Galen Trollbane did not linger in Booty Bay for long. Although Trade Prince Revilgaz treated him with the utmost importance and luxury, providing an extravagant lifestyle that Galen Trollbane had never experienced in either his past life or the present, it was still far from enough.
However, the Kingdom of Stromgarde and Stromgarde were both awaiting his return. As the sole Heroic Rank powerhouse of the Kingdom of Stromgarde, Galen Trollbane had led the Kingdom of Stromgarde to defeat the Scourge that had swept across the northern reaches of the Eastern Kingdoms.
On the journey back, Shax Aubrey became completely docile. After witnessing the deference Trade Prince Revilgaz showed Galen Trollbane and being directly released by the Blackwater Raiders, Shax Aubrey could no longer remain among the Blackwater Raiders, making a return to the Kingdom of Stromgarde his only choice.
Furthermore, while the outbound trip had consisted of only three warships-the Forerunner, Silverpine's Soul, and the Maiden-the return journey featured dozens of vessels. Every single one was a standard human naval warship brought along by the human captains of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, the Kingdom of Stromgarde, and the Kingdom of Kul Tiras who had recently defected to the Blackwater Raiders.
Having lost his vault, Trade Prince Revilgaz urgently needed to downsize the establishments of the Booty Bay guards and the Blackwater Raiders to reduce the costs of paying commissions and maintaining warships.
Those naval warships and sailors from various former Alliance nations who had recently joined the Blackwater Raiders became the optimal choice.
Thus, Trade Prince Revilgaz decisively bundled them up and sold them to Galen Trollbane. This spared Trade Prince Revilgaz from continuing to spend his own money while netting him a tidy sum, a prospect that pleased him greatly.
Moreover, among these human pirates, there was an unexpected gain: Caitlin, known among the Blackwater Raiders as The Blade.
What great value this female pirate, who was merely at the seventh rank, possessed would become clear in due time.
When Galen Trollbane had left the Arathi Highlands for Booty Bay, he had already instructed Marshal Oslett to expand the port at Faldir's Cove.
Since Faldir's Cove was the sole outlet to the sea for the Arathi Highlands, a vast number of ships carrying supplies would arrive and dock there. At the same time, the reconstructed fleet of the Kingdom of Stromgarde would also train and dock there once they recaptured the naval fortress of Tol Barad.
Marshal Oslett had not forgotten Galen Trollbane's orders and, during Galen Trollbane's absence, had worked to restore Faldir's Cove to its former appearance as much as possible.
Faldir's Cove was originally a port belonging to the Kingdom of Stromgarde, which had only begun to decline after the fleet of the Kingdom of Stromgarde was battered by the Old Horde during the Orcish War and the naval fortress of Tol Barad was lost.
The expanded port of Faldir's Cove was spacious enough to accommodate the dozens of former Alliance warships that Galen Trollbane had acquired from Trade Prince Revilgaz.
"Shax Aubrey, from this moment on, you are a sergeant in the naval fleet of the Kingdom of Stromgarde. All these warships are under your command, and I hope you will not disappoint me." Upon arriving at Faldir's Cove, Galen Trollbane handed these dozens of warships over to Shax Aubrey and appointed him as a naval sergeant.
Looking across the entire Kingdom of Stromgarde, Galen Trollbane could not think of anyone more suitable than Shax Aubrey.
A naval commander needed maritime experience, a trait currently difficult to find within the Kingdom of Stromgarde. Secondly, these dozens of warships would form the foundation for the reconstruction of the Stromgarde navy, and the commander had to be sufficiently loyal.
Although Shax Aubrey had once betrayed the Kingdom of Stromgarde to join the Blackwater Raiders, after his conversation with Trade Prince Revilgaz, Shax Aubrey had zero possibility of ever returning to them.
Besides, compared to the Blackwater Raiders, the navy of the Kingdom of Stromgarde offered a much greater future. After all, the Kingdom of Stromgarde was a true kingdom and had once possessed a powerful navy.
Therefore, Shax Aubrey was essentially guaranteed not to betray Galen Trollbane, making him the best candidate for the commander of the navy of the Kingdom of Stromgarde at present.
Yet, due to the limited size of the naval fleet, Galen Trollbane could only bestow upon Shax Aubrey the military rank of sergeant.
Shax Aubrey never expected that he would be appointed as a naval sergeant of the Kingdom of Stromgarde. Although the rank was not high, it made him the commander of all naval forces in the Kingdom of Stromgarde. Overwhelmed with emotion, he expressed his loyalty to Galen Trollbane, vowing that he would whip the fleet-composed of warships and sailors from various Alliance nations-into top shape.
Galen Trollbane did not take Sergeant Shax Aubrey's promise to heart. Forging a disciplined navy was no easy task, especially since Shax Aubrey was hardly a renowned figure.
Without lingering long at Faldir's Cove, Galen Trollbane directly mounted an Arathi Highlands warhorse and rode back to Stromgarde.
Stromgarde was in much better shape than it appeared in games, seeing as Stromgarde had not yet been overrun by the Syndicate in league with the Witherbark Trolls and the Stonesplinter Ogres.
Yet it remained thoroughly desolate, a result of the massive flight of Stromgarde's citizenry; to say nine out of ten houses stood empty would be no exaggeration.
Stromgarde Militia guards, clad in the standard red armor of the Kingdom of Stromgarde, stood on both sides of the gates of Stromgarde.
The moment they caught sight of Galen Trollbane, they instantly burst into excitement, raising their weapons and shouting, "His Royal Highness the Prince has returned!"
Galen Trollbane was now the hero and king in the hearts of the entire Stromgarde Militia and populace of Stromgarde. It was he who had led them to defeat the Scourge that swept across the north, saving the Kingdom of Stromgarde from being consumed by the Scourge and becoming another Kingdom of Lordaeron.
Along the way, the militia and citizens of Stromgarde lined both sides of the main street of Stromgarde, voluntarily welcoming the return of their prince.
"For Trollbane!"
"For Prince Galen!"
"For Stromgarde!"
"For Stromgarde!"
At some point, the once-glorious Kingdom of Stromgarde had begun to decay and rot, and the eyes of the once-proud citizens of Stromgarde had lost their luster.
Now, decades later, that pride had returned. The pride of the Kingdom of Stromgarde came back hand-in-hand with the defeat of the Scourge. In the eyes of every citizen and militia member burned a flame of pride, and once again they took pride in being people of Stromgarde, in being part of the Kingdom of Stromgarde.
The decay and decline of a kingdom are not terrifying, but sparking its resurgence once more is exceedingly difficult.
If all the citizens of Stromgarde and the people of Stromgarde had lost their pride, then no matter how hard Galen Trollbane tried, he would never be able to revive this kingdom.
Yet now, the pride of the Kingdom of Stromgarde had returned, and this ancient kingdom was once again glowing with vitality. Galen Trollbane believed that, alongside the proud citizenry of the Kingdom of Stromgarde, he would surely revitalize the Kingdom of Stromgarde.
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