Alleria and Patrick stood atop the Mage Tower, quietly watching the soldiers revel below. After the great battle, they drank freely and enjoyed good food, while some elves, emboldened by drink and passion, went straight to making love.
Patrick had long understood the habits of the High Elves. Apart from indulging their desires, the common people were pessimistic, decadent, and utterly without ambition, much like certain countries in his previous life.
"What do you think of their lives?" Alleria asked Patrick.
"Confusion and dejection set the tone for the lives of ordinary people. Although some elves bear responsibilities as members of the army, they still cannot escape Silvermoon City's prevailing extravagance and debauchery."
"Although you're also an elf living in Silvermoon City, your way of life is completely different from theirs. Patrick Cabrolon, can you tell me why?"
"If you don't mind, call me Pat. Although I live in Silvermoon City, I don't like that sort of life." Patrick turned and found Alleria watching him, as though trying to spot some flaw.
"I sent a detailed account of this operation back to Silvermoon City. The rewards will be announced together with those for the previous raid." Alleria looked at Patrick with an expression that said, "Satisfied now?"
Patrick poured Alleria a cup of hot Bloodthistle Tea, used his mental power to bring chairs and pastries out of the room, and sat down to enjoy the tranquility of the East Sanctum.
"I really don't like life in Silvermoon City. I intended to make my way somewhere outside the city from the start. Life ought to be positive and forward-looking, shouldn't it?" Patrick said, lifting a cup of Bloodthistle Tea. He savored the fragrance of the flowers. The tea leaves were dark and lustrous, with an elegant shape; their intrinsic aroma was rich and pure, and the tea was pale red, warm and mellow like black tea.
Alleria sat down as well and took a small sip of Bloodthistle Tea. She said nothing, merely looking up at the sky and enjoying the tranquility and relaxation she had not felt in so long.
For once, Patrick did not train that evening, merely keeping the female elf company and chatting for a while.
Silvermoon City, the Silvermoon Council.
"Everyone, we have received the battle report. The operation at the East Sanctum was a great success. Not only did they thwart the trolls' plot in one stroke, they also struck directly into Zeb'Watha and wiped it out completely. With this, the Life Forest is entirely under our control," Senyor Sunwing said.
"That's news worth celebrating. Was it that lad from the Windrunner family again?" Bridges Dawnwind asked.
"Alleria Windrunner commanded this operation, with Hawkspear as her deputy. But judging by the battle report Alleria Windrunner sent back, the operation's success depended entirely on a young elven mage named Patrick Cabrolon," Senyor Sunwing said.
Senyor Sunwing looked at his colleagues and continued, "According to Alleria's report, he was the one who saw through the trolls' arrangements in the Life Forest. He then entered the forest with Alleria's troops to disrupt the trolls' battle plan. After returning to the East Sanctum to rest and regroup, they charged into the Life Forest again and wiped out the trolls' Zeb'Watha outright. Alleria praised him highly in her report. Not only does he possess outstanding talent as an arcane spellcaster, he also has a keen aptitude for battlefield command."
"He's the youngest son of that alchemist family, the Cabrolon Family," Master Ox Dawnblade said.
"The Cabrolon Family? Oh, sorry, I don't have much of an impression of them," Master Jienlini Dawnstar said.
"The report also mentioned that Patrick Cabrolon is already a sixth-ring spellcaster, with exceptional arcane talent," Senyor Sunwing added.
"The sixth ring already? The last time Thas'wether spoke to me about the youngster, he said he had reached the fifth ring. A very diligent youngster with an excellent grasp of the arcane, someone worth nurturing," Master Ox Dawnblade recalled.
"Do you know this Patrick Cabrolon, Master Oaks?" Master Greenville Morningwalker looked toward Master Ox Dawnblade, indicating that he should tell them about Patrick's background.
Master Ox Dawnblade said, "The Cabrolon family lives east of the Sunstrider Court in Silvermoon City. They're the city's foremost alchemist family. The royal family and our Royal Arcane Association both purchase their alchemical potions from the Cabrolon family. The military potions the Arcane Association prepares for the troops are also supplied by them."
Master Oaks paused before continuing, "The head of the Cabrolon family, Phil-Cabrolon, is a fifth-ring arcanist and a member of the Royal Arcane Association. He owns a five-story Mage Tower. His elder brother, Patterson-Cabrolon, is only a fourth-circle mage and works in the family's alchemy business. His spouse, the herbalist Nasalan Cabrolon, is a master of herbalism in Silvermoon City, but not a spellcaster."
"The young girl from the Windrunner family seems to think very highly of him. How do you intend to arrange the rewards for this campaign, colleagues?" Senyor Sunwing asked.
After hearing Master Ox Dawnblade's introduction, Master Bridges Dawnwind proposed, "Why don't we assign him to the Sun Temple? It has stood idle in recent years, with only a few fourth- and fifth-ring mages keeping it running at a basic level. We could award the Sun Temple directly to Patrick Cabrolon."
Seeing that none of the masters objected, Master Bridges Dawnwind continued, "Once he takes up residence in the Sun Temple, he can link up with the two crystal temples of An'telas and An'owyn to form a defensive line against troll incursions, allowing us to better monitor the movements of the Zul'Aman trolls. At the same time, we can observe the effects of ley line energy on the two crystal temples of An'telas and An'owyn."
Master Bridges Dawnwind, who oversaw legal affairs, chiefly wanted to post Patrick outside the city and reduce his influence on Silvermoon City. Moreover, having already reached the sixth ring, Patrick would definitely have the ability to strive for the rank of master in the future.
Master Bridges Dawnwind thought of first sending him to the Sun Temple, then extending an olive branch to Patrick and the entire Cabrolon family. Once Patrick became a vassal of the council-preferably a personal vassal of his own Dawnwind family-he could be transferred back to Silvermoon City and given focused training. Before long, the Dawnwind family would gain another seat on the Silvermoon Council.
If Patrick did not join them, he could simply develop slowly at the Sun Temple. After all, Silvermoon City alone held the greatest arcane resources in all of Quel'Thalas, and apart from King Anasterian, the Silvermoon Council was the highest authority in the city.
There would not be much potential for growth in a remote place like the Sun Temple. This was a "truth" all the masters agreed upon. Thus, for many years, the Sun Temple had had no tower master, only a few resident mages maintaining the Mage Tower's daily operations.
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