Jiang Jie remained unmoved upon hearing the Sun King's words.
Return to the Alliance?
That's easy for you to say.
Quel'Thalas used to be a nation whose overall strength far surpassed that of other countries, so it was naturally qualified to join the Alliance and stand on equal footing with other nations.
But now, Quel'Thalas has been breached by the Scourge, Silvermoon City is half lost, the Sunwell is no longer safe, and most of the High Elf mages have been wiped out. The ranger forces, which were previously the least valued, have now become the strongest force in Quel'Thalas...
With its overall strength less than a third of what it used to be, how can it possibly be considered on par with other countries?
Join the Alliance? Ha!
In Jiang Jie's memory, after Quel'Thalas was breached, the High Elf, in order to fight against the Scourge, had no choice but to submit to "Marshal Garithos," whom they had previously looked down upon, and suffered countless humiliations.
Later, in an attempt to overcome his addiction to magic, he sought refuge with Illidan and Kil'jaeden, but remained impoverished throughout his life.
As for Quel'Thalas...
Ultimately, the remaining High Elf were renamed " Blood Elf," and their leaders became the previously insignificant Lor'themar, Halduron, and Rommath. Forced to join the Horde, their overall strength was negligible compared to the Horde —not even close to that of the Orcs, let alone the Forsaken. They were constantly threatened, such as by Sylvanas, who had been resurrected as Undead...
The High Elf have fallen.
"No nation can stand alone against the Scourge. Nicholas, those are your words, and I've always remembered them," said the Sun King. "Although Quel'Thalas suffered a crushing defeat, its combined strength is still considerable. Joining the Alliance Alliance benefit it. You are the successor to Emperor Thoradin and Queen Calia's most trusted confidant. If you are willing to help, Queen Calia will certainly be willing to push for Quel'Thalas's return, and the other nations will not object."
"So you finally acknowledge my identity? Congratulations." Jiang Jie smiled faintly. "Then, what price are you willing to pay for the Alliance's support?"
Jiang Jie was confident he could persuade Calia. Lordaeron's current status and strength gave it the ability to influence the Alliance, but the Alliance wasn't a place one could simply enter and leave at will. If they left and wanted to return, they would have to bleed and bleed to give other countries an explanation.
This concerns the dignity and vital interests of other countries, and even the entire Alliance; it cannot be taken lightly.
World leaders need both face and substance!
" The Sunstrider's Treasury will be open to Lordaeron and the Alliance!" The Sun King, a remarkable king, had clearly given this matter considerable thought and possessed astonishing ambition, " Quel'Thalas is willing to offer half of its wealth to Dominate Queen Calia!"
Quel'Thalas's wealth accumulated over nearly ten thousand years, half of which...
What an enormous fortune this is!
Jiang Jie had no doubt that such a fortune was enough to buy the entire Dalaran!
That's absolutely incredible courage!
Sun King was a shrewd man. He knew that unless he received the support of the Alliance, Quel'Thalas would be isolated and vulnerable. In the battle against the Scourge, countless lives would be lost, and perhaps before long, the High Elf kingdom would cease to exist.
It's worth it to exchange half of your wealth for the survival of your kingdom!
Many understand this, but few would make this decision. If it were King Aiden Perenolde of Kingdom of Alterac back then, he might have haggled, initially offering only a tenth of his wealth, and then negotiating...
The Sun King did not.
This High Elf king, who has lived for over three thousand years, is truly remarkable for his ability to bend and stretch, and to give up in order to gain.
Anyone would have agreed to such a fortune, but Jiang Jie shook his head.
"You're unwilling?" The Sun King frowned, puzzled. He believed that even if Queen Calia were present, she would agree to the price he was willing to pay, and the same would be true for Antonidas or Daelin Proudmoore!
"Half of the wealth is enough to persuade Queen Calia, to persuade the entire Alliance." Jiang Jie looked into the Sun King's eyes, the Eviscerate seawater making his face equally cold. "Then..."
"What price are you prepared to pay to convince me?"
There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and Jiang Jie isn't getting one either.
He had no interest in dwelling on the Sun King's previous attitude towards him, because he knew very well that in this world, only absolute status, strength, and power were the strong backing for freedom and dignity. When one's status, strength, and power were inferior to the other's, one had to endure the rudeness or even disregard from the other party.
But that doesn't mean he won't seek personal gain.
He saved the Sun King and will make an indelible contribution to the Sun King and even the whole of Quel'Thalas, so it is only right that he asks for compensation.
Moreover, the initiative is now in his hands.
The wise and profound Sun King was certainly aware of this.
Clearly, he had considered this beforehand.
So when Jiang Jie made his request, he didn't hesitate at all. Only a resolute look, the kind only a dying man would have, appeared on his face. "When the High Elf reforge Flamestrike, they will also reforge Strom'kar for you. Two hundred years ago, I enchanted this sword; two hundred years later, my son will enchant it again. There's no doubt that Kael'thas is superior to me in this regard."
Kael'thas was certainly stronger than the Sun King; Jiang Jie never doubted that.
Strom'kar was a weapon forged by humans 200 years ago. Although it absorbed a massive amount of Shadow energy and was tempered by the Blood of Zakajz, it was still essentially a human weapon. In terms of forging craftsmanship, it was far inferior to the Flamestrike was meticulously crafted by the High Elf.
If it could undergo a process with the High Elf, be reforged, have its flaws removed and its essence preserved, and then have some rare and precious materials added, along with Kael'thas's Legendary enchantments, it would certainly be stronger than it is now.
The reward given by the Sun King was already quite substantial, Jiang Jie was very satisfied.
However, he underestimated the Sun King.
" Frostmourne will devour my soul, but I do not wish to become its prisoner!" The Sun King looked at Jiang Jie, his face even more resolute. " Strom'kar possesses immense shadow power, and now it uses it to kill me, to shatter my soul! I would rather become nourishment for Strom'kar, strengthening its spirit, than become a prisoner of Frostmourne!"
The Sun King's soul could not hold on for long, and Jiang Jie ultimately killed him with his own hands, shattering his soul with Shadow energy.
The Sun King's partial soul was countless times more powerful than the complete soul of an ordinary person. As High-tier Legendary powerhouse who had ruled the Sunstrider Dynasty for over three thousand years, his soul was naturally extremely powerful. This part of his soul became nourishment for Strom'kar, endowing him with greater spirituality and giving him ample room for growth.
Originally, Flamestrike would have been a better choice.
But Flamestrike is broken, unable to withstand the power of Frostmourne, unable to reclaim or even destroy the Sun King's soul, so Strom'kar is the only option.
This is yet another reward from the Sun King to Jiang Jie:
Not only did he enhance Strom'kar's spirituality, but he also infused Strom'kar with the last of his fire energy, granting Strom'kar the dual ability to control both shadow and fire.
Most importantly, because it contains the remnant soul and residual energy of the Sun King, Kael'thas will be willing to reforge this divine sword for Jiang Jie. The High Elf's forging and enchanting techniques will make this sword even more powerful.
Jiang Jie took the Sun King's body, put it in his ring, and then landed on the west side of Isle of Quel'Danas.
Arthas and his Scourge have destroyed walls and towers from the north and are advancing towards the Sunwell Platform, but the Undead have not yet ravaged other areas.
Most importantly, there is an entrance on the Sunwell Plateau to the west.
The Sunwell Platform is sealed by dense Arcane energy and complex magical runes, making it difficult to enter without overwhelming power. With Jiang Jie's strength, it's impossible for him to force his way in, and even the main entrance is out of the question.
However, the Flamestrike was in his hands.
This Sunstrider sword is itself a symbol of all the Sun King. Before his death, the Sun King left a magical mark on Jiang Jie Jiang Jie, allowing him to gain the recognition of the Flamestrike within a day. As the wielder of the divine sword, he could travel freely throughout the entire Sunwell.
A small portion of the High Elf on the entire Isle of Quel'Danas gathered at the Sunwell Platform, joining Kael'thas and others to guard the Sunwell and fight against the Scourge.
Most of them gathered at Sun's Reach Harbor in the north, where the weaker High Elf planned to escape via the ships reserved there.
Jiang Jie traveled smoothly without hindrance. Relying on his memories from the game, he roughly figured out the structure of the Sunwell Platform and headed towards its deepest part.
Then...
He got lost.
To avoid the occasional High Elf mage he encountered, he had to be extremely cautious, constantly keeping the game pod scanning function active. Although the Sunwell had recognized him because of the Flamestrike, the High Elf might not, and might attack him immediately, believing he had killed the Sun King and stolen their artifact.
Jiang Jie did this to minimize trouble.
It took Jiang Jie a long time to finally find a path.
This road is very strange. It seems to have been specially left by the High Elf. There are no mages to guard it, and even Eye of Arcane are rarely seen. Moreover, it is strangely still and fixed in direction.
However, Jiang Jie soon realized that wasn't the case.
Because somewhere, he saw blood!
A single bloodstain isn't unusual, after all, Dar'Khan carried out a massacre here. But if you walk along and find bloodstains every so often, along with traces of blood and drops of blood left behind, that's unusual!
Jiang Jie even saw bloody footprints, and the game pod detected faint death energy.
This made him realize that many mages had probably been killed silently, then resurrected as Undead, and were now moving forward, heading to who-knows-where!
" Arthas... or Kel'Thuzad, has already made his move! Is Dar'Khan still alive? Didn't the Sun King kill him?" Jiang Jie frowned.
He knew it wasn't that simple.
The depths of the Sunwell may hold unimaginable dangers, and he cannot proceed any further.
So, Jiang Jie arrived Eye of Arcane, took out Flamestrike, and activated it!
The next moment, he was locked on!