Shaladrassil, the first World Tree in the real world.
It grew naturally, and no one knows how many years it has been growing; it might have existed since the day the Emerald Dream was created.
However, unlike the later Nordrassil, Shaladrassil did not receive the blessing of the Guardian Dragons, nor was it nurtured by druids using nature magic. Therefore, its nutrients came entirely from the earth and the free-floating elements in the air.
However, Shaladrassil's immense size meant that relying solely on these two methods of energy acquisition was only enough for its normal growth. Gale's use of its energy for the portal affected its energy balance, causing its leaves to continuously fall.
Initially, Gale didn't pay attention, as it's normal for such a large tree to shed a few leaves. But when he returned from Mount Hyjal, he found the ground covered in a layer of leaves, and Shaladrassil clearly showed signs of wilting.
Only then did Gale realize something was wrong and quickly used nature magic to communicate with Shaladrassil.
Shaladrassil constantly emitted hungry groans, and Gale finally understood that it lacked nutrients. Gale was in a dilemma; adding nutrients to trees usually involved fertilization.
There are only two methods of fertilization on Azeroth: one is to increase soil fertility, and the other is to gather a large amount of energy for the tree to absorb.
The latter is quick-acting but requires constant operation from Gale. Once the energy is insufficient, Shaladrassil will still suffer from 'malnutrition'.
The former is slow-acting and requires a large amount of nutrients. However, once it takes effect, it can solve the problem once and for all.
But, is there a way to combine both?
Gale looked at the eternal holy grail. The reason Nordrassil could sustain hundreds of thousands of Sin'dorei for eternal life was because of the Well of Eternity created by Illidan. If he used the Well of Eternity's water to irrigate Shaladrassil, it should be a feasible plan, right?
He was an experimentalist; if he thought of something, he had to try it. However, he wouldn't try it recklessly but would base it on theoretical principles.
The Well of Eternity's water has too much energy and is extremely corrosive. If it were poured directly onto Shaladrassil, it would only damage Shaladrassil's body.
The most important methods were nothing more than two: one was to imitate Nordrassil and create a Well of Eternity beneath Shaladrassil. However, the immense energy of the Well of Eternity would attract attention from all sides. Even if he could withstand investigations from the demigods and Azshara, he would still be discovered by the Burning Legion.
The other method was to dilute the well water, then use the diluted water for artificial rain, allowing Shaladrassil to absorb it evenly. The diluted well water's energy would no longer be intense, and even absorption would allow Shaladrassil to withstand the immense energy of the well water.
Gale opened his magic map and found a lake to the west of the forest. He hurried over, took out Nash's Fang, and lifted the lake water into the sky. Then he guided the well water from the eternal holy grail to mix with the lake water.
Under the mobilization of Nash's divine power, the surrounding Water Elementals gathered towards the lake water, quickly condensing into a dark cloud.
Gale directed the dark cloud to fly over Shaladrassil, and for a moment, thunder roared, and heavy rain poured down.
Shaladrassil bathed in the heavy rain, absorbing the energy of the well water. The energy of the well water not only alleviated its 'hunger' but also allowed it to store a large amount of 'food'.
Unfortunately, its dream of storing 'food' was soon woken up by Gale.
Gale's perception of Arcane was far superior to that of natural energy. He clearly felt that Shaladrassil was storing Arcane Energy in its trunk. It wasn't using this Arcane Energy; it wanted to save it for a rainy day.
But this didn't align with Gale's intentions. Gale's aim in replenishing Shaladrassil's deficit was still to strengthen the barrier. If Shaladrassil used Arcane Energy to accelerate its growth, Gale wouldn't interfere, but storing it away was unacceptable.
If he could sense the Arcane Energy in the tree trunk, let alone a demigod.
If Cenarius knew that Gale was using the Well of Eternity's water to irrigate the World Tree, he might turn grim again.
Gale wasn't afraid of Cenarius, but he couldn't lose an ally he had finally won over just because of a small matter!
So, Gale mobilized that Arcane Energy and strengthened the barrier.
Shaladrassil swayed its body, its leaves rustling, expressing its dissatisfaction to Gale.
Gale smiled, "Don't worry, I will water you often. In the future, I will also let you store energy, but not right now."
Shaladrassil was a bit disappointed, but it had no choice. After all, it was just a tree! Although it possessed powerful energy, it could only survive by instinct.
Gale soothed Shaladrassil and then adjusted the barrier. The Titan Portal was strategically vital, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.
As of now, besides Gale and Maiev, no one else knew about this matter.
The concealment work here was done, but the other side still needed attention. Gale passed through the portal and arrived at Mount Hyjal.
The Titan Portal on Mount Hyjal was in a valley, which, according to the game map, should be equivalent to Cecilia's habitat. This valley was very secluded, with Ash Valley below the cliff. The two portals were thousands of miles apart, providing a sufficiently large strategic depth.
If the War of the Ancients still unfolded as it did in the original history, the role of the portal would be immense. With the Burning Legion attacking Ash Valley, the resistance could return to Val'sharah through the portal, striking directly at Sin'dorei, which would definitely catch the demons off guard.
If it weren't for the high cost of the Titan Portal, Gale would have wanted to build ten or eight of them.
Gale set up some Runestones in the valley and used them to create an invisible barrier. The valley was uninhabited, and even Mount Hyjal itself had little human presence, only occasional Dark Trolls hunting on the mountain, all on the western side. Therefore, Gale was not very worried.
If it weren't for his cautious nature, always preparing for the worst, he wouldn't even bother with an invisible barrier.
After setting up the invisible barrier, Gale returned to Val'sharah.
Shaladrassil's branches and leaves covered the sky and sun. No matter how many times Gale saw it, he still felt awe-struck.
As he watched, Gale suddenly noticed that the leaves on a tiny branch seemed to have changed. While all the other leaves were green, this one was purple.
Gale cast a spell to pluck the leaf and was surprised to find Arcane Energy flowing through its veins. Although very faint, it was enough to cast one Arcane Missile.
He had intended to keep the irrigation of the World Tree with Well of Eternity water a secret, but he hadn't expected such a change from even absorption. It could only be said that the energy of the Well of Eternity's water was too powerful.
Looking up, there were quite a few such purple leaves. However, Shaladrassil's branches and leaves were so dense that it was not immediately noticeable without close inspection.
He had no solution for this situation; he could only take it one step at a time.
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