Merith Winterwind and the Sunwell

The people of Stromgarde had been extremely excited lately.

Those legendary elves had been running all over the city, searching for children and youths with magical talent.

Aside from the distinctly different-looking Nightborne, humans could not tell whether the elves before them were Highborne or High Elves. They only knew that these elves seemed to have arrived aboard that miraculous city in the sky, and that their leader was supposedly a Divine Emissary sent into the mortal world by a god. As for why the Divine Emissary preferred to appear before the world in human form, no one knew.

Yet even the elves had been deeply confused. They now knew that Hu Feng's appearance all along had belonged to a new race: humans.

Meanwhile, across the Arathor Empire, the Emperor's orders had been delivered. Every legion had entered a state of war readiness, reorganizing their ranks and preparing for battle. At a single command, the massive human armies would march north in force to support the High Elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas against the trolls.

At that moment, Hu Feng was looking at the exceedingly nervous boy before him. This boy was the most magically gifted genius they had discovered so far.

"Don't be nervous. It's not like I eat people." Hu Feng smiled and patted the boy's thin shoulder. The boy immediately straightened up. "What's your name?"

"Merith, sir. I... my name is Merith, Merith Winterwind." The boy tried hard to calm himself.

"Not bad. Then, Merith, are you willing to learn magic from me?"

Merith grew even more excited. "Yes! Sir! I am willing!"

Hu Feng nodded in satisfaction. He could sense the immense inborn magical circuits and resilient spirit within Merith. This was a genius born for magic.

"Then, Merith, what kind of magic do you want to learn?" Hu Feng continued.

Merith clenched his fists and thought carefully for a long while before raising his head to look at Hu Feng. "I want to learn powerful magic, magic that can protect myself and my country!"

Thus, Merith became Hu Feng's first magical apprentice. Every elf was envious and jealous. Learning magic from the Divine Emissary of the God of Magic—what incredible fortune was that? What kind of talent did this human boy possess for the Divine Emissary himself to take notice of him? Emperor Thoradin was even happier. The Magic Emissary was personally teaching a human boy!

The Emperor's royal decree soon followed. Merith soared to greatness in a single step, rising from a commoner to become the youngest viscount of the Arathor Empire, while also serving as an Archmage of the royal court. Though he possessed no fiefdom, he still became an idol envied by countless commoners.

Merith did not disappoint Hu Feng either. He displayed unparalleled talent for learning. Even Archmage Elisande admitted that such talent was rare even among elves.

Hu Feng's instruction was thorough and brutal. Every day, Merith was either drowned in all kinds of magical theory or sent into the wilderness alone to hunt and kill beasts, Kobolds, and murlocs. Merith would return to Stromgarde covered in wounds, carrying a broken staff while a pile of strange creatures' heads floated behind him. Everyone had grown accustomed to such sights. The elves privately sighed that Divine Emissary Hu Feng's teaching methods were truly peculiar. Yet they had to admit that this method was the most effective and fastest.

Merith had rapidly transformed from the nervous, shy boy he once was into a mature, wise, and decisive young man. He was already capable of standing on his own. Merith, meanwhile, grew ever more respectful toward Hu Feng. Though Hu Feng's lessons were bitter and exhausting, and injuries were as common as meals, he knew it was all for his own good. He could feel his strength advancing by leaps and bounds. During breaks, Hu Feng put on no airs at all, caring for Merith like a friend.

Archmage Elisande was as considerate and warm as a master's wife, occasionally bringing him medicines and materials to heal his wounds and strengthen his spirit. It allowed Merith, an orphan, to feel the warmth of a home. Hu Feng had especially told him that a teacher for a day was a father for life. Merith deeply agreed, silently engraving those words in his heart.

Hu Feng himself continued his training during this time. In addition to the void and fel energy he had always used, both of which had become instinctive abilities to him, his mortal body diligently cultivated the powers of fire, frost, and arcane magic. Because this body had been directly condensed by the Titan Core, its magical circuits had already reached a godly level. Combined with a Titan's spiritual power, studying three types of energy at once posed no pressure whatsoever.

However, Hu Feng discovered an ability derived from fel energy that intrigued him: fel magic. By controlling this power, Hu Feng could summon demons from the Twisting Nether that had signed contracts and would obey him completely. After exploring it further, Hu Feng was astonished to discover that this power was also exceptionally skilled at manipulating souls. If he wished, he could stuff a soul into a corpse at any time, creating a deathless being powered by fel magic. Hu Feng instinctively felt that this ability was forbidden and disrespectful to life, so after understanding it, he never used it even once.

Everything developed in a tense yet orderly manner. Before long, the first hundred human mages had already gained a basic grasp of the spells needed in war. Half were fire mages skilled at casting Fireball, Hellfire, and similar spells. More than twenty were frost mages who balanced defense and offense and preferred using Blizzard to slaughter enemies on a large scale, while another twenty-plus were arcane mages skilled in single-target attacks and the use of mysterious arcane energy.

These human mages would form the Arathor Royal Mage Corps, led by Merith Winterwind. They would soon depart alongside Arathor's enormous human army, marching north to Quel'Thalas to support the High Elves.

Hu Feng and Elisande had already left Stromgarde ahead of them and arrived in Silvermoon City, the capital of Quel'Thalas. They were currently receiving Dath'Remar Sunstrider's enthusiastic hospitality. Although the war against the trolls had lasted a long time, Silvermoon City seemed completely unaffected. The entirety of Quel'Thalas had been altered by magic, its climate fixed in a pleasantly mild spring. Golden leaves of Eversong Woods adorned the kingdom, while Mage Towers and magical lecture platforms could be seen everywhere, making it truly worthy of being called a kingdom of magic.

Dath'Remar was as delighted as a child. "Divine Emissary, Archmage Elisande, being able to see the two of you again on this land has made me happier than I have been at any time since the victory in the War of the Ancients. Ah, and beautiful Suramar! I thought I would never see that great city again in my lifetime!"

Dath'Remar's eyes moistened as he lifted his head to gaze at Suramar City floating above Silvermoon City. As for Silvermoon City itself, it had long turned into a sea of celebration. High Elves could be seen everywhere, pulling Highborne along to introduce their city, while others lined up to teleport into Suramar City and visit their homeland.

Hu Feng cleared his throat. "We came this time to help you deal with those filthy trolls. Even if you chose self-exile, you will always be a part of the Night Elves."

Dath'Remar nodded fervently in gratitude, then revealed a nostalgic expression. "Night Elves... what a familiar yet unfamiliar name. How long has it been since we Sunstriders called ourselves Night Elves?" Dath'Remar quickly recovered from his reminiscence and raised the cup in his hand. "Elisande, meeting you again today, your strength has become this formidable as well. It seems our Divine Emissary has taken very good care of you. Hahaha."

She blushed slightly and shot Dath'Remar a fierce glare.

"Since the two of you have come, don't be in such a hurry to leave. Once the trolls are eliminated, stay for a while and experience the charm of our new homeland, Quel'Thalas. Oh, right, come with me. I'll show you our holy land, the source of High Elf power—the Sunwell!"

The first time Hu Feng saw the Sunwell, which resembled a massive golden disc radiating golden energy, he thought of the Well of Eternity. It was no surprise. The Sunwell was a miniature Well of Eternity created using a vial of water from the Well of Eternity. Around it, the sight of groups upon groups of High Elves drawing magical power from the well made Hu Feng frown.

"Dath'Remar, using the Sunwell like this will create Mana Addiction, just like the Well of Eternity once did."

Dath'Remar gave a bitter smile. "Of course I know that, but we have no choice. This is our only current means of acquiring mana. Unless..." At this point, Dath'Remar's eyes lit up. "Unless the Divine Emissary communicates with the God of Magic and transforms the Sunwell into a magic network like Suramar's!"

Hu Feng shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to. It can't be done. Suramar's magic network is connected to the divine realm of the God of Magic, making it an independent space. Unless Silvermoon City is lifted into the sky like Suramar, the land of Quel'Thalas would be arcane-infused section by section. Eventually, not a blade of grass would grow. Every plant and building would become an arcane crystal."

Hu Feng paused, closed his eyes, and put on a constipated expression. Elisande watched his act with some amusement.

After a while, Hu Feng continued, "The god told me that unless the High Elves return to the Kalimdor Continent, all that can be done for now is to lessen the effects of Mana Addiction. But that would merely suppress it, not eradicate it. Just like the Mana Addiction caused by the Well of Eternity, it cannot be eradicated unless the Sunwell is destroyed and the god rebuilds the magic network."

Dath'Remar was disappointed for a moment, but he quickly calmed down. Though Mana Addiction could not be eradicated, at least it could be eased. That alone was worth celebrating. But then Hu Feng spoke again. "However, the god is willing to grant you a blessing. I will modify the Sunwell slightly and create a path of ascension. All High Elves who die or lose their will due to Mana Addiction will have their souls guided to the divine realm of the God of Magic, or remain around the Sunwell forever as eternal guardians."

Dath'Remar's emotions were like a roller coaster. He had just recovered from disappointment when surprise struck him so hard that he felt dizzy. He kept nodding foolishly with a grin. "Thank you for the God of Magic's blessing. Thank you, Divine Emissary."

Over the following days, Hu Feng modified the Sunwell while waiting for the human army to arrive. The Nightborne under his command had it much worse. The old scholars of Silvermoon City fought over them like prized animals. The Nightborne's state of having their bodies completely altered by magic and coexisting with magic drove those old High Elf academics mad. If Hu Feng had not strictly forbidden it, those old men would probably have wanted to capture several Nightborne and dissect them.

One day, Dath'Remar came running over to find Hu Feng again, but this time he was followed by a female High Elf. Unlike the robe-and-hood spellcaster attire worn by most High Elves, the elf lady wore fitted leather armor that looked crisp and capable. Her long legs were perfectly toned without a trace of excess flesh, and an exquisite longbow on her back glimmered with enchanted light.

Although Hu Feng had grown used to the elves' extraordinary beauty, and the Divine Emissary's tastes had been spoiled enough that he had no intention of building a harem that valued quantity over quality, only Elisande—exceptional among elves in both appearance and strength—had caught his eye so far. Yet this fair-skinned High Elf made his heart stir in a rare moment.

"Lord Hu Feng, as a powerful mage, you may not face any danger with your strength, but I think you must have an attendant in battle to share some of the pressure, no? So please allow me to introduce the most outstanding High Ranger in our Ranger Corps, Alleria Windrunner!"