Half an hour prior, Galen had once again used Ice Cold Blood to his advantage, defeating several dwarves. This time, however, Kurdran had learned from his mistake and avoided a direct confrontation, instead subtly encouraging Galen to drink. This tactic resulted in both Bronzebeard princes, Muradin and Brann, becoming completely intoxicated.
And thus, Galen's drinking prowess once again earned him the full approval of the Bronzebeard dwarves.
Indeed, the Bronzebeards had previously viewed Galen's consistent supply of logistical materials to Ironforge as merely a diplomatic alliance. But this drinking session elevated their personal relationship to its highest level.
As the Alliance army continued its advance, the high elf army also arrived in Ironforge.
At this time, Galen was explaining to Sylvanas and Alleria his reasons for needing to confront the Fire Lord.
"The Holy Light provided me with guidance, so I had to come to Ironforge first to stop Lothar from deploying over 200,000 Alliance troops directly into the Burning Steppes!"
"We're not concerned about the Fire Lord or anything like that," Sylvanas said calmly. The events she had witnessed with Galen were far more thrilling than anything she had experienced in Quel'Thalas in her entire life. They had even attacked the true form of the Black Dragon King, so a mere Fire Lord's avatar was hardly intimidating. The Ranger-General expressed no fear.
Her real concern was Galen's protection of them during the confrontation with the Black Dragon King. Aegwynn and Medivh's spells, and even her sister Alleria, wielding the family heirloom Thas'dorah, had forced the Black Dragon King to dodge. Yet, her own attacks from behind had been ineffective. Her armor-piercing arrows posed no threat to Neltharion.
The proud Sylvanas struggled to accept her inadequacy.
She had already submitted a request to Quel'Thalas, hoping to exchange her contributions in this battle for a divine artifact from the Sunstrider Royal Court's collection.
In addition to seeking external enhancements, she also contemplated Galen's earlier promise.
"So, when can we use this Storm Altar you mentioned?"
Alleria's gaze was equally intense. Like Sylvanas, she was exceptionally talented. With the Windrunner family's complete heritage and their own diligence, both sisters had long since reached their full potential, becoming the most outstanding figures in Quel'Thalas, second only to the prince.
However, except for the still-young Vereesa, both she and Sylvanas had been stuck at the early stages of Legendary power for hundreds of years. Galen's offer presented a rare opportunity for advancement, and they were eager to seize it.
"No problem. Thanks to the modifications by me and the human Guardian, the Storm Altar is now very safe and ready for use by humans and high elves!" Galen said, eager to take credit.
As soon as he finished speaking, his vision was obscured, and he felt a soft sensation on his face.
Damn, what a handful!
The seven-foot-one-inch Sylvanas excitedly embraced the six-foot-four-inch Galen and kissed his forehead.
Fortunately, Galen was only eighteen, and still had some growing to do, so his height wouldn't be an issue for now.
Alleria turned away, feigning disinterest. Ever since Galen briefly displayed demigod-like strength and Sylvanas revealed that he possessed the Fountain of Life, capable of enhancing vitality, she had tacitly accepted her sister's relationship with Galen and no longer opposed it.
"This is your reward!"
After speaking, Sylvanas patted Galen's shoulder cheerfully, appearing generous and carefree. In reality, her heart was pounding. Even facing thousands of troops, she had never felt this flustered.
Seeing Galen's dazed expression, a hint of shyness crossed Sylvanas's eyes. Then, she made a gesture of pinching an arrow with her right hand and attacked Galen's waist!
"Ah!"
Galen immediately regained his composure, his face turning serious. "It's best to act now. Since it's still early, let's go test the Storm Altar directly!"
The Windrunner sisters agreed. Galen turned and locked the door. A flash of white light, and he teleported them to Kalimdor to the rebuilt altar.
As his relationship with Sylvanas deepened, Galen gradually revealed more of his abilities, such as group teleportation and his Ursoc transformation, though he remained cautious about sharing the Heart of Origin's core secrets.
East of the Crusader Fortress, atop Thunder Ridge, stood the rugged Storm Altar. Its main component was a circular stone platform, over five meters in radius. The original Storm Altar, built by Gul'dan, had three orc statues carved into it. Galen had removed these purely ornamental features during the reconstruction.
The altar was covered in strange rune arrays, a blend of Draenor's Gorian Empire and Azerothian arcane systems.
"Is this the Storm Altar you built?" Sylvanas asked curiously. "It looks very different from the one I saw in Zabra'jin!"
"No, you're mistaken. The difference isn't that significant. I simply squared off your rune stones, unlike Gul'dan's aesthetically displeasing arrangement."
"Indeed, this is a miracle—a testament to mortals defying fate."
Galen turned to Sylvanas, his tone suddenly mysterious. "Maiden, do you desire power?"
Galen delivered the cheesy line, and Sylvanas responded by smacking him on the head.
"Speak properly!"
"Let's get started. Sylvanas, who goes first, you or your sister?" Galen asked, rubbing his head. He had foregone his Marshal's set, and on informal occasions or the battlefield, he preferred wearing close-fitting dragon scale armor.
"I'll go first!"
"No, I will!"
Ultimately, Sylvanas seized the initiative. Alleria wasn't competing with her but wanted to test the Altar's safety first. Her concern for her sister was paramount.
"There are no safety concerns. Our Guardians have thoroughly tested it," Galen assured them, gesturing to the four spellcasters positioned around the Storm Altar. They would oversee the procedure.
Aegwynn, Medivh, and Gandalf were present, along with a tall figure in a wide mage robe and a black hood. Strangely, a layer of silvery-white light surrounded his robe, giving him an ethereal appearance.
Sylvanas, following Galen's instructions, walked to the center of the Storm Altar and sat down cross-legged.
Galen nodded, and the four spellcasters surrounding the Storm Altar began chanting spells to guide the energy contained within the altar.
Instantly, lightning flashed and thunder rumbled over the Stranglethorn Vale, dark clouds gathered, and winds surged!
Crusader's Stronghold had already become the most dazzling pearl in central Kalimdor, attracting many races from Azeroth to explore, reside, and seek new opportunities.
The night elf druid Naralex, the tauren great druid Hamuul, and the chieftain and witch doctor Sen'jin of the newly migrated Darkspear tribe all turned their gazes towards the direction of Stranglethorn Vale.
However, when they realized that this was the core forbidden zone designated by the Crusaders, they each went back to their own affairs.
The Crusaders conquered the barbaric and plundering quillboar, resisted the cruel and chaotic centaurs to the west, and transformed the Barrens, establishing a neutral and peaceful territory. They also knew that the human Guardian protected Crusader's Stronghold, and Stranglethorn Vale was the location of the Guardian's mother and son's magic tower, so any earth-shattering explosions that occurred there were commonplace. This was just a sudden change in the weather.
No big deal!
The sky was filled with thunder and wind, which was indeed normal. The Storm Altar, being named after storms, could only stir up wind and lightning elements.
And Sylvanas, with the surname Windrunner, was naturally suited to the wind element.
The wind in the sky gradually overwhelmed the thunder, and the base of a tornado connected to the top of Sylvanas's head. Under the guidance of the four top spellcasters of Azeroth, this force of wind slowly became gentle and entered Sylvanas's body from the top of her head.
The runes in the Storm Altar were all lit up. Galen, as a partial participant in the Storm Altar's modification, understood the situation well. It seemed that Sylvanas had a high affinity for both the power of the wind in the air and the energy of the high elf runes on the altar, and the two energies were fusing well.
As the wind element was absorbed, the runes on the altar returned to calmness, and the sky returned to normal. Sylvanas sat quietly in the middle of the altar, seemingly sensing how much her strength had increased.
After a while, she stood up and walked out of the altar.
Seeing the joy in her younger sister's eyes, Alleria eagerly asked, "Sylvanas, how do you feel? How much has your strength increased?"
"Well, it's hard to say about strength. The energy in my body hasn't stopped growing yet. I can only say it's very strong. As for how far it can go, big sister, you'll know once you try it yourself!"
Sylvanas didn't say anything more. Only by experiencing it herself could she understand the changes in her body. First, she found that she could feel the flow of the breeze around her body, and at the same time, she could feel the wind helping her move when she walked.
Moreover, whenever she wanted, she could attach a gale to her arrows to attack. Although she hadn't tried it, she could feel that she could do it.
Alleria was already tempted, and after hearing what her younger sister said, she looked at Galen, feeling a little impatient.
They had dug up a super-large runestone from the high elves, which contained enough energy for at least twenty people to use, and the energy in the runestone all came from the Sunwell.
The high elves were the most suitable, as they grew up in the energy radiation of the Sunwell from birth, and had already been subtly transformed by the Sunwell. They could directly absorb the energy of the runestone.
Seeing Galen nod in agreement, Alleria walked in, and the Storm Altar was activated again.
Stranglethorn Vale was once again filled with wind and clouds, lightning and thunder, but this time the people of Crusader's Stronghold were unaffected, even unfazed.
The ritual ended, and Alleria walked down the altar with an incredulous expression. "What a magical power! I feel like this power is as familiar as my own."
Of course, the entire altar is the property of you high elves. See those gray floor tiles that make up the altar?
They are all made of runestones.
Of course, Galen wouldn't blatantly reveal his thieving behavior. He still knew how much Sylvanas resented the brown-skinned orcs.
"Alright, ladies, now that you have both successfully completed the ritual, let's go back."
Sylvanas and Alleria nodded. They both needed some time to familiarize themselves with this newly acquired strength and develop this wind power.
A flash of white light, leaving only Aegwynn and the other four tools in the night wind of Stranglethorn Vale, feeling chaotic.
"You two rest early, I need to prepare for the upcoming Burning Steppes operation."
"Go, go, don't bother us."
Sylvanas couldn't wait to sit on her bed, closing her eyes to sense the changes in her body.
Alleria shrugged, indicating that she could do as she pleased, and also sat down cross-legged like her younger sister.
Galen was helpless. When they needed him, they would give him a big hug to win him over, but after they were done, they would tell him to get lost?
Hmph, next time I'll make you beg me to stay.
Galen walked out of their room and closed the door behind him.
At this time, he saw Durin supporting Muradin, and Kurdran pulling Brann as they passed by in the corridor.
"Galen is so lucky, chatting with the Windrunner sisters late at night, oh ho ho!" The trouble-making Brann opened his sleepy eyes and teased Galen.
"Heh heh."
Galen smiled wickedly. The old boy could still joke, so it seemed he could still drink!
"Come, come, you guys said this afternoon that you wouldn't go home until you were drunk. It looks like you haven't had enough fun yet. Let's go, let's continue drinking!"
Galen didn't allow any explanation, stepping forward to take the slow-moving Muradin from Durin's hands, and directly Holding Brann with his other hand, heading towards the Ironforge banquet hall.
Durin and Kurdran looked at each other, feeling quite helpless, and could only sigh silently.
Brann's mouth!
So annoying.
Later, a legend of a human circulated in Ironforge, a human prince named Galen, who drank the two most capable dwarven princes of the Bronzebeard clan under the table, and Muradin and Brann slept soundly for three days and three nights.
However, in return, the big-mouthed Brann began to spread Galen's scandalous affairs with the Windrunner sisters. Anyone with eyes could see that this was Brann's little revenge, only pitying Turalyon, who was sadly depressed in the corner.
While rumors about him were flying all over Ironforge, Galen didn't care about any of this. He had already arrived in the Searing Gorge to the south.