In the eighth year of Shattrath City's fall, it returned to the embrace of the Holy Light. Maraad led the reorganized Army of the Light into the ruins of Shattrath City.
The remaining priests of the Aldor, along with Draenei refugees, came to the bridge connecting the center of Shattrath City to the city walls, clearing rubble to welcome the two Naaru into the city!
Compared to the universal celebration of the Draenei, the Broken in the shadows were saddened and remained in a state of observation. Eventually, their two leaders split: Nubundo chose to go to Tuurem in the east to contact the Kurenai, while Akama chose to lead his people away from Shattrath City, believing that although it was re-illuminated by the Holy Light, it no longer belonged to the Broken!
High Priestess Ishanah of the Aldor led the remaining Holy Light priests to meet the two Naaru, and then guided Galen and the others into Shattrath City.
As the former cultural and economic center of the Draenei, Shattrath City was vast, but two-thirds of it had been destroyed in the war.
The entire city was circular, with a huge domed plaza in the center. Four passages led outwards from the dome in the north, south, east, and west. The north gate led to Zangarmarsh and Gorgrond. The east was the direction Galen and the others entered from. The south and west led to the two high platforms of the city, which later became the rebuilt Aldor Rise and the Scryer's Tier.
Aldor Rise also had a back door that led directly to Nagrand.
After entering the city, Galen looked at the mud under the skybridge and wondered why Shattrath was built so strangely, until Maraad told Galen that the area under the skybridge was originally the sea. The city once had a huge dock, and before Zangarmarsh changed, the sea level reached the edge of the Holy Light Plaza at its highest, making it a veritable city on the sea.
And those four skybridges were built to facilitate the Draenei's departure from the city, connecting the Holy Light Dome and the city walls; otherwise, residents would have to take a boat to reach the outside of the city!
Later, Zangar Sea changed. Galen guessed it was due to spore invasion. Huge spore whales once lived in Zangar Sea, maintaining a unique ecological environment. However, as the Orcs used fel magic to pollute Zangar Sea, not only did the water evaporate rapidly, but the spore whales died in large numbers, and the spore lifeforms living on them rioted and eventually became today's Zangarmarsh.
This made Galen feel troubled. Zangar Sea is gone, so where should I build my Draenor dockyard?
With the presence of the two Naaru, Galen naturally obtained ownership of the city. The Aldor priests and Maraad did not object. Of course, nominally, it was still jointly ruled by the Crusader and the Draenei, but Galen could rebuild this ruined city as a new base according to his own wishes.
Although he had obtained control of Shattrath City, Galen still had to give Velen face. Through K'ure, he appointed Maraad as the governor of Shattrath City, and transferred the Thunder Legion and the Gale Legion away from the city, leaving only the Army of the Light as the city's garrison force.
At the same time, the Crusader only occupied the southwestern high ground as a base, naming it the Crusader's Rise.
Besides using the Crusader's Rise as his own base, Galen returned the other areas to the Draenei, allowing them to rebuild.
Shattrath City was recovered quickly, basically settling everything in one battle, while the other six legions were still on the march.
However, the Battle of Shattrath also marked the beginning of Galen's dominance over Draenor.
In the southwest of Talador Forest, on the plains of Nagrand, the battle had already begun.
Lantressor of the Blade led a large force of Stonefist Ogres to attack the Malgok Outpost in the south, and had been fighting with the Ogres there for several days. The Malgok Ogres could not withstand the assassination attempts of the mixed-blood Blademaster, and their morale collapsed, causing them to flee in all directions.
The old and weak Warsong orcs left behind in Grommashar Fortress, who had not followed Grommash Hellscream to Tanaan Jungle to drink demon blood, joined the Mag'har clan under the leadership of Galen, the young Warsong leader.
After the Frostwolf clan was brought back to Nagrand by Galen, Go'el, under the guidance of the blind shaman, passed the trial of the elemental spirits and was elected by the people as the new chieftain of the Frostwolf clan.
Anyway, Galen didn't understand. The elemental spirits participating in the trial were his own people. The blind shaman's trial of Go'el was simply a formality, a pointless exercise.
Subsequently, the Frostwolf clan occupied the city of Telaari in the south of Nagrand, expelling the Lost Ones of the Bloodmaul clan who were entrenched there.
The Elemental Throne in the north has officially changed hands, becoming the new residence of the Four Elemental Emissaries under Galen.
It is said that a long time ago, Aggramar, in order to prevent Draenor from being destroyed by the Devouring Life Spirit, used the four elements of fire, wind, water, and earth to form an elemental storm, turning Draenor's highest mountain into a guardian in his place: Gorgrond.
This walking mountain dredged rivers and seas, carved valleys, and separated the Evergrowth, but later Gorgrond and the Sporemounds were both defeated.
The Elemental Throne is the location of the head of the Titan construct Gorgrond after his death. It is also where the most primitive four Elemental Furies of Draenor were born.
There is a Titan Disk left by Aggramar here, which can release ancient energy to enhance the power of the elements.
Sundra, Baron Geddon, Garr, and Ahune, the four Azerothian elementals, directly stole the authority of the Four Elemental Furies at the Elemental Throne, replacing them and becoming the Elemental Lords of Draenor.
While Shattrath City began its reconstruction work, two-thirds of Nagrand, south of the Lake Sunspring system, was incorporated into the rule of the Crusader and its allies!
The reason why the situation in Nagrand was so smooth was all thanks to Grommash Hellscream and the Warsong warriors under his command.
They fought day and night with the remnants of the Gorian Ogre Empire entrenched in northwestern Nagrand, successfully crippling their army, forcing them to huddle in their own Highmaul fortress, afraid to show their faces.
As far as Galen knew, Highmaul was the power core of the Gorian Empire and the most legitimate heir after the empire split.
This ogre empire was the third overlord of Draenor after Gorgrond and the Arakkoa Empire, until the arrival of the Draenei.
This giant city completely overturned the image of the ogres as savage and stupid. They were once an advanced civilization. The bustling markets in the fortress, the wealthy nobles, and the huge cheers of the audience in the arena echoed in the streets of the slums.
Warlord Mar'gok's castle cast a long shadow, visible in every corner within the city walls, indicating his vigilant gaze and cruel iron fist.
It was only later, under the hard impact of the Warsong clan, that they also began to decline.
The ogres of Highmaul were probably the strongest of the ogres. Of course, there was also a clan called the Daggermaw clan who were doing well. Compared to these noble heirs of the ogre empire, the few hundred ogres under Galen, such as the Stonefist ogres, were at most a bunch of country bumpkins.
In the original timeline, Stromgarde was conquered by orcs who were slaves of the Stonefist ogres, and they eventually occupied a third of the city. No matter what the reason, it was embarrassing to think about it.
Galen strolled through Shattrath City with Alleria. The city was in ruins, but the Draenei were full of hope as they began to rebuild it.
With Galen's tacit consent, the Broken who had chosen not to leave with Akama remained in Shattrath City. Galen divided the outer city area east of the core Holy Light Square and allocated it to them, allowing them to rebuild their homes.
Of course, Galen sent a team of a hundred farmers to guide the planning, otherwise, they would have turned the east side into a slum, and Galen would have had to demolish the illegal buildings and re-plan it later.
The farmer team lived directly in a large house in the northeast corner that was still relatively intact. This house was full of Draenei style. Galen planned to use it as the center to plan the eastern district. In the future, this would become the outer corner point for the Crusade to receive other forces. Galen named it: The Edge Inn.
As they walked, they came to the vicinity of Shattrath's arena. There were relatively few people here. The Draenei were maintaining the dome of Holy Light Square, and the Broken were repairing the city walls, leaving only a group of young children.
Just as Galen was about to change direction and continue his inspection, a small blue-skinned Draenei, chasing and playing, ran headfirst into Galen's leg armor and fell to the ground with a thud.
Galen could tell at a glance that the little Draenei was in great pain. A bump rose on her forehead at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Hmm, she has horns on her head, she's a Draenei girl.
Galen bent down, revealing a friendly expression, and reached out to help the little girl up. Alleria also stepped forward, patting the dust off the back of the little girl's red dress.
Galen noticed the watery look in the little girl's eyes. She was holding back the pain.
"Little sister, what's your name? You must pay attention to safety when running on the road in the future, it hurts a lot when you fall!" Galen couldn't help but give a few more instructions, seeing how cute the little Draenei was.
"My name is Dolnaan. I'm sorry, human big brother, I didn't mean to bump into you!"
Galen didn't finish listening to the little girl's clear voice. He only remembered the three words Dolnaan.
"Dolnaan, where is your home? We'll take you back." Alleria's gentle voice made little Dolnaan feel at ease.
"I don't have a home anymore. The matron is taking care of me now. Big brother, big sister, are you the Holy Light warriors that the matron said would save Shattrath?"
After hearing little Dolnaan's words, Galen was even more certain of the little Draenei girl's identity.
Since the establishment of the Orcish Horde in Draenor, there were orphans everywhere who had lost their parents. Those homeless orphans had nowhere else to go, so they were usually taken in and cared for by the Shattrath Orphanage until they reached the age of self-sufficiency.
Dolnaan's father was a Shattrath City guard. Having lost her parents in the war, she could only be sent to the orphanage.
However, the fall of Shattrath clearly made it difficult for the orphanage as well. Looking at the many patches on Dolnaan's clothes and her thin body, one could tell that they had not been living well before.
"That's right, we came to Shattrath under the guidance of the Naaru and drove away the orcish bad guys who bullied you!" Galen softly comforted the tragically fated orphan, "From now on, we will protect Shattrath, and no one will be able to bully you again!"
Alleria glanced at Galen in surprise. She didn't expect that this strong man, who was always so calm and composed on the outside, would have such a gentle side?
Did he used to reserve this tenderness for Sylvanas?
This thought made Alleria feel a tightness in her chest and a very uncomfortable feeling.
Galen's hand caressed her forehead, and then the power of the Holy Light was activated, gently outputting it to heal the bruise on the little Draenei's forehead.
Soon, her forehead returned to being smooth and flat.
The Holy Light on Dolnaan's forehead faded away. She gently touched her forehead with her small hand and giggled, "My head doesn't hurt anymore! Thank you, brother!"
"Dolnaan, would you like to come with us?" Galen asked after a moment of silence.
Such a cute and promising little girl, Galen wanted to abduct her and personally train her, and when she grew up, she could be Madane's little wife.
Hmm, he just didn't know how old a Draenei with a long lifespan had to be to be considered an adult?
If it took hundreds or thousands of years to be considered an adult, then Madane would have to wait for hundreds of years.
"I'm willing, big brother, but I have to go back and tell the matron, otherwise she will worry about me!"
"Then let's go quickly!"
Under Dolnaan's guidance, they turned two corners and arrived at the Shattrath Orphanage. The matron was a Draenei female priest wearing a priest's robe.
"By the Holy Light, little Dolnaan, you went out running around again! Although Shattrath has now returned to the embrace of the Holy Light, the city is being rebuilt everywhere. What if you get hurt by accident!" The matron knelt down and stroked Dolnaan's back, scolding her for running around.
"Matron, these two big brothers and big sisters want to adopt me!"
Only then did the matron look up at Galen and Alleria, recognizing their identities, the Naaru and the Draenei's new allies, the leaders of the Crusade!
The female priest had watched them from afar when the Crusade entered the city. Now that she was closer, she was amazed by the vast and scorching Holy Light in Galen's body, and at the same time, she happily said, "Of course, you can, Holy Light warriors, lords of the Crusade."
"Please rest assured, I swear by the Holy Light that I will take good care of Dolnaan and treat her like family." Hmm, that's right, she will be Madane's little wife in the future. Madane recognizes me as his big brother, so little Dolnaan is my sister-in-law!
"And in the future, I will have the quartermaster regularly send a batch of supplies to the orphanage to improve the children's living conditions, hoping that they can grow up happily!"
After Galen finished speaking, little Dolnaan happily pounced on Galen and Alleria.
Little Dolnaan was a Draenei who was very sensitive to the elements. She could feel the gentle wind spirit power in Alleria's body. Although Galen also had scorching flames, icy frost, a reliable earth body, and violent wind, what moved Dolnaan the most was Galen's warm Holy Light.
Dolnaan held Galen's hand with one hand and Alleria's hand with the other, happily saying, "From today on, I have a mom and dad again! Hehe!"
Dolnaan laughed like a little hen, while Alleria blushed!
For his own safety, Galen eventually corrected Dolnaan's address to him and Alleria, changing it to "Older Brother" and "Older Sister."
When Galen brought Dolnaan back to Crusader Highlands, he found that Mahrrad had taken time out of his busy schedule to visit them today.
From a distance, Galen could hear Mahrrad talking to Med'an.
"Med'an, your affinity for the Holy Light is very strong, a rare sight even among the Draenei."
Med'an's affinity for the Holy Light was more than just strong; he had an affinity for all energies: Holy Light affinity, arcane affinity, elemental affinity.
With Titan, Draenei, Orc, and Human bloodlines, except for the Orcish bloodline from his mother, the bloodline of the top human mage possessed by the Dark Titan from his father created this supreme and invincible talent.
He was definitely the son of destiny, the protagonist of the world. Turalyon, Khadgar, Go'el, Arthas, Varian, and Med'an would all be ashamed to compare themselves to him. If Galen wasn't a cheat, he would be just as envious.
However, all of this was confidential. The only people who knew the truth were Medivh and his mother, Garona, and a few others like Galen.
Garona didn't tell her newly acquainted uncle about this, mainly because she was afraid that Mahrrad wouldn't be able to handle the truth that Med'an had Sargeras' bloodline.
"Grandpa Mahrrad, I know, and I'm already sensing the Holy Light!" Four-and-a-half-year-old Med'an stroked Mahrrad's warhammer, his hand radiating golden light, proving that he had indeed comprehended the power of the Holy Light.
"I hope you can come with me to the Eternal Light Shrine in Aldor every day to pray. I will take the time to teach you how to use the power of the Holy Light," Mahrrad said, revealing his purpose. He hoped that Med'an would grow up to be a powerful person, not bound by fate.
"But Grandpa Mahrrad, I already have a Holy Light mentor. Are you better than Older Brother Galen?" Med'an's innocent words left Mahrrad speechless. Galen was now his immediate superior, and Mahrrad also admired Galen very much. Not only was he stronger than him, but he was also young, a true warrior blessed by the Holy Light.
"Med'an, don't talk nonsense. From now on, you will follow your great-uncle to learn how to use the power of the Holy Light. Mahrrad is a strong man among the Draenei!"
Galen led Dolnaan into the hall and gave Med'an a small lecture.
Galen was too busy, with too many plans in his mind. In addition, with his teleportation ability, he rarely stayed in one place for long. Previously, he had only given Med'an and Go'el a simple enlightenment, equivalent to helping them complete nine years of compulsory education.
Go'el had already been handed over by Galen to Drek'Thar and Greatmother Geyah for higher education. Med'an also needed one-on-one tutoring. Medivh would personally teach him in arcane arts, and Mahrrad was the most suitable for the Holy Light aspect besides himself.
Seeing Galen say this, everyone listened to the arrangement, and then everyone was attracted by the cute Dolnaan.
"Med'an, from now on, this will be your little junior sister. Be good to her and take good care of her."
After saying that, Galen raised his eyebrows. Med'an was too young to understand, he was just happy that he finally had a playmate who was even younger than him. Before, in the Minas Tirith, Go'el and Varian were all older than him, and everyone catered to him, which made Med'an feel very bored.
However, Garona on the side understood Galen's expression and nodded at Galen.
Garona understood her boss's mischievous tastes a bit. Not long ago, he said that Go'el and Aggra were a match made in heaven, and now he brought back a Draenei girl, the purpose was very clear.
Moreover, Garona also discovered that everyone valued by Galen was a talented person with outstanding talent, and Dolnaan's future achievements would definitely not be low!
Thinking of this, Garona was also happy to see it happen and joined in caring for Dolnaan.
In the following days, news came from the other three armies.
Talador Jungle is connected to Nagrand in the west, borders Spires of Arak in the south, and has roads leading to Gorgrond and Tanaan Jungle in the north. It is truly a hub of all directions.
The Draenei were able to occupy this place decades ago entirely because of their strength. They drove out the Arakkoa, the Saberon, and the Ogres before they could live and work here in peace.
It should be known that Shattrath City was formerly the capital of the Gorian Ogre Empire. The Draenei building their city on the ruins of the Ogre capital was simply slapping the Ogres in the face.
Well, it's like the High Elves building their country on the ancestral graves of the Amani Trolls, an irreconcilable feud.
Because Talador is located on a transportation route and is a strategic location, the three armies fought all the way.
The Saberon Bladefist Clan entrenched in the north immediately chose to move east and join the Saberon Alliance initiated by the Blacktooth Tribe after witnessing the power of the Crusaders.
The Arakkoa in the south also took the opportunity of the Draenei's decline and the Orcish expedition to extend their hands into southern Talador. Hawkes'bill and Nathanos uprooted several nests established by the Arakkoa in the south and drove out the Arakkoa, but did not directly carry out killings. The policy towards Spires of Arak in the future would depend on whether the Arakkoa were sensible or not.
Anyway, the Arakkoa have disintegrated themselves. When the time comes, Galen can completely choose to help one side fight the other. If it doesn't work, he can clean up both sides together.
Shadowmoon Valley in the southeast is Ner'zhul's lair, and Tanaan Jungle in the northeast is where the main force of the Orcs is now. Blocking the road like this directly caused a chain reaction, and the newly formed Orcish tribe started operating again.
However, a part of the Hellfire Citadel's army is besieging Farahlon Jungle, where multiple Saberon tribes are now gathered. In addition to the local Blacktooth Tribe, there are also the Swiftpaw and Razorclaw Tribes from Ashran. These are the two tribes that Gandalf subdued.
There is also the Bladefist Tribe that passed through Talador Jungle. This was frightened by the power of the Crusaders and directly chose to surrender. There are also the Bladespire Saberon who live in Nagrand and were driven out by the Frostwolf Clan, and had no choice but to join the Saberon Alliance. Only the Howling Paw Tribe voluntarily migrated and joined the alliance initiated by Chieftain Blacktooth under the leadership of the Cold-Eye Prophet.
It must be said that being given the title of Prophet does indeed come with some skills.
Compared with those who were forced to join, those who joined automatically would indeed have a higher say in the Saberon Alliance. Galen likes outstanding people who know the times.
Now, among the Saberon tribes on Draenor, only the Whiptail Tribe and the Gashesnout Tribe in Gorgrond, and the strongest Bloodmane Tribe in Spires of Arak are still watching.
Alas, things that don't know the times.
Galen gave Medivh a new directive, instructing him to coordinate all forces in Nagrand, including the Stonefist ogres, Mag'har orcs, and Frostwolf clan, along with the four newly ascended elemental kings, to conquer the Blade's Edge Mountains, the Broken Cliffs, and the Ring of Blood as soon as possible, thereby unifying Nagrand.
Nagrand was a crucial rear area that Galen greatly valued. The drop in the Zangar Sea's sea level had rendered Shattrath City's seaport useless, leaving him with no choice but to establish dockyards elsewhere.
There were only a few places on the entire continent suitable for building ports. The formation of Zangar Marsh had ruined both Shattrath City's seaport and Frostfire Ridge's seaport, leaving Galen with few viable options.
The sea south of Nagrand's Oshu'gun was calm, with gentle beaches, making it a natural harbor. Alternatively, the southern sea of Arak Summit, Shadowmoon Valley's Shadowmoon Woods and Black Temple, and the west of Tanaan Jungle's Zeth'kur and Kil'jaeden's Throne were all suitable.
Currently, only Nagrand was under his control, and unifying it early would allow him to begin large-scale infrastructure projects sooner.
Looking at the map of Draenor on the table, Galen felt like he was back in the fortress, choosing mission locations.
Gorgrond? Arak Summit? Tanaan Jungle? Shadowmoon Valley?
According to Maraad, Prophet Velen was already on his way back to Shattrath City from Zangar Marsh. However, Galen wasn't planning to wait idly in Shattrath City.
He needed to proceed with the next phase of his plan.
Tanaan Jungle and Shadowmoon Valley were the primary strongholds of the orcs. He couldn't afford to defeat them too decisively. With Kil'jaeden's attention focused on the Army of the Light and the Titan legions, if he were to completely overwhelm the New Horde, the cowardly Ner'zhul might choose to re-establish contact with Kil'jaeden!
Ner'zhul had sensed Kil'jaeden's conspiracy and chose to fade from the New Horde's view, positioning himself as transcendent, all to escape the Deceiver's control.
However, Ner'zhul had a treacherous student, Gul'dan, who proactively contacted Kil'jaeden, obtaining forbidden power and knowledge as a reward. He then propelled the Horde's expedition to Draenor and through the Dark Portal.
Now, with Gul'dan dead in Azeroth and both Blackhand and Orgrim Doomhammer either dead or missing, Ner'zhul, by virtue of his previous role as the Horde's spiritual leader, had regained the trust of the remaining orcs and reclaimed power, all while constantly guarding against Kil'jaeden.
Before the Alliance Expedition relentlessly pursued and routed them, Ner'zhul had been fairly dedicated to the orcs, One Heart wanting to lead them to find a way out, only choosing to flee when he realized the situation was hopeless.
Currently, the entire orcish Horde was in a state of dormancy, due to the aftereffects of the demonic blood that had left them weakened. If Galen pushed them too hard, Ner'zhul might summon Mannoroth or Magtheridon, initiating a blood-letting ritual, and everyone would down a cup with the main force of Hellfire Citadel, leading to major trouble!
Galen didn't want to be overwhelmed by hundreds of thousands of orcs with boosted combat power after drinking fel blood, chanting "Waugh! Waugh!"
Boiling the frog slowly was the key; he couldn't push the Horde too hard.
Currently, he occupied Terokkar Forest and the Nagrand grasslands, severing the Horde's connections to other regions, blinding their eyes and ears, and then consuming Gorgrond and Arak Summit, eventually launching a surprise attack on Shadowmoon Valley, seizing the Black Temple, and compressing the orcs' living space into Tanaan Jungle!
This strategy was simple but effective. As long as he was fast enough, he could keep the orcs from reacting.
During this time, the orcs would definitely try to open a passage between Shadowmoon Valley and Tanaan Jungle. The longer the four legions stationed at key points could hold out, the more stable Galen's plan would be.
In the end, Galen chose his next destination: Gorgrond!
Just as he was about to call for Alleria to prepare for departure, Garona reported that Magtoor, leader of the Kurenai, had information to report.
Soon, Magtoor arrived at Crusader's Pinnacle with a strange Broken, and met Galen in the hall.
"Greetings, Highlord!"
Magtoor was originally a Draenei slave brought to Azeroth. Later, he led a group of Broken, escaping from the orcs and establishing a refuge in Zangar Marsh, eventually submitting to Galen and trading loyalty for the shamanistic heritage.
Now, elemental power filled this shaman's body, no longer withered and frail like when Galen first met them two years ago. The loss of faith in the Holy Light had left him like a walking corpse, not knowing what to live for each day, until the arrival of the Wildhammer shamans introduced him to the elemental path, regaining faith and the power to resist the curse.
In fact, Galen felt that the most important thing was that they had rediscovered faith.
Faith!
This was particularly prominent among the Draenei. They had believed in the Holy Light for tens of thousands of years, and suddenly losing their connection to it left them confused. The emptiness in their hearts made them feel hopeless, and coupled with physical torture, corruption was inevitable.
"Magtoor, what brings you here?" Galen asked directly. After dealing with this matter, he had to head north. Deathwing had been in the north for half a year already, and he didn't want him to succeed in farming and bring a new Black Dragonflight to cause trouble.
He was stealing his home in Azeroth, and Deathwing was trying to steal his Shattrath City in Draenor!
"Highlord, this is Nubot, former guard officer of Shattrath City. I have discovered his extraordinary affinity for the elements and hope to allow him to learn the way of the shaman."
"You can decide on such a small matter yourself; there's no need to consult me!" Even Nubot, a famous figure, couldn't stir Galen's heart anymore. He was no longer a naive newcomer; he was now the Crusader Highlord, dominating a region and colonizing space.
"Highlord, I hope to make Nubot the leader of the Kurenai. I feel that my talent is insufficient to save all Broken brethren, but I feel that Nubot has a noble and righteous heart. He can replace me in completing this goal and truly achieve the redemption of the Broken!"
Magtoor was originally a Draenei scholar and physician. Because he lost the healing of the Holy Light, he relied on his familiarity with herbs to save one compatriot after another. Eventually, because of his high reputation, he was elected as the leader of the Broken in Zangar Marsh and eventually joined Galen's command.
Now, with the establishment of the Kurenai, the shamanistic path has allowed this organization to continue to expand. His talent has become inadequate. Now that he has met Nubot, the former second-in-command of Shattrath City's guards, he has the idea of retiring and giving way to the capable.
Galen pondered in silence. Indeed, in terms of fame, Magtoor was indeed not as good as Nubot, but this Nubot parted ways with Akama in the original timeline and chose to return to Velen's side.
This made Galen hesitate.