The Pandaren seemed to be no strangers to such unsettling occurrences. Under the guidance of high-ranking officials led by Prime Minister Liu Li, the residents of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms did not panic. Instead, they continued their daily lives as usual.
Three days later, the heart-wrenching sense of foreboding gradually dissipated, following a thunderous, indignant roar of grievance that echoed from the far south.
On that same day, Wotta, acting as the ambassador, finally met the current Emperor of the Pandaren Empire: Shaohao.
Upon their first meeting, Wotta was somewhat puzzled by the complex expression on Shaohao's face—a mixture of relief and exhaustion.
"Honored guests from afar, welcome to Pandaria. I am Shaohao, Emperor of the Pandaren."
After a round of formal pleasantries, Wotta brought the conversation to the main point.
"Your Majesty Shaohao, the Burning Legion is the common enemy of all living beings on Azeroth."
"To be frank, the Burning Legion uses the energy of the Well of Eternity to power their portal. They can continuously pour reinforcements from the Twisting Nether into Azeroth."
"If this stalemate continues, the Night Elf Resistance will eventually be left standing alone. Therefore, on behalf of the Resistance, I implore Your Majesty to consider the safety of Azeroth and send reinforcements to help us destroy the Well of Eternity."
A flash of surprise crossed Shaohao's eyes. "Destroy the Well of Eternity? Are you certain?"
"As far as I know, the Well of Eternity is the very foundation upon which the Night Elf race has flourished. Without it..."
A bitter smile appeared on Wotta's face. "We are well aware of that. However, according to reports from within Zin-Azshari, the Well of Eternity has already begun to be tainted by fel energy."
"We have learned through reliable intelligence that the leader of the Burning Legion is a powerful Titan named Sargeras. The current portal cannot yet support his passage. Once Sargeras enters our world... everything will come to an end."
"A Titan?!"
Although Shaohao had seen visions of demons and fel energy ravaging Azeroth in the Jinyu prophecies, he never expected the Burning Legion to be connected to the Titans.
The Mogu, who had previously enslaved the Pandaren, were direct creations of the Titans. Though many important records had been lost through the ages, they always remembered their duty as Titan-forged. For years, to defend against the Mantid—the scions of an Old God—the Mogu had driven countless slaves, including Pandaren, Hozen, Yaungol, and Jinyu, to build the Great Wall, the Serpent's Spine, day and night.
While the Mogu were eventually overthrown by the allied races due to their tyrannical rule, the Pandaren, who inherited the most from the Mogu legacy, gained significant knowledge regarding the Titans and their creations.
In his astonishment, Shaohao couldn't help but stand up from his throne. "Ambassador Wotta Moonscar, are you certain that Sargeras is a Titan?"
Seeing Shaohao rise, Wotta knew there was a chance and struck while the iron was hot. "It is absolutely true. Though Sargeras is known as a Fallen Titan, his identity as a Titan is beyond doubt."
"Is that so..."
Shaohao sat back down, looking worried. "Indeed, if a hostile Fallen Titan is allowed to enter Azeroth, everyone living in this world is likely doomed. But..."
While he understood the world was in an existential crisis, as the Emperor of the Pandaren, Shaohao had to consider his own people first. His years of traveling were specifically aimed at finding a way to prevent the Pandaren from suffering devastating losses during the Legion's invasion.
To find answers, Shaohao had first traveled to the Temple of the Jade Serpent in the Jade Forest, hoping to receive guidance from Yu'lon, the wisest of the four August Celestials. Yu'lon's advice was for Shaohao to cast off his burdens, clear his heart, and become one with the land of Pandaria.
However, even Yu'lon wasn't entirely sure how to achieve this; she only provided vague guidance based on blurred visions of the future she had inadvertently observed.
During his subsequent travels, Shaohao had met a friend by chance—the Monkey King of the Hozen. With the help of a magical mask crafted by the Monkey King, Shaohao had inadvertently forced his doubts out of his mind during a meditative state. With the assistance of Yu'lon and the Monkey King, Shaohao had narrowly defeated the Sha of Doubt and sealed it within the Temple of the Jade Serpent, where Yu'lon personally oversaw its suppression.
Having sealed the Sha of Doubt and now the Sha of Despair, Shaohao had begun to understand the method to save his people. To lift the burden from himself and all the citizens of Pandaria, he had to seal all seven Sha formed by the remnants of Y'Shaarj's essence.
Yet at this critical juncture, the Night Elf ambassador had arrived seeking aid, leaving Shaohao in a dilemma. Sealing the seven Sha required the power of the August Celestials, and he had even planned to form an elite force to assist him. However, if he failed to send troops to help the Night Elves stop the Burning Legion, once Sargeras successfully entered Azeroth, everything in the world would cease to exist.
Prime Minister Liu Li noticed Shaohao's hesitation. The old and wise Prime Minister suggested, "Your Majesty, though dividing our forces is usually ill-advised, given the current crisis, we must take a bold risk."
Shaohao looked at the old Prime Minister, who had served diligently for years. "You mean to split our forces and send a portion to support the Night Elves?"
"Yes," Liu Li replied with a bow. "There are still decades before the next Mantid invasion. Moreover, since a dozen years ago, most of the Mogu have completely petrified and entered a deep slumber. We should be able to draw a significant portion of our main army for use."
"The action of sealing the Sha is not something ordinary people can participate in. Aside from the four August Celestials and a small elite guard, we can send the surplus main forces to the front lines. This way, we can attend to both matters. What does Your Majesty think?"
...
Under Prime Minister Liu Li's suggestion, Shaohao ultimately agreed to the plan. Since he needed to remain in Pandaria to continue sealing the remaining five Sha, Shaohao entrusted the command of the expedition to a General of the Pandaren Empire.
Simultaneously, to ensure the success of the upcoming Sha-sealing missions, Shaohao recruited the most valiant warriors from various military branches to form an elite unit known as the Shado-Pan.
Having successfully completed the mission to seek aid, Wotta felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. What followed was a period of patient waiting, as mobilizing the nation's main forces would take some time. During this period, with Shaohao's permission, Wotta used Pandaria's ley lines to contact the main Resistance forces on the front lines.
However, the feedback he received prevented the recently successful Wotta from feeling any joy at all.
The Burning Legion, for some unknown reason, had abandoned their previously lukewarm defensive posture and launched a frenzied attack against the Resistance. Though the Resistance was still able to hold back the offensive under the leadership of the brilliant commander Jarod Shadowsong, no one could guarantee how much longer they could last against the enemy's endless reinforcements as countless warriors died every day.
By the time Andreas arrived back at the front-line military camp with Tyrande and Leticia, what they saw and heard left both Andreas and Tyrande with grim expressions.
Leticia stared blankly at the camp full of wailing wounded, murmuring to herself, "Is this the reality of a battlefield? It turns out the fairy-tale wars in novels are all lies..."