A New Beginning

Jaina spent another two days with Taelan Fordring before reluctantly departing Mardenholde. During these days, she diligently copied notes, and in their leisure time, Taelan would take her to listen to Instructor Havinfar recount tales of the Orc wars.

The entire Hearthglen and the Lumber Mill were filled with the echoes of their laughter.

Eventually, she left with her mother. Upon parting, Jaina reminded Taelan Fordring once more not to forget to write to her.

After they departed, Taelan sought out his tutor, the Grand Astromancer Solarian. It turned out that even a High Elf could be changed by those around her. She had come to regard herself as part of Taelan Fordring's family. She did not apply to leave Hearthglen, but instead focused on teaching students here, while simultaneously beginning to study Holy Spell arts. The rest of her time was spent managing the Prince's magic shop.

The specialties of the High Elves were hot commodities. The Prince approved of her work. In November, Solarian helped the Prince acquire a significant amount of grain and agricultural products in Andorhal. The tax revenue of Lordaeron also saw a substantial increase, and an aerial route was established between Hearthglen and Silvermoon City.

Taelan saw a Dragonhawk for the first time—the most cost-effective aerial hegemon in all of Azeroth. He even considered suggesting that his father develop a Dragonhawk unit. At the same time, under Solarian's introduction, he met the boorish Li Yajun.

Currently, she was still a proper Priest. Through her, Tirion Fordring hired a small squad of High Elf Priests. This greatly alleviated the issue of wounded soldiers resulting from recent missions to purge the Forest Trolls.

Although High Elves tended to look down on others, they were always professional, and due to their long lifespans, their core skills were consistently top-tier. They earned a good reputation in Hearthglen as well.

Watching these High Elf Priests reminded Taelan of the Sorceress and Priest units from Warcraft III. It felt as if he had returned to the Warcraft III: Reforged era.

On the evening of the day Jaina left, Taelan took out that letter. He asked Solarian to help him examine the secret correspondence.

The letter tube carried a distinct magical aura. It was either a magical trap or a spell designed to destroy the contents. He cast Power Word: Shield on Solarian, while she used Mage Hand to inspect the letter. It was indeed a coded message; if the person opening it entered the wrong password, the tube would destroy the letter.

Of course, such petty tricks could not stump a legendary spellcaster. Solarian cracked the code quickly. Naturally, she had an even more direct method: forcibly erasing the magic entirely.

This was evidence delivered right to his doorstep!

"Ding. Congratulations on completing the quest: Dark Deal!

You have obtained Barthilas's secret letter.

Over the next four months, Taelan Fordring lived a fulfilling life. Every day was spent meditating and training in martial arts. In the evenings, he studied magic and Occultism with Solarian, and the rest of his time was spent traveling in the mountains with friends, hunting, or staying with the residents of Hearthglen. He chatted with them, learned about their lives, and reported their hardships to his father.

Sometimes he would help them drive away wild beasts or retrieve candles stolen by Kobolds. He even visited the Weeping Cave, where he encountered Hask. It had not yet been corrupted by the Scourge, had no green skin, and certainly did not attack passersby.

During these four months, he enriched himself and learned to use warhammer-type weapons and the Cleave ability. Under Solarian's guidance, his Occultism advanced further, granting him a very important magical talent: Multicast!

Multicast: Passive ability. Every time you cast a spell, there is a chance to trigger the effect twice! Consumes 3x the mana. (Limited to offensive spells only!)

You are not alone! (System: I am the only human here!)

The north wind of Lordaeron arrived in Hearthglen along with Jaina's letter and the footsteps of the New Year. The day Taelan Fordring had been looking forward to for half a year was finally approaching.

Tomorrow, his entire family would set out for the Light's Hope Chapel in the future Eastern Plaguelands. He would be there to receive his baptism from Archbishop Alonsus Faol, a location personally chosen by the Archbishop himself.

The number of participants this time was only six: Taelan Fordring, Bridget Abbendis, Marland, Renault Mograine, Sally Whitemane, and Demitia. These six would also become the second generation of leaders for the Scarlet Crusade.

Additionally, Taelan heard news that the Prince of Lordaeron, Arthas, who was two years his senior, would be receiving his baptism at the Cathedral of Light in Stormwind!

The next day, the entire Fordring family set out! Naturally, this included Solarian and the little sidekick, Paris and his sister! They were going along to witness Taelan Fordring becoming an Initiate Paladin of the Order of the Silver Hand.

As Taelan Fordring's magic mentor, Krasus was, of course, not absent! He had already passed his teleportation application and would teleport directly to Stratholme, then head to Light's Hope Chapel to await Taelan Fordring's arrival.

Karandra had recently received a letter from Lady Katherine Proudmoore. She could not attend due to trivial matters in Kul Tiras, but Daelin was leading a fleet to visit Dalaran and would bring Jaina to attend the event. They would travel via Lordaeron and take a Gryphon to Light's Hope Chapel—this was undoubtedly Jaina's idea.

In truth, aside from mages, no one liked teleportation. It was dangerous, and for safety reasons, teleportation required advance application. One had to confirm the time, number of people, and destination before it could be used. Furthermore, the cost of teleportation was exorbitant, and the experience was terrible! An ordinary person would likely vomit up their previous night's dinner the first time they teleported, and if things went poorly, they might need half a month to recover.

The Tirion family chose to take a carriage directly. Starting from Hearthglen and heading east along the main road, the journey would take five days.

The Eastern Plaguelands was a fertile and vast land. It was not only rich in soil but also a strategic location. It served as the intersection between Lordaeron, Quel'Thalas, and the three forces of the Zul'Mashar Trolls, and the three parties clashed from time to time.

In World of Warcraft, the Eastern Plaguelands was also a very important map. It contained Stratholme, known as one of the "Big Three" dungeons, as well as Naxxramas, the final raid dungeon of the Vanilla Era. It was also the source of the fragments for Atiesh. By the time players reached level 60, almost everyone would eventually settle here; it was also the place where Tirion Fordring lived in seclusion.

Another important reason was that Stratholme was not only the turning point in the fate of Prince Arthas of Lordaeron, but also a stronghold of the Order of the Silver Hand. Such deep background attracted a large number of players to this place. The existence of the Deathcharger and the Runeblade of Rivendare were also reasons for its enduring popularity.

Because they were now very close to Quel'Thalas, Solarian felt a sense of "the closer one gets to home, the more timid one becomes." She actually wanted to visit the Quislin Hut to pay a visit to the Farstriders and see if she could encounter the Windrunner sisters.

She had not returned to her homeland in a long time. This was relative, of course, given the long lifespans of the elves.

I am not very satisfied with this chapter; I will come back tonight to revise it. Those who have recommendation tickets or monthly tickets, please feel free to cast them. This is very important for a newcomer.

Although Penglai's level is limited, I will continue to learn and improve. Thank you all for your support.

I would also like to thank the big boss Withered Violet for the monthly ticket. Thank you. This is the best comfort for a struggling author.