In the Abyss, on the northern seabed of the Abyss Rift, Galen and Jaina waited in a patch of seaweed. Vashj'ir is a truly beautiful underwater world. Galen and Jaina had arrived here after casting the underwater breathing spell, and along the way, they had constantly marveled at the beauty of this submerged realm.
The Vashj'ir Sea is divided into three distinct areas. The area where Jaina and her companions had encountered the deep-sea monsters was called the Forest of Korpsa, which translates to "kelp forest" in the ancient elven tongue. This kelp forest is relatively close to the sea surface. In addition to numerous shipwrecks, it is also a hub for sea goblins, who have even established a smuggler's gathering place here.
South of the kelp forest lies the shimmering seabed, the domain of the Naga. They bring captured crew members here to toil as laborers. The ancient city of Vashj'ir itself is located within this area.
The final area is the bottomless abyss to the west, the deepest region of the seabed. This is the territory of the water elementals, and the Abyss Rift not far away serves as the entrance to the Water Elemental Plane. The light here is extremely dim, with only the bioluminescence emanating from the shimmering seabed to the east and the faint light refracted by the distant sun.
The two of them were positioned very close to each other. The peculiar environment of the dark abyss itself triggered Jaina's claustrophobia, as if endless darkness was pressing in from all directions, and shadowy tentacles threatened to drag her into the deep. Her psychological discomfort caused her to lean almost entirely against Galen's back. The blue water made Jaina's beautiful golden hair undulate gracefully. Her lovely face had flushed red, yet there was no trace of fear in her blue eyes. Perhaps she felt that being with Galen was the safest place to be.
The water pressure around them was immense, but it had no effect on Galen whatsoever. On the contrary, the soft and cool body of the female mage made him feel a slight tension.
Damn it, Galen cursed himself inwardly. He was an experienced individual, not a rookie. There was no need to be nervous!
Galen slowly turned and looked at Jaina behind him: "Jaina, no matter what you witness, I need you to remain silent. You cannot make any moves without my explicit order. Do you understand?" The deep sea itself was not conducive to loud communication, so to facilitate their exchange, Galen communicated directly with Jaina telepathically.
"Yes, no problem, Galen!" Seeing that Galen did not reject her closeness, Jaina pressed her body even nearer. "Galen, what are we waiting for?"
At this moment, Jaina was no longer merely the magical girl from Galen's memory. He hadn't seen her for several years, having been consumed by his duties. Now, Jaina exuded a mature and elegant aura. He reached out and stroked her long golden hair. According to the course of the original history, this beautiful golden hair would turn completely silver-white more than ten years later due to the profound pain of the destruction of Theramore, the city she had meticulously built.
Galen's action touched a sensitive chord in Jaina's heart, and she stood on tiptoe, raising her head.
Hiss!
Galen quickly turned his head away and responded telepathically: "A Naga, a contingency plan left to me by a close friend of mine."
Hmph! Indeed, those four words had a profound impact on Jaina, and the female mage's face visibly contorted with a sense of grievance! Confidante... Which one is it? Why! I have known Galen since I was three years old!
They had first met by the shore of Lake Lordamere, and that first sight of Galen was a lifelong regret. Even when Jaina was very young, Galen's shadow had been imprinted upon her heart. Of course, at first it was merely the admiration of a little sister for an older brother, but as Galen grew stronger and more outstanding, and treated her with increasing kindness and affection, this admiration gradually blossomed into something more profound. If Galen had been romantically involved with a particular hero, Jaina might have given up the idea long ago. But that wasn't the case with Galen. On the surface, he had only two queens, both stunning high elf sisters. Most importantly, Jaina discovered that Calia's daughter, the seven or eight-year-old princess of Lordaeron of unknown origins bore a striking resemblance to Galen! If Sister Calia can do it, why can't I? Jaina didn't think she was being irrational.
"Galen~"
Just as Jaina was about to speak, a slight movement rippled from the deep sea to the south. Galen raised his index finger to his lips, signaling silence. The two of them stared intently into the depths of the Abyss Rift, and soon, they saw a purple-red Naga swimming towards them, twisting her tail, with a blue seahorse following closely behind.
The Naga are born with an innate ability to control water, and this one was one of the most skilled among them. She swiftly reached the patch of seaweed where Galen and Jaina were concealed. "Lord Galen, I am Naz'jar, a loyal servant of Mistress Vashj." The Naga arrived at the designated location and, failing to immediately spot the two hidden figures, took the initiative to reveal her identity, prompting the person she awaited to appear.
Galen sensed no hostility from her, nor was he concerned about Naz'jar's potential betrayal. Her cooperation would be ideal, but without it, he would simply adjust his plan and proceed with a direct assault. So Galen led Jaina out from the seaweed.
"Here I am. Lead the way!"
"As you command, Lord Galen!"
Upon hearing this, Naz'jar obediently handed the seahorse's reins to Galen, then turned and led the way. Galen mounted the seahorse, then reached out to pull Jaina up behind him. Fortunately, this seahorse was quite robust, otherwise, it truly couldn't have carried two individuals.
As Jaina heard Naz'jar's name, she fell into a brief daze. Naz'jar, according to intelligence from Kul Tiras, was one of the most trusted handmaidens of the Naga Queen Azshara, her status second only to Lady Vashj. Not long ago, the Naz'jar Legion, under her command, had defeated the Vrikul of the Underworld and regained control of Vashj'ir. She had become renowned across the Great Sea, and the sea merchants of Kul Tiras were terrified at the mere mention of her name. I never expected that the hidden chess piece Galen mentioned was actually a high-ranking member of the Naga! So who is the confidante Galen mentioned? Jaina's mind began to race. At this moment, she felt she was only one step away from Galen's secret!
Just as Jaina was lost in thought, a sudden darkness enveloped her vision as a colossal monster blocked the light filtering down from above.
"What's this!" The female mage looked up and was instantly stunned! She had never seen such an enormous creature. Even Ozumat, who had attacked the ship, or the Dragon that caused the catastrophe, seemed minuscule in comparison! It was like a colossal fortress, no smaller than the newly constructed Dalaran. It was covered with layers of thick shells, and hideous bone spurs protruded from each layer.
"That is Lagrak, an ancient sea creature whose birth can be traced back to the ancient times of Azeroth," Galen recalled the information he knew. "This creature should have been a servant of Neptulon, but it appears to be deceased."
"Yes," the Gorgon leading the way turned and explained. "This ancient conch, like the one on the Glittering Seabed, obeyed Neptulon. However, we have slain it and completely occupied its body to create a movable underwater fortress!" Naz'jar's words sounded casual, but they greatly expanded Jaina's understanding as she rode the seahorse.