After a violent whirl of space-time, a powerful sensation of weightlessness seized Rhodes! He felt himself plummeting at terminal velocity from an unimaginable height. The wind howled in his ears, and below him, a vast landscape dotted with magnificent golden buildings and lush greenery expanded at a terrifying speed.
"Nozdormu! I Fuck your mother you Fucking Bronze Dragon! You son of a bitch... you really did it this time!"
"At least give me a parachute!!! What the hell is with this high-altitude drop?!"
Rhodes cursed manically into the gale, trying to stabilize his body and channel the Holy Light to slow his descent, but the abrupt teleportation had left the energy flow within him in complete disarray. He had prepared extensively for this journey to the War of the Ancients, even planning to bring Anveena along so she could witness the legendary Well of Eternity.
Instead, that damn Bronze Dragon King kicked him out after barely two sentences. Rhodes was forced into a "spontaneous" trip without any preparation—he hadn't even said goodbye to his women.
Thinking fast, he used the Holy Light to manifest two pairs of massive wings behind him. His control over the Light was now exquisite; conjuring wings was no longer a major feat. Golden radiance surged over his skin as the wings unfurled, providing enough air resistance to stabilize his fall.
Nozdormu, you bastard, when I get back to Azeroth, I'm pulling your scales off one by one.
I'm here to save your timeline, and you can't even drop me in a safe spot? You aren't afraid I'll just splat on the ground?
Because of the sheer speed of the drop, Rhodes couldn't fully control his direction; he could only use the wings to stay upright. He punched through the clouds like a meteor, and a shimmering, massive body of water rushed up to meet him. In the blur, he caught a glimpse of something specific.
It was an incredibly ornate open-air bath. The rim, encrusted with various gemstones, emitted a soft glow, and the rising steam carried an exotic fragrance. A pool is good, he thought. My speed is dropping, and water is safer than stone.
In the midst of that misty steam, a figure leaned languidly against the edge of the pool.
SPLASH!!!
The massive impact shattered the silence, sending a wall of water meters into the air. Rhodes struggled to surface, coughing violently as he choked on the warm, fragrant water. As he wiped the moisture from his eyes and scanned his surroundings, he froze solid.
Something was "wrong" with this spring water. It was saturated with immense magical energy; Rhodes could feel his body surging with vitality. His depleted mana was being replenished instantly, even showing signs of a breakthrough. This water was special.
Rhodes turned his head to survey the area. He was in an incredibly spacious, ultra-luxurious hall designed in the ancient Elven style, seemingly crafted from pure gold and platinum. The bath itself was vast beyond imagination, a perfect circle with a diameter exceeding ten meters. It was less a bathtub and more an indoor swimming pool, with a depth Rhodes estimated at four meters.
The edge of the pool wasn't a simple line but a series of tiered, broad platforms made of a white, moon-like stone that glowed with a faint magical fluorescence. The water wasn't ordinary; it looked like "liquid starlight," essentially liquid mana. Just as he suspected, this entire pool of bathwater functioned as a powerful mana restorative.
Wait... I just swallowed several gulps of someone's bathwater. CRAP!! Rhodes coughed awkwardly.
About ten meters away, a woman slowly turned around to face the intruder.
Time seemed to stand still. She was beautiful—staggeringly so. Rhodes had seen many beauties in Azeroth: Jaina, Anveena, Tyrande, and various High Elves. But compared to the woman before him, they all felt like they were missing a certain "something." It wasn't just her features; it was her presence.
Her skin was the pale violet unique to Night Elves, yet it seemed infused with moonlight and starlight, flawless and glowing. Her face was exquisite beyond mortal imagination. Her eyes were like the deepest night sky reflecting the light of the Well of Eternity, shimmering with gold. Every glance held a radiance that could make any living creature lose their soul. Her hair was a flowing waterfall of emerald green, damp and draped over rounded shoulders and the breathtaking curves visible beneath the surface.
Simply by sitting there, leaning lazily against the pool's edge, she radiated an aura of absolute sovereignty mixed with unparalleled allure. These two contradictory traits merged perfectly within her.
Rhodes guessed her identity almost instantly: the legendary Queen of the Night Elf Empire, the most powerful Arcanist of the age, the Light of Lights—Queen Azshara.
Azshara looked at Rhodes as he emerged from the water. In her star-like eyes, there was no panic, no anger—only a sliver of curiosity, as if she had discovered a novel toy.
"Strange things fall from the sky sometimes. For instance, you. What are you? Some kind of mutated Elf?"
"I have never seen your kind. You certainly have nerve. To risk infiltrating the palace just to see me... your courage is commendable," Azshara said confidently, pulling on a white silk robe.
In her mind, Rhodes was simply a fanatical devotee who had risked execution to sneak into her bath. As the Queen of the Night Elf Empire and the "most beautiful woman in Azeroth," her suitors were numerous enough to fill the entire continent of Kalimdor. Some commoners and even nobles would do anything just to catch a glimpse of her. This "falling from the sky" approach felt refreshingly new.
Azshara could sense powerful mana within Rhodes. If he were a nobody, she wouldn't have bothered speaking to him. The weak didn't even have the right to look at her. But if a man was strong, he earned a degree of status; women, by nature, are drawn to power.
Rhodes's mouth twitched. This Queen was certainly self-assured.
"How should I put this, Queen Azshara? I'm here because of an accident involving a certain bastard," Rhodes said, shrugging helplessly.
Is this entire pool filled with water from the Well of Eternity? No, no, even Azshara shouldn't be that extravagant. This must be diluted with a bottle or two of the stuff. Truly decadent. Only she would have the resources for this.
Rhodes's words caused a flicker of surprise in Azshara's starry eyes, followed by a slight sense of offense. He wasn't here specifically for her? That was a minor disappointment.
"An accident? A 'bastard'?" Azshara's voice remained melodic, but it carried a hint of skepticism.
"Using such crude language in my presence, and attempting to fob me off with a clumsy excuse? It seems you do not realize the magnitude of the sacrilege of intruding upon the bath of the Queen of the Night Elf Empire, the Light of Lights."
Azshara raised a hand. Massive Arcane energy began to converge, and the starlight flowing in the pool water seemed to respond, becoming restless. An invisible pressure filled the air as she intended to use her overwhelming power to force Rhodes to submit. However, the Queen had clearly misjudged the man before her.
Rhodes was no pushover. He was one of the most powerful mages of his own era, and a wielder of Life and Holy energy. A terrifying burst of Holy Light erupted from Rhodes, instantly dispelling Azshara's Arcane pressure.
"Your Majesty, please, calm yourself," Rhodes said, keeping his tone sincere but dignified. He was a Grand Marshal of the Alliance who had faced world-ending threats; he wasn't about to be cowed like a common boy.
"I admit my arrival was... extremely rude. But please believe me, it was not by choice. As for 'infiltrating'... it truly was an accident."
"I did not come to gaze upon your face—though your beauty indeed makes the stars grow dim. I was simply... drawn to the water in this pool."
"If my senses are correct, this water contains unparalleled energy. It is no ordinary magical water, but... of the same source as the legendary Well of Eternity, yet harmonized through some exquisite method to make it gentle and easy to absorb. It is a perfect magical work of art."
Knowing he couldn't reveal he was a time traveler, Rhodes decided to fabricate a cover story.
"Is that so?" Azshara asked. "Then tell me first: what is your race? You are not an Elf. Strange, you look somewhat like us, yet you are entirely different."
"I belong to a race called Humans. I was created by the Great Titans. As for my origin... I am not from the world of Azeroth. I come from another planet," Rhodes said.
Since the Highborne were central to the War of the Ancients, and Azshara was the key figure, he needed to investigate if she had contacted Sargeras yet. But first, he needed a fitting identity.
"I see. Astral travel, then?" Azshara asked. "And what was that golden energy you just used? I have never seen such a unique power."