Development

Shane recorded the translated text on paper for future reference.

Swift, powerful, gluttonous, and cold were words trolls used to describe gods. Translated into Elven, the gods' names were roughly "the cold glutton lurking beneath the river, Blackfin-Markus" and "the swift bird that brings thunder and rain, Winged Kux." The other three names followed the same pattern, making the gods' traits obvious at a glance.

Their names were carved on the front of the stone tablets, and their histories on the back. Gods worshipped by trolls usually ended up being skinned and dismembered. The trolls had recorded the process in great detail, taking pride in successfully obtaining "the power of gods."

Yet one tablet bore only a god's name: "the pure essence of the void, Longbeard-Lokkus." The back of the tablet was smooth as a mirror, with no record whatsoever.

Shane added a question mark after the name. The trolls did not succeed every time, or perhaps there was another reason no record had been left behind. Flipping through arcanists' manuscripts from the Troll Wars, he found that one arcanist had captured a troll priest and attempted to crack open its skull to find the troll god-summoning ritual and record it. The conclusion was that troll spellcasters had their own ways of exploring the world's secrets and could not be underestimated.

The hexcraft records contained corresponding ritual accounts, all of them blood-sacrifice summoning rituals. The arcanist responsible for the records held a policy of extermination toward trolls. After reading them, Shane gained a general impression of troll hexcraft, which would help him handle them more calmly in the future.

"Mage Shane, Halduron Brightwing requests your presence at the training grounds." Just as he was about to read the next manuscript, a magical voice transmission reached Shane's study. Solarian was speaking with him from the library.

Shane set down the manuscript and looked down from the upper level. A new group of rangers had arrived at the training grounds and were meeting with the Crimson Sun Guard. They were the sixty additional rangers and ten constructs assigned by the council. He teleported to the hall, rode Taigo to a spot near the training grounds, and heard Halduron addressing the new rangers.

"We are the defenders of the Red Sun White Tower, a special force personally founded and supported by Lord Shane Dawnblade. To officially become Crimson Sun Guards, ranger skills alone are not enough. You must also learn how to fight alongside constructs. But first, you must learn our slogan. Shout it with me now."

"Victory to the White Tower Blades! Invincible vanguards in heavy armor!"

"For the elves!"

The new rangers shouted it three times, their voices reasonably uniform and loud.

"Very good." Halduron nodded in satisfaction.

Shane drove Taigo forward and swept his gaze over them from above. The newcomers were startled when they saw Taigo, then Shane, and did not dare look too long. Taigo's single eye had been infected by divinity, turning red like heated steel. It scanned the newcomers along with Shane's gaze, its glow flickering between bright and dim.

"Halduron, they're in your hands. Report to me if anything comes up."

Showing himself was enough.

Six engineers had arrived with the newcomers as well. The council had sent them to maintain the guardian constructs. New buildings rose within Windrunner Outpost, and the engineers built homes for themselves and their families. They were quite skilled; within a few days, they had put up several two-story cottages with private yards.

Just as Windrunner Outpost was growing livelier by the day, Hawkins Firehawk finally made his greatest announcement yet: "I'm getting married."

If he didn't get married now, perhaps next time he really would be going home to get married. Upon hearing the news, Shane set down his manuscript, looked at Firehawk for three seconds, and wished him a happy marriage.

"The finest food and finest wine will be delivered from Silvermoon City. I invite everyone to share in my joy." Firehawk announced it to everyone in the outpost through magical voice transmission, causing quite a stir among the rangers.

The wedding was held in the main hall on the first floor of the mage tower.

"Is it all right for you not to patrol?" On the day of the wedding, Shane and Sylvanas had been invited to serve as witnesses, while her ranger unit was given the day off.

"Troll activity has weakened. It's good to let the troops relax." After the previous armed reconnaissance, almost no trolls had appeared near the blockade line.

Or perhaps she's letting more than two hundred rangers eat and drink to their hearts' content as revenge for his teasing back then. Shane felt that he had guessed a little of the female elf's thoughts.

"Don't overthink it." Sylvanas jabbed Shane with her elbow.

"Absolutely not."

As they spoke, the two brides entered the hall with Firehawk between them, one on each side. They crossed the red carpet and reached the small raised platform at the far end. Under the officiant's guidance, they completed their vows and exchanged rings.

"I feel sorry for the brides." Sylvanas muttered as she watched the ceremony. Shane heard her perfectly clearly, absolutely perfectly clearly.

"If it were me, I would never share a partner with another woman. If I were unfortunate enough to meet a flirtatious man, I'd kill the mistress first, then the cheating bastard."

Shane wisely chose not to respond.

"Ohhh!" A cry of surprise rang out as the brides threw the flowers. Blessed flowers, beautiful flowers, traced an arc through the air toward Shane. They happened to land in Sylvanas's hands. Holding the bouquet, the female elf glanced at Shane as if nothing had happened.

The banquet began, and Firehawk made good on his promise. Wine and food were supplied without end. In a place as austere as Windrunner Outpost, it was rare to enjoy such a feast. Someone had begun calling him "Generous Firehawk."

After the wedding, Firehawk worked honestly in the mage tower because he was broke, and his other plans could not be carried out. Every evening, Sylvanas came to Shane's place with noticeably lighter steps, but after only a few days, she became somewhat displeased again.

"The trouble Firehawk brought has only just begun. Today, I caught quite a few peddlers outside the outpost. I never expected there to be elves willing to risk their lives for money. Who knows how many more will come to make a profit in the future?"

Sylvanas complained to Shane about things she could not confide in her subordinates. "What's even more infuriating is that my rangers are patronizing their businesses."

There was no need to ask. Shane knew his own subordinates had to be involved as well. Men died for wealth, birds died for food. It was the same everywhere. Once it started, it could not be stopped.

"Perhaps we can regulate them. Let them open shops inside the outpost, collect land rent, and levy taxes at the same time." Shane offered a suggestion. With nearly four hundred people in Windrunner Outpost, daily living issues were no longer as easy to resolve as they had been when there were fewer people.

The matter was reported to Quel'Thalin, and the proposal was approved. Merchants moved in and prepared to open inns, blacksmith shops, and general stores. The engineers serving the mage tower took the opportunity to pick up work and earn extra money.

"If the population keeps increasing, the outpost's defensive barrier will seem too small." Looking down from the mage tower, Shane found the tiny outpost somewhat crowded. He wrote to the Royal Mage Association, requesting an expansion of the barrier's range. When he had first arrived, he had analyzed the barrier's properties with the Eye of Truth. However, changing a military-use barrier into one serving both military and civilians was not something he could accomplish merely by understanding the engineering involved.

While waiting for a reply from the Royal Mage Association, Shane finished reading the troll knowledge. Every troll god-summoning ritual had a time limit. If he seized the right moment, he could see the animal spirits and come into contact with uncontaminated divinity.