Chapter 543

Chapter 543: Desolace

The whole Stonetalon is a highland area in the western part of Kalimdor, always going uphill when entering and downhill when leaving.

Sitting on the back of a Kodo, swaying back and forth with the movement of the giant beast’s shoulders, at first feeling a bit uneasy, but after a while, starting to feel like sitting in a cradle, even feeling a bit sleepy.

Greed was already fast asleep beside with herbs taken from Sun Rock Retreat, wrapped in packages of potions and food made by Tauren, snoring like thunder, could be heard from far away.

Vereesa couldn’t stand the snoring noise, occasionally giving him a pat to stop him for a while, but it only lasted about ten minutes, before the snoring started again soon after.

Setting off from Sun Rock Retreat in the afternoon, walking down a steep slope behind the mountain, the sun hadn’t set yet, arriving at a dense pine forest.

Jesse remembered that in the game, this place was called Charred Vale, a forest burnt by a big fire, with grey soil, blackened trees, and ashes scattered around, angry fire elementals roaming, harpies lurking in the depths waiting for those Druids trying to heal the land, whether Tauren or Night Elf.

But for now, Jesse couldn’t see any signs of enraged fire elementals, the surrounding forest was very calm, no burnt smell, only the scent of pine and cedar, occasionally the call of unknown birds, definitely not the sound of harpies.

The Kodo strolled in the valley, it seemed tireless, always moving forward, sometimes reaching out its long turtle-like neck to take a bite of a tree or bush on the side of the road, sometimes uprooting a whole tree, chewing on the trunk while walking, taking about an hour or two to finish.

Resting on the back of the Kodo for a night, the next day Jesse was groggily woken up by Vereesa.

The sky wasn’t fully bright yet, it was probably around four or five in the morning. Vereesa pointed to a stone pillar in the distance and said, "Look."

"What?" Jesse rubbed his eyes and looked towards the stone pillar that stood slantwise between the trees. He realized that this pillar did not belong to the Tauren’s buildings, nor to the structures of harpies or Centaurs.

The stone pillar was covered in various vines, but you could still see its light blue surface underneath, with ancient patterns visible on top.

This was a relic of the ancient Kaldorei Empire.

Ten thousand years ago, the Kaldorei Empire ruled the most prosperous region in the central continent. Queen Azshara expanded her territory after defeating the Zandalari troll empire, so even though the empire was destroyed ten thousand years ago, its few remaining relics still scattered across Kalimdor.

However, Jesse remembered that there were few elven ruins inside Stonetalon, but in Desolace… The vast plains that were once beautiful grasslands thousands of years ago had many Kaldorei towns, leaving behind many ancient city ruins.

Does seeing this stone pillar mean they are close to arriving in Desolace?

The Kodo continued to move steadily. Jesse realized the terrain here had become very flat, unlike the downhill slope they felt yesterday.

The pine forest became sparse, with large patches of earth slopes and giant rocks exposed. Jesse looked up and even caught a hint of desolation and silence in the air.

This is not the smell of undead creatures or death magic, but the unsettling feeling caused by the fading breath of life.

Even in The Barrens, the grasslands, the efforts of the lonely trees, the wild beasts hiding in the grass and ravines, all give a strong sense of vitality.

Not to mention the countless harpies, wyverns, and even the Night Elves of Stonetalon living here, all exuding a powerful vitality from within and without.

However, even the struggling creatures here seem as if they are sickly and barely alive.

At night, even Greed, who is always alert for opportunities, could not fall asleep. He and Vereesa both watched over the grey wasteland, wary of any potential dangers.

While in Stonetalon, the dense pine forests could somewhat conceal the movements and footsteps of the Kodo, but in this dead land, the seated Kodo appeared like a moving tower visible for miles around.

The Kodo eventually stopped beside a massive skeleton of its own kind. After days of rhythmic swaying, Jesse even felt uncomfortable and uneasy.

The Tauren whispered something to Mosa, indicating that the Kodo could only bring them this far as they were nearing the Centaur patrol range. The Kodo could easily be surrounded and struggle to protect itself.

"It’s the Centaur again." Greed frowned and said, "It sounds like the Centaur are close to occupying this continent."

"That’s the truth," Vereesa said. "Otherwise, the Tauren wouldn’t have been pushed to this situation. Mosa mentioned that long ago in Stonetalon, the Tauren and harpies rarely had conflict because at that time the Tauren tribe was very powerful. The harpies on the mountains preferred to bother the Kaldorei rather than risk entering the southern mountains to bother the Tauren settlements. Now, everything is different."

Jesse slid down from the back of the Tauren, straightened out his clothes and luggage, and looked up at the Tauren, saying in their language, "Owa, Xi."

This sentence is a way of saying thank you, which Jesse had just learned from the Tauren at Sun Rock Retreat a few days ago.

The tall Tauren rider nodded, looked at the others, and whispered, "Ish, Ni, Alo, Purl, Ah."

After saying that, he blew a deep horn, and the Kodo obediently turned around and walked off into the distance.

"What does this mean?" Greed asked.

"It’s a common blessing," Vereesa explained. "You can understand it as wishing for the guidance of our ancestors’ wisdom."

"I’m just saying that the Tauren’s beliefs are quite similar to ours at Aerie Peak," Greed nodded. "I should also teach them a couple of Dwarf language phrases on how to express gratitude to our elders and ancestral spirits."

Vereesa argued with the dwarf about the differences between the Tauren and the Dwarf Wildhammer, while Jesse watched the Kodo slowly walk away.

On the back of Kodo, you couldn’t feel it, but in reality, this monster walks quite fast. The Kodo tamed by Tauren is even bigger than the ones goblins use for transporting goods, and has a wider stride.

If Jesse and the others had to walk this two-day journey on foot, who knows how long it would take them, not to mention the time spent finding their way through the forest.

"From now on, we have to rely on ourselves," Jesse said.

Mosa walked over and pointed to a barren plain in the southwest, saying, "Maraudon."