Prelude

When Thrall accepted the Forsaken into the Horde, he demanded that Queen Sylvanas of the Forsaken swear allegiance to him in Orgrimmar. Velonara, representing Sylvanas at the time, agreed, but then delayed, citing the Forsaken's siege and Sylvanas's inability to attend to the matter.

Zul'ra initially thought the Forsaken might indeed be in a difficult situation, but after returning to the Eastern Kingdoms and inquiring with the Syndicate, he discovered that the situation was not like that. The remnants of the Silver Hand were currently resisting the the Scourge's attacks, and he had not heard of them launching any so-called siege against the Forsaken.

"I'm sorry, Zul'ra Jin, perhaps your information is incorrect. We are currently fighting against the remnants of the Silver Hand in Lordaeron. Those Silver Hand members are completely unreasonable, and that's why we're here this time." Gunther retorted to Zul'ra, while changing the subject.

"Oh!" Zul'ra gave a cold laugh and didn't say much. The Scourge are Undead, and the Forsaken are also Undead. The remnants of the Silver Hand are fighting the the Scourge, which is fighting the Undead Undead. And if they are fighting the undead, they can also say they are fighting the Forsaken. It would be unwise of Sylvanas to think that she can escape the oath with such a reason.

"Zul'ra Jin, the Queen said she will soon travel to the Western Continent to swear allegiance to the Warchief, but the threat of the the Scourge in the north is growing increasingly severe, and the survivors of the Silver Hand seem to have gone mad. For the sake of Horde, we need some help!"

"What help?" Zul'ra looked at the Undead remained expressionless and indifferent throughout.

"Stormwind in the south has already sent an advance team into Lordaeron. Although they are nominally volunteers supporting the people of Lordaeron, this is actually a conspiracy by the Alliance. If the Horde wants to maintain its dominance in the Eastern Kingdoms, it must seek more allies." Gunther paused, his cold eyes scrutinizing the Trolls.

"Go on," Zul'ra said, causing the Undead to lower its eyes.

"The Queen believes that the Horde now possesses an incredibly powerful army, but still lacks some crucial technologies, such as magic Arcane. Quel'Thalas is capable of providing these, but they are currently trapped in a predicament." Gunther's tone was calm and even.

"Amani has been providing aid to Quel'Thalas since the the Scourge, for which the late Queen of Quel'dorei was deeply grateful. Therefore, the Queen believes you would be pleased to see the Sin'dorei now part of the Horde."

"The Sin'dorei's magical skills are indeed unparalleled, but what makes your queen think they are willing to join the Horde?" Zul'ra countered without answering. He was well aware of the Sin'dorei's situation and hoped they would join the Horde, even going so far as not to hinder the Forsaken from Horde.

"The Queen has received news that the Alliance has sent envoys to Quel'Thalas via Aerie Peak, and the remnants of the Silver Hand have also sent envoys to Quel'Thalas. The Queen believes the Horde should also take action to win over the Sin'dorei." Gunther's words were clear yet unusually earnest.

"What actions would be enough to win over the Sin'dorei?" Zul'ra asked calmly, while her mind raced. Sylvanas was testing her, firstly to observe her reaction to the Sin'dorei joining the Horde, and secondly to try to get her help to bring the Sin'dorei into the Horde.

One thing is undeniable: Sylvanas strongly urged the Sin'dorei to stand with the Forsaken. She was testing her own stance, merely observing how much resistance there would be to getting the Sin'dorei to join the Horde. But to actually ask her to help get the Sin'dorei to join the Horde is something to ponder.

"A war, a war to reclaim Silvermoon City." Gunther's tone was unusually solemn.

"What do you want Amani to do?" Zul'ra asked succinctly, getting straight to the point.

"The Queen hopes that Amani will send troops to join us, along with the armies of Quel'Thalas, to recapture Silvermoon City." Gunther was somewhat surprised by Zul'ra's directness, but he didn't mince words.

"I have no intention of waging such a war," Zul'ra stated directly, offering her refusal.

"Zul'ra Jin, don't you consider the interests of the Horde at all?" Gunther listened to Zul'ra's words without any surprise.

"Are you from the Horde or me?" Zul'ra asked, looking at the dead man before her.

"What?" Gunther was momentarily stunned by Zul'ra's words.

"You are neither the Horde nor me, so how do you know I don't consider the Horde's interests?" Zul'ra presented Gunther with a logical argument.

"... Are you really not going to help at all?" Gunther remained silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"What do you want me to help with?" Zul'ra asked again.

"If Amani doesn't participate in the war, then please provide Amani with a batch of food and supplies!"

"Okay, no problem, but you'll have to pay. You Undead must have a lot of money you don't need!" Zul'ra's eyes lit up, and he revealed a shrewd smile. He could help with this.

"..." Gunther did not reply.

"How much food do you want, and what kind of supplies do you need?" Zul'ra looked at the silent Undead and took it as a yes, but then he suddenly remembered something.

"You need to eat too?" Zul'ra looked at Gunther with some surprise. The Undead need to eat?

"It's not always necessary; sometimes you just need to accommodate certain habits." Gunther's tone was somewhat somber.

"Alright! I can provide everything I can, but you'll have to pay. I can give you a discount." Zul'ra looked the sullen Gunther up and down, then said nothing more.

Gunther was somewhat annoyed by Zul'ra's insincere words, but he still bowed to express his gratitude. Then, under Zul'ra's arrangement, he ordered some food, as well as a large quantity of weapons and medicines, in preparation for a war.

Although Zul'ra didn't seem to be very sincere in her words, she still kept her word. When settling accounts with Gunther, she gave him a cheap price and only sent him away after finalizing the payment arrangements.

After seeing Gunther off, Zul'ra carefully considered Sylvanas's intentions. It was obvious that this woman was testing her attitude towards the Sin'dorei joining the Horde; she wanted to see how much resistance there would be when the Sin'dorei Horde. However, her attempt to drag the Sin'dorei into joining the Horde was something worth considering.

By disregarding his past history and helping the Sin'dorei join the Horde, what kind of perception will others have? Such a blatant attempt to win over allies, especially former enemies, is undoubtedly motivated by a power struggle. How will the Tauren, Orcs, Darkspear of the Horde view him then?

Conversely, if I don't help the Sin'dorei, or even obstruct their joining Sin'dorei Horde, it will cause the Sin'dorei to have reservations. Even if they don't want to forget the past hatred, they will still harbor resentment and ultimately lead the Sin'dorei to gravitate towards their former companion Sylvanas.

"How insidious!" Zul'ra thought about the consequences of her actions and couldn't help but have a change in her understanding of Sylvanas. That woman was not just a popular character. However, if we look at it from the other side, her relationship with her former companions, the Sin'dorei, might not be as close as she thought.