The captain of the guard almost screamed, but he hesitated. Garrod frowned at where his sister had stood, and then continued toward Darnassus and Sarah Hill.

In another forest near Darnassus, there were other people gathered. They were more elegantly dressed than the other Night Elves, their robes were flashy and colorful, and their faces were full of superiority.

Despite being apparently part of the Night Elves, they are the Upper Elves, the noblest caste of the Ancient Night Elves. However, due to their continued use of arcane magic, they were banished by their own compatriots after the War of the Ancients. They were originally more numerous, but some died in the service of their arrogant evil queen, Azara, and others became reptilian sea monsters known as Naga.

Refugees from Eresaras - a more apt and better known place today as the Hammer of Doom - these Night Elf mages and the survivors who followed them were still ostracized by the majority of Darnassus. Although the upper elves have until now assumed an absolutely independent posture, they actually find themselves in need of help. But that doesn't mean they will restrain their arrogance or stop studying the arcane, no matter what the cost.

There were 20 people at the rally, the most powerful of the 20. Valdin Skyseeker is the leader of the twenty, and he has an even greater ambition in mind: to become the successor of the Upper Elven Speaker of the Upper Elves, Master Mordant Eternal Night. Now, Valdin leads twenty people to cast spells together, which is a test of their strength. Swirls of energy converge in the circle in which the casters stand. The faces of the men and women of this group all shone brightly, not only because of the light of the magic energy, but also because of the deep joy in their hearts.

With a wave of his hand, Walding condensed a powerful and compact ball of energy. With another wave of his hand, four curly lines of energy shot out in all directions.

Now that we're all ready, he said to the others through the connection of the spell creation zào.

The upper elves swiped spells together in the air. The energy line became stronger and stronger, more energy spurted out, and the sphere pulsated rapidly.

A terrible gust of wind swept by, causing the upper elves to scream. The circle of people was scattered, but Valdin still maintained the connection of the spells. They've worked so far, and he doesn't want to fail.

Then there was a roar of thunder, and when Varding looked up, there was not half a dark cloud in the sky. He looked at the violently swaying treetops...... Even if the wind is not so strong. In fact, it was they that made those deafening roars.

"Hold on!" Valding shouted at a few of his men. What happened in the forest was obviously not natural, which made the upper elves uneasy, and the spell was in danger of failing. He took the lead in channeling spells more intently and asked others to continue their efforts.

A loud click drowned out the previous roar. A nearby giant tree bent down, its branches dancing like the countless tentacles of a giant sea monster reaching out to the upper elves below.

More clicks rang out from around the assembly hall. Nearby giant trees turned their branches towards the casters.

The connection between the spells grew weaker, and Walding could no longer keep it intact. The converging energy dimmed, the spell rays began to dissipate, and the orb let out a scream—then vanished with a mournful hiss.

The exhausted upper elves collapsed to the ground. Walding still stood there, though it was a lot of effort in private. He gritted his teeth and searched the woods for the perpetrators of this disaster.

"I've made it clear about your practice of arcane techniques!" A voice rumbled from all directions at the same time. "This completely violates the consensus reached between me and the ** division. ”

A mage gestured to Walding's left. The branches and shrubs there moved out of the way, revealing a lone figure with only a staff in his hand.

"Great Druid......" Waldin did not bow to Malfurion, but nodded respectfully. "I have repeatedly asked for some minor revisions to our agreement, but I have not received a proper response. Our work requires flexibility; If we don't practice it all the time, we won't be able to improve our strength—"

Malfurion strode towards Valdin, then raised his staff slightly. Valding wisely kept his mouth shut. "Mordant and I are still considering your proposal--I have told you more than once--and the reason for the lack of a reply has already been stated! As a master disciple of the ** master, you should understand this. You High Elves have chosen to stay in Eresaras to defend and hide your own city, ignoring the bloody war outside. ”

"We're defending our homeland!"

"When the Queen's counsellor, Harveys, led the crowd to open the portal to introduce the Burning Legion into our world, you stood idly by; When the Queen chose the devil over her own people, you were silent; Even if the arcane energy will attract the Burning Legion, you will continue to practice the spell. The painful memories of those apocalyptic moments will be indelible in the hearts of our people for thousands of years. Even allowing you to enter Darnassus was a difficult decision. ”

"We are here thanks to your consent, Grand Druid! We are here to return to the Night Elf society, but also to maintain our identity! Yet, as you yourself are anxious to point out, we are still ostracized! We must be able to practice magic openly; Otherwise, it will show that the promises made by you and the High Priestess are empty words!"

The Grand Druid stepped forward, not stopping until he was within reach of Walding. Malfurion's golden eyes shone sharply, and the upper elves couldn't help but restrain their arrogance.

"We are fully willing to accept the upper elves to reintegrate into our society, but this cannot happen overnight. Malfurion replied in a quiet but firm voice. "It takes time for things to get going...... Maybe for years. Patience, Valding, is a virtue that we all need to cultivate. If we do that, success is just around the corner. Mordant understands this, too. ”

Valding didn't seem convinced, but nodded. Malfurion said to the other upper elves gathered together. "Go back and tell the others what I said. And he said to them that the High Priestess Tyrande and I would keep their promises. ”

The other mages immediately began to leave. Even the upper elves revere the legendary Grand Druid's power.

Only Valdin was left behind. "I don't mean to offend, Grand Druid. I'm just trying to fulfill my quest. ”

"Mordant and I both know what you're after. With that, Malfurion turned and walked out into the woods, without glancing or saying another word at Valdin.

The mage watched the Great Druid go away, but his mood could not be calmed for a long time. A look of anger appeared on Walding's handsome face.

"We'll be patient...... For now," he muttered. "For now. ”

The upper elves still followed their companions with displeasured expressions. Anger caused him to ignore his surroundings. For them, a tree is a tree, and a forest is just a tree. The bush he was traversing was nothing more than an overgrown pile of weeds. Don't do it for the sake of the host, he can raze them right away to clear the way. The upper elves were born for the arcane; They are accustomed to giving nature to its knees, rather than being surrounded by nature as the builders of Darnassus did. Like many of the upper elves, Valding only respects power. The Great Druid and the High Priestess were so powerful that Valding bowed down to them. However, as for the rest of Darnassus......

The mage stumbled under his feet, as if he had kicked something. He knew how chaotic the forest was, so he kicked it away without looking at it, and continued his trudging through the bushes. He had only led the team because of its remoteness, and he had nothing but contempt for the place. And now, he was anxious to return to the more civilized camp set up by the upper elves.

So the hand that Valdin had kicked remained there in obscurity, along with its owner, the dead High Elf, who had not long ago been a member of Valdin's team. (To be continued.) )