The Eastern Kingdoms have recently been experiencing a series of major events; first, Lordaeron helped Alterac restore its kingdom, and then Stromgarde announced its rejoining of the Alliance.
Then, the Gnomes' city seemed to be invaded by unknown creatures, but with the support of Lordaeron and Ironforge, they seemed to have weathered the most difficult period.
However, all other matters were minor; what truly tugged at the Human Kingdom's nerves was Lordaeron's assistance in restoring Alterac's kingdom.
In less than a month, Lordaeron's First Legion cleared out almost all hostile forces within Alterac with terrifying efficiency.
The organization known as the Syndicate, which Alliance members knew to be a group of Alterac nobles, was driven by Lordaeron like stray dogs, completely lacking any sense of presence.
Moreover, this was achieved while Lordaeron was simultaneously supporting Gnomeregan and completing the reconquest of Alterac.
Everyone knew that without the Syndicate's obstruction, and with the prestige of the Barov Family, it was only a matter of time before Ilucia became the new Queen of Alterac.
This 'time' referred to when the Alterac royal city would be repaired; in reality, Barov was already the uncrowned king of Alterac.
Lordaeron also restored the Barov Family's reputation through various means, which was the most perplexing part for the Human Kingdoms; it should be known that if one were to speak of hatred for Lordaeron, if Barov claimed second place, even the Syndicate would not dare to claim first.
The Syndicate, at least, brought it upon themselves; as remnants of the old regime, their hatred for Lordaeron was less about Lordaeron itself and more about the Alliance not acknowledging their position.
However, the Barov Family was genuinely 'dismembered' by Lordaeron, with most of their territory and wealth falling into the hands of the Lordaeron royal family.
Their deepest hatred was directed at the Lordaeron royal family, yet now they had, with lightning speed, defected to Lordaeron.
This caused an uproar in the complex human political circles, as they completely failed to understand the situation.
However, a rumor suggested a possibility: why was Alex not in charge of Barov, but instead the previously obscure Ilucia?
This indicated that there might have been internal strife within Barov, and the final result suggested that the 'pro-Lordaeron faction' represented by Ilucia might have won.
After all, it was for the sake of regaining status and power; the nobles and royalty of various nations understood this perfectly well, and there was no shame in it.
With a convincing excuse, the nobles and royalty no longer dwelled on past events; the restoration of Alterac's kingdom was a foregone conclusion, so would any fool at this point be so foolish as to challenge Lordaeron?
Was King Terenas's heart not dark enough, or were the swords of the First Legion not sharp enough, to give you such an idea?
Not to mention that Lordaeron was now genuinely pouring resources and manpower into Alterac, rather than merely treating it as political capital; if you tried to stop Lordaeron, the people of Alterac might turn against you first.
Therefore, the thing to do at this moment was to seize this opportunity to establish closer ties with Alterac's new royal family and get a piece of the pie.
—Of course, not all Human Kingdoms thought this way; aside from Stormwind, which was too far away for the northern tremors to reach, Gilneas on the other side of the Greymane Wall now felt somewhat caught between a rock and a hard place.
Genn Greymane, the current King of Gilneas, was distraught by the events happening outside the wall.
Stromgarde and they were originally in the same boat, having both withdrawn from the Alliance to oppose King Terenas's schemes, but Thoras must have been bewitched by something, as Stromgarde actually rejoined the Alliance.
Gilneas claimed to have built the Greymane Wall, having no further dealings with the kingdoms outside, yet Genn felt an inexplicable anxiety.
Lordaeron's reach had extended too far and too fast recently; almost half of the Eastern Kingdoms were under their influence, first Alterac and Gnomeregan, then Stromgarde—who could guarantee that their next target wouldn't be Gilneas?
...No, it should be said that their next target would definitely be Gilneas; otherwise, what else on this entire continent would be worth Lordaeron's coveting?
Having been king for so many years, Genn naturally knew that Terenas was not someone to be trifled with; he might be a benevolent and wise monarch to his own subjects, but to those outside Lordaeron, he was absolutely the most cunning and treacherous opponent.
If he hadn't been worried about Lordaeron's influence becoming too great, to the point where his own kingdom might fall under the control of nearby Lordaeron, Genn would not have built the Greymane Wall.
This physical barrier did, to some extent, block Lordaeron's influence, but it also cut off Gilneas's potential for development.
Current Gilneas seemed self-sufficient, requiring no aid or interaction with other kingdoms, but after losing its overland trade routes, Gilneas's economy had almost stagnated.
Gilneas's coastline, due to geographical factors, was entirely composed of reefs and treacherous currents, with no suitable ports, making maritime trade very difficult to develop.
The internal and external predicaments left Gilneas in a dilemma; Genn eagerly sought a new path, but almost all the ministers in his kingdom could only come to one conclusion: learn from Stromgarde, and lean towards Lordaeron.
...
"Your research results are meaningless, Arugal. The school of summoning does not merely seek powerful summoned creatures; it also requires sufficient control. Yet, the creatures you summon are all uncontrollable beasts; they are far too dangerous. Dalaran will not allow you to conduct further research."
All lies and prejudice!
Archmage Arugal was in a frenzy in his mage tower, his eyes bloodshot, clutching a large stack of papers tightly in his hand.
His mind still echoed with the criticisms of his work from those condescending figures at the academic conference; Arugal completely disagreed with their opinions, believing that Dalaran could not progress further precisely because of their narrow-mindedness!
They claimed his discoveries and research were all waste paper, yet they were utterly incapable of recognizing the superiority of his theories!
There was no longer any need to remain in this so-called city of magic; Arugal gathered his research findings and prepared his belongings. He had had enough of Dalaran's attitude; since they would not allow him to conduct further research, he would find a place that would accept his research!
Archmage Arugal left Dalaran, and his apprentices and assistants were all dismissed; no one knew where this mage went, but everyone who had contact with Arugal during that period recalled that Arugal had changed a lot compared to before.
He used to be an approachable mage, but ever since he discovered that ancient book and began his forbidden research, his entire demeanor changed; they all said that the mage's eyes no longer looked human, but rather like those of a bloodthirsty beast.