Shadow Trails in Azeroth

"Look at this dark talisman, how beautifully drawn it is. Not only are the lines clear and the whole body rounded, but they also know how to use the stains on the wall as a cover-up. It forms a spellcasting core with the three surrounding talismans. Once magic is poured into it, it will immediately emit dark power. .”

Beside the stables in Klein City, Master Warlock Blake pointed to a spell pattern in the corner and used a very professional analysis to say to the great knight beside him who exuded a chilling aura:

“I personally haven’t done much research on black magic.

But according to my superficial research on these spells, I think this is a fixed confusion spell. It is a casting point that can convey some specific thoughts to ordinary people who are not strong enough to resist the temptation of dark magic.

You heard it right, this thing can only be effective on ordinary people.

Whenever you encounter a warrior or low-level mage who can arouse anger, you have enough willpower to resist its call.

But which kind of people are the most common in Klein City? "

Blake shook his head, flicked out a shadow flying knife, and inserted it into the center of the spell.

The shadow magic and the negligible dark power of the spell itself collided and annihilated, causing the great knight to hear a faint wailing sound that made one's hair stand on end.

"The materials used are the soul of the cat. It's a very professional technique."

The stinky pirate was still in the mood to comment on this crude but useful witchcraft. He rubbed his chin and said:

"It should be a cat that was tortured before it died. It squeezed out the blood from its heart at midnight and smeared it on the wall to bring the blessing of dark power to this spell.

It stands to reason that it should be made with the spirit of human beings.

But it should be the persistent pursuit of the Waycrest family during this period, which prevented these poisonous witches from being able to collect enough 'materials'.

I could only use animal souls instead, but the effect was much worse than the original confusion charm, so I had to increase the quantity. Only then did I see the clue at a glance. "

"Okay, Blake, stop describing these uncomfortable dark details."

The Lord Knight waved his hand to stop the pirate from continuing to introduce him to the dark arts.

He gave a few instructions to the two paladins behind him who had clenched their fists. The two knights in ceremonial armor immediately left holding their swords.

Not long after, several teams of paladins were summoned.

They mounted their horses and, led by the servants of the Waycrest family who looked equally ugly, began to patrol the entire Klein City.

Whenever you find similar charms, clean them with holy water immediately.

In fact, Black wanted to remind them that they don't have to be so "luxurious". When faced with such low-level spells, just chop them with a knife or set them on fire. Even a small flame is enough to make them lose their magic power.

Although holy water is simple to make, it also costs money.

But then I thought about it, these paladins are the guards who protect the pope. For the safety of the old man, not to mention using holy water to clean the talisman. If necessary, they will even clean the entire city with holy water overnight.

Security protection is no small matter.

"In addition to these talismans on the surface, there must be other evil things secretly that need to be cleaned up, but you paladins are not professional enough in this regard."

Black said to the Grand Knight:

"Please go report to the Pope and tell him exactly what happened.

This is actually not a bad thing.

The local mountain people do not like the Church of Storms. If they can seize this opportunity and stage a drama of 'holy light purging the darkness', and use the power of sanctity to uproot the last remnants of the poisonous witches who have caused trouble to the local area for many years, the local area will Everyone will be grateful for your kindness.

The mountain people are very simple.

Their attitude towards faith is very 'practical'."

The pirate closed his mouth rationally when he said this, but the knight already understood what he meant.

Dathrohan is not a man known for his wisdom, but he understands religion very well.

The Lord Knight looked back at the remnants of the spell in the corner. He nodded to Black, turned around and strode towards the place where the Pope stayed to rest.

After he left, Blake didn't leave.

He stayed in this unpleasant-smelling stable, picked up the dwarf pipe, lowered his head and lit it.

When the third puff of smoke was exhaled, a man dressed as a servant of the Waycrest family walked into the stable quickly and cautiously. On the left side of his chest, there is a small but delicate red handprint logo embroidered on it.

That represents his origin.

"Hail, Master."

The man walked five steps behind Blake and bowed very respectfully.

“When I corresponded and chatted with some of my business friends before, he told me that the local assassin organization of Drustvar, the ‘Red Hands’, is a very capable group of people.

Although the organization is small, its members are very capable and have helped him solve many business and life problems.

He praised your efficiency and made me look forward to this meeting. "

Blake took off his pipe, blew out a smoke ring, and said in a gentle tone:

“But to be honest, what I saw when I first came to Klein City made me fail to see what’s so good about you.

The Waycrest family arrested and hanged all the witches who were known to be witches, and burned down their lair in the Klein Mountains.

The remaining witches fled the dark mountainous area in embarrassment, and many people who practiced witchcraft were hanged even in Butcher's Harbor. It stands to reason that there is no place for those disgusting sewer rats in this land.

But as the hometown of the Red Hand Society, in such a prosperous Klein City, there are still remnants of these witches, and their energy is even powerful enough to plan the assassination of the Holy Light Pope.

So, I am very curious, Mr. Roland.

Is the local witch too powerful?

Or are you Assassins who have longed and sought to join the Uncrowned Ones too incompetent? "

The pirate's words were gentle, and there was nothing arrogant or condescending about them.

But it was this kind of peaceful inquiry that made Roland, the most famous local killer, nicknamed "Little Knife", lower his head in shame.

Although it is only a small regional assassin organization, as the leader, Roland also has pursuits.

His past pursuit was to keep climbing up in Ravenholdt's system.

Now that Ravenholdt was destroyed by Black and his Uncrowned Ones, Roland's goal became to climb up in the system established by Black.

And he also has an advantage, that is, the Red Hands have established a relationship with the Uncrowned One very early on, and he and his organization have been secretly serving Mrs. Meredith.

As the "black glove" of the Albatross Chamber of Commerce, he handled things for Old Herb that he couldn't do personally.

Although he didn't know much about the relationship between Mrs. Meredith and Master Black, Roland obviously realized that he had accidentally hugged the golden thigh.

He very much hopes to maintain this good cooperation to gain some benefits for himself.

But now, what these remnants of witches have done has made him completely embarrassed in front of Black. Why is it at this time? Why is it when the big boss is coming?

Isn't this intentional to embarrass yourself?

These witches who deserve to be burned at the stake deserve to die!

However, even though he kept complaining in his heart, Roland still racked his brains to answer Blake's question:

"It is true that we were negligent, sir. This is a shame for the Red Hand Society.

But I am not shirking responsibility. There is an inside story behind this matter. The power of the witches has been suppressed to a great extent. It is absolutely impossible for them alone to design such an assassination.

I suspect there may be other forces involved. "

"Doesn't this further prove your incompetence?"

Blake picked up his pipe and said coldly:

"On your own territory, in your own lair, you won't be able to know immediately when others come over. Alas, I was still thinking of introducing you to Sir Arthur to serve as his personal intelligence officer.

But with your performance like this, how can I dare to recommend you?

If something bad like this happens again, it will be my face. "

Hearing this, "Little Knife" Roland looked lonely. The moment when his hard work in the first half of his life was about to see results, he was ruined by such a group of rats.

However, when he was racking his brains to think about how to restore his image, an incident that happened before suddenly jumped into the mind of this local deadly killer, making him report in a low voice as if he had found a treasure:

"Yes, this is our incompetence, Master, and we will avenge it! But I am here today, and there is another important thing to report to you, which is related to Mrs. Meredith."

He stole a glance at Blake's expression, only to see the pirate standing in the shadow of the stable, leaving all he could see was an impassive chin.

Xiaodao Roland breathed a sigh of relief and said:

“A month ago, I received an invitation from Boralus.

You know, I used to be a killer who worked for money, but after coming into contact with the mind of the Uncrowned One, I found a new goal and no longer do things that harm my creed.

Just out of curiosity, I learned about the content of this 'invitation'. It is said that a big shot used a lot of resources to prevent Mrs. Meredith from becoming Mr. Arthur's wife.

They started moving forward with this very early on.

But their efforts failed, so they took one final step.

They hired a hitman to assassinate Mrs. Meredith at the wedding. "

"Oh? This is interesting."

Blake raised his eyebrows. Roland's news reminded him of some local rumors, so he asked:

"Let me guess, the mastermind behind this is the Ashvane family?"

"Master is wise!"

Roland flattered him a little and said:

"Because of my employment relationship with Mrs. Meredith, I also used my connections to investigate in private. I don't have any evidence to prove that the possible assassination in a few days is related to the Ashvan family.

But I found the ‘invitation sponsor’.

That was a manor steward of Mr. Farrewell, a large merchant. In the circle of Boralus, everyone knew that Mr. Farrewell had close contacts with the Ashvan family. "

"Well, my ability to collect intelligence is pretty good."

Blake nodded and said:

“Can you find tangible evidence?

If possible, I can arrange an opportunity for you to meet Mr. Arthur. With his deep love for his wife, he will definitely be very, very angry when he learns that someone is going to assassinate his wife.

And what follows immediately after anger is revenge! He'll need a knife in the dark. "

"Can!"

Roland's eyes lit up, and he immediately promised:

“In a week at most, I can ‘invite’ the person who initiated the invitation, and I can ensure that he reveals everything he knows.

But I can't understand, my lord, the Ashvane family and the Waycrest family have never had much contact, why would they do this thankless thing?

Mrs. Meredith's family background is not worthy of such a noble noble's personal interference, right? "

"This is because your vision is too low and you can't let go of the situation."

Blake waved his hand and explained casually:

"Of the four major families in Kul Tiras, three have their own territories. Only the Ashvane family is based on business. Although they are rich and well-connected, their foundation is still lacking compared to the other three families.

They are not the cornerstone of the Kul Tiran regime.

If they want to strengthen their influence on the country, they must maintain relationships with other important figures.

To put it simply, marriage.

The only daughter of the Ashvane family once wanted to marry Prince Drake. That was their best goal.

But Drake died in battle, and the Stormsong family broke the news that the heir had been seduced by the Gilneans, and the young man's future was ruined.

Arthur Waycrest became the best choice.

But it turns out that Arthur is an infatuated person, deeply in love with Meredith, who is of humble origin, but has skill and scheming. They can't change Arthur's affection, so they can only start from Meredith's side.

For the sake of the family's inheritance and growth, even a woman can do more ruthless things than this.

Forget it, let's go collect information.

At the wedding in a few days, if your 'companion' really sneaks in, you know what to do. "

"Yes, Master, we will not let you down again."

Roland bowed his head respectfully and left.

After he left, Blake looked at his back, shook his head, and said to the other side of the stable:

"The lingering poison left by Ravenholdt is still raging. This man keeps saying that he agrees with the creed of the Uncrowned, but he can't understand our way of doing things at all.

Otherwise he wouldn't have come empty-handed today.

Why is it so difficult for me to find idealists among my compatriots?

Ms. Nasa, have you found anything there? "

"No."

Nasa's voice came from the shadow of the stable.

She casually threw them away, and a dozen various dark artifacts were thrown at Black's feet. They were all cursed objects that the watchers had found throughout Waycrest Manor in less than ten minutes.

Lieutenant of the Watch said:

"We captured three high-ranking maids in the manor, one of whom was arranged by the old count to take care of the Pope's food and water, but after a brief interrogation they revealed the truth.

This is not an assassination attempt on the Pope. The truth is not as complicated as you think.

Their purpose is pure.

It was in revenge for the destruction of the Poisonous Witches by the Waycrest family.

Their target is Miss Meredith, who presided over the suppression of the witch coven, and they plan to transform her into an ugly dark thing at the wedding and set off a riot in Klein City.

Although they are unwilling to reveal more, I estimate that there is a dark hand behind this. "

"This is not something we need to consider."

Blake glanced at the dark things at his feet, and popped out a wisp of shadow sparks, burning them clean.

Amid the embers, the pirate moved his shoulders and said:

"I have no interest in these 'Game of Thrones', and there will be no place for these guys in Kul Tiras in the future. I am only looking forward to our first confrontation with the Tide Sages.

If you want evidence, I will give you evidence.

But after you see the evidence, it will be too late to get off the ship, so be cautious while there is still time to make a choice. "