Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury

Sylvanas's expression alone made it clear how much she liked this precious magical bow.

Since her mother had already told her that Alleria would inherit Thas'dorah in the future, a good weapon was very important to her.

His Majesty the Sun King had bestowed this treasured bow from the royal collection at just the right time. The Quel'Thalas Golden Bow would probably serve as her primary weapon for a considerable time to come.

However, Sylvanas would still need some time to learn to use the bow proficiently. After all, the golden bow was considerably larger than the bows rangers normally used.

After respectfully thanking Anasterian, Sylvanas turned and stepped back. As the second daughter passed Charlemagne, she quietly cast him a glance, her eyes shimmering.

Although Charlemagne was somewhat puzzled by the meaning behind Sylvanas's glance, it was now his turn to step forward and receive his reward, leaving him no chance to dwell on it for the moment.

From the platform, Anasterian looked with satisfaction at Charlemagne, who knelt on one knee. Indeed, it had been a long time since the High Elves had produced a young elf as exceptionally gifted as him after the Troll Wars.

"Charlemagne Theron, eldest son of the Theron family, whose members have served as adjutants to the Ranger-General for generations, you played a pivotal role in this war against the Trolls and even captured the Troll commander Halazzi alive in one stroke. In recognition of your achievements and in accordance with your own choice, I bestow upon you the artifact of the High Elves-Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury!"

An uproar erupted!

The moment the Sun King finished speaking, the crowd in the square burst into an uproar.

Thori'dal had been kept in the Sunwell for a thousand years since its previous owner's death. Now, it would finally have a new owner.

The members of the Silvermoon Council had known in advance, and those closer to Charlemagne, such as Xiao'en and Sylvanas, also knew of his choice. But this was the first the ordinary rangers had heard of it, and they all stared at their commanding officer Charlemagne in astonishment.

Had they not been in the Sun King's presence, these rangers, bursting with gossip, would surely have already started discussing it. The people around them had no such concerns and were already whispering to their friends and relatives beside them.

Although Anasterian was very pleased with the sensation the news had caused, the ceremony was not yet over. He cast an amplification spell on himself and put a stop to the elves' discussions.

"Quel'dorei, quiet, please."

Once quiet returned to the square, the Sun King nodded to Lianda beside him. Understanding his meaning, the princess took a long, ancient-looking case from an attendant at her side.

The case's decorative style did not quite match that of the High Elves. It was covered in purple relief patterns. Others might not have recognized them, but Charlemagne easily identified their origins.

This case was probably handed down from the Highborne era too.

These purple patterns were precisely the kind the Night Elves most favored. As the nobility of the Night Elves, the Highborne had once used such decorations extensively.

While Charlemagne stared at the case in a daze, Lianda approached him with a reverent expression, holding the long case in both hands.

"Ranger Charlemagne Theron, please open it. Thori'dal rests within."

Under Princess Lianda's encouraging gaze, Charlemagne nodded solemnly.

After undoing the two clasps on the left and right and opening the lid, Charlemagne finally saw the Thori'dal, the Stars' Fury he had awaited for so long.

At first glance, this artifact longbow bore some resemblance to the Quel'Thalas Golden Bow Sylvanas had just received, but it looked more ancient and substantial than the golden bow.

The bow was deep blue throughout. Unlike the golden bow's flame-shaped handguard, Thori'dal's handguard resembled a pair of outstretched wings. Together with the two raptor-head ornaments placed symmetrically at the top and bottom of the bow, it strongly evoked the style of the Night Elf era.

Having been nurtured in the Sunwell for so long, every important part of the bow gave off a faint blue glow. Even before picking it up, Charlemagne could feel the powerful energy flowing within.

Steadying himself, Charlemagne firmly reached out and grasped the bow's grip. The instant he held it, Thori'dal shone all over with brilliant light.

At that moment, Charlemagne felt a surge of pure arcane energy rush into his body and swiftly mingle with the focus energy within him. In a short time, he felt both the total amount of his focus and the speed of its circulation increase considerably.

Is... is this the boost an artifact gives?

Charlemagne was somewhat stunned. He had only just gripped the bow and had not even drawn it, yet he could already feel such powerful energy. He wondered just how powerful it would be in actual use.

Although he desperately wanted to draw Thori'dal's bowstring at once and test its feel, he could not act so presumptuously in the Sun King's presence. Barely suppressing his excitement, Charlemagne raised Thori'dal high.

"Oh!"

Seeing Thori'dal reappear in the world after lying dormant for a thousand years, the High Elves could not help cheering excitedly together.

Anasterian smiled and stroked his long beard. "Hehe, it seems Thori'dal has acknowledged its new master. Ranger Theron, you must be eager to try it out, aren't you?"

Without waiting for Charlemagne to respond, the Sun King waved his hand. The royal servants immediately struggled to carry a heavy solid-wood archery target over and set it on one side of the square.

Normally, no one ever used this kind of solid-wood target. First, the archer needed tremendous strength to drive an arrow into it. It also caused extremely severe wear to arrows.

No one would use this kind of wood as a target during practice unless they truly had more money than sense.

At this moment, however, Charlemagne understood why Anasterian had brought out the wooden target. Taking a deep breath, he slowly drew Thori'dal's bowstring under the expectant gazes of ten thousand people.

As he drew the bowstring farther and farther back, an arrow formed from pure arcane energy appeared between the bow and its string. This discovery sent the crowd below the platform cheering once again.

"Hah!"

Using the technique of Aimed Shot, Charlemagne powerfully loosed the Arcane Shot in his hand. Almost instantly, a thunk sounded from the target a hundred meters away.

The Spellbreakers standing closer could even clearly see the deep indentation left in the wooden target, yet there was no sign of an arrow on it.

Lianda cast an image spell, clearly magnifying the state of the wooden target above the square so that everyone could see it.

"This... where's the arrow?"

The people present looked at the wooden target displayed by the image spell, with only an indentation and no arrow, their expressions filled with surprise and doubt.

(End of chapter)