Warm sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, scattering into golden specks. Like fine wine strained through layer upon layer of foliage, it spilled down onto the blade in faint, round halos that gently swayed. Rex moved carefully, slowly wiping Ashbringer in his hands.
This had become Rex's daily routine: practice with his sword in the morning, clean it, then head to the barracks and return in the evening to rest. That was his day.
Ever since returning to Lordaeron City from the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, Rex had lived this simple life, traveling between just two places. The auction in Silvermoon City had offered plenty of fine goods, most of them magical items that prompted Rhonin to bid repeatedly, but Rex had shown little interest. Still, although he had bought very little, he had sold quite a lot.
Rex had accumulated many consumable treasures and put a few of them up for auction to earn some gold coins. The wealth of the High Elves was unrivaled in the Eastern Kingdoms.
Gently stroking Ashbringer and feeling the cold touch of its surface, Jiang Yingxiong felt neither sorrow nor joy. At last, he slowly put the sword away.
Since the purification of the Sunwell, the color of the Golden Crystal on Ashbringer had faded by roughly half. Previously, if Rex unleashed his full power, he could make the Golden Crystal slowly rotate. Now, that was difficult. He had tested it repeatedly, and even two successes in ten attempts was a good result. In its current state, Ashbringer's power had weakened considerably.
That was the bad news. The good news was that Rex could now control Ashbringer perfectly. Although the sword had already been bound to him by blood, it had been too powerful for him to wield. Once it weakened, that connection made