Chapter 158: Power
[You've also descended into the Deadmines several times. The winding, labyrinthine passages and the tight security pleased you greatly—especially since the mine holds a rich vein of gold, which makes constructing massive ironclad warships a breeze. You smiled as you proposed a plan to VanCleef: why not sail in from the Westfall coastline into the inland river, break through the Alliance's naval blockade, then storm Westbrook Garrison and bombard Stormwind directly? You ended with a smile, telling VanCleef: "This is for justice. And to let Varian and his Stormwind Kingdom understand what happens when they piss off a discarded, marginalized outcast. I'll tell you what happens—they'll reap what they sow." Yeah, that's right. It's for justice. Judging from the eager and twisted look on VanCleef's face, he could barely wait.]
[October 2012 to July 2013: After over nine months of indoctrination and manipulation, Bolvar's dark side has spread dramatically. You're now fully confident in your control over his actions—because when it comes to people like him, it all comes down to this: madness is just gravity. All you have to do is give them a little push.]
[Late October 2012: During this period, the bronze dragons seemed to have taken an interest in you. But most of those observing you were slain by the black dragon princess—only one bronze dragon named Doren barely escaped. What left a deep impression on you was how, when he tried to peer into your past, he was suddenly engulfed in a burst of timefire that appeared out of nowhere and was instantly reduced to ashes. Perhaps time itself is on your side?]
[Since Varian had only just reached adulthood, most of the kingdom's power still rested in the hands of his mentor, Bolvar. You gradually reached a tacit understanding with Bolvar Fordragon and the black dragon princess, Katrana. Once corrupted, Bolvar developed a pathological hunger for power, while Katrana—fearful of her father, Deathwing, and her brother, Nefarian—was also fiercely obsessed with control and material desire. That formed the basis of your alliance. Overthrowing Stormwind became your shared goal.]
[Also worth mentioning: the black dragon lady had quite a charm. Alluring, with fierce combat prowess. You seriously considered having her bear your child. A half-dragon kid wouldn't be so bad. How does that song go again? "I've got horns on my head, and a tail behind. No one knows how many secrets I hide." Eh, just kidding.]
[March 2015: After more than three years, VanCleef sent word that the ironclad warship in the Deadmines was finally complete. It would be an unsinkable steel behemoth—a revolutionary masterpiece. Even you were slightly surprised by its sheer scale when the tarp was pulled back. As a reasonably competent engineer, you helped upgrade the artillery—tripling its firepower. You named it the Pineapple, and together with your entire crew—the entire Joker Gang including VanCleef, Hogger, Randolf Moloch, Bazil, and Grand Apothecary Putress—you all boarded the ship. Let's go, Pineapple! (Achievement Unlocked: How the Steel Was Tempered)]
[Following your plan, the Pineapple charged in from the Westfall coast into Elwynn Forest's inland river. Facing off against one Lion's Pride–class battleship and two smaller vessels, the Pineapple crushed the blockade with ease and charged straight toward Stormwind! Not long after, when Valley of Heroes came into view, your crew erupted into spontaneous cheers.]
[For justice! Laughing, you snapped your fingers. Instantly, the cannons roared. Buildings crumbled under the bombardment. The Pineapple even charged up the canal and into the heart of Stormwind. The towering Cathedral of Light collapsed under your barrage—of course, none of this would have gone so smoothly without Bolvar's help. Soon after, Bolvar and Katrana didn't disappoint: with inside coordination, they staged a coup and imprisoned King Varian Wrynn. Within just four hours, Stormwind had been completely overthrown.]
[April 2015: You abolished the monarchy of Stormwind and replaced it with a Triumvirate system. Bolvar, VanCleef, Katrana, and Randolf Moloch took turns as ruling chairperson. You didn't kill Varian—in fact, you even stopped Bolvar from smashing his skull. You found Varian Wrynn quite interesting. Sure, he's still green—just playing on "easy mode" for now.]
[Under your direction, the Triumvirate was quickly established. As for you, while you could've become a dictator if you wanted, you weren't all that interested in power itself. What intrigued you more was watching the world descend into chaos and disorder. Even if your underlings were the ones in charge—it didn't matter. With four people vying for three seats in the council, what do you think will happen?]
[Then things got even more fun. Varian was exiled from Stormwind and sought refuge in Lordaeron. Before leaving, he demanded to know what you gained from toppling Stormwind. You smiled and told him that you never needed a reason to act. You didn't care about gain or loss. As long as it created enough chaos—if people died meaningless deaths—you'd gladly do it. Because what this world really lacked… was a criminal with taste.]
[Meanwhile, under your watch, VanCleef and the three councilors continued to scheme against one another. The Triumvirate was filled with internal strife. Things got even more interesting when Bolvar and VanCleef joined forces to assassinate Randolf and collaborated to counter Katrana's growing influence. Of course, their alliance was tenuous at best. The rest of your underlings—Bazil, the murloc Cookie, and others—each had their own agendas, and things nearly erupted into all-out brawls. You yawned. It's just power. Why so serious?]
[May 2015 to April 2018: With Varian in exile, you knew it was only a matter of time before Lordaeron intervened in the coup. Sure enough, when their ultimatum to dissolve the Triumvirate was ignored, Lordaeron and the newly reorganized Stormwind Kingdom engaged in a nearly three-year war. You had neither the power nor the interest to influence the outcome—at least not yet. You decided to take your loyal subordinates, Hogger and Putress, and head to Lordaeron. After all, new toys awaited there, and the fun was only just beginning.]
[It's worth noting that Katrana contributed significantly to the war effort. She summoned wave after wave of dragonkin to battle Lordaeron, resulting in mutual devastation. The decisive moment, however, came in April 2018, during a massive naval battle. The giant alchemical bombs you and Putress had developed turned the tide—wave after wave of explosions left Lordaeron's navy all but annihilated.]
[Over your six years in this world, your power hadn't increased dramatically, but you had become a decent fire mage. Now, with just a snap of your fingers, a flame would ignite at your fingertips! You could even perform short-range teleportation. (Skill Acquired: Blink)]
[May 2018: As you prepared to set off for Lordaeron, a mysterious voice suddenly echoed in your mind. Someone—or something—was summoning you from the Frozen Throne in Northrend, promising you ultimate power. Ah… power?]
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