Just as undercurrents were surging in Draenor, Azeroth had entered an era of great construction.
North of the Blasted Lands.
"This is the fortress that cost us a lot of military spending?"
Genn was very dissatisfied. This fortress, named Nethergarde Keep, was built after the Alliance's Lieutenant Turalyon persuaded the Alliance's high-level officials, overcoming all opposition. The city walls were tall and sturdy, and the white boulders were like dazzling pearls on the red earth.
Genn Greymane frowned, looking displeased.
"A wall, a tower, and a lonely castle." He muttered loudly, staring at the unfinished buildings in the distance, "Our economy needs to recover after the war. Isn't Turalyon a bit too much!"
After the Battle of Blackrock Mountain, Lothar retired behind the scenes. Some people did not allow him to continue sitting in the position of Supreme Commander of the Alliance, continuing to hold hundreds of thousands of troops.
Lothar, who led the Alliance army to defeat the Horde, now has a reputation in the hearts of the people and the army that is in full swing. As long as he has a trace of ambition to restore the Arathor Empire, the seven human kingdoms can instantly become a thing of the past.
Well, Galen would not only not stop Lothar, but even wanted to fuel the flames.
He could accept becoming a duke with real power in the new Arathor Empire. Then, in Azeroth, the Northern Continent, and other forces, as long as he had troops in his hands, he could have a say. He didn't care who was the boss, and even hoped that someone above him could help him take the blame.
Such thoughts left his father speechless!
Except for Terenas, who did not come in person, the other kings also began to discuss. The cost of building this castle did make them feel worried, because this huge expenditure was shared equally by the kings.
"It is grand." Thoras Trollbane said, "Big is expensive, that is strong, Genn, this is the guarantee that we will no longer suffer a second invasion!"
Genn did not refute Thoras's words. Ever since the news that Stromgarde's Prince Galen was captured by the Black Dragon to the world behind the Dark Portal a few months ago, his old friend's attitude on the international stage has become quite tough.
Terenas tried to seize the Barov family's territory in the name of judging traitors, but was strongly rejected by Thoras, who protected the Barov family.
Stromgarde's current military strength is too strong under the management of their prince. Even Terenas is unwilling to easily provoke the nearly 200,000 regular army. Genn decided not to argue with Thoras.
In the hearts of the kings, Galen was captured by the Black Dragon and was destined to die.
Stromgarde has lost its most outstanding heir. Thoras is not good at politics, and Danath, the second in line, is at most a steady and somewhat talented general, more than enough to maintain the status quo, but not enough to be enterprising, so he is not to be feared.
At this stage, except for Stormwind, the dwarves, and the high elves who are close to Stromgarde, Kul Tiras remains on the sidelines because of the establishment of the Stromgarde fleet. Others such as Terenas and Genn are holding a mentality of watching his building collapse towards Stromgarde.
"How much are you willing to pay to ensure safety?" King Llane walked over. "According to the information from the orc prisoners, on the other side of the Dark Portal, they still have half of their clans living there, who may invade again at any time. Important things can never be cheap. It can ensure that our land will not be ravaged by the orcs again!"
King Llane hit the nail on the head. Compared to the previous war and post-war reconstruction, the cost of building a fortress now is a drop in the bucket.
Humph!
Genn snorted coldly and said nothing more.
Stormwind City could have been described as a lean camel being bigger than a horse after the war, but after being tricked by Terenas on the refugee issue, losing a large number of citizens, they have been reduced to the bottom. However, their army is the only one that has experienced two major wars. The beliefs, loyalty, and combat power of this army should not be underestimated.
"Thoras, Galen is strong. Even if he can't defeat the Black Dragon, he can still protect himself."
When the kings were discussing, Llane found Thoras standing in the corner and comforted him.
"Llane, my old friend, you don't have to comfort me. Galen is not dead, and his safety is not a problem."
Thoras sighed and continued: "What I'm worried about is another problem. You have already settled on a princess for Varian, and Galen is three years older than Varian. He had already confirmed his high elf girlfriend from the Windrunner family, but now they are separated by two worlds. When will I be able to hold my grandson!"
Llane was embarrassed, and realized that he was just being sentimental. The father himself was not worried. He and Lothar were secretly worried to death for Galen. They had a good relationship with Galen and admired this junior, especially Varian and Callan, who often came to inquire about Galen's latest news.
"Varian has only made an engagement. He is only sixteen years old this year, and he will get married in two years."
Tiffin, a noble daughter valued by his queen, was also liked by Varian, so Llane made an engagement early, hoping that they would get married after they came of age.
Llane learned his lesson from his and Lothar's experiences. He couldn't imagine what would have happened if he had been successfully assassinated by Garona two years ago, and then Lothar had been killed in the final battle a few months ago. Only the underage Varian would have been left to carry the banner of Stormwind on his tender shoulders!
All of this was because when they were young, Llane, Lothar, and Medivh only cared about fooling around, marrying late, and having children late.
Therefore, they hoped that the next generation would give birth to a royal heir as soon as possible.
Not only Varian, but even Callan, under the auspices of his aunt, was also looking for a wife.
Llane was unwilling to continue dwelling on Thoras's pain regarding the issue of heirs, so he could only change the subject: "I heard that the Horde's Warchief, Doomhammer, escaped from the Royal Underground Waterway of Lordaeron?"
Thoras's expression turned serious when he heard this question: "That's right, that powerful orc did escape from Terenas's imprisonment. But don't worry, the containment facilities within Stromgarde are heavily guarded, he has no chance. Now, the only thing to worry about is the roaming Warsong Clan and Burning Blade Clan. According to intelligence, these are the two most troublesome orc clans!"
"I will arrange for the army to deploy defenses in the area of Redridge Mountains and Lakeshire, to prevent them from entering the hinterlands of Elwynn Forest!"
Thoras patted Llane on the shoulder and said seriously: "If the troops are insufficient, ask for reinforcements directly. Don't be arrogant and play isolationism like the previous generation!"
After speaking, Thoras glanced sideways at Genn Greymane, who was standing alone, his eyes full of concern for the mentally challenged.
Galen's secret alliances and connections had allowed Thoras to taste the sweetness of power, and the feeling of gradually sidelining that old thing, Terenas, made the old father secretly delighted.
Llane also remembered his father's act of defiance in fighting the trolls of Stranglethorn Vale alone. This incident had a great impact on Llane, causing him to have the illusion that Stormwind could withstand the orcs.
"I will, Thoras!"
Llane then changed the subject: "The tunnel between Stormwind City and Gnomeregan is already one-third excavated. According to the gnomish engineers' estimate, it should be fully open to traffic by the end of this year. However, it seems that Gnomeregan is encountering some trouble."
"Two months ago, High Tinker Mekkatorque told me it was a group of large rats that even damaged their prototypes. I don't think they realize the seriousness of the matter."
Thoras scoffed at the large rats that the gnomish High Tinker spoke of. How could it be a simple rat infestation if his son had specifically set aside a legion that had experienced the orc war to deal with it?
Such behavior of sending troops to another's main city was taboo. In Galen's plan, only a thousand soldiers were sent to Gnomeregan, nominally acting as supervisors, monitoring ten thousand kobold excavators. As the gnomes' drilling vehicles excavated to the kobolds' lair, these soldiers quickly controlled the situation, sealed off the tunnel, and then the dwarves and Galen's elite legion quickly supported, preventing hundreds of thousands of kobolds from rushing into the gnomes' city.
Otherwise, the gnomes would have been miserable.
"The tunnel between Stromgarde and Ironforge is about to be completed. Galen doesn't know where he got so many kobold miners, plus the Dark Iron dwarves' drilling machines. Currently, the tunnel is about to connect in the Thandol Span!"
"This is really good news."
"For our future!"
The two kings clasped their hands tightly, looking like good buddies.
In Minas Tirith, on the wide road leading to the Cathedral, a man and a woman were leisurely strolling.
The man was tall and burly, with long golden hair tied into a ponytail, appearing elegant and noble. The woman was wearing a long dress, sexy and charming, but the expression on her face was very dignified. This contradictory temperament was simply irresistible.
"Countess Katrana, does the peaceful atmosphere of Minas Tirith allow you to experience something different from the royal city of Stromgarde?" Our new Earl Fadil Dar'Thanon elegantly introduced the Prince's fief to the lady beside him.
It seems that among the several suitors Galen arranged for Onyxia, disguised as Countess Katrana, Fadil was slightly better.
Countess Katrana covered her mouth and smiled: "Earl Fadil, please call me Katrana. Stromgarde is currently expanding, and the construction site in the south is noisy every day. It's also very good to be able to come to Prince Galen's fief to calm down."
The pleasant and seductive female voice almost made Fadil lose his way, but fortunately, he still kept in mind the task given by the Prince. This was thanks to the talisman Galen gave him, which resisted Countess Katrana's charm magic.
Magic Shield Talisman: Every forty seconds, it defends the wearer against a magic attack.
If the Prince hadn't told them that this beautiful and alluring Countess was a black dragon, Fadil might have given in.
"Katrana, I'll take you to the Minas Tirith Cathedral. This church is the most magnificent building besides the Prince's castle!"
The last step of the seduction questline is to lure Katrana to the Minas Tirith Cathedral, then crush the return scroll and leave, and you will be rewarded by the Prince.
"Then what are we waiting for, let's go quickly." Onyxia had already heard that Galen was still the strongest Paladin of the Holy Light Church. Perhaps in the future, she could often come to the Cathedral to pray and find an opportunity to get acquainted with the Prince!
The two hit it off immediately and quickened their pace towards the Cathedral.
Moreover, both of them were very excited for different reasons. People who didn't know the truth would have thought they were going to the church to find a priest to preside over their wedding.
Outside the Cathedral, farmers came and went, looking like civilians who had finished their morning prayers. It wasn't until the man and woman approached the Cathedral that they gradually walked out and left the place.
"Oh, are we late? Has today's prayer ended?" Onyxia was a little strange to see that the inside of the church was empty, but the departure of the civilians just now made her not suspicious.
"Believers of the Holy Light, come here."
In the center of the church, a person dressed as a priest was calling out to the two of them.
The two also approached, but Onyxia always felt that this priest was somewhat familiar, but with such an appearance, and the Holy Light aura that she hated, all reminded her that this was their first meeting.
The priest raised his hand and sprinkled holy water on the two of them, and then two healing spells were cast.
Onyxia endured the discomfort on her body and confirmed that this person was just an ordinary priest.
"Two believers of the Holy Light, originally today's morning prayer has ended, but since the two of you have come, the Holy Light will not abandon anyone. Let me preside over your prayer."
Fadil remained calm, closed his eyes, and began the ceremony, while Onyxia, to complete the act, also closed her eyes and pretended to pray.
Only at the moment when she closed her eyes, a flash of light flashed in the priest's eyes.
"Join the glorious purification!"
"My dear sister!"
The moment Onyxia closed her eyes, a golden light flashed in the priest's hand, transforming into a chain that bound Onyxia. Then, Faldell turned into a white light and left the cathedral.
The sudden change startled Onyxia, and she abruptly opened her eyes, recognizing the priest at the same time: "Nefarian! It's you!"
Onyxia hurriedly tried to break free from the shackles of the Holy Light, but in his humanoid form, Nefarian's power seemed to be much stronger than hers.
"My esteemed brother, aren't you in your Blackrock Spire researching your chromatic dragon toys? What are you doing attacking me in the center of a human city? Aren't you afraid of attracting the attention of the four great dragon legions?"
Onyxia was filled with anger. Although the black dragon clan was individually powerful, their hearts were dark and selfish after their bloodlines were corrupted by the Old Gods, making it difficult for them to work together. Even as siblings, she and Nefarian still had their own positions. The only one who could make them obey was the Black Dragon King, whom they themselves felt fear towards.
She had already realized that she had fallen into a trap. Regardless of the reason her brother attacked her, breaking free and leaving was the best option.
Onyxia's figure began to change. Black scales began to appear on her face and hands. A black dragon appeared in the cathedral's hall, and the surrounding benches were destroyed by the dragon's enlarged form.
But it was already too late!
"I said, dear sister, join our glorious purification! The Holy Light protects you!"
From the top of the cathedral, a brilliant light descended from the sky, striking Onyxia's massive dragon body with lightning speed. The black dragon wanted to break free from the Holy Light's shroud, but found that a golden dragon, evenly matched with her, had already pounced on her, its two front claws firmly gripping her wings, immobilizing her.
"Roar!"
Onyxia was completely enraged. She had been somewhat apprehensive, afraid that the mutual slaughter between black dragons would cause their father to punish them. Now that she felt the danger, she couldn't care less. Her dragon mouth fiercely bit down on the golden dragon, presumably her brother.
Even though a dragon's scales are incomparably hard, the neck is still a fatal weakness, especially since their dragon teeth can easily cause damage.
Onyxia was determined to strike a deadly blow.
Clang!
The blood basin-like mouth bit down on Nefarian's neck, but not only did it not cause any damage, but it also grated her teeth. Two dragon teeth broke off at the roots, and fresh blood spurted from the gums.
It turned out that Lightforged Nefarian had activated Divine Shield. A massive Holy Light shield enveloped him, making it impossible for Onyxia to bite down.
"Just a moment, my sister, just bear with it!" After Nefarian finished speaking, his dragon mouth also bit down on his sister's neck, then pinned her to the floor of the hall, preventing her from moving.
Holy Light poured out from the cathedral, directly infusing into Onyxia's body. In the infusion of the Holy Light, the black dragon only felt that all the blood in her body was boiling, and the burning sensation went straight to her soul. The pain twisted her expression, and her tail constantly lashed the ground, leaving the surroundings in a mess.
Dozens of adult black dragons under Nefarian's command died in the first Holy Light infusion, and only twelve of the strongest survived the Lightforging ceremony. The rest all exploded.
Normally speaking, the success rate of Lightforging is close to 100%. Failure only occurs when there is a repulsion in energy attributes. It is obvious that transforming a black dragon from the chaotic evil alignment back into the lawful good alignment comes at a great cost.
However, Galen also discovered that in this situation, the higher the strength, the stronger the body, and the firmer the will, the higher the success rate.
Moreover, on Galen's territory, it's hard to even die. Those failed black dragons are resurrected after being transformed into heroic spirits again, and then experience the joy of Holy Light infusion once more. The weakest black dragon was transformed into a new dragon after experiencing four explosions.
Onyxia howled in pain, and her struggling power also weakened. The Holy Light infusion cleared the curse whispers imprinted in her soul by the Old Gods, and her soul became exceptionally weak.
Finally, her black scales began to fall off, and golden scales grew out again. The gold color radiated from her heart outwards, to her limbs, head, and tail, until her entire body turned golden.
In a certain residential house in the fourth ring of Minas Tirith, a gnome loli wearing a moon-white priest robe suddenly looked towards the center of the city. She felt a black dragon's aura flash by. When she rushed out of the room to investigate, the black dragon's aura disappeared, leaving only the majestic power of the Holy Light.
In Chromie's perception, this majestic power of the Holy Light has been constantly emitted every day. For a period of time, not only was the black dragon's aura strong, but there were also faint wails. However, the cathedral is open to the public of Minas Tirith every day, and she didn't notice anything unusual when she went to investigate.
Until one day, she saw a golden dragon soaring in the mountains to the east. It was a yellow color different from the bronze dragon, even more dazzling and even more brilliant.
Chromie faintly sensed that Galen was up to something, and it was an explosive event, and it was targeted at the black dragon clan.
She was still wondering why there wasn't any today. It turned out that a big shot had come. She just didn't know which black dragon had become Galen's test subject.
Chromie didn't know that the cathedral had deliberately stopped Lightforging orc prisoners today, just to wait for Faldell to bring Onyxia over.
However, this didn't stump Chromie. She silently recalled the somewhat familiar aura just now, and finally locked onto a core member of the Black Dragonflight, the Black Dragon Princess, Onyxia.
Chromie was happy to see this kind of popular and joyful thing happen, and happily returned to her room to continue her own business.
The Holy Light in the cathedral began to dissipate, and Nefarian had transformed back into his humanoid form. Onyxia's golden dragon body was limp in front of him, breathing heavily.
"How do you feel? Onyxia?" Nefarian softly called out to his sister.
"An unprecedented sense of ease, my brother, thank you for your gift!"
Although Onyxia's whole body was aching now, she could still feel that her soul was incomparably relaxed, as if the shackles that had once been placed on her soul had been broken.
"Welcome to the Golden Dragonflight!"
"The Golden Dragonflight?"
"It's an honor!"
Onyxia murmured, using the last bit of her strength to transform into a human form, then fell asleep.
The affairs of Azeroth were proceeding in an orderly manner, everything was within Galen's plans.
Gnomes and dwarves assisted in the reconstruction of Stormwind, while the kobolds and VanCleef's engineering corps were responsible for the expansion of Stromgarde.
During the early stages of the expansion, while Gandalf was still locating Draenor in Azeroth, Thrall directed the earth elementals, Garr and Ragnaros, to move mountains and fill the sea in Faldar Sea! The mountains north of the bay were directly leveled, and the future area of Stromgarde was expanded by half!
In addition to the construction of the royal city, economic recovery was also on the agenda. Stromgarde, Ironforge, and Kul Tiras jointly rebuilt the port in the Wetlands.
The Wetlands was a swamp filled with small pools. Besides lush grass and some bushes, it also produced abundant swiftthistle, wild steelbloom, liferoot, and kingsblood, all of which were herbs needed by alchemists and were in short supply in the human and high elf markets.
Moreover, except for the sea to the west, it was surrounded by high mountains on the other three sides. To the south were the Khaz Modan Mountains, and to the east and north were the mountains of the North Ridge. In the mountains, besides abundant copper, iron, and tin mines, there was also a rare firestone deposit.
As the territory bordering Arathi Highlands to the south and Loch Modan to the southeast, the original plan was for Stromgarde and Ironforge to jointly develop it. However, in order to quickly turn the local specialties into gold coins, Galen invited Prince Derek Proudmoore of Kul Tiras to invest.
In the end, the Trollbane family was responsible for providing labor to mine herbs and rebuild the port, accounting for 50%. The Bronzebeard royal family was responsible for mining, accounting for 35%. The Proudmoore family was responsible for shipping and sales, accounting for only 15%.
And the port being rebuilt by Stromgarde was Trollbane Harbor.