682 Chapter 682: The Dark Portal, Year 3
Conspiracies are terrifying because they lurk beneath all facades.
The reincarnator, privy to the plot through cheating means, is unreasonably piercing through the fog to the essence.
Currently, the only uncertainty for Duke is why the original robbery team sent by N'Zoth so easily succeeded in stealing three artifacts. One of the most important reasons was Deathwing, Neltharion's interference.
With the former Guardian Dragon's help, the Eye of Dalaran, secured in the most guarded vault of Dalaran, was as exposed as a showroom piece in a glass window.
The problem is… Neltharion has been tricked into death by Duke!
If the theft of the three artifacts fails, the Dark Portal will not be fully reopened, there will be no expeditionary force, and no subsequent Draenor explosion, and whatnot.
Oh!
Exhilarating!
Just thinking about it feels right, and I need not struggle so hard.
Duke hugged Alleria tightly, wishing to merge her into his body completely, smelling the fragrance wafting from her golden hair, Duke swore in the dark, "Come on, N'Zoth! I don't care if you are the first shaman of the orcs or the mighty Lich King! I have dug a big hole for you, just waiting for you to jump into it!"
Strategy is only particularly effective when strength is inadequate and one must strike against the strong with weakness.
When one's strength is sufficient to flatten the enemy, then all the enemy's schemes and plots are meaningless.
The third year of the Dark Portal, nearly the entire year was spent in the bustling reconstruction of the kingdom.
In May, the Kingdom of Stormwind announced a compulsory conscription system; every adult male over the age of sixteen must undergo three months of military training. Additionally, women with javelin skills would receive extra rewards.
In June, the reconstruction site of Stormwind City introduced steam cranes improved by Duke and the dwarves, significantly accelerating the work. The Alliance also began building Sentinel Tower in the Blasted Lands.
In July, the Stormwind Kingdom engineering team, under the protection of the private army of Duke Marcus, laid the cement road all the way to Redridge Mountains, reaching the entrance of the Swamps of Sorrows.
In the same month, a large number of murlocs and naga entered the swamp, battling with the swamp creatures and the wandering orcs in the area.
The supply line to the Alliance camp in the Blasted Lands began to flow smoothly.
In August, due to the first bumper summer harvest in Westfall, a large quantity of grain was transported through the cement roads to various places in Elwynn Forest, quelling a potential food shortage.
At the end of September, the fertile fields of Elwynn Forest yielded a bountiful harvest, causing nationwide celebration.
In October, the construction of the cement road traversing the entire Swamps of Sorrows was completed, and numerous watchtowers were established along the route.
In November, before the onset of winter, the double-track railway spanning the entire Elwynn Forest was laid. This signified that one could now reach the tri-junction area from Stormwind City to Redridge Mountains in just two days.
The early steam-engine trains could now pull four carriages at once, transporting nearly a thousand soldiers rapidly to Redridge Mountains.
It's said that an updated version of the steam engine is already under development.
In December, the Southern Continental Defense Command was established in Redridge Mountains, with Anduin Lothar as the commander-in-chief and Turalyon as the commander of the Alliance forces at Sentinel Tower in the Blasted Lands.
While the Alliance was bustling with reconstruction and actively preparing for the impending war, what was the Horde doing?
Sorry!
The Horde was still in-fighting!
A spiked war axe, fashioned from the jawbone of a giant beast, was swung by its owner with such speed and power that it whistled sharply in the air before cleaving into its target.
Under the winter sun, the orc chieftain's neck spurted out several fierce jets of blood, shining malevolently.
The axe's owner laughed wildly, his green-tattooed jaw stretched impossibly wide. With his movement, his black hair fluttered behind his head, and a red sinister light emanated from his blinded left eye socket.
His remaining eye kept spinning, following his axe as it continuously chopped at the enemies daring to stand before him.
"Weak! Too weak! Too weak! You scum, you can't even beat humans, and you dare to come to my Bleeding Hollow clan's territory to die!?" Kilrogg Deadeye roared loudly.
His hands continued to wield the axe, slaughtering orcs from different clans as if he was slicing meat.
Victory was unquestionable.
But Kilrogg felt a void; his enemies were too weak. Compared to the human paladins he had fought against, they were like the difference between wild boars and dragons.
His exquisite skill and powerful strength had no place to be used.
"Kilrogg!"
Kilrogg heard someone calling his name, snorted, and forced himself out of the longing for a bloody battle.
"Kargath!?"
It was Kargath Bladefist.
It was not wise to barge into the fierce battle between two clans. If not careful, it could provoke both sides to turn against him.
He didn't care.
Because he was Kargath Bladefist.
Strolling through the battlefield, Kargath was as leisurely as if in his own garden. Should any blind orc rush at him, he would send them to rebirth with the serrated evil blade on his amputated arm.
The battle was actually coming to an end. This starved minor clan, blundering onto the seemingly less populated territory of the Bleeding Hollow clan, had sealed their tragic fate from the start.
Kilrogg's men would finish off the small clan without needing to be chased down.
Kilrogg, carrying his serrated war axe, walked towards Kargath. Although he had just been engaged in intense activity, he was only lightly panting now.
He looked up at Kargath, no matter how many times, that evil blade on Kargath's amputated arm always left a deep impression on him.
"Old friend!" Kilrogg waited for the leader of the Shattered Hand clan to come over. They shook hands—of course, the right hand. Kilrogg didn't want to shake hands with a blade.
"It seems your clan hasn't recovered its population yet! You should learn from my clan!" Kargath showed a rough and cruel smile.
Kilrogg rolled his only remaining eye.
You think anyone can learn from your Shattered Hand clan, cutting off a hand and fitting a blade to join.
Thanks to this brutal yet effective act, the population of the Shattered Hand clan was swelling rapidly.
"The Bleeding Hollow clan will rise again. But you too, are you fed up with this boring infighting?"
"Yes! If it weren't for Gul'dan, we would have won already!"
