While Lordaeron and Stormwind intensified the construction and development of their kingdoms' comprehensive strength, Daelin also witnessed the decline of Gilneas and Stromgarde.
Stromgarde had suffered a tremendous blow in the Orcish Wars and could barely sustain itself through Lordaeron's relief efforts. Some nobles who had fled Alterac even infiltrated their capital, Stromgarde, causing an impact on the existing regime.
Gilneas, on the other hand, was worried about a recurrence of disasters similar to the Orcish Wars, and they were already wary of Lordaeron; joining the Alliance was merely out of necessity.
When the Alliance needed Gilneas far more than Gilneas needed the Alliance, King Greymane unhesitatingly built a high wall at the border of his territory and Silverpine Forest and tightly closed the city gates. He even stopped caring about the towns and lands in that area, which were quite controversial with Lordaeron.
Everyone was unclear about what Gilneas intended to do, but Daelin believed Gilneas would definitely regret it.
As for the magical kingdom of Dalaran, this country, which was essentially just one city, was generally not considered by other kingdoms; some even regarded it merely as a magic academy.
"Father, why did you suddenly come to Kalimdor?"
Jaina led her father to her residence. She had only temporarily learned that Daelin would arrive at the port of Theramore.
"Exploring new continents is the ideal of any navigator, especially this land, which we can no longer distinguish whether it is a legend or a fact."
Even in the naval kingdom of Kul Tiras, there were only scattered legends about the existence of Kalimdor before. In the taverns of Boralus port, drunken sailors would occasionally speak of the legends of Kalimdor.
Some said that it was full of rich, unclaimed land, waiting for adventurous people to cultivate; others said that this ancient continent was full of dangerous beasts and humanoid races who would kill all outsiders who set foot on their land.
As for whether Kalimdor was full of wealth, full of dangers, or both, no one knew, because the boasts of drunken sailors could generally be taken as mere stories.
When Daelin heard that the Alliance army had truly set foot on this mysterious continent, how could this Naval Commander suppress his inner curiosity? Coupled with the fact that his daughter, whom he had not seen for a long time, was performing official duties in Kalimdor, it further strengthened his resolve to personally visit this land.
Jaina poured her father a cup of black tea and incidentally asked about the sea journey. "Father, you didn't encounter any danger on your way, did you?"
Daelin shook his head, picked up the teacup, and took a sip. "Danger? No, Arthas's navigation chart was unbelievably accurate; I almost thought he was a Naga."
But after putting down the cup, Daelin's tone shifted. "However, a few merchant ships that followed us, hoping to find opportunities in Kalimdor, disappeared without a trace not long ago."
Disappeared without a trace?
Jaina's beautiful brows furrowed slightly. "These merchants act so fast; they don't value human lives at all."
Those "merchant ships" were actually more like pirates and mercenaries hired by merchants. They weren't there to do business at all, but to seize opportunities to plunder wealth and treasures from the new continent.
But they clearly underestimated the hidden dangers of Kalimdor. Compared to the Eastern Kingdoms, which had been largely explored, Kalimdor was a completely unknown territory to anyone.
Those merchants whose heads were filled with money never considered that even the Alliance fleet had to strictly follow the sea charts drawn by Arthas's subordinates, yet they dared to seek landing points in Kalimdor on their own?
As far as Jaina knew, Dustwallow Marsh was already considered habitable on the eastern coastline of Kalimdor. The rest were either desolate Gobi deserts, scorching dry deserts, or an area where, although the climate and environment were very mild, the coastline was full of reefs and strange architectural ruins.
Normal ships simply couldn't find a foothold, not to mention that traces of Naga had also been found there. If those merchant ships accidentally entered these places, Jaina didn't know if they would find any treasures, but the natural environment and dangerous creatures there would be enough to make them all suffer greatly.
"Alright, since those merchant ships chose to find their own landing places, we can't stop them," Daelin said with an indifferent smile. In his decades of experience, he had seen many people who valued money over their lives. "I am quite curious... Hmm, didn't you say you were going to negotiate an alliance with a certain race earlier?"
"It's the Tauren—in their language, they call themselves Shu'halo. Some of them are still in Theramore. Arthas sent us to solve the survival problems of these indigenous residents."
Daelin showed a curious expression. "Tauren... they wouldn't be four-legged, would they?"
Jaina's smile became hard to describe. She corrected him rather helplessly, "Father, they just have some characteristics similar to cows. These Shu'halo have their own culture and customs; they live by hunting and gathering on this vast continent."
"However... their mortal enemies, the Centaur, are indeed four-legged. But besides their horse-like lower bodies, their upper bodies are similar to humans, and they can still use weapons."
Daelin nodded after listening. "Tauren... hunting and gathering... Centaur... and horse-like characteristics—let me guess, if these Centaur can run as fast as horses without needing mounts, then that would be an absolute disaster for any race that doesn't live within cities."
"That's right, the Centaur, relying on their mobility and numbers, have pursued the Tauren quite cruelly."
"Then your contract must include a clause to help the Tauren solve the Centaur threat." Daelin rubbed the teacup with his finger. "Varian and Muradin, they should have already gone to help these Tauren, right?"
"Yes, just this morning, Varian has already led his troops, leaving Dustwallow Marsh by sea, preparing to land on the coast of the Barrens to the north."
...
While the father and daughter were talking, Varian had already led his troops and set up camp on a mountain south of the Barrens. There was only one mountain path to ascend, and it was backed by towering peaks, offering excellent views of the coastline and the vast plains.
In the temporary command post, Varian spread out a map of the Barrens provided by the Secret Intelligence Agency on the round table. Hamuul Runetotem, the Tauren representative, pointed at several places on the map with his thick finger.
"Respected King Varian, these are the larger settlements of our clans in the southern Barrens. Our chieftain, Cairne Bloodhoof, has already called upon the other clans to jointly resist the Centaur invasion."