Chapter 789

Chapter 789: Movements on the Other Side

The next day, Jesse visited the Dwarven District to find Greed and have a meal to discuss matters in Ironforge, but the guy wasn’t at home.

So he went to his house by the canal and chatted with the dwarves renovating the place. He learned that the great gryphon Goergette had apparently bullied other gryphons again yesterday, so Greed went to deal with it on the city walls that morning.

Since Greed was busy, Jesse didn’t want to disturb him. He would find him tomorrow. For today, he headed to The Slaughtered Lamb to see how the others were practicing the summoning magic circle.

Though Jesse had been reciting the chants to lead the summoning magic circle and had almost memorized the long spell, he hadn’t had the chance to draw such a large, complex magic circle for practice. Without a magic circle, a summoning target, or two assistants by his side, he couldn’t test whether he could lead the summoning magic circle.

As he passed the Wizard’s Sanctum and Mage Tower, he suddenly heard a familiar voice call out from behind. "Jesse… is that you?"

Turning around, it was Amy!

She wore a light purple robe. Though it didn’t have a glaring Violet Eye emblem, the pendant around her neck and the Violet Eye mark on her finger showed she belonged to the Kirin Tor.

She looked thinner than when they’d last met in Dalaran, especially with her hair pulled back, revealing her neck which seemed unhealthily slender and made her appear frail. She had completely shed her apprentice mage student vibe from the Wizard’s Sanctum and become a true mage.

"Amy…" Jesse said, surprised. "What brings you back?"

Amy smiled politely. "I felt I hadn’t been back in ages and was tired lately, so I wanted to return to relax, visit my father, and see you too."

"Have you eaten yet?" Jesse asked.

"Not yet," Amy checked her pocket watch. "It’s only eleven. I’m still deciding what to eat."

Jesse pointed toward the tavern entrance shaded by trees. "Shall we go to The Blue Recluse? My treat."

Amy raised an eyebrow. "Let me treat you. Father mentioned you must be spending a lot because of the Tower of Ilgalar."

"I knew those old mages plotted to trick me," Jesse sighed jokingly.

"So I’ll give you a little compensation," Amy said, pinching her thumb and index finger. "Come with me, Jesse. It’s been too long since we ate together."

Amy walked ahead, and Jesse followed her up the stairs into The Blue Recluse.

It wasn’t lunchtime yet, but many young mages were already gathered, chatting lively over tea or coffee.

"Imagine the magic needed to teleport a legend like Master Krasus from Blackrock Spire to Dalaran… Kirin Tor mages are incredible."

"No need to reach Dalaran—just teleport him near Blackrock Spire’s northern Dark Iron Dwarf territory. Orcs don’t fully control Blackrock Mountain, and Dark Iron Dwarfs don’t clash with Dalaran. Don’t overhype Kirin Tor."

"Ironforge joined the Alliance, so their enemies are now the enemies of all seven kingdoms. Hand Krasus to Dark Iron Dwarfs?"

"Six kingdoms. Alterac fell."

"Alterac’s king title will soon go to the Prestor Family. Rumor says Prestor and Perenolde…"

"Your news is outdated! Haven’t you heard? Lord Dalaran Prestor is dead."

"Just missing. A black dragon hid him somewhere."

"That’s what rulers claim. The Prestor Family is finished, while Perenolde’s royal line has one heir left."

"Royal family… pfft."

Whenever Jesse and Amy passed, the discussions hushed into awkward silence, whether because they spotted Jesse’s court mage ring or Amy’s Kirin Tor status.

They each ordered floral tea and some food, then found a window seat to sit.

Amy glanced at Jesse’s head and then at the nearby mages, saying, "You’ve really grown a lot, Jesse. When we met in Dalaran, there wasn’t such a clear comparison. I envy you boys; when you reach almost twenty, you can still grow a whole lot. Meanwhile, I haven’t grown an inch since I graduated as an apprentice."

"I didn’t grow naturally," Jesse admitted as he took a sip of hot tea. "It might be because of the black dragon blood drawn from Life Drain having some effect."

"It feels like you can finally face the part of yourself that you’ve always hidden," Amy remarked. "Recently, while investigating the history of shadow practitioners in Dalaran, I found a rather interesting viewpoint. Some researchers in the Council of Tirisfal believe that those so-called warlocks often fall due to their own fear of their powers, and their long-term avoidance and concealment can slowly shape extreme personalities, speeding up the corruption from shadow magic. Shadow magic is definitely a form of magic highly affected by emotions; it’s an incredibly sentimental force… very different from Arcane."

"True," Jesse replied. "Specific emotions can significantly affect the intensity of certain shadow spells. It took me quite a while to figure that out."

Amy looked slightly surprised and said, "I heard there were mages in the Council of Tirisfal who proposed this idea many years ago, but the detailed research into shadow magic was sealed by the Kirin Tor… Ah, damn, maybe we should talk about something more fun. I feel like I’ve gotten too used to thinking about these things."

Jesse watched the sommelier bring over the sauce-red mooncake and a croissant sprinkled with some sort of crushed nuts, saying, "What’s not interesting about this, Amy? But I’m curious about any fun news from Dalaran lately."

"Are you talking about the fact that you, Mrs Vereesa Windrunner, and Greed Thunderfist defeated Deathwing in Grim Batol and saved the Red Dragon Queen?" Amy asked with a smile.

"That hardly counts as news," Jesse said somewhat shyly.

"Even a hundred or a thousand years from now, people won’t forget that legend," Amy softly said. "However, there have been a few recent events. Have you heard about Rhonin? I just heard young mages over there discussing it. He rescued Master Krasus, who was trapped by the black dragon in Blackrock Spire. Krasus has returned to Dalaran and started an investigation against the members of the Kirin Tor Council… and the main target is actually Kel’Thuzad."

Hearing this, Amy sighed slightly and said, "Well, it can’t be said there were no signs. There were rumors in Dalaran about him, claiming he was a pillar against black magic while actively learning dangerous black magic himself. However, this isn’t seen as a big crime in Dalaran, but teaming up with black dragons to attack Dalaran or even… stealing the Eye of Dalaran is truly an unforgivable sin."

"Then, has there been any result from the investigation?"

"It may take a long time."

"How so?"

Amy explained, "Kel’Thuzad is one of the most powerful mages in Dalaran, and he clearly already knows he’s being watched. Remember I told you he hasn’t appeared publicly in a long time? Many in the Kirin Tor think he used that time to destroy evidence."

"Would he really destroy what he got for betraying Dalaran?" Jesse asked.

Amy said, "If he didn’t destroy it, he must have hidden it with some very clever magic. The Kirin Tor can’t find much solid proof."

Jesse inquired, "Can’t they try to trace it with magic? Sympathy."

Amy rested her chin on her hand and said, "Of course, the Kirin Tor knows that, but what the Kirin Tor thinks, you and I think, someone like Kel’Thuzad would surely also think of. They’re still tracking him, but I don’t expect much to come of it."

Indeed, Jesse thought to himself, it would be best not to try to tell the Kirin Tor how to use Arcane magic.

"I heard from my father," Amy said, taking a sip of tea. "Back when you were in Dalaran, you sensed that something was off with Kel’Thuzad. Is that true?"

"Yeah," Jesse nodded and said, "and I feel like he might know that I sensed it."

Upon hearing this, Amy raised an eyebrow and asked, "So that assurance… about your black magic being harmless, was that some sort of comfort from him? Or a warning?"

"Who knows?" Jesse replied. "Unless you ask him yourself, how would you know what he thinks?" "I hope this ends well," Amy said quietly.

"Me too," Jesse said.

"By the way, there’s another thing I think you might find interesting," Amy said. "That magus from Quel’Thalas, Dar’Khan Drathir. Mrs Vereesa Windrunner came to me before, hoping I could help watch his movements within the Kirin Tor. I agreed, but at first I didn’t think I could do much. Recently, though, I learned something about him. He’s been meeting with members of The Violet Eye."

She touched her ring and said, "Not this symbol, but a group called The Violet Eye."

At this point, Amy looked around to make sure no one was listening and whispered, "It’s an organization that focuses on investigating Karazhan, so not many people know about it; the Karazhan, Jesse."

Hearing this, Jesse’s mind raced, and his heart suddenly pounded.

After all, in another timeline, it was the treasure hunters of Karazhan who found Ulthalesh and brought it back to Karazhan.

If those treasure hunters found the orders left behind by Dethmoora in Eldre’Thalas, they would have definitely found a way to crack the Ered’ruin language and understood the clues.

And this way to crack the Ered’ruin language might be in Karazhan!

After all, these treasure hunters searched for artifacts under Medivh’s orders; they would find it easier to get knowledge and methods in Medivh’s tower, and the world’s most mysterious, deepest library with the most knowledge is right in Karazhan!

Was Dar’Khan Drathir trying to get into Karazhan by contacting The Violet Eye? "Jesse?" Amy asked curiously, "What’s wrong?"

"Is he still in Dalaran?" Jesse asked.

"Yes," Amy replied. "At least he was when I returned to Stormwind about half a month ago."

Jesse swallowed, realizing he couldn’t put off his plan to go to Kalimdor any longer; he needed to contact Vereesa right away.

He hoped the twisted magic of Karazhan would swallow Dar’Khan whole, solving several foreseeable problems without him lifting a finger, but he also knew he couldn’t leave his fate to the world’s most unreliable and unstable dark tower.