Shadow Trails in Azeroth

"Jean, come on, have a drink."

When Jean was invited to Dai Lin's cabin, the admiral stood up to greet him enthusiastically. He looked at Jean's not-so-good expression and his herbal smell, and joked:

"It's been almost half a month since you came to Kul Tiras, are you still not used to life on the ship? Look at your ugly face, do you want me to give you a trash can as a vomit bag?"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

Gene took the wine glass handed over by Dai Lin, glared at his friend, shook his head and said:

"It's not a problem with this ship, it's not a problem with the unpalatable food you have here, and it's not a problem with you bastard who doesn't have a good reputation. It's an internal matter of my country.

I just received news that the castle belonging to a baron on the edge of the northern lord's territory was attacked by werewolves. "

"Um?"

Dai Lin's expression also became subtle.

He invited Jean to sit down and asked in a low tone:

"Didn't you say that those werewolves still live and hunt in the forest? How can they break into a fully armed castle? Their power has expanded to this point?"

"I haven't received the specific information yet, but there should be a traitor who is causing trouble."

Gene took a sip of wine with a gloomy look on his face and said:

"It's the 'Wolf Cult' I told you about last time. They use dangerous words to confuse some ignorant people to work for them, and regard the curse of the werewolf as a 'blessing' to those bastards who long for power.

There are never many such people.

I can't stay in Kul Tiras any longer, Daelin. After attending your daughter's title celebration, I must immediately return to my country to take charge of the overall situation. "

"Well, such a bad incident does require the king's intervention."

Dai Lin nodded with deep understanding and said:

"The gain or loss of a castle is only secondary. In terms of absolute strength, those werewolves are still weak in front of the Gilnean army. But this impact is very bad. If you cannot quickly calm the fear in the hearts of the people, it will only make this war between werewolves The disaster is getting worse.

Do you need me to send an army to support you? "

"There is no need for soldiers. My soldiers are never afraid of those dark creatures."

Gene shook his head and said:

“But I need Tide Sage.

According to the agreement we reached before, I will take Brother Pike and his disciples back to Gilneas and use the power of the sea to help my people survive this disaster.

And those Gilnean commanders who were sent to your naval academy.

I hope your officers can teach them well. The undead pirates entrenched in Tol Barad are becoming more and more arrogant. In order to safeguard national interests, Gilneas urgently needs a real navy. "

"Those kids are good, I'll take good care of them."

Dai Lin crossed her legs and said seriously:

"Now that you have come to Kul Tiras in person, whether it is out of personal friendship or the common interests of the human kingdom, I will do my best to help Gilneas build a navy.

Just like I helped the Kingdom of Stormwind build its navy.

I am willing to share this ocean territory with you, Gene. We are all human beings, and we should unite to rule this rich ocean.

I didn't hide your plans about me before.

If we want to extend the power of human civilization to this sea, we still have many enemies. Nagas, trolls, pirates, and the water element that has been active in various sea areas recently, etc.

These are not problems that can be solved by Kul Tiras alone.

We must unite.

It's like we banded together to defeat the orcs in war. "

Gene didn't answer immediately.

He leaned back on the chair, feeling the brisk and steady progress of the ship in the water. After a few seconds of silence, Gene opened his eyes, and a light flashed in his eyes.

He said:

"I cannot agree to this kind of national-level cooperation casually, Dai Lin. I must first obtain the consent of the nobles in the country. However, if Kul Tiras can release some of the interests of the South China Sea."

"Don't even think about it, Gene, there's no way I can agree to it."

Dai Lin refused simply and neatly.

He raised his cup and said:

"That is the sea territory that Kul Tiras established its rule with the power of three generations. It is the market for all the merchants in my country, and millions of people rely on that shipping route for their lives.

A small change can cause a storm in my country.

I will not allow anyone to interfere in the trade in the South China Sea, but if you want to imitate our model to relax your country's finances, I have a small suggestion for you. "

As he spoke, Dai Lin stood up, took out a volume of nautical charts from the desk in the cabin, and spread it out in front of Jean's eyes.

The King of Gilneas glanced forward and discovered that the chart was not the entire depiction of the Endless Sea, but a survey of the northern continent of Northrend and its surrounding waters.

This chart is very well done.

It is at least one order of magnitude more advanced than the North Sea chart currently used by Gilneas. Many inconspicuous islands and the entire coastline of Northrend are clearly marked on it.

"North Sea?"

Jean blinked, put down his wine glass, stroked the chart, and said to Dai Lin:

"When did Kul Tiras become interested in setting its sights on that barren continent?"

"Don't think that I don't know about the colonization of Northrend by you and the Lordaeron people. Jean, don't underestimate the intelligence capabilities of the king who has the most powerful fleet in the world."

Dai Lin stroked his beard and said to Gene:

"The Kul Tirans explored Northrend much earlier than you think. In my father's generation, after he commanded the army to defeat the pirates entrenched in the North Sea, he sent sea sages there to explore the sea.

I know what is there and what materials are abundant there.

But as you said, Northrend is a bitter and cold place compared to the South China Sea. We already have the rich South China Sea, so we have little interest in operating the North Sea.

This gives you two countries the opportunity to colonize there.

But I'm not mocking you, Gene.

I am just saying matter-of-factly that your management of the North Sea is too poor. Your first colonial territory was established ten years ago, but now you have not yet formed effective rule over the North Sea.

I know that Terenas has great ambitions in terms of territory and expansion. It is difficult for him to cooperate with Gilneas to share the North Sea. I was also happy to see Gilneas and Lordaeron working on their own in the North Sea to involve you. With so much energy, you are unable to find the strength to harass the situation in the South China Sea.

But the problem is that the current situation has changed. "

The admiral shook his head, and put some of the Admiralty information he carried with him on the map. He pointed at the North Sea chart, drew a circle on it, and said to Jean:

“After the Battle of the Palatine, the navy allocated part of its resources and sent a group of spies disguised as a caravan around the North Sea.

I regret to inform you, Gene.

The power of the undead pirates you regard as your enemy is far greater than you think.

Tol Barad Island is not the first territory they occupied. In the icy North Sea, on the continent of Northrend, they have already begun to establish their rule on the frozen sea on your behalf.

They even established a port authority in the natural harbor of Howling Fjord and started collecting taxes like a dog!

Do you know what this means? "

Gene's face turned ugly.

Dai Lin's meaning was obvious. This cunning admiral planned to "kill people with a borrowed knife." His own fleet was deployed in the South China Sea and could not cross half the world to destroy the undead pirates in the North Sea.

So he set his sights on Gilneas and the people of Lordaeron.

He is exaggerating the threat of pirates in the North Sea, thereby prompting the two countries to shift their attention to the North Sea in the next step, and use the combined navies of the two countries to cut off the power of the arrogant undead pirates in the North Sea.

Very simple plan.

But it works.

Because both Gilneas and Lordaeron have established colonial territories in Northrend.

Zhiyuan County in the Borean Tundra, Amber Pine Town and Silver Creek Town in the Grizzly Hills, and Blue Sky Lumber Camp, etc., are all overseas territories that the two countries have spent great efforts to build.

And they are already making profits.

The fur trade in Silverstream Town alone can bring Gene and his people huge rewards every year. The same is true for Lordaeron. It is impossible for two countries to give up their overseas colonial territories under the threat of pirates. thing.

Sunk costs are too high.

"You may be thinking that doing more is worse than doing less. Anyway, the taxes collected by those pirates in the North Sea are not high, and they are nothing compared to maintaining the interests of the colonial territory.

It would be too exaggerated to use a fleet expedition for this purpose.

But I'm telling you, Gene, you're dead wrong. "

Dai Lin picked up the wine glass and said:

“Once the pirates establish a solid rule there, your colonial territory will fall into their hands, and they will threaten you with the lives of those innocent people.

More importantly, you have seen Black Shaw's appeal and destructive power. If he truly controls the resources of Northrend and develops, the pirate kingdom that has never been seen in the history of Azeroth may become Build it up.

That's too bad.

And let me tell you another bad news. "

The admiral pointed to the compass and said to Jean, who was thinking:

"My two fleets have arrived in the South China Sea, and they will soon start to clear out the pirates in the South China Sea that have become more and more rampant recently. This is a big operation.

Those pirates had no choice but to escape if they didn't want to die.

The Sea of ​​Kalimdor and the Sea of ​​Mist are the territory of the elves. They dare not go there. The route to the eastern continent will be cut off by my fleet and they will not be able to go there.

The only choice left for them is the North Sea. Once the undead pirates accept them, the manpower problem that plagues Black Shaw will be solved immediately.

That arrogant pirate dared to provoke the Gilnean navy when he was weak. Can you imagine what kind of sensational things he would do when he became stronger?

You have to make a decision, Gene, and it won't do you any harm to rid the North Sea of ​​pirates. "

Dai Lin chuckled lightly, tapped the chart and said:

"The pirates began to collect taxes there, and they have initially established a rudimentary governance system. It must be said that the undead pirates are very professional in this regard.

They're doing a lot better than you've done in the last ten years.

They imitated our Kul Tiran rule model in the South China Sea and established an effective cruise system. If you go there now, you can definitely take over this system.

Even if the two countries share the North Sea equally, the annual profits from trade will be considerable. "

Gene still said nothing.

Obviously, the threats and inducements put forward by Daelin were not enough to make the Gilneans make up their minds after just suffering losses at sea. Dai Lin knew that he had to provide more tempting evidence to convince Jean.

So after a few seconds, Dai Lin coughed and said:

"My, um, lover Gina"

"You can openly say that she is your lover, Dai Lin."

Gene raised his head, looked at Dai Lin, and said:

"I won't laugh at you for this. After all, when we were serving at the border together, I also chased those elves, but I failed and you succeeded.

Not only did you make the elf fall in love with you, the prodigal son, but you also made her give birth to a child for you.

It's not something to be ashamed of. "

"Well, my lover Gina Golden Sword is very well-connected in the Silver Moon Council of Quel'Thalas. During this time, I used her connections to lobby the higher-ups in Quel'Thalas."

The admiral said softly:

"For you, the loss of dominance in the North Sea is just a cosmetic issue. Even the rise of pirates in the North Sea will be trouble in the future, but for the elves, it is a real threat.

Their sunwell is located in the sea between the Eastern Continent and the Northrend Continent. It is said that the magic well is connected to an important node of the world's magic network.

I don't know much about magic.

But I know that once the North Sea pirates completely control the North Sea, they only need to send a fleet to direct their troops to Quel'Danas Island within two days, threatening the Sunwell, which the elves regard as life.

Even though the elves have that mysterious barrier to protect their country, this threat still cannot be underestimated. So my messenger didn't waste much words and convinced the Sun King. "

Dai Lin grinned, raised his glass to Gene, and said:

"As long as Gilneas and Lordaeron are willing to send fleets to the North Sea to drive away pirates, Quel'Thalas's 'toy navy' will soon respond and sail together.

Their ship can't fight a tough battle, but it can still scare people.

Look, Jean, I have arranged everything for you, you only need to make one decision. Let me tell you, the speed at which the undead pirates are making money in the North Sea is terrifying.

Their trading island is booming, and as long as you defeat them, you will instantly have enough funds to rebuild your navy.

We Kul Tirans accumulated our first wealth by fighting pirates. You can definitely imitate this successful experience. "

"Why are you so concerned about this matter? I feel that you are particularly interested in the undead pirates. It has exceeded the curiosity you should have as an admiral."

Jean thought for a few minutes, raised his head and asked:

"As you said, maintaining a chaotic North Sea is more in the interest of Kul Tiras. Your best option is to see us confront the pirates, leaving us unable to go south.

But now you have taken the initiative to join forces and help us destroy the pirates.

Did the undead pirates do something to offend you? "

"That's not the case."

Dai Lin took a sip of wine and glanced at an extraordinary oil painting hanging in the cabin. He looked at the immature face of Drake who had not yet grown up.

He said casually:

"I just wanted to give these lawless pirates a warning.

This sea is not a place for them to run wild, that's all. You can interpret my concern as a Kul Tiran soldier's natural distaste for pirates.

What are these young people doing badly?

Even if you shine shoes for others in Port Boralus, it's much better than being a pirate, don't you think? "