"No need. This time, I plan to travel light. I only need Lord Uther to assign me a few Paladins, and I'll take Jaina with me," Rhodes said. "Finding the Night Elves is the key to our future survival.
Leading an entire army deep into elven territory would be too conspicuous and could easily lead to misunderstandings. That contradicts our intention of seeking cooperation."
Leading too many people would hinder their mobility and likely provoke resentment from the Night Elves. Furthermore, the Burning Legion's primary invasion points would not affect this specific area immediately, making it a safe place for the human civilians to settle.
Rhodes intended to lead an elite squad personally to deal with the Burning Legion. He even planned to act alone on several occasions; after all, his Death Ripple magic wasn't something he could easily cast in front of others. Beyond that, Rhodes had some secretive matters to attend to.
According to his calculations, Archimonde should have already descended upon Azeroth through the summoning circle in Dalaran.
Although the vanguard of the Burning Legion had arrived, the humans' arrival in Kalimdor was significantly faster than in the original timeline, allowing Rhodes to intervene in many events.
For instance, he could establish contact with the Night Elves early. He recalled that in the first chapter of the Night Elf campaign, Tyrande destroyed a joint base of orcs and Humans.
A Paladin named Lionheart was killed by the Night Elves there; that very Paladin was currently part of their expedition.
Rhodes aimed to prevent a large-scale conflict between Humans and Night Elves. As for the orcs, he was perfectly content to let them clash with the elves.
Rhodes harbored no illusions or mercy toward the orc race; in his view, they were fundamentally antithetical to humanity.
Truly peace-loving orcs were a rare exception—Thrall and Eitrigg were outliers. The orcish society was, at its core, a warrior race. When Grom Hellscream first arrived in Kalimdor and reunited with Thrall, his first instinct upon encountering a human base was to trample over it and completely annihilate them.
Garrosh, who would later succeed as Warchief, was the same; the destruction of Theramore was the ultimate proof that one should never harbor fantasies about their enemies.
When these orcs struck humans, they never showed mercy. It was always a fight to the death, often bordering on genocide. One had to remember a simple fact: the orcs were the invaders. Why should their world's destruction be humanity's problem?
To put it simply: if a certain island nation were to be destroyed due to a mana bomb, would there be more people clapping in celebration or more "saints" proposing to rescue refugees? Besides, Outland still exists—why the hell don't you orcs just go back there to live?
Has Thrall ever actually shown mercy to humans since becoming Warchief? The moment orcish interests are touched, they refuse to yield. Peace is nothing more than a slogan they shout.
Only a "naive and sweet" person like Jaina Proudmoore would fall for their tricks. Why did her father, Daelin, have to die? The primary reason was that as long as he lived, there would never be lasting peace between orcs and Humans. Thus, Thrall, Rexxar, and Chen Stormstout joined forces to kill the Grand Admiral of the Alliance.
This led Kul Tiras to leave the Alliance, severing ties for over a decade. Meanwhile, Thrall accepted the Forsaken into the Horde to gain a foothold in the Eastern Kingdoms, indirectly weakening the Alliance once again.
When facing the Burning Legion, humans were the ones holding the front line. If the orcs were so brave and warlike, why didn't they take the lead?
From a modern perspective, "World-Shaman" Thrall was actually quite hypocritical and extremely double-standard. To borrow a phrase from Naruto: the orc race is innately evil; otherwise, Kil'jaeden wouldn't have scouted them in the first place.
There might be exceptions—peace-loving individuals—but they would never change the overall inclination of the race. This was a naturally bellicose, cruel, and savage people.
Even without the Burning Legion or external threats, the orcs would likely behave like ancient nomadic tribes, coming around every few days to pillage.
Maintaining peace with them was merely a temporary compromise due to a lack of strength, but they could never be trusted. This was the lesson Rhodes had learned from Thrall's history.
Strictly speaking, Princess Calia and himself were the leaders of this human faction, not Jaina. He had no intention of getting cozy with Thrall.
"I trust your judgment and ability, Rhodes," Princess Calia said. "Lord Uther also mentioned that your power is extraordinary.
Take those you deem most suitable, but it must be a capable small squad—fast-moving and able to avoid unnecessary conflict. But remember, your safety is paramount. You are not just our Regent; you are the beacon connecting us to the Titan Watchers and guiding our direction."
"You are right, Your Highness," Rhodes replied. "An elite squad of moderate size is most appropriate. I plan to take Jaina; she has unique insights into magic and diplomacy.
Also, Lady Capernia of the High Elves—she can act as a bridge in communicating with the Night Elves. Finally, Lord Uther and a few elite Paladins. Though the Holy Light of the Paladins and the Nature Power of the Night Elves have different origins, both represent Order and Protection. This might reduce potential hostility."
Rhodes had already discussed this with Lady Capernia on the ship. She understood the language of the Night Elves, and the elves would not show as much hostility toward their own kin.
Furthermore, Uther's weapon belonged to Tyr, a Titan Watcher; the Night Elves were well aware of the Watchers' existence and maintained good relations with the Dragon Aspects. This was an advantage to be exploited.
"With Lord Uther there, it is indeed reassuring," Calia nodded after a moment of reflection. "Then it is settled. Before the Trade Prince arrives and we are initially settled, you may conduct short-range scouting to familiarize yourselves with the surroundings. Once the supplies and city-building plans are in motion, you shall depart to find the Night Elves."
That night, Rhodes visited Jaina and informed her of the plan. She agreed to accompany him, as did Uther and Capernia.
"I'll leave this in your hands then, My Lady," Rhodes said to Capernia.
"No problem, Excellency Rhodes. I also have good news. The anti-magic gemstones you gave us have been successfully processed. We have found the correct method to use them. In the future, if you wish to craft spell-breaking weapons or anti-magic armor and shields, you can leave the runic inscription, enchanting, and gem-setting to us."
Rhodes had provided tons of anti-magic diamonds and metal to the High Elves. Their jewelers discovered that the metal could be forged into armor or even woven into fine wire for enchanted robes. The diamonds could be set into rings, necklaces, or directly onto weapons and shields.
"I hope everyone in the squad has at least one piece of anti-magic equipment before we set out in five or six days," Rhodes said, handing over several more tons of materials as payment for their craftsmanship and enchanting fees.
On the morning of the third day, as Rhodes, Jaina, Capernia, Uther, and Princess Calia were walking near the camp, a raven flew from a distance and landed before them. In a cloud of purple smoke, it transformed into an old man wearing a brown robe.
Uther immediately stepped in front of Calia, and Capernia looked on with caution. Only Rhodes and Jaina knew who had arrived. Rhodes gestured for the others to relax and stepped forward to speak with the former Guardian.
"Young sorcerer and sorceress, and the young Princess... you have arrived much earlier than I anticipated," said Medivh the Prophet. "I thought you wouldn't arrive for another half-month!"
The human forces had departed late, and the orc fleet had a two-month head start. However, the orcs had been delayed for weeks on a troll island. The humans, having hired goblins and utilized magical vessels, had arrived in Kalimdor almost at the same time as the orcs. Upon discovering the humans' arrival, Medivh had immediately come to find them.