"You seem to have something on your mind, Your Excellency, Commander?"

A voice from behind interrupted Lothar's thoughts, and without turning around, he could hear whose voice it was: "No, I was just thinking that winning their support was just a preliminary victory." ”

"Victory, you call it victory?" Khadgar looked disgusted, of course, it wasn't aimed at Lothar, "Those cunning bastards are clearly kidnapping you in and making you suffer all the consequences of defeat, and they, they just need to sit in the back and eat all the fruits of your earnings." ”

"Ahem!" the old but unsteady wizard apparently wanted to continue, but the sudden cough interrupted him, and as he looked in the direction from which the voice had come from, a sudden embarrassment appeared on his face.

"Not all rulers are ignorant and selfish, young man. "Although it is true that the person who came has a grayer beard than Khadgar in appearance, it still seems a little wrong to call the latter 'young man'.

"Archbishop, I beg your pardon, I didn't mean to say ...... It's ......"

It was none other than Alonthos Fao, the Archbishop of the Holy Light of Humanity, and the sternness revealed under his flat smile made Khadgar panic for a moment.

Seeing that his companion was in an embarrassment, Lothar laughed heartlessly: "Okay, Khadgar, Fao doesn't blame you. ”

"That's right. Seeing his old friend's demeanor, Fao's beard curled slightly, "We can all see that Sir Lothar has fallen into the trap you say, but it's not a bad thing. ”

"I believe in Lothar, he is the most qualified of the many candidates for the Commander of the Alliance. Personally, I felt very relieved to hear the news. ”

"Thank you for your trust, Archbishop. The archbishop's praise made Lothar feel a little uncomfortable, but at the same time very proud.

Now, let's talk about other topics that will interest you. Fao smiled, motioned to the two of them, and led the way down the tower, "Sir Lothar, you should remember the incident we discussed many years ago. ”

"You mean?" Lothar flashed through her mind as she followed with a little excitement.

"I have heard from Benedictas about the destruction of the Northshire Monastery and the Cathedral of Light in the Stormwind Kingdom, and I deeply regret it. There was a gloom in Fao's eyes, but it quickly regained its light, "But the Light will not forsake us, it has given me revelation once more." ”

"A way for the monks and priests to survive this sudden outbreak of war and continue to show hope. ”

"Orcs are a great threat, even for a warrior as powerful as you. Their murderous nature, even in the face of unarmed priests and their kind congregation, made my heart ache and I began to think about how to give faith to the followers of the Light. ”

"Although I know that there will be many who will oppose my proposal, I believe that a devout faith will lead the followers of the Light on the right path, even if they face cruelty, even if they go to war. ”

The guards slowly pushed open the door, and the dazzling golden sunlight cast through the widening gap, forcing Lothar and Khadgar to reach out and hide their faces, as if ashamed of themselves in the light.

No, it wasn't just sunshine, it was a piece of bright armor, and a face that Daniel Zhang dared to be upright.

"From this day forward, there will be a new branch of the Church, and they, these young men standing before you, are the first candidates I have chosen, and I call them, Paladins. ”

Accustomed to the blinding light, several figures standing tall in Lothar and Khadgar's line of sight became clear, four young men in new steel armor with gold trim.

"Allow me to introduce you ......" Fao smiled like a proud father, and with his warm words, Lothar and Khadgar finally let go of their shock and looked at the paladins carefully.

Their eyes were fixed first on the eldest knight, whose thick brown beard and sideburns were slightly gray, and despite the heavy armor, it did not skew his spine even the slightest.

"First meeting, Commander Lothar, in Nizhny Uther. The archbishop told us about the coming battle, and about the threat to the Horde. We will fight for the people and justice at your command, we will crush our enemies and drive them out of our land, and the Holy Light will protect us!" met Lothar's gaze, the tall middle-aged man's face revealed determination, and his sea-blue eyes were full of piety and integrity.

"You were once a knight?" Lothar could sense that there was something similar to herself in this man.

"Yes, sir. Uther responded, his voice neither humble nor high, like an eternal mountain, "But long ago, when I was young, I became a follower of the Church, a follower of the Light. When I first met the archbishop, he was just Bishop Fao, and he was my spiritual and faithful guide. I am honored to be able to help him in his program. ”

Lothar nodded, he could feel the man's solid faith, and he didn't doubt that Uther would become a formidable force on the battlefield. However, the other party's deep-rooted belief in glory and faith discouraged him a little.

The war is brutal, especially since their enemies are savage orcs. Sometimes, the way to win is not so noble.

In the following time, Lothar and Khadgar had a brief conversation with these paladins, and they got to know each other in general.

The middle-aged man of Uther's side was called Saidan Dasohan, he was also a knight of noble birth, and he was even a little taller and sturdy than Uther, and his height of nearly two meters looked very oppressive, but his temperament made those who trusted him feel deeply reassured.

Next to him was a young man who had been a warrior not long ago, Tirio Ferdin. Unlike the previous two, who came from illustrious backgrounds, Tirio lacked an idealistic fantasy and seemed more relatable, which also made Lothar breathe a sigh of relief.

Of course, it's not that Tirio's faith isn't religious. Lothar could sense that the paladin was more flexible than his companions. This may be of greater help in the coming war.

The last one was a young man with long blond hair, and compared to the steadiness of the previous ones, this paladin named Tulayan was obviously much more immature. In conversations with Lothar, a palpable lack of confidence and the tension on his face that he is trying to suppress can always be seen.

"So, what do you think of them?" said Lothar as he pulled Khadgar and whispered.

The latter frowned: "I suspect that they are of limited use to us. ”

"Oh? Why?"

"Time is of the essence. The wizard scratched the sparse beard on his face and said in a relatively pertinent tone, "While some of them have a lot of combat experience, the enemies we are about to face are unlike anything we have ever faced before. ”

"We don't have a lot of time, not enough time to assess how far they can go in the war as paladins. ”

There has always been a great deal of disagreement between theology and science, and Lothar agrees with Khadgar's ideas and maintains a rational analysis: "I agree, but Fao trusts them very much, and maybe we should try it too." ”

"Maybe you're right. Khadgar pondered for a moment, "In that case, then we should find a way to increase their value in this war." ”

"Agreed. "Obviously, Lothar already has a plan.

For Lothar now, any help that can help in this war is indispensable, and he is naturally deeply grateful for Fao's enthusiasm.

In order to keep in touch with the Church, he placed Uther, the oldest and wisest paladin, by his side, to lead more paladins who joined the alliance in the most appropriate way.

Like Khadgar, he is the mage's liaison and Lothar's most objective advisor.

At the same time, he also introduced a reliable subordinate, Gavinrad, a noble warrior, to the soon-to-be-formed paladin force. In addition, he will also convey the experience and lessons of the previous war to the rookie paladins who are about to set foot on the battlefield.

Everything seemed to be exactly what Fao had expected, and the only thing that surprised him was that Lothar had also chosen one of the paladins, the lieutenant.

"Tulayan?" looked at the young man who looked flustered at the reading of his name, and Fao was a little puzzled, "Is it appropriate? ”

Of course, only Lothar and Khadgar could hear this. The two looked at each other and smiled, and Lothar gave his reasoning: "There are enough fighters in the coalition, and I need more than courage and confidence, an imaginative and creative assistant who can allow me to break away from my experience and see more options that I have not paid attention to." ”

"And, to be here at this age, I'm sure he must have something special about him. ”

Lothar deliberately amplified the volume of this sentence, and Tulayan, who was still a little nervous, suddenly came to his senses, gritted his teeth fiercely to put away his uneasiness, and in a trance, it seemed that even his back was straighter.

"You have more authority in this area than I do. Seeing that Tulayan was in good spirits, Fao didn't say anything more, "I will speed up the training of the paladins, and they will definitely surprise you when the war begins." ”

"I'm looking forward to it, Archbishop. ”