Time was like that. Once you grew accustomed to a peaceful, harmonious, or respected life, every day seemed to pass far too quickly.
Hu Feng had lived in Stormwind City for over a decade in the blink of an eye. By Night Elf standards of time, their Divine Emissary had merely gone out on a trip. But to humans, the Divine Emissary clearly intended to settle in Stormwind City for the long term. From kings and nobles to commoners, everyone welcomed this wholeheartedly.
What the nobles liked was the Highborne mages' flashy arrogance and extravagant style. These nobles twisted those bad habits into what they believed were the etiquette and rules of an ancient race's aristocracy, and many even began copying them.
What the commoners liked was how the Spellblades often helped maintain public order. Ever since the elves arrived, not a single street thug or bully could be seen.
King Adamant had passed away several years ago, and the young Prince Llane ascended the throne. His most trusted friend, Lothar, became the commander-in-chief of the Stormwind Kingdom. Llane possessed an exceptionally wise mind and noble character. He was a good King; all he lacked was prestige. But that could not be blamed on him. How much prestige could anyone expect a young Prince to have?
Just as Llane was suffering headaches from the old nobles whose words revealed their lack of respect for him, Hu Feng stepped in to help.
"The Night Elves support King Llane's Stormwind City and recognize only the Stormwind regime led by King Llane. Any disrespect toward King Llane will be regarded as a provocation against the Night Elves."
Once Hu Feng's words spread, those nobles who had been hopping about immediately behaved themselves. They even changed their tune and rushed to pledge their loyalty to Llane.
The direction of the wind was clear. With the Night Elves backing Llane's position as King, it became incomparably secure in an instant. Anyone who still came out to stir up trouble now was simply courting death.
Stormwind Keep's private reception room.
"Divine Venerable, thank you so much for your help. Those nobles have truly given me endless headaches," Llane complained. He had learned Hu Feng's true identity from the big-mouthed Lothar. At first, he had been extremely nervous and restrained, but after realizing Hu Feng had no airs about him, he gradually relaxed.
Hu Feng waved a hand, telling him not to mind it, while focusing on battling the steak before him. "Even without my statement, given enough time, you could have dealt with those disobedient nobles yourself."
"Yes, time... Ever since learning about Medivh, I feel every day that there simply isn't enough time." Llane rubbed his brow, his face filled with worry.
Lothar also lifted his head from his hearty feast. "Don't worry, Llane. If we follow Divine Venerable's plan, Medivh will be fine. I'm more worried about those Orcs Divine Venerable mentioned. They are the real problem. I don't want to see the day Stormwind City falls. Just thinking about it fills me with rage."
"Orcs... According to what you said, Divine Venerable, it seems those Orcs also have some clans that are relatively rational and mild-mannered?"
Hu Feng nodded and spoke indistinctly through a mouthful of beef. "Yes. The Frostwolf Clan is the most rational and the clan most likely to communicate with us. Then there's Orgrim, an Orc with considerable influence. But all of that depends on one major premise: fight! We must hurt them and frighten them before there's any hope of sitting down to talk."
"Will the Night Elves join the war?" Llane asked hopefully.
"We'll see. If possible, we won't participate. Don't misunderstand; I'm not saying the elves should stay out of it. The elves have more important things to do. But if the situation becomes critical, Suramar's mages will help."
Llane suddenly cried out, remembering something. "Divine Venerable, you said that once the war begins, we should form some kind of alliance organization. Why not do so earlier?"
Lothar sneered. "Earlier? Don't be foolish, Llane! With no powerful foreign enemy right now, aside from the dwarves and gnomes who might respond to us, do you think those northern Kings would pay us any attention? Only after the Orcs hurt them badly will there be an opportunity to establish an alliance. Forget everything else—take Lordaeron. Do you think those Lordaeron nobles, drunk on pleasure and immersed every day in fantasies of unifying the continent, would accept us forming an alliance and commanding it?"
Hu Feng waved his hand, cutting off their argument.
"Enough. We can discuss the alliance later. For now, Lothar, your burden is the heaviest. Intensify targeted training for the soldiers, and raise and reinforce Stormwind City's walls. Oh, and Llane, I have plans for a large fortress network. I showed them to the Stonemasons' Guild yesterday, and they believe it's feasible. Approve it."
Llane was somewhat puzzled. "A large fortress network? What is that?"
Hu Feng chuckled and spread the plans across the table. "I designed it when I was bored. It uses Stormwind City as its core and spreads outward, covering all of Elwynn Forest, Westfall, and the Redridge Mountains. Preliminary estimates say we'll need to build at least twenty medium and large fortresses, connected by walls, with the same arrangement inside. Simply put, it's a scaled-down version of the Night Great Wall I designed back then."
Lothar nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining.
Llane, however, looked dejected. "Divine Venerable, um... you may not understand this very well. We humans aren't as wealthy as the Night Elves... I would very much like to follow your plan, but... we have no money."
Hu Feng shook his head indifferently. "Then lease the Golden Sands region of Westfall to the Night Elves. You understand leasing, right? During the lease period, the Night Elves will hold every right within the leased territory. Aside from the taxes that must be paid, it will have nothing to do with the Stormwind Kingdom. If you can agree to that, the Night Elves will cover the entire cost of this large fortress network. We will also provide weapons, ammunition, and daily supplies for at least two legions."
Llane's eyes lit up. He trusted this incarnation of the Titan God completely. A god could not possibly trick him, could he? Besides, leasing the Golden Sands region of Westfall to the Night Elves had no drawbacks. Once the alliance was formed in the future, the Night Elves were already destined to be among its members. That made it even less dangerous.
"Yes! I agree! We can sign the contract at any time. When will construction begin?"
Hu Feng smiled happily as well. "Any time~~ As soon as the contract is signed, the Night Elves can immediately begin fulfilling our promise."
One year before the Dark Portal opened, the Night Elves and the human Stormwind Kingdom signed a ninety-nine-year agreement to lease the Golden Sands region of Westfall. Once the agreement expired, it would automatically renew if neither side objected.
In return, the Night Elves would build a scaled-down version of the Night Great Wall for the Stormwind Kingdom, while also providing weapons and ammunition for four human legions, along with an interest-free loan of five hundred thousand gold coins.
At the same time, a secret contract was signed as well. It was a memorandum for establishing an alliance. King Magni Bronzebeard of the dwarves was secretly invited to Stormwind City, and after a lengthy discussion, he also placed his seal on the contract.
The first alliance was secretly established.
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