Lordaeron

King Terenas was nearly thirty this year. As one of the two strongest among the seven human kingdoms, Lordaeron and Storm City shone against each other. He skillfully wielded every means at his disposal, whether aboveboard or shadowy. In short, he expertly used the abilities inherited from his father to rule this nation. He was more diligent than anyone, especially whenever he learned of uncertain matters.

The greatest uncertainty in this world was mages. Anything connected to mages was never good. Terenas hurried through the corridor, where the kings of the Menethil Family stood in ranks. After the Arathor Empire weakened, the Menethil Family, descendants of Lordaen, a great general of the Arathor Empire, had seized the opportunity to become independent as well. If not for that orphaned remnant in whose veins imperial blood still flowed to this day, who would be willing to remember this history?

Besides mages, Terenas arrived at his study. Count Barnil and Count Solian were there as well, and they immediately bowed in greeting. The restless Terenas took the letter delivered by a raven. Modera's seal was as fresh and strange as ever: a purple eye that seemed almost alive.

After reading the note, Terenas passed it to the two advisers. Count Barnil spoke first. "She succeeded. She reached an agreement with that Blood Warrior. The little fellow will not threaten our position."

"Barnil, you have made a mistake. The other party is not some little fellow." Terenas accepted a goblet of wine from Jorom, Count Barnil's son and the current royal cupbearer. It was an excellent refreshment. During Winter Veil, he had reveled with the residents by day and stayed awake with the queen through the nights until they were exhausted. He still had no heir. Even a Titan would feel weary over such a matter. "Thank you, child. Pour a cup for your father and Count Solian as well. Let us sit down and discuss this slowly."

The three sat at the table. Terenas held his forehead, striving to focus his mind and gather his wisdom. "This is not good news, gentlemen. That little fellow will not stand with us, and that means Dalaran will remain independent."

"Wherever mages appear, nothing good comes of it. Either murlocs are about, or gnolls are." Barnil's words made Terenas shake his head. "Murlocs and gnolls are not brought by mages. They are merely... ah, crows. They smell a corpse and fly over."

"But seriously, Your Majesty, you truly need a mage adviser with some standing. With Medivh's support, the Kingdom of Storm City can ignore its relationship with Dalaran. After all, Medivh handles any abnormalities within their borders. But we are different. The downside of being too close to Dalaran is that they can point fingers at the mage forces within our territory." Count Solian had talked a great deal. After receiving Terenas's approving glance, he took a huge gulp of wine. Jorom refilled his cup, and he took another drink.

Terenas folded his hands. "We will have Modera. I will fully support her in becoming a Kirin Tor councilor. She will become our Royal Chief Mage."

"Will she still listen to us by then? Your Majesty, that would be completely out of control." Barnil said, "It would be like a cabbage growing in someone else's garden. The seed is yours, and you water and fertilize it, but someone else can openly take it away at any time."

Though crude, it made sense. Indeed, he might not be able to control an ambitious mage, especially a female mage who had gained both power and authority. Everyone knew of Aegwynn's affair; it had, in fact, shown everyone how unreliable female mages were. Terenas stroked his chin. "You mean for me to cultivate this little fellow who does not even have a name?"

"It seems we need not cultivate him at all. According to our information, he is living quite well." Barnil handed Terenas a long procurement list. "Uther is a highly renowned priest. During Winter Veil, Dalaran's merchants bought this much food from my farm—seven hundred gold coins' worth. And they say Lister is even wealthier than Uther. I do not think someone who can produce seven hundred gold in cash would need our support all that badly."

"Especially since he is also Master Antonidas's disciple and has close ties with the elves." Solian spread his hands. "At present, there does not seem to be any particularly good solution."

Terenas raised his goblet. His lips moved slightly, and the wine was drawn into his mouth and flowed down his throat. He gritted his teeth, as if savoring the lingering fragrance—or expressing some emotion. "Then what should we do? The Barov Family of Alterac has already begun to act, while we have done nothing."

"That little fellow defeated Joel, that arrogant man." Barnil said, "We can transfer Joel's knighthood to him."

Solian glanced at Barnil. He had deep ties with Newmant, but clearly this proposal was highly useful. At the very least, there was no better way to break the deadlock in the current situation. Terenas raised his goblet. "An excellent suggestion. Jorom, come, drink a toast to your father as well."

Yet Jorom did not move. The three men looked at the tense, stunned Jorom. His father rose anxiously to his feet. "What is wrong, child?"

"The eye on the paper seemed to move." Jorom stared in terror at the letter beneath Terenas's hand. Terenas picked up the paper and carefully inspected Modera's magical mark. Certain shadows flowed through the darkness, but the king knew nothing of it. This was not a realm for mortals. "That is normal. It is the mark Modera uses to contact me. There is no problem. Sir Barnil, let your child drink a little wine and relax. This is his first time attending such a meeting. He is probably too nervous."

"I remember attending family meetings when I was young. My father's scolding kept me awake for days." Solian laughed. "Relax, child. In the future, you will take your father's place and serve the king like this."

Did Modera truly know nothing? Lister emerged from her laboratory, having just completed the transformation of arcane energy into water elemental power. Ebony Chill had strongly advised that Lister first learn frost spells. He truly could not outstubborn the fellow. Frost Armor and Ice Arrow were representative frost spells, no more difficult than Spiral Missile. The former transformed frost magic into sharp ice spikes and sprayed them at the enemy; the latter created a layer of hard frost shield. With adjustments, it could possess defenses against both physical and magical attacks. In only a few days, Lister, with his ample theoretical foundation and combat experience, had perfectly cast both spells. As for modifying Frost Armor, that would still take some time.

A layer of hard frost now lined his underclothes. It could fend off attacks at any moment and train his control over magic. Compared with Lister's calm composure, Modera's face was as cold as frost, her pallid complexion terrifyingly grim.

"Did someone offend you?" Lister looked at her calmly. "It must have been rather serious."

"Nothing." Modera replied. "Are you going home now?"

"I cannot exactly stay overnight at a girl's house."