The Three Giants

This banquet was exceptional. From the exquisite orchestral music to the lavish spread of dishes, the high elven female soprano's voice was so rich and beautiful that it was no wonder the high elves had forgotten the way home.

That was how Uther evaluated it. He speared a steak with his fork and chewed with great satisfaction, carefully gnawing every scrap of meat from the bone. The dozen or so followers he had recruited were also stuffing themselves, nearly making Rommath pass out from fury. He had never entertained guests so uncouth, yet he had no choice but to play along with this outstanding priest. After all, the man was Faol's disciple. These followers were merely crude farmers' children; anyone who believed in the Holy Light had to be a little deranged. That was perfectly normal, he consoled himself.

Kael'thas was in excellent spirits. Lister had accepted his invitation at once. Taking the child's chubby little hand, he held a wineglass as he showed him the high elves' sculptures and works of art. This, too, would be part of Lister's required curriculum in the future. Why could a mage not also be an outstanding artist? Art was the highest expression of beauty.

As for Uther and his people, they were financially strained, and they were Lister's friends as well as followers of the Holy Light. Quel'Thalas had priests too. His manner was also meant for the priests to see, to demonstrate that he was fair and close to the people.

The only unpleasant part was the uninvited guest in the back. Kael'thas could practically feel the bone-piercing chill. Kel'Thuzad wore a dark expression as he loudly disparaged a sculpture left behind by an elven master, forcing Kael to keep smiling along with him.

"Let us speak openly. If you permit it, I will simply call you Prince Kael." Lister spoke bluntly, yet Kael'thas showed no displeasure. He was skilled at the twists and turns of politics, but that did not mean he disliked straightforward conversation. "Of course. You are my friend now."

"You and Mage Kel'Thuzad both want my spell." Lister looked up at the two "giants." "Having more people learn my spell would be the greatest encouragement to me, but it cannot be given away for free. I can trade it. I believe only knowledge can be exchanged for knowledge of equal value. What do you two think?"

"What do you want to learn?" Kel'Thuzad asked bluntly.

Lister spoke slowly. "Runic knowledge. Prince Kael'thas excels at arcane and fire runes, while you are a master of frost magic. I would learn frost runes from you."

"That does not sound very fair to me." Kael'thas smiled. Since it was a trade, there was naturally room for bargaining. "I must teach you two things, while Lord Kel'Thuzad only needs to teach one."

"Because this spell is more important to you, Prince Kael. It is the crystallization of arcane string theory. As far as I know, defensive spells also seem to be part of string theory." Lister revealed an odd smile. "Are they not?"

Kael'thas did not understand at first, but a single second later, his golden brows suddenly drew together. His entire bearing became as imposing and terrifying as an enraged lion. Kel'Thuzad immediately realized something. Without changing expression, he shifted a step and placed Lister behind him. "Your Highness?"

"So that is how it is." Kael'thas regained his usual composure. "You actually have such a bold conjecture. No wonder you wish to study runic knowledge."

"Precisely." Lister remained neither servile nor overbearing. "As compensation, I have something very good to share with you. I hope you will forgive me."

"I accept your trade." Kael returned to his warm smile, lowered his glass, and clinked it against Lister's. "I look forward to your gift."

"What an exquisite construction." Kael'thas gazed in lavish praise at the small red sphere spinning in his palm. "It is truly difficult to imagine that you have analyzed the essence of arcane power and proposed an entirely new arcane theory."

Kel'Thuzad casually extinguished the azure ice sphere in his hand. He was carefully reading Lister's paper. "Releasing magic power, shaping magic power, stabilizing its structure, maintaining a formed spell—this is far more important than your spell model, Lister."

"Why?" Lister's words made Kel'Thuzad immensely jealous, yet he patiently explained, "This is the way of thinking behind casting arcane spells. It is thought itself—the thought that guides mages in how to cast arcane spells. A great many fools and dullards cannot cast spells because they do not understand the meaning of each step."

"Why is the third word of Arcane Missiles 'α'? Why must the gesture be made by pinching the thumb and middle finger together? Many stupid people never think any further. They merely know they must do what their teachers told them to do, and that ensures they can never achieve anything greater."

"Even I, before reading your paper, only had vague notions of what I was doing. I knew what to do and how to research it, but how could I convey that feeling to others?" Kel'Thuzad lightly flicked Lister's papyrus, not daring to use any force. "Only after seeing your paper did I understand."

"What we need is nothing else but the thought of arcane power." Kel'Thuzad looked at Lister with envy. "Do you know? Teacher Antonidas would be proud of you. You are the pride of all Dalaran. From this moment onward, arcane power will no longer be mysterious. Just as you wrote in your paper, it is merely a matter of four steps, no more complicated than making a chocolate cake."

Kael'thas looked at Lister with respect. For the first time, he regarded him as an equal. "Indeed. Master Kel'Thuzad is entirely correct. You truly are extraordinarily gifted, my friend."

"This is merely an appetizer." Lister folded his hands together. "In fact, our next discussion is what truly matters."

"I am all ears." Kael'thas slightly parted his amber lips and took a gentle sip of clear ice water.

"I have lived in Dalaran for more than three months now. Although I only know that, in your eyes, I am an oddity—not any less peculiar than Master Kel'Thuzad or Master Alex." Lister gave Kel'Thuzad a slight bow, and the latter waved dismissively. "That is the view of common folk."

That was everyone's deepest impression of Lister. In their eyes, he was indeed a very solitary person. He never attended social gatherings, and very, very few mages—or even nobles—could get a word in with him.

His speech was casual, and he occasionally made lewd jokes, but truly understanding his inner world was a demanding task. Very, very few people knew what he would do. He was always as elusive as a spirit, appearing and vanishing without a trace. Yet, without anyone noticing, he had gathered many "friends" around him: his priest friend Uther, elves, humans, and a gnome named Cromie. He wielded social tactics with agility, but no one knew what his true purpose was.

The only thing anyone could know was that every day, Lister would go downstairs on time to buy donuts and chocolate from a merchant named Amy.

"I have paid close attention to Dalaran's every move. Without question, it is a great city. But have you noticed?" Lister spread his hands. "It has never paid attention to the needs of those at the bottom."

"What do you mean?" Kel'Thuzad said coldly. "Must we become nannies? Hand bread to apprentices and clean their dormitories every day?"

"Of course not." Lister's words took a sudden turn. "But it is something close to that."

"Dalaran's official works and notices are aimed only at mages and those above them. Moreover, those notices are dry and dull, overflowing with official rhetoric. I am not saying that is bad. Many matters should not be pointed at and criticized by those below, and they would struggle to understand the highest arcane achievements. But they have needs too—not merely for bread and milk." Lister pointed to his head. "They also have spiritual needs."

"Which bakery has more fragrant bread? Whose roasted veal is more tender? Who has achieved more outstanding arcane results? What changes has someone's achievement brought about?" Lister rose and paced back and forth. Given his height, it looked rather ridiculous, but Kael and Kel'Thuzad both wore solemn expressions. "Whose alchemy is more impressive? It may seem like none of this matters, but if we arrange this information into print, what does it mean?"

Kael'thas's eyes widened. He had considered a very troubling possibility, but Lister continued. "Information. The information we receive manipulates us. People are only willing to believe the information they receive. Only the most outstanding people will attempt to accept new things. No matter how astonishing an archmage's spending may be, his demand for material comforts can hardly advance an inch. The most expensive things are no more than Hoth whale meat and goose-neck barnacles from the Hocketz Strait. But if we can guide this invisible current among the common people, the benefits we gain will be beyond imagination."

"I plan to establish a newspaper. Its name will be the Dalaran Truth Daily, and I hope to receive your support." Lister took out the proposal documents he had prepared long ago and handed them to the two men. "It will be divided into several sections, including introductions to the latest spells, alchemy, potion studies, strange people and strange events, food and sights, biographies, literary works, and so on. Gossip could be printed as well, but this newspaper must be supported by articles of considerable quality. That means spells. Our primary audience will still be Dalaran. I intend to make my Spiral Arcane Missiles public. After that, for spell introductions, I will need help from you two and the mages you know."

"If a mage submits their own spell, they can receive additional income. What does that mean? We must share the profits with them?" Kel'Thuzad asked unhappily.

"Of course not. In the spell section, we will only describe its characteristics and power. We will not tell readers its key data or underlying logic. If they wish to learn it, they can mail us a letter. We will forward that letter to the mage, who will personally send the key data to the customer, while we take a twenty percent commission." Lister explained, "We cannot take too much, nor can we take too little."

"Uther is a noble priest. He has taken in many farmers' children from the surrounding villages. Their parents hope their children can learn to read and write and become priests. Uther does not wish to obtain aid through begging either. He would rather earn his compensation through his own labor. He will be responsible for printing the newspaper."

Dalaran's mages had already developed printing and papermaking. After all, this world even had gunpowder. The technology was already available; they merely needed to purchase it and put it to use.

Kael'thas burst into hearty laughter. "So you had already prepared everything, had you?" He nodded. "Since it has all been planned out, I need only participate according to the plan."

"Master Kel'Thuzad, you and Prince Kael can each receive thirty percent of the net profits. I will discuss many key matters with you in advance. You may arrange the personnel however you wish. We will jointly manage the finances. Of the remaining forty percent, Dalaran's tax rate is thirty percent, as far as I know. In other words, I will take only ten percent of the benefits." Lister looked at the silent, contemplative Kel'Thuzad. "What do you think?"

"Of course I will participate." Kel'Thuzad's tone was grim and cold. "I am badly short of money."