Smaug, living up to his greedy reputation, was forbidden from approaching the mine, yet he still roamed the western mountains daily, unwilling to give up on the gold within.
The overseers were terrified, fearing Smaug might lose control and wreak havoc in the mine again.
A messenger from the North brought relief to the overseers.
"Respected Elf, I wish to see Gale," Saru Solidan requested of the Kaldorei guard.
The guard looked at the smaller Vrykul before him, full of curiosity: "You are the human Gale the Mage spoke of?"
Saru nodded, "That's right, I am a human."
"Follow me!"
The guard did not make things difficult for him. Gale's alliance with humans on behalf of the Morning Light Family had long been reported to Azshara. As Gale expected, Azshara had little interest in a Vrykul race with only a few hundred members. Furthermore, these Vrykul were deformed products, their labor capacity far inferior to true Vrykul. Conquering humans was less efficient than capturing a batch of Troll slaves, which would be both easier and more obedient.
Without official endorsement, the Empire was not very supportive of this matter. However, the Kaldorei of Dalaran would not dare to cross Gale over it. After all, Gale had saved their lives several times; let alone allying with humans! Even if Gale allied with Trolls, they would believe there was a good reason for it.
Saru followed the guard into Dalaran, his eyes wide with wonder.
Outside the city, he had already marveled at its grandeur. But from that perspective, it was merely awe. Now inside the city, the Mage Towers hidden behind the city walls immediately towered over him, and Saru craned his neck, unable to see their tops.
Such magnificent buildings existed in the world; it was truly an eye-opener.
Within the city, there were not only Mage Towers but also various workshops and barracks. The Kaldorei worked in an orderly fashion, and the Troll slaves performing manual labor were exceptionally diligent.
Saru could hardly believe his eyes; the ferocious Trolls were so docile?
He had come this time to ask Gale for help. While hunting, the humans had encountered a group of ferocious Trolls. Adhering to their desire for peaceful development, they did not wish to conflict with the Trolls. However, those Trolls were unreasonable, attacking them on sight. The humans had no choice but to retaliate, repelling the Trolls. Despite achieving a great victory at the cost of several lives, the humans felt no glory, only sorrow. They were already few in number, and continued conflict with the Trolls would make it impossible for their tribe to develop.
Before the humans could recover from their sorrow, the Trolls returned. They assembled an army of several thousand and marched towards Solidan Town. Upon detecting this military situation, the humans immediately panicked.
At this point, Saru stepped forward, offering to go to Dalaran to request Gale's aid. Saru was Solidan's son; though just an adult, he had inherited his father's heroic spirit. He was among the first warriors to learn the Holy Light, an object of admiration for the young warriors.
The elders also thought his proposal was good, so Saru traveled day and night to reach Dalaran.
Upon meeting Gale, Saru respectfully bowed, "Gale, I represent humanity in seeking your aid. Trolls are attacking Solidan Town; they have thousands of troops, and we cannot resist them."
Gale raised an eyebrow. The expeditionary force had searched for Trolls for several months without a trace. He hadn't expected them to circle around to the North. Were they specifically attacking humans? Or were they planning another flanking maneuver?
"Don't worry, the Troll threat is easily resolved." Gale reassured Saru, then inquired: "How much intelligence have you gathered?"
Saru thought for a moment, "We haven't gathered much intelligence. We only know they came from the northern snowfields, and each one is exceptionally cruel, yet fearless of death."
"Snowfields?" Maiev looked at Gale, "Drakkari Trolls!"
Gale nodded, his expression somewhat solemn. It seemed he had been mistaken earlier; the Amani Trolls should still be licking their wounds, not preparing to engage the Empire.
Saru asked nervously: "Are Drakkari Trolls very strong?"
"Stronger than Amani Trolls, but only to a limited extent." Gale said with a smile, "They are also our enemies. If we can deal with them at the same time, it will greatly benefit our defenses."
Saru breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good!"
The humans had just left the mountains when they encountered a major crisis. If it couldn't be resolved, there was a danger of their extinction.
"We will depart immediately." Gale said: "Drakkari Trolls move quickly; if we don't hurry, we might not be able to stop them."
He said to Maiev: "You and Carlos gather the army. Once I reach the location, I will open a portal from the Mage Tower."
Maiev turned without hesitation; at this moment, time was life.
"Let's go!"
Gale took Saru and went to the platform on top of the Mage Tower. He whistled into the sky, and immediately a dragon's roar sounded. Smaug flew quickly from the west and landed before the two.
"Dragon… a Dragon?"
Saru's legs went weak. Dragons were only mythical beings in human legends. Facing a Dragon now, Saru was already a brave man for not falling down.
Gale, using Arcane, pulled Saru and jumped onto the Dragon's back. As Smaug took flight, he said teasingly: "Would your father react the same way if he faced a Dragon?"
Saru's face flushed, and he straightened his back, loudly declaring: "Of course not! My father is a hero; he doesn't even fear demons, so why would he fear a Dragon?"
Smaug surged upward in annoyance, wanting to shake Saru off. Everyone should fear Smaug, and heroes were no exception.
Gale patted him on the head, signaling him to behave. Then, looking towards Tyr's Fall in the mountains, he said with emotion: "Yes! He doesn't even fear death, so why would he fear a Dragon."
Saru looked at Gale, feeling a bit embarrassed. Gale clearly respected his father, and he had mistakenly thought Gale looked down on him; it was truly inappropriate.
Smaug flew over the mountains and quickly arrived at Solidan Town.
Within the town, the humans were constantly reinforcing houses and blocking entrances. With their current strength, as long as they weren't besieged by Trolls, holding the town should be no problem.
Smaug's arrival caused panic among the people. They were confident against Trolls, but against a Dragon, they would only be slaughtered.
Just as they hesitated whether to strike first, Saru poked his head out from beside Smaug's head, "I'm back!"
"It's Saru!"
"Saru is back!"
"Saru brought back a Dragon!"
Smaug landed, and Saru jumped down, "Uncle Ronald, I have brought Gale."
At this moment, people finally saw Gale on the Dragon's back. Gale jumped down, and people immediately surrounded him, "Gale, have you come alone?"
"Of course not!" Gale took out a teleportation crystal, found an open space, and activated the crystal. A portal appeared in the open space, and a figure stepped through it—it was Maiev, wearing an iron mask.
After Maiev, the Priests appeared one by one. Then came Carlos with the Alpha Squad, followed by Navoli leading the logistics unit.
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