Turmoil

Before Puskin, the head of the Durnholde office was Bash, Zul'ra's earliest adjutant. During his tenure, under Zul'ra's instructions, he provided the revived Alterac with many suggestions, helping them stabilize the situation.

With Bash being transferred away by Zul'ra and following Thrall across the border, Puskin, sent by Broken-Tooth, was hardly capable of offering any good advice.

Syndicate aren't entirely useless. While they may not be great statesmen, they can still find ways to maintain the existing order, but it depends on the circumstances.

"Speaking of which, I must thank your country for your warm hospitality to Puskin." Zul'ra slightly turned her gaze. If Puskin's presence in Durnholde represented differing opinions within Amani, then Duke Foulcrest's arrival here also indicated a different situation within Alterac.

"That was His Majesty Aliden's order. He said that the ambassador from Amani must be entertained well, which is why Puskin received invitations to the banquets every day," Duke Foulcrest explained to Zul'ra, then added after a moment's thought.

"His Majesty Aliden gave this order entirely on the advice of Dillem, a wise man who came from Dalaran."

"I understand." Zul'ra nodded in realization. The remnants of Dalaran had stirred up political upheaval in Alterac, which made sense.

"Zul'ra Jin, we are now facing a predicament." Seeing Zul'ra's calm nod, Duke Foulcrest could no longer maintain his usual joking manner and stopped referring to himself as "we" instead of Alterac.

"This isn't really surprising, after all, when a cripple recovers, he'll throw away the crutch he doesn't need anymore." Zul'ra understood what Duke Foulcrest meant: the Syndicate's power in New Alterac was being challenged, and King Aliden had heeded the advice of the Dalaran mages.

"Yes, without a trace of regret." Duke Foulcrest's gaze darkened, revealing a gritted-teeth expression that conveyed his resentment towards Aliden.

"But what's the point of keeping this cane for a healthy person?" Zul'ra was unconcerned about Duke Foulcrest's expression. The Syndicate was an assassin organization, incapable of governing a country, and it made no sense for them to hold power in Alterac for an extended period.

"You mean..." Duke Foulcrest couldn't help but overthink the implication in his words.

"I didn't mean anything by it. I just think that the cane should serve a different purpose and that we should try to change things up," Zul'ra tried to explain.

"What kind of changes should be made?" Duke Foulcrest.

"For example, turning a cane into a leg, a leg that can support the body and has flexible toes." Zul'ra slightly raised her recovered palm, moving her nimble fingers.

"By the way, Duke Falconcrest, are you the only ones who know I came here?" Zul'ra suddenly remembered something and asked Duke Foulcrest.

"Yes, for some convenience, we haven't revealed your identity." Seeing Zul'ra's sudden question, Duke Foulcrest hesitated for a moment before nodding in acknowledgment. This was a secret contact; in Durnholde, apart from the Syndicate, no one among the Trolls knew Zul'ra's identity unless they voluntarily revealed it.

"I see." Zul'ra lowered her gaze. Duke Foulcrest came to see her, and seemed afraid that others would know her identity. It seemed that the power struggle here was quite fierce.

Thinking about the struggle in Alterac, Zul'ra couldn't help but wonder whether she should help the Syndicate. After all, those guys were hopeless and might become puppets, but what Amani wanted was a true ally, not a puppet. But if they became allies, how could their loyalty be guaranteed?

"Zul'ra Jin..." Duke Foulcrest called out to Zul'ra, who was deep in thought and silent.

"Well, my identity may not be able to be kept secret for long. Thank you for considering my safety. Also, Duke Foulcrest, my friend, Amani needs an independent and reliable ally." Zul'ra looked up at Duke Foulcrest.

"Can Syndicate become such an ally?" Duke Foulcrest asked without hesitation.

"I have to admit, you are excellent in some aspects, but you don't meet the requirements of being allies." Zul'ra's gaze darkened slightly; the Syndicate's situation was, no matter how you looked at it, terrible.

"In what aspects?" Duke Foulcrest, disregarding his reserve, humbly inquired.

"For example, how to become a qualified government, how to properly manage a country, and how to maintain order in a country—you haven't done a good job in these areas," Zul'ra said thoughtfully.

"That's why we need Amani's help," Duke Foulcrest quickly said. He knew his own family's situation, but there were some things he was powerless to do. He couldn't just turn a group of gangster-like assassins into competent politicians; he didn't have the same opportunities as Kaishen Logistics!

"I'm trying my best to help you." Zul'ra couldn't help but sigh. He was a Trolls, not a human. No matter how much advice he gave, he could only help temporarily, not permanently. Besides, he didn't know much about the situation in Durnholde.

"Are you still maintaining contact with King Perenolde?" Zul'ra asked Duke Foulcrest, pondering the situation in Durnholde.

"It remains so, but on some matters His Majesty Aliden will consult Dillem and his ilk more than ours."

"Dillem and the others all came from Dalaran?" Zul'ra asked with slight curiosity. Judging from the situation, it didn't seem that Dalaran mages had come here. How did they manage to stir up such a storm?

"According to our information, that's not quite the case. We've also discovered that some of Ravenholdt's men have been in contact with those in Dillem," Duke Foulcrest shook his head.

"Ravenholdt, the Assassin League." Zul'ra raised an eyebrow slightly. Those maverick assassins—he remembered their presence during the rescue of Taretha, when Amani and the Syndicate first made contact. Now they were here again, seemingly having clashed with the Syndicate.

"Yes." Duke Foulcrest nodded, while looking at Zul'ra, hoping he could offer some good advice.

"Duke Foulcrest, my friend, I'll think of some proper solutions for you, but in the next few days, could you perhaps prepare some manpower to help me with something?" Zul'ra asked Duke Foulcrest, snapping out of her reverie.

"What do you want to do?" Duke Foulcrest dared not give an immediate answer.

"It's nothing, I just need your help to escort someone to Alterac Valley, but not immediately. Also, there might be some attacks during the escort, so you'd better prepare some guys who can handle that."

Only one chapter tonight.