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"Damn it!"
Sylvanas Windrunner put down the bow in her hand and cursed softly in her heart.
Those tan-skinned orcs were surprisingly agile in the forest. Their agility was in stark contrast to their bulky bodies. Their utilization of the environment was truly astonishing. They were clearly new to Silvermoon Forest, yet they navigated the forest with such ease that they seemed like native inhabitants who had lived there for thousands of years.
Often, just as you aim at your opponent, he disappears from your sight. The trees and surroundings in the forest become the best cover and shelter for your opponent.
Even if she knew this forest very well, and even if her bow and arrow had enough penetrating power, relying solely on memory and feel to determine the direction to shoot would often not be as effective as it should be.
So far, they hadn't been able to catch the orcs in front of them. If she hadn't had decent tracking skills and was familiar with the area, she would have lost them long ago just because of how slippery those orcs were.
Even now, she was struggling to follow the other party, trying not to let the other party completely get rid of their pursuit and leave.
"Hasn't the reinforcements arrived yet?" Alleria Windrunner, one of the three sisters, asked. Their group of tall elves moved swiftly through the forest, pausing only occasionally to observe their surroundings, discerning any signs of orcish activity before following them from a distance.
The orcs were even cunning enough to create false trails to lure them in the wrong direction. But this behavior couldn't be hidden from the Windrunner sisters. They were always quick to detect the problem, return to their original position, re-identify the direction, and pursue again. After a few times, this method of misdirection was completely ineffective.
The orcs obviously discovered this later on, so they simply gave up this method and put all their energy and time into retreat.
"I'm sorry, in order to avoid falling for another diversionary tactic, those masters are now most concerned about the Sunwell. Unless they are sure that there is no problem with the Sunwell, they will not be able to take care of this side in the short term." An elf in the team said.
"Maybe they think we can deal with these invaders." Another elf added.
"How on earth did they manage to reach the Sunwell without disturbing the wards?" Sylvanas, one of the three sisters, expressed her bewilderment. The entirety of Quel'Thalas was shrouded in an elven ward, and they did not welcome intrusion from outsiders. Normally, those who entered without permission would be expelled and attacked by the elves. But if these strange intruders had not been discovered by the elven mages after the Sunwell's disturbances, the orcs who had made their way through might have remained unnoticed until their departure.
"Catch up with them and we'll know everything," Alleria ordered. "Follow them!"
…
"They are following us again. Can't you give me some time to deal with them?" Ner'zhul sensed the elves following him from the elements and frowned slightly. After informing Grommash Hellscream beside him of the information, Grommash touched the Bloodroar Axe on his back and said with some helplessness.
The reason they were able to evade the elven pursuers so smoothly and effortlessly was due to his ability to communicate with the elements. He could obtain information about their movements and distance from the elements and nature, allowing them to adjust their routes accordingly and avoid the pursuers.
Ner'zhul even used the knowledge he had learned from the high priest to disrupt the elements in the area he passed through, to prevent the pursuers from using the elements to track them if there were elves who could communicate with the elements among their pursuers.
But after two days, the opponent's relentless pursuit finally made Ner'zhul angry.
"Of course I also want to deal with them, but Grommash, our mission has been completed, there is no need to fight them here. Although we brought elites, this is not our territory." Ner'zhul whispered.
If the elves weren't so powerful, and didn't have so many mages, he wouldn't mind Grommash's bloodbath, but it was clear they weren't formidable. Fighting them on their own turf couldn't end well, no matter how you looked at it. Unless it was unavoidable, Ner'zhul didn't want to start a battle where he'd lose his troops and be sure to lose.
However, Ner'zhul was well aware that Grommash might not listen to him, so he had to bring Held out. He whispered, "Think about the High Priestess. She's still waiting for us to return with our report."
As expected, after hearing Ner'zhul's warning, Grommash's high fighting spirit was quickly suppressed. The team once again changed direction under Ner'zhul's guidance, rushing towards the outer exit of Silvermoon Forest.
…
"What happened to the Sunwell?" Anasterian Sunstrider, the ruler of the elves of Quel'Thalas, asked again. He had asked this question no less than ten times in the past two days, but still had no accurate answer.
The only thing that is certain is that those damn invaders threw something into the Sunwell, and it was this unknown thing that caused the Sunwell to mutate.
You know, the Sunwell is the most important source of power for the elves of Quel'Thalas. The elves need the Sunwell's energy to restrain their own magical addiction. If something happens to the Sunwell, it will be a disaster that will make the elves of Quel'Thalas despair and uneasy even more than the explosion of the Well of Eternity ten thousand years ago.
Of course, this was only the worst-case scenario. Things might not necessarily turn out the worst. But no matter what, Anasterian had to ensure the Sunwell's restoration and, if possible, retrieve the object that had been thrown into it.
"I'm afraid we can only get some accurate information from the invaders," Grand Mage Luo Bihua said softly. "The Sunwell's energy concentration is still decreasing, and the rate of decline is more obvious than the past two days. If this rate of decline continues, the Sunwell's energy covering the entire Quel'Thalas barrier will soon continue to shrink."
Anasterian Sunstrider's expression turned even uglier after hearing this. He understood the unspoken meaning in the Grand Mage's words, and precisely because he understood it, his expression turned so grim, and his chest became even more furious.
The Sunwell's energy permeated the entirety of Quel'Thalas, the barrier surrounding it. If it contracted, the area covered would undoubtedly shrink. If nothing improved, the worst-case scenario would be that only the Sunwell's energy could be faintly absorbed near it. As for the possibility of the Sunwell's energy being completely sealed off, Anasterian didn't want to think about it.
Suddenly, the elves looked up at the sky and saw a griffin circling in the sky. The sharp-eyed elves even spotted the person on the griffin.
After a struggle, the griffin landed in a fierce wind. The messenger from Lordaeron handed the letter to the elves.
Anasterian opened the letter written by Terenas himself, which was stamped with the royal seal of Lordaeron. The letter described the changes in the Dragon Tower and the invasion of the orcs. It hoped that the elves could send reinforcements to attack the invaders from the front and back, drive them away, and block the portal of the stable large legion that was being built in the Dragon Tower area.
Looking at the description of the invaders' form and appearance in the letter from Terenas, Anasterian couldn't help but think of the brown-skinned invaders who had caused the Sunwell's troubles. Comparing the two, Anasterian understood the invaders' origins and was no longer confused.
"Has Ranger Windrunner not been able to catch up with the invaders yet?" After putting away the letter, Anasterian looked at the elven wizard who was responsible for delivering the message.
"They're very cunning. We can't locate them through elemental magic or magic. They're immune to mystical powers." This was the first time the elven mage had encountered such a magical failure. He even had difficulty communicating with the Windrunner sisters.
"Maybe we should send someone to Lordaeron. I believe they should have more information about the invaders right now." Grand Mage Luo Bihua said.
Although the elves have been secluded and unwilling to get involved in any wars or disturbances in the human world, when it comes to the Sunwell, no matter how you look at it, it seems that they can no longer remain isolated and stay in Quel'Thalas as they did in the past.
Anasterian pondered for a moment before nodding slowly. This wasn't a war between humans, and it involved elves. They could indeed send personnel out to investigate.
…
Uther, shackled, was tied to a tall totem pole. Above the totem pole was a statue wearing a gold and white robe, with six golden wings on the back. It looked like an angel, full of compassion, but its face could not be seen clearly.
He had been tied up here for nearly two days, and apart from Durotan coming to see him and bringing him some food, no one had come here to pay any attention to him.
Uther initially feared being humiliated by the defeated, but from the moment he was captured until now, no one had even bothered to address him. He hadn't even been questioned, even when he assumed he'd be interrogated, asking for crucial information about Lordaeron and Stratholme, including food, manpower, personnel, and war reserves.
Uther, who had already prepared himself not to reveal this information even if he died, felt somewhat bewildered as time passed.
Has he been forgotten?
Or did the other party not know who he was? Or did they not even think of extracting such information from him?
Of course, this thought only flashed through Uther's mind for a moment before being suppressed by the vigilance he had been constantly brainwashed into. He still believed that this was a deliberate ploy by the other party to make him careless and relaxed.
Uther tried to escape, but the shackles on his body were magical, restricting him from leaving a ten-meter radius around the totem. Beyond that, a thick, heavily patterned wall of holy light would appear in the air. This was true in all directions, except for the sky, which Uther hadn't yet attempted.
When no one was around, he would occasionally look around, especially at the totem pillar that seemed to be the core hub of the cage, which was his top priority.
After some experimentation, he was surprised to discover that within this cage, the Holy Light within him had actually increased in strength by at least half. It seemed as if only the Holy Light existed here, with other elemental and mystical powers suppressed or repelled by it. However, priests who practiced the Holy Light found their feet here like fish in water.
If there were such a treasure place in Stratholme Cathedral, the number of believers and priests who could comprehend the Holy Light and master the power of the Holy Light might increase by at least several times.
Undoubtedly, the cause of all this was this strange totem pillar before him. And the angel-like statue also piqued Uther's curiosity.
He had felt the power of the totem before. It seemed as if a constant flow of some kind of power similar to faith was collected into the totem, and then transformed by the totem into pure holy light power, which then maintained the existence of this cage.
If he could destroy this totem, it would be like destroying the core of the cage, depriving it of its energy hub. The walls of holy light on all four sides would then disappear due to the destruction of the totem, and he would gain a preliminary measure of freedom.
But if he did so, any movement would quickly alert the nearby orcs. He wouldn't be able to escape then. The orcs' combat effectiveness and elite status would be enough to completely dissuade him from resisting if he were discovered.
Can't beat him.
There is no way to defeat so many orcs!
Moreover, the totem itself is also protected by holy light. If you want to destroy it, the simplest, most direct, and most effective way is to use pure brute force. The energy will be absorbed and transformed by it.
The only thing Uther could do was to take advantage of this environment to absorb and master more holy light power as quickly as possible to increase his strength. If any unexpected events or opportunities really occurred, he would have the strength to grasp them.
What he didn't realize was that as he absorbed more and more Holy Light, he began to develop a vague connection with the statue on the totem. The Holy Light he believed in was slowly being transformed in his heart and mind into the statue displayed on the totem.
An invisible conceptual energy is given a form.
During the entire process, Uther did not notice anything unusual, and he did not even realize that the holy light he believed in and felt had transformed into the six-winged statue on the totem of faith, just like the believers' faith in God.