Elisande leaned back and shifted into a more comfortable position before speaking slowly. "Because we have hope now, Lady Tyrande." Looking at Tyrande's questioning face, she continued, "You know that the Divine Emissary is actually..."
"I know. Lord Hu Feng is the incarnation of Sargeras, the God of Magic, not a Divine Emissary."
Elisande blinked. "Yes. The god saved us. Otherwise, our fate would have been to bear the label of traitors and drift with the shattered continent toward the untamed southern seas during the Great Sundering. Then... under the Nightwell's influence, we would have gradually gone mad. That was the predetermined fate of us Highborne. But now, everything is different. We are still powerful, and we are still part of the Night Elves."
"That's right. When the Bronze Dragon King Nozdormu blessed the World Tree back then, he looked at you more than once. He was very confused, as though he could not understand why a Titan God would go to such great lengths to save you."
At the mention of Nozdormu's name, Elisande curled her lips. "We will prove to the god that we are worth saving, not destined for destruction and corruption, as that dragon insists."
"You've already proven yourselves, Elly." Hu Feng walked over from the courtyard, holding an entire bottle of Moonlight Wine.
"Divine Emissary!"
"Master!"
Hu Feng waved his hand. "I firmly believe saving you was the right choice. The Highborne do not need to keep desperately trying to prove themselves to me again and again. As long as the Highborne continue contributing their strength to all Night Elves, that is what matters most."
The two women nodded deeply in agreement.
"All right, enough of that. Though I really do not want to interrupt your banquet, Aethelus just sent word that something seems to have gone wrong in the Magic Corridor beneath Suramar City. A spider colony appeared in those sewers at some point. Having been affected by magic for years, their bodies have been altered by arcane power. They should count as magical arcane creatures now. So, which of you wants to go down there with me?"
"I do! I do!" Tyrande could barely wait. She had long since had enough of these endless banquets.
"I'll go as well," Elisande said quietly.
"Excellent. Then let's leave now."
The Magic Corridor was a vast sewer-like complex beneath Suramar City. When Suramar rose into the sky, the heavy earth that had risen with it did not destroy these underground structures; they had flown up alongside Suramar. Part of the Magic Corridor now served as sewers, while another part resembled a human underground black market. Gold was not accepted here—only barter. All kinds of strange, dangerous, and sinister magical materials and creature corpses could be found here.
The three left Court of Stars and walked toward the district where the Magic Corridor's entrance was located.
"I have to say, no matter how many times I come here, Suramar's style still feels strange to me," Tyrande said as they walked. "This city's luxurious atmosphere makes it feel as if we have entered the noble district of human society. Yet its magical atmosphere is so intense, far beyond even Dalaran, the Mage Kingdom. Seeing two entirely different atmospheres blend together so naturally makes me feel a little uncomfortable every time I visit."
Hu Feng smiled at that. "Ha. If a Highborne city were made to be close to nature like the druids, with nothing but simple little wooden houses to live in, they might as well be killed."
Talking and laughing, the three arrived at a narrow underground slope and descended all the way down before entering a long, narrow sewer-like passage.
The place was still bustling. Small booth-like spaces lined both sides of the passage, with an elf seated in each one and all kinds of items and materials laid out on the ground before them.
As they continued deeper, greetings to the three rang out without pause. The Magic Corridor's black market existed legally enough—it was neither permitted nor prohibited. Even Elisande occasionally came here to buy materials she needed but could scarcely find elsewhere.
The crowds grew thinner, while the number of Suramar Spellblade guards increased. Upon seeing the three, they immediately saluted and led them to a crossroads deep within the Magic Corridor, where simple defensive fortifications had already been erected. The Spellblades gripped their enchanted longswords and watched the path ahead vigilantly.
Many giant spider corpses lay before the fortifications. These spiders had become partially crystallized with arcane energy. Their eight legs and eight eyes seemed to be made of arcane crystals, still giving off purple light and mist even after death. Their enormous abdomens were covered in purple arcane patterns, with energy flowing across their bodies like running water.
Mages surrounded one of the spider corpses, gesturing as they spoke in low voices.
"Divine Emissary, Lady Elisande, Lady Tyrande!" A tall Nightborne approached and saluted Hu Feng and the others one by one. She was the Council of Truth's chief Spellblade, Advisor Landus, one of Elisande's two magical combat advisors.
"How is the situation?" Elisande asked.
"It is manageable. The Arcane Spiders' attacks seem to follow a pattern. I suspect they have a leader; otherwise, they would never have formed such a scale."
Just then, scraping sounds came from the pitch-black passage ahead. The mages immediately raised their staffs and fired glowing spheres of arcane energy. Then everyone saw the enemy: a huge swarm of giant spiders, two meters tall and around one-point-seven to one-point-eight meters long, charging toward them. Dense purple mist emanated from their bodies as they rushed at the position.
The Spellblades immediately charged out from the fortifications. Flames, frost, and arcane energy ignited along their enchanted longswords. The mages then cast Ice Barriers upon the Spellblades, and the two sides collided fiercely. Several Spellblades who had misjudged the force of the impact were sent flying back, while the rest were pushed back several steps along with the Arcane Spiders.
Once they steadied themselves, the Spellblades nimbly wove through gaps in the Arcane Spider swarm, seizing opportunities to thrust their blades at the enemy again and again. With the mages' support, this wave of spiders was soon killed and wounded in great numbers. The few survivors screeched as they retreated into the distant darkness.
"As you three can see, these spiders are not mere beasts. They know how to organize formations and when to retreat," Landus said helplessly.
"Then based on your assessment, where might their leader be hiding?" Hu Feng looked at the chief Spellblade.
"Judging from the terrain of the Magic Corridor, if they truly have a leader, I surmise it must be hiding in the hall at the very bottom," she replied respectfully.
"Very good. Then let's move out. Landus, you're coming too. We're badly short of a melee fighter."
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