The Tree Desires Stillness, But the Wind Does Not Cease

The morning sun always feels so comfortable. As the sun slowly crawls over the horizon, revealing her beautiful face with a faint red hue tinged with gold, she looks just like a ripe Akshi, making one unable to resist the urge to take a bite. It would be even better if a gentle breeze accompanied her to brush against your face. On the balcony at this moment, a figure is stretched long, reaching all the way to the edge of the bed in the bedroom. Azar stands there, bathing in the morning sunlight and breeze; this is a rare moment of relaxation for him. Turning his head to look at his wife on the bed, he feels incomparably satisfied. They have just experienced a wild night, and for a couple who have spent more time apart than together over the decades, this is the best reward. His wife has not yet awakened; she looks so sweet in her sleep, a faint smile seemingly hanging on the corners of her mouth. Perhaps the madness of last night left her too exhausted; after all, a mage's body cannot compare to a warrior's. After finishing a set of Five Animal Frolics, Azar looks back at the bed and finds that Azshara has already sat up, leaning against the headboard to watch him. It seems she has been in this position for a while.

"When did you wake up? Did you sleep well?"

"When you started your practice, I was woken up by your energy fluctuations. My dear, you are still as amazing as ever!" She responds with a light chuckle, her face full of happiness.

"Seriously, let's have a child. I've discovered that although we possess incredibly long lifespans, the influence of the Power of Order on our bodies still has some drawbacks, such as fertility." He walks slowly toward Azshara, gently picking up his wife as he speaks.

"Alright, then you should stay for a longer time this time, until I conceive a child," Azshara replies playfully.

"Yes, I will be staying for quite a while this time; we can just happen to make up for this lesson. How about now?" Azar has always been a man of action. As his words fall, the bedroom once again becomes the scene of activities unsuitable for children.

A hundred years seems like only a few years to the elves of today. The Power of Order has finally allowed those who believe in her to feel unparalleled strength. The former Trolls have become Elves—beautiful, elegant, and fond of luxury. Their architecture is magnificent and towering, their clothing brightly colored, both voluminous and intricate, and their hearts have become incomparably proud and confident. The arcane has shown them that great power is enough to change the world. They have begun to stir, unable to wait to display their grand ambitions; yes, they want to conquer the entire Kalidom. Over the past hundred years, under the leadership of their great and visionary first king, Jabani, their national strength has grown rapidly. The use of the arcane has tended toward perfection, and with the increase in population, mages capable of perceiving the Power of Order have emerged like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. They possess a Mage Legion that is peerless in Kalidom. Melee strength has also improved rapidly under Azar's training. With all branches of the military complete and their functions complementary, the melee forces include warriors skilled in using rage—fighting endlessly, with rage never ceasing; they are the perpetual motion machines of the battlefield. Coupled with Azar's special requirements, every warrior must learn to perceive the Power of Order to reconcile the impact of rage on their bodies, making them the most disciplined troops on the battlefield. Then there are the long-range physical attack units, the Elf Hunter. They are natural marksmen with ultra-long visual range and slender arms; watching them shoot is like admiring a beautiful painting. Added to a certain degree of arcane ability, their signature skill, Arcane Shot, always delivers a fatal blow to the enemy. If it were only these, they might not be the strongest army; if others had more numbers or more powerful individuals, they would not be invincible. What truly gives them an incomparably strong belief in victory is their Mage Legion. These peerless mages demonstrate the greatness of the arcane at this moment. Taken individually, they have a long-range attack distance that does not lose to the Elf Hunter, and their lethality is even greater. Their Fireball can directly cause a sheep's body to explode. Although the damage of Frostbolt is slightly weaker, it can slow down the movements of those hit, creating more and better attack opportunities for the melee units. Or Arcane Missiles, which are simply like the Katyusha of the Earth era, continuously bombarding the target; one might dodge the first, second, or third, but it is very difficult to dodge the fourth, fifth, or sixth. Not to mention the newly developed summoning spells; summoning a Water Elemental is equivalent to adding a combat unit out of thin air. Higher-level mages have even stronger single-target combat skills, which I won't list here. Most importantly, the mages can cast spells jointly, launching large-scale magic that can form a regional annihilation effect in a single strike—truly terrifying. Through a century of development and a century of war, King Jabani has constantly provoked small-scale wars just to train the new spells developed by the mages and to continuously practice the coordination of various military branches. As a great lord who walked through the era of chaos, he deeply understands the truth that it is easier to talk when you have a strong fist. Training soldiers also means training generals. Over the years, the kingdom has continuously produced excellent commanders, the most famous of whom are Falco and Daphne from Azar's faction. He is steady in character, she is meticulous in thought; he leads troops as stable as Mount Tai, she leads armies as swift as fire. He is the shield of the kingdom, and she is the spear of the Elves. However, Azar always says, "You must be even better to face the challenges of the future." The Well of Eternity, the treasure of the kingdom, has given the Elves long lives and powerful strength, but it has also created some small troubles for them. The fertility of the Elves has changed; pregnancy is more difficult, and the gestation period has lengthened. This might be the only reason restricting the Elf King from launching a war. Therefore, he has been waiting, waiting for the day when the opportunity arrives.

But recently, the situation has changed somewhat. High-level figures have clearly felt that the King is different from before, especially his temper, which has become irritable and prone to anger, often punishing servants for trivial matters. Recently, there is also talk that he is about to issue a kingdom mobilization order. Who is this intended to fight? Are there still enemies around us? The Centaur and the Quillboar are hiding in the Barrens, fighting each other happily. The Trolls west of Feralas? That is just an excuse Azar uses to raise them to help him train new recruits while asking the kingdom for supplies. Could it be a war against the four major Horde tribes? That makes sense; we are Night Elf now! We have an invincible Mage Legion! Let the war begin!

"Is there something wrong with His Majesty the King's health?" On a pitch-black night, in the silent forest, Azar asks the person in black before him.

"Reporting to you, my lord, there is not."

"Are there any abnormal actions?"

"Yes, he has been summoning many priests one after another."

"Understood. Be careful yourself. If you discover anything wrong, prioritize saving your own life. Do you understand?"

"Thank you, my lord. This subordinate takes his leave."

"You heard it all? How is the situation on your side?"

"My uncle, my dear uncle, can't you find a different place to meet me?" A girl's voice rings out; it is Maiev.

"Talk about business, don't mess around."

"The High Priest has been very calm recently, but several centurions of the Sentinel have been acting abnormally lately."

"Hmm, I see. Stay well in the Temple of the Moon. Don't expand your influence recently; clean up the existing forces to ensure purity, you know?"

"Got it, got it. I know what to do. I'm leaving, you should hurry back to make babies too. I really want to see my little nephew soon." Before she finishes speaking, she has already disappeared, leaving Azar with no target even if he wanted to lecture her.

In the bedroom, on the bed, Azar holds his beloved wife; it is obvious that they were just making a baby.

"My dear, what do you think our great King actually wants to do?"

"I don't know either, but one thing is certain: it is not about going to war with any of the major tribes as is currently rumored. If that were the case, why wouldn't he summon you first? Why worry so much? Our primary goal right now is to have a child." Azshara says lazily. Ever since the plan to have a child, she seems to have lost interest in everything else, focused entirely on squeezing our Azar. She has the air of someone who won't stop until she is pregnant! The way a woman thinks is always hard for a man to understand. Has she not sensed the crisis? Or is she confident in her own and her husband's strength? I really don't understand. It seems only the man has to work a little harder. After all, a man should have a sense of family responsibility, shouldn't he?

After feeding his wife once more, Azar walks alone to the balcony and sits down. A quiet night is best for thinking. The recent situation is very strange; he needs to sort it out carefully. The King's temperament has changed for no reason, the Temple of the Moon is as calm as water on the surface, the High Priest is summoning centurions, and the King is summoning priests—there is too little information to make a judgment. Could Azshara be right this time? To meet all changes by remaining unchanged? Necessary preparations are still needed.