Chapter 688: The Roar of Cannons
On a chilling night, Horde warriors emerging from the Dark Portal heard the horn of William and attempted to rush and kill the Alliance guards on watch.
It was too late. Despite their overwhelming numbers, when they reached the watchtowers, they stepped on something peculiar, like hard iron plates. In an instant, those plates exploded, sending shrapnel piercing through their bodies.
The orcs leading the charge collapsed into pools of blood.
In the dead of night, darkness engulfed the Cursed Lands, preventing the orc warriors from seeing their foes.
While they wandered near the Dark Portal, searching for the fleeing human sentries, several dull thuds echoed from the dark. Then, a dazzling orb soared into the sky and gently descended, illuminating all the orcs near the Dark Portal.
Human rogues hidden in the dark could clearly see the orc warriors and death knights pouring out from the recently widened rift.
But the rogues took no further action, letting the Horde take control of the Dark Portal on the Azeroth side.
Just ten minutes later, Karazhan received the news.
The receiver of the magical transmission that night was Jaina, who was on duty.
Magic transmission, being a part of magic, could not be received in sleep, as dreams are the domain of Ysera. And Duke, regardless of whether he was asleep, refused all magical transmissions at night. To reach Duke, one had to go through the duty mage of Karazhan.
Jaina rubbed her temples with her delicate hands, "Even though I am still a maiden, staying up late is the enemy of beauty!"
She tilted her head, admiring her reflection in the mirror. Jaina, at 15, was growing more beautiful. Her splendid golden hair cascaded like a waterfall over her shoulders, and her delicate, mysterious face was becoming more enchanting. As her magical power grew, so did her figure.
Jaina was well aware of how tempting she was...
"Pity my despicable teacher only sees me as an apprentice to boss around." Jaina spat angrily, then rose and hurried down the three-story spiral staircase towards Duke's room at the top of the mage tower.
Before reaching the door, the voices drifting through the crack made Jaina's cheeks burn.
"Ah! Ah! Ah! I can't take it anymore! Duke, your sword is too mighty, find Vereesa instead!" This was the voice of Alleria, the eldest of the Windrunner sisters, usually so dignified and elegant.
"Vereesa is in deep sleep, please do not disturb," came the weak voice of the youngest sister, Vereesa.
"Ah! Little Jaina is outside, she must have something important!" Alleria tried to divert Duke's attention.
With no choice, Jaina steeled herself to knock.
"Knock knock!" After two knocks, she spoke, "Master Duke, Watcher's Keep has sent a message. The Dark Portal has opened again."
Duke's voice then lazily drifted out, "Hmm, understood. Tell Lothar to proceed as planned."
After that, Alleria's cries of surprise resumed, clearly indicating Duke was back to his 'battle.'
Jaina stood dumbfounded: That's it? Just this much? This is the third Dark Portal war! Alliance warriors might be fighting valiantly on the frontlines, and you have the nerve to frolic here? Also, have you ever considered my feelings as the 'rumored fiancée of the great Duke Marcus'? Do you think I'm dead?
Jaina, seething with frustration, lamented her plight. Despite her hopes, she knew Duke had resolved never to marry her.
As Jaina was about to leave Duke's doorstep, he finally uttered, "Oh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Ah, Jaina, you should also rest. From tonight, you're relieved from duty; we'll focus on preparing to confront the enemy. Karazhan is also a primary battlefield now."
The battlefield here too?
Who is the enemy?
Jaina, a clever girl with a broad perspective, was momentarily sidetracked from her woes of Duke's rejection for the Windrunner sisters.
Having followed Duke for nearly two years as a magic apprentice, Jaina had grown rapidly. Not only did her mage rank elevate from Earth to Sky, but she also developed as a commander.
Everything Duke did in those two years piqued Jaina's curiosity.
No, it was Duke's every action that stirred her interest.
Whether it was the seemingly whimsical yet perfectly operational planned economic system or the elongated supply lines that time and again validated Duke's foresight, everything Duke did had a clear goal, and his concerns inevitably materialized.
Take the reopening of the Dark Portal, for instance. Even if Jaina personally asked the Alliance's strongest mage, Antonidas, he gave only a vague notion - it might reopen within five years. This was a stark contrast to Duke's precise prediction of two years.
Or rather, Duke had it narrowed down to two specific months.
As Duke's disciple and secretary, Jaina had relayed the order to elevate Watcher's Keep to the highest alert level starting from November, a directive from Duke himself.
On the surface, Duke seemed like an easily understandable book, simple in every move and step. But when all his actions were combined, no one could comprehend the entirety.
Even if Jaina was reluctant to admit it, she had to acknowledge that there was still so much to learn from Duke.
"One day, I'll learn everything from you, then I'll teach you a lesson!"
Meanwhile, the Alliance was teaching the Horde a lesson.
The Alliance was not adept at night battles.
At night, all formations and commands suffered significantly, and orcs were less affected by the darkness. Death knights, who didn't rely on sight but on sensing souls, were unaffected.
But now, the Alliance was indeed schooling the Horde.
Lothar had often wondered, "Can blindly firing cannons towards the Dark Portal really hit the target?"
Murdin confidently informed Lothar, "Ah! Duke has set the firing elements for all the fortress's cannons. Firing elements are the parameters needed for the cannons to hit the enemy..."
Seeing Lothar's bewildered face, Murdin scratched his head, "Basically, even in the dark, if the cannons are aimed at this preset angle, they'll definitely hit. Just fire one and you'll see."
The next moment, thirty-six fortress cannons roared in unison!