Goblins

Three days passed. At dawn on the fourth day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Matt Hardwood returned.

Kale heard the noise from inside and quickly got up to prepare some fresh bread, cheese, and a jug of Morning Dew Wine for his teacher.

Matt thanked Kale, sat down at the dining table, and chatted with him about recent events as he ate.

Kale was curious about what his teacher had been busy with outside, since he had been gone for several days.

Matt Hardwood told him that the Cenarion Circle's Druids had discovered a small race with green skin near Stagnant Oasis in the southern Barrens.

The race was very cunning. They were causing trouble all over the Barrens, cutting down rare trees and digging up underground mineral deposits, with no regard for the balance of nature.

The Cenarion Circle had sent him to gather information about this race and assess their impact on the local ecosystem.

A small race with green skin—weren't those Goblins? Kale's heart jolted. He remembered that Goblins had appeared even before the War of the Ancients. After the War of the Ancients, the Great Sundering split the land, and the Goblins fled to a large island called Kezan Island.

Later, the Zandalari Trolls who lived near Kezan Island enslaved the Goblins. It wasn't until a hundred years before the Dark Portal opened that the Goblins overthrew the Zandalari Trolls and won their freedom.

Although Goblins were physically weak, they possessed peculiar technology that let them build ships capable of crossing oceans and traveling far and wide on adventures.

Some of them had sailed to the Kalimdor Continent. These reckless Goblins later established two major cities in Kalimdor: Ratchet and Gadgetzan.

Based on the information he had gathered so far, Kale was certain that the Dark Portal had not yet opened. But since these cunning Goblins had begun appearing on the Kalimdor Continent, it meant the portal's opening was not far off.

Thinking of the disasters that would follow one after another once the Dark Portal opened, he felt an unfamiliar urgency well up inside him.

He wanted to learn more from Matt—how many Goblins there were, how advanced their technology was, and what exactly they were doing in the Barrens. Unfortunately, Matt knew only so much and couldn't answer his questions.

He could only suppress his unease and set the matter aside for now.

Matt asked him how the mission had gone.

He handed Matt the report he had written earlier.

The report gave an overall account of the Furbolg incident. Kale had deliberately left out certain details, such as the highly private and important fact that he had obtained the Life Gem and the Seed of the Soul Ancient.

Other parts, however, he had described at length, emphasizing the evil force's effects on the Furbolgs. He had even directly called it the Power of Nightmare, hoping to make the Cenarion Circle take this evil force seriously.

Matt took some time to read through the report, then nodded in satisfaction. "Good. You did very well. You haven't let your teacher down."

"I'll write your application to join the Cenarion Circle. When it's ready, I'll submit it to the Circle along with this report. You just need to wait patiently for the result."

In truth, Kale's performance during the Furbolg incident had far exceeded Matt's expectations.

Before Matt had returned, the story of the Furbolg incident in Bristlelimb Village had already spread through the area around Maestra Town, carried by the songs of traveling bards.

The names of the heroes in the story came up again and again, and Kale's name was beginning to circulate around Maestra Town.

This naturally made Matt proud as his teacher. He solemnly put away Kale's report, then asked him about the Magic Tree.

Kale recounted what he had heard about the Magic Tree from old village chief Bebo, then handed Matt the Arcane Scroll connected to it.

Matt set down his fork in surprise and accepted the Arcane Scroll. Carefully unrolling it, he skimmed through its contents.

Then he let out a long breath and looked at Kale. "Kale, you've surprised me again. This scroll is extremely important to the Night Elves. I'll submit it to the Circle as soon as possible."

"I originally thought that, given your background, even after completing the Furbolg crisis mission, you'd still face some obstacles before joining the Circle. But with this scroll, your chances have improved considerably."

Kale smiled. "Really? That's wonderful. But I should make it clear that I didn't obtain this scroll alone. My companions Arenia and the others who adventured with me deserve credit too."

Matt said, "I understand. I'll include a detailed account of everyone's contributions to make sure each participant receives the recognition they deserve."

"That's good, teacher. Do you know when the Circle might reach a decision?"

"At least half a month, and possibly a month. You know what those old fellows are like. They always drag out even the simplest matters."

"I see. Could I go home during that time? I've spent the past few years training away from home and rarely had a chance to be with my mother. I've decided to go home and spend some time with her."

"Of course, Kale. You've completed your training. You can do whatever you want without having to report every little thing to me."

Kale nodded. "I understand, teacher. There's something else I'd like to ask you about."

"Oh? Is it about your studies? Go ahead!"

Kale shook his head. "It's not about my studies. Take a look at this." He opened his hand to reveal a bright red gem.

Matt's eyes fell on the gem, and they lit up at once. He picked it up and examined it closely, exclaiming in surprise, "This is... a Life Gem! And it contains Ursoc's power of anger! Kale, where did you get it?"

Kale told him how he had obtained the gem.

As he listened, Matt gently rubbed the gem with his fingertips, sensing the power within it. He clicked his tongue in amazement. "This gem contains a powerful force of life, which would greatly benefit a Druid's training. But to use that power, you'd first have to remove Ursoc's angry will. That won't be easy."

"Do you know how it could be done, teacher?"

Matt thought for a while, then handed the gem back. "I can think of only two ways. One is to ask a Druid of legend to forcibly separate the life force inside it. The other is to use the artifact Tears of Elune to purify Ursoc's angry will."

Kale was stunned. As far as he knew, aside from the demigod Cenarius, there were only two Druids on the entire Azeroth Continent who had reached the legendary level: Malfurion Stormrage and his student, Fandral Staghelm.

Malfurion Stormrage was kind and easy to talk to, but he was a homebody who often slept in the Emerald Dream. It was difficult to meet him.

Fandral Staghelm, on the other hand, was very active. But he might have been corrupted, and Kale didn't want to approach him without first finding out what state he was in.

That meant the first option was clearly out. As for the second, Kale knew that Tears of Elune was hidden in Val'sharah, the Druids' sacred land. But the problem was that he was just a young Druid who hadn't even joined the Cenarion Circle yet. Using an artifact was simply out of the question.

After thinking it over, Kale knew it would be impossible to use the gem anytime soon.

Matt Hardwood clearly knew neither option would be easy, so he didn't dwell on them. He simply told Kale to keep the gem safe and look for a solution in the future.

Kale thanked him, then asked about the Seed of the Soul Ancient.

Matt Hardwood had heard of spirit companions, but had never heard of a plant-based spirit companion, let alone seeds that could awaken one. He couldn't think of any good solution and could only tell Kale to figure it out for himself.

At a loss, Kale cleared away the dishes and told his teacher to get some rest. Then he began planning his journey home.