Volume 3: Tides of Darkness Chapter 166: Black Dragon's Conspiracy
Soon, the heroes in the parliament hall each chose the plot route they wanted to participate in.
This can be considered a benefit for wealthy players, as they can participate in the plot at the first opportunity.
The assassination team was led by Duke Lothar himself, with a team of elite assassins from SI:7, a team of Storm Knights, and more than a dozen hero players, to assassinate Medivh.
On the other hand, King Llane and Varian also began to gather their armies and prepare for an expedition to the Dark Gate.
The summons was quickly issued and the order was delivered to every noble.
Soon, Storm Kingdom was fully mobilized.
The elite Stormwind guards, the powerful Stormwind Knights, the Kingdom Infantry, the Kingdom Crossbowmen, the Kingdom Spearmen, and regular troops of various Alliance camps with standard configurations, fully equipped and manned, marched out of the various military camps outside Stormwind and formed neat teams in the open fields outside the city.
Teams of soldiers lined up in neat rows and marched towards the dark swamp.
In the territories of various nobles, there was also a scene of an impending war.
The Storm Kingdom, like other human kingdoms, is a feudal country with a huge amount of power among the nobles. Only about 30% of the entire Storm Kingdom's army is controlled by the king. Although they are elite, their number is not large, only about 30,000.
The nobles have a lot of troops, and depending on their noble titles, the number of troops can range from a few hundred to thousands. Although the number is large, the quality is more worrying. The nobles' private soldiers are mainly composed of knights, supplemented by a large number of conscripted militia, and the combat effectiveness of these militias is not guaranteed.
As more and more noble armies joined the expeditionary force, the size of the army soon became larger and larger...
The entire army formed a battle formation that stretched for several miles, attracting the attention of passing adventurers, who all wanted to know what had happened.
Soon, information about the Dark Portal's imminent opening began to circulate wildly among players.
When the players heard that the Dark Portal was finally going to open, they all went crazy.
Whether it is lords, soldiers, or of course adventurers.
Everyone is waiting for the war to come. Fighting bandits and chopping jackals is fun on weekdays, but after playing for a long time, they get used to it and naturally look forward to a larger-scale war.
The official had already released the news before, and now the opening time has finally been confirmed, and everyone is suddenly excited.
The streets were full of adventurers calling their friends in groups of three or five. Those who moved quickly had already bought supplies and were heading towards the Dark Portal.
The lord player summoned his own army and couldn't wait to join the Stormwind army, ready to go into battle and kill the enemy in a war game.
Soldier players and vassal players were also fully armed and threw themselves into this epic battle.
There are also some high-end adventurer teams, large guilds, and game studios that directly target those well-known figures.
This battle at the Dark Gate is definitely a plot event, which means there will definitely be plot kills. There will definitely be a lot of plot points and plot equipment. Many heroes and adventurers have formed teams with various configurations, ready to get the head of a tribal leader for fun.
At this moment, Arthas was riding side by side with Varian, walking at the front of the team.
Arthas (Prince of Lordaeron): "Second brother, do you think our army is enough?" Arthas asked worriedly as he looked at the majestic lineup of the army. As the prince of Lordaeron, he had seen the strength of the army of the Kingdom of Lordaeron before, so he had some experience in estimating the number of troops.
Although the army in front of us is huge, it only has tens of thousands of people. Even if those nobles continue to lead their troops to join, it is estimated that there will be only about 100,000 people by then.
Facing an army of millions of orcs, it feels very mysterious.
Especially those conscripted militiamen, who are poorly equipped and look like they have little fighting power.
Varian (Storm Prince): "Haha, don't worry, third brother. There will be an army. Look, they are coming."
Then I saw a team of more than a hundred adventurers on horseback chasing after me from behind.
Seeing Varian's lion flag leading the way, the people immediately galloped over.
Hawke: "King Wa, all the more than 100 people from our Dragon Age Guild are here. This time we will fight for you!"
Varian (Storm Prince): "Thank you for joining us, brave adventurers. Let us fight side by side at the Dark Gate." He waved to the knight.
The player named Hawke was about to leave when he suddenly saw Arthas next to Varian and his eyes widened.
(Damn, Arthas? Why is this guy here?) The player didn’t ask any more questions and ran to the front with his men.
Soon several more teams of adventurers arrived, some in groups of three or five, some in dozens or hundreds. They kept crossing the army's ranks and heading towards the Dark Portal, and from time to time they would run over to say hello.
He kept talking about King V and King V, but he ignored Arthas.
"Brother, I didn't expect you to be so famous among adventurers. They all call you King Wa? What's going on?"
Varian shook his head. "I'm not sure either. When the Dark Portal was first opened, facing an army of 100,000 orcs, those adventurers called me that. Haha, I think it's because I was born with a kingly demeanor. Of course, it's also possible that these adventurers didn't know much about the royal titles, so they called me that randomly. Who knows?
Don't worry too much about Arthas. A true king does not rely on titles and bloodlines, but on courage and strength. Watch and learn more, and you will become a qualified king in the future."
"Well, don't worry, second brother. I will definitely work hard to learn from you and big brother. By the way, where is big brother? Why don't I see him?"
Varian shook his head. "I'm not sure. He may have joined Duke Lothar's team. Don't worry. I don't think he will miss this war."
Meanwhile—Blackrock Spire.
The thick black smoke from the Blackrock Mountains covered the sky, and the silhouette of a black dragon was circling and dancing in the air.
This is Blackrock Spire, the powerful fortress of the Dark Iron Dwarves. However, a few years ago, the upper floors of the Blackrock Spire have been occupied by a powerful black dragon lord. He and his dragonmen and servant legions have firmly guarded the entrance to the Blackrock Spire halfway up the mountain, and have even captured many Dark Iron Dwarves as servants.
At this moment, the Black Dragon Lord was looking at the monster army in front of him with a frown.
Like other black dragon lords, Nefarian also has a large number of monster servants. These messy monsters are very good cannon fodder. Unfortunately, until now he still doesn't know what enemy the Black Dragon King is summoning the legion to fight this time, and how many troops to bring to the battle. Nefarian is still not sure.
But there was one thing he was sure of, he had to speed up, his father was not a patient leader.
Suddenly a huge black shadow passed through the sky. Nefarian looked up at the sky in surprise and his expression suddenly became gloomy. He saw a huge black dragon falling from the sky. Its body was even bigger than him and it slowly landed in front of him.
Transformed into a man in black robe.
Nefarian (King of Blackrock Spire): "Morpheus, humph, you're quite quick. It's in line with your character to take my father's summons so seriously. Did you also hear the summoning order?"
Morpheus (Ancient Black Dragon): "Right, otherwise why would I be here? Tsk tsk tsk, you've found a good place for yourself. This place is much more respectable than my Dark Dragon Lair. The Dark Iron Dwarves are really good craftsmen."
Nefarian (King of Blackrock Spire): "Hmph, what are you doing in Blackrock Spire? My father asked us to gather in Nightwhisper Forest. Don't tell me you came to see me on purpose."
Morpheus (Ancient Black Dragon): "Haha, don't be so nervous. In fact, I came to discuss cooperation with you. Are you interested in doing something big together, Nefarian?"
Do something big? Nefarian immediately became alert. He and Morpheus had never gotten along well and it almost came to a head before. Although the two of them could no longer have a direct conflict due to his father's return, it did not mean that the two sides had restored peace.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm serious. I can see that you are very upset with Deathwing, right? That's why I came to you. Don't you want to replace him as the King of Black Dragons? We can cooperate and deal with him together."
Nefarian immediately showed a gloomy expression, "Huh, do you think I'm a fool? You use such a simple rhetoric to deceive me. If I remember correctly, you said before that you would wait for his return to lead the Black Dragon Legion.
Why did it change suddenly?
I do hate him, but I am not a fool. You, on the other hand, actually dared to sow discord between me and my father. Aren’t you afraid…”
"Why, are you still planning to report me? Go ahead, but to be honest, I don't think the final result will be what you want to see, so why don't you listen to my opinion before making a decision?"
Nefarian snorted coldly, but did not stop him.
Morpheus smiled slightly: "Deathwing is a madman, you should know this very well. He almost killed you last time. I think you can feel that he really considered doing it. Who knows what will happen next time he gets angry? His mind is becoming more and more unstable. One day he will kill you.
Unless we can solve it ahead of time.”
Nefarian (King of Blackrock Spire): "Hey, what a joke, my father is invincible, this is your stupid plan? I think this is just suicide."
Morpheus (Ancient Black Dragon): "No, nothing in this world is truly invincible. We all have to face the fate of the world, and Deathwing is no exception. Unless you can see the truth of this world, no one can escape fate.
When the moment of destiny comes, you will find that he is not as invulnerable as he seems."
Nefarian was slightly moved by Morpheus's profound words, "Oh, then what can you do?"
Morpheus (Ancient Black Dragon): "Not yet, but this time he summoned us, which means that the enemy he is facing is extremely powerful and cannot be defeated by him alone. This is our opportunity. I am not saying that we must do something, but at least, I think we can reach an agreement for the time being. If the opportunity arises, perhaps we can put aside our past grudges and cooperate.
There is no hatred between us that cannot be put down. I wonder if you have ever heard of a saying: there are no eternal friends, no eternal enemies, only eternal interests. "
Nefarian remained unmoved: "And then? Even if we can really defeat him, or even kill him, who will become the King of the Black Dragons? The Black Dragon Legion can only have one king."
Morpheus (Ancient Black Dragon): "Of course it's you. Believe it or not, I have no interest in becoming the King of Black Dragons."
Nefarian (King of Blackrock Spire): "Heh, do you think I will believe your kindness? Dragons are greedy. You must have some ulterior motives."
Morpheus (Ancient Black Dragon): "Yes, Deathwing does have what I want, but it is not the power of the Black Dragon King. I am not interested in dealing with the affairs of the Black Dragon Legion. I have more important things to do, and to accomplish this, I must master a special power, which is the power held by Deathwing - the power of earth protection.
How about we kill Deathwing together, and when we're done, you'll become the Black Dragon King, and I'll become the Earth Guardian. "
Nefarian couldn't help but be startled. So that's what you were planning?
Humph, the power to protect the earth? You idiot, do you think I don't know what you are thinking? You think that you can go further by obtaining the power to protect the earth? Don't dream on. That power is a curse. Whoever obtains the power to protect the earth will surely be devoured by that power.
The Guardian of Earth was a huge pitfall, and Nefarian knew it very well. He had watched his father gradually go mad. Deathwing had once been a majestic ruler and a powerful dragon king, but the heavy burden of the Guardian of Earth drove him crazy.
Neltharion used to often mention that he could hear strange whispers, which were the evil will from the depths of the earth, the ancient existence sealed deep in the earth.
It is impossible to describe the evil in words. As the guardian of the earth, they are the gatekeepers of evil, which also means that they are bound to suffer the corruption and intrusion of that ancient existence.
Although Neltharion is determined, even rocks will gradually collapse under the erosion of time. Dragons are a long-lived race, and the lifespan of the Guardians of the Earth is almost eternal. Over tens of millions of years, falling into madness is almost an inevitable result.
But it’s okay, with a mad Morpheus and a dead Neltharion, by that time, the Black Dragon Legion will be completely his.
Nefarian (King of Blackrock Spire): "Well, I'll consider it, but don't expect me to trust you completely."
Morpheus (Ancient Black Dragon): "Of course. Besides, maybe the opportunity won't come at all. Anyway, let's act according to the circumstances. Goodbye, Nefarian. See you in Nightwhisper Forest."
After saying this, Morpheus spread his wings and flew gracefully and lightly into the sky.
