A few days later, Sky City Suramar joined the elven Resistance Army, which had moved with their families from Ashenvale to Mount Hyjal.
Upon learning that Dath'Remar and his court mages had chosen self-exile and sailed across the sea to an unknown continent on the other side, the Night Elves felt both resentment and satisfaction.
Those damned lackeys of the Queen, accomplices of the demons—they got off easy with exile as their punishment.
Indeed, the court mages were different from the Highborne mages of Suramar. The latter had fought bloody battles alongside the Resistance Army under the leadership of the Titan Divine Lord, forging deep bonds of comradeship. Even the most radical Druids who hated magic acknowledged that Suramar's Highborne were also part of the Night Elves.
But those traitors led by Dath'Remar were utterly unforgivable.
The war had ended, and the world had finally calmed down. The elves could finally breathe a sigh of relief, gather themselves, and prepare to rebuild their homeland once more.
Night Elf society now somewhat resembled a council system, with a group of influential figures jointly participating in governance and leading the future of the elves together.
Archdruid Malfurion, Priestess of the Moon Tyrande, Jarod, commander of the Night Elf army, and Archmage Elisande formed the Night Elf Council, continuing to guide the elves forward.
Titan Divine Lord Sarodar had no desire to handle affairs personally. He stated that he was happy to remain a carefree Supreme Emperor, and unless some world-scale crisis occurred, no one should bother him.
The Night Elves naturally did everything they could to keep this Titan around, fearing that he would decide there was nothing else to do and leave the World of Azeroth again to return to the Pantheon.
Whether their people had a living Titan to stand as their pillar made a world of difference. It was also a crucial measure of whether they had any confidence.
So if the Titan Divine Lord wanted to live freely and spend his days as Supreme Emperor, that was absolutely fine!
He could choose any place he liked. If he wanted a palace, they would build one for him at once. As long as he did not leave, everything was negotiable.
But peaceful days were always short-lived. The anomaly atop Mount Hyjal filled every elf with fury.
The respected Archdruid Malfurion had already spared his younger brother Illidan once, considering that Illidan had abandoned darkness for the light and voluntarily helped the Resistance Army launch attacks from within.
Yet now, Illidan had secretly poured a vial of water from the Well of Eternity, which he had hidden away and brought out earlier, into a lake atop Mount Hyjal. It had then become a new miniature Well of Eternity.
That immediately caused an uproar.
Why had the recent war against the demons begun? Was it not because the demons had sensed the Well of Eternity, that incomparably vast source of energy, then lured Queen Azshara into corruption and opened a portal for the Burning Legion to Azeroth?
They had finally driven the demons away, and the demons did not even know the exact location of the World of Azeroth. Just when everyone thought they could live in peace, Illidan had gone and caused this mess!
What if the Burning Legion's keen noses caught the scent and discovered this new Well of Eternity? Would they have to fight another identical war?
It was utterly intolerable!
Thus, Illidan, who had just been about to raise his arms and proclaim that he had restored the source of his people's former glory, was immediately shackled and thrown into a cell.
A public trial soon followed.
The four leaders of the Night Elf Council all took part in the judgment.
"Everything I did was for my people, for the Night Elves."
Illidan shouted furiously at everyone in the tribunal.
"Even without the Well of Eternity, the Burning Legion will find the World of Azeroth sooner or later. And when that day comes, without the endless power of the Well of Eternity, what will we have left? What will we use to resist the demons?"
In the end, the four leaders reached a decision: Illidan would not be given a death sentence, but he would be imprisoned forever.
The specific votes were as follows:
Archdruid Malfurion, in favor.
Priestess of the Moon Tyrande, in favor.
Jarod, commander of the Night Elf army, in favor.
Archmage Elisande, opposed.
Three to one. Illidan's fate was sealed.
Jarod's own sister, Maiev Shadowsong, was ordered to form the Watchers. She and her sentinel sisters would be responsible for guarding and imprisoning Illidan.
"Do not blame me, brother... I must answer to the people."
Malfurion said in immense pain to Illidan as he was escorted away.
Illidan merely snorted coldly and glanced at his brother, as well as Tyrande standing beside him.
"I am not surprised by your decision. There has always been such a vast divide between us. The path you insist upon can only bring our people fleeting, illusory comfort and peace. Just wait and see, Malfurion. You will see."
With that, Illidan looked toward Elisande standing on the other side and nodded to the Archmage.
"Thank you for understanding what I have done, Master Elisande."
Elisande opened her mouth, but in the end merely sighed softly and said nothing more.
Illidan had been imprisoned forever, but the consequences of his actions still had to be dealt with by the Night Elves.
The miniature Well of Eternity atop Mount Hyjal had now fully formed and stabilized, constantly radiating that familiar yet incomparably immense energy.
The Dragons then appeared, bringing with them a rather perfect solution.
Archdruid Malfurion took out an acorn from the mother tree G'hanir and planted it in the lake.
The moment the seed was buried in the soil, it instantly broke through the earth and began to grow rapidly.
A towering tree was taking shape. It was named the World Tree Nordrassil, and its roots would completely cover this miniature Well of Eternity.
Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza bestowed immense vitality upon the tree, causing Nordrassil's body to surpass even that of its mother, G'hanir. Like a colossal pillar reaching the heavens, it stood atop Mount Hyjal, completely sealing the energy fluctuations of the miniature Well of Eternity within itself without allowing the slightest trace to spread.
Green Dragon Queen Ysera bestowed upon the tree the ability to directly connect with the Emerald Dream. Through it, the Druids could travel freely to and from the Emerald Dream to cultivate within it, while the Night Elves would sleep peacefully and have pleasant dreams every night.
Bronze Dragon King Nozdormu bestowed upon the tree the tolerance of time. So long as Nordrassil did not wither, the Night Elves would likewise be immortal and eternally youthful.
Thus, the World Tree's power healed the wounded land and purified the endless Arcane energy within the second Well of Eternity, preventing it from being corrupted.
The Night Elves could finally live in peace and focus on rebuilding their new homeland.
Having won the War of the Ancients and received these blessings, the Night Elves were immensely proud.
"We saved this world. Now, we will restore the glory of the past once more."
Got two recommendations, so here are two extra updates~~~
PS: I have a terrible cold. After taking Western medicine, I feel like I am floating...==
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