The atmosphere of the banquet was pushed to its peak.
The High Elves who had come to Stromgarde were all immensely excited at the prospect of seeing their old homeland, Suramar, once again.
At the same time, they could not help feeling somewhat dejected and sighing.
From Elisande, they learned of the Highborne's current situation: they lived peacefully alongside their Night Elf kin, governed under a division of four powers.
Moreover, the Highborne's current source of magic was directly connected to the divine realm of the Divine Lord Sarodar. The Nightwell within Suramar City had long since been leveled, replaced by an enormous crystal infused with divine power.
It was as if Boss Hu had activated an unlimited-magic cheat. The energy produced each day was simply impossible to exhaust. Bestowing it upon the Highborne for use while subtly influencing them in the process—what was not to like?
Of course, divine power remained the exclusive privilege of a small number of fanatically devoted Chosen Ones. And in these peaceful times, with the Night Elves having no real enemies, the Chosen Ones could not bear to use the divine power they had been granted. Instead, they treasured and preserved it like a priceless possession.
Though Titans had no need for faith, nor did faith make them stronger, the Chosen Ones could serve as vessels that nurtured divine power.
This reciprocal process gave Hu Feng a constant, steady supply of divine power, which he used to promote his own growth and to transfer energy to Azeroth.
Naturally, the High Elves were deeply disheartened. They did not possess the World Tree's blessing of immortality, and their sole source of power was the Sunwell. The side effects of magic addiction had already begun to surface, and the drawbacks were simply too great.
The next day, the humans in Stromgarde were extremely excited.
Those gorgeously dressed elf mages darted all over the city, searching for children and youths with magical talent and taking them on as magical apprentices.
As for the enormous city of Suramar, silently floating in the skies beside Stromgarde, people marveled at it endlessly and called it the manifested miracle of a Titan.
After all, how else could an enormous city be made to float through the sky? Only a god could probably accomplish such a feat.
However, no one understood why the Titan Divine Lord preferred to appear before the world in human form. Even the elves themselves were utterly baffled by it.
They now knew that the Divine Lord's appearance and form, ever since the War of the Ancients, had been that of the newly emerged race known as humans.
Yet no one dared ask. The Titan Divine Lord did not seem prepared to offer an answer either, so it remained an unsolved mystery.
Across the Arathor Empire, the Emperor's orders had already been delivered: every legion was to enter a state of combat readiness and prepare for war. At a single command, humanity's vast elite armies would march north in force to support the High Elf kingdom of Quel'Thalas against the Amani Trolls.
General Lothar had already led the first vanguard legion out. They would establish a forward camp in Eversong Woods and await the arrival of the main army.
General Lothar was filled with anticipation and excitement for this battle.
The reason was simple: Emperor Thoradin intended to grant him a territory, making him the first human lord to receive a fief.
No matter how great the Emperor was, he was still only a mortal, without the energy to attend to every corner of the realm.
Thus, the task fell upon his incomparably loyal generals.
The enfeoffed generals would guard their respective regions, bring prosperity and flourishing development to the lands under their charge, and continue expanding the Arathor Empire's territory.
As the most loyal general, General Lothar also possessed the most glorious military achievements. Therefore, this battle was the stepping stone Emperor Thoradin had given him.
Once he returned in triumph, the Menethil family would receive a stretch of wilderness of their own, which they would develop and expand for the Empire.
The territory's name had already been decided.
Lordaeron.
The other founding generals were likewise rubbing their hands in anticipation, desperately longing for war so they could earn merit for the Empire and obtain territories of their own.
Hu Feng, meanwhile, found his first young apprentice.
Looking at the young man before him, trembling slightly from extreme nervousness, Hu Feng smiled.
Meryl Winterwind, a young human born into an ordinary commoner family, possessed extraordinary talent and potential.
Human talent and potential differed greatly from those of elves. Humans learned everything quickly and possessed exceptional innovation and creativity. Their overall style tended toward aggression and rapid progress.
Elves, on the other hand, were unhurried. Their long lives allowed them to calmly study all manner of incomparably intricate and vast magical systems, giving their overall style a steadier, more gradual character.
"Meryl Winterwind, correct?"
"Ah... in answer to the Divine Lord, yes! I am Meryl, Meryl Winterwind."
The surname had something of an elven flavor, but Meryl was indeed a pure-blooded human.
At this stage, aside from the founding generals, humans did not really possess proper clan surnames. Commoners, in particular, named themselves however they pleased.
"Do not be so nervous. It is not as though I eat people... So, Meryl, are you willing to study magic under me?"
Meryl grew even more excited. "I am, my lord! I am willing!"
"Then what kind of magic do you wish to learn?"
The young human clenched his fists and thought carefully for a long while before raising his head to look at Hu Feng.
"I want to learn powerful magic—powerful magic that can protect myself and my country!"
And so, Meryl became Boss Hu's first and only magical apprentice. From that day onward, the Titan never took on another disciple.
All the elves were consumed with envy and jealousy. How great a fortune was it to study magic under the Divine Lord Sarodar!
What kind of talent did that human boy possess for the Divine Lord to take a liking to him?
Emperor Thoradin was even more delighted when he learned of it. The Titan Divine Lord was personally teaching a young human from the commoner class.
Wait... the commoner class... That would not do!
And so, the Emperor's royal decree soon arrived. Meryl Winterwind rose in a single leap from a commoner of Stromgarde to the youngest viscount of the Arathor Empire, while also serving as Royal Court Archmage.
Though he had no possibility of receiving any territory, he still became an idol envied by countless commoners.
Meryl simply had no relatives. Otherwise, they too could have ridden his coattails to the heavens.
Human mages of this era were all precious treasures, and as the first generation of mage pioneers, their status would not be poor in the years to come.
A house, women, a title, gold—obtaining any of them was merely a matter of saying the word. Emperor Thoradin would grant every request.
Now look at Dalaran, humanity's magical city in the future. Life there was truly harsh.
An apprentice who had not even completed their training wanted those things? Get lost! Who did they think they were?
Mages were everywhere, and apprentices were as common as dogs. Aside from a few renowned old masters and super geniuses, ordinary mages had to obediently work for gold to support themselves!
The first generation of human mages during the Arathor Empire not only received excellent treatment, but also an unparalleled magical education.
Spells passed down from the era of The Well of Eternity, even in weakened and incomplete versions, were still vastly superior to the quick, simplified spells later invented by human mages.
That was only natural. Could anyone expect a quick spell requiring less than two seconds to cast to be more powerful than a spell from the era of The Well of Eternity that required several minutes to cast?
In short, humanity's age of magic had officially begun.
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