Chapter 7 Chapter VII

Thrall's chieftainship sits in a room surrounded by stone walls.The room was cold, but he liked it—orcs were not cold-resistant animals, and they didn't feel comfortable here, but that's what Thrall wanted.When the house was just started to be built, he told the workers to thicken the stone walls, not to install windows, and to use lanterns instead of torches for lighting, because the latter would release too much heat. But this kind of cold is not enough to make people feel uncomfortable.Although he didn't want people to be too casual when meeting the chief, he didn't want them to suffer too much.Thrall has gone through many hardships to become what he is today, so he cherishes it very much.He always seizes the opportunity to do what he likes as much as possible, even if it is just such a small thing.

What he wants to meet today is the shaman Kalser and his powerful general Berks.Now, the two of them stood before him, and Thrall sat on his hide throne.The throne was fashioned from the skins of enemies he had slain on the battlefield. "Humans are still staying at Northpost. Recently, some troops have appeared in the area. I think they have probably strengthened their defenses." "Probably not," Thrall said, leaning back in his chair, "Queen Proudmoore just sent some people to verify Captain Borric's testimony." Birx leaned forward. "Did they think a soldier could tell a lie?"

"Birks, I'm sure they don't believe us as much as you don't believe them," Karser said with a laugh, his throat low and husky, his green skin pale with age and overgrown. wrinkled. "Human beings are a bunch of vile and shameless cowards!" said Birx contemptuously. "The humans of Theramore don't fall into that category," Thrall said, leaning forward. "I don't want to hear bad things about them in my face." Birx stamped his foot vigorously.Thrall refrained from laughing at him.This kind of action always reminded him of the appearance of a human child losing his temper.Although for orcs, this is just a normal gesture used to express anger.He is now the chief of the tribe, but sometimes he still remembers that his childhood was not spent here.

"This is our place! Thrall! Ours! Humans have no right to touch! Let them go to the Great Sea, where they should go. Then we can live as before—just It's as if the devil never showed up." Thrall shook his head. He thought this kind of thinking should have died out two years ago. "The human territory is only swampland, and the area is very small. Except for Dustwallow Marsh, they gave us all other places, Jaina and his people—" "Jianna?" Birx asked disapprovingly. Thrall stood up: "Be careful, Berks. It's Queen Proudmoore - Jaina - I admire her very much, but you make me look down more and more!"

Burks was a little timid: "Sorry, chief—but you should understand that you were brought up by them after all. Sometimes, this may—make you see the truth. But for us, the thing is obvious of." "I haven't lost sight of the truth, Birx. Don't forget, it was I who made the orcs realize that they could no longer obey the devil. It was I who rescued the orcs from human slavery, and it was I who let you know how to live. .so stop talking about me—" Their conversation was interrupted by a young orc who broke in.He yelled out of breath, "Thunder Lizard!" Sal blinked.Thunder lizards, these creatures should stay far away from here - but if they show up in Orgrimmar, it will be a disaster.

"Where?" Birx asked. Of course it's far away from here," Karser said listlessly, "otherwise the reporter wouldn't be a young boy. " The minion who barged in wore a lightning-shaped nose ring, indicating that he was a messenger.He must have come from the Thunder Mountains to report to Thrall. "Go on," Thrall told him. "I came from Drywater, Chief. The Thunderlizard came out of the mountains." "How is that possible?" Birx asked back. Sal glared at him: "Let him say, we need to know the details." He said to the boy: "Please continue."

"A farmer named Turk heard a loud commotion. He called his son and drove the thunder lizards out before they destroyed the field. Because no one had heard of the thunder lizards coming out of the mountains before. So he called his son, the next-door neighbor, and the next-door neighbor's son to go to the mountains to see what happened." Sal nodded.The Thunder Mountain Range is separated from the Dry Water Valley by a lush forest. The trees in the forest are all sharpened, and the Thunder Lizard can't get through at all.While the Orcs could move through the woods with care and agility, the Thunder Lizard could not.

"When they got there, they found the whole forest had been leveled. The lizards ran off the mountain easily. Now the farmers are worried about their crops." Thrall's thinking still didn't stop at the front: "Razed to the ground? How did it get razed to the ground?" "The trees were all cut down. The stumps were about the width of a hand from the ground." "Where did the felled trees go?" asked Birx. The soldier shrugged: "I don't know. They didn't see the branches and leaves, only the stumps." Thrall shook his head and said, "How is this possible?"

"Chief, don't think about how it is possible," said the soldier. "It has happened, as I said." "Good job." Thrall saluted the little soldier, "Go and get some food. After eating and drinking enough, come and answer our questions." The little soldier nodded: "Yes! Chief." He turned and ran out. "It must have been done by humans," Birx said as soon as the soldier left the throne room. "Don't even think about it. They mentioned it several times. Trees in the Thunder Mountains.No orc would leave it that way anyway. "

Although Thrall was reluctant to believe this speculation, Birx was right.No orc would have made it like that. "They couldn't have transported that much timber from the Thunder Mountains to the sea without being seen. If they had traveled by land, they would have been seen—unless they were transported by air." "There is another possibility," Karser said. Thrall sighed and shook his head: "It's magic." "Yes, it is magic," Berks said. "The most powerful mage in Theramore is your Proudmoore queen, Jaina." "Not Queen Proudmoore," Karser said. "It would be reprehensible. Men are not yet capable of doing it, though they can."

"What do you mean?" Birx exasperated. "You seem to be playing a riddle," Thrall said with a laugh, "as usual." "But it must be magic, Thrall," Karser said. "Very powerful magic." Birx stamped his foot hard again. "Queen Proudmoore's magic is strong, and those humans have long coveted the wood. With this wood, they can build stronger ships--better against our merchant ships. Doing so will also make Thunder The lizards were released too, and made a mess of our farm." Birx walked up to Sal and brought his face closer, their fangs almost touching, "Makes sense. You should understand." Thrall said in a low voice: "Berks, don't forget that Queen Proudmoore even disobeyed her father in order to maintain the alliance between Durotar and Theramore. Do you think she will abandon us for those trees? " Birx stepped back and shook his hands: "Who can tell clearly what human beings think." "I can. As you pointed out earlier, Birx, I was brought up by human beings—I have seen all kinds of human beings, from the noblest to the basest. I can tell you clearly now, Even if it was definitely done by a human, it would never be Jaina Proudmoore." Burks folded his hands on his chest and looked at Thrall provocatively: "But apart from her, there are no other human mages in Kalimdor. Who would it be if she wasn't her. Chief?" "I don't know," Thrall said with a smile, "Blackmoore has always raised me as a human being. He made me read many treatises on philosophy and science. Of all the treatises, I like one sentence best— Wisdom starts with learning to say 'I don't know.' He who can't say that doesn't learn anything. I'm glad I'm very good at learning, Birx." He stood up again. "Send a few teams to Drywater Valley. Let them find a way to put the lizards in corrals and provide assistance to the locals as much as possible," he looked at Karser. "Bring me the magic talisman. I want to talk to Proud Speak to the Queen of the Moor." "We must act!" Birx stomped his feet again anxiously.At this time, Karser was slowly walking out of the room according to Sal's instructions, "We don't have time to chat!" "Talking is the second step in learning, Birx. I need to know who did this. Do as I tell you." Birx wanted to say something, but Sal wouldn't let him. "You have nothing to do here, Birx! I know exactly what you mean! But I think you should also agree that Drywater Valley is in danger now. Please do as I say at once, before our farm is completely destroyed." .” "Okay, Chief." Birx saluted like a soldier and left. Thrall hoped his defense of Jaina would help.He thought it should work.But if it wasn't Jaina Proudmoore who stole their trees and set the Thunder Lizards free - who would it be?