Internal Struggle

"What?!"

Hearing Huang Long's words, Tyrande, the Priestess of the Moon, was utterly shocked, her face filled with disbelief.

"How could this not be the Lordaeron Continent? You're lying to me again!" Tyrande cried sharply. Ever since becoming the Priestess of the Moon, she could not remember how many years had passed, yet she had never lost control of her emotions like this.

"Hmph. Believe it or not, I'm giving you two choices now. First, join my team and obey my commands from now on. Second..." Huang Long looked at Tyrande, a glint flashing through his eyes as countless thoughts raced through his mind.

"And what is the second? If I refuse to obey you, you'll kill me?" Tyrande sneered as she met Huang Long's gaze.

"I think you guessed wrong." Seeing that Tyrande was actually so bold, Huang Long secretly admired her. Though he disliked the woman's personality somewhat, there was no denying that she possessed extraordinary charm. No wonder that back on the Lordaeron Continent, the Demon Hunter Yudian and his brother, the Jungle Guardian Farien, had both fallen madly in love with her, even turning against each other over her.

"The second is that you leave this place and stop interfering with our hunt. But if you encounter other living beings on the continent, you absolutely must not reveal our existence. Otherwise, if we find out, I won't let you go even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth." Huang Long smiled, dismissing Tyrande's assumption. As far as Huang Long was concerned, let alone killing Tyrande—even hurting her would make him feel distressed. Of course, that was purely a superior's concern for a subordinate.

Moreover, this was already the best solution Huang Long could think of. Forcibly keeping Tyrande here would clearly not be easy. It would be better to let her go first and allow her to venture through the Fallen Continent. Once the responsibilities of her role as Priestess of the Moon had been thoroughly shattered, if she encountered trouble in the future, he could step in and help her. Once she felt gratitude toward him, he could rightfully win her over.

Besides, due to the Warcraft Elf System, Tyrande would definitely be unable to harm him. At the same time, she surely understood that if Huang Long died, she would not escape unscathed either.

It was precisely because of this that Huang Long dared to let Tyrande go so confidently.

"Then the Moon Temple's exclusive troops must leave with me as well." After considering it for a while, Tyrande made her decision, though she still put forward a condition.

"Impossible. To be honest, even if I gave you every Huntress unit I currently have, it still wouldn't be enough." Huang Long seemed to have expected Tyrande to make this request and immediately rejected it.

Tyrande snorted in ridicule, growing somewhat impatient. Clearly, Huang Long simply could not bear to hand such a powerful army over to her, yet he had to dress it up in such grandiose terms. It was practically an insult to her intelligence.

"What, you don't believe me?" The moment Huang Long saw the look in Tyrande's eyes, he understood what she was thinking. Still, he did not care much. If Tyrande truly insisted, he could simply agree. Aside from Elisa, the Huntress Captain, the other Huntresses were not all that important by comparison.

"I trust that, as the leader of the Night Elf faction, you would not deceive your own people. So I choose the first option. I will obey you for now, but you may not force me to do anything I dislike."

Tyrande's answer far exceeded Huang Long's expectations, and it gave him a headache as well. This had completely deviated from the plan he had formed after meeting Tyrande.

Damn it. It seems this woman sensed something was wrong, yet she actually managed to forcibly alter her own will. Hell, she really is ruthless—not just toward others, but toward herself as well. A flash of insight struck Huang Long, and he immediately understood Tyrande's thoughts. He could not help clicking his tongue inwardly.

After pondering for a moment, Huang Long furrowed his brow. He did not quite understand Tyrande's intentions, but there was nothing he could do. He was the one who had offered her these two choices. If he went back on his word now, his authority would suffer greatly. It was not worth it for this woman.

Having thought it through, Huang Long gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, that's what you chose. But I don't keep freeloaders here. You know that well enough. When the time comes, if I decide to drive you away, don't blame me for being merciless."

Whatever Tyrande was plotting, Huang Long had laid down the rules first. If this Priestess of the Moon harbored any ill intentions, he would have legitimate grounds to deal with her and would not leave Tyrande with anything to hold over him. If he had to be constrained at every turn, he might as well not have her around. At least then, Huang Long could remain completely at ease about his other heroes.

"Clan Leader Huang Long, rest assured. I, Tyrande, the Priestess of the Moon of noble standing, would never commit the disgraceful act of holding a position while neglecting its duties. You may put your mind at ease on that matter." Tyrande gave an elegant, proud bow. Yet there was not a trace of a smile on her calm face, making Huang Long feel deeply uncomfortable.

What an ice-cold woman! Huang Long sighed inwardly. Glancing at Tyrande from the corner of his eye, he muttered to himself, I wonder whether keeping her here now is right or wrong.

"Ina, Elisa, the two of you should follow my earlier instructions and take Tyrande out to level up. Tyrande's current level is truly unbearable to look at, so I'll be relying on you two for everything." Huang Long quickly composed himself and looked at Ina, the Archer Captain, and Elisa, the Huntress Captain, with a faint smile on his face.

"Yes!"

"Yes!" Ina and Elisa did not dare relax in the slightest around Huang Long and hurriedly agreed.

"Wait!" At that moment, Tyrande interrupted once more.

"What is it this time?" Huang Long nearly ground his teeth as he looked at the still utterly composed Tyrande.

"I have an objection, so naturally I must raise it. You should know, I am—" Tyrande still wore that deadpan expression, but before she could finish, Huang Long cut her off.

"You're the Priestess of the Moon from the Moon Temple, aren't you? Go on, what's your objection?" Huang Long rattled on impatiently. He truly wanted to win Tyrande over completely, but he did not have a masochistic streak. If she really provoked him, he would genuinely act without regard for the consequences.

"According to our agreement, it seems I only need to obey your orders, correct?" A sly glint flashed through Tyrande's eyes, but it was hidden deep within them, unnoticed by anyone present.

"Hm?" Huang Long's heart immediately tightened at Tyrande's words. Although he still did not know what she meant, he was certain it would not be anything good.

"What do you mean?" Huang Long casually asked, pretending not to care. Though he appeared unconcerned, his heart was full of vigilance. As the most renowned Priestess of the Moon among the Night Elves, Tyrande was not merely exceptional in combat—her intellect and strategy were absolutely first-rate as well. Huang Long had never encountered such a formidable woman before.

There was a saying: despise the enemy strategically, but take them seriously tactically. This was probably what it meant.

"I wonder, Clan Leader Huang Long, when you send me out on an expedition with these two captains, which one of us will be the leader? Who will issue the orders? You cannot possibly have all three of us command together, can you?" Tyrande glanced calmly at the outwardly relaxed Huang Long and spoke in an equally calm tone.

"Uh, well..." Huang Long knew that Tyrande, as the Priestess of the Moon, would not be easy to deal with, so he had already taken her seriously. Yet he had not expected her to be this troublesome. Her question had truly created a difficult problem for him. It seemed he had still underestimated this woman's abilities.

Hearing Tyrande's question, Huang Long's mind raced. He quickly understood the malicious intent behind it. Tyrande was actually trying to openly sow discord among the heroes under his command.

This issue had always weighed on Huang Long's mind: the difference in status between elite heroes and ordinary heroes. Although he had never shown it openly, the heroes had quietly buried those feelings in their hearts and had not argued over them. Of course, that was also because there had been few heroes in the beginning, and they interacted closely, so the issue had never surfaced. But in the future, it would definitely be exposed. Huang Long had not expected Tyrande to raise it the moment she appeared.

Huang Long could not help gritting his teeth. Seeing Tyrande's utterly unruffled expression, he said through clenched teeth,

"This woman really is troublesome!"