The rangers had traveled slowly the entire way as they escorted the captured Trolls. The elven civilians along the route were also extremely curious about the Trolls they had never seen before, and their interference slowed the march even further.
As an important trophy of war, Halazzi was naturally kept under especially close guard. Not only had a separate prison wagon been prepared for him, but the rangers escorting him remained highly vigilant at all times.
When the entire force finally reached the gates of Silvermoon City, Lianda, representing the king, and two members of the Silvermoon Council were already waiting there.
One elderly elf with long golden hair nodded in satisfaction as he asked a young elf beside him, "Xiao'en, the one in the lead prison wagon is Halazzi, correct?"
The young male elf who had been making faces at Charlemagne was none other than Sean Morningstrider. Hearing the councilor's question, he hurriedly restored his respectful expression.
"Yes, Uncle. He is one of the current leaders of the Amani Trolls-Halazzi, a follower of the Lynx Spirit."
"Hmph, hmph!"
The elderly councilor gave two disdainful chuckles. "This fellow was still a little brat at the end of the Troll Wars. Otherwise, had he run into me, he probably wouldn't have lived to see today!"
Xiao'en felt rather helpless at that. Old people loved reminiscing about the past, and they loved boasting even more when they talked about their youth.
But although that was what he thought, he still had to offer a few words of agreement.
"You're right, Uncle. You were mighty indeed."
Smack!
The elderly elf swatted his nephew's head in exasperation. "You can't even put any professionalism into your flattery. So insincere."
Naturally, Charlemagne noticed their interaction from a distance. Barring any surprises, this elderly elf in an ornate pale-red mage robe, with the emblem of the Silvermoon Council pinned to his collar, was the Chenxingzhe family's councilor-Aoxisi Chenxingzhe.
Xiao'en had not accompanied Lireesa when she set out, instead teleporting directly back to Silvermoon City. Because he had earned merit this time, his uncle had specifically brought him along to attend the welcoming ceremony.
This was a tremendous opportunity to make a name for himself. Xiao'en had never expected his trip to polish his credentials to yield such great rewards. Having only recently returned home, he had joyfully put on his most expensive mage robe and followed his uncle to the gates to welcome them.
Meanwhile, Lireesa had already begun speaking with the councilor at the front. The way his mentor addressed him immediately startled the previously inattentive Charlemagne.
"We meet again, Councilor Drathir. I didn't expect you to come out and welcome us personally."
With a rare, formal smile, Lireesa shook the hand of the elf who had come to greet her.
Drathir?! Could he be Dar'Khan?
Upon hearing that name, Charlemagne immediately fixed his gaze on the gently smiling councilor.
"Your achievements this time were considerable. Naturally, the council must show that it takes them seriously. Look, hasn't His Majesty the Sun King also sent an important member of the royal family's younger generation?"
The old hand Dar'Khan responded to Lireesa's greeting with a smile, not forgetting to draw Lianda, who stood beside him, into the conversation.
The High Elves' Silvermoon Council was rather unusual. Unlike human councils, it had no speaker to lead it, so all its councilors were nominally equal in standing.
Of course... that was only in name. Wherever there were people, there would be conflict, and the Silvermoon Council was no exception.
Although they stood united when it came to opposing the king, the council itself was far from a monolithic bloc. Its six councilors were roughly divided into three factions.
One faction of three, led by Dar'Khan Drathir, consisted of typical radicals. They were eager to wrest control of the Sunwell from the king.
Among the remaining two factions, the elderly Aoxisi Chenxingzhe kept in step with the other councilors in principle, but he had rarely ventured out in recent years and had gradually begun considering retirement.
During their efforts to oppose the king, he often merely cheered from the sidelines without doing much, while the outwardly mild-mannered Dar'Khan led the charge most of the time.
The final faction consisted of two members led by Heman Yanshang. They were more moderate than Dar'Khan's faction, merely wanting the royal family to share authority over the Sunwell with the council rather than seize it outright.
With its greater numbers, Dar'Khan's radical faction had gradually gained dominance within the council. Dar'Khan increasingly carried the authority of a "speaker," though no such position actually existed in the Silvermoon Council.
The surnames of these councilors were also quite interesting. Almost all the upper-class High Elf families had surnames associated with words such as dawn, fire, flame, and sun.
Surnames containing these words usually belonged to the earliest group of high-ranking Highborne nobles, such as Fireblade, Firewing, Dawnblade, Blazeblade, and even the royal Sunstriders. This was also connected to Quel'Thalas's worship of sunlight.
There was another rumor about this. It was said that, apart from the Sunstrider family, these families had originally borne different names. As former Night Elves, they too had once been accustomed to basking in Elune's radiance.
After their exile, however, they had developed an extreme aversion to their former customs and beliefs, completely abandoning their nocturnal way of life and worship of the moon in favor of worshiping sunlight.
Not only had they changed their family names to ones associated with the sun, but the new well formed from the waters of the Well of Eternity had also been named the Sunwell, seemingly in an attempt to sever all ties with the Night Elves.
As it turned out, they had succeeded. After ten thousand years of change, their descendants could no longer even remember their origins.
While his mentor exchanged pleasantries with Dar'Khan and Lianda, Charlemagne continued quietly watching the long-silver-haired Dar'Khan with a solemn expression.
Just as the rumors said, this elf, who held considerable influence even within the Silvermoon Council, appeared very approachable, at least on the surface.
But upon closer observation, Charlemagne could tell that despite the gentle smile on Dar'Khan's face, there was no trace of a smile deep in his eyes. There was even a faint arrogance and chill.
Hmph! You put on quite an act... Traitor, you'd better pray I don't catch you slipping!
Although Dar'Khan currently showed no intention of betraying them, according to his mentor Lireesa's explanation, his obsession with the Sunwell had existed for a long time. The Lich King's promise of eternal life was merely the final straw that broke the camel's back.
Sylvanas, who had been watching Charlemagne from beside him, was thoroughly puzzled by the way he stared at Dar'Khan with his teeth clenched.
Could Charlemagne have some grudge against Councilor Drathir? That shouldn't be possible. Hasn't he never been to Silvermoon City before?
When Aoxisi also came forward to exchange greetings and reminisce with Lireesa, Xiao'en finally found an opportunity to greet Charlemagne.
"Hey! Charlemagne, Sylvanas, you're finally here."
Xiao'en's greeting finally interrupted Charlemagne's thoughts. After taking a deep breath, he smiled and bumped fists with Xiao'en, but in his mind, he had already raised Dar'Khan's threat level to the highest possible.
There's still time. I'll build up my strength for now. One day, I'll get rid of this traitor obsessed with the Sunwell!
(End of chapter)