Chapter 1878: Chapter 1271: Striking Straight at the Yellow Dragon
"..............."
After listening to Duanmu Huai, everyone felt as if they had misheard.
"Your Honor, the Judge, what did you say?"
"Evacuate everyone, then destroy this world."
Duanmu Huai spoke again calmly.
"I’ve made myself very clear."
"???"
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s calm response, everyone was befuddled.
Destroy the world?
Isn’t that usually the line of a major villain?
If not for the colossal starship hovering above like a mountain, they would think Duanmu Huai was joking.
"Are you serious?"
"Of course."
"But... how?"
"It’s simple, just blow this world to pieces."
After saying this, Duanmu Huai nodded at the shocked faces to reassure them.
"Don’t worry, our Tribunal is professional in this aspect, there won’t be any mistakes."
???
So this isn’t your first time doing this?!
"......What should we do?"
Commander Danas was silent for a moment before asking.
"Evacuate all expeditionary force soldiers, let them return to Azeroth. I’m giving you two months, after which the Tribunal will issue an extinction order and completely destroy this world."
"Extinction order......"
Hearing this term from Duanmu Huai, everyone instinctively shuddered; though they didn’t know exactly what an extinction order was, the murderous, destructive aura was unmistakable.
"But there are many local races here too, they’re resisting the Burning Legion just like us..."
"The Tribunal won’t care about that."
Duanmu Huai curtly interrupted the officer next to Commander Danas.
"The duty of the Tribunal is to protect humans and obliterate any threats to humanity at all costs. We neither care nor are concerned with the lives of other races."
Saying this, Duanmu Huai casually tossed a small booklet on the table.
"Oh, by the way, our definition of humans is all written in this booklet, you can take a look yourselves."
"..............."
"Two months, at most three months, starting now."
Saying this, Duanmu Huai threw a timer, which unfolded on the table, revealing a countdown.
"When the countdown ends, the Tribunal will issue an extinction order for this world, you must leave before then."
After saying this, Duanmu Huai nodded at those staring blankly at the extinction order countdown.
"That’s all, do as you see fit."
After saying this, Duanmu Huai turned and left, leaving the group standing there, staring silently at the countdown for a long time.
Duanmu Huai didn’t care what these people thought, as he had already made his decision. Their only job was to carry out this decision. If they refused, it was fine too; as the saying goes, let go of your savior complex and respect others’ fates. If someone foolishly wants to perish with this cursed world, the Tribunal wouldn’t stop them, would they?
"Great Judge! Great Judge!"
"Hmm?"
As Duanmu Huai walked out the gates of Honor Hold, a hurried voice suddenly rang out. Duanmu Huai turned to see a Draenei running toward him. Duanmu Huai remembered seeing him at the pre-battle meeting, what was his name... he forgot.
Not that it mattered, in Duanmu Huai’s eyes, all Draenei looked the same.
"What is it?"
"This..."
Approaching Duanmu Huai, the Draenei General hesitated for a moment, then suddenly knelt to the ground.
"I’m sorry!"
"Oh? Tell me, how have you wronged me?"
Watching the Draenei General’s submissive demeanor, Duanmu Huai crossed his arms and stared leisurely. After hesitating, the latter finally lifted his head to look at Duanmu Huai.
"Actually... we deceived you..."
"Oh?"
Duanmu Huai wasn’t particularly interested or concerned about what the Draenei General was saying, but listening to pass the time wasn’t a bad idea. So, he stood there, listening to the Draenei General’s explanation.
Earlier, Prophet Velen had told Duanmu Huai that they had set out again to escape the Burning Legion in Outland, but in fact, this wasn’t true. Strictly speaking, their real destination was Azeroth!
What Prophet Velen said before was true; the Draenei did come from another planet, which was later occupied by the Burning Legion, forcing the Draenei to flee. They eventually crash-landed in this part of Outland. Afterward, the Draenei started building this place as their second homeland, and then the Burning Legion arrived here as well — at this point, they weren’t lying.
The lie was in the latter part.
In truth, Prophet Velen hadn’t told Duanmu Huai that when the Draenei arrived in Outland and were faced with the invasion of the Burning Legion, they were in despair. So, the Draenei prayed to the Holy Light they believed in, and the Holy Light Legion heard their call. Three Naaru arrived in Outland, and under the guidance of the Naaru, the forces resisting the Burning Legion’s invasion united and rebuilt Shattrath City.
However, compared to the Burning Legion, the resistance forces in Outland were still too few, so the Naaru placed their hope on Azeroth. Prophet Velen then volunteered to take on this task; they recaptured part of the warship that the enemy had occupied and set out for Azeroth.
As a result, the warship suffered damage and lost control upon reaching Azeroth, crashing straight into Duanmu Huai’s warship.
As for why Velen deceived Duanmu Huai upon their first meeting, the reason was simple: he could see that the other party was a vast force traversing the Star Ocean, just like the Burning Legion. Velen couldn’t be sure that if he revealed the truth, Duanmu Huai and the Tribunal wouldn’t do something to the Naaru or Outland, so he randomly made up an excuse to muddle through.
Originally, if the two sides had no further contact, the lie wouldn’t be a big deal, just like asking someone’s salary at a school reunion—whether they say ten thousand or thirty thousand, it doesn’t matter, and there’s no need to care whether they truly earn three thousand or thirty thousand since there’s no further interaction.
But now the Tribunal has arrived in Outland!
If they were to corroborate with the people here and find out Velen lied, that... would be trouble!
So this Draenei General racked his brains and decided to honestly admit fault and accept punishment, at least showing the right attitude!
"Holy Light Legion? Naaru? Never heard of them."
Duanmu Huai shook his head, probably another indigenous product of some Star Territory, just like the Burning Legion—some obscure entity.
It’s no wonder; the Star Ocean game is incredibly vast, claiming to "fully simulate every planet in the Milky Way galaxy." Of course, such game advertising slogans are usually not taken seriously. But it’s true that the game world is vast; up to the point Duanmu Huai crossed into it, many Star Territory players hadn’t explored everything.
However, Duanmu Huai understood why this Draenei General sought him out.
"This world must be destroyed."
Looking at the Draenei General before him, Duanmu Huai decisively answered.
"You can go to Azeroth, or continue staying here, it doesn’t matter to me. But when the Tribunal issues an extinction order, don’t say I didn’t warn you."
"... Thank you, Great Judge."
Hearing Duanmu Huai’s response, the Draenei General also breathed a sigh of relief. His fear was that the Tribunal would find out about the deception and then deal with them. Since Duanmu Huai expressed forgiveness, he could relax.
As for relocating—the Draenei have been doing that for years, moving once more didn’t seem to make much difference.
After making his point, Duanmu Huai left, leaving the Night Guard responsible for guarding the Dark Portal here. The Burning Legion, evidently not expecting such a development, did not dare to show up again.
And for the Alliance, this also came as a surprise. When the frontline swiftly sent intelligence to the rear, leaders from various races, including Varian, couldn’t sit still, coming personally to the Cursed Land, even crossing the Dark Portal. When they saw with their own eyes the grand, towering metal warship above like a mountain, everyone was entranced.
Frankly, by this stage, the task for the Expeditionary Force was almost finished; they just needed to bring all the soldiers back to Azeroth, and the matter would be concluded. This also allowed national leaders, including Varian, to breathe easier. After all, the Orc Wars hadn’t ended long ago, and the nations hadn’t fully recovered; they didn’t have many resources to invest in a war in Outland.
Now, it wasn’t such a hassle anymore.
Duanmu Huai wouldn’t worry about the battles in Outland any longer; the subsequent matters didn’t involve him. But unexpectedly for Duanmu Huai, Prophet Velen once again sought him out afterward.
"Do you have business with me?"
Looking at the old Prophet before him, Duanmu Huai was somewhat surprised, and this time, Velen had a decidedly humble demeanor.
"Respected Your Honor, the Judge, I have a request to make."
"Hmm? What’s the matter?"
"I hope you can help us reclaim our planet—Argus."
"Argus?"
Duanmu Huai recalled.
"I remember it’s your home planet, right?"
"Yes, our brethren were corrupted by Sargeras, joining the Burning Legion. They became accomplices to its evil plans, and we’re no longer able to reclaim our planet with our own strength. So, I humbly ask for your help here."
"Reclaiming a planet is quite troublesome, and what do you plan to offer as compensation?"
"We are willing to submit to you."
Speaking, Velen knelt to the ground.
"My people and I are willing to submit to you, to the Tribunal. If the Tribunal will help us reclaim Argus, we vow eternal allegiance, becoming your most loyal servants."
"You sure know how to adapt, eh? Is the Holy Light unreliable?"
Seeing Prophet Velen kneeling before him, Duanmu Huai chuckled. He could somewhat guess Velen’s thoughts, which were understandable. As previously mentioned, any race facing life and death thinks first of survival. The Draenei believed in the Holy Light because it protected them.
Conversely, if the Holy Light couldn’t help them regain their home, the Draenei wouldn’t mind finding another stronger backer.
"Alright, accepting you as subordinates is another matter, but the Demons surely must be eradicated."
Duanmu Huai waved his hand and made a decision.
"Well, since I’m idle, why not call others, and let’s make a trip to Argus—you have the coordinates, right?"