Shadow Trails in Azeroth

In the gorgeous and prestigious Tianchanyuan, a sacred place for warrior monks, the morning sun has not yet risen, and a fish-belly white light vaguely appears on the horizon, but the diligent ministers have already put on their court clothes and are standing outside their emperor's Zen room. .

This is the tradition of the Pandaren Dynasty.

More than two thousand years have passed since the "Fist of Dawn" Master Kang led the Pandaren slaves to break away from the brutal rule of the Mogu warlords. However, this dynasty is still leading the people of this fertile land like the rising sun. The tribes advance.

Although the Pandaren retained the ruling system left by the Mogu people and even used the Mogu characters as their own to record history, they had obviously learned lessons from the cruelty of the Mogu people as slaves, and successive emperors had It is a dynasty that rules its own country based on kindness.

This made all races, including pandaren, jinyu, buffalo and even the stubborn hozen, willing to accept the leadership of the benevolent and wise emperor.

Of course, this is also because the pandas have excellent farming skills, allowing them to produce enough food to feed themselves and other allies.

Without the crisis of starvation, even the hozens can live in peace with the rabbit monsters.

What is amazing is that the emperors of the Pandaren dynasty rarely have bad emperors. Of course, this has nothing to do with blood, but it does not stem from a simple coincidence.

In addition to the fact that princes have to undergo complicated schoolwork from an early age to learn principles and ruling skills, and seek martial arts skills from monk masters to strengthen their bodies, they also have to go through a very special experience before they are officially crowned emperors. ceremony.

It was a ceremony presided over by the mysterious Jinyu prophets who could predict the future. The emperors could see their own lives from that secret ceremony.

They can see the great things they have done and the terrible mistakes they have made, and they can learn from the prophecy so that they do not make the same mistakes again.

Such rituals are obviously great for rulers.

Although occasionally the revelation of fate led to the tragedy of rulers trying to change one mistake and triggering another, by and large, this mysterious ritual always prevented the Pandaren dynasty from entering a period of irreversible decline.

This is actually a kind of "cheating".

But the supreme gods on Pandaria have never expressed their opinions on this behavior of using prophecies to maintain their rule. The four noble gods obviously also hope to see long-term peace and stability on this land, so the pragmatic pandas put this The tradition is passed down.

today!

Today is the day when the new emperor accepts the baptism of prophecy. For the Pandaren dynasty that pays attention to tradition, this is an absolute big event!

The wisest courtier who was born as a scholar looked up to the east and saw the first ray of sunshine rising over the mountains of the beautiful emerald forest. He solemnly arranged his complicated and solemn ceremonial clothes and put on his crown.

He was holding a peach wood staff that symbolized auspiciousness, twirling his beard and shouting to the meditation room in front of him with a smile:

"Your Majesty, the water whisperer elders are ready. Before the sun rises, it's time for you to set off for the Jinyu people's holy land."

"Well, you should correct your title, my wise prime minister."

The person in the Zen room had actually woken up a long time ago. He was just waiting for the right time to arrive to start the ceremony. Following the call of Mr. Prime Minister, the door of the Zen room was pushed open by two powerfully dressed monk guards.

The tall panda, wearing a white emperor's robe, embellished with a black jade belt and golden bracelets, and carrying a unique-looking prayer flag walking stick, strode out of the room.

This is a very young panda.

It can be seen from his sharp eyes and strong body that he is an outstanding product of the unique and excellent imperial education of the Pandaren Dynasty.

But he did not let those cumbersome rules weigh him down. On the contrary, he faced the world and his own future with an optimistic attitude.

In the rising sun, the emperor opened his arms to his courtiers and said with a smile:

“I will not become emperor until tomorrow, my subjects.

You should call me Your Highness now, lest my father be unhappy and send you all to farm in the mountains, or to guard the mantids on Dragon's Spine. "

"Wouldn't that be better? My lord."

The old prime minister shrugged, and the wise old panda said with a smile:

"The heavy government affairs all year round have almost crushed my old bones. It would be a good thing to leave my post and go to become a farmer in the middle of the mountain. However, just because you can be kind today does not mean that you can ignore the rules in the ceremony tomorrow. My Majesty.

You must restrain all your optimism. You must make your subjects feel the majesty of the emperor. This is not to make them afraid, but to maintain decency.

Well, maybe you should read more of that book I gave you, the rule book written by our distant friend, the Queen of the Elves herself.

She said that as an emperor, he must make his subjects feel awe. If you can't have both, then 'fear' should come before 'respect'. "

"You know I don't like that."

The young emperor shook his head.

He stood on this high hillside and looked at the joyful palace below. The monks from Tianchanyuan were preparing for the celebration for the coronation of the new emperor. There were red festoons everywhere, and it was a harmonious and lively scene.

The beautiful scene brought about by this peace made the emperor overjoyed.

He supported his old prime minister and said seriously:

"I prefer to protect my people rather than rule them. My ancestors did this. It turns out that everyone prefers a generous leader to a majestic and cold emperor."

"Well, that's true."

The old prime minister nodded seriously and said:

"But maybe today's divination and prophecy can change your overly optimistic mentality. You know, after reading the prophecy, your father didn't leave his palace for a whole week.

He was frightened.

I guess you are the same. I hope my Majesty can perform better in today's ceremony. "

"You old thing!"

The young emperor laughed and cursed:

"Don't think that because you are my teacher, you can make fun of me like this. I will definitely prove my courage to you. I will not be frightened by a mere prophecy."

"Oh, don't be so confident, my lord.

Every emperor makes bold words before setting off, and every emperor will be frightened by his own life. I don't think you will be an exception, my dear Majesty Shaohao. "

The old prime minister said with a smile:

“Besides, I’m not just your teacher, I’m also your father’s teacher.

According to the fine traditions of our panda people, even if I pull your beard now, you can't punish me, and you have to politely thank me for my teachings.

Alas, I can't climb the mountain with my old bones, so I won't accompany you to attend the ceremony today, but I specially arranged for the historian of the traveler to record it.

So if you're not good enough, I'll know about it too. "

"Hmph, I will not appoint you to continue to be my prime minister."

The young emperor feigned anger and said to his teacher:

"In addition, I want to personally visit the kingdom of the elves after taking the throne. This is my father's wish. Unfortunately, he was already old when our two countries established diplomatic relations.

I hope to fulfill my father's wish. "

"Of course, I will arrange it for you."

When it came to business, the old prime minister immediately became serious. He asked the officials next to him to record the incident, and then whispered to his emperor:

"I heard from the young Lorewalker that the Queen of the Elves is a lady of outstanding grace. I hope my young Majesty will not be blinded by Azshara's charm.

You know, as the emperor, you must choose your wife from among your own clan. "

"Irregular old man!"

The young emperor was teased twice by his teacher, but he was not angry because of it. Panda people always regard tolerance and tolerance as virtues. As an emperor, he also has a real big heart.

Because of this, all the ministers believed that Emperor Shaohao would become one of the best rulers in the history of the Pandaren Dynasty. They were very confident in their excellent civilization.

They do not consider themselves inferior to the realms of elves or trolls.

A quarter of an hour later, as the emperor's royal chariot departed from Tianchanyuan, the capital of the entire Pandaren Kingdom, the land known as the Jade Forest, became lively.

The children cheered and held up the portrait of Emperor Shaohao and ran along with the imperial chariot pulled by eight white sacred cows. Some palace attendants grabbed candies and scattered them along the way, so that the children could also enjoy the joy of the new emperor's coming to the throne.

They call this "having fun with the people."

The roadside leading to the Holy Land of the Jinyu People was filled with people who came to admire the emperor's appearance. Whenever the gauze of Emperor Shaohao sitting on the royal chariot was blown away, revealing the emperor's majestic and handsome posture, there would always be Pandaren. The girl screamed in admiration.

But no one tried to drive away these enthusiastic people. Even the young emperor himself felt satisfied and honored because of the cheers of the people.

There are also majestic flying dragons in the sky like giant snakes with colorful ribbons on their bodies and they follow the chariot forward. There are saddles on the backs of these flying dragons, riding the most heroic heroes in the Pandaren Kingdom.

They are the Cloud Serpent Knights.

The most outstanding female general in the history of the Pandaren, the heroic division formed by the Flying Girl Jiang in the Troll War thousands of years ago. She is the sword of the emperor and the shield of the empire.

They are the powerful representatives of the Pandaren Dynasty and the emperor's support when traveling.

On the way to the Holy Land of the Jinyu people, Emperor Shaohao, who was sitting on the royal chariot, was thinking that after he completed his visit to the Elf Empire, it would be time to unite the elves to launch a crusade against the trolls.

Those savage creatures have been infesting Pandaria's borders and have spoken harshly to the pandaren envoys.

This is a bad sign.

I heard that the elves and the trolls have always had a deep hatred. Perhaps the two empires can join forces to curb the ambitious troll empire that wants to re-emerge on this continent called Kalimdor.

In order to complete this war to protect his family and country, Emperor Shaohao needed to form another army to complete the counterattack against the trolls without affecting the defense of Panlongji.

Perhaps some brave men from the flourishing monk order could be drawn to form the emperor's personal guard.

Pandaria also really needs a standing army.

With this idea in mind, the young emperor quickly arrived at the holy land of the Jinyu people.

These elegant creatures come from the water. They once had the same glorious dynasty and civilization as the Pandaren, but unfortunately they were defeated by the betrayal of the Hozens in the war with the Mogu.

Since then, the Jinyu people and the Hozens have become mortal enemies.

Compared with the stubborn hozens, the civilized and elegant Jinyu people have always been the main force of the Pandaren dynasty. There are many intelligent Jinyu people in the emperor's court who hold various important positions.

However, what they are best at is still seeing the future from the changes in water flow, which makes the Jinyu people the leading diviners and prophets in Pandaria.

"Come with me, young Emperor, the sacred pools have been cleansed, and your destiny calls."

The oldest Jinyu prophet wore the most traditional clothes and held a sacred pearl staff to welcome the arrival of Emperor Shaohao. From here on, the emperor's guards could not follow him.

However, in the land of the Jinyu people, the pandaren do not need to worry about their emperor being harmed.

The Riptide Swordsmen of the Jinyu are the deadliest warriors on the land. Their elegant and deadly swordsmanship can even compete with the ferocious Mantid Hurricane Swordsmen without losing.

"I feel like I'm ready."

Shaohao and several historians followed the Jinyu prophet towards the sacred pool.

He was a little nervous. In order to relieve this tension, he joked with the Jinyu elder beside him:

"I feel that today I can not only see my destiny, or the destiny of the empire, but I may also be able to see the destiny of the world."

"Well, you have great confidence in yourself, my lord."

The old prophet smiled and said humorously:

"But believe me, it is not a good thing to see too much into the future and destiny. It means more responsibilities and heavy pressure. Your shoulders are still a little immature. Maybe you should not bear this pressure."

"Well, I think I can carry more."

Shaohao smiled optimistically.

He took a deep breath, took off his boots with the help of the Jinyu people, and stood barefoot in the cold pool. Several Jinyu prophets dressed mysteriously began to call for water flow.

In front of Shaohao's eyes, the calm water suddenly began to rotate.

Like magical witchcraft or the strange magic used by elves, the rotating water was like a mirror, blooming with the light of the future in front of his eyes.

The emperor's expression immediately became serious.

Because he didn't see his own destiny. Instead, he saw a burning world.

The huge dark green door to hell opened on a piece of scorched earth, and he saw ferocious creatures howling and rushing out of it to slaughter the unarmed elves.

Behind the huge gate to hell is the gorgeous elven palace. The legendary and unparalleled queen is holding a golden goblet in her palace and watching expressionlessly her subjects being massacred by brutal people.

Later, Shaohao saw the world collapsing and falling into pieces. The terrifying scene even affected his own country.

destroy

This unimagined future gripped the young emperor's heart like an invisible hand, and he knew he had to do something to prevent this terrible future from happening.

But before the emperor could think about it for a few seconds, a sharp scream sounded from high in the sky.

This caused everyone in the Holy Land to raise their heads, and then they saw a black figure waving its hands and feet, screaming and falling from the sky.

When Emperor Shaohao was shocked and subconsciously took a step back, the guy slammed into the sacred pool in front of the emperor from high altitude, shattering the doomsday prophecy that frightened Shaohao.

When the entire Holy Land was in chaos, the uninvited guest who fell from the sky complained loudly, and angrily stood up from the chaotic pool with a small fishman wearing strange clothes.

It was a strange life that Shaohao had never seen before.

He is like an elf, but stronger than an elf.

The outline of his face is also softer than that of the elf. The most important thing is his eyes, which are a pair of eyes that complement the sea and the moon.

Once you see it, you won’t forget it.

But there was also a terrifying shadow in those eyes, a shadow that frightened the young emperor more than the prophecy of doomsday, as if he was looking straight into the abyss.

The fishmen were angry because of the disturbance caused by the uninvited guest. The fishman swordsmen drew their coral blades and strode towards the evil guest, and the fishman prophets tried to pull the emperor away who was stunned.

But the next moment, the uninvited guest who fell from the sky just waved his hand, and the entire chaotic Jinyu Holy Land fell silent in an instant.

"You've never seen me, just keep doing things and pretend I don't exist."

The guy spoke in proficient Pandaren language, and under Shao Hao's stunned gaze, all the Jinyu people became quiet again as if they were hypnotized.

They went back to doing their own thing as if nothing had happened.

Except Shaohao.

Only he realized what was happening.

The young and brave emperor immediately reached for his dragon staff, but the next second, the person in front of him reached out and grasped his hairy arm.

The guy raised his head and showed a friendly smile to Shaohao.

He said:

"You prayed for fate to be kind, and you prayed for disaster to stay away from your country. I heard your prayer, young emperor, so I ordered fate to send me to you."

"Hello, Shaohao, we meet again, maybe I should say, this is our first meeting, please take care of me."