Rising Conflict

Hu Feng was genuinely stunned for a moment, then he shook his head. Was this truly history correcting itself, or just immense inertia?

Quel'Thalas had, just as in the originally established history, closed its borders.

In the original timeline, the High Elves had severed all contact with the outside world, ceasing to concern themselves with worldly affairs. They lived self-sufficiently within a secluded Quel'Thalas, leading lives of isolation, exclusivity, and extreme arrogance.

It wasn't until the First Tide of Darkness, the Orc War, that the High Elves were awakened by the Orcs, joined the Alliance, and resumed their interactions with the outside world.

On Hu Feng's exclusive new timeline, he had believed that after the Troll Wars, and with the timely assistance of the Night Elves and Humans, the High Elves wouldn't have had such a difficult fight. Therefore, he thought they wouldn't resort to isolationism. Who knew that Anasterian and his Silvermoon Council members were so fragile in spirit...

A little prodding, and they immediately retreated into their holes like startled squirrels, refusing to come out again no matter what.

"What can I even say about them... Forget it, let them be. Sooner or later, they'll realize their mistake and pay the price for it. However, Oly might be a bit of a problem..."

Hu Feng mused, thinking for a moment. "Alright, Aethelus, go pick out a few sharp Druids and bring them to me. I have a task for them to undertake."

"As you wish."

The Eastern Kingdoms, the Seven Human Kingdoms, were also taken aback by Quel'Thalas' sudden move.

Was it really necessary? Acting like a petulant child who dares not resist, closing their borders at the slightest disagreement? Going into seclusion?

Well, that was the consequence of being too thin-skinned and having an excess of pride. It wasn't as if everyone didn't know that the High Elves had always been steadily suppressed by their former suzerains, the Night Elves. If they had just swallowed their pride and admitted their mistakes, everyone would still be good friends, conducting business and trade together for mutual prosperity. Was it really necessary to escalate things to this point?

From a human perspective, it was simply impossible to understand the High Elves' mindset, where their pride was paramount, and if they couldn't regain it, they'd refuse to play with others.

However, it had no real impact. The High Elves saw themselves as far more important than they were. In reality, the various kingdoms simply expressed their regret and then carried on as usual.

After all, the Night Elves sold everything Quel'Thalas had, and at a cheaper price. Hu Feng wasn't a fool; if they wouldn't sell, he'd just buy from the Night Elves. This was the unanimous sentiment of the Seven Human Kingdoms.

Apart from Quel'Thalas making a huge announcement, the entire continent of Azeroth entered a relatively peaceful period of development.

There were no large-scale wars or major conflicts, only continuous small skirmishes and localized conflicts. That was the current situation.

The Tauren surged out of the Mulgore plains, fighting fiercely with the Centaur in The Barrens. The grudges between these two ancient, feuding races could no longer be traced, having become a hatred ingrained in their very bones. The Centaur, an extremely aggressive and barbaric race, had a lifelong goal of exterminating their mortal enemy, the Tauren. And the Tauren, in order to protect their homeland and their peaceful lives, rose up in resistance.

In this localized war, the Night Elf Druids were invited to participate. Many Tauren also had their own Druids, and together with the Night Elves, they established a massive Druidic base in the ring-shaped Moonlight Grove, serving as their meeting place and training grounds. With this connection, it wasn't surprising that the Night Elves also lent a hand.

On the Eastern Kingdoms' side, things were much more refined. Aside from the Stormwind Kingdom and Dalaran, the other five human kingdoms were engaged in a new round of infighting, with each king seizing every opportunity to expand their territory. Lordaeron's overall strength remained unmatched. The Menethil Royal Family's lineage of generals made them constantly yearn to recreate the unified era of the Arathor Empire, and with such imperial ambitions, Lordaeron's actions began to become increasingly aggressive.

Dalaran, the Mage Kingdom, maintained an attitude of detached indifference. As long as they weren't disturbed in their magical research, they would contentedly guard their own small territory. Since the various kingdoms relied on Dalaran to train and supply mages, Dalaran enjoyed an incredibly peaceful existence.

To the south of the continent, the Stormwind Kingdom rarely interacted with the northern human nations. They focused on their development in the Elwynn Forest region, and their sphere of influence had now expanded to the Redridge Mountains, Westfall, and Duskwood.

They had established a very close alliance with their good neighbors, the Bronzebeard Dwarves. Trade caravans from the Stormwind Kingdom were frequently seen in Ironforge, the Dwarven capital, bringing grain, furs, and Elven-style luxury goods, and taking away longswords, firearms, and strong liquor.

But all of this had nothing to do with Quel'Thalas. Since the High Elves had reverted to their former isolated lifestyle, their already weak pioneering spirit had completely vanished.

Alleria and her Ranger Corps were not having an easy time. The Silvermoon Council deemed her to be too close to Hu Feng. While this was true, Alleria had never done anything to betray the High Elves.

But the councilors didn't see it that way, and even Sun King Anasterian had begun to guard against her. This caused Alleria great pain; she couldn't understand why two kindred spirits of the same race had to become enemies.

But there was something even more painful: the logistics for the Ranger Corps were becoming increasingly strained. Not to mention ranged weapons, which hadn't been resupplied even once in a long time. Now, even food and daily necessities were dwindling. While the Rangers could hunt for themselves and wouldn't starve, Elves were not as resilient as Humans; they preferred a more comfortable life.

Why is this happening! We Rangers are loyal! We've always guarded Quel'Thalas' borders without complaint. Just because of suspicion and the absence of the Troll threat, we are being suppressed like this. Have we done something wrong!

Alleria was not a saint. Although her will was very firm, her closest sister constantly complained and cursed at her, which made her have some different thoughts from time to time.

"Sister, this situation is unsustainable! Those scoundrels in Clearwind Village have people guarding Sunsail Port every day. Even if Brother-in-law wants to send supplies, he can't get them through!" Sylvanas leaped as lightly as the wind onto the balcony of the second floor of the Farstrider Lodge, a place Alleria loved to stay when she wasn't on a mission.

"We can't keep accepting supplies from the Night Elves anymore. We're already too close to Hu Feng, and continuing to accept supplies after the nationwide blockade will have even worse repercussions." Alleria automatically ignored the term "Brother-in-law."

"Ha! Sister, don't be foolish! You are loyal to Silvermoon City, but they don't see it that way. I heard that many councilors are now proposing to embed their own people within our Ranger Corps! If that happens, we won't even be able to protect ourselves!"

"What did you say???"