Troublesome Politics

In a ballroom spanning over a thousand square meters, around sixty or seventy people had gathered. More than a dozen were attendants; the rest were all guests or hosts.

After the Lordaeron ambassador with the bushy beard announced that the ball had begun.

The center of the ballroom was quickly cleared into an open space for a dance floor. More than a dozen musicians filed out carrying their instruments, and music began to play.

The human nobility's ballroom traditions had originated in Quel'Thalas: fine wine, fine food, fine clothes, and fine music.

Much like the Middle Ages on Earth, Orendo, as a noble's child, had once received training in ballroom etiquette and knew a few simple dances.

These ballroom dances emphasized elegance. They were certainly not the wild, passionate dances performed by human men and women in the game from the "original plot." Instead, they resembled Earth's social and ballroom dancing, with men and women holding each other and slowly swaying to slow music.

Of course, in this world, such dances had originally been passed from the high elves of Quel'Thalas to humans. Only after humans developed them for more than a thousand years had they taken their present form.

After all, when it came to balls and banquets, elves were the race most fond of such things. From the old Kaldorei Empire to the current Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, most of those long-lived immortals were exceptionally good at enjoying themselves.

Even after their homes were destroyed and their people scattered, wasn't Silvermoon City still full of blood elves partying day and night, utterly indifferent to the hatred of losing their kingdom and sending the Fourth Calamity everywhere to fetch them fine wine and food?

Orendo had no interest in this sort of ball. Alex Barov and Nielas Aran stood beside him, speaking with him in low voices.

However, Orendo noticed that Master Antonidas, still in his vigorous thirties, was already holding an elegant female noblewoman and swaying around the dance floor, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

Mm... mages were actually a group that knew very well how to enjoy themselves and were quite willing to do so.

"Not going down to have some fun?" Nielas smiled at Orendo. His gaze swept around before he leaned close and whispered, "You should be very popular. Look at those noblewomen—they're staring at you as if they want to swallow you whole!"

"Hehe~" Alex laughed as well. "That's right. Orendo, with your looks and reputation, if you wanted to, you would definitely be the most popular person at this ball."

Orendo had noticed the looks from the noblewomen long ago.

From the moment he began speaking with Eiro Sadwind, to when the two children of great noble houses arrived, the women attending the ball had never stopped looking at him.

But having seen beauties like Aegwynn and Solarian every day, how could these gaudy women at the ball possibly interest him? Besides, Mentor Aegwynn would not allow him to do anything inappropriate. She had even placed a surveillance spell on him for such matters...

Even if I wanted to fool around, I couldn't!

"Not interested." Orendo's tone was calm, and he wore the expression of an enlightened sage. "Compared to that, I prefer spell models and arcane configurations."

Alex looked utterly impressed. "It's a pity I have no talent for magic. Fine wine and beautiful women are my favorites. I can't compare to you, Orendo... Mm, I'm going to dance. Nielas, want to come along?"

"I'm a mage too." Nielas Aran smiled and gave him a push. "Besides, we can't leave our Sir Severosa to face so many she-wolves alone, can we? Go dance by yourself."

"Mm... all right. I'll be back soon!" Alex Barov laughed heartily and strode briskly toward several noblewomen.

The moment the Barov heir left, Nielas Aran immediately lowered his voice and asked Orendo, "Have you noticed anything?"

"I have. Like you, the Barov family seems very interested in me." Orendo spoke softly.

"Exactly!" Nielas Aran cautiously glanced around before lowering his voice further. "Over the past century, the Barov family's influence in the north has grown greater and greater, to the point where the royal houses have no choice but to fear them! They're under immense pressure now. Several kingdoms have been deliberately or subtly suppressing them. In recent years, the Barovs tried to draw closer to Dalaran, but the Kirin Tor quickly rejected them."

"Many people thought they had given up. But now, it seems to me that they may have set their sights on you."

Orendo raised his brows. His eyebrows looked more human than high elven; if he had to compare them to something, they were basically like the elves in The Lord of the Rings.

Aside from his pointed ears and overly pale skin, he actually looked quite similar to the humans of Azeroth.

"Although I think I'm fairly capable, I'm only a mage right now. I'm not an archmage, much less a member of the Kirin Tor Council, let alone a Dalaran councilor. What use is there in the Barovs taking an interest in me?" Orendo asked Nielas Aran.

"You can't put it that way. You may indeed not be qualified to meddle in the mess between several kingdoms and the Barovs yet. But you're young, and outrageously outstanding! You truly have little influence now, but what about the future?" Nielas looked at Orendo and discreetly pointed toward Antonidas, who had finished a dance and was resting beside the floor.

"Twenty years ago, he was about where you are now. Yet twenty years later, he has already become the most influential mage in Dalaran. Perhaps the Barov family believes that you will become a second Antonidas."

"But I don't see it that way. I think you will surpass Antonidas and every mage currently in Dalaran. That is why I recommended you to my king, hoping you could become one of Stormwind's own."

Orendo somewhat agreed with Nielas Aran's assessment. His performance over the past year had made him a sought-after prize among the human kingdoms.

First, there was his unprecedented and astonishing performance in Dalaran. He had received the Kirin Tor High Wisdom Ribbon three times in a single year. No mage had ever accomplished such a feat—not even twice in one year.

Second, he was very young. Having achieved so many research results at such a young age, who knew what he might accomplish in the future?

Third, he was a half-elf, a hybrid of human and elf.

That was right. Many humans were human supremacists. They looked down on races other than humans and believed that humanity, which ruled almost the entire continent, was the strongest race.

These human supremacists were often elites among humans themselves and wielded considerable influence in human high society.

However, Orendo knew that ordinary people made up the greater part of any race. Because of their appearance, power, and mystery, most ordinary humans were actually curious about elves and even admired them a little.

His half-elven identity was an eyesore in the eyes of human supremacists. But to the majority of humans, it represented noble blood touched by elven heritage.

Then there was the fact that his mentor was Solarian, a noble mage from Quel'Thalas. Elven mages rarely took humans as students, and he was one of the few human students of an elven mage.

Thus, in addition to labels such as "super genius" and "astonishing potential," he had gained another: "elf-friendly."

How could human politicians—especially those nobles in Dalaran who understood the influence wielded by mages—not take notice of him?

At the very end, Orendo sighed to Nielas and said something that surprised him.

He said:

"I hate politics."

Third update—please send some recommendation votes!