"You think you can command ME!?" The Water Elemental King roared in fury!
However, the moment he raised his hand to summon his weapon, the Trident of Poseidon, the holy energy within Galen's body, which had been partially consumed by the Lightforging, suddenly surged, returning to its peak state. At this instant, the Tidehunter instinctively recoiled, a primal urge to flee this sea area overwhelming him, for he clearly felt the blinding Holy Light radiating from Galen's form! That immense surge of energy was no longer something he could contend with, even here, in his home turf at the bottom of the sea!
Damn it, he whispered angrily, when did such a domineering and unreasonable demigod appear in the self-proclaimed Holy Light? And he's a human!
The Tidehunter grumbled, "What if I choose neither?"
"To me, you have only these two outcomes," Galen declared, extending his hand and drawing Ashbringer from his back, pointing its blade at the Water Elemental King. At this, Strom'kar, on Galen's back, trembled slightly, as if expressing dissatisfaction with Galen for not treating everyone equally.
Neptulon was known as the most agreeable of the four Elemental Lords. His peaceful water attribute tempered his chaotic nature, making his desire to destroy Azeroth far less intense than the other three. He even harbored a certain benevolence towards mortal life. This was why Galen chose to "communicate" with him rather than simply slaying him.
The Tidehunter fell silent. His anthropomorphic features displayed a pair of uncertain blue eyes. It wasn't that he lacked courage; it was simply that the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful!
"Demigod of Holy Light, what do you require of me?" Forced by the dire circumstances, Neptulon gritted his teeth, holding his breath and suppressing the burgeoning anger in his heart.
"Hand over your Tidal Crown and assist the new Water Elemental King in fighting for the Soul of Azeroth!" Galen paid no heed to the Elemental Lord's anger. Even if a being with a criminal record were to be "whitewashed," it would be difficult to erase the harm he had inflicted upon Azeroth. The Star Soul had made it clear that she held no affection for the Elemental Lords. Now, it was Galen's mercy to allow the Tidehunter and Stonemother to live.
"Insanity!"
"Are you not afraid that I will lead the water elemental army to join the camp of the Ancient Gods?"
"Oh?"
"I'm so scared!" Galen's face twisted into a mocking smile: "Al'Akir and Ragnaros chose death, while Therazane chose surrender. You may try to see if you can provide a 'surprise'."
Galen's relentless pressure caused the Tidehunter's form to darken, appearing to melt into water, despite his body already being composed of it.
"There is one more thing I must tell you. Your subordinates, the lords led by Duke Hydraxil, have already made their choice. One more or one less will make no difference."
The Tidehunter was in disarray. Not only was he receiving the dire news of being abandoned by his allies, but judging from Galen's current demeanor, he wasn't attempting to persuade him to surrender. He was forcing him to refuse, then planning to take action! Where were the promised carrots and sticks? Where were the carrots?!
I'm so angry! But he truly could not defeat him! Moreover, Neptulon was indeed unwilling to rejoin the Old Gods' camp. When the Titan Guardians had arrived on Azeroth during the Dark Empire era, the Old Gods had simply pushed the four elements out to absorb the brunt of the disaster! What a dead end!
Silence. A deathly silence descended upon the trench. After several minutes, Neptulon made up his mind and declared, "So be it! I choose to surrender!"
Ragnaros and Al'Akir died, Stonemother also surrendered, I surrendered too, not shabby! The Tidehunter handed over his Tidal Crown, and Galen was very satisfied upon receiving it: "You will be glad for your choice today, Duke Neptulon!"
Duke Neptulon, the Water Elemental, having lost his authority over the water elements, was still a demigod, but his status had irrevocably changed.
"Now, proceed to the Seaweed Forest. My fleet and the Tidefury Legion await you there!" Galen teleported the Lightforged Ozumat to Galenport, then transformed into a ray of white light and ascended from the deep sea.
Neptulon remained alone in the dark trench for a long time, before finally heading north towards Vashj'ir!
On the Flying Stromgarde, Jaina, who had returned earlier, had already recovered from the aftereffects of her bloodline awakening and was awaiting Galen's return in the luxurious cabin. She carefully observed the Tidal Scepter in her hand, attempting to decipher its secrets.
"Hey! Jaina? The Tidal Scepter has been upgraded!" Just as Jaina was lost in thought, a gentle male voice sounded in her ears.
Jaina's body tensed at first, then relaxed as she recognized Galen's voice and figure. "Galen, what is the origin of this Tidal Scepter? It can actually be upgraded to a new form?"
Galen pondered for a moment before explaining to Jaina: "This Tidal Scepter was the most cherished scepter of Azshara, the Queen of the Night Elves ten thousand years ago. According to legend, its power allowed Queen Azshara to control the world's oceans and perform various miracles."
The Scepter of Tides was originally a scepter presented by Lord Xavius, adorned with gems and engraved with exquisite magical markings. To curry favor with the Queen, Xavius deceitfully claimed that as long as she kept the scepter with her, it would grant her power and ensure her empire's continued prosperity. Later, with the High Elves' research and utilization of the water from the Well of Eternity, the Night Elf Empire's strength indeed grew. As the Queen gradually mastered the power of the Well of Eternity, she poured a drop of living water into her jewel-inlaid scepter.
After the scepter was infused with water from the Well of Eternity, it gained the ability to control rivers, lakes, and seas, various aquatic creatures, and to amplify the user's vast life energy. Because of the scepter's newfound vitality, Azshara bestowed upon it a fitting name: Sharas'dal, the Scepter of Tides.
When the Well of Eternity exploded and the seawater flooded the Eternal Palace, Azshara relied on the Scepter of Tides to erect a barrier, protecting the palace. This barrier held back tens of millions of tons of seawater and saved the lives of the High Elves until N'Zoth transformed them into Naga.
After becoming a Naga, Azshara's dependence on Sharas'dal gradually waned. She still treasured the scepter, regarding it as a symbol of her supreme royal power. Whenever the Naga launched a war, Azshara would bestow the scepter upon the female sea witch leading the army, as both the Queen's command and her ultimate representation. In this expedition to the Throne of Tides, following tradition, Lady Naz'jar, as the commander of the Naga army, happened to be wielding the Scepter of Tides, which was then taken by Galen and given to Jaina.
"It turns out that it was the water from the Well of Eternity in this scepter that allowed me to awaken the power of my bloodline!" Jaina suddenly realized, her eyes widening.
"What? You awakened the power of your bloodline?" Galen vaguely recalled the tall, heroic figure operating the "spaceship" and bombarding the Undercity!
In the Wasser Sea, a massive fleet had already sailed onto the surface of the shimmering seabed. As the fleet advanced, many dark shadows could be vaguely seen flashing beneath the waves. They were enemies lurking in the sea.
"Notify everyone, prepare the cannons!" On the bow of the Sea Eagle, the flagship of Stromgarde's First Fleet, Admiral Taylor lowered his engineering telescope, turned, and instructed his adjutant to relay his orders. Then he glanced towards the rear of the fleet, where his King was observing the First Fleet of Stromgarde from a warship. Regardless of the outcome, this would be a naval battle that would etch itself into the history of the Kingdom of Stromgarde and indeed, the entire Eastern Kingdoms of humanity. Taylor knew that if he triumphed, he would be the foremost sailor after Daelin Proudmoore!
Thinking this, Taylor took a deep breath. Then, the middle-aged naval leader's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he swung his right hand fiercely downwards: "Fire! Send those damn Naga to hell!"
Taylor's order echoed throughout the warship. The flag bearer on the watchtower immediately waved the signal flag, relaying Taylor's attack command to the other warships. In an instant, the naval soldiers of Stromgarde swiftly loaded the pre-prepared shells, ignited them, and launched the first round of artillery fire!
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM!
White smoke billowed above the warship, and the whistling shells sliced through the air with a sharp hiss, landing on the sea and sending water spraying skyward! The artillery roared, its thunder spreading across the battlefield! A salvo from the First Fleet directly blasted the Naga lurking in the seawater, sending a multitude of limbs and torsos flying into the air before they splashed back into the cold sea.
After the Naga realized their ambush and sneak attack strategy had failed, they immediately surfaced, their half-human, half-fish green bodies, bright dorsal fins, and twisting snake tails launching a furious sea charge towards the First Fleet! This was not the first time the navy had engaged the Naga. After a few minutes, the calibrated artillery of the First Fleet unleashed a second round of salvos! Countless shells bombarded the sea ahead. The Naga attempting to approach the fleet were either knocked unconscious by the impact or torn to pieces by the exploding shell fragments. For a while, the Naga were unable to get within a hundred meters of the fleet. Occasionally, a lucky Naga that managed to slip through would be shot dead by the highly alert sharpshooters.
At this time, a ship mage hurried to Taylor with a water elemental. "Captain, the Tidesage of Kul Tiras informed me that the Naga sea witches are brewing a massive storm. We should prepare!"
Taylor also noticed that the previously blue sky was beginning to be covered with dark clouds, and the sea was growing turbulent. Although he was not a dedicated spellcaster as a paladin, he surmised this was a sign that a large-scale spell was being channeled. "It is better to rely on yourself than on others." This was a famous saying propagated by Galen during the Second Orc War. Taylor temporarily handed over command of the fleet to his adjutant and climbed the watchtower to use a telescope to scan the sea behind the Naga.
The admiral soon discovered something unusual in the southern waters. A large group of female Naga were gathered on a raised reef. As high-level Naga, these female sea witches possessed charming and beautiful faces, but their emerald green snake tails marred this beauty, giving them an eerie, unsettling appearance. The Naga sea witches held shining staffs in their hands, with thunder and water dancing around them. As they cast their spells, the sky over the ocean grew dark, muffled thunder rumbled, and snake-shaped lightning flashed through the clouds.
Hmph! Taylor leaped down from the watchtower, hurried to the bow, drew his sword, and cut off a piece of curtain from the figurehead! When the crew on the deck saw their captain's actions, their expressions suddenly became enthusiastic!
"Quick, come and fire the bow gun!" Under Taylor's command, four crew members ran over excitedly. The four of them worked together to turn the bearings, and the bearings drove the chains to start the mechanical track! The bow of the Sea Eagle was like an eagle spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. As the crew pulled the chain, the eagle's originally tightly closed beak gradually opened, and a dark gun muzzle extended! The three-section gun barrel extended rapidly as the mechanism turned like an engineering telescope, as if a steel sword pointing to the sky was held on the bow of the Sea Eagle.
Big!
Great!
Very big!
The caliber of this giant cannon was more than five times that of ordinary cannons. After the muzzle was ready, more than a dozen long oars extended from under the portholes on both sides of the Sea Eagle, and the oars were deeply inserted into the sea! After completing the preparations, Taylor took simple aim and then yelled:
"Fire!"
Whoosh!
As a ball of hot flame spurted out of the muzzle, a piercing whistle echoed throughout the noisy battlefield! The recoil of the artillery pushed the Sea Eagle straight back, and at this moment, the oars quickly stabilized the ship under the operation of the sailors. The solid shells were like the embrace of death, accurately striking the area around the reef that Taylor had targeted!
BOOM!
The loud sound of the explosion was clearly audible, spreading throughout the entire sea area and repeating continuously. It was as if a small sun had appeared on the sea. Subconsciously, the Naga extended their arms to shield themselves from the light that seemed capable of piercing their eyeballs! Under the influence of the shockwave, the seawater spread out in colossal waves from the center of the explosion. The red, orange, and even blue-purple flames were as beautiful and deadly as the aurora of Northrend. All the Naga and members of the Stromgarde fleet were stunned by the horrific explosion. They ceased fighting each other and stared, mesmerized, at the epicenter of the blast.
Soon, the flames died down, and the reefs with a radius of dozens of meters vanished in the explosion. The thousands of Naga thugs who had been guarding the explosion range had all turned to ash.
"Explosions... are art." Taylor had already tested the cannon's power immediately after its installation. He couldn't help but sigh when he witnessed its destructive force again. At the same time, he remembered the words of encouragement from His Majesty the King to the goblin tinkerers and gnome engineers.
After Taylor regained his composure, he immediately ordered everyone to continue the attack! "Men of the Alliance! Don't just stand there, keep killing the enemies!"
This time, the Naga on the sea did not choose to charge again, but turned and dived into the sea, fleeing into the deep. Were they kidding? Their commander, a high-level female sea witch, had been obliterated in the explosion. Without their backbone, how could they possibly have the will to continue attacking! Seeing this, Taylor realized the battle was over. The first line of defense leading into the Abyss had been breached by Stromgarde's First Fleet.
"Notify everyone to patrol the surrounding seas and guard against the Naga's sneak attacks!"
"As you command, Admiral!"
At the rear of the fleet, Jaina and Darion were also gazing in amazement at the direction of the explosion. However, unlike Darion, who merely marveled at the explosion's power, Jaina, as a mage, also sensed the arcane energy within the blast.
"Brother Galen, where was that just now?"
"That is the bow gun of the Sea Eagle, forged with mithril by the most outstanding craftsmen of the Thorium Brotherhood." Since these two were his own people, Galen chose not to keep it secret, but introduced the giant cannon to them in detail: "Of course, the cannon alone is not enough; the real killer is the shells it fires!"
"Focusing Iris 1000!"
"It is modeled after the Focusing Iris, a sacred artifact of the Blue Dragonflight. After many studies by the dwarves, the explosive power of this 1000 model is comparable to one ten-thousandth of the original Focusing Iris's energy."
The Focusing Iris contains the most powerful arcane energy in Azeroth. It is a magic control artifact given to the Blue Dragonflight by the Titans. It helps the Blue Dragon King manage the magic of Azeroth. The Nexus War in the original timeline was caused by the Blue Dragon King Malygos, who believed that mortal mages abused arcane magic and were responsible for the disaster on Azeroth. Therefore, he used the Focusing Iris to absorb the arcane energy of the entire Azeroth, causing the entire planet to enter a Dharma Ending Age. At that time, to combat this crisis, the entire city of Dalaran flew over Northrend. However, the Focusing Iris condensed the arcane energy of the entire planet, making it extremely unstable. Once it exploded, it would be enough to blow up all of Azeroth into a second Outland. This led to the Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza organizing other dragons to gather at Wyrmrest Temple to form the Wyrmrest Coalition to fight against Malygos alongside Dalaran.
Of course, the story of the Focusing Iris is far more extensive. After Malygos's death, the arcane power was controlled by the weakened Kalecgos. Furthermore, the Blue Dragonflight suffered another devastating blow, and its dragons withered. As a result, the Focusing Iris was stolen by Garrosh, the then Warchief of the Horde, who used it to condense a "mana bomb" to destroy Theramore. It was at that time that the traumatized Jaina awakened her bloodline.
In this timeline, with Galen's intervention, the Horde no longer exists, and the Blue Dragonflight is on the path to revival. With Malygos and the old blue dragon Senegos in charge, the Focusing Iris stored in the Nexus is as solid as a rock. As the current Blue Dragon King Ancagalon was one of his own, it was easy for Galen to obtain some hollow shells and have him infuse them with some of the Focusing Iris's energy. The Focusing Iris 1000 shell, used just now, is the least powerful and most numerous in this series of shells, yet even so, it serves as a small strategic weapon.