Liadrin was the most outstanding and excellent priest of the younger generation; she was the adopted daughter of High Priest Vandellor, and most importantly, she was not a noble.
She represented the will of the Holy Light Church, a group that was relatively weak within Quel'Thalas but still maintained a sense of presence.
What Kael'thas needed to do next was to amplify the presence of this group to restrain the attention of the Council of Six, giving himself an opportunity to complete the upcoming reforms.
However, relying solely on the relatively marginalized group of priests, even if Kael'thas was the new Sun King, it would be extremely difficult to make them grow to the same extent as the Farstriders in a short period.
Otherwise, his father would have done so long ago, instead of allowing the influence of the Council of Six to grow to its current state.
Kael'thas believed that his current self was far from comparable to his father, but in one aspect, he should be stronger than his father: his understanding of human society.
In the time after the Troll Wars, the connection between the High Elf and humans gradually weakened, especially after the disappearance of Emperor Thoradin and the collapse of the human empire, the elves' understanding of humans diminished.
During this period, the ruler of the Elven Kingdom was Kael'thas's father.
But Kael'thas was different; he was a member of the Council of Six in Dalaran and had spent many years in human kingdoms, so his understanding of humans could be said to be deeper than any other elf.
A group that had risen in the past two decades caught Kael'thas's attention, especially their outstanding members, who had even gained Kael'thas's friendship and admiration.
That was the Paladin of the Silver Hand, and Arthas.
The power of the paladin made Kael'thas see what the elves lacked; perhaps years of privileged life had made them forget some qualities they once possessed. If the words and deeds of the paladin could be introduced to Quel'Thalas, perhaps it could help the High Elf regain their former pride.
Kael'thas had already seen the feasibility of this from some High Elf who resided in Dalaran, joined the Silver Hand, and learned the way of the paladin.
But rather than directly selecting personnel from the High Elf living in Dalaran, Kael'thas hoped to cultivate a true 'spokesperson' in the real sense.
Firstly, this candidate must be chosen from elf priests familiar with the Holy Light Church, and this person must have sufficient talent and ability, as well as be young, capable of becoming a role model for more elves to emulate.
To Kael'thas's relief, these seemingly stringent conditions actually led him to find a suitable candidate.
That was High Priest Liadrin.
This young priest, full of passion for the Holy Light Church, who had experienced several wars and achieved many military merits, was Kael'thas's ideal choice.
Most importantly, she was not a noble, and had no connection to mages!
"I have written a letter of recommendation for you, hoping you can go to the Silver Hand in Lordaeron to study and better experience the way of the Holy Light Church."
Kael'thas took out an exquisite letter and handed it to Liadrin. Inside were his personally written letter of recommendation and some necessary documents.
Liadrin took the letter somewhat bewildered. She was still a bit unclear about what she was supposed to do. "Your Majesty… if I am to study, I should go to the Holy Light Church in Stratholme. Why is it the Silver Hand…?"
"Do you think Quel'Thalas lacks priests? Or rather, lacks the ability to train priests?"
Liadrin almost nodded, but when she understood the implication in Kael'thas's words, she changed her tone and said, "Our numbers may not be large, but our ability to train priests is not weak. Many of my colleagues and students are full of zeal for the Holy Light Church and our kingdom."
Kael'thas nodded approvingly. "That's right, but Liadrin, I ask you, can you use a sword? Or any other weapon?"
At this, Liadrin was indeed speechless. Although she was quite proficient in Holy Light Church divine magic, she knew nothing about wielding weapons. When she went to the battlefield, it was her Ranger teammates who stood in front of her to block enemies, while she used spells to heal her comrades' wounds and attack enemies.
"The Farstriders' Rangers may be proficient in various weapons, but they cannot heal severe injuries themselves, and for those demanding missions, it's difficult to have a priest constantly accompanying the army."
Kael'thas's words indeed hit the priests' weak spot. Although the Holy Light Church power they wielded allowed them to heal their comrades' injuries, few of them simultaneously possessed exquisite martial arts and strong physiques.
"But… Your Majesty, the paladin is humanity's 'secret weapon,' aren't they? Will they truly be willing to teach me?"
Liadrin voiced her concern. She feared that even with Kael'thas's personal letter, her status as a High Elf would lead to exclusion, and in the worst case, she might spend several years there without any real gains.
"Don't worry, I have recommended the most excellent teacher for you. He will not have racial prejudices, nor will he mix in any personal factors. At the same time, he is one of the strongest paladin in the world."
And so, under Kael'thas's "persuasion," Liadrin, carrying a simple bag and a letter of introduction, stood bewildered before the Grand Cathedral of Stratholme.
She handed the letter to the cathedral attendant, and the news she received was to rest in Stratholme for two days because her teacher was not in Stratholme at the moment, nor at the headquarters of the Silver Hand.
What was puzzling was that although there were indeed many burly and strong paladin in the Silver Hand, Liadrin, holding Kael'thas's letter of introduction, did not even see a single first-generation paladin.
If the attendant hadn't explained that the paladin's mentors had gathered for an important matter, she would have thought she was truly being neglected.
The most bizarre thing was that despite Kael'thas's flowery words, because Liadrin was sent to Stratholme in a muddled state, she hadn't even had time to open the envelope to read it, so she didn't even know who her mentor was.
After waiting three days in Stratholme, when even meditation couldn't dispel the various suspicions and unease rising in Liadrin's heart, she finally met her "teacher."
However, when she saw that excessively young face, her first reaction was immense surprise, and then, when she remembered whose face it was, the surprise further turned into shock.
And this shock not only did not subside but transformed into uncontrollable horror when she saw an elf accompanying her future teacher.
For a moment, Liadrin even wondered if she was seeing a strange illusion because she was too agitated.
"Hello, Lady Liadrin, I am Arthas Menethil, a Paladin of the Silver Hand, and your guide for the foreseeable future."