Shadow Trails in Azeroth

The pirates soon encountered their sacred stone in the Kroku Breaker's "hoard."

However, before observing and touching the holy stone, the pirate looked at the treasure house built in the cave at the deepest point of the rift valley with a very strange look.

This is where all the "treasures" collected by the Crusaders of Kroku over more than 20,000 years are stored.

But this is probably the first time that a pirate has entered a "treasure house" without any itching. It's not because he has changed his temper, but because of the contents of this treasure house.

how to say?

It doesn’t quite fit Blake’s “aesthetic”.

First, there were a few blood-stained rusty shackles hanging on the rock wall.

According to Hatton, it was the weapon used by the first Kroku slaves to escape the demon's prison, strangling the lower demons who pursued them with their chains.

This is a symbol of Croku's rebellious spirit.

There are also several pots of strange flowers that are still blooming and emitting faint fluorescence in this dark place filled with evil energy. The chief said that this is the only plant that can grow on the land of Krokuon.

Not only is it Kroku's main food, it is also the only natural light source these Broken Ones can find in this apocalyptic world.

They regard this flower as a symbol of light in the darkness and give it many beautiful meanings.

There were also several dried demon skulls placed next to the flowerpot, including a very "fresh" skull of the Doomsday Valkyrie, which was a "good thing" that Garona had just hunted with the Dark Templar assassins.

These skulls were the only "collections" in the treasury that could make Black happy, but the Crokus' poor workmanship made these supposedly valuable trophies worthless.

The pirate looked at it and shook his head.

“This treasure house of yours is really good.”

The pirate said to Chief Hatton against his will:

“A friend of mine would absolutely love it here.”

"That doesn't have to be the case, Lord Black."

Chief Croku shook his head, it made a weird laugh, and said:

"I have been to Draenor. I have seen the temple of Karabor built by Velen and his cowardly people after Mac'Aree's palace. I was also the governor of the Eredar civilization. I know the real treasure house. What it should look like.

Laugh if you want.

I don't take this as sarcasm or ridicule.

You are not Kroku, and you cannot truly understand us.

These things may seem worthless to you, but they are the only things we have left. After spending twenty-five thousand years in darkness and despair, we must always find something to commemorate for ourselves. things. "

"Huh? Do you think I'm saying something against my will?"

The pirate blinked, shook his head and said:

"My friend, your suspicion really makes me feel sad. I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Well, forget it, let's explain it with actual actions."

Blake took out a sculpture of Old Garni from his arms and rubbed it vigorously a few times in his hand, but there was no response.

The pirate said to Hatton awkwardly:

"Well, the distance is too far. It may take some time to respond across the stars. That's what weak bastards are like. They always fall off the chain when I need it. Please be patient and wait.

Well, here it comes! "

As Blake dropped the lifelike wooden carving of Lesognathus on the ground, Old Garni's "fashionable" and illusory figure appeared in the cave with great difficulty amid the scattered smoke.

As soon as it appeared, it jumped on its feet and yelled at Blake:

"Where in the hell are you calling me, you bastard? I used up a third of my divine power in response to your damn summons! Bastard! Nothing good happens every time I meet you.

Hey, the garbage here is so weird! "

As expected of the God of Garbage Man, he was immediately attracted by the various "treasures" in Kroku's treasure house.

As Chief Hatton watched in astonishment, Old Garni's weak phantom shook its head and walked around the cave. It let out a weird laugh and said:

"They are all strange garbage. Although they are unremarkable on the outside, they are very rich on the inside. I even feel the weight of civilization from these unspectacular collections. The wisdom of the humble people they have condensed in the long years of suffering makes me Marvel.

quick!

Blake!

my buddy! Please introduce me to the owner of this place. I have a hunch that I can harvest an outstanding scavenger today! "

"Now, look, I didn't lie to you, right?"

Black was finally satisfied. He held the Balrog pipe that was burning and continuously spitting out high-temperature smoke. He patted the stunned Chief Hatton next to him and said:

"Let me introduce to you, what you have in front of you is the patron god of the humble, the fire bearer of scavengers, the destined king of all the garbage dumps of the stars, the supreme temple of petty thieves, the god of secrets and communication between pirates and lowly people.

The wise and stylish old His Majesty Ghani is. "

"Yes, yes, it's me!"

Wrapped in a broken red scarf, carrying a shabby bag, and wearing tattered boots, with a broken eyeball magical weapon floating beside him, Old Garni shook his head and tail, put his hands on his hips in a very human-like manner, and proudly said to Chief Hatton:

"Hey, big shot of the Broken Ones, you look very similar to Akama. I am already the patron saint of Akama's Graytongue clan. Do you want to sign a divine contract with me and become my great scavenger? ?

I'm not bragging!

I am not afraid of those terrifying demons. If you mess with me, I will protect you and your people from now on, and I will definitely let you live a life without worries about food and clothing.

Look at your miserable and humble appearance, you look like a perfect match for me. "

Old Ghani grabbed his cool red scarf, winked and said:

"And I'm still short of a garbage man chosen by God. Seeing how stylish you are, I think you can try to get it. There will be benefits for you."

"this"

Chief Croku had lived almost thirty thousand years like Velen, but he had never experienced anything like this.

A strange god from an alien planet wants to recruit him inexplicably.

Although it is indeed a deep honor to be valued by a god, the old Garni in front of him seems to be unreliable no matter how he looks at it.

"You have to show them your power, my dear old Garni."

Blake reminded:

"Krokul have experienced terrible times, which have made them suspicious and wary, and they will respond to all good intentions with indifference.

They are very realistic, you have to let them know that you are useful, go ahead, show your power in the nooks and crannies, and guide them to pick up good things in the garbage dump so that they will be convinced of you! "

"I think so too, but it's too far away from me."

Old Ghani complained:

"Projecting illusions across the stars has consumed a lot of my divine power. I can't show them more, but I can consume the remaining power of this illusion and give them a temporary mark so that they can use some of my blessings. ability."

"That's a good feeling!"

Black snapped his fingers and said to Chief Hatton:

"I know that some of your people are enslaved by demons, and you have been trying to rescue them. Let old Gani help you. Chief Hatton, find some elite Kroku assassins and let old Gani help them. Bless.

Then let them follow us, we will grab the Helm of Command, and you will rescue your people, so that no matter whether we win or fail, you will not lose. "

"good!"

Hatton agreed without hesitation.

It fully demonstrates the realistic character of these Krokus, but it is not their fault. If any race is placed in Krokus' situation, they will do whatever it takes to survive.

After arranging the first contact between Kroku and Old Garni, Black finally had time to observe the "sacred stone" kept by the Kroku Breakers.

This thing is huge.

There is one person tall.

The appearance is just a very irregular fluorescent boulder that looks like it was dug out of the ground. It emits a faint light in the dark, and is not as gorgeous as the holy objects Blake has seen before.

The pirate took off his gloves and put his hand on the surface of the sacred stone.

As expected, there was no response.

It seemed that Hatton had not lied to him. Only Croku Shaman could communicate with this thing, and no one else could establish any connection with it.

But Blake came prepared.

He used Old Gani's blessing as a reason to send Chief Hatton away.

When he was the only one left in the treasure house, he took out the Eye of the Prophet pendant that Velen gave him as a "reward" before setting off, and took out the Enlightenment Seal that he had kept.

These two things are two-thirds of the "Crown of the Archon", the artifact of the Argus world. It is said to be a sacred object held by the archons to communicate with the world during the prosperous period of the Argus world.

The pirate held the two gem-like sacred objects in his right hand and touched the sacred stone again with his left hand.

The reaction this time was quite violent. At the moment of contact, Blake's will seemed to be pulled into a burning and broken illusion.

He seemed to be integrated with the earth under his feet. In just a short moment, he experienced the pain of the entire Argus world falling apart. The pain was so real that for a moment, the pirate even felt that his body was splitting apart.

He could hear the real sobs coming from the holy stone, much like the cries of a big man on the verge of death. Although there was no verbal communication, the tragic feelings were shared.

If a more sensitive guy were here, he would have burst into tears because of this exchange of emotions, but in most cases, the pirate is a hard-hearted guy.

He was not disturbed by this intense sad thought.

He maintained the link with a strong will until he got through the weird thoughts that day when the earth collapsed. Then, he vaguely saw a giant wrapped in blue and red light.

He seemed to be sleeping, but it was more like he was weak after being punched to the ground.

"Hello!"

Blake shouted to the guy on a will level:

"Can you hear me? Don't pretend to be dead. I know you can still hear me. Others think you are dead and corrupted by the power of Sargeras, but I know you are still resisting.

It can be seen from the fact that you have quietly sheltered Croku in Argus for more than 20,000 years, and you are still trying to save the last lives born because of you.

Can you please give me some response?"

"They. They're listening. He's listening. Shh."

A weak but rich voice quietly appeared in the pirate's ears. Just from the sound alone, you could tell that this guy was indeed very, very tired.

The sound was like the last breath coming from the shriveled lungs of a dying body.

"Then I'll keep my story short and you don't have to respond."

The pirate breathed a sigh of relief.

The worst outcome he expected was that this guy could no longer respond to him. Now it seemed that he still had some consciousness left, which couldn't be better.

"First of all, I'm not here to save you, I'm here to kill you."

Blake got straight to the point and said without any concealment:

"You should be very aware of your current situation. Lord Argus, the star soul of this broken world, and the elders of the destruction witches under Sargeras have poured the evil force into your once pure heart of the world.

Twenty thousand years of corrosion leaves you with no possibility of recovery.

Once you awaken from the cold and dark rage, you will become the "Destroyer" under Lord Sargeras, and there will be no possibility of escape like Lord Aggramar.

But you actually have a glimmer of hope.

I'm not lying to you.

Seriously, although I can no longer be born in the noble form of the Arcane Titan, I can provide you with a 'race change' service.

All the six major forces have vacant thrones for you, a naturally powerful and noble being like you. I can help you handle this business, and I have even arranged everything for you in the other side of the world.

The untrustworthy and ruthless monarch I serve is waiting for your arrival. Of course, he is trying to use you just as much as he is using me.

But that doesn’t matter. Being used means that we all have value, and it’s a compliment to us.

I know it's hard for you to trust the kindness of a jerk who shows up out of the blue, so I decided to offer you my services first, to express my kindness and prove that I can be trusted.

Then, we'll find some time to slowly talk about the next thing. "

The pirate paused and said:

"You don't have to answer, and I won't risk contacting you again in the future. Remember, I will send you a signal at the right time, and then just do what you want.

I'll take care of the rest!

I'm sure you don't want to be the destroyer of stars. This is inconsistent with the responsibilities of you order creatures. The most important thing is that I am your last life-saving straw.

You don't have to trust me.

But you need me"

After saying that, the pirate will remove the link of will.

The world star soul of Argus is being corroded by evil energy. Just now Lord Argus reminded him that someone is listening, and the pirates must keep the story short. At the moment when he was withdrawing his will, Black reminded him again:

"Remember, my dear Lord Argus, don't believe anyone's words after you go there, no matter how sincere they are, don't listen to slander.

I am your only trustworthy friend.

Especially after you feel my kindness

I will help you take good care of your last children. Oh, by the way, I come from Azeroth, from your 'sister' who has not yet been born but may experience the same pain and despair as you.

I am a child of Azeroth.

I am here just to prevent your relatives from making the same mistakes. If you also have some kindness and desire to protect your unknown sister, then please cooperate with me.

It's all for the family.

Yes, being tired from logging is the most important thing, right? "

The pirate pulled out of consciousness with a weird laugh.

He was not sure whether Argus's current mental state could distinguish the message he sent, but this was basically his only chance to establish contact with the world's star soul.

As Blake's hand left the sacred stone of the Croku Breakers, and as he opened his eyes, the sacred stone in front of him suddenly exploded into several cracks, and the fluorescence on it quickly dissipated.

It can no longer contact the will of this world.

Perhaps the Holy Stone had exhausted its energy, or perhaps Argus, who was in pain but still had some sanity left, took the initiative to destroy the last beacon he left for Croku to ensure that the upper demons could not discover Black's whereabouts.

In short, under the pirate's regretful gaze, this precious holy stone quickly collapsed before his eyes.

Amid the dust, he looked back at the confused Chief Hatton and the indignant Broken Assassins.

The pirate scratched his head in embarrassment, shrugged his shoulders, glanced at the broken holy stone at his feet, and said with some embarrassment:

"Sorry, I used too much force and broke your sacred objects, but I will compensate. Your new god and old Gani will give you enough compensation for me, I promise!"