quickly asked Zera a question, "Then can the Legion use this connection to descend upon Azeroth on a large scale?"
"I don't think so, otherwise the keystone would have no reason to exist. But you must be wary of those powerful demons; they might find a way to descend upon Azeroth through this connection."
Zera's reminder made Arthas think of recent events. He quickly integrated this crucial information: the Shadow Council's unusual actions at this time likely confirmed Zera's speculation that they had established contact with a high-ranking entity of the Burning Legion and were attempting to assist in his descent.
Who could it be?
Several possible demon names flashed in his mind, but among them, the one with the greatest threat, the one most likely to bring the greatest disaster to Azeroth before Arthas could even react, was only one—The Despoiler, Archimonde.
-----------------
"Are you sure this magic circle really has the effect you claim?"
Jaina questioned while manipulating several Arcane hands, inscribing a ritual circle on the hard sandy ground under Xal'atath's guidance, a circle that was probably much older than any existing civilization on Azeroth.
The members of the Cenarion Circle were also busy. At Arch Druid Hamuul's request, they collected the necessary materials for the ritual, assisting Jaina and Xal'atath in completing this ritual that could potentially change the entire Desolace.
The most troublesome item to acquire was a large quantity of Theradras crystals—a type of blue crystal that grew in certain areas of Desolace. It looked no different from ordinary crystals, but with keen enough perception, one could sense certain active energies surging within these seemingly ordinary crystals.
If one's mind was not strong enough, prolonged exposure to these crystals would lead to various bizarre hallucinations and whispers.
But precisely because of the unique properties of this crystal, and its fixed mining areas, the local Centaur shamans were accustomed to making various artifacts from it to communicate with their "ancestors."
A Centaur tribe named the Kolkar often carved statues made from Theradras crystals, and collecting these crystals in large quantities inevitably led to encounters with these Centaur.
Although the Kolkar tribe was considered relatively rational and friendly among the Centaur, the Cenarion Circle was, after all, seeking crystals they regarded as sacred, so the work did not progress as smoothly as hoped. The Centaur chased the Cenarion survey teams across the wasteland several times.
"This method may not be the fastest, but it is definitely the most reliable."
Xal'atath said to Jaina, who was drawing the magic circle, "I know you have doubts, and you might be thinking, since that Elemental Creature has committed so many evil sins, why not just defeat her and snatch Zalatar's soul back from her—don't look at me like that, I know your mages' methods always look elegant but are actually quite simple and brutal."
Jaina had nothing to retort to Xal'atath's teasing. While magic offered many conveniences, it wasn't omnipotent; there were always things mages couldn't easily achieve with magic, and in such cases, their methods would become quite simple and direct.
After all, most mages believed magic was a means to an end, so as long as it could solve the problem, they would dare to try all sorts of chaotic magic. Then, when they found that none of these spells could solve the problem, they would start trying to solve the person who created the problem.
"Theradras's energy balance has long been completely disrupted, affecting the entire region's ley lines, but the Shadow Council warlocks are best adapted to such an environment, as most demon spells can be used in chaotic situations," Xal'atath said. "Besides, there's a special existence among them. I suspect he has already begun to influence Theradras, and Theradras herself may not have even noticed."
Xal'atath was very certain that Gul'dan could still manipulate some power from the Old Gods, and most Elemental Creatures who were once enslaved by the Old Gods and existed as their servants had very low resistance to the power of the Old Gods. Gul'dan could completely influence Theradras's mind unknowingly through this method.
Theradras could draw life energy from the entire Desolace and had a close relationship with the Centaur. Gul'dan would not give up such an easily obtained good sacrifice. If he could completely control Theradras, it would mean that all the Centaur in Desolace, and even all life in the entire region, could be sacrificed as offerings.
This also included the soul of Cenarius's eldest son.
Xal'atath even suspected that even if Theradras were killed, her and Zalatar's power and souls would fall into Gul'dan's hands. Any form of obstruction and resistance was highly likely to become Gul'dan's aid.
At least if Xal'atath herself were to plan it, she would also choose this method. This way, the success of the plan would be guaranteed no matter what, it's just that the process in between would become a bit more convoluted.
And Xal'atath's countermeasure was also very simple: Gul'dan wanted to control the entire Desolace through Theradras, so why didn't she just make Theradras go back to the Elemental Plane?
Of course, Theradras herself would certainly not be willing. Her almost twisted possessiveness towards Zalatar and her pathological love for the Centaur would make her try to stay in the reality plane no matter what.
But there was one being who would definitely want Theradras to return to Deepholm, because Theradras was her only daughter.
"Therazane, if you don't want your daughter to become a demon's sacrifice, then get out here!"
When Jaina's magic circle was complete, Xal'atath sneered, chanting an ancient incantation that was dizzying yet incomprehensible, an ancient pact between the Old Gods and Elemental Creatures, a secret that should have disappeared into the river of history.
Aside from Xal'atath, perhaps no one else in this world knew this ancient summoning method, and its only advantage was that even Elemental Lords could not resist this pull; they could only be forced to obey.