Salomon

While Kalei and the others were busy at the temple, Arenia summoned Salomon Thunderfist. Without any pleasantries, she went straight to the point: "Mr. Thunderfist, have you been responsible for the village's defense lately?"

Salomon Thunderfist was clearly familiar with the style of the Sentinel Corps and did not mind Arenia's blunt attitude, so he answered just as directly.

"Yes. I once served in the Sentinel Corps as a sentry. However, Captain, I am not the only one in charge of matters here; I am assisted by a lady named Darkriver."

Arenia nodded. "You say that only Furbolg have been attacking us?"

"As of now, yes."

"Do they attack constantly, or at intervals?"

"They have been attacking every day since the day before yesterday."

"Have they come today?"

"Not yet."

Arenia pondered for a moment after hearing this, then spoke in a loud voice: "Assemble everyone in the village capable of fighting at the Moonlight Plaza immediately."

Salomon was stunned for a moment. "Now?"

"Now," Arenia replied.

Salomon nodded. "Understood, I will go at once. Do you have any other instructions?"

Arenia added: "Also, prepare enough food for me and my subordinates, and bring our mounts."

Salomon smiled easily. "That is simple; I will go arrange it right away."

Not long after, Salomon returned carrying a basket full of food and leading Arenia's Stag. "Captain, I have passed on your orders. I have also had people deliver the food your subordinates require, and here is what you asked for."

Arenia nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Tell them to wait at the Moonlight Plaza; I will be there shortly."

Salomon handed over the reins, set down the basket, and headed toward the Moonlight Plaza.

Arenia took the reins and, once Salomon was far enough away, slowly removed her helmet.

Beneath the helmet was a head of silver hair, covering a young and beautiful face. Yet, this beauty was devoid of any emotion, naturally inspiring a sense of awe.

Arenia removed her helmet, drank some Magic Spring Water, and ate a bit of Magic Cinnamon Bread before putting the helmet back on and giving the rest of the food to the Stag.

The Stag did not wait for its master's command; it opened its mouth and devoured the food in the basket in a few quick bites.

Arenia patted it with a hint of indulgence, then mounted it and rode toward the Moonlight Plaza.

By this time, the combatants in the village had received Salomon's orders. Trusting the Sentinel Corps, they had no objections and gathered their equipment, arriving at the Moonlight Plaza where they usually held meetings.

Arenia rode her mount to the front of the crowd and scanned them. "Professionals, stay where you are. Ordinary warriors, leave the ranks and gather on the left."

A stir ran through the crowd, but no one voiced an objection. Soon after, a dozen people left the ranks and stood to the left.

Arenia nodded slightly and beckoned Salomon over. "Later, give orders that all non-combatants must stay in their homes tonight and are not to go out—remember, everyone."

"Then, take these dozen warriors and patrol the village, focusing on the east and west gates and the areas near the forest."

Arenia paused, her tone deepening. "Remember, you have only two tasks: first, if you discover any suspicious persons or tracks, report to me immediately; second, if you hear the sounds of a Furbolg attack, no matter what happens, do not engage. Just hold your respective posts. Do you understand?"

Salomon was stunned, then realized the implication. His expression darkened. "Captain, are you suspecting..."

Arenia interrupted him. "I do not currently suspect anyone, but as a commander, I must consider all possibilities and make deployments accordingly. Do you understand, Sentry?"

Salomon stiffened, immediately straightening his posture and placing his right hand over his chest in a sentry salute. "Understood! Captain, I will strictly execute your orders."

"Very good. Go."

Salomon, carrying his bow and arrows and holding a greatsword, walked to the front of the dozen ordinary warriors and shouted: "Follow me, everyone; we have other work to do."

With that, the dozen men followed Salomon and left.

Bristlelimb Village had only about a hundred combat-capable individuals. A dozen had been killed or wounded in the fighting over the past few days, and with another dozen gone, fewer than seventy remained.

Do not be fooled by the small number; these seventy were all professionals.

In the magical world of the Azeroth Continent, even the lowest-level, weakest Priest could defeat several ordinary people with their bare hands.

Therefore, in any war, the number of professionals directly determines the outcome.

The Night Elf population is not the largest on the Azeroth Continent—in the game's later lore, they don't even rank in the top three—but they remain the strongest race among mortals precisely because they have the most professionals.

Seeing nearly seventy professionals, the vague sense of unease Arenia had felt since arriving in the village diminished significantly.

She looked at the crowd and spoke loudly: "From now on, you will follow my command until this incident is over."

"Stay here tonight and wait for orders. Be ready to respond to my commands at any time. Do you understand?"

The crowd looked at one another, falling into a brief silence. It was not that they opposed Arenia's leadership; they simply felt her orders were too sudden and too rigid, not in line with their habits. After all, they were not sentries.

Arenia had not expected her orders to go unanswered. She was simply accustomed to commanding elite sentries and had failed to notice that she was now facing a group of disorganized militia.

Faced with the stalemate, many turned their eyes toward an older, heroic-looking female warrior.

This warrior carried a shimmering silver longbow on her back, two dark green curved blades at her waist, and rode a very unique silver-white Saber, marking her as someone of extraordinary background.

Seeing many looking at her, the female warrior hesitated, then spoke loudly: "The Sentinel Corps are the warriors of the Goddess and the blades that protect us. I sense the strength and wisdom of this sister; we should follow her leadership."

After saying this, she jumped off her Saber, walked quickly to Arenia, placed her right hand over her chest, and knelt on one knee, bowing her head. "I obey your will, sister."

Seeing this, the others followed suit, shouting in unison: "We obey your will."

The awkward atmosphere finally eased, and Arenia let out a silent sigh of relief before bowing her head in return.

Following this, Arenia dismissed the squad, allowing everyone to move freely around the plaza, though she required them to remain within sight so they could assemble at a moment's notice to handle any emergencies.

Arenia then began to speak in hushed tones with the female warrior.

Arenia could tell that this female warrior had never served in the Sentinel Corps.

The primary classes within the Sentinel Corps were Hunters, followed by Warriors, and then Druids. This female warrior, however, was a Ranger, a rarity among the Night Elf.

The Ranger was a formidable class that blended certain skills from the Hunter, Rogue, and Arcanist professions.

In truth, contrary to what Kalei imagined, the Night Elf of the real world differed from those in game lore; although the Night Elf leadership shunned the arcane, they had not completely forbidden their kin from learning or researching it.

However, any mage wishing to study or research the arcane had to obtain permission from an organization known as the Silvermoon Secret Temple.

Few among the Night Elf knew of the Silvermoon Secret Temple, and Arenia, as a mid-level officer in the Sentinel Corps, had only heard of it in passing.

She knew that this organization did not research the arcane to uncover its secrets, but primarily to counter it and to combine existing arcane knowledge with other professions to create more powerful classes, of which the Ranger was one such result.

Yet, despite the power of the Ranger, few were willing to learn it due to the overall rejection of the arcane by the Night Elf.

Furthermore, for the sake of social stability, the Night Elf upper echelons did not actively promote this profession, so it remained passed down among only a few.

Arenia and the female warrior rode their mounts to the base of a large tree, where Arenia took the rare initiative to ask, "Sister, are you Lady Darkriver?"

The female warrior replied, "Yes. Salomon must have told you. My name is Jinli Darkriver; you can just call me Jinli."

Arenia thought for a moment and asked, "Jinli... do you know Lilin Darkriver?"

Jinli smiled. "Lilin? I know her; she is my cousin. But I have spent most of these years away from home, so I haven't seen her in a long time. I heard she joined the Sentinel Corps. Is she stationed in the same place as you now?"

Arenia said, "Yes, we are currently stationed in Maestra, though she has been assigned other duties recently."

Jinli nodded. "I see."

Arenia smiled slightly. "Thank you very much for earlier, Jinli."

Jinli waved her hand. "No need for thanks. I didn't do it for you; I simply understand that no matter what one intends to do, a squad without unified command is unlikely to succeed. However, I am curious—do you feel the situation here has already become that dire?"

Arenia's expression turned grave. "I won't know the specifics until we continue our investigation, but I feel the dark power within the villagers is far too potent and strange to be something a Furbolg could possess."

Jinli nodded slightly, her eyes fixed ahead with a sharp gaze as a smile touched the corners of her lips. "It seems we are in for an unforgettable night."

Arenia watched Jinli through her visor and smiled as well, a faint, barely perceptible smile.