Gul'dan Yanzu

Chapter 28: Gul'dan Yanzu

Jaina walked alongside Taelan, recounting the events of the two months they had been apart. After Taelan left Dalaran, the young girl had insisted on returning to Kul Tiras, much to Daelin's distress.

Upon returning home, Jaina shared her adventures with Taelan in Dalaran with her mother, and then she actually tried her hand at cooking. The results were... difficult to describe. Aside from the Stormsong Honey Glazed Loin, one could only say the rest of her dishes were "not lethal."

Well, let us observe a three-minute silence for her future children!

Once Jaina finished sharing her experiences, she asked, "What about you? How have these two months been? Did you learn any Thalassian? I think you have a real talent for languages!"

System: The master's language talent is transcendent! As for him, he's just an illiterate!

Taelan replied, "I have already mastered the basics of Thalassian. The next step is to study the occult. By the way, we are heading to Caer Darrow for a vacation tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Yes! I heard from my mother that Caer Darrow is an island in the middle of a lake, just like the one in Lake Lordamere! I wonder if there are any Murlocs left there!" It seemed Jaina was still thinking about picking the pockets of those Murlocs.

"There are no Murlocs on Caer Darrow. It is the private estate of the Barov family. The scenery there is beautiful, and many people go there for vacation every year. The mistress of Caer Darrow, Illucia Barov, is a mage, and her daughter, Jandice Barov, is also a quite talented mage apprentice. You two will surely have plenty to talk about!"

He just wasn't sure if the soul-weaver Maricia had arrived at Caer Darrow to take up her post yet! Taelan Fordring guessed she was likely the Barov family's tutor. However, her strength was far inferior to his own tutor!

The two soon caught sight of the tall and majestic Mardenholde Keep. The afternoon sun shone upon its pristine white outer walls, making it appear solemn and dignified. Just then, a squad of soldiers emerged from within. Leading them was an Initiate Paladin. Taelan Fordring was very familiar with his gear—it was the exact set worn by the "Silver Hand Recruit" summoned by the Paladin class ability in Hearthstone. Seeing Taelan Fordring approaching with a pretty young girl, he immediately waved. "Hey! Good afternoon, Taelan!"

Taelan Fordring immediately returned a knight's salute. "Good afternoon, Jim! Have you been back to Felstone Farm lately?"

"No, Lord Uther the Lightbringer has issued strict orders recently. All magistrates have stepped up training and are conducting regular sweeps for beasts and outlaws in the surrounding areas!"

Taelan Fordring thought to himself: This is still my own doing! Jaina watched as these soldiers greeted Taelan one by one; he was clearly very popular among them. Taelan then introduced Jaina to them.

Jim immediately said, "Greetings, your Highness, Princess of Kul Tiras!" Taelan Fordring immediately punched Jim in the arm! Then everyone burst into laughter. Jim added, "Taelan, be careful—Sally Whitemane has come along with Bridget."

"I know. Why should I be careful?"

"Hey! Don't you know? Wherever Sally Whitemane appears, there is guaranteed to be a creature named Renault Mograine within two meters!"

"Alright! You're right! But Renault just has a bit too much pride. I'll yield to him."

"You don't know yet—after that time you gave him a sound beating, General Alexandros Mograine was furious! He scolded Renault severely in front of many subordinates. Then he announced that Renault would be sent to the most grueling field training camp! Recently, the trolls in Zul'Mashar to the north have started inciting Forest Trolls to attack us, and he's been assigned to fight them."

"After more than a month of combat, he has improved a lot! You know how it is—Renault is competitive and has always wanted to prove himself to his father. When you meet, he will definitely challenge you!"

"I understand, Jim. I will get along with him just fine."

After bidding farewell to Jim, Taelan took Jaina to tour Mardenholde Keep. As they passed the prayer room, Jaina took Taelan's hand and asked, "Taelan, do you come here to pray every day?"

"I come every day, but I am different from them. I believe in the justice and power within my own heart. It is better to rely on oneself than to beg others! Rather than praying for the favor of the Holy Light, it is better to master it completely! I come here to calm my mind and meditate."

"You've already mastered meditation? It seems your study of the occult has already begun! Let me tell you a secret: I can sense the Elemental Plane now, and I've already learned Frostbolt!"

"Is that so? Then congratulations! You can already be considered a spellcaster. Since you can sense the Elemental Plane, I believe you will soon be able to communicate with it and become a mage apprentice."

"I have you to thank for that! Reading the book you gave me in Dalaran helped me a lot. That book of yours is more precious than any treasure. After I went back, I was able to sense the Elemental Plane very quickly." It seemed that the Jaina of this timeline had become a mage apprentice much earlier than the one in the original story. Her destiny had indeed changed.

As they spoke, they walked into the training grounds! Because Archbishop Faol would be personally presiding over the baptisms for the New Year, many new recruits were hoping to seize the opportunity, so the training grounds were very crowded.

The most eye-catching figures here were, of course, the second-generation Paladins: General Abbendis's daughter, Bridget, and Mograine's eldest son, Renault Mograine. But the one who drew the most attention was Whitemane's daughter, Sally Whitemane.

One could only say that the humans of Azeroth were indeed precocious, and their physical constitutions were far superior to those of Earthlings. For instance, eight-year-old Taelan looked like a teenager, while eleven-year-old Whitemane already resembled a young woman. Youthful and beautiful, she wore a set of cloth armor and held a low-tier staff in her hand; she was already an Initiate Priest. This girl was naturally lively and cheerful. She loved pretty clothes, and even in her standard-issue Initiate Priest robes, she was the most dazzling sight among the crowd!

The priests in this world were somewhat different from those in World of Warcraft. In the game, priests were all delicate spellcasters who needed protection, mostly female, and they used spells to assist others in battle, with Shadow Priests being the exception.

But in this world, Taelan Fordring felt they were more like missionaries from the European Middle Ages. There were many men among the priests here, and while they did use staves, they preferred to "reason" with people—physically! They would bash people with their staves, and it hurt like hell! Aside from a few Holy Priests, their combat prowess was top-tier!

They were more like the primary healers in a group, using Heal and Power Word: Shield most frequently. However, they never pre-cast large heals; they basically just slapped a shield on someone and went in to smash heads. Taelan Fordring guessed they were all Discipline Priests. Another point to note was that most professionals in this world were hybrids who possessed some abilities from other classes. Of course, the most widespread were Warrior skills, which was why Warriors were everywhere in Azeroth. But a good Warrior was one in ten thousand!

Mages were the only exception. Most of them studied from a young age, and once they sensed the Elemental Plane, they could quickly absorb the energy within. Therefore, mages had no "preparatory" or "initiate" stages; they started as mage apprentices! Yet, even apprentices possessed spellcasting abilities, albeit only level-0 cantrips or low-tier spells like Frostbolt or small Fireballs.

Once they advanced, they possessed immense combat power! Warlocks were actually a type of mage, only they used Fel or Shadow energy! They were an advanced class for Shamans or Mages. The most famous Warlock currently was Gul'dan Yanzu, who was known as a demigod Warlock! His reputation for cruelty was legendary!

As soon as Taelan Fordring stepped into the training grounds, many people gathered around to greet him. He was very well-liked, not just because of his status as the son of the Highlord of Mardenholde, but also because of his personal charisma! And, of course, his own natural affinity!

Time is like water; the past cannot be chased.

Time is like sand; the future cannot be known.

The calendar has turned another page.

The holiday has shortened by another day.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Penglai wishes everyone a smooth year at work and good health!

For those readers with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets, please remember to cast them! Thank you all!

Two chapters released at once; posted first, edited later.