At this very moment, on the smallest island to the east of the World Tree, hundreds of mages formed three circles:
The inner circle consists of three Archmage: Ansirem, Modera, and Rhonin;
The middle circle consists of more than twenty high-ranking mages;
The outer circle consists of a larger number of mid-level mages.
"We may begin, masters," Rhonin Ning said with a hint of respect.
"Then let's begin. We agreed to Nicholas precisely to see the effects of the levitation spell, right? After all, Dalaran be taking to the skies in a year." Modera wore a faint smile, looking less like a mage and more like a cunning politician.
" The Karazhan library is certainly important, but the Dalaran launch is even more important. We can't use Dalaran testing, but thankfully Nicholas has provided us with that opportunity." Ansirem smiled as well.
Upon hearing the two congressmen's words, Rhonin was suddenly startled:
He hadn't even considered that. Was this the difference between Archmage and Kirin Tor senator?
Will there be any problems with today's launch?
The three Archmage began casting their spells, and then all the Kirin Tor mages began casting their spells.
Beams of magical light shot from the hands and staffs of the mages, then converged at the very center, forming a white ball of light. This ball of light was composed of countless magical runes, and contained the power of hundreds of Kirin Tor mages.
A force powerful enough to move a small island!
Then, the ball of light suddenly exploded, turning into a rotating pillar of light, the surface of which was covered with exquisite and mysterious magical runes.
Then, the pillar of light erupted, and the Arcane Crystal runes flew into the area around the Rune Stone. Finally, all the Arcane Crystal and Rune Stone were connected by Arcane rays, forming an even larger floating magic circle.
A dazzling white light enveloped the entire island.
The next moment, the earth began to tremble, and the island rose from the ground!
Amidst the astonished and bewildered expressions of the onlookers, the island, roughly the size of a third of Lordaeron, slowly rose from the lake's surface, causing the lake water to back up and pound against the gap left by the island's disappearance.
Once the island was completely out of the lake, a small whirlpool had formed in that area!
Amidst the magical light enveloping the entire island, it continued to rise into the air. Some of the island's inhabitants began to shout, some began to cry, some yelled excitedly, and some were completely stunned, unable to utter a single word.
Ten meters, one hundred meters, five hundred meters, one thousand meters...
The island rose higher and higher until it reached the clouds, yet it remained beneath the canopy of the World Tree.
Finally, the island circled the tree canopy and arrived above the sky, then slowly drifted towards the center of the World Tree, startling a tree full of griffins.
A map unfolded naturally, and the island began to drift toward the location marked on the map.
Directly below this location is where the island originally stood.
Water and mud splashed down, and the Moonkin cubs who were lying in the sun flapped their wings and fled in panic. Then, under Anveena's comforting guidance, they left the area.
The small island slowly descended, breaking countless tree branches.
The foundation of Sky City is made up of countless branches and leaves. Although it is more than 500 meters thick, there are actually countless gaps in the middle.
Under the pressure of the island, some tree branches began to break, creating gaps at the uneven bottom of the island.
It is precisely this structure, which is not so hard and solid, and is somewhat similar to that of a giant sponge, that ensures that the island will not fall apart due to different forces when it lands.
Finally, the island stopped moving and landed completely. The first foundation of Sky City was finally completed!
In the very center of the island, the three Archmage breathed a sigh of relief, their faces beaming with joy.
Even for them, this was the first time they had used such a levitation spell. Although they had discussed it countless times in order to turn Dalaran into a floating city, theory is not the same as opportunity.
We finally succeeded!
"Take a break,
"Then continue!" The mages began to sit on the ground, meditating and resting to recover their mana. Hundreds of Druid, including Broll Bearmantle and Velinde, appeared and stood around the island, using magic to revive the World Tree. The broken branches took root and sprouted again, burrowing into the moist soil and securing the island.
Months ago, Velinde and her Worgen had already settled on " Wolf Island " in the Fenris Isles and planted a large amount of Nightbane.
Under the influence of the Nightbane, the Emerald Dream power emanating from the World Tree, and especially the power of the Scythe of Elune's Scythe, the human Worgen gradually emerged from their inner shadows and were able to freely switch between human, Worgen, and Great Wolf forms.
The ancient Druid Worgen slowly reverted to their identity Druid of the Scythe.
Of course, they were not welcomed by the Cenarion Circle and the Night Elf race, and had no way to return to Mount Hyjal, Moonglade, or other places ruled by the Night Elf. Gradually, they came to regard this place as their home.
Now, under the leadership of Broll and Velinde, they are using ancient Druid magic to build their city, their home.
The first island taking off was undoubtedly the most awe-inspiring, but the subsequent launches of other islands were less so. After all, the first launch represented the unknown, the impossible, and was more nerve-wracking.
On the first day, all five islands were lifted into the air, and the surface of Lake Lordamere dropped by ten meters.
The next day, they began to divide the largest Fenris Isle, but only a portion was divided, and the lake level dropped another ten meters.
Then came the third day, the fourth day...
On the fifth day, Fenris Keep and the land below it finally rose into the air, and the entire surface of Lake Lordamere had dropped fifty meters!
"The power of magic..." a wealthy merchant from Lordaeron groaned softly, secretly making a decision:
I must make sure my son becomes a mage, a noble and powerful mage!
Although his family fortune was several thousand gold coins, enough to make his son an apprentice of a mid-level or even high-level mage, he probably wouldn't have much money left to buy his son spellbooks and spellcasting materials.
Maintaining a mage is very expensive!
Enrollment is just the beginning; tuition is always a small part. There are all sorts of fees, which can be terrifying!
"By the way, Stromgarde has opened a magic school, and the tuition is only 5 gold coins a year! Two Archmage will personally teach there! There's even a chance to study in the legendary Karazhan! I heard from Mage Karen that even the Archmage of Dalaran want the Karazhan library!"
Karen is only a mid-level mage, yet she has become a guest of honor of a certain Earl, and I heard that her annual remuneration is as high as three hundred gold coins!
If his son were to become a high-level mage someday, he would be able to make money much faster than he is now.
The wealthy businessman clenched his fists, finally making up his mind: he would take his son and his whole family to Stromgarde!
Because his son was only ten years old, he couldn't let him go to Stromgarde alone; he was worried about him.
Although he had spent twenty years in Lordaeron, finally establishing himself with three shops and thousands of gold coins in savings, everything would shrink if he left. But so what?
He's not even forty yet, he can still keep going.
If all else fails, we can always start over!
Twenty years ago, he arrived in Lordaeron with 10 silver coins in his pocket, and slowly worked his way up to where he is now, possessing assets worth thousands of gold coins.
Twenty years later, he now possesses assets worth several thousand gold coins, starting a hundred times better than he did back then.
What is there to be afraid of?
He has money, experience, and connections!
Moreover, I've heard that Grand Duke Nicholas is vigorously developing commerce, collecting only half the taxes of Lordaeron. This is a rare opportunity. Perhaps once he arrives at Stromgarde, with his abilities, he can expand his business even further, laying the most solid material foundation for his son's path to becoming a mage!
Thinking of this, the wealthy businessman turned and left.
Because he knew that there were definitely others who thought the same way as him.
Selling the shop now should yield a decent price, but if you wait a few more days and there are more sellers, it will likely be much cheaper.
The ascent of the Fenris Isles allowed hundreds of thousands of people to witness the miracle and power of magic firsthand. Countless hearts were planted with the seeds of magic, and countless others embarked on the path of becoming mages because of it.
Archmage Modera, being shrewd and calculating, had anticipated this, fully expecting that more powerful figures would send their children and large sums of gold to Dalaran.
In the battle a year ago, Dalaran's mages suffered a 50% loss and desperately needed fresh blood to replenish their ranks;
In order to rebuild Dalaran Dalaran turn it into a floating city, Dalaran's treasury was almost completely depleted, and years of accumulation were gone, urgently requiring funds to replenish it.
The prospect of Fenris Isles taking off and bringing apprentices and wealth to Dalaran was another important reason why Modera and Ansirem agreed to help Jiang Jie. However, just a month later, they discovered that although thousands of mage apprentices had indeed appeared on the Lordaeron, less than 30% of them had entered Dalaran.
More than half of them flooded into Stromgarde!
This situation was unexpected for them.
Modera couldn't help but wonder: Could all of this have been orchestrated by that young grand duke?
What she didn't know was that Jiang Jie only wanted to build a Sky City, nothing more.
Recommended reading: "Yuan Zun" by Tiancan Tudou, and "Da Dao Chao Tian" by Mao Ni.