Dakuro's Invitation

The fierce battle that had lasted the entire day came to a tacit halt that evening. The Forest Trolls withdrew to rest and regroup, giving the High Elf rangers of Pathfinder Camp a chance to catch their breath.

Given the current situation, it was impossible for the Forest Trolls to capture Pathfinder Camp. Relying solely on their numerical advantage and wave tactics would not breach its defenses.

Yet the Forest Trolls had chosen this approach and had not sent out any of their powerful warriors. There was only one possible explanation: they were trying to lull the High Elf rangers at Pathfinder Camp into complacency, waiting for the Forest Trolls from Torvasa to arrive and complete the encirclement before sending in their strong fighters to shatter Pathfinder Camp's defenses.

At that point, relying on their advantage in numbers and close combat, the Forest Trolls could wipe out every High Elf ranger at Pathfinder Camp.

It was a nearly perfect plan. If the High Elves had not uncovered detailed intelligence, then once the thirty thousand High Elf rangers at Pathfinder Camp were destroyed, Southern Eversong Woods would be unable to gather a force capable of resisting the Forest Troll offensive anytime soon.

"Prince Tyrel, are we still going to remain hidden among the Forest Troll troops? Given the current situation, perhaps there isn't much more intelligence to obtain." Captain of the Guard Arthas sat beside the campfire, roasting fresh lynx meat as he tried to persuade Tyrel.

From the current situation, it was clear that the Forest Trolls were merely lulling the High Elf rangers of Pathfinder Camp into complacency. Now that they had already learned the Forest Trolls' plans, there was little point in continuing to blend in with them. Arthas was worried that if those sharp-eyed Forest Troll warriors discovered them, getting away would not be easy.

Tyrel handed the roasted meat to the only woman, Luminas Sunmark, then looked up at the stars in the night sky. After a while, he replied, "My intuition tells me we should keep waiting. We may well discover something new."

Intuition could sometimes be accurate, yet it was also mysterious and utterly without reason. But Tyrel's intuition was very clearly telling him that if they continued mingling with the Forest Trolls, they would obtain more intelligence.

Just then, Rilas suddenly set down the roasted meat in his hand. Before even wiping the grease from his mouth, he signaled to the others with his eyes.

As the only ranger among the four and the direct heir of the Windrunner Family, Lirath Windrunner possessed extraordinarily sharp senses. Even while eating roasted meat, he could detect the slightest sound at once.

At Rilas's warning, the group stopped talking and put on calm expressions.

"That smells wonderful. It seems you brothers are quite skilled at roasting meat, Barkan." The Forest Troll Dakuro Warfang emerged from the dark grass, constantly sniffing the air. The moment he saw the roasted meat over the campfire, his eyes went wide.

The four watched Dakuro Warfang cautiously. Arthas used a small knife to carve meat from the lynx's thigh, yet he was ready at any moment to throw it at Dakuro Warfang's throat.

Luminas held one hand behind her back, gathering Ice Power. If Dakuro Warfang tried to flee, she would use it to restrict his movements.

As for Lirath Windrunner, he appeared to keep eating his roasted meat, but the instant anyone else made a move, he would snatch up the bow beside him.

Only Tyrel remained much calmer. He saw Dakuro Warfang staring fixedly at the roasted meat, drool even slipping from the corner of his mouth without his noticing. It clearly was not an act, so Tyrel invited him, "We once came across a High Elf merchant caravan. The moment they saw us, they fled, abandoning an entire wagon of supplies. Later, we found that it contained spices from the human kingdoms. They taste excellent with roasted meat. Since you're here, Dakuro, would you like to try some?"

Limited by their living space, the Forest Trolls within the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas could barely feed themselves. They had no way to gather spices to improve their food and had nearly regressed to eating raw meat and drinking blood.

No wonder Dakuro Warfang had been drawn in by the scent of roasted meat. Lynx meat was already exceptionally delicious, and with spices added, it was simply incredible.

"Then I must thank you. I happen to have some fruit wine here as well." Dakuro Warfang plopped down beside Tyrel, then took several bottles of wine from his leather-stitched pack and passed them around.

Though it was also brewed from fruits of Eversong Woods, Forest Troll wine was entirely different from that of the High Elves. The most famous High Elf fruit wine was Sunlight Brew. It went down smoothly, rich with fruit flavor and carrying a warmth like the sun.

Dakuro Warfang's wine, however, was fishy and spicy on the tongue, with only a faint fruit flavor, and it rushed straight to the head.

Eating roasted meat and drinking fruit wine—there was nothing more satisfying than a man's leisure time.

Gradually, Dakuro Warfang and Tyrel began discussing the history of the Forest Trolls.

This time, Tyrel's deep interest in history and his study of Forest Troll history proved useful.

Tyrel and Dakuro could not help but sigh over the Amani Empire's glory during its peak, when the Forest Trolls had occupied the entire northern continent of the Eastern Kingdoms and, together with the Jungle Troll Empire of the southern continent, jointly ruled the lands of the Eastern Kingdoms.

As they talked, Dakuro Warfang placed both hands behind his head and leaned back onto the grass. As if speaking to himself, he said, "I wonder what the Zandalari Empire is truly like. I've heard that among all Trolls today, only the Zandalari Trolls' Zandalari Empire has preserved its civilization and imperial prosperity."

"If I get the chance, I'll definitely visit Zandalar at the next Troll clan gathering."

Even to this day, the ancient Trolls remained the most numerous race in Azeroth. They were only in their current state because they had become too scattered.

The Trolls were mainly divided into five major branches: Zandalari Trolls, Forest Trolls, Jungle Trolls, Frost Trolls, and Sand Trolls.

Each major branch also contained countless smaller branches.

All five Troll groups had once established mighty empires, but aside from the Zandalari Trolls' Zandalari Empire, which still retained its prosperity and heritage, the other Troll empires had begun to decline.

Unlike other Forest Trolls, Dakuro Warfang had not become savage due to the loss and severance of his heritage. He yearned intensely for ancient civilization.

"The Zandalari Trolls live on islands near the Endless Sea. If you want to go there, you'll need to prepare a ship." Tyrel was also deeply curious about the Zandalari Empire. The Zandalari Trolls were the only Trolls who did not reject other races, and he had once wanted to visit Zandalar himself.

Dakuro Warfang sat up and invited Tyrel beside him, "Barkan, let me take you somewhere special."

"Sure." Separating Tyrel from the others could very well have been a trap, but Tyrel could not see the slightest malice in Dakuro Warfang's eyes, so he readily agreed.

Other than the mountains to the south and east, most of Southern Eversong Woods consisted of flat plains. However, between the High Elves' Pathfinder Camp, Sunwell Plateau, Silvermoon City, and Sun Village within the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas stood a mountain range known to the High Elves as Sunscar Peak.