"Everyone, please sit down!"

However, the crowd did not heed the Great Druid. Representatives of the coalition argued with each other about what had just happened and what it meant for the summit. The voice of a Night Elf was easily drowned out in the noise.

But Malfurion wasn't your average Night Elf, nor was she your average druid.

A deafening thunder shook the room, and a bright bolt of lightning fell in front of the Great Druid, causing everyone to turn their heads to look at him.

"You know how I feel about the situation," he told them. "I can assure you that it doesn't end there. ”

No one argued with him, although he saw a different opinion in the eyes of many. Malfurion looked at Jean Greymane and tried to comfort him, only to find that the werewolves had quietly departed, as swift and quiet as the wolves they symbolized.

The Grand Druid disguised his astonishment and continued, "I'll get to work on this matter. For now, I propose that you proceed to a vote to conclude today's summit agenda and invite all delegates and their attachés to visit the magnificent view of Darnassus. ”

"Sounds to my liking! I'm dead on politics," Kudran shouted. "If you mean that we can drink and eat meat sooner, count me in!"

The dwarf's rough answer eased the mood a little, and the vote to end the day's agenda was quickly passed, without anyone asking if there would be another meeting.

After the participants dispersed, Malfurion called for a sentry standing next to him and Tyrande's seats.

"Did the High Priestess tell you why she was leaving?"

"No, Grand Druid. ”

"Do you know where she went?"

"I think it's a temple. ”

Malfurion thought for a moment. "Please send her a message. Tell her I'll get over as soon as possible. But I have to talk to the King of Stormwind first. Tell her that Varian vetoed Gilneth to join. But I believe there is hope for redemption. Have you written it all?"

"Yes. Great Druid!"

"Then let's go!"

The sentry saluted sharply, then hurried away. Malfurion took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts.

The oracle insisted that Varian was the one the Alliance needed, and the Grand Druid thought to himself. Maybe he really is, but the oracle doesn't need to deal with his stubbornness! he has to be reasonable...... Otherwise, no matter what the oracle says, the alliance will have to find someone else!

He had a resolute look on his face. Varian Urion will listen.

He chased after the bitter king of Stormwind.

Malfurion may feel that he has betrayed him, for which Varian does not blame him. But the Night Elf thought to himself that he could make the King of Stormwind change his mind. King Gilneth had blood on his hands - human blood. Where was Lordaeron when he called for help during the Third War? Yes, Stormwind wasn't directly involved in the war, but it had always been a staunch supporter of the Alliance. What's more, Stormwind itself was in trouble at the time...... And Varian himself is at the center of the chaos. As a result of the assassination of his father, Varian had already inherited the throne at the age of eighteen and managed to rebuild the destroyed kingdom. When his wife is killed, Varian's political power is overshadowed by Lady Katrina Presto's evil witchcraft - her true identity is the black dragon Onexia. Eventually, when Varian sails to Theramore for a summit at the suggestion of Ms. Gianna, he is kidnapped and loses his memory.

No, Varian doesn't think it's his fault that Stormwind hasn't been able to do more for the Alliance. Jean has neither lost his memory nor his power, but he has refused to answer the call more than once. He built that odious wall to isolate Gilneth from the world; Then. In the Third World War, he refused to contribute even a symbolic army. Even for some of his own people, this constitutes a great insult. So these people spontaneously rose up to accept the challenge. The heroic and fearless Gilneth Corps was formed.

(Translation: The Gilneth Corps, which appears in Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, is part of Gianna's Human Expeditionary Force.) According to Lord of the Wolves, Lord Darius Crowley is behind the dispatch of this force to the aid of the Alliance. )

Varian wasn't happy with what he had said, but he didn't regret it either. What Jean Greymane has received is only the bitter fruit that he has sown for a long time.

"Tomorrow we will set sail home," he said to the others as they approached their lodgings.

"Father—"

"Don't talk about that now, Anduin. ”

The prince suddenly erupted in an unusually angry outburst, waving his hand to signal the rest of the group to stand back. The guards tasked with protecting the royal family's quarters were hesitant at first, but Anduin glared until they were gone. They were all familiar with this expression, although it had previously been usually seen on the face of the father rather than the son.

Varian didn't care what Anduin was doing. He walked into the room and picked up a bottle of Night Elf fruit wine that he had drunk before the summit.

"Where are you, Bloor?" Varian whispered. In the midst of this failed meeting, all he wanted was to be with the burly druid for a moment. Back then, the two fought side by side as gladiators. However, Bloor was sent on a mission by Malfurion, which was another reason why the king was angry with his hosts.

"Father's ......"

"I said, don't talk about it now, Anduin-"

"To say. Right now. ”

As a teenage boy, Anduin's voice was solemn and firm...... And full of disappointment. Varian put down the bottle and turned to face him.

"I'm doing what I have to do. You'll understand when you become king. ”

"I know you're still living in the past, Father. And you don't even want to get out of it. People change. A person is able to make amends for his faults. You have not given Jean Greymane any chance, and you have put his people in a miserable situation. ”

"The choice of their leader has brought bloodshed and terror. And they still foolishly follow him; Then suffer with him. ”

"That's not what you intended. You don't see—"

"Enough!" Varian burst out. This surprised him as much as his son. Anduin was deflated. Varian saw his son with great sorrow.

The prince turned and walked towards his room.

"Anduin—"

"Good night. Father. I pray you will understand one day. ”

Varian wasn't sure what his son meant, so he reached for the bottle again. Then, he changed his mind and walked out the door, where he saw the guards waiting nervously.

"Go inside, it's safe inside," he said jokingly. "I'll go outside for a while. ”

They have no objections. Varian had some sympathy for the guards, who were always pushed aside when they tried to do their duty. Wait until the team returns to Stormwind. He will reward them.

"Varian. ”

"Oh my God, can't you just give me peace for a while?" The king turned to face Malfurion. "I've said everything I need to say at the opening ceremony!

The unexpected outburst caused Malfurion to frown. "Let me venture to say that there is much more to be discussed. I know why you say that, and I know you have the right to say that. But this summit must continue, and I-"

"Your summit has failed. You should know. Defeated......" Varian said, looking away. His mind turned to distant memories instead of what happened tonight. The Grand Druid was not unaware of the change. He replied in a calm whisper. "Failure is not always the end of things. This allows us to learn to be more successful in other ways. I've had many failures with Cenarius, and let me cite my own brother as an example—and perhaps werewolves. I understand that you have been through a lot of hardships. And you're still blaming yourself for it. You think you should have saved Tiffany's life in the midst of the riot, or prevented Deathwing's own daughter, Onexia, from disguising herself as Lady Presto and usurping your kingdom!

"No way? Hiding from the side and talking about the aftermath, Great Druid, you yourself are not in it! My wife was stoned to death by a broken brick! Righteous Reginald Windthor was burned alive by that damned dragon with dragon breath! The minions of the Brotherhood of Defia kidnapped me, and while I was away, my son, my only son, was left alone and helpless without protection! I will not let this happen again!

"You're not—"

Varian snapped at the Night Elf's face and snapped in denunciation. "You have no right to say such a thing anyway! You don't understand what horrors I've seen and endured? While you're happily meditating and wandering in that damn emerald dream, two wars break out and end! Countless lives have fallen in these two wars! You've never seen the sacrifices Stormwind was forced to make, let alone the rest of Azeroth! And Greymane stood idly by! You druids are always preaching the harmonious coexistence of the world and living beings, and that's easy to say, because you don't have to struggle to survive like the rest of us!"

"I'm not as impersonal as you might think," the Grand Druid began. "I've also experienced wars and conflicts. When the Burning Legion invaded for the first time—"

"Do you have to get an example from 10,000 years ago?" Varian interrupted. "I can't say anything more recent...... Or is it more realistic?"

The two stood there in silence, staring at each other intently. Malfurion's expression was calm, but this made Varian even more annoyed.

The Night Elves thought about it for a moment and decided to start from a different angle. "You're mostly right; I don't deny that. I've made a lot of mistakes, but I've also learned a lot from them, and I've learned a lot about facing up to my shortcomings and trying to be better for the people around me. Whether as a druid, gladiator, or ruler, this is always needed. ”

It's no accident that the Night Elves mention Varian's past identity. He was indirectly reminding the King of Stormwind that while Malfurion wasn't involved in the recent troubles, so was Varian. Over the years, Stormwind has suffered from the king's disregard for the government. Since Tiffany's death. Varian was first under the influence of Onexia's magic for ten years. Then he was kidnapped by the Difia rebels. In both cases, Varian was out of his own hands. But the Night Elf now wishes to remind the King not to forget that he often wants to go back to the days when he only needed to solve his immediate problems.

"Doesn't Jean just want to do what's best for his people?" The Grand Druid continued. "Gilneth has already paid the price for his choices on more than one occasion. Jean regrets it now and is willing to do anything to make amends. Don't judge him the way you do yourself, Varian. In that case, he will never have a chance to atone for his sins. ”

Varian grunted. "If you want to change my mind with these words, you're wasting your time, Grand Druid! What you want to do in the future is your own choice. ”

"Varian ......"

"This hellish place full of forests is breathless! I've already said that!if you don't mind...... "The king squeezed past the Grand Druid and walked toward the outskirts of Darnassus. But he hadn't gone far when he heard footsteps behind him. The sound made him more and more restless.

"Won't you give up, Night Elf?" He turned and shouted. "The Great Great Druid—"

He was followed by Andul and therefore Malfurion.

Anduin...... I thought you were asleep—"

"No...... I'm up,......," said the prince, hesitantly. "I heard voices talking...... I heard it all. ”

"And the Great Druid? It doesn't matter what you hear. We're still leaving tomorrow—"

"I'm not going with you. ”

It sounds so unrealistic, so ridiculous. So much so that Varian was at first a little skeptical that he had actually heard his son say that. He said incredulously, "Go to sleep." We'll leave early tomorrow morning. ”

Anduin looked at him with the expression of the court courtiers that Varian used to dismiss the stupid heads. "You never listen to me. Now listen to me once, Father. I'm not going with you. ”

"You're so tired!

Anduin looked very annoyed. "I wanted to go as planned, but after hearing your quarrel with the Great Druid's Fury, I began to have another thought! And he's lived for 10,000 years!"

"Age is not a sign of wisdom," Varian retorted. He was a little annoyed to find that the Night Elf was more respected by his son than he was.

"I'm afraid I know that, Father. Anduin said, a look of regret on his face. "I'm not here to keep arguing with you. I'll go back to my room now and write a letter to explain everything to you. ”

"Son...... What-"

The prince raised a hand to stop him from continuing, a gesture very similar to that of his father. "I'm not a fighter. You and I know that. I've said it more than once. I'll never be the other you. My path is elsewhere......"

"You are the heir to the throne!" Varian insisted, doing everything he could to convince his only son of the absurdity of the idea.

"I'm not going to turn my back on Stormwind, but I need to leave to finish what I've started. Despite being only thirteen years old, Anduin sounded much more mature. "At first, it was Rohan, the high-ranking priest of Ironforge Castle. You know what he says about me. And you agree with him and think I have potential in this area. ”

"The Light will help when you rule Stormwind, but it's just a tool, like—"

"The Light is not a tool. The Light is always there. Anduin smiled softly. "Someday, I'll make you understand that, too. Father, I have never felt so energetic during my days of training at Ironforge! Think about it! As a priest of the Light, I can do more for our people—"

"As a king, you can do anything!" Wari throbbed with peace of mind. Of all the things that happened, it was the one he couldn't handle the most. His son would go home with him. The Light has clearly brought the wrong effect, and they will no longer discuss the issue. Varian will help Anduin overcome his weaknesses in combat skills and train him to be a proper ruler!

"Father?" The smile on Anduin's face receded. "You're not listening to me. All right. I've already tried it anyway. ”

The boy turned and walked away. Varian felt a thud in his heart. It was as if he saw his beloved Tiffany holding their baby in her arms. Tiffany was gone, and only the child remained...... Then the child began to fade away. (To be continued......)