"Uncle Matt, you must be under too much pressure because you have been working too much recently." Thassarian joked while chopping firewood, "Master Wesley is obviously very normal."
Matt, who was sitting on the wooden stake next to him, had a bitter look on his face. It would have been nice if that was the case. But recently, except for treating soldiers who said they were dizzy, he had not done any heavy work at all and slept very little every day. adequate.
As a doctor, he knew that there was absolutely nothing wrong with his body. Coupled with the mysterious plague that had appeared in Lordaeron in recent days, Matt still couldn't let go of this worry.
If he was alone in the camp, forget it if something happened, but his daughter Sally was also with him. She was still so young. If something happened to her, he would not be able to forgive himself and would not be ashamed to see his wife.
So Matt had to find this recruit who had just arrived at the station and had no symptoms of headache or mental confusion.
Matt has a devout faith and can be protected by the Holy Light. However, his spell-casting skills are really rudimentary, but they are not comparable to those of ordinary priests. They are enough for auxiliary treatment, but when it comes to fighting, he knows very well how much he weighs. , if even the rest of the First Legion fell, he would have no effect at all.
"I may be a little neurotic, but...please believe me, this camp has really changed compared to before." Matt didn't know how to convince Thassarian.
Seeing Matt's expression, Thassarian stopped chopping firewood, struck the ax on the stake, clapped his hands and walked to sit next to Matt. He took out two cigars from his pocket and handed one to Matt. root.
"Would you like one? My instructor gave it to me before I left the training camp. These are the only two left."
"Thank you..." Matt took the cigar and held it in his mouth. Thassarian took out a match and lit it for the two of them.
"Your daughter is the little girl who runs around the camp every day?" Thassarian blew out a smoke ring.
"Yes, her name is Sally. After her mother passed away, she was my only love." Matt's hand holding the cigar trembled.
The recruit patted Matt on the back and comforted him, "Uncle Matt, I still think you are too nervous. The people here are veterans who have experienced hundreds of battles. Even if we encounter orcs, we can handle it well." .”
Matt shook his head, and the ash from his cigar fell on his robe, "What I'm worried about is not the orcs... Do you know about the recent plague in Lordaeron?"
"Have you heard of it, but didn't you say that His Highness the Valiant Prince has already led people to deal with it? Andorhal has also gained a lot of paladins recently. With them here, there is no need to be afraid."
Matt didn't speak any more this time. He just stared at the ground blankly, not knowing what he was thinking.
Thassarian was not very good at comforting people. He sighed and stood up, "Uncle Matt, I am a soldier, and obeying orders is my first priority."
After saying that, Thassarian walked towards the camp, but before he had gone a few steps, he stopped again and tilted his head slightly.
"But it is also our mission to protect the people of Lordaeron."
…
In the evening, the Privy Knights set up a temporary camp. They were now located at the border of Tirisfal and West Wilder. In order to reach Andorhal as soon as possible, Arthas chose to take a small road, so he could only stay in the mountains and forests. Set up camp.
Alsace sat beside the campfire, holding a branch and stirring the firewood. Jaina sat next to him, reading a book on how to deal with necromancy.
"The original necromancy was discovered during a confrontation with demons. The discoverer was...Merry Winterwind, a legendary mage from the time of Emperor Thoradin?"
"Alsace, look here. The description in the book is similar to the plague we encountered this time - demons contaminate food and water sources by spreading magical diseases, and even spread them directly through human-to-human contact.
If infected humans cannot receive timely treatment, their corpses will stand up again after death and have a strong desire to attack the living...
Those demons who wield this shameful evil magic are called Nathrezim, also known as Dreadlords, terrifying beings from the Twisting Nether. In addition to their evil magic, they seem to have a strange racial talent
It can hypnotize and bewitch opponents who are weak or not determined enough, or directly destroy other people's souls and occupy their bodies. "
Jaina read the text carefully. She felt that it was coincidentally similar to what happened in Lordaeron. "Is the person behind the plague a demon? Because he invaded other people's bodies and hid among us. , so we can’t find him?”
"A great guess, maybe this is the truth." Arthas did not expect that Jaina could actually deduce Mal'Ganis' identity based on some information.
Gianna was not happy at all when she received the praise, "If this is really the case, our investigation will definitely be greatly hindered... It's okay that he chose an ordinary resident, but what if he is a noble or an officer?"
Judging from Nathrezim's cunning, his choice will definitely make it difficult for Arthas and Jaina to catch him.
As for the specific whereabouts of Mal'Ganis, Arthas didn't know. Under his arrangement and control, this undead plague was completely different from the original history. He had long lost the advantage of predicting the unknown.
But fortunately, the large network opened by the Privy Council in Lordaeron is shrinking little by little. The cursed sect, believers and spies have been quickly cleared. As long as Stratholme and Andorhal are ensured not to be penetrated by the plague, the entire Wilder There will be no major danger in the area.
As for the royal capital of Lordaeron, demons definitely don't dare to hide there. There are not only royal mages in the royal city, but also their mage towers.
The "True Sight" that an archmage unfolds in advance in his mage tower is very likely to expose the Dread Lord's disguise. The cautious Dread Lord will never take such a risk.
Not to mention that there are church priests sent by Alsace who are searching for any suspicious signs in the city. Mal'Ganis is seeking his own death by staying in any big city under the rule of Lordaeron.
When a kingdom is on alert in advance, even Nasrezim, who is good at hiding and disguising, cannot reveal his flaws at all. Once he reveals his position, he will be caught by the guards and mages in the city. Dunk.
Therefore, Arthas was very sure that the Dread Lord must be hiding in some small town or military camp. Based on the information from the Privy Council, he had narrowed the scope to southern Andorhal.
"Farric, what are the bases of the First Legion's garrison south of Andorhal?"
Arthas felt that the Dread Lord would not run too far because his target was him.
"Your Highness, there are many small outposts, but there are only three large strongholds. They are the southwest camp in charge of Lieutenant Colonel Joestar, the southeast camp in charge of Colonel Brando, and the southernmost camp in charge of Colonel Wesley. 's camp."
Ignoring the two strange surnames, Alsace asked, "Has anything happened there recently?"
Farric shook his head, "No, Your Highness, at least according to the feedback from the last cycle, everything is normal in these three places."
"Is everything normal?" Alsace suddenly felt a little confused. These were the closest camps to Andorhal. Would Mal'Ganis really go somewhere else at all costs?
At this time, a privy knight who was resting aside suddenly spoke, "Your Highness, if you really want to say something strange, I heard it from a friend in the church when I was on vacation last week."
"you say."
"It is said that the Church of the Holy Light in Andorhal received reports of some strange illness. It seems that it was the doctor at Colonel Wesley's camp who first discovered it. Their military chaplain checked the food and water sources and found no problems. Finally, it was classified as unknown. Report illnesses to the church for easy recording.”
Alsace thought for a moment and continued to ask, "Do you know the specific symptoms of this disease?"
The Privy Knight tried to remember his friend's words, "If I remember correctly, it should be a headache and a trance."
"Headache, trance? This is too common... But from a magic point of view, it sounds like it is affected by some kind of psychic spell." Jaina analyzed.
Alsace frowned, "Indeed, even a common cold can behave like this. This alone can't explain anything at all."
"But this is the only clue we have. Do you want to take a look, Alsace?"
Jaina looked at the prince, waiting for him to make a decision. Alsace put his right hand against his chin, weighing the possible gains and losses with a solemn expression.
"Is Wesley's southern camp very close to Stannblad?" Arthas pondered for a moment and asked Farric.
"Yes, Your Highness, it only takes more than two hours to get there by horseback. The gryphon is faster and only takes about thirty minutes."
The town that his teacher Uther led the troops to support was Steinblade, a town located on the road between West Weald and the Alterac Mountains.
"Jaina, help me send a magic letter to my teacher, telling him that we may need support. Tomorrow we will set off to explore the southern camp. If there is no problem there, we will gather troops there and wait for reinforcements."
Mal'Ganis already knew that Kel'Thuzad had been killed by Arthas, and he also knew that the prince would soon come to track his whereabouts.
No matter where he is now, he must be fully prepared. The worst possibility is that he has hijacked a large number of civilians or seduced a group of troops. Just relying on more than ten people in Alsace is undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.
Mal'Ganis would have more means than Kel'Thuzad, and Arthas would not confront him unprepared, as that would only cost more people.
