"Let us raise our glasses and celebrate all night!"
After defeating the Centaur and finding a new home, the Tauren didn't even plan to rebuild their homes first, but instead held a grand feast to celebrate their victory.
They were free from the enemy's threat and had crossed the mountains of the Barrens to find a new habitat, which undoubtedly meant a new life for the Tauren who had long endured the Centaur's plundering and bullying.
The Alliance soldiers were invited to this carnival, the Tauren brought out fine wine and roasted meat, and the Dwarves also brought ale and delicacies transported from the distant Eastern Kingdoms across the ocean.
The original barriers and prejudices were largely dispelled amidst the singing and dancing of a feast where there was no distinction of rank or status, which was also something both leaders were happy to see.
The night sky of Mulgore was filled with passionate bonfires and joyful voices, and the stars in the sky seemed to envy the revelry and excitement on the grassland at this moment.
On a high ground, the leaders of both sides were watching the bonfire party with smiles on their faces.
"A thoroughly satisfying victory, Cairne, you are one of the strongest warriors I have ever seen," Varian's lips curved into a slight smile; after a battle, he recognized the bravery of the Tauren even more.
The King of Stormwind raised a simple wooden goblet and toasted Cairne.
Cairne's bovine face was also full of joy, his people had finally escaped a life of constant enemy surveillance and could start anew in a new home, "Varian, you are also one of the best commanders I have ever seen.
The Alliance's aid was truly timely, and the Shu'halo will never forget your kindness."
"We are already allies, aren't we?" Varian nodded lightly.
"Indeed, from now on the Tauren clan will firmly stand with the Alliance," Cairne also nodded in response, "If there is anything we can help with, please do not hesitate."
"Haha, I like straightforward guys like you, Cairne!" Muradin gulped down a mug of ale, raising his hand to wipe off the foam clinging to his beard.
Cairne looked at the drinking Dwarf, hesitated for a moment, but still asked a question that had bothered him for a long time.
"I am very sorry, but my faith in the earth mother compels me to ask presumptuously—I feel that Dwarves have a deep connection with nature and the earth mother, but why are there no… people close to the elements among you?"
On the battlefield, Cairne had noticed that the most numerous among the Dwarves were various types of artillerymen and gunmen, as well as warriors and holy practitioners who used the Holy Light.
However, these Dwarves, who had a close connection with the earth and even had the aura of earth elements flowing in their blood, surprisingly had no Shaman who could connect with natural elements?
This was something Cairne could not understand, and at the same time, he was afraid that these Dwarves might have done something to anger the elements; if that were truly the case, further cooperation with the Alliance might encounter obstacles.
After all, the Tauren's custom of worshipping nature has a long history, and it is basically impossible to make the clan change its beliefs.
Muradin heard Cairne's question, and his arm, which was pouring wine, paused for a moment.
But the Dwarf continued to fill the goblet, he stared at the foam rising on the ale, picked it up and took a sip, then slowly said, "Ah, indeed, we once had similar traditions… This is a distant story now, and most of the Dwarves of Ironforge are very wary of this power."
"Wary? Why?" Cairne found a seat and was willing to listen to the Dwarf's story.
Even Varian cast his gaze, he had never known that there had once been professions among the Dwarves capable of communicating with elemental power.
"As you can see, we Dwarves have a magical connection with the earth, and the stronger the Dwarf, the more flexibly they can master this power that flows in our blood."
As he spoke, Muradin raised his arm, and an astonishing change began from his fingers; from fingertips to shoulder, Muradin's right arm seemed to be covered with a layer of hard rock shell.
"Truly an amazing ability." Cairne reached out and traced above Muradin's arm; he could feel the Dwarf's arm had almost transformed into true rock.
Muradin casually restored his petrified arm to its original state, "Almost all Dwarves can do this, but some Dwarves can push this power to its extreme."
"In the records of Stormwind Royal Library, King Magni can communicate with the power of the earth, transforming himself into a giant with rock skin; at this time, King Magni is almost unbeatable as long as he stands on the earth." Varian recalled the ancient texts he had read in the library, but he had never truly witnessed the Dwarf's stone form.
Muradin grinned, "That's right, that's also why Dwarves have the title 'Mountain King.' If Magni unleashes his power without reservation, he can even contend with dragons."
"We believe this power comes from the bloodline of our creators, and the deeper we delve into it, the more we can feel the essence of these 'Father Gods'…"
"So there was also a considerable number of spellcasters among us, not like now, where most are warriors and followers of the Holy Light." Muradin stared at his half-drunk ale, shrugging and smiling as he said, "But after the Three Hammers War, everything changed."
"The Three Hammers War ended with the defeat of the Dark Iron, but when that mad Dark Iron sorcerer king was at his wit's end, he did something terrible."
Muradin drained the remaining wine in his cup, his facial muscles twitching, "A terrifying demon appeared in our world, turning the formerly beautiful Redridge Mountains into a scorched wasteland."
"Burned down the entire mountain range? earth mother above… What kind of terrifying power is this?" Cairne's brows furrowed tightly, his bovine face full of surprise and shock.
He had originally thought his allies' living environment was better than the Tauren's, but now it seemed they too faced severe trials.
"That's right, no one knows exactly what that terrifying entity was, because the Dark Iron Dwarves' city was also reduced to ashes in that disaster, and an active volcano rose there, which we call Blackrock Mountain."
Varian's expression became melancholic, he also took a sip of wine, and with a hint of recollection, said, "Blackrock Mountain… is certainly not a name with good memories for me."
"Cheer up, lad, Sir Lothar wouldn't want you to grieve excessively over his death," Muradin stood on the bench, patted Varian's back, and then smiled at Cairne, "This lad's relatives died on the battlefield there, so he's a bit sentimental."
"I can understand your feelings… I also had relatives who died on the battlefield," Cairne's eyes were full of sympathy, he knew it was not easy to break free from the time when loved ones died.
Varian slapped Muradin's greasy hand away, saying irritably, "I'm not that fragile, okay? Uncle Lothar passed away over ten years ago, and I'm long past the age of crying for him; I'm just simply remembering now, is it a problem to be a little sad?"
"Alright, alright, I didn't tell anyone that you, lad, used to hide alone in the castle of Lordaeron and secretly cry…"
"Muradin!" Varian glared at Muradin, he really didn't know what other maddening things this big-mouthed guy could say.
Muradin also realized he seemed to have let something slip, he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, "Hehe, sorry, let's continue with what we were talking about: After this disaster, the Dwarves began to fear magic, and many spellcasters even voluntarily left Ironforge."
"So this is why Dwarves have the ability to communicate with elements but lack a Shaman tradition?" Cairne nodded, Muradin's answer relieved him somewhat; if this was the case, the Tauren would understand their difficulties.
"That's right, after all, no one wants to repeat the mistakes of Sorceror King Thaurissan and turn our homeland into a barren land under volcanic ash." Muradin said, spreading his hands; the process and outcome of the Three Hammers War were no secret, he was just talking about things most people's knowledge didn't cover.
"It seems that burned mountain range is still an ominous place?"
"Yes, our fallen kin still reside there to this day… as well as the invaders of our world." Muradin gritted his teeth when he mentioned the latter; he could not forget his comrades and friends who died in the bloody war.
Now those hateful orcs still occupy the Burning Steppes, and have even built fortresses and camps there; Muradin wished the Black Iron Dwarves and Blackrock Orcs there would fight each other, but they always seemed to be at peace.
"Those—invaders, what are they like?" Cairne prepared to learn more about the Alliance, which would be very helpful for future cooperation.
"Hmph, we call them orcs, they are truly beasts," Muradin had no good feelings towards orcs, and his views were very radical, "They are monsters who only know slaughter, plunder, and have not the slightest compassion or morality!"
"They sound like quite formidable enemies."
"They can no longer be described as formidable," Varian shook his head, "They directly or indirectly destroyed three Human Kingdoms, two of which are almost beyond rebuilding; even now, they are still full of surviving orcs and Ogres."
Just as the three were discussing the orcs, a scout who was still on duty ran frantically to the Alliance leader, hastily saying, "Your Majesty, our scouts have found traces of orcs in the wasteland to the northeast!"
"What?!" Varian suddenly stood up, not even noticing the goblet spilling onto the ground, "How did these greenskins get to Kalimdor!?"
"Orcs have come to our continent?" Cairne's face showed an uneasy expression, not because he felt threatened, but because he always felt that Kalimdor would face a period of troubles recently.
"This is not a good sign," Muradin also opened his eyes wide in surprise, "I didn't know these damned orcs were so good at navigation either."
"Don't forget the ships they used during the Second War; although the technology was crude, the orcs could still break through the winds and waves of the ocean with the manpower of those Peons."
Varian reminded him, but no matter how the orcs came to Kalimdor, it was no longer crucial; the most critical question now was what they came here for.
"I think we'd best go check the northeast; if the orcs' arrival here brings new disaster to Kalimdor… we'd best nip them in the bud!" Muradin was the first to jump up and state his intention.
"Wait, we don't have enough manpower right now; if all the orcs arrive in Kalimdor, we can't confront them head-on." Varian remembered his main mission: they had to stabilize the Alliance's situation in Kalimdor and should not actively initiate war with the orcs.
That would not only fail to defeat the orcs but would also entrap their own troops.
"Then what should we do? Just watch them expand?" Muradin did not agree with Varian's view, "If you ask me, it's better to strike first."
Cairne looked at the two arguing, walked over to the scout, and asked in his still-unfamiliar Common Tongue, "Young warrior, can you tell me what those orcs are doing?"
The scout nodded, seemingly developing a high degree of trust in Cairne's gentleness, and he also understood that this was a friend of the Alliance, so sharing information about the orcs was not a problem.
"Those orcs are building a magnificent city on the barren desert to the northeast, and we also saw Trolls active with them, and there are also traces of Orc activity in the forest to the west, presumably to provide timber for their city."
"The forest to the west?" Cairne's expression became strange, he gestured to Varian and Muradin, who were still arguing, "Gentlemen, I think we can temporarily stop worrying about this matter."
"Why?" Varian and Muradin asked in unison.
"Do you still remember that Night Elf who 'visited' our camp after the battle?" Cairne brought up a not-so-pleasant incident.
"Of course, I remember that guy's powerful strength and strange magic clearly." Varian naturally wouldn't forget something that had just happened not long ago.
"I originally thought these Elves were just creatures of legend… but now it seems they truly exist, and the forest area to the north called Ashenvale is precisely the territory of the Night Elves..."