Thus, under the silent pressure of the Night Elves, every major power faced a choice that was not particularly difficult: continue buying expensive luxuries from those haughty High Elves who looked down their noses at everyone, or buy from the Night Elves across the sea instead.
At this moment, the Night Elves waved the exact same products at several times lower prices in one hand and held up a big stick in the other, only lacking the words: Are you blind?
Well, no one was blind, and no one was stupid. Since you High Elves had offended your former suzerain and insisted on playing rebels, and now even the Divine Emissary had made his position clear, then do not blame us for ignoring you. Who would dare refuse to give the Divine Emissary face?
What? You accused us of violating trade agreements? Give me a break. With that pathetic army of yours, so what if we broke them? What could you do about it? Want to use magic to bully us? Leaving aside the fact that our Dalaran alone would be enough to make you suffer, at worst we could run to the Night Elves and lodge a complaint. In terms of magical power, did the Night Elves' holy city of Suramar not surpass you by miles?
As for Quel'Thalas, it was currently in complete chaos. The Silvermoon Council argued red-faced in the royal court every day. They had never expected that what they considered a small gesture would provoke such an intense response from the Night Elves. Or rather, these nobles had forgotten how fierce the Divine Emissary was and had misjudged Hu Feng's position and prestige among the Night Elves.
Sun King Anasterian was also holding in a bellyful of fury. He felt that his authority had been challenged. So what if you were a Divine Emissary? You were not the king of the Night Elves. Placing you on equal footing with me was already an act of magnanimous condescension on my part!
Did the Night Elves still think Quel'Thalas was one of their fiefdoms, and that I, the Sun King, was one of their lords?
"Enough!" Anasterian slammed his hand on the table. Only then did the councilors stop arguing. They fell silent and looked toward the Sun King.
"I did not summon you here to listen to your bickering. How should we respond to the Night Elves' attitude?"
"Your Majesty, I think... the Night Elves merely feel that we have not shown enough respect to the Magic Emissary, Lord Hu Feng. I think that if we apologize to the Divine Emissary, then..." A councilor rose to speak, but the Sun King interrupted him before he could finish.
"Shut up! This is utterly preposterous! I am the Sun King of the Sunstrider Family. Treating him as an equal is already generous enough! And now the Night Elves dare blame me? Are we still one of their subordinate territories?"
At that moment, Anasterian had forgotten Dath'Remar's warning and the fear he had once felt when facing Hu Feng. The blood of the Sunstrider royal family ran through his veins. Unless the God of Magic descended in person, no one could force him to lower himself!
"That's right! The Night Elves have gone too far! Ever since they won the War of the Ancients, they have always considered themselves above everyone else. We will never allow them to wantonly insult Quel'Thalas's honor!"
Seeing the Sun King's attitude, the other councilors immediately understood. One after another, they began speaking up eagerly. The atmosphere became exceedingly lively. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought this was a war rally and that they were about to march out to conquer the Night Elves.
At Farstrider Lodge, Sylvanas was indignant.
"Sis, they did not invite you to today's royal court meeting again. Those hateful councilors are definitely deliberately excluding you!"
Alleria's expression remained calm, without the slightest trace of anger. "Isn't it obvious? They think I am too close to Hu Feng. They may even suspect that I am Hu Feng's spy, so they do not want me attending the meeting. I imagine they are cursing Hu Feng fiercely right now."
"Hmph, do they not have brains? Our Ranger Corps has always been loyal to Quel'Thalas. How could we possibly collude with the Night Elves and betray our own homeland?"
Sylvanas waved her pale fist. "Besides, they have never valued us rangers. Anything good always goes to the mages first, and rangers are always left picking up the scraps. If it were not for that batch of supplies from the Night Elves, we would have to ration even our arrows by now! We loyally defend this land, yet we have to rely on outside supplies for necessities! Uh... Sis, I am not saying Hu Feng is an outsider. I just mean... you know what I mean..."
"Enough, do not say any more. I believe His Majesty Anasterian will eventually understand us. Our duty as rangers is to protect our homeland and stand firm on the front lines forever. Sylvanas, my sister, do not neglect that responsibility for any reason. Understand?"
Alleria looked at her sister with clear eyes. Sylvanas did not dare defy her sister and could only nod reluctantly.
"Still, I have always been curious. Why did Hu Feng know that the Silvermoon Rangers had been short on supplies lately? By all rights, that should have been a secret."
At those words, Sylvanas shrank back, preparing to slowly slip away. But Alleria keenly noticed her sister's unusual behavior and grabbed her. "You have never been able to fool me. What exactly happened?"
Sylvanas pulled a miserable face and had no choice but to confess honestly. "Well... when Aethelus and the others left, I secretly told them. I said the Ranger Corps was short on supplies, and Silvermoon City was deliberately suppressing us, so... I asked them to go back and tell my brother-in-law."
Alleria glared fiercely at her sister. "What else have you not told me? Tell me everything!"
"That's really all! I swear to the forest! Uh... I only exaggerated our situation a little, so... there should... be several more batches of supplies arriving at Sunsail Port later... Ah! Sis, don't pinch me! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
Hu Feng reclined comfortably in a seat on a semi-open terrace. The sea breeze blowing toward him made him feel wonderfully refreshed. Thick Ashenvale brown bear pelts covered the entire mount, and even though the weather was somewhat cold, sitting atop them still felt incomparably warm.
This was the very top of the Tower of Slumber. Hu Feng had renovated the tower's summit, expanding a circular terrace around it. Whenever he had free time to relax or matters requiring his attention, he would sit here, admiring the beautiful scenery of the neighboring World Tree and the sea below while entertaining himself or working.
He rose slightly and refilled Aethelus's cup with Moonlight Wine. Aethelus hurriedly bowed in thanks and accepted the cup with both hands.
"Heh heh, the High Elves' reaction is hardly surprising. Do not pressure them too hard. A few proper knocks and a little suffering will be enough. Their inexplicable arrogance and their stagnant racial diplomacy... who did they learn all those bad habits from... uh... never mind that. Heh heh, hehehe..."
Aethelus looked utterly awkward. Who had they learned it from...? Of course, from us Night Elves back then...
Just then, the information crystal on the table rippled, and the two of them looked over.
"Latest news: Quel'Thalas announced yesterday that it was closing its borders and prohibiting all trade and exchanges."
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