When crossing the Dark Portal, Aiden only felt himself falling into a brief darkness.
He once again experienced the feeling of being in the Twisting Nether—losing weight and senses, with only mental power able to perceive the state of things.
However, this process was very short.
Before he could carefully savor it, their plane had already entered the reality of Outland.
"Hold tight, everyone!" Corki shouted.
The Burning Legion's minions were crossing the Dark Portal, and at this moment, their plane suddenly appeared in reverse, immediately causing an uproar.
Before the enemy could first identify them as enemies, Corki quickly pressed the rocket launcher button on the helicopter, and before the explosive air wave rose, he pulled the helicopter up to fly higher.
In the deafening explosion, many demons near the Dark Portal were killed or injured.
Several Doomguards guarding nearby flew into the sky to try to catch up, but Kassadin and Kayle easily dealt with them.
After that, no more demons dared to chase after them.
"Commander, which direction are we going?" Corki asked loudly.
Aiden said, "Westward, towards Honor Hold!"
They had a map drawn from memory by Anna.
The Outland in reality was obviously much more complex and vast than in the game.
However, the approximate location remained unchanged.
Honor Hold was still located in the southern part of the middle section of the Path of Glory in Hellfire Peninsula.
That would be their first stop.
In the First War, Varok Saurfang followed Warchief Blackhand through the Dark Portal into Azeroth.
At that time, although the land of Draenor was gradually drying up and becoming barren due to the pollution of fel energy, it was at least still habitable.
However, what he saw before him left him stunned.
"This… what is this place?" He couldn't recognize it at all.
In his memory, this side of the Dark Portal in Draenor shouldn't look like this—the crimson scorched earth here made him completely unfamiliar.
The sky had also become completely unfamiliar—the blue sky and white clouds were gone, and even the sun was invisible.
The primordial arcane torrents intertwined into colorful bands of light, like the aurora borealis that could occasionally be seen in Northrend.
This broken continent floated in the void, like duckweed without roots.
Aiden said, "See that road? You'll remember it."
He was referring to the Path of Glory that ran across Hellfire Peninsula.
Varok Saurfang and Grom Hellscream were both silent.
This was not a true Path of Glory.
It was a road paved with the corpses of draenei slaughtered by the orc clans after the founding of the Horde.
Most of those piled-up bones had now sunk into the soil.
The orcs thought this was glory back then, but it was just a lie woven by the demons to deceive them.
"Is this Tanaan Jungle?" Varok Saurfang swallowed, his throat feeling incredibly dry.
Because in his memory, even when Draenor was gradually drying up, this place should have been a lush jungle.
But now it had become a ghost of its former self.
Looking around, there wasn't even a blade of grass within the four fields, let alone any trees.
Apart from the Dark Portal and the Path of Glory, he couldn't find any common ground between the two.
Even Grom Hellscream was somewhat silent.
Although he only entered Azeroth after the end of the Second War, Draenor was still intact at that time.
Although Tanaan Jungle showed signs of gradual drying up, it was still considered vibrant.
"Is Draenor like this everywhere now?" Varok Saurfang asked with a bitter expression.
"Not yet—although the sea is gone, there are still some places that are still suitable for survival," Aiden smiled.
"And there's good news, most of your Nagrand grasslands still retain their original appearance."
Nagrand grasslands.
Hearing this name, the two brave and fearless orc warriors revealed a rare tenderness.
That green grassland was the most sacred place in the hearts of all orcs.
In previous years, orcs from all their clans would gather here during fixed festivals.
The elder shamans would bless them, and they could go to Mount Oshu'gun to worship the souls of their ancestors.
I wonder if they still have a chance to restore the tradition now?
"In addition, there is one thing I must make clear here," Aiden looked at Grom Hellscream, the orc warrior who had bravely "slain gods" twice.
"Chieftain Grom, there is a very important reason for letting you participate in the Outland expedition this time."
"Please speak!" Grom Hellscream said in a deep voice.
He sensed that this young leader had something very important to say.
Aiden said, "In the past, you left your sick son Garrosh in Nagrand, I believe you still remember this."
"Garrosh…" Grom Hellscream muttered the name, feeling a pang of pain in his heart.
This was the name of his only son.
Back then, the Warsong Clan was hunted by a large number of ogres, and he lost his beloved wife and many clansmen.
After that, he made up his mind that he would never retreat lightly again.
Later, he did it, and the bravery of the Warsong Clan was proven in numerous wars.
After his wife Golka died, Grom Hellscream raised the young Garrosh alone.
However, this child was not as healthy as other orcs.
He was weak, sickly, and emaciated, and he also suffered from a strange sore.
Garrosh had difficulty even living a normal life, and was obviously not enough to become a powerful warrior to inherit the Warsong Clan.
After the war began, Grom Hellscream entrusted his son Garrosh to Grandmother Geyah in the Nagrand grasslands, which could almost be regarded as abandoning him.
"How is he?" Grom Hellscream had a bad feeling, and he felt that this prophet might tell him that Garrosh had died.
If that were the case, he would no longer have any other relatives in this world.
Aiden saw the other party's solemn expression and immediately guessed what he was thinking.
"Don't worry, as long as nothing unexpected happens, he should be living well.
And be very strong, very healthy."
Grom Hellscream breathed a sigh of relief, and even squeezed out an ugly smile.
"But I must make it clear to you in advance, you should be mentally prepared—I believe you already know something about the past and future on the timeline," Aiden looked at Grom Hellscream, who nodded.
Indeed, Varok Saurfang had personally experienced the Battle of Icecrown and witnessed Thrall, the orc gladiator from another world, Deathbringer Dranosh, and Garrosh Hellscream who was corrupted by fel energy.
These things were naturally known to the orcs.
Aiden continued, "On a certain timeline in the future, Garrosh Hellscream made many crazy moves, and eventually even became the common enemy of the Alliance and the Horde.
I don't want such things to happen again.
You are his father, and I think you have the responsibility and are most qualified to lead him on the right path."
"I will," Grom Hellscream first opened his mouth wide, and then said in a deep voice.
"I swear it!" He clenched his fist.
The mistakes made by the Warsong Clan will be made up for, and Grom Hellscream believes that he will lead his clansmen on the true path of glory.
"That's what we want to see most," Aiden smiled.
—
Recently, the Alliance troops in Honor Hold discovered that the movements of the demons in Hellfire Citadel were very strange—usually these demons would always harass them and attack their strongholds in Outland.
These days, these demons have gathered on a large scale, and the fel orcs in Hellfire Citadel have also come out of the fortress one after another.
General Danath Trollbane was very vigilant, thinking that the demons would make a big move.
("T/N: F*ck, then who the hell was the third Trollbane prince if he wasn't Danath, the author intruduced them as the two sons of Thoras but I checked the wiki and I changed that, he only has one child. Just roll with it guys)
He ordered the soldiers to be ready for battle at any time, but the other party did not launch an attack, but instead gathered in the direction of the Dark Portal.
Danath immediately sent some gryphon riders to scout the situation there, feeling that something must have happened near the Dark Portal.
However, a group of Doomguards firmly guarded the nearby sky, and unless the gryphon riders paid a huge price, they couldn't break through here to investigate the specific situation of the Dark Portal.
Danath was worried, but soon, Archmage Khadgar in Shattrath City, the high elf rangers of Allerian Stronghold, and the gryphon riders of Wildhammer Stronghold in Shadowmoon Valley sent people over to tell him what happened in the Black Temple.
Combining all the information, Danath came to a terrible conclusion—I'm afraid the Dark Portal has been opened again!
The Burning Legion's army was not going to attack Allerian Stronghold, nor did they discover the hidden draenei in Shattrath City, and even less were they going to completely eliminate the expeditionary army of Honor Hold, but to Azeroth!
Danath was so worried about this conclusion that he could hardly sleep. He sent his messengers to tell the expeditionary forces scattered in various places about his guess. He had a premonition that his group of old friends might need to gather again. If this guess was true, they would have to return to Azeroth!
The thought had just occurred to him when his deputy brought him an astonishing message: "General, a group of people claiming to have come from Azeroth through the Dark Portal are here! They are waiting for you in the council hall!"
The deputy seemed extremely excited. They had been trapped in Outland for more than ten years, and they had been looking forward to returning to their homeland day and night. This was definitely exciting news.
The half-elf Arator ran quickly into the room, panting as he leaned on the threshold and asked loudly, "Uncle Danath, I heard that the Alliance is here, is it true?"
"I just got the news, Arator." Danath looked at the half-elf child, who was only a little over ten years old. He had almost completely inherited the high elf genes from his mother: golden hair, pointed ears, long eyebrows, and slightly glowing pupils. Only his face was six or seven parts similar to his father, Turalyon, but his facial lines were much softer. Although he was still young, he already had a handsome face that would kill for, and he would definitely be more popular with girls than his father in the future.
"Let's go, let's go take a look together!"
"Okay!" Arator replied happily, but soon he frowned again and asked hesitantly, "Uncle Danath, if these are the people who are here to take everyone back, what about Dad and Mom?"
Two years ago, Alleria encountered a crisis, and Turalyon rushed to save her. Since then, both of them have been missing. The expeditionary force searched everywhere, but found no trace of them. They only learned from some passers-by that the couple had fought with demons. It was said that Turalyon was on the advantageous side, so he shouldn't have been killed.
If Turalyon was killed by the demons, then the Burning Legion would definitely publicize this matter to Strike the confidence of the other members of the expeditionary force. Since the demons did not do this, it meant that they were just missing.
Hearing Arator's question, Danath felt a little Tricky. He was silent for a while, then met the other party's eyes and replied, "Don't worry, we will find them!"
Soon Danath took Arator to the hall and met several people who claimed to be from the Alliance. However, he was very unfamiliar with most of the people in front of him. He even saw an angel with wings growing out of his back!
But at least there was one person Danath was somewhat familiar with - he saw Sylvanas, the Ranger-General of Silvermoon City! In fact, he was not familiar with Sylvanas, mainly because he had worked with Alleria for many years, and this pair of sisters looked very similar. He could recognize her at a glance.
When Sylvanas saw Danath leading a half-elf child out, she immediately stood up, looked at the other party in surprise, and called out, "Arator, is that you?"
"Who are you?" Arator asked, looking at the female elf who looked a bit like his mother.
"It really is you!" Sylvanas was almost crying. She waved to the other party and said, "Come here, let me take a look at you!"
Arator looked at Danath, who smiled and said, "Go ahead, this is your mother's sister, your second aunt!"
Seeing Sylvanas couldn't help but hug Arator, Aiden was also quite moved by the joy from the bottom of the Ranger-General of Meryl's heart.
"Excuse me, everyone, who is the leader?" Danath looked at the others, almost none of whom he recognized. He could only ask directly.
Everyone looked at Aiden.
The people who came to Honor Hold did not include Kuchi, Kassadin, Grom, and Saurfang. After all, Honor Hold and the orcs were still in an antagonistic state, and they were not suitable to appear at this time. Moreover, they needed to persuade the Mag'har orcs on the Nagrand prairie, so Kuchi directly took them to Nagrand.
Krasus pointed to Aiden and said, "This is His Excellency Aiden, the chancellor of the Valoran Federation, and the highest person in charge of this entry into Outland."
Danath looked puzzled: "Valoran Federation?"
"Yes. They are a major force that recently joined the Alliance." Krasus briefly introduced the changes in the situation in Azeroth after the expedition to the Dark Portal.
When Danath heard that the Burning Legion had invaded and the Dark Portal had been reopened, the shock in his heart could be imagined. His guess was confirmed, but the reality was even more terrible than he had imagined. He originally thought that it was just these demons from Outland who were going to invade Azeroth. In that case, the Alliance would definitely have enough power to resist. After all, after so many years of fighting, he was still very clear about the strength of these demons. Even if they were combined, they could not be stronger than the orcs in the Second War. But the severity of reality far exceeded his imagination.
Archimonde, a name that was unfamiliar to him, led the demons to sweep across the entire Eastern Kingdoms.
"So what should we do?" Danath asked.
Aiden said: "We believe that the key to the battle now lies in the future Battle of Mount Hyjal, so the Alliance must now strive for all the power it can to resist the Burning Legion and Archimonde."
"Are you saying that we have to go back too?"
"Yes. General Trollbane."
Arator broke free from Sylvanas's arms and asked loudly, "But what about Dad and Mom? What about them?"
Aiden said: "Don't worry, Arator. Perhaps in the next ten years, you will not hear from your parents. But I believe that they are still fighting in some corner of the universe, and you will meet again one day in the future!"
"How do you know?" Arator looked at Aiden unconvinced.
Aiden laughed: "Haha, that's a long story."
The expeditionary force of Honor Hold was a force from the Alliance, and it was not difficult to persuade them. After seeing the orders jointly issued by several Alliance leaders such as Terenas, Thoras, Antonidas, Falstad, and Anasterian, Danath immediately agreed to lead the soldiers of Honor Hold back to Azeroth, and took the initiative to undertake the task of evacuating several expeditionary outposts such as Grim Batol and Alleria Stronghold.
And next, Aiden and the others will go to Shattrath, one of the most important destinations of this trip.
Aiden tried hard to recall the plot of Outland. There should already be Naaru in Shattrath City now. Before, he had received the help of fourteen Naaru led by Xi'dar in the Twisting Nether, which enabled him to fight against Archimonde, and even withstood Sargeras's soul fusion at a critical moment.
I wonder if the Naaru in Shattrath City will be so easy to talk to?
He hoped it would be so.
However, how to deal with the conflict between the orcs and the draenei has become a big problem - the two sides have too much resentment, and I don't know if it can be resolved. If Aiden was a draenei, he would definitely not forgive the inhumane massacre of the draenei by the orcs twenty years ago.
Putting himself in their shoes, the draenei would definitely not be more generous than him. Aiden was quite troubled, so he asked Kayle next to him, "What do you think is the right thing to do in this situation?"
Kayle replied: "Think about the situation in Valoran, and you may get some inspiration."
"Valoran?" Aiden knew that she was talking about the League of Legends system. But this system has not been reflected in Azeroth at all. The various forces in Valoran with many conflicts maintain restraint from each other because they all follow his leadership. The warriors from Demacia and Noxus only compete and do not antagonize each other, but the orcs and draenei are not under his control.
"Let's take it one step at a time." Aiden felt that at least he had to be able to see the Prophet Velen first.
He was looking forward to meeting the draenei, but little did he know that A'dal was also waiting for his arrival.
Honor Hold and Shattrath City have always maintained contact. Danath specially sent griffon riders to take them to Shattrath. Without someone to lead the way, it would not be easy for them to find this secret city in the mountains.
As this team of griffons approached, A'dal sent a telepathic message to Prophet Velen and Archmage Khadgar: