Crimson Sun Guard (Part 1)

Azeroth had two moons: the White Lady and the Blue Child. Legend said that the White Lady was the true form of Elune, the moon goddess.

Tonight, she lifted her veil for Shane. Moon-white and flawless described the White Lady's appearance perfectly: full, round, and without the slightest blemish. Her light was soft and tranquil. Through the lens, she resembled a disk of green jade. If he could touch her, she would surely feel warm, soft, and smooth.

But there were no craters! Shane examined her again and again, then rubbed his eyes to ease their fatigue. Was the reflected light too strong for him to see the craters? Or was there another reason?

Jumping to conclusions about anything was not an attitude an arcane caster should have. It required long-term observation, conjectures based on phenomena, and then finding ways to prove those conjectures.

Shane moved his evening studies to the observatory platform. Sylvanas came along as well. After seeing his observatory, she grew curious and wanted a look.

"Come, look at the moon in the sky." Shane gave up his seat for her.

Sylvanas copied Shane and sat on the base, lowering her head to peer through the eyepiece. The radiance entered her eyes, and she exclaimed in surprise at how large the moon was. Just as she had imagined, it was a smooth disk.

"Don't you feel anything else?" Shane asked without changing his expression.

"Nothing. We love the sun."

Sylvanas spoke calmly, but her words struck Shane like a hammer. To the people living on this planet, a moon without craters was common knowledge.

"Why are you interested in the moon?" Sylvanas asked doubtfully.

"Because it's the celestial body closest to Azeroth, the one with the most direct influence on us." Shane offered another explanation. "When the twin moons overlap, Azeroth's mana tide reaches its peak. It's a moment every caster dreams of."

"If you want to understand it, can't you just read books?" Sylvanas said.

"If you only read books, you'll always be learning other people's knowledge. If you want to make knowledge your own, you have to put it into practice yourself. Even if it's nothing more than repeating what others have done, it's still far better than merely reading."

Sylvanas raised her head. Shane saw her pointed chin, her emerald eyes glittering like stars, and her slightly parted lips.

"Shane, do you know that you're different from many other elves? You're the most unusual elf I've ever met. You aren't as restless as they are. Well... though you aren't exactly profound either." She smiled at the latter half of that sentence, the most unguarded smile Shane had ever seen from her. "But you have a seriousness they lack, the quality of being persistent toward a goal."

Shane did not know what to say. Sylvanas kept staring at him, and he could see his own reflection in her eyes.

"Idiot, you probably haven't realized it yourself. Enough of this. Rather than wasting energy looking at the moon, you should pay more attention to the trolls."

"What happened?"

"The trolls are contracting."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Shane asked.

"That's the problem." Sylvanas explained that every time the trolls in the Ghostlands contracted, they would erupt afterward. The trolls would break through the blockade and scatter everywhere. Each time, the rangers had to flush them out like rats. This time felt larger than the previous ones, because they were contracting too quickly.

Her gaze seemed to say, This is all your doing. As for Silvermoon City, unless it became an all-out war, it would not intervene directly. At most, it would provide some support.

"What do you want me to do?" Shane asked.

"I'll use the ranger channels to request resources, while you can use the Royal Mage Association's channels. If Dawnblade and Windrunner submit identical reports, no one will suspect fraud."

Cunning Sylvanas, cunning general. Even her smile had turned sly, but Shane wholeheartedly agreed.

After seeing off the satisfied female elf, Shane returned his attention to the moon and recorded its orbital path. Through long-term observation, he would find the laws governing its movement, as well as the secret of why it always appeared as a full moon.

Shane fully cooperated with Sylvanas's request, but he needed sufficient reasons to persuade the Royal Mage Association. Moreover, those reasons had to come from an arcane caster's perspective; he could not simply fob them off with a ranger's practical experience.

However, Sylvanas had not spoken without cause. During the day, observation showed that the hexing miasma over the direction of Zul'Aman was expanding slightly. Its pale green hue carried a nauseating sense of rot. It would take at least a month of comparisons before any obvious changes could be seen. Shane used an impression spell to imprint the scene visible through his eyepiece onto paper, one sheet every day. Once the changes became clear, he would attach his own judgment and send it to Silvermoon City for the masters to decide.

Shane's judgment was this: the trolls' tradition of blood sacrifice had not only returned, but had also become more frequent. If left unchecked, many troll casters would emerge and cause unnecessary losses to the elven kingdom.

Silvermoon City's response was relatively slow. Only after Shane submitted his second comparative report did a reply arrive. It was merely an inquiry, in the council's name, asking what Shane required.

To deal with a possible troll attack, Shane unceremoniously requested ten guardian constructs, along with advanced construct power cores and anti-magic plating.

When the supplies arrived, there was more than Shane had requested. Not only was every item provided in full, but sixty rangers were sent with them. However, the demands were higher as well. The council required Shane to conduct an armed reconnaissance and determine the current state of the troll casters.

Among the rangers, Shane spotted a familiar face. Halduron Brightwing was the leader of the sixty men.

"Lord Shane, it is an honor to serve you again." Halduron Brightwing's rank had risen greatly. His full set of gear proclaimed him to be a formidable ranger. Yet from what Shane knew, he was known on the southern border for his flexibility and finesse.

"Sometimes, being a little flexible can produce unexpected results." When he reminisced with Firehawk and Shane, he shamelessly said, "Windrunner leads the rangers, but when I heard there was a chance to serve Lord Shane, I decisively pledged myself to the council." He had now entered the basic power structure of elven society and no longer needed to personally tend to his smuggling business.

"Nothing but traitors." Sylvanas's assessment of Halduron Brightwing and the others came through gritted teeth. She had not come to see Shane for several days. She had received the same order, but hers had come from ranger headquarters, with the implication that her operation had to move faster than Shane Dawnblade's and achieve greater results. Her reinforcements consisted of one hundred rangers.

"How much petty infighting must there be in Silvermoon City for them to issue such a goddamn nonsensical order?" Sylvanas rarely swore. Shane's chair creaked beneath her as she shifted restlessly. Whenever the female elf was in a bad mood, she changed positions and abused his furniture.

Of course, it's the petty infighting between Dawnblade and Windrunner. Shane did not say it aloud, swallowing the words instead. A letter carrying the same implication Sylvanas had received reached him shortly after the council's resources arrived. The joy of Dawnblade gaining another edge practically leapt off the page. Whether it was taking the lead in the council or poaching people from the rangers, both had thrilled them. They demanded that Shane press on and suppress Windrunner.

"What are you going to do?" Sylvanas asked.

"Act after we're fully prepared," Shane replied. The two tacitly agreed to delay and make preparations.

Within the mage tower, Shane realized that his own strength was still too limited. Too many matters had to be put on hold. He needed to find more mages to join his organization.