The establishment of Dalaran dates back thousands of years. In order to fight against the then extremely powerful Zul'Aman Empire, Quel'Thalas began to contact and form an alliance with the emerging human race.
Humans learned the magic of the Elves, and the Elves, aided by human armies, joined forces to defeat the vast Zul'Aman Empire and divide the Troll lands among themselves. Now, most of the Trolls on this continent can only huddle in a remote Forest, barely surviving – that is the Zul'Aman Forest.
Human mages flourished during this process, but their mysterious and dangerous nature led to fear and rejection by ordinary people. As a result, the mages gathered together and established their own city-states.
Thanks to its very free and open environment, the city quickly prospered, and even many High Elf mages moved there, making Dalaran a magical city that rivaled Silvermoon City.
However, it was breached during the Orcs Wars. After the Orcs were defeated, Dalaran was recaptured by mages, but it was almost completely destroyed in the ensuing war against the Undead and demons.
A large number of Kirin Tor members perished in battle, all the Mage Towers were destroyed by demons, and the once magnificent city was reduced to ruins. Dalaran almost completely devastated.
Later, due to infighting between demons and Undead, and the Lich King's slumber, the Scourge abandoned the city as part of a strategic retreat. The scattered mages then returned to their homeland and began the long process of reconstruction.
Dalaran currently shrouded in a massive magical barrier; apart from the dilapidated houses and empty streets on the outskirts, outsiders cannot see what lies within.
In fact, Kirin Tor had recovered some of its vitality, with more than thirty new temples and spires erected. Although it could not compare to its former size, it was beginning to take the shape of a city.
Violet Citadel is located directly north of the city. It is the residence and administrative center of the leaders of Dalaran, so it was the first to be rebuilt. At this moment, all the members of the Council of Six have gathered in the Sky Council Hall on the top floor of the castle.
After returning to the city, Modera issued the highest-level summons, so the Archmages either interrupted their work or were awakened from their rest to attend the meeting. Only one Elf mage was teleported back to the projection, but that was more than enough to discuss matters.
There was no need to hide anything from the core members of parliament present; the details of Merlin's death were revealed, Modera and Rhonin presented their respective viewpoints in a sharp exchange, causing a moment of silence in the Council Hall.
A middle-aged man with a thick beard spoke first, "The honor of Archmage Merlin cannot be tarnished; this matter must not be made public."
Another gaunt old man nodded, "Lord Ansirem is right. The heroes and icons of Dalaran's history must not be destroyed in this time of crisis."
Two people immediately supported Modera, which didn't surprise Rhonin at all; these old guys were in cahoots anyway. He turned his attention to the masked High Elf beside him.
"I don't know much about the heroic deeds of you humans, so it's hard to judge the impact of Merlin's actions." The Elf mage was clearly making excuses, which meant he was abstaining from the contest.
Rhonin's heart skipped a beat, sensing something was wrong. The Sunreavers had secretly formed a temporary Covenant with him, agreeing to help each other in crucial moments. He had just given them a hint, but the Elves had gone back on their word.
Only one Projector remained. He was also an Elf, but unlike the others, he was the most senior member of the six. Before the other five joined the council, he was already one of the Kirin Tor's core members, so his words carried considerable weight. Rhonin had the best relationship with him among all the council members.
"I apologize for not being able to return in time. Speaking of which, I once fought alongside Archmage Merlin. He was a great spellcaster, and I will mourn his passing." This person clearly also wanted to protect Merlin's reputation. "I also do not recommend making this public, otherwise it will deal a fatal blow to the morale of the Kirin Tor. Only by uniting the will of the people can Dalaran be reborn, not scattered."
To his surprise, no one supported him. Rhonin was immediately embarrassed, which was unusual in previous decisions. Was he really wrong? He was unwilling to admit it easily.
"Merlin's crimes are beyond redemption; are you all going to turn a blind eye to them?"
The withered old man said, "It's not that we don't acknowledge Merlin's crimes, but we simply disagree with making them public now. If Lord Rhonin feels it's inappropriate, we can wait for another opportunity to announce them."
The excuse of waiting for another opportunity was just that—an excuse, made in a grand and respectable way. But Rhonin knew it was a way out offered by the other party, so he could only swallow his pride and state his own conditions.
"I can promise not to announce it for now, but this corrupt and filthy atmosphere is intolerable. If this continues Dalaran will be destroyed by traitors again sooner or later. I want to establish an independent oversight organization to prevent any tragedy like Merlin's from happening again. I hope you all agree."
"An independent oversight organization? Overseeing whom, and who leads it?"
"Supervising all the mages is naturally my responsibility."
The bearded Ansirem sneered, "Ha! Lord Rhonin, you're really dreaming. No chief in the history of Dalaran has ever wanted to acquire such power. Do you want to put a crown on your own head?"
"I just want to get rid of you all," Rhonin thought to himself, but said aloud, "Your Excellency is overthinking it. I just want to secretly investigate the person who wrote the secret letter to Merlin. Although I don't know the contents of the letter yet, perhaps I can find more criminals."
"This will only create unrest. Rebuilding Dalaran is the top priority now. Even if you are the leader of the Kirin Tor, it doesn't mean you can act arbitrarily."
"Do you see searching for criminals as arbitrary and reckless?"
The meeting devolved into an endless argument, seemingly every time Rhonin made a new suggestion, it would end in the same way, and then break up unhappily.
But this time was different. Rhonin held the leverage. If he recklessly exposed Merlin's crimes, it would cause headaches for the others. So, in the end, they barely reached an agreement that everyone agreed to.
Merlin's body and the evidence such as his notebooks should be sealed away, and the news of Merlin's death should not be spread. Let this legendary figure remain missing, just as Modera said, let this matter be buried in the dust.
Information about Gunsel should be suppressed as much as possible. Fortunately, this Lich was not famous, and the news of his death would not cause much of a stir.
Rhonin was granted permission to establish a surveillance team, but its size was to be kept extremely small, and any intelligence gathered had to be shared with the Council of Six.
For Rhonin, this was a small victory. He had finally gained some extra power, and as long as he continued to work hard, he would eventually be able to defeat these disobedient old guys and become a true leader.