The World Tree's Gift

"I spotted it! It just ran past the Sun Temple."

"The target is still heading west. It's about to leave my field of view."

"The target has appeared at the next intersection. No change in direction. It's still running west."

The Rangers' constant reports looked just like a scene from a movie where surveillance cameras were used to track a criminal.

Their target, however, was merely a white Hawkstrider.

Eagle Eye allowed them to observe a small patch of distant terrain from a high vantage point.

The effect was much like installing a surveillance camera above the target.

As long as the Rangers coordinated well, they could track it for hundreds of kilometers.

The white Hawkstrider had no idea it was being tracked.

It traveled all the way to the vicinity of the Moon Temple, ran into a clearing in the forest as though it knew the route by heart, then dozed beneath the great tree atop a small hill.

At the sight of that tall, thick ancient tree, the Rangers keenly noticed something different.

"That looks like a World Tree!"

"Yes, its branches are very thick, and it seems full of vitality. That fits the characteristics of a World Tree."

"A World Tree? Let me take a look too!"

"What's all the fuss about? There's a World Tree near the Moon Temple."

The Rangers launched into a lively discussion about the white Hawkstrider and the World Tree.

World Trees were relatively rare in Quel'Thalas.

But everyone knew about the World Tree, and most had seen one in person.

The bows in the Rangers' hands were made from branches shed by World Trees.

Those branches were strong and flexible, making them ideal for bow limbs.

The High Elves' interactions with World Trees, however, went no further than that.

The World Trees did not mind the High Elves picking up their fallen branches.

Nor did the High Elves feel grateful to them for it.

The World Trees, which had lived for countless millennia, simply stood there in silence, seemingly doing nothing to their surroundings.

Of course, that was only because the High Elves' powers of observation were inadequate.

The flowers, grasses, and trees in the forest grew so well only because the World Trees regulated them.

Even the animals in the forest were influenced by the World Trees' life energy.

At that moment, the white Hawkstrider dozing beneath the tree was being strengthened by the World Tree.

However, the World Tree was investing only a small amount of life energy in the white Hawkstrider.

The white Hawkstrider's enhancement was a slow process.

Precisely because it was strengthened only a little each time, Herad had failed to notice that it was getting faster.

Others who had not seen the white Hawkstrider for a while naturally noticed the change with ease.

The Rangers, now thoroughly engrossed spectators, finally reached a conclusion.

"Could this be the legendary nature's gift?"

"I heard that the Night Elf sentinels over in Kalimdor usually have combat pets that have received nature's gift."

"But nature's gift only has a chance of being granted when a Druid requests it from a World Tree.

"This Hawkstrider doesn't have a Druid helping it, so how could it receive nature's gift?"

After discussing it for quite a while, the Rangers finally decided that the white Hawkstrider was simply too charming.

The World Tree just liked it, plain and simple.

A beast that received nature's gift would inevitably evolve into a monster.

The only uncertainty was how long it would take.

The Rangers were so envious that they wished they could put their own pets in its place.

But a World Tree's will could not easily be changed by anyone else.

This white Hawkstrider undoubtedly had a bright future ahead of it!

After congratulating Herad, everyone resumed their earlier training.

The Rangers' training covered a wide range of skills.

Shooting, close combat, simple supporting spells, as well as setting traps and taming beasts.

Most Rangers developed their skills evenly.

Some unconventional Rangers, however, showed a clear bias toward certain skills.

Such lopsided development was undoubtedly an indulgence.

But the High Elves, as a long-lived race, had plenty of time to indulge themselves.

The recent appearance of firearms, however, had led every Ranger to focus their energy on shooting.

Even Lor'themar, who loved close combat, was fascinated by these powerful weapons.

His signature greatsword had already been tossed into his Magic Pouch.

In its place was a large-caliber sniper rifle.

As Lor'themar practiced at the shooting range, he occasionally glanced at Herad, who was chatting with Alleria.

This young man who had grown up in the Windrunner family had brought them so many marvelous things!

What treasure had he brought this time?

Could it be one of those incredibly powerful autocannons?

As a senior officer in the Ranger forces, Lor'themar was well informed.

His guess was more or less on the mark.

Yet it still fell short by just a teensy, enormous bit.

When Herad brought out an Arcane War Machine, Lor'themar instantly lost all interest in shooting practice.

To his eyes, the Arcane War Machine's boxy shape looked rather strange.

But the autocannon barrel protruding from the top of the Arcane War Machine made all that strangeness melt away.

Anyone who had seen an autocannon reap the battlefield, shredding Forest Trolls and Amani War Bears, could never overlook such a weapon.

Lor'themar abandoned the large-caliber sniper rifle he had acquired just two days earlier, strode over to the Arcane War Machine, examined it curiously from top to bottom, then reached out to touch it.

Herad was explaining the war machine to Alleria.

Lor'themar's sudden appearance beside him, poking around everywhere, startled him so badly that he nearly jumped.

"Don't touch the chassis! It has automatic defenses!"

Before he could finish speaking, Lor'themar triggered the Arcane War Machine's automatic defenses.

A dazzling flash of electricity erupted, and he collapsed, his entire body convulsing.

Fortunately, the automatic defenses were set to punishment mode, not lethal mode.

After receiving a round of electrotherapy, Lor'themar took quite a while to regain the ability to move.

He scrambled up from the ground and stared at the Arcane War Machine with lingering fear.

"That nearly shocked me numb! This thing is terrifying!"

Herad shot him a scornful glare.

"That's what you get for being so grabby! Never touch something you've never seen before."

After giving Lor'themar a dressing-down, Herad opened the hatch at the rear of the vehicle and climbed inside to demonstrate how to operate the Arcane War Machine.

"The left armrest controls movement, and the right armrest controls target locking and firing.

"Just press the magic device with the appropriate marking, and you can operate the vehicle."

After demonstrating the controls, he locked the Arcane War Machine's firing button and gave the driver's seat to Alleria.

"Don't worry, big sis. You'll pick it up quickly."

He made it sound simple, but getting started was rather difficult for someone who had never used it before.

When Alleria operated the Arcane War Machine, it lurched and bumped along rather than moving as smoothly as it had during Herad's demonstration.

"Steady. Keep your finger pressed all the way down. Yes, hold it just like that."

With Herad's guidance, Alleria's handling became considerably smoother.

The Arcane War Machine no longer lurched quite so much as it moved around the grounds.

Still, the Arcane War Machine could not travel in a straight line, weaving drunkenly around the grounds like a drunk on the street.

After two hours of practice, Alleria could finally operate the Arcane War Machine with some competence.

While guiding the Arcane War Machine steadily forward, she could also turn its turret back and forth to track targets.

She was very pleased with these three newly built Arcane War Machines.

The fact that Herad had supplied the Arcane War Machines to her first made her feel especially pleased, as though she had firmly gained the upper hand over her younger sister.

In excellent spirits, Alleria immediately submitted a request to purchase the Arcane War Machines to the Silvermoon City Council.

Her report was simple, direct, and clear.

The Arcane War Machines work very well. Hurry up and pay the bill for me.

However, the councilors had not even started reviewing the combat data submitted earlier.

This funding request would probably take at least three months to be approved.

The Silvermoon City Council's abysmal efficiency was certainly no exaggeration!