Silvermoon City's dawn was torn apart by a burst of curses and screams.
Six elven guards escorted more than 20 ragged civilians through the morning mist-filled streets, and the chains made a harsh sound on the ground. The escorted elves had bruises on their faces, but their eyes were burning with stubborn fire.
"Watch it! This is the consequence of betraying Silvermoon City!"
The captain of the guard lifted off the cloak of the leading fugitive, revealing the face of a young woman. Her lips were chapped and bleeding, but her head was held high. Several suppressed sobs could be heard from the crowd of spectators.
"According to the Sun King decree, all those who leave the country without permission shall be punished with twenty lashes!"
The sound of the whip cutting through the air echoed in the square. After the first whip, young Elf's back was torn to pieces, but she gritted her teeth and did not let out a scream. As the whipping continued, the commotion of dissatisfaction among the crowd became more and more obvious.
"They just want to go to Theramore"
"I heard there is a new Sunwell."
"Even the children of several nobles have fled."
Whispers spread among the crowd like a plague. When the nineteenth whip fell, Elf finally fainted. The guard captain signaled to stop and turned to the crowd:
"Anyone who escapes privately again will be punished even more!"
The crowd dispersed in silence, but the guard captain noticed that no one looked directly into his eyes. Even his soldiers seemed hesitant when executing orders.
Back at the camp, when the guard captain took off his armor, he found a note stuffed inside:
[Theramore's well water is real. No one will commit Mana Addiction again!--A compatriot who no longer wants to be silent]
He quickly burned the note, but that line was already burned into his mind.
After discovering that some people were fleeing, Sun King Anasterian was furious and immediately ordered the Royal Palace guards to arrest the fugitives everywhere. In order to deter latecomers, they began to publicly flog them.
However, the situation in Quel'Thalas is becoming increasingly difficult, and no one is organizing farming.
It used to be that Magic Puppet was used for farming, and only a small number of farmers could support all the elves. But now Magic Puppet has all been lost and Arcane Crystal has been supplied and turned into a pile of scrap metal. After all, the scarce crystals are not enough to solve Mana Addiction, so there will be no surplus for the puppets who farm the land.
Those who could operate the puppets were all killed in the Undead attack. Now there are only a few noble magicians left who can barely operate them, but they are even less likely to operate the puppets themselves to farm the land.
So now these thousands of elven survivors are living only by storing food. Sun King began to think of ways to sell a large part of their assets in order to purchase food from outside and feed their thousands of subjects.
Sun King Anasterian·Sunstrider stood in front of the window, looking down at the green goblin who was signing documents below. Trade Prince named Rivendare was flipping through the assets of Quel'Thalas page by page with ink-covered fingers.
"According to the agreement, the floating property in all the elven towns in the east of Eversong Woods is priced at 20,000 gold coins." The sharp voice of the goblin echoed in Council Chamber, "Of course, considering the current political situation, this price is already very generous."
Chancellor of the Exchequer's hands were shaking. "Your Majesty, that is the ancestral property of the royal family."
"Sign." Sun King's voice was as cold as ice.
The sound of the quill scratching the parchment stung the eardrums of every elf present. Royal Guard Captain stood at the door with an expressionless face, but veins popped out in the hand holding the sword.
The goblin put away the documents with satisfaction and took out a new volume. "Next are the assets of Sunsail Anchorage."
"That's enough!" Prince Kael'thas suddenly stood up, "Father, we are selling off the inheritance left by our ancestors at a low price!"
Sun King slowly turned around, with dangerous flames burning in his eyes. "Then you have a better idea? Since the last time Blackwing Fertilizer came to collect debts, now even the soldiers' salaries cannot be paid!"
Council Chamber fell into deathly silence. Kael'thas clenched his fists and dug his nails into his palms. He looked at the ministers and nobles present and saw the same humiliation and anger in their eyes.
Goblin Rivendare narrowed his eyes slyly. "If His Highness is not satisfied with the price, we can talk about it. Magic items? I heard that your elf craftsmen have begun to partially resume production?"
"Get out." Sun King suddenly said.
"Your Majesty?"
"That's it for today." Sun King's voice was unmistakable, "We will continue tomorrow."
After the goblins left with their guards, Kael'thas couldn't help but ask, "Father, do you really want to tear Quel'Thalas apart and sell it to those green-skinned monsters?"
Sun King sat back on the throne tiredly. "As long as I can survive this period of time"
"Hold on to what?" Kael'thas interrupted him, "Wait until the last elf also fled to Theramore?"
The temperature in the throne room dropped suddenly. The ministers held their breath, waiting for Sun King's rage. But to everyone's surprise, the old king just rubbed his eyebrows:
"Intensify border patrols. There are more escapees. Families are united."
The guard captain's heart tightened. This order means that if an elf escapes, his parents, spouse, and children will be punished.
When the meeting ended, Kael'thas was the last to leave. He looked back and saw his father sitting alone in the empty throne room. The setting sun stretched his stooped figure through the colored windows, like a decaying body. The prince secretly clenched his fists, looked at each other with several ministers and walked out.
At the meeting three days later, Kael'thas brought a carefully prepared proposal.
"Father, dear ministers," the prince unfolded the parchment, "I propose to open the no-man's land in the southern part of Eversong Woods to all human countries, and invite farmers to come and farm. We will collect land rent and taxes."
Council Chamber exploded instantly.
"Human? In Eversong Woods?"
"This is against the laws of our ancestors!"
"But it can indeed solve the food problem."
Sun King raised his hand to signal for silence, with a terrifyingly gloomy face. "Are you crazy? Let those lower races pollute our land?"
Kael'thas did not flinch. "Our population is less than one-tenth of what it was at its peak, and large areas of fertile land are deserted. Human farmers are good at farming, and it only takes thirty years."
"Not even for one day!" Sun King shouted, "Quel'Thalas is the homeland of High Elf, and foreigners must not be allowed to get involved!"
"Then we just wait to starve to death?" Kael'thas also raised his voice, "Or sell the last bit of our wealth to the goblins?"
"What do you know, my prince, do you think you are saving Quel'dorei? Open up the country, introduce immigrants, increase food and tax revenue. No! You are destroying our race!" Sun King stared at his son and said his thoughts coldly.
"We are already on the road to destruction! After the disaster of destroying the country, there is not much left of the people. Now rebuilding their homes, resuming production, defending the country, and restoring glory are all just castles in the air, illusory illusions. Oh, and Mana Addiction, how many Arcane Crystal stocks are there for us to use? My father, please open your eyes and look at this world. How much time is left for us elves to develop slowly?" Kael'thas did not flinch.
"If we Quel'dorei are destined to perish, then let us perish. I will never agree to High Elf becoming a vassal of mankind. What do you think?" Sun King stared at his ministers with bright eyes.
The nobles looked at the public dispute between the royal father and son in shock. In the past, Kael'thas always cautiously gave advice in private, but today he was uncharacteristically tough. Faced with the king's question, they didn't know what to say. They looked at others and looked at each other speechless.
Sun King sneered, "I would rather borrow money from the goblins than open the border."
"Goblin?" Kael'thas stared in disbelief, "Do you know what happened to me last time I borrowed money from them?"
"That's enough!" Sun King roared, "Back off!"
Kael'thas bowed deeply, but the words he left behind before leaving made everyone feel shocked:
"Father, a dynasty that refuses to change will eventually become the dust of history. Are you really willing to let the entire Quel'Thalas be buried with you?"
"What are your opinions?" Sun King looked at the ministers.
"Everything is subject to His Majesty's orders!" Everyone obediently gave him answers that satisfied him. But as for their true thoughts, who knows?
The first update, please vote and subscribe! I will continue to update three chapters today.