Chapter 3 third chapter

Queen Jaina Proudmoore stood on the hill of Razor Hill, overlooking the land below.In this land, she forged the most unlikely alliances in the world. Although Razor Ridge is the territory of the orcs, both Jaina and Thrall think it is the most suitable place to meet, because Thrall stays here most of the time, and Jaina's magic can make her appear in any place she wants in an instant. where it appears. Jaina felt a sense of relief each time Thrall called her on.Since she became sensible, she has been fighting in crisis after crisis.She fought against demons, orcs, and warlords, holding the fate of the world in her hands more than once.

She was Alsace's lover.Back then, he was a noble warrior, but now he's fallen into the Lich King of the undead - ruling over a world as brutal and bloody as he is.One day, she knew they would meet each other on the battlefield.And the mage Medivh cursed by Sargeras.He was responsible for the rampant demons and orcs, and he himself became Jaina's most loyal ally.It was he who made Jaina and Thrall determined to form an alliance and fight the Burning Legion with the night elves. Since then, humans have established a new home in Kalimdor.And Jaina thought it was over.She didn't expect that the queen would have many things to do in peacetime.Taking care of Theramore's affairs day after day made her miss those days of fighting in the battlefield.

However, only a little bit.In fact, she had nothing to regret-but she took every opportunity to rest, like a traveler in the desert grabs a glass of water. Jaina stood on the edge of the hill looking at the orc village at the foot of the hill.Small tightly-wrapped houses dot the brown-yellow undulating landscape.Even in peacetime, the orcs still guarded the house tightly, for fear of being snatched by others.A few orcs were walking up and down the room, some greeting each other, and some just wondering what to say.Seeing their innocence, Jaina couldn't help laughing. At this time, there was a rumbling sound in her ears, and Thrall's spaceship had arrived.Jaina turned her head and saw a huge spaceship approaching slowly, with Thrall standing alone on the base of the spaceship.The sails of the ship are painted with symbols that belong to an ancient orcish hieroglyph.One of them symbolizes Thrall's birth family - the Frostwolf clan.These symbols distinguished orc ships from human ships—there was also a ship that Thrall had rented from the goblins, and the appearance of the ship was too strange to describe.Jaina wondered if the orcs' approach might have been less desirable—giving inanimate ships as many and varied personalities as their owners.

When meeting up on the Hill in the past, Thrall always had a guard or two with him.But this time he came alone, which Jaina found unusual. Thrall pulled down a few joysticks, and the ship slowed to a circle around the hill.He pulled the last lever, lowered the rope ladder, and climbed down.Like most orcs, Thrall had green skin and black hair, which fell in braids over his shoulders.He was clad in black metal armor, studded with bits of bronze.This armor originally belonged to Orgrim Doomhammer.He is Thrall's teacher. Orgrimmar, the capital of Durotar, is named after him. Behind him is Orgrim's weapon - Doomhammer. Orgrim's surname is From this.The Doomhammer is a two-handed weapon that Jaina often sees Thrall wield in battle, stained with demon blood.

Thrall's most distinctive feature is his blue eyes, a color that is extremely rare among orcs.They hint at his extraordinary intelligence and courage. Three years ago, when Theramore and Durotar were just beginning to be built, Jaina gave Thrall a talisman: a stone engraved with the Tirisfal spell.Jaina herself has an identical one.As long as Thrall holds the stone in his hand and says Jaina's name silently, Jaina's stone will sparkle, and so will Thrall's.So as long as they wanted to meet in secret, discuss state affairs, and don't want to disturb other people - or maybe just to chat like old friends - they just need to contact each other with a magic talisman.Jaina will immediately teleport to the hill on Razor Hill, and Thrall will come in a spaceship, because there is no other way to get to the hill.

"Nice to meet you, my old friend." Jaina smiled warmly.That's what she thinks.Never in her life had she felt more dependable or trustworthy than an orc.She once included her father and Arthas, but Admiral Proudmoore ignored her dissuasion and insisted on killing all the orcs living in Kalimdor.And she insists that both orcs and humans are victims of the Burning Legion, and that orcs have no malice against humans.However, Admiral Proudmoore did not trust his daughter at all.Like most people Jaina knew, he couldn't accept a different world.He's willing to do whatever it takes to make the world the way it was.Naturally, he couldn't accept the orcs either.Jaina had to make a choice.In order to end the bloody massacre, she betrayed her father.

And Alsace.He is now one of the most terrifying demons in the world.Jaina felt that the orc was more believable than her father and former lovers. Thrall had kept his word when he killed Admiral Proudmoore—he remembered the pained look on Jaina's face when she told him how to hit his father in the gut.In Thrall's eyes, the world has never been static.As a baby, he was captured by a human named Aedelas Blackmoore.In order to train him to be the best slave, Blackmoore even gave him a human name.But in the end, Thrall broke the shackles and united all the orcs to freedom, to the past deprived by demons.

Now Jaina sees something unusual in Thrall's blue eyes: Her friend Thrall is angry. "We didn't sign the agreement, neither you nor I," Thrall said angrily without greeting Jaina. "I thought neither of us would betray the other, so we didn't sign the agreement." "I did not betray you, Thrall," Jaina said anxiously.But years of experience have taught her to control her emotions.She had always dismissed unsubstantiated accusations—not to mention that Thrall should have known that alliances were built on mutual trust.When she was an apprentice mage, the teacher told her that to be an excellent mage, she must first learn to control her emotions.Jaina tightly grasped the wand in her hand - it was a relic of her teacher Antonidas.

"I don't believe you would do this either." Thrall was still angry, and he usually doesn't speak recklessly like an orc at all, which may have something to do with him being raised by humans, "However, it seems that the people under your command are not Don't care about our alliance like you do." Jaina said sternly, "Thal, what do you mean?" "One of our merchant ships, the Augart, was attacked by pirates." Jaina frowned.Although they have made a lot of efforts, pirates are still rampant. "We sent additional cruisers, but—" "If the cruiser is just looking around, then there is not much use in increasing it. The Orgat saw that one of your cruisers was nearby at that time, and it was quite close. But they didn't help Captain Bolik and His crew. Bolic blew the foghorn, but your men ignored it."

Jaina was surprisingly calm: "You said your crew saw our cruiser. But that doesn't mean they saw you, too." Sal was speechless. Jaina went on to say, "Humans don't see as well as orcs. They probably took the foghorn as a signal to get out of their way." "But they're so close to the Orgat, they should be able to hear them, even if they can't see them! Our eyesight is better than yours, but we're not fighting in secret. I can't believe it, your cruiser didn't hear The sound of fighting." "Sarr—" The orc turned and punched the air. "I thought you were different from other people! I thought your people would treat us as their own! I should have thought that if humans were to raise arms against their own people in order to help the orcs, they would abandon us .”

Jaina couldn't control it a little: "How can you say that? Since we talked about it, you should give me the right to doubt it?" "the fact is--" "What's the truth? Have you asked anyone else besides Bolick and his crew?" Thrall answered Jaina's question in silence. "I'll find out. Where did the Orgat happen?" "One league (1 league: equivalent to 1.5 nautical miles) from Ratchet City, about an hour's flight." Jaina nodded: "I will send someone to investigate. The cruise ships in that area are sent by Northpost." Sal tensed up. "what?" The orc turned to look at Jaina. "There will be a lot of pressure on me to take Northwatch back by force." "For me, the pressure to defend the North Post is not small." They stare at each other.Jaina saw something strange again in Thrall's blue eyes: not anger, but confusion. "What happened?" Thrall asked calmly, as if the warlike emotion had been sucked out of his body, "How could we fight over such a stupid thing?" Jaina couldn't help laughing: "We are the leaders, Thrall." "Do leaders have to involve their own people in bloody wars?" "It's like that in wartime," Jaina said. "It's different in peacetime. War takes a lot of energy. Not only do we have to fight, but we also have to take care of the daily business. But when the war is over, it's just the daily business." " She walked to her old friend and put her little hand on his arm: "I will find out the truth. If my soldiers really do not perform their duties according to the agreement, I promise you that they will be severely punished." Thrall nodded: "Thank you, Jaina. I apologize for my recklessness just now. My people have suffered too much, and I have also tasted it. So I don't want to see them suffer any more. Fair treatment." "Nor do I," Jaina said quietly. "Maybe—" She hesitated. "what?" "Maybe we should sign a formal agreement. You're right - we can trust each other, but not all humans and orcs can. It's harder to say without us. " Thrall nodded: "Sometimes it is difficult for the orcs to remember... They are no longer slaves of humans, so even in peacetime, they always want to resist, sometimes even I am infected by their enthusiasm Yes. After all, I was once enslaved by a human as evil as the Burning Legion. I always think the worst, and so do they. I think I'll do as you say." "But we have to solve the immediate crisis first," Jaina smiled at Thrall, "and then we can free up our hands to sign the agreement." "Okay." Sal shook his head and giggled. "What's wrong?" "Although you don't look like her at all, but—whenever I see you smile, even for a moment, I always think of Terry." Gianna had heard of this girl—her full name was Teresa Foxton, and she was often called Terry.She was the daughter of a family of Edras Blackmoore.She sacrificed her life to help Thrall escape. Orcs have always recorded history in ballads: Rocamon for family histories, Loktra for wars, and Lokwednord for heroes' lives.Everyone knows that there is only one human in the world who has his own rock wednord, and that is Terry. Jaina lowered her head slightly and said, "It's an honor that you connected me with her. I plan to send Colonel Lorena to Northpost to investigate this matter. If there is any news, I will notify you." Thrall shook his head: "It's another woman, the behavior of human beings really surprised me." Jaina's tone became cold, and she clenched her wand tightly: "What do you mean? Are men and women unequal in your world?" "Of course not. I'm not the only one who thinks so," Thrall said before Jaina could speak. "They're not created equal—as different as an insect is from a flower. Men and women have completely different meanings." .” Jaina was glad Thrall said that.That way she could repeat what Antonidas had said.At that time, she was still an ignorant girl who only wanted to be a disciple of the great mage.But Antonidas said to her: "If a woman's nature is suitable to be a wizard, then a dog can also sing an aria." As back then, Jaina said, "Because we can change our nature, we are human and not animals. Don't forget, some people even think that orcs are born slaves." Jaina shook her head. "Of course, there are many people who share your opinion, which is why women have to work twice as hard to achieve the same status as men-this is why I trust Lorena so much, because she understands this truth." Thrall leaned back his neck when he heard this, and smiled happily: "You are such a lovely woman, Jaina Proudmoore. You let me understand that I still don't know enough about humans, even though I was Raised." "Your thoughts are the result of the people who raised you." Thrall nodded: "That makes sense. Let's talk after your female colonel finishes investigating." He walked to the rope ladder of the spaceship. "Thal." He turned to look at Jaina, who gave him an encouraging look. "We can't let the Alliance fail." He nodded again: "Okay, no." After speaking, he climbed up the rope ladder. Jaina spoke the spell alone, a language only mages could understand.She took a deep breath.The hill, the ship, Thrall, and Razor Hill all swirled around her, and her stomach seemed to be sucked out of her nose.Everything around her became more and more blurred, and in a blink of an eye, they merged into the room she was most familiar with—the meeting hall.The council chamber is located inside the tallest building in Theramore - a large castle. This is where Jaina handles affairs of state.In this small room there is only one table, which is piled with scrolls.In comparison, Jaina doesn't like going to the throne room much.She thought it was a pompous place.Even when she saw her staff a few times a week, she just paced up and down in front of that embarrassingly large chair, which she almost never sat on—a room she avoided using as much as possible.For her, the Chamber is like a place where she used to study.In Antonidas' study, too, scrolls were piled up everywhere, and the desk was never cleared.Jaina felt like this was like a home. One more thing that the Throne Room doesn't have but the Chamber has, is a window with a view.Jaina knew that if she could see the full view of Theramore from the window at any time in the chamber, she would be unable to do anything-because she would be distracted from time to time, and then she would rise up for Theramore I was amazed by the building, and worried for a while about my responsibility. Teleportation is a high-intensity magic that takes a lot of effort.Although Jaina has been trained to enter combat mode immediately after casting a spell, she is reluctant to do so.She rested for a while before calling out to her housekeeper, "Duffy!" An elderly woman came in through the door.There are three doors in the meeting hall.Two of them were known to all: the door through which Duffy had just walked, and the door leading to the hall and the Queen's bedroom.The third door is a secret passage, used only for emergency evacuation.And only six people know the location of this door, and five of them are the craftsmen who made the door. Duffy looked at Jaina through her glasses. "Stop shouting, I'm just sitting outside the door, as usual. How's the meeting with the orc going?" Jaina sighed, not for the first time: "His name is Thrall." Duffy swung his arms, a movement that nearly knocked the frail woman off balance.Her glasses also fell off the bridge of her nose, dangling with the lanyard around her neck. "I know. But he's such a stupid name. I mean, aren't all orcs called Hellscream, Doomhammer, Drektarn, and Birx? They're pretty much the same anyway. And yet he takes Such a name, Thrall? He really thinks of himself quite noble." Jaina didn't want to explain it, because she'd tried it hundreds of times.She said, "It's Drek'Thar, not Drek Tarn." "It's almost the same," Duffy put his eyes back on the bridge of his nose. "Orcs should be called by these names, not Thrall. Let's not talk about that. How is the situation?" "We are in trouble. Go and call Christophe, and then send someone to inform Colonel Lorena, and ask her to take a team to Northpost to investigate and then report to me." Jaina sat down at the table , trying to find the shipping information she needs from the scrolls stacked above. "Lorena again? Why don't you call Lothar or Pierce? Others can do it—I can't tell. Send a woman? The guys at Northpost are hard to deal with." Jaina wonders if that's what Duffy says every time Lorena's name is mentioned. "Lorena is tougher than Lothar and Pierce combined. She'll be fine." Duffy pouted. It's not a good look for an elderly woman to do that. "You're not right. Women shouldn't wield knives and guns." Jaina finally gave up looking for shipping information.She looked at her steward and said, "Neither should the country be run." "Hehe, these are two different things." Defei said timidly. "Why is it different?" "It's just different." Jaina shook her head.For three years, Defei never thought of a better answer. "Call Christopher before I turn you into a salamander, and send a message to Lorena." "If you turn me into a salamander, you won't be able to find anything after that." Jaina spread her hands in despair: "I can't find anything now. Where did the damn shipping information go?" Duffy said triumphantly; "It's at Christopher's. Shall I go and tell him to bring it?" "thanks." Duffy bowed, eyes falling from the bridge of his nose again.She turned and walked out of the meeting room.Jaina really wanted to throw a fireball at Duffy, but she gave up anyway.Duffy was right - Jaina couldn't find anything without her. After a while, Christopher came in with a few scrolls. "Ma'am, Duffy said you want to see me. Do you want to see these?" He handed the scroll to the queen. "I want to see you all. Thank you." She replied, taking the scroll with one hand. Christopher is Jaina's Secretary of the Interior.During the period of governing Theramore, he has been taking care of everything for Jaina.His knack for handling irritating chores makes him perfect for the job.It was also because of him that Jaina didn't get so angry that she could kill someone because she was really overwhelmed.Before the war, Christophe was the clerk of Generalissimo Garithers, and gradually became famous because of his excellent organizational skills. Of course, he has not made much progress in the ranks due to his lack of military exploits.Christopher was tall, but as thin as a bamboo pole, and he looked like he couldn't beat the old Duffy.His hair was black and straight, just down to his shoulders, like a black picture frame, framing a bony face with a hooked nose and a perpetually scowling expression. Jaina repeated Thrall's words: how the Orgat was in distress, how a nearby frigate was doing nothing. Christopher raised his thin eyebrows and said, "That story doesn't sound very plausible. You say it's about a league from Ratchet?" Jaina nodded. "But we didn't send a cruiser to that area, ma'am." "It was foggy—perhaps the ship Captain Bolick saw was off course." Christopher nodded, reluctantly agreeing with this point of view: "But ma'am, it is also possible that Captain Bolick is wrong." "Not likely." Jaina went around behind the desk and sat in a chair.She put the shipping records on the table within room. "Orcs have much better eyesight than we do. And don't forget, the eyesight to be chosen as a lookout is even more extraordinary." "But we have to consider the other possibility, that the orcs are lying." Before Jaina could argue against the idea - though she wanted to - Kristoff said, holding up a long finger , "I'm not talking about Thrall himself, ma'am. The orc chieftain is an admirable hero, that's right. He is worthy of your trust, but I think he has only played the role of sounding board in this matter." "What do you mean?" Jaina knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Kristoff say it for herself. "I'm going to say what I've told you hundreds of times, ma'am - we must never trust orcs one hundred percent! There are a few orcs who can be trusted, that's right, but what about the others? If we believe They are all sincere to us, then we are simply fools! And they can't all be as sensible as Thrall. Thrall is our strongest ally against the Burning Legion. For everything he has done, I admire it—but what he has done is only temporary." Kristoff put his bony hands on the table and leaned against Jaina, "The only one who can control the orcs now is Thrall. If he Gone, I assure you, the orcs will show themselves in no time and do everything in their power to destroy us." Jaina burst out laughing with a "puchi".She didn't mean it, and what Christophe said was a double of Saar - although it should not be such a radical thing to say from the mouth of the Secretary of the Interior. Christopher became serious: "Is this funny, ma'am?" "Oh no. I just think you're taking things too seriously." "It's because you oversimplified the problem. Now, except for this city-state, everything in Kalimdor is under the control of the orcs." Christopher hesitated.This is so unusual.The reason why the Minister of the Interior can occupy a high position is because of his straightforward character.He always does. "What do you want to say, Christopher?" "Our allies...are very concerned about this. Orcs have taken control of the entire continent...a lot of people are troubled by it. Although they are holding back for other reasons now, but-" "But right now, I'm doing everything I can to defend against foreign aggression." "As long as the great mage, the bane of the Burning Legion, the beloved Queen Proudmoore rules Kalimdor, the world will be fine. But as soon as they think you can no longer control the orcs, then the situation will change immediately. The invaders' army will turn your late father's fleet into a bunch of rotten fishing boats!" Jaina slumped in her chair.Indeed, she hardly ever thought of the world beyond Kalimdor.She was too busy fighting demons and running Theramore.But the battle with her father made her realize the fact that human beings who have never really fought side by side with orcs still regard them as insignificant things like beasts. But Christopher shouldn't think so. "Then what do you mean, Home Secretary?" "This Captain Borric is probably an instigator. His purpose is to make Thrall betray you—betray humanity. Although we occupy Northwatch, we are alone outside the gates of Theramore. The orcs will take We surrounded them—the trolls were on their side, and the goblins wouldn't be on my side." Jaina shook her hand.It is a nightmare that has haunted the humans of Kalimdor for years.It seems that since yesterday, humans have just believed that this nightmare may not become a reality.Trade with the orcs is still going on peacefully.Separated by the Barrens, which lies between Kalimdor and Durotar, the two incompatible races have lived in peace for three years. Is this the way it should be, or is it just the calm before the storm, Jaina wonders?Both races are recuperating, waiting for the moment of eruption? Before she had time to think about it, a tall, dark-haired woman walked in.The woman had a square face, a pointed nose, and unusually broad shoulders.She wore standard military uniform—a green cloak draped over metal armor, embroidered with the Kul Tiras anchor insignia.Kul Tiras is the home of the Proudmoore family. She raised her right hand near her forehead and saluted: "Colonel Lorena will report to you as instructed, ma'am." Gianna stood up and said, "Thank you, Lorena. No need to be so formal. Did Duffy tell you what to do?" Standing next to Lorena always made Gianna feel short, so she always stood up. Stand up straight so that you appear as tall as possible. Lorena lowered her right hand and put both hands behind her back, still standing very straight. "Yes, ma'am, she told me. We will leave for Northpost in an hour, and I have sent a messenger to inform Major Davin." "Very well. You both did a good job." Lorena saluted.happily left.Christopher had been hesitating for a while. Gianna felt as if he had something to say, and asked, "What is it, Christopher?" "Perhaps you should let Lorena stay at Northpost and strengthen the fortifications." Jaina didn't even think about it, and immediately replied: "No!" "lady--" "The orcs want us to evacuate Northwatch, Christopher. While I won't grant that request, I will never strengthen the fortifications, especially if they suspect we won't help them fight pirates." "I maintain that—" "Okay, you can go out, Minister of the Interior." Jaina said coldly. Christophe looked at her sullenly for a while, bowed slightly, raised his hand, said, "Ma'am—" and went straight out.