"The ancient tree connected to the Dream, but… why…" Velinde murmured, seemingly unable to understand why this was happening.
Arthas explained to her helplessly, "Gilneas was one of the earliest kingdoms to separate from the Arathor Empire. Their heritage is quite ancient and unbroken. As far as I know, there have always been priests among them who use nature magic. Therefore, it's not impossible for there to be a forest connected to the Emerald Dream."
The Emerald Dream is said to be the dreamscape of the Soul of Azeroth, and also Azeroth's most primitive ecological environment. Therefore, undeveloped and primitive environments in the real world can easily link with the Dream.
This is why Val'sharah is called the place closest to the Emerald Dream, because it is precisely where the Elf Druids expended immense effort to deliberately create a primitive jungle similar to the Dream.
This may sound a bit strange—how can a forest artificially influenced by Druids be called "primitive"? But the Emerald Dream is, after all, an echo of Azeroth's real world and is affected by changes in the real world.
The Black Forest on the Gilneas Peninsula is precisely such an ancient and dense forest. Even the residents of Gilneas rarely venture deep into this woodland, and it is precisely for this reason that the forest has been able to maintain its primitive state.
But now, this primitive jungle has become an excellent location for the Worgen to perform their rituals. With the help of the moon god scythe, if they truly find an ancient tree capable of bearing the moon god scythe's power, the gates of the Emerald Dream might truly open.
At that time, the Worgen rushing out of the Dream will likely spread madness and corruption to every corner of Gilneas.
"We cannot let this happen." Velinde forced herself to sit up from the bed, but her body, still recovering from severe injuries, made such a move difficult.
Tulani quickly supported Velinde and looked at Arthas, "Her physical condition cannot yet support her free movement, and those creatures called Worgen have also caused damage to her soul."
Velinde shifted her gaze to Tulani. She noticed that although Tulani's Common tongue was still quite fluent, the usage and pronunciation of some words were the same as hers, a later learner.
However, there was no time for such matters now. She first thanked Tulani for her kindness, then stood up with Tulani's support, "We must cross Silverpine Forest—to that place called Gilneas. The Worgen will not give us much time; they completely obey the will of the alpha."
"Even if your body were fine, this matter would still be somewhat troublesome," Arthas shook his head, to Velinde's surprise. "You may not have reached the end of Silverpine Forest, but there is a high wall there, built by the Kingdom of Gilneas, precisely to prevent interference from outside forces. Let alone an army, even one or two merchants cannot reach the territory of Gilneas."
Velinde, as a Night Elf, clearly hadn't anticipated such a situation. She said, somewhat surprised, "A high wall? But that can't stop agile Worgen! They can move as if on flat ground even on the steepest mountains, let alone a man-made wall!"
"Archibald Greymane, an extremely outstanding yet isolationist monarch, is the father of Gilneas' current King Genn Greymane," Arthas sighed. "Although Genn is nearly seventy years old, his body is still robust, and Gilneas has spent decades under his rule. The problem is that he is as stubborn and arrogant as his father."
Velinde temporarily had no time to ponder human political styles, but she understood the meaning in Arthas's words, which meant that in this operation concerning the Worgen, aid provided in the form of a nation was almost impossible to succeed, unless Gilneas truly fell into an irreversible predicament; otherwise, the stubborn Gilneans would never beg for the Alliance's help.
By that time, the Worgen would probably have already swarmed out, and everything Velinde did would be meaningless.
"And my adjutant Tulani is right, your body is not strong enough to complete the task of 'stopping the Worgen.' I suggest you contact the Arch Druid and the High Priestess. Since this matter involves the Emerald Dream, it is not a small affair."
The suggestion Arthas put forward made Velinde hesitate for a moment: she had seen a book in the temple where she discovered the moon god scythe. She didn't know who left the book there, but it recorded some erroneous decisions made by Malfurion.
And the birth and slumber of the Worgen were also closely related to Malfurion, although he didn't actually create this terrifying race.
The person who wrote this book was filled with a complex and contradictory emotion; he seemed to highly respect Malfurion, but for some unknown reason, he deeply resented some decisions the Arch Druid had made—or rather, he resented Malfurion's style.
Sometimes, Malfurion appeared too indecisive; he was far less resolute than Tyrande. In some instances, this demonstrated his caution, but in other situations, his "caution" would instead lead to failure.
The author clearly had a deep understanding of this, but Velinde did not dare to ponder who exactly wrote this book. She was afraid it would lead to unnecessary disputes. After all, this book was "abandoned" and sealed together with the moon god scythe. Perhaps the book's owner no longer thought that way?
But now, Velinde was still somewhat hesitant about whether she should contact the Arch Druid and the High Priestess. The Elf race had not fully recovered from the trauma brought by Mount Hyjal, and now if they faced the problem of the Worgen…
Arthas read the hesitation in Velinde's eyes and continued, "I fought alongside the Arch Druid at Mount Hyjal. I think no one in this world understands the Emerald Dream better than he does. If you think this is not enough, you can also tell him that I have some news about his… brother.
But it is still up to you to decide. However, until Gilneas actively requests aid from the Alliance, the Alliance army cannot enter Gilneas's territory. Otherwise, King Genn will only think we are declaring war on him, which would make the situation even more chaotic. This might also be what Arugal and that alpha Worgen want to see."
After speaking, Arthas gestured to the others besides Velinde, preparing to give Velinde a quiet space to think.