While the Night Elves in Ashenvale were preoccupied with the orcs, Tichondrius quietly passed through Ashenvale and slipped into Felwood Forest.
This was the path to the Elves' sacred Mount Hyjal, and even more so, a place where many Elves lived.
Felwood Forest is home to many Spirits of Nature that have survived since ancient times, and due to their adherence to the Druidic path of nature, the Elves hold these ancient beings in great reverence.
These ancient beings possess extremely powerful strength within the forest; even the orcs, who were once Invincible on human battlefields, found it difficult to withstand their power.
With such a barrier, Felwood Forest and Ashenvale are almost an impenetrable bulwark before Mount Hyjal, which is why the Elves disregarded the orcs and were only displeased by their destruction of the forest.
Indeed, with the orcs' current strength, even if they were to launch a full-scale attack on Ashenvale, it is highly likely that they would not even cross the first river in front of Warsong Lumber Camp before being firmly pinned down by the Night Elves at the Ashenvale border.
The Elves' dominance over all of Kalimdor is not an exaggeration; although they are more arrogant than their distant relatives in the Eastern Kingdoms, at this time, they truly have reason to be proud.
Their unique strength is the fundamental reason why the Night Elves have survived from ancient times until now; if the orcs could bring human and High Elf civilizations to the brink of collapse, the Night Elves could easily annihilate the Eastern Kingdoms.
But the Elves are not Invincible; if they truly came into conflict with other races, that would be the scene the Dreadlords most wanted to see.
Tichondrius incited the orcs' hatred for the Elves precisely because he wanted the orcs, who had once again drunk demon blood, to deliver an unexpected heavy blow to the Night Elves.
He had already sensed that an old friend from the War of the Ancients was constantly monitoring the movements in this forest, and the last ambush of the orcs by the Elves also bore his shadow.
"A demigod, intervening in mortal disputes... I can't wait to see your flustered state when you deal with the demon-blooded orcs."
The shadow of the Dreadlords soared through the skies of Ashenvale and Felwood, about to bring disaster and fear to this verdant land.
A week later, Arthas led the First Legion's fleet to Theramore, and Jaina joyfully welcomed the Prince of Lordaeron at the dock.
"Arthas! Why are you in Kalimdor again? Didn't you say you were staying in the Eastern Kingdoms?" Jaina gently embraced her beloved.
"The threat of the Dreadlords to the Eastern Kingdoms has been completely eliminated; the remaining demons have turned their attention here," Arthas sighed. "One of the Dreadlords has been away from the Eastern Kingdoms for a long time, and I'm afraid his goal is about to be achieved."
After hearing Arthas's words, a worried expression appeared on Jaina's face, "That fellow who calls himself 'the Prophet' said the same thing..."
The Prophet? Is it that guy Medivh? He really did come to Kalimdor to warn the races here, but I'm afraid no one will believe Medivh's "madness" right now.
"Although I don't quite approve of his methods, everything he is doing now is indeed for the sake of Azeroth," Arthas did not mention the former Guardian's secret, "I brought a contingent of troops; they will all be stationed in Theramore from now on."
"Hmm, in that case, Theramore will have more than enough manpower to deal with any danger."
Jaina observed the scale of the fleet and knew that the personnel Arthas brought could instantly fill Theramore's empty barracks, temporarily making up for Theramore's deficiencies.
Despite the protection of Dustwallow Marsh, Jaina still felt immense pressure while in charge of a city with depleted forces, far from human kingdoms.
Fortunately, during this time, no mistakes were made; Theramore's unique geographical location meant they were almost immune to any external invasions—except for Murlocs.
This also meant that the main training opponents for Theramore's soldiers were the Murlocs that covered the coastline; these amphibious creatures were so numerous that they could even affect the normal navigation of ships.
One Murloc is useless, two Murlocs are still useless, but when you pull a group of Murlocs, even a hero who has saved Azeroth will be severely beaten.
Aside from feeling pressure, Jaina's biggest feeling was boredom; she could only stay in her Mage Tower every day, then read the reports sent by her subordinates.
Ninety-five percent of them were about the Murloc clearing operations on the coastline.
Now, Arthas's arrival finally filled the emptiness in her heart, but at the same time, the news the Prince brought also made her worried.
"For now, these forces are enough, but we must continue to expand the Alliance's power," Arthas surveyed the port. "Has Uncle Daelin already left?"
"Yes, my father stayed in Theramore for a few days, then led the fleet north. He will establish two to three fortresses there as the Alliance's front-line positions."
The Barrens to the north and Durotar, where the orcs are currently located, are both vast plains; for the Alliance to gain a foothold, they must have a few sufficiently sturdy camps.
Currently, among those who can spare forces to support the war in Kalimdor and are closely related to Lordaeron, besides Ironforge and Stormwind, it would be Kul Tiras.
Admiral Daelin was also very willing to establish several lines of defense for his daughter and son-in-law's future city, so he took the soldiers of Kul Tiras to the Barrens and Durotar to establish camps.
However, Arthas and Daelin had discussed that the establishment of front-line positions in Durotar must constantly monitor the movements of the orcs; the current orcs are still a group of startled birds, and any action by the Alliance might cause unexpected situations.
Furthermore, there was no real need to build a camp at the orcs' doorstep to monitor them; Arthas knew what the orcs could and could not do at the moment.
As Arthas and Jaina were discussing the recent events in Kalimdor, the gates of Theramore suddenly opened, and a squad of soldiers in Stormwind military uniforms hurried into the city.
The sergeant leading them was about to head to the Mage Tower in the city center when he saw Jaina walking with Arthas. He quickly walked up to the two Alliance high-ranking officials, took off his helmet, and said, "Ms. Jaina, Prince Arthas, we have brought urgent military intelligence from the Barrens."
"What happened? Did Varian's troops encounter something?" Jaina was startled, and a bad feeling instantly flooded her mind.
The sergeant shook his head and said, "Your Majesty and our main forces are all fine; it was our scout unit sent to Ashenvale Forest that encountered a strange situation."
"It's a bit difficult to explain... would the two of you mind coming to the convoy behind to take a look?"