With a flash of light, everyone was teleported to Sandar Hill.
Remulos immediately gathered all Keepers of the Grove, Green Dragons, and druids to jointly resurrect Zaetar and the Centaur progenitor Titan.
Their souls were still intact, and the essence of their resurrection was to rebuild their bodies, which was not difficult.
Moreover, with Ysera and Cenarius secretly helping from the Emerald Dream, the resurrection was successful that very day. They exuded the aura of high-tier legendary beings, even stronger than Remulos.
"He's been dead for fifteen hundred years and is still stronger than Remulos. It seems Princess Theradras was right; Remulos is far inferior to Zaetar!" Kael'thas thought.
The five Centaur progenitor Khans were also resurrected.
For sufficiently powerful beings, the reproduction of offspring often followed a tradition similar to conventional succession:
Degradation.
Moon Goddess Elune, at least a top-tier demigod, combined with the high-tier demigod Malfurion, giving birth to Cenarius, who barely reached demigod status and was considered the "disgrace of demigods."
Cenarius's offspring, Zaetar, a low-tier demigod, lived for at least ten thousand years and is only a high-tier legendary now, with almost no hope of advancing to demigod status.
And the five Centaur progenitor Khans he fathered with Princess Theradras, a demigod, all reached legendary status—this made Kael'thas wonder: this was entirely due to their mother's influence!
"Since you are resurrected, return now, unite the Centaur, and from now on, stay peacefully in Desolace and no longer wage war against the Tauren!" Princess Theradras's face showed a hint of annoyance.
It was clear that she truly disliked her sons.
"Yes, Mother."
The five progenitor Khans were filled with disappointment but dared not say more. Kael'thas opened a portal and sent them back to Maraudon.
"Sandar Hill doesn't need two legendary Keepers of the Grove. Since you are staying here, I should return to Moonglade." Remulos said.
Moonglade is a holy land for Keepers of the Grove, druids, and Green Dragons. Moon Goddess Elune's largest and most important temple is there, and many druids are also sleeping there, requiring a sufficiently powerful presence to guard it.
High Priest Tyrande Whisperwind is there, but it's not enough.
Nythendra quickly said, "Then I will also go to Moonglade."
"No, you stay here."
"This is Queen Ysera's arrangement, and Sandar Hill indeed needs a legendary Green Dragon to guard it. Moreover, Sandar Hill's energy and blessings are crucial for the growth of our children."
"Don't worry, I will visit you often."
Remulos quickly tried to persuade her.
Nythendra was somewhat unwilling but knew that Queen Ysera's command could not be disobeyed.
This was her first mate in her long life, and their feelings were deep.
However, Remulos was different; he had many mates, and Nythendra was just one of them. There was one in Moonglade.
Having been away for so long, he needed to go back and see. What if she was taken by another male—
At this moment, Princess Theradras looked at the nearby mountain range, where thousands of Wildhammer Dwarves and High Elves, like ants, were quarrying stone and transporting it to the treetop via portals.
"Quarrying? I'm good at this!"
She flew to the mountain, stomped her foot on the mountain, raised her four arms, and manipulated the power of the earth.
Immediately, the mountain shook and cracked. Hundreds, even thousands, of giant stones, weighing hundreds of thousands or millions of tons, flew through the portal and landed on the treetop, a speed tens of thousands of times faster than the Wildhammer Dwarves.
At this time, Highlord Kurdran was on the mountain directing. Seeing this scene, he was so surprised that his mouth hung open, and he secretly thought, "This is bad."
If this continues, won't we Dwarves lose our jobs?
But then, he immediately noticed a "problem" and quickly shouted, "Hey, hey, don't mess around! You're putting Mithril ore up there as a foundation!"
"Mithril? Good metal. Do you need it?"
"Alright, I'll help you separate it!"
Princess Theradras waved her arms again, and the thousands of giant stones decomposed and were sorted, forming more than a dozen streams of stone, landing in more than a dozen different places.
The most abundant, of course, were ordinary stones, which passed through the portal and landed on the treetop as a foundation.
The other types were Mithril ore, Adamantite ore, gold ore, iron ore, copper ore—and various other ores.
There were also several types emitting five-colored light, which turned out to be gemstones like turquoise and malachite!
"These things are nothing to us earth elemental beings. Since you mortals need them, I will help you mine them in the future."
"My power is insufficient to extract the metal from the ore; you'll have to do that yourselves."
"But it doesn't matter. Once I recover to demigod level, I can do it!"
Princess Theradras said casually, not taking it seriously.
The four elements of earth, fire, water, and wind form all things in the universe, and all ores, metals, and gemstones originate from the earth, transformed from earth elements.
As an earth elemental demigod, she possessed a portion of the authority over the earth. Mining and decomposing ore were as simple for her as drinking water and eating for mortals.
Extracting metallic elements was more difficult but still achievable, though it would take some effort and wouldn't be as quick.
"It's over, it's over!"
"I thought the quarrying work was gone, but I didn't expect the mining work to be gone, and even the smelting work will be gone!"
"In other words, we Wildhammer Dwarves are useless to the High Elves. They won't drive us away, will they?"
Kurdran worried.
But soon, a flash of inspiration came to his mind: "It doesn't matter, we still have Gryphon Riders!"
"At worst, we'll send a few hundred more over to help the High Elves guard Sandar Hill—no, guard all of Quel'Thalas!"
Crack!
A crisp sound attracted everyone's attention.
Kael'thas quickly looked up and saw that on Sandar Hill's treetop, many branches were broken, and parts of the already laid foundation were at risk of collapsing.
"No!"
"Princess Theradras's quarrying speed is too fast; the Green Dragons, Keepers of the Grove, and druids can't keep up!"
General Lirath Windrunner's face changed drastically.
The foundation was divided into two parts: the support structure and the rock and soil layer.
The Green Dragons, Keepers of the Grove, and druids were responsible for making Sandar Hill's treetop grow denser, thicker, and tougher, thereby strengthening its support capacity.
The Wildhammer Dwarves and High Elves were responsible for quarrying and digging.
All along, the speed of quarrying and digging had been very slow.
So, the Green Dragons, Keepers of the Grove, and druids faced little pressure, only dedicating a small portion of their strength to reinforce the support structure, with most entering the Emerald Dream to guard Sandar Hill there.
But now, Princess Theradras, by herself, had increased the speed of quarrying and digging tenfold, and the support structure couldn't bear it!
"I'll do it!"
Zaetar came to the treetop, pressed his hands downwards, and communicated with the Emerald Dream.
The power of nature and dreams surged from the Emerald Dream, flowing through his body into the treetop.
The broken branches quickly healed, then continued to grow, becoming visibly thicker at a rapid pace, even growing together to form a dense structural layer with almost no gaps, supporting billions of tons of foundation.
This legendary Keeper of the Grove, freshly resurrected, single-handedly prevented the impending disaster!
"Kael'thas, thank you for saving us. The support structure and foundation construction of Sandar Hill will be left to us." Zaetar said.
"Then many thanks!" Kael'thas naturally agreed.
With two legendary beings personally handling the construction, Sandar Hill's construction period could be shortened by at least several months, saving at least hundreds of thousands of gold coins in terms of labor and material costs.
Azeroth was, after all, a magical world, and the power of the collective was negligible in the face of sufficiently powerful individual might.
Lirath Windrunner walked to his side and whispered, "Your Highness, Sandar Hill is a World Tree, a ley line nexus, and blessed by the four Dragonflights. It is one of the most powerful energy sources in all of Azeroth, and it will inevitably attract various factions. I have always worried about demigod-level beings making a move, but now there's no need to worry."
The current Sandar Hill possessed strong military forces and many experts.
There were tens of thousands of elite Rangers personally led by her.
There were thousands of mages led by Archmage Rommath.
There were hundreds of Gryphon Riders.
There were Nythendra and the hundreds of hatchlings and young dragons she brought.
There were Zaetar and hundreds of Keepers of the Grove, and even some Chimeras, Dryads, and Faerie Dragons.
There was also Princess Theradras, an earth elemental demigod who had not yet recovered her full strength.
It could be said that Sandar Hill's military strength even surpassed Silvermoon City, and it was not an exaggeration to praise it as the "safest area in the Eastern Kingdoms."
Such powerful forces would make even a low-tier demigod carefully consider whether they could retreat unscathed if they attacked rashly.
Kael'thas shook his head: "Not enough, far from enough."
What were low-tier demigods?
Sandar Hill's true enemies were not Lordaeron, not the Horde primarily composed of Orcs, but the Burning Legion, the Dark Host, Kil'jaeden, Archimonde, Xavius, Deathwing, and even the Old Gods.
In front of high-tier demigods, or even top-tier demigods, Sandar Hill's tens of thousands of elite soldiers and several legendary beings were simply negligible.
Together, they couldn't withstand Archimonde's full power attack!
"The High Elves' military strength has already surpassed most races and nations, even surpassing Lordaeron, but compared to the Naga, Night Elves, Dragonflights, Elemental Planes, Ahn'Qiraj Empire, and Zandalar Trolls, it's still quite lacking."
"Whether it's conventional forces or high-end combat power, they are far inferior!"
Kael'thas frowned slightly.
Quel'Thalas had a national military force of less than 100,000, fewer than ten legendary beings, and not a single demigod-level being. It was even inferior to the relatively weaker Night Elves, let alone the others.
In terms of high-end combat power, currently, only he had the hope of advancing to high-tier legendary or even demigod.
His Majesty the King, the Chief Archmage, the High Priest, General Lirath Windrunner, and General Salorian were too old, their potential long exhausted. They would still be low-tier legendary even if they lived for another 30,000 years.
The Windrunner Sisters, Lanathel, Liadrin, Lor'themar, Halduron, Rommath, Solanian, and others could all advance to legendary status without incident, but it would take time.
As little as three to five years, as much as one to two decades.
As for Baron Sagunar, Selin Fireheart, and others, the master level was already their limit; they saw no hope of advancing to legendary status.
The so-called 100,000 troops were also due to war mobilization; the regular forces were not that many.
Moreover, most were garrison troops and Ranger Corps in various places.
The truly elite units, such as the Firehawks, Fireblades, and Mage Guard, combined, numbered less than 10,000, which was still too few.
"Although the birth rate has greatly increased, the population cannot explode in the short term, and it also takes time for them to grow into adults."
"Nozdormu cannot be contacted, most likely lost in the temporal currents, so asking him to help accelerate growth is naturally impossible.
"The only way to quickly improve military strength and even overall national power is through foreign aid!"
When he first came to this world, he had already thought about these things and made detailed plans, but he had been fighting the Horde and couldn't spare the time.
Now that the war was over, he had plenty of time.
"After the two Orc Wars, the Alliance nations suffered heavy losses and were constantly scheming against each other, so they couldn't be relied upon."
"The ones who can truly be relied upon are our kin from ten thousand years ago."
"The Night Elves are already allies, but they are only allies; the relationship is not close enough, and their enemies are more numerous and stronger than the High Elves, so they may not be able to help when a crisis comes."
"The Naga are out of the question."
"The Nightborne are strong, but too xenophobic and too fearful of the Burning Legion. Unless they see hope of victory, they will not ally or cooperate with the High Elves."
"There is still an elven force on the Broken Isles that can be won over, but that comes later."
"The easiest power to acquire is the Shen'dralar!"
Sandar Hill's daily affairs were handled by Lirath Windrunner, so he didn't need to worry.
Kael'thas rested for a night, then teleported to the northern part of Feralas early the next morning, and then summoned his phoenix to fly to the only city in that area.
This was an ancient Night Elf city, a city of magic, or rather, a super-large magical library, where ancient Highborne magical knowledge was preserved.
It had a name long lost in the river of time: Eldre'Thalas.
After the Great Sundering of the Well of Eternity, the world shattered, and Eldre'Thalas was also affected. More than half of its area collapsed, and most of its residents died, with only a very few surviving.
These Highborne formed an organization named after the city's builders: the Shen'dralar.
Their power was no longer what it once was; they could not rule the entire city and were confined to a corner.
And over the long years, more and more external forces set their sights on this city, the strongest of which were the Satyr. Just half a month ago, a group of Stonemaul Ogres crossed the ocean and arrived here.
They were numerous, and among them were many Ogre magi. Their overall strength was in no way inferior to the Shen'dralar or the Satyr.
The three major forces divided the entire Eldre'Thalas.
Among them, the Stonemaul Ogres, with the strongest overall strength, occupied the largest territory.
They considered themselves the new masters of this city and gave it a new name:
Dire Maul.
Kael'thas, riding his phoenix, flew over half of Dire Maul, arriving at the city center, immediately attracting the attention of the Ogres.
Having been at war with the Shen'dralar for half a month, many Ogres had died at the hands of the Shen'dralar.
They hated the Highborne immensely and immediately launched an attack.
"Is this person mistaking me for a Syndra Elf?"
"How blind do you have to be? High Elves clearly don't look like Syndra Elves!"
Although both are branches of the Highborne and share the same 'delicate and easily pushed over' slender physique, they are still very easy to distinguish.
High Elves, bathed year-round in the light of the Sunwell, and now with Teldrassil and the Arcane Web, can absorb as much magical energy as they desire, making them vibrant and full of spirit.
Syndra Elves, 'closed off' and far from the Well of Eternity, can only absorb the demonic energy from the Void Terror Immol'thar to alleviate their magic addiction. This is akin to constantly drinking seawater contaminated with nuclear radiation, and it's not even enough to satisfy them, leaving them listless and exhausted.
High Elves, who constantly absorb the energy of the Sunwell, have a faint golden sheen on their fair skin.
The skin tone of Syndra Elves, on the other hand, is darker, somewhere between High Elves and Night Elves.
It's clearly easy to tell the difference!
While it's true that when one species looks at other species, they tend to look similar, High Elves and Syndra Elves are absolutely as different as East Asians and Caucasians.
If they can't even see that, there's only one possibility: these Ogres have never seen High Elves!
They did not participate in the War of Lordaeron, nor did they even go to the continent of Lordaeron.
They stayed in the south for a long time. Upon hearing the news of the Horde's defeat, they immediately took a ship, sailed across the ocean to Kalimdor, and by chance arrived in Feralas, at Dire Maul.
And their numbers were definitely not large.
There weren't many Ogres who invaded Azeroth with the Orcs to begin with.
Most died at the hands of the Alliance.
A small number still remained on the Eastern Continent.
Moreover, most of the Horde warships were destroyed, with very few remaining.
How many could have sailed across the boundless Endless Sea in a warship, eventually reaching the continent of Kalimdor, and by chance arriving in Feralas, at Dire Maul?
At most, no more than a thousand!
"They can't even defeat this small number of Ogres; Syndra Elves are truly weak, and Satyrs are truly weak!"
Kael'thas muttered as he cast spells.
There weren't many Ogres in this area, only about twenty, and only one two-headed Ogre Mage. In less than three minutes, he had eliminated all of them.
"Stop hiding, come out!"
He looked towards a corner to the west, a faint smile on his face.
"You—you're not a Syndra Elf, nor a Night Elf. Who are you?" A male Syndra Elf cautiously emerged from the corner.
He held a staff, mobilizing the meager remaining mana in his body, ready to cast spells and fight to the death.
"Don't be nervous, I am the High Elf Prince, from Quel'Thalas."
"It's fine if you don't know me, but you must know my ancestor, right? His name is Dath'Remar Sunstrider."
Kael'thas's smile was gentle and full of warmth.
"Dath'Remar, Dath'Remar—"
The Syndra Elf pondered deeply, and after a long while, he exclaimed, "Lord Dath'Remar? One of the Grand Magisters of the Ancient Night Elf Empire, a great legendary mage? I've read his magic books!"
"...To have only seen my ancestor's name in a book, it seems you, like me, are not a survivor of the War of the Ancients."
"That's right, although this is still on the continent of Kalimdor, it's at least ten thousand kilometers from Mount Hyjal, far beyond the energy radiation range of the World Tree Nordrassil. You would have long since degenerated, and perhaps your lifespan is even shorter than that of High Elves."
Kael'thas shrugged.
The Syndra Elf said in surprise, "World Tree Nordrassil? What is that? We have indeed degenerated, but that's because the Well of Eternity is gone. We lost its energy radiation, so naturally, we don't have the long lifespans of our ancestors. Now, most don't live past two thousand years. Only Prince Thaurissan has lived from ancient times until now."
"Two thousand years? That's still a lot."
Kael'thas smiled slightly and recounted the story of the Dragon Aspects planting the World Tree, the Highborne being ostracized by the Night Elves, Dath'Remar Sunstrider leading his numerous followers to leave their homeland, and the creation of the Sunwell on Quel'Danas Island.
The Syndra Elf was clearly astonished, his mouth agape, his gaze blank.
Since the Great Sundering of the Well of Eternity, the Syndra Elves had lost contact with the outside world.
At that time, there were demons of the Burning Legion everywhere.
They sensed the Great Sundering of the Well of Eternity, lost their ample energy supply, and became increasingly weak.
Moreover, they had lost most of their companions and were unable to resist the numerous and powerful demons.
They could only, under the leadership of Prince Thaurissan, abandon the collapsed areas and retreat to the relatively intact buildings, relying on their powerful spellcasting abilities and the runes and magic circles inscribed on the buildings to resist the Burning Legion.
As time passed, the number of demons outside decreased.
But their mana also became increasingly scarce, their magic addiction flared up, and their bodies grew weaker and weaker.
Yet they dared not leave here, dared not seek help.
Because they didn't know how many demons were still outside, didn't know which side had won, and didn't know if any of their kin were still alive outside.
They even suspected that all Night Elves and Highborne had died, and they were the last survivors of the empire!
To alleviate their magic addiction, Prince Thaurissan, who was knowledgeable and highly skilled in magic, after studying demons, came up with a "brilliant" idea:
He would emulate the exceptionally talented mage Illidan Stormrage during the War of the Ancients, and draw magic from demons!
Under the leadership of Prince Thaurissan, they used the remaining resources of the city to construct a giant cage, built several magic crystal towers, and then summoned a Void Terror named Immol'thar.
That was a legendary-level demon, as massive as an ancient dragon.
The larger the body, the more energy!
Thus, they began to absorb Immol'thar's energy, their magic addiction was alleviated, and they were filled with gratitude and admiration for Prince Thaurissan.
However, there were several thousand survivors in this city, and a mere single demon was simply not enough.
They certainly wanted to summon more demons.
But they had only obtained one coordinate from a certain Warlock, and that coordinate only led to one legendary demon.
Other demons had too little energy, not nearly enough to absorb!
There was nothing they could do; they could only use it sparingly.
Yet, no matter how much they conserved, the energy still dwindled.
What was even more terrifying was that:
As a demon, Immol'thar only contained fel energy, not arcane energy.
After absorbing fel energy, their bodies and minds were polluted and twisted, as if they had been poisoned.
The most deeply poisoned, naturally, was Prince Thaurissan, who absorbed the most.
The scarcity of energy, the corruption of fel energy, and thousands of years of isolation gave rise to terrifying thoughts in Prince Thaurissan's mind:
Since energy was becoming scarcer, wouldn't it suffice to simply reduce the population?
Over a thousand years ago, Prince Thaurissan issued a decree strictly prohibiting childbirth, and he himself was among the last batch of newborns.
However, Highborne have long lifespans and rarely die of old age, and being confined to the city, they rarely encountered danger. This decree could only prevent the population from increasing, but it couldn't effectively reduce it.
So, a few centuries ago, Prince Thaurissan issued an order to massacre civilians.
A massacre would occur at regular intervals.
After several such events, the number of living Syndra Elves was less than a thousand.
The vast majority were fanatics who obeyed Prince Thaurissan, with only a small number of civilians, and he was one of them.
They lived in fear every day, worried that they too would one day be massacred.
Trapped in despair, they naturally wanted to escape.
However, the fanatics had sealed off the passages to the outside world, and the power of the magic crystal towers had sealed off this space, making it impossible to teleport away.
Until half a month ago.
Half a month ago, a group of massive monsters arrived here, invading what was originally their territory.
The fanatics were pushed back, retreating towards the western area, which gave him an opportunity to escape.
He was not weak in strength and had a quick mind. He found an opportunity to escape, but discovered that the exit was occupied by a group of Ogres.
Just as he was at a loss, Kael'thas appeared!
"A second Well of Eternity? The Sunwell?"
"So, as long as I escape to Mount Hyjal or Quel'Danas Isle, I'll never have to worry about magic addiction again?"
He looked at Kael'thas, his eyes filled with a glimmer of hope: "Kael'thas—ah no, Your Royal Highness, how about you take me to Quel'Danas Isle?"
"My name is Farnson, I am willing to join Quel'Thalas, I am willing to become a High Elf. From now on, I will be your subject, at your service—no, no, no!"
He took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and pleaded, "Your Royal Highness, can you overthrow Thaurissan's rule and rescue my compatriots? I assure you, they will all become your subjects!"
He was too weak, so weak that he couldn't even conjure a few Fireballs, let alone defeat a single monster.
Even if he left here, he might not survive.
Now he finally saw hope, and he had to seize it no matter what.
But he didn't want to live alone.
If he lost all his compatriots, he would be the only Syndra Elf in this world, and he would be incredibly lonely—although High Elves were once Highborne, ten thousand years of divergence meant they could no longer be considered the same kin.
If possible, he hoped that all Syndra Elves oppressed by Prince Thaurissan could survive!
"Become my subjects?"
"As you wish!"
Kael'thas's face broke into a satisfied smile.
He had come here precisely to bring the Syndra Elves under his command, reclaim this ancient elf city, and extend his influence to the continent of Kalimdor.
He hadn't expected to have such a good start right after arriving.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Farnson was incredibly excited.
He couldn't wait and quickly urged, "Your Highness, let's go rescue them now—oh, look at me!"
He slapped his forehead suddenly and said, "Thaurissan has several hundred fanatics under him. Although they are all afflicted with magic addiction, they can absorb Immol'thar's energy every once in a while, and they still have a lot of magic power. How can you do it alone?"
"You are a prince, of course you should lead a large army to conquer!"
Kael'thas smiled slightly.
Just a few hundred fanatics, it was nothing; he could eliminate them alone.
However, Farnson was right. As a prince, when there was a choice, why risk himself?
His purpose in coming here was merely to confirm the beacon and mark the location.
"Let's go!"
Kael'thas took Farnson and teleported to Sandar Hill, where he summoned General Lirath Windrunner and Archmage Rommath.
"Kael'thas, are you going to fight? Take me, take me!"
"Mining and separating ore is so boring, fighting is much more interesting!"
Princess Theradras came over and volunteered.
She was so bored!
Staying in the depths of Maraudon for fifteen hundred years had been boring enough.
However, at that time, she was immersed in the grief of her husband's death, unable to extricate herself, so time passed quickly and she didn't have time to think about such things.
Now that she had left Maraudon and her husband was resurrected, he had voluntarily asked to help Kael'thas with mining.
She had originally intended to repay a debt of gratitude, and in a moment of impulse, she hadn't thought it through.
But after doing it, she realized that this kind of work was too boring and not fun!
Moreover, Sandar Hill was too large. Even with her current legendary-level earth power, working day and night without rest, it would still take at least a month to finish.
She regretted it!
However, as a dignified Earth Elemental Princess, how could she renege on a promise?
Now that there was finally an opportunity to steal some leisure time, she absolutely had to seize it, not miss it!
"I'll go too," Zaetar also said.
Casting spells all day long to help branches and leaves grow quickly, repetitive labor, was also quite boring.
Although he was more patient than Princess Theradras, he couldn't endure it for too long—
"Both of you are willing to help? I couldn't ask for more!" Kael'thas smiled slightly.
An hour later, a mixed force of five thousand assembled.
More than twenty teleporters simultaneously opened gates leading to the very center of Dire Maul.
On the other side of the gate, hundreds of Ogres were gathered, examining bodies.
More two-headed Ogre Mages were casting spells, attempting to find traces of teleportation and track the invading enemy.
Just then, more than twenty teleportation gates opened simultaneously, and over five hundred Dragonhawk Riders flew out in a mighty procession.
Before they could react, they launched a surprise attack.
A single volley, and over a hundred Ogres were either killed or wounded!
Ogres were always fierce and fearless; even though they were vastly outnumbered, they still wanted to fight back.
But it was too late.
Fireballs, Ice Lances, arrows—a barrage of skills flew from the other side of the teleportation gates, wiping them out.
Ten minutes later, all five thousand High Elf soldiers arrived at Dire Maul, occupying the entire arena, and also alarming the Syndra leader "Prince Thaurissan," the Ogre leader "King Gordok," and the Satyr leader "Wildheart Ozien."
This, of course, would make the three factions wary and try to resist.
Kael'thas didn't care.
In the face of absolute force, all efforts were meaningless.
"General Lirath, you take two thousand men to the north; Rommath, you take two thousand men to the east; the remaining thousand will follow me—"
Kael'thas was about to give orders.
He then saw Princess Theradras let out a shout and charge alone towards Dire Maul North, occupied by the Stone Maul Ogres.
Then he saw sand and stones flying through the massive complex of buildings, and the screams of Ogres were incessant.
Zaetar laughed, "Leave the east to me."
Before Kael'thas could agree, he charged towards Dire Maul East, where the Satyrs were located.
Although he had a gentle personality, he actually had a bit of a temper and wanted to perform well in front of his wife, not to be outdone.
A high-tier legendary was a high-tier legendary; they were unmatched wherever they went. Those Satyrs couldn't even break his defense.
"What an impatient temper," Kael'thas shook his head.
Then he was surprised to find that all five thousand soldiers were looking at him, their eyes full of expectation, the meaning very clear:
Your Highness, they are legendaries, and you are also a legendary, don't lose face!
"They love to watch a good show."
Kael'thas sighed helplessly and instructed, "General Lirath, Rommath, you two lead your men to surround the entire city, do not let any creature leave."
"Farnson, follow me!"
He strode purposefully towards Dire Maul West.
As soon as Kael'thas entered the gate of Dire Maul West, he felt a strong composite energy.
There was Arcane energy, Fel energy, Natural Life energy, Death energy, and even Shadow energy.
A crystal tower, twenty meters tall, stood in the southern part of the Central Garden, instantly catching Kael'thas's eye.
Numerous energy creatures hovered below the crystal tower, guarding it and preventing anyone from approaching.
"Prince Theredas used this type of crystal tower to absorb Immol'thar's magic, creating a magical force field that in turn imprisoned Immol'thar!"
"He not only imprisoned Immol'thar, but also created a massive magical barrier to protect his library, allowing no one to enter or exit except him and his fanatics."
"Immol'thar is the energy source of the magical barrier!"
"Only by destroying these crystal towers can the magical force field be broken, allowing entry into the deep underground cage to kill Immol'thar."
"Only by killing Immol'thar can the magical barrier be destroyed, cutting off Prince Theredas's magic supply, and weakening him as much as possible!"
Farnson trembled all over, his eyes filled with intense fear: "Prince Theredas is too strong! He has lived for over ten thousand years; he is a veteran Legendary Mage. If we don't cut off his magic supply, all of us Syndra combined won't be able to defeat him!"
"A Legendary Mage? He is indeed very strong."
Kael'thas looked to the northwest, the direction of the library.
He could clearly sense the existence of the magical barrier. Its radius was only one-tenth that of Silvermoon City, and its defensive capability was slightly weaker, able to block ordinary professionals but not a Legendary like him.
But he didn't intend to rush in and confront Prince Theredas at his peak.
Since there was an easier way, he would follow the steps one by one. Sometimes, more steps could actually be faster.
"Flame Strike!"
Kael'thas raised his hand and cast an area-of-effect spell, eliminating all energy bodies. Then, he launched a large fireball at the spire of the tower, destroying the activation device and severing its connection with the other crystal towers.
"Gulp."
Farnson was stunned. With such powerful casting ability and spell strength, is Your Royal Highness also a Legendary?
"No wonder he dared to break in with me, a burden. He is indeed strong!"
He had originally been somewhat worried, thinking that His Royal Highness was too impulsive and reckless, but now he realized that wasn't the case.
He wasn't here for an adventure; he was here to farm monsters!
"Your Highness, this way, follow me!"
He led Kael'thas to another courtyard, where they encountered several ghosts at the entrance.
"Farnson, didn't you escape? Why are you back? Who is he?"
The ghosts cautiously floated to a short distance from Farnson, their eyes glowing blue as they scrutinized Kael'thas, their gaze quickly falling on the longsword at his waist.
"flame strike! It's Dath'Remar's flame strike! I've seen it before!"
"Although the appearance has changed, the inscription on the sword body is still there, and the Sunstrider Family's emblem is still there!"
"Dath'Remar's descendant is still alive!"
"That's great! We Syndra are not the only Highborne left; we still have our kin outside!"
Several ghosts cried tears of joy, though what dripped from the corners of their eyes was not tears, but Arcane energy.
"You've seen flame strike?" Kael'thas immediately grasped the key point.
Farnson quickly said: "Your Highness, these are Syndra Ancients, ancestors who died in the War of the Ancients. In life, they were all scholars and Archmages, some even colleagues of Dath'Remar!"
"By the way, esteemed ancestors, allow me to introduce you. This is—"
He introduced Kael'thas's identity, strength, and background.
The Syndra Ancients looked at each other, and one of them said: "Very well. As long as His Highness helps us overthrow Theredas's rule, we are willing to join Quel'Thalas!"
The second one smiled and said: "Dath'Remar's status among the Highborne was second only to Queen Azshara and Xavius, and no less than Lord Kur'talos Ravencrest. We are willing to follow his descendant!"
Another Ancient added: "However, one thing must be made clear: we are Highborne, we are Syndra. This name is given in honor of Syndra, the builder of Eldre'Thalas and a Legendary Mage. We will retain this name and not become High Elves!"
Farnson immediately became a little nervous, fearing that these old stubborn ones would anger His Royal Highness.
However, Kael'thas didn't care about such things.
He only needed the Syndra to serve him and Quel'Thalas; the name didn't matter.
"Understood."
Kael'thas's agreement made the Syndra Ancients breathe a sigh of relief.
One of them smiled and said: "Your Highness, please don't blame us for being rigid. We died as Syndra, and this is our remembrance of the past. Rest assured, since we have agreed to join Quel'Thalas, we will not change our minds."
Another said: "We will now go and gather the Ancients and commoners. We will follow you and overthrow Theredas together!"
"Go ahead."
Kael'thas nodded slightly, scanning the surroundings. He saw a crystal tower in both the north and south of the courtyard.
And in places further away from the crystal towers, there were many treants corrupted by Fel energy, as well as ancient human-shaped trees, similarly corrupted, these were the "Elonbark Protectors."
Elonbark is the name, Protector is the race.
These human-shaped ancient trees are a type of "Ancient Protector"!
In the center of the courtyard, a larger Ancient Protector, which had been dormant, now seemed disturbed and awakened, emitting a corrupted Fel energy aura.
"It is Tedis, the first Ancient Protector of Eldre'Thalas, the leader of all Elonbarks, and one of the builders of this city."
"After the Sundering, it eliminated hundreds of demons, but ultimately it was corrupted by Fel energy."
"It no longer recognizes us now."
Farnson sighed sadly.
"City builder?"
Kael'thas once again extracted key information.
Dire Maul—or rather, Eldre'Thalas—would certainly need to be rebuilt after its recapture.
Princess Theradras was good at mining, but construction, such a delicate task, was not suitable for her.
The Ancient Protectors were huge; moving tons of heavy stones was like child's play for them.
If they helped, rebuilding Eldre'Thalas would be much easier.
"Never mind them for now. We'll go around, eliminate Immol'thar and Prince Theredas, and then we'll see!"
Kael'thas repeated the process, easily destroying two crystal towers.
Then he led Farnson out of there and into the area of the fanatics.
This place was very close to the library and Immol'thar's cage. Only here could they absorb Immol'thar's magic and alleviate their magic addiction.
So, they would rather abandon other areas, rather surrender their former territory, than leave.
Kael'thas looked around and saw hundreds of fanatics.
These fanatics were also in a state of magic addiction, their bodies extremely thirsty, but much better off than commoners like Farnson, probably the difference between 99% and 90% thirst.
Even though their magic power was only one-tenth of their peak, and their bodies were very weak, they were still elite-level, still able to hold this area and resist attacks from Satyr and Ogres.
If they could absorb enough Arcane energy, most of them could reach the High-level professional tier, some even reaching the Master-level.
Especially the male elf leading them, his physique and gaze had a certain resemblance to General Salorian, and his strength was quite good.
"He is Mayor Karedis, Theredas's most trusted subordinate."
"He is the most detestable executioner; Theredas's orders to massacre commoners were carried out by him!"
"His hands are stained with the blood of thousands of commoners, including my parents!"
Farnson gritted his teeth, hating this executioner, this butcher, to the extreme.
At this moment, the Ancients and commoners also gathered, about three hundred people.
They usually hid in small safe areas, protected by the Elonbark Protectors. Although these Ancient Protectors were corrupted and fallen, they still retained basic sanity and would not attack the original inhabitants of the city.
"Farnson, you actually colluded with outsiders to deal with your own kin, you despicable traitor!"
"Outsider, you also look like a Highborne. Why do you look a little different from us—wait!"
Mayor Karedis looked at Kael'thas, his eyes greedy: "Your body is so pure; you haven't been corrupted by Fel energy. The purest Arcane energy flows within you; I can even feel the aura of the Well of Eternity!"
He waved his hand: "Go! Take him down, force him to tell us where the Arcane energy comes from!"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was instantly killed by Kael'thas.
"Too noisy."
The Elf Prince cast spells one after another, eliminating all hundreds of fanatics. Farnson's throat went dry, his heart raced, and his eyes gleamed—this new master's strength was even greater than he had imagined!
The Ancients and commoners looked at each other, then at the weapons in their hands, speechless.
They had finally been persuaded, summoned the courage to help, and were determined to overthrow Theredas's rule even if it meant death.
But they barely had a chance to act before all those terrifying fanatics were dealt with?
"Your Highness, I thought you would recruit them."
"After all, they are all very strong, just lacking mana. As long as their mana is replenished, they would be a very powerful force."
Farnson was puzzled. This approach clearly wasn't maximizing benefits and didn't align with the actions of a prince in his mind.
Kael'thas asked: "You wish me to recruit them?"
"I do not wish it—"
"Then why should I recruit them?"
The fanatics' minds were already twisted, and their hands were stained with too much of their kin's blood. Their existence would not be conducive to unity.
Nor were they controllable.
Recruiting them would be like planting hundreds of bombs in Quel'Thalas, ready to explode at any time.
Hundreds, or even several hundred, High-level and Master-level professionals were indeed strong, but to him, they were just that.
In all of Eldre'Thalas, what he truly cared about was not the Syndra Elf, but Queen Azshara's and the Highborne's treasure—the books in the library!
The collection of books there was more extensive and complete than anywhere else!
The library was the core of Eldre'Thalas; this city existed to protect the library!
For mages, knowledge is power.
The Syndra's collection of books was almost equivalent to the entire magical heritage of the Ancient Night Elf Empire, an endless wealth of incalculable value, far higher than ordinary artifacts!
"Your Highness—"
Having lived for over a thousand years, Farnson wouldn't be overwhelmed with gratitude by Kael'thas's feigned words, but his actions indeed aligned with his wishes, stirring a ripple in his heart.
The group continued deeper.
Kael'thas didn't intervene further; the Ancients and commoners also needed to vent years of accumulated anger.
They killed dozens of fanatics along the way and soon encountered an Undead.
It was a female Highborne, a hunter, accompanied by a rotten giant bear.
They had died long ago, but their souls were trapped in their decaying bodies, controlled by powerful magic, serving as the last line of defense for Immol'thar's cage.
"Illyna Darkwood, the finest elf in all of Eldre'Thalas."
"She was once Theredas's most capable hunter, fiercely loyal, but she refused the order to massacre commoners and was then poisoned by Theredas."
"I witnessed her being killed by Theredas; I was just a child then."
Farnson's voice was low, sorrowful, and angry.
Kael'thas said nothing more, casting three consecutive spells to kill Illyna Darkwood and her animal companion, then entering Immol'thar's cage.
This was an extremely vast underground space, also guarded by many fanatics, but they were all killed by the angry Ancients and commoners.
"Stand back!"
Kael'thas destroyed the last two crystal towers, facing the now-free Void Terror Immol'thar.
This poor Legendary demon had over ninety percent of its magic power drained.
It was no match for Kael'thas even at its peak, and now even less so. It was killed before it could even go berserk.
The magical barrier then vanished, and a roar came from the direction of the library—it was Prince Theredas.
"Let's go, everything should end now."
The group rushed into the library, eliminating many more fanatics, and finally met Prince Theredas.
"You—"
He had just opened his mouth when Kael'thas's spell interrupted him.
"Skip the trash talk in the cutscene!"
Kael'thas couldn't be bothered to waste words with a dying man and immediately engaged in battle.
Prince Theredas, at full health and mana, might have been able to contend with him, but certainly not now. He lasted only a minute before being incinerated by elemental fire, leaving no bones behind.
"Are we—free?"
The Ancients and commoners embraced each other, celebrating their new beginning.
Kael'thas didn't disturb them, returning to the arena where Zaetar and Princess Theradras had already finished.
"Kael'thas, you're too slow!" Princess Theradras mocked, feeling immensely pleased.
Not long ago, she had been instantly defeated by Kael'thas, which she secretly resented because she wasn't in proper condition at the time, most of her power hadn't been recovered, and also because Kael'thas relied on the power of an artifact, which wasn't his true ability.
This time, she went all out, sweeping through everything, annihilating all the Ogres with overwhelming force, finishing a full five minutes faster than Kael'thas!
"I won!" she declared triumphantly.
Zaetar was helpless; with the female dominating at home, he couldn't suppress his only mate and could only express his apologies with his eyes and expression.
"You won, you won, that's great!"
Kael'thas looked at the northern area: "But I came to reclaim this city, and with all your commotion, half the city is destroyed!"
Princess Theradras was too large, bigger than most rooms. Corridors and passages simply couldn't accommodate her. Wherever she went, she caused destruction!
And her attacks were not gentle at all; she directly manipulated the stones forming the walls and rooms to attack. It would be strange if such a large force didn't cause damage!
Zaetar was different.
Although he was not small, his movements were flexible; he would bend and duck. Moreover, he only used nature spells for attack, so the destructive power wasn't as strong, causing almost no damage.
"I didn't do it on purpose—alright, alright, I'll cover the stones for rebuilding this city!"
"Also, I'll help you mine for half a year—ah no, a year! No more than that!"
Princess Theradras rarely condescended to admit her mistake.
However, her admission had the flair of a wealthy young lady from a short drama.
"Kael'thas, I've cleared out the Satyr in the eastern area, but the Fel energy and other pollutions are still there," Zaetar said.
Kael'thas nodded: "The west is the same. Zaetar, this city needs purification. Priestess of the Moon are the most professional in this regard. Can you—"
"Yes, it's been fifteen hundred years since I last visited Moonglade anyway."
Zaetar's emotional intelligence was much higher than Princess Theradras's; he immediately agreed.
He immediately returned to Sandar Hill, traveled through the Emerald Dream back to Moonglade, and returned the same day, bringing a group of female elves.
Most were archers, with a small number of Priestess of the Moon.
The leading female elf was in full battle attire, heroic and valiant. Although dressed as an archer, she exuded Legendary-level energy fluctuations.
"Shandris Feathermoon, High Priestess, General of the Sentinel Army, adopted daughter of Malfurion and Tyrande," Zaetar introduced.