After the matters of Stromgarde and the Syndicate came to an end, no one stood in the way of Alterac's restoration any longer.
Perhaps the remaining Syndicate remnants still wished to intervene, but the dual pursuit by Ravenholdt and the Secret Intelligence Agency had left them too preoccupied to care.
Almost as soon as they showed their faces, agents from the Secret Intelligence Agency and Ravenholdt would instantly appear among them. Every Syndicate escape was accompanied by the death or capture of several core members.
Such terrifying pressure made it impossible for the Syndicate to appear in the Eastern Kingdoms again; they didn't have many core members left to sacrifice.
Falcrest's defeat and the eradication of Syndicate forces in Stromgarde dealt them a heavy blow overnight, leaving them with no strength to contend with the two major powers.
They were now like rats in a sewer, terrified of being caught by the Secret Intelligence Agency and Ravenholdt.
The Syndicate is not a force with powerful individuals; they are rooted among humans, engaging in unspeakable acts, harboring criminals and villains.
Once they lose their foothold in the Human Kingdom, it won't be long before the peaceful populace naturally forgets about this organization. Without influence, they are nothing.
Individual strength is a crucial factor in establishing oneself on Azeroth.
Arthas's idea was also simple: although the foundation and heritage of humans made it difficult for them to achieve the glory of the High Elves, the secret Arthas possessed was likely more potent than Azshara's, who enjoyed the Well of Eternity.
This world ultimately belongs to every ordinary being, but it needs someone to watch over them. When needed, Arthas would strive to play such a role.
Remember in one second m.
Now, the ancient Guardians have fallen into mist or darkness, and the Titans have encountered the most deadly and terrifying foes in the universe, suffering the destruction of their forms.
However, the Guardian Dragons, who inherited the power of the Guardians, due to their own nature, could not achieve the same level of perfection as the Guardians created from steel and stone. In a way, these ancient powers were also their shackles and burdens.
It took about a week for the First Legion to mostly clear out the Ogres and bandits within the Alterac Kingdom. They accomplished what the Syndicate had failed to do in over a decade, at a speed Ilucia found unimaginable.
Although this was backed by the powerful nation of Lordaeron, Ilucia did indeed see the difference between Lordaeron and Alterac.
The reconstruction of Alterac City was entrusted to Edwin VanCleef, the master stonemason who had returned to the Eastern Kingdoms from Kalimdor. As the chief designer for the reconstruction of Stormwind and the construction of Theramore, Arthas greatly trusted this stonemason's abilities.
Edwin actually enjoyed his current work very much. Although he possessed strength not inferior to Shaw, the head of Stormwind's intelligence, having a complete family, he had grown tired of fighting and killing. Even with countless techniques to take lives from the shadows, he preferred to do honest work under the sun.
For Arthas, only gratitude and admiration remained in his heart. When the Stonemasons Guild was almost driven to desperation by the nobles of Stormwind, it was Arthas who helped them through the difficulties. Arthas also fully considered his opinion and did not directly make him join the Secret Intelligence Agency.
There was just one thing that gave him a headache: his beloved daughter seemed to have a very strong interest and talent in the way of shadows, and she also seemed to have inherited his management and business acumen.
This gave Edwin a headache for a while. He kept wondering why his daughter suddenly became interested in these things, until one day, after returning home from work, he encountered an "uninvited guest" in his house.
Although he didn't directly see the other party's face or appearance, with those distinctive long, pointed ears and a stature smaller than a normal human, Edwin immediately knew the other party's identity.
"A High Elf?" Arthas looked at Edwin, who was complaining to him, with a strange expression. "You said a High Elf appeared in your house, and she was chatting happily with your daughter?"
"Yes, my Prince," Edwin said with a bitter face. He was busy with work outside, and his wife, unable to sit still, opened a small tailor shop in Lordaeron, leaving Vanessa often playing alone at home.
But he didn't expect that a High Elf would sneak into his backyard and, while her parents were away, instill all sorts of strange ideas into Vanessa.
Edwin was still wondering where his daughter learned to disappear into the shadows. He was startled by Vanessa that day when he returned home.
He initially thought of hiring a trustworthy servant to look after Vanessa, but then he considered that ordinary people probably couldn't keep an eye on a stealth master, so Edwin gave up on that idea.
He couldn't stay by Vanessa's side every day, and his wife was just an ordinary person. Even if he brought Vanessa to his workplace, Edwin couldn't watch over her all the time, and the weather in Alterac was much worse than in Lordaeron, so he had been troubled by this for a long time.
So Edwin came to see Arthas, hoping to get some useful advice.
"This mysterious High Elf is definitely not an ordinary person. Her movements into the shadows are very natural; she seems to be able to pinpoint all your blind spots and psychological misjudgments, much stronger than those amateur stealth masters who only disappear in front of you!"
Edwin knew that the strength of such a stealth master would definitely not be inferior to his own, and the other party was a High Elf, possessing a much longer lifespan than humans, so she must have studied this path for much longer than he, a stonemason, had.
The answer was also obvious: that female High Elf was a stronger stealth master than himself, and Edwin didn't feel his daughter would be safe at all with such a person.
"Actually, I think you don't need to worry too much. The security in the district where your house is located is very good. Ordinary petty thieves will be caught by the peacekeepers and patrol teams before they even make a move," Arthas first appeased Edwin's emotions, lest he have any bad thoughts and decide to fight that female High Elf stealth master for his daughter.
To be honest, Arthas really didn't have high hopes for Edwin. Although Edwin's strength was considered good among humans, anything involving Elves was usually not easy to deal with.
What's more, based on the characteristics Edwin described, Arthas actually knew the female stealth master he saw.
Most High Elves are inherently arrogant; they look down on humans and other intelligent races. Trolls, their sworn enemies, are, needless to say, just a bunch of filthy beasts in the eyes of High Elves.
And a High Elf stealth master, appearing in the central district of Lordaeron, and willing to chat with a human little girl who plays alone—Arthas could indeed only think of one person who fit so many criteria.
Valeera Sanguinar.
Moreover, she was actually a member of the Secret Intelligence Agency, but she generally wouldn't be deployed for ordinary missions. Because of her powerful strength and exquisite and deadly skills, whenever Valeera was deployed, a troublesome target would always lose their life and... wallet.
Well, Arthas didn't know why this High Elf lady always liked to take the target's belongings, but he had to admit, she was one of the most outstanding members of the Secret Intelligence Agency.
It was just that her relationship with Ranger Lord Nathanos didn't seem to be that good. Arthas didn't know why; wasn't Nathanos supposed to be especially effective against High Elves? He could even take down a Ranger-General, so why couldn't you, a mere Valeera—
Getting off track, Arthas cleared his throat twice and said to Edwin, "From your description, I think I know who this High Elf is. When do you think she usually appears at your house with Vanessa?"
"I'm not sure about the exact time, because I only ran into her once. That time, Vanessa must have been pestering her, making her forget the time, which is why I discovered her." Edwin calculated internally, "Vanessa also refused to tell me how long she stayed, but based on my wife's time at the tailor shop, she should be coming to my house from morning until the afternoon."
"I understand." After listening to Edwin's analysis, Arthas immediately understood when Valeera, that fellow, secretly went to find Vanessa, based on the Secret Intelligence Agency's working hours.
He was also curious why Valeera was so interested in Vanessa, the little girl, and taught her many stealth techniques.
It was well known that Valeera, when not working at the Secret Intelligence Agency, was often "reported" by others as a salary thief, and coupled with her general lack of interest in anything, she naturally had few friends.
This might be related to Valeera's experiences when she was young. Arthas valued her abilities, and she never made mistakes in critical missions, which was why he gave her the position of "Special Consultant."
Anyway, when encountering a tricky problem, go find Valeera; she can usually help you resolve it. But afterwards, when checking the finances, you'll find that there's always a little less than expected.
"Edwin, in that case, I'll go with you to wait for this 'visitor.' Perhaps a face-to-face conversation can resolve the issue," Arthas said.
Edwin was stunned for a moment, then showed a conflicted expression, "Uh... Prince, but she's a master of stealth. Forget about us two grown men, even if there were two cats in the yard, she'd notice something was off."
"Then let her think there's no one in the yard." Arthas also intended to give this mischievous High Elf a good talking-to. After all, the enemies they would face in the future would become increasingly dangerous. If she slipped up with Edwin now, next time she might be directly captured alive by Dragons, demons, or Old Gods.
This was not something Arthas wanted to see. There were many people he valued within the Secret Intelligence Agency. If a small lesson could prevent them from making big mistakes, it was already worth Arthas making this trip himself.
...
Valeera skillfully moved through the tree shades and paths, as if strolling leisurely in her own garden, "wandering" through the private residential area.
However, this was not aimless wandering. In fact, she was observing the Vancleef residence from different angles and locations. Based on the dust on the front door and the accumulation of leaves, she could generally confirm that Edwin and his wife were not home.
She cast her gaze towards Vanessa, who was sitting on the swing in the courtyard, reading a book. A smile unconsciously formed on her lips—the sunlight spilled over the girl, and everything seemed so beautiful and pleasant, just like her in the past.
Of course, the vigilant Valeera could not relax her guard. Her pointed ears twitched rapidly, collecting all possible information. When she was certain that only Vanessa was present in the courtyard, she lightly tapped her toes, and her figure floated gracefully down in front of Vanessa.
"Good afternoon, little girl." Valeera greeted easily and casually. The atmosphere here made her more comfortable than the oppressive Secret Intelligence Agency.
Vanessa looked up suddenly upon hearing the familiar greeting. She stared at Valeera with some surprise, "Sister Valeera, why are you here?"
Valeera saw the surprised expression on Vanessa's face and found it a little strange, but couldn't help but smile, "Don't I usually come to be with you at this time?"
"But—" Vanessa innocently wrinkled her little face, about to speak, when Valeera's body instantly tensed up due to the sudden sound of a door opening.
Vanessa turned her head to look at the garden entrance. The door connecting to the room had opened. She put down her book, ran towards it, and excitedly shouted, "Dad!"
Valeera's figure had almost disappeared into the air at this point. She suddenly realized why she had found it strange: it was Vanessa's first reaction upon seeing her.
Except for their first meeting, whenever they met again, Vanessa had never shown surprise; most of the time, she appeared happy and delighted, because when her parents weren't home, someone was finally there to keep her company.
But today, when Vanessa saw her, she seemed distinctly surprised, as if she was wondering why Valeera had appeared.
—She was indeed wondering why Valeera had appeared, because usually when Valeera came to find her, no one was home. Vanessa found it magical how Sister Valeera always appeared exactly when no one was home, never making a mistake?
She had asked Valeera this question, and Valeera had brushed her off with, "You're still young, there are some things you can't understand yet."
But today, Vanessa was very sure that her father was home, and it seemed a very distinguished guest had also arrived!