82) A brilliant golden sun hung in the blue heavens. A white cloud drifted through the clear sky like a lone sail on an azure sea, like a piece of spotless velvet edged in gold.
Sunlight flowed as brilliantly as notes rippling through water, soaking through sorrows of differing, alluring shades. The sky was as clear as a sheet of blue paper, and a few wisps of white cloud floated slowly on the wind, as though the sunlight had melted them.
In the eastern outskirts of Gilneas City, ranks of fully armed Knights of the Round Table had sealed off the entire area, and all unauthorized people had been driven away. Because transforming the Black Crystal carried unpredictable dangers, Rex had deliberately chosen the sparsely populated eastern outskirts, some distance from Gilneas City.
Looking at the hazy outline of Gilneas City in the distance, he knew that with so much ground between them, along with the protection of a magic barrier, there was no way the city could be affected.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at a crude platform that had been hastily erected. Built entirely of wood, it was nothing remarkable. Its only purpose was to hold an exquisite box-the very box containing the Black Crystal.
Rex walked over to Kael'thas and asked, "Kael, how is the magic barrier coming along?"
Kael'thas's eyes were focused. Although he usually seemed somewhat arrogant and difficult to approach, he was reliable when it truly mattered. Wherever he was, once he agreed to do something, he carried it out meticulously. That very trait had caused him to suffer several heavy losses, leaving him vulnerable to deception and leading to the great tragedy that awaited him.
"Give me another hour, and I can increase the magic barrier's strength by ten percent," Kael'thas said,