Ugo

Although the group could tell that Uerga held no hostility toward them, the Night Elf and the Bristlelimb Tribe had long since severed ties. No one could be certain of the other Furbolg's attitudes, so they remained vigilant throughout the journey, hands resting on their weapons, ready to respond to any sudden situation.

Following Uerga, the group climbed through the rugged mountain forest for ten or twenty minutes until a valley appeared ahead, looking much like a hidden sanctuary for the Furbolg.

Just as they were about to enter the valley, a brown Furbolg with normal skin suddenly charged out from behind a large boulder, waving its thick arms and roaring as it rushed toward them.

The group was startled and immediately assumed a combat stance, preparing to launch a counterattack.

Uerga rushed over in a hurry, blocking the path in front of the brown Furbolg, and let out a series of urgent, guttural cries.

The brown Furbolg paused, looking from Uerga to the group. Though its expression remained unfriendly, it eventually stepped aside.

Uerga apologized to the group with a look of helplessness. Having anticipated such an encounter, they did not take it to heart.

Afterward, the group continued toward the valley under Uerga's guidance. Along the way, they encountered several more hostile Furbolg, all of whom were driven off by Uerga.

Observing in silence, the group realized that Uerga's father must hold great prestige within the tribe. It was only out of respect for Ugo Bloodclaw that the other Furbolg listened to Uerga; otherwise, gaining entry would not have been easy.

A few minutes later, the group followed Uerga to the entrance of a massive stone cave.

Crouching at the entrance was a brown Furbolg nearly three meters tall. Judging by its physique, it clearly possessed the bloodline of Ursoc—it was a Furbolg Warrior.

Seeing the group, this warrior did not charge over with the same irritability as the previous brown Furbolg. Instead, he spoke a few words to Uerga in a low voice before addressing them in somewhat rusty Darnassian: "Welcome, foreign guests. Welcome to our home. I am Ulu, captain of the guard for the Bristlelimb Tribe. Please state your purpose."

The group was not surprised that Ulu spoke Darnassian. In fact, ever since the War of the Ancients, Darnassian had become the lingua franca for almost all intelligent races on the Kalimdor Continent, though as time passed, it had been replaced by a more simplified version.

Arenia thanked Ulu for the welcome and requested an audience with the Furbolg chieftain.

Ulu neither refused nor agreed to their request. He asked them to wait at the entrance while he took Uerga inside the cave.

After waiting for over ten minutes, Ulu emerged from the cave. He grinned and said, "The chieftain invites you in. You may enter, but only on foot. Please leave your mounts at the entrance."

Seeing such a massive Furbolg grinning at them felt indescribably strange, and the group even worried if this was some sort of trap.

However, having come this far, they could not turn back now. They dismounted, left their steeds at the entrance, and followed Ulu into the stone cave.

Contrary to Kalei's expectations, although the Bristlelimb Tribe had fallen into decline, they had managed to maintain the dignity of an intelligent race. The interior of the cave was kept spotlessly clean. There was no foul, musky odor as imagined; instead, a faint scent of herbs permeated the air, growing stronger the further they went.

The group understood that this must be the tribe's witch doctor treating the chieftain with medicinal herbs.

It had to be said that races living in the forest year-round often crafted herbs with miraculous healing properties, though unfortunately, the injuries suffered by the Furbolg chieftain were beyond the reach of ordinary medicine.

They had not walked far into the cave when they reached a relatively large stone chamber.

A fit of violent coughing echoed from within, followed by a few whimpers.

Hearing these sounds, Ulu quickened his pace and stepped into the chamber.

A moment later, a female Furbolg with red-rimmed eyes and peculiar attire emerged from the chamber, leading the young Furbolg Uerga.

The female Furbolg glanced at the group, nodded, and then pulled Uerga away.

Uerga wanted to stay, but he could not resist the female Furbolg's tugging. He could only greet the group before leaving, looking quite unwilling.

Ulu then walked out, saying with a hint of sorrow, "The chieftain is in poor health and cannot see so many people. Only three of you may enter; the rest must wait outside."

The group exchanged glances and agreed.

Arenia arranged for Linda and the others to stand guard outside, then took Jinli and Kalei with her as she followed Ulu into the stone chamber.

The scene inside the chamber was vastly different from the outer cave: the floor was covered with thick animal hides, soft and comfortable underfoot, while several fist-sized night-pearls were embedded in the walls, casting a soft, illuminating glow throughout the room.

In the radiance of the pearls, the group saw a massive Furbolg lying diagonally on the furs.

This must be the Furbolg chieftain, Ugo Bloodclaw. Just lying there, he appeared even larger than the two corrupted Furbolg Warriors they had encountered at the village entrance.

Yet, despite his size, his muscles were completely withered and slack. His once-lustrous brown fur had turned dry, yellow, and lusterless. His face was etched with deep wrinkles, and his eyes, once sharp and spirited, now appeared dim and lifeless—clearly tormented by shadow power.

Kalei checked his strength from behind and found him to be level 56, though in his current state, it was hard to say how much of that power he could actually manifest.

Seeing the three enter, Chieftain Ugo spoke in a voice that was incredibly weak, yet more fluent in Darnassian than any other Furbolg: "Welcome, Night Elves, our allies of old. Welcome."

Arenia stepped forward and performed a special Night Elf gesture of respect for allies: "It is an honor to meet you, Chieftain of our former allies, the Bristlelimb Tribe. I am Arenia, a Sentinel captain of the Night Elves, and these are the Ranger Jinli and the Druid Kalei."

Once the three had introduced themselves, Ugo asked bluntly, "Night Elves, have you come here to bring war to this place once again?"

Arenia thought for a moment and said, "No, Chieftain, we have brought hope."

"Hope... hope... yes... the Bristlelimb Tribe needs hope now, but we can no longer bear the weight of more war. We have only children and women left; we lack warriors. Without enough warriors, we cannot join the fight."

Arenia replied, "I see your plight, Chieftain, but you still have thirty or forty warriors. We have a plan—a feasible one. We do not need you to join the front lines; we only need you to draw the enemy's attention at a critical moment. We will go and eliminate the source that has brought such disaster upon your tribe."

Ugo listened quietly as Arenia finished, then said, "I have heard of your plan from Uerga... it is a good plan, but you underestimate the enemy's strength. You underestimate..."

He began to cough violently, gasping for breath for a long time before continuing, "You do not know the power of the enemy. You cannot complete this task."

Jinli, listening from the side, could not help but interject, "Chieftain Ugo, forgive my rudeness, but if you have something to say, please just say it."

Ugo raised his eyelids to look at her and said, "You Night Elves are a powerful race. You should have sent more and stronger forces, not just a few Sentinels, a Ranger, and a young one who has barely come of age..."

Jinli's eyes widened. "Are you looking down on us?"

Ugo shook his head slightly without speaking, but the implication was clear.

Jinli said angrily, "Chieftain Ugo, we Night Elves are indeed powerful, but everyone has their own battles to fight."

"We came here, and the battle here belongs to us. We are fighting for our own people, not for you. If you do not wish to contribute and only want our people to fight for you, then you are sorely mistaken."

Ulu, who had been very rational since the group arrived, seemed provoked by something. He shouted loudly, "But this whole thing was caused by you! That damned Satyr, that damned magic tree—it was all caused by you Night Elves! You bring disaster after disaster upon this world for the sake of greedy power, and our tribe is left to face the fate of extinction!"

Once Ulu said this, the average Night Elf would truly be left speechless.

Indeed, from the War of the Ancients to the present day, many disasters that have occurred on the Kalimdor Continent are almost all related to the Night Elves. Many intelligent races have suffered unwarranted catastrophes because of them, and the Furbolg are one such example.

The Furbolg once lived peaceful and stable lives under the leadership of Ursoc and Ursol, but because of the Night Elves, Ursoc and Ursol died, the various Furbolg tribes fell apart, and they were further corrupted by dark forces, ending up in an increasingly miserable state with no one to turn to for justice.

However, Jinli was not one to show weakness. She sneered and said, "True, some of us Night Elves made mistakes in the past. Everyone who commits a wrong must pay a price, whether it is the individual or their race."

"Last time, we paid the price, but this time... this incident, is it really all our fault? If your priest Wumu hadn't colluded with the Satyr, how could the seed of that magic tree have been corrupted? We have responsibility for this matter, but do you not?"

"Since we both share responsibility for this, it is not just our problem; you also need to contribute your strength."

"Of course, I know your tribe is in a very bad situation right now, but if you don't continue to fight, what else can you do?"

"Or are you saying that you, the great descendant of Ursoc, have been so tormented by the power of the shadow that you have lost the courage to fight..."

"Enough!" Ugo, who had been lying on the animal hide gasping for breath, let out a roar and sat up. Staring at Jinli with eyes as large as copper bells, he said, "No one... no one can underestimate my courage!"

Jinli did not back down in the slightest and said, "Then stand up and show your courage by continuing to fight."