Chapter 7: The Blood of Azeroth

Old Wang slammed the brakes, and Sky collided with the front seat.

“Wang!”

Sky rubbed his forehead, wincing at the pain. He hurriedly checked the laptop in his arms—fortunately, it was unharmed. He patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness!”

All four tires needed replacing, and to avoid an accident, the car had to be sent to the repair shop for proper maintenance—clutch, brakes, everything. Not to mention fueling up. It was going to cost a fortune; a thousand dollars wouldn't cover it.

His trusty vehicle was wasted, but he couldn't let his tools for making a living go to waste too. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have money to buy a computer.

“Wang, you’re paying for the repairs!” Sky said, heartbroken.

This trip had been a total loss! Not a single cent earned, and so much money spent—he’d covered all the fuel costs himself.

It wasn’t that Old Wang was stingy.

Old Wang was truly penniless!

“Do I look like a rich man?” Old Wang lifted his eyelids, glanced at Sky’s chest, and thought, so that’s what shock means. He shifted in his seat, “You drive.”

Are you finally willing to spare me… and my car? So generous?

Sky eyed Old Wang suspiciously, fearing he’d change his mind. He snapped his laptop shut, pressed both hands on the front seat, and with a burst of strength leaped from the back seat to the driver’s seat in less than three seconds—more athletic than an athlete. He paused, bewildered. “When did I get so agile?”

“When you’re worried about money,” Old Wang replied, ignoring him and leaning back in the passenger seat, eyes closed.

A force pulled his soul, drawing him into the Heart of Azeroth, arriving at the temple of a giant:

Lofty, majestic.

The round temple was open to the sky; looking up, one saw ever-shifting, overlapping stars and voids. Looking down, there was a spherical seal, within which starlight twinkled. Beams of light connected the stars, and the dense energy shifted like liquid, formless—

Within was the purified soul of the titan Argus.

Titans are planetary beings; their souls are planetary souls—the “star soul,” the sum of all soul energy from the planet.

The entire temple was forged from unknown materials, difficult even for a titan to destroy.

Seven seats stood in a semicircle, belonging to the seven titans of the Pantheon: Aman’Thul, Sargeras, Eonar, Norgannon, Khaz’goroth, Golganneth, and Aggramar.

Now, not one was present.

The seven seats formed most of a circle, but a section was missing, perfectly fitting two seats—one for the purified Argus, and the other for the still-growing Azeroth.

This was not the Pantheon of the World of Warcraft, but merely a projection branded within the Heart of Azeroth.

The scenery was quite nice.

Of course, he wasn’t here for sightseeing; more important matters awaited.

A cascade of starlight coalesced into the form of a little girl—not human, not elf, nor any mortal race.

A titan, in soul form.

Though merely a little girl, she was enormous; Old Wang couldn't even reach her shin.

She wore a beautiful white princess dress—one Old Wang had designed years ago, favored by human and elf women alike for its cool, airy elegance. Unexpectedly, Azeroth liked it too; last time, she wore a cheongsam, and just eighteen years later, she’d changed again. Women truly do change outfits faster than boyfriends.

If not for the mysterious force blocking him, Old Wang could have glimpsed under the skirt with a glance.

The little girl looked down at Old Wang, raccoon-like, and smiled as if she’d found a beloved toy. She bent over, lifted him in her palm to eye level, and blinked, “Wang, you’re finally awake? I’ve been waiting for you for eighteen years! No one’s talked to me, I was bored to death!”

“It’s you who’s finally awake, Azeroth.” Old Wang sighed, bowed deeply, hands clasped in respect.

Yes, this little girl was the titan Azeroth—the most promising one in history.

Even while she slept, her emerald dream suffused the universe. Once matured, she would become the most powerful member of the Pantheon, surpassing even Aman’Thul and Sargeras.

Old Wang’s ten years in World of Warcraft had been dedicated to saving her.

“I haven’t been sleeping; this is just my projection. My true self is still asleep! You know, we titans are immortal—our life spans match the universe. One nap could last tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of years. It keeps things from getting too dull.”

Azeroth smiled beautifully, her big eyes sparkling. “Aman’Thul and Norgannon actually succeeded—you really crossed into another unknown universe! I thought it would fail!”

Old Wang: “……”

So you used me as a test subject?

Norgannon clearly said there’d be no problem!

Otherwise, I’d rather stay in World of Warcraft than take such a risk!

The Pantheon really is full of pits!

“It was you who wanted to go home! We did all this for you! Even though it failed and you ended up in another universe, at least it proved the space-time channel works… Okay, okay, you can try crossing again, maybe it’ll work this time…”

Azeroth’s voice grew softer, her head lowering like a child caught misbehaving.

Don’t blame me, don’t blame me, blame Aman’Thul and Norgannon.

Inter-universe traversal was their idea!

“Sigh!” Old Wang let out a long sigh.

What else could he say?

He couldn’t beat them, so he had no choice but to accept it!

“All right, enough chatter. Open the space-time channel now—I want to go home!” Old Wang waved his hand grandly.

Since he survived the first crossing, odds were good he’d survive the second.

Twenty-eight years away from home—it gnawed at him.

Of course, after eighteen years in this world, he’d made new friends and found a new life. He was reluctant to leave, attached even; the wonders of the Marvel world were worth experiencing. At the very least, let Thanos have his day, let Hela have her fun.

No matter; he could always cross back if he wanted.

“Um… I’m out of blood… No, out of magic…” The young lady’s voice dropped even lower.

“What?” Old Wang’s voice suddenly sharpened.

No blood? Was this a joke?

What blood?

The blood of Azeroth!

The “Heart of Azeroth” was a supreme artifact forged by the Pantheon titans, powered only by Azeroth’s essence—her blood, titan blood, the energy source for the entire planet!

All beings on Azeroth are parasites on this young titan, feasting on her flesh and drinking her blood…

Whether the early Well of Eternity, the later Sunwell, or Azerite—all were diluted forms of Azeroth’s essence.

But only true blood of Azeroth was the purest liquid energy.

Old Wang remembered eighteen years ago, when Lady Azeroth herself produced enough blood to fill Yunlong Lake, pouring it into the Heart of Azeroth as a reward for him, and the energy source to return home.

As for which part it came from, Old Wang had no idea.

Titans aren’t human, so fingertip blood, tongue blood, arterial or venous—likely all the same. As long as it wasn’t menstrual blood.

Wait, titans shouldn’t have human biological traits.

Even if they did, the young lady was still so small, surely not developed to that stage?

That much blood of Azeroth could create countless Sunwells—how could it all be used up?

“I remember Norgannon said your blood was enough for ten crossings!” Old Wang stared intently.

He clenched his fists.

He wanted to punch that white-bearded old man.