The open and covert struggles across the Eastern Kingdoms were no less numerous than those on the Pandaria Continent, where everyone's attention was focused.
Stromgarde had officially been restored. This successor state to the former Arathor Empire once again stood upon the World of Azeroth.
With the nation rebuilt after its collapse, there were messes everywhere. Prince Trollbane first requested a large batch of daily necessities and food supplies from Lordaeron, then contacted the Heklar Consortium and took out a huge low-interest loan from the Goblins.
After all, money was needed everywhere. Stromgarde now wished it could split one gold coin into two.
For national-level powers, loans from the Heklar Consortium were always approved swiftly. Their applications rarely got held up.
Heklar, that black-hearted capitalist, was not afraid that national powers would fail to repay their debts or simply default. It was not because he had the Night Empire behind him, either. Rather, the major news outlets controlled by the Heklar Consortium could completely bankrupt a nation's credibility within a month and turn a king into a person of vile character, condemned by all.
A capitalist's weapons produced no smoke, yet they were more terrifying than smoke and killed even more people.
"Whoever controls the media is the powerhouse of the new era." This saying was widely circulated among the upper circles of the World of Azeroth.
Therefore, every major power now treasured its media reputation immensely.
They were not afraid of powerful individual mages or warlocks openly confronting them. No matter how strong an individual might be, they could not defeat an entire mainstream power.
But the media could swiftly make an entire faction hated by the world.
There was already a bloody example before everyone: Kul Tiras.
After Kul Tiras began organizing fleets to attack Theramore's trade ships