The Great Thief

Although the Flash of Darkness absorbed light, it was still visible to the naked eye when you looked at it closely.

This was a special flower, born through the imagination of game designers. Its beauty was beyond the description of words and its mere sight had ability to soothe the mind.

“Place it with Lothar; I promised him,” Garona said, passing the flower to Lu Li.

“Alright, if you have nothing more for me to do, I’ll head out and start investigating.”

Lu Li carefully packed the flower away in his bag. He didn’t ask anything more, even though he was very curious.

Lothar, Llane, Garona, Khadgar, Medivh…

These were all legendary figures, but he could only wonder what had happened to them in the past.

Apparently, Lothar fancied Garona, but King Llane was also interested in her. However, Garona ended up killing King Llane and gave birth to a son with Medivh.

Lu Li had been summoned here, but it was easy for him to leave – a Hearthstone was enough.

He planned to sort out the Flash of Darkness first, then travel to Stormwind city and figure out who the traitor was. Based on the requirements set by Garona, he felt like there was nothing else more important than this.

Lothar had already died inthe second war against the Tauren, at the hands of Orgrim Doomhammer.

Eventually, Uther and Turalyon managed to take down an important Tauren base, the Blackrock Spire, and chased them deep into the Marsh. Even the tribe leader, Orgrim became a prisoner of the Alliance, but this didn’t change the fact that Lothar had died during the war at Burning Steppes.

Regardless, this was a place of sorrow for both the Horde and the Alliance.

Many creatures lived at the Burning Steppes as they enjoyed slaughtering travelers. This place was a disaster for any players who were under level 45. As soon as Lu Li walked out of the portal of the town, he immediately entered Stealth mode, until he arrived in front of the statue of Lothar.

The statue of Lothar was gigantic; anyone who stood underneath it would feel like a tiny ant in comparison.

There were many who stood before the statue to admire him, including not only the NPCs, but also players who were influenced by the lore of the game.

Although most of these people were young, some were elderly. Perhaps, they had been Warriors at some point in their lives.

Lu Li saw an old man who had lost both of his feet climb over with his hands to place down a little white flower before he left again.

The old man barely had any expression. Perhaps he didn’t feel the need to be sad, whether it was for Lothar’s death, or the two legs that he had lost in war.

Without a doubt, Anduin Lothar was one of the most admired heroes of Dawn. His charisma alone was worthy of people’s respect.

Loyal, determined and religious – when people sank into the valley of despair, it was Lothar who reached out his arms and called upon the old, but noble morale to shine its light again. He was a milestone in the history of humans, signifying the respect and pride that their race had.

Some even wrote poems for him on the stones boards nearby.

For example:

“I have a secret.

It blooms quietly in the mountain of red leaves.

Silently, it floats in the silent kingdom of snow.

Gently, it travels through the creek.

Fiercely, it burns the red earth beneath my feet.

Softy, I lay down my secret and this fresh flower by your tomb.

Someday, it will rot away, leaving behind its scent to warm this empty space.”

This was perhaps written by a traveler who had been to many places. One day, he passed by the statue of Lothar and decided to leave his poetry behind, along with a flower that had since rotted away a long time ago.

Lu Li took out his Flash of Darkness and placed it in the center amongst all the flowers. He thought to himself that no matter how rare the flower was, it would rot away eventually.

To him, his flower seemed no different to the others.

“Young one, are you here to see the master too?”

Perhaps it was because he had completed too many quests, but his average charisma had finally begun to rise. At the very least, there were some NPCs who were now willing to initiate a conversation with him.

“Yes sir. I’ve come in the honor of my teacher, to put down a flower of remembrance for Lothar,” Lu Li answered as he nodded his head.

The old Paladin heard this and his gaze quickly scanned across towards the pile. There, a flower glowed with a dark light, constantly consuming the light nearby. This drew his attention and he lifted his head in surprise, saying, “This is no ordinary flower. May I have the name of your teacher?”

“This…” Lu Li hesitated. Although Garona never said anything about this, he felt like she wouldn’t be too impressed.

“Never mind; you don’t have to force yourself. I have to go back too,” the old Paladin said as he summoned his mount and jumped on. He then turned around and asked Lu Li, “Would you like to hitch a ride? I feel like we’d get along.”

“Thank you, if it’s not too much trouble.” There was no reason for Lu Li to decline.

From the way the old Paladin addressed Lothar, it wasn’t hard to decipher his identity. He called Lothar master, so he had to be a part of the Brotherhood.

It was probably the Heart of the Paladin that he wore which made the old Paladin interested in him. At the same time, he was also associated with the Night town and old Fordring, which were all representatives for the Paladins.

Needless to say, Lu Li was quite familiar with Paladins.

The old man rode a giant Gryphon, big enough to carry two or three easily. However, its hair had already turned white; it was clearly at an old age.

The Gryphon leaped into the sky as it flapped its wings in the direction of Stormwind City.

They only needed to pass through Elwynn Forest to get to Stormwind City from the Burning Steppes. On the way, they encountered some flying creatures, but the Gryphon had no interest in chasing them. However, if any flying creature dared to challenge it, it wouldn’t hesitate to rip them apart with its sharp claws.

At a time like this, not only would it be hard to balance on the Gryphon, but you would also be drenched with blood.

At first, Lu Li really hated this feeling, but after he saw the passion on the old Paladin’s face, he slowly began to understand.

It took them less than half an hour to arrive at Stormwind City. If he had walked, including the possible battles that he may have ran into, it would have probably taken him more than half a day. Of course, the Hearthstone was another story.