The Great Thief

“You’re really going to do this quest?”

Garona froze for a moment but relaxed after thinking about it further.

Of the three quests, the first two required immense strength. Her apprentice naturally was incapable of completing them. As for the last quest, no one had any information about it. A quest like that had nothing to do with strength.

I will find the clues. Who do I talk to when I complete the quest?” Lu Li asked.

“Go and find Jaina, but…” Garona paused while talking to her apprentice, then continued, “You better make sure your information is correct. You won’t be able to bear the consequences of messing with a Mage like that.”

“Yes teacher, I believe I will be able to complete this quest. But, you still haven’t told me what the reward for this quest will be?”

“You are not a Mage, so there is no point in becoming her student. If you want a Skill Book, she can give you the Mage’s Fortified Ice Block. If you want equipment, she will give you a Legendary Magic Staff. If you insist on a Thief item, you will have to talk to her in person.” Since she was speaking to her student, Garona was willing to tell Lu Li everything she knew about Jaina.

“Thank you teacher. I will come back to see you after completing the quest.”

“Do you know Aegwynn?” Garona suddenly asked as Lu Li was leaving.

“Of course, she is a powerful Mage and guardian of the Council of Tirisfal. Well, former guardian – I’ve heard that she is dead. However, some other people are saying that she is just living in an unknown place,” Lu Li answered after some consideration.

“Well, it’s a pity that you’re not a mage. You can go now,” Garona said as she waved her hand to indicate she was done talking.

Lu Li was confused by that interaction. Perhaps he was supposed to be a Mage?

There was no doubt that Jaina’s quest was also set for Mages. Regardless of which reward he chose, they were all for Mages. Thought, it seemed unlikely that a level 70 Legendary weapon would appear now.

However, if Sorrowless did get such a weapon, he would be able to properly thrash Lu Li.

Regarding the conversation about Aegwynn, there was probably also a quest that required the player to be a Mage.

Given Aegwynn’s current age and circumstances, it was probably an appropriate time for her to find a successor among the players.

The first reward of the quest was unlikely to be chosen. Although Enhanced Skill Books were precious, they didn’t usually confer an immediate and obvious increase in strength. Most people would choose the Legendary Magic Staff, but there were probably a portion of people who would want to become an apprentice of such a renowned Mage.

In Azeroth, there was basically no one who was currently stronger than Jaina as a Mage.

After visiting this teacher, getting more equipment or skill books would no longer just be a dream.

If you had both quests, then your decision wouldn’t be so hard. You could take Aegwynn as your mentor and still take the Magic Staff or Enhanced Skill Book from Jaina.

The difference in strength between Jaina and Aegwynn was not difficult to determine.

Aegwynn was at least partially Jaina’s mentor.

If you had Aegwynn as your mentor, then Jaina would be your sister.

Lu Li hypothesised that Aegwynn was spending her last days with Jaina. She was teaching her ancient magic while also serving as her administrative consultant.

If Lu Li were a Mage, he would definitely straightforwardly worship Aegwynn.

Unfortunately, the only option Lu Li had was to find Jaina in Theramore.

Obviously, Jaina was a human and humans seemed to have a particular talent for Magic. Even those monsters that had lived for thousands of years weren’t as powerful.

“I have been ordered to come here. Once she looks at this, I think she will agree to meet me.”

Lu Li passed over a dagger – the Shard of the Defiler.

After being invited to join the Assassin League, you would be given a code item that represented your identity. The code item was generally either an earring, a ring or a dagger. These items could only be understood by the Assassin League or their clients.

Lu Li was quickly invited in and found himself facing Jaina.

She was daughter of Daelin Proudmoore and her father was the supreme ruler of the Kul Tiras Kingdom. He was also an admiral of the Alliance during the Second War.

Jaina had been talented in her magical studies since she was a child. She studied under the Leader of the Kirin Tor, Antonidas, who was a Mage who lived and worked in the magical capital of Dalaran.

In Jaina’s early adulthood, she worked to stop the spread of the Scourge that would trigger the third war. She also watched her close friend and lover, Prince Arthas Menethil slowly step into the darkness.

When the situation intensified, Jaina gained the trust of the new Horde Warchief Saar and became a key figure in uniting the different groups of Azeroth to fight against the Burning Legion.

Lu Li didn’t know how old she was, but Jaina was definitely not as young as she appeared. She looked like a young 18-year-old blonde.

“O Respected Mage, I bring greetings from my teacher.”

Although Lu Li didn’t appreciate Jaina’s style of behaviour, he had to at least show some respect when in the face of such power.

Jaina managed Theramore Island and was a leader there.

“I know you – Garona has mentioned you in the past. Is she doing well?”

“I don’t know. In her words, she is quietly waiting for death to come.”

“Death won’t come to her. She has been imbued by magic so strong that even death cannot overcome it. Let’s talk about why you are here,” Jaina said as she motioned for Lu Li to sit down and called for someone to bring fruit and tea.

If he had visited a Warrior, this scented tea might have been replaced with liquor.

“It’s about Prince Varian. I heard that you were investigating this. I’ve been to the Royal Palace of Stormwind City not long ago where an old man and I stopped an assassination attempt against the king,” Lu Li said.

“I have heard some rumours about that. So it turns out that the powerful adventurer was you, Garona’s disciple.”

“I am not that powerful. Regarding King Varian, I found that something was wrong and I started investigating. After working for a while, I have some clues now. How are things going on your side?”

“Things are a little complicated. I discovered a conspiracy a few months ago as some Demon Worshippers tried to stir up some conflict between the Horde and Theramore. I have actively been trying to contact Varian. I want to establish a relationship between him and Saar to broker a lasting peace between the Alliance and the Horde.”

“I understand. What happened next?” Lu Li asked.

“He was not very used to such having such a relationship. But in a sense, if it were not for the cooperation between the Alliance and the Horde, Azeroth would have been destroyed.”