Chapter 147: The Peril of Stormwind City (Part 1)

Is the kingdom of Stormwind on the brink of destruction?

This has been the topic of hushed conversations among the citizens of Stormwind for the past few months.

The orcs are terrifying, and every survivor who lived through their onslaught shares their fear with others.

If it weren't for King Llane Wrynn, clad in his shining golden armor, patrolling the walls of Stormwind City three times a day, this unease would spread endlessly.

Llane Wrynn, Anduin Lothar, and Bolvar Fordragon have somehow become the pillars of strength in the hearts of the people. And with the ever-growing and thickening walls, along with the enormous, oddly shaped arrow towers and trebuchet towers that seemed to grow taller each day, the people's hearts were somewhat comforted.

Llane gazed at the dense forest in the distance from atop Stormwind City's outer wall for a moment before focusing on the wall itself. The original outer wall had been transformed beyond recognition.

After using a magical substance called 'concrete' to nearly double the thickness of the outer wall, its height had also been increased by half. Moreover, two additional walls of increasing height had been built outside the outer wall, along with two massive killing spaces between them, known as 'barbicans' according to the blueprints.

Narrow passages connected the three walls, with large iron plates placed at crucial points. A pin was placed beside each iron plate, attached to a small gap. If a soldier removed the pin, or someone on the wall removed the chain connecting the pin, the iron plate would fall.

The new walls also differed from traditional ones. From the outside, they appeared to have many mysterious diamond shapes.

Lothar, Fordragon, and all the officers who had been to the frontlines praised these angular structures, as they were effective in defending against the orcs' crude but powerful trebuchets.

Behind the three outer walls rose the massive hexagonal arrow towers, with their pointed ends facing outwards and narrowing as they rose. If it weren't for a technique called 'reverse molding,' this would have been inconceivable.

In addition to the arrow towers, there were even larger towers that could hold several ballistae or a large trebuchet.

The sight of so many war machines was enough to make anyone's hair stand on end, and all of this had been built since the orcs had invaded the Elwynn Forest.

"Edwin, are all these based on Duke's blueprints?" Varian asked the young man beside him, both satisfied and slightly puzzled.

Edwin VanCleef, 28 years old, was a senior foreman of the Stonemasons' Guild. He was currently employed by Duke, serving as the project manager appointed by him to attend to the king.

"Yes, Your Majesty." At this moment, VanCleef was far from the later leader of the sinister Defias Brotherhood that would occupy Moonbrook, turn the mines into the Deadmines, and attack any citizen of Stormwind in defiance of the kingdom's authority.

Edwin VanCleef was in the prime of his life, full of passion and integrity.

When Marco, Duke's 'chief steward,' found him with Duke's instructions, Edwin was taken aback.

Duke Markus was the kingdom's brightest star, a rising business tycoon, an emerging star in the world of magic, and the master of a new power in the kingdom of Stormwind.

And Edwin was just a craftsman looked down upon by high society.

Unexpectedly, Marco had found him personally.

When Marco explained that Duke wanted to take him on as a direct follower, Edwin almost immediately agreed to Duke's invitation without any hesitation.

Even though he had never had the opportunity to meet his new master face-to-face, the subsequent events further solidified Edwin's loyalty.

Duke had him construct numerous fortresses for the kingdom to slow down the advance of the orc army and rebuild Stormwind City's defense system.

The wages were more than sufficient. Duke paid all the wages in advance: be it gold coins, fine white bread, or delicious fish. As these options were presented to VanCleef, he nearly shed tears on the spot. Due to the influx of refugees into Stormwind, the supply of daily necessities had become scarce, and these three items were desperately needed by the struggling members of the Stonemason's Guild.

With the nation in crisis, the craftsmen erupted with two hundred percent enthusiasm, working tirelessly and selflessly. Many people collapsed from exhaustion on the construction site, but not a single one complained.

Moreover, Duke fulfilled his promise by sending ships ahead of time to evacuate the craftsmen's families. To be among the first to leave was a privilege usually reserved for the nobility.

After sending away his beloved daughter, Vanessa, Edwin's loyalty to Duke became unshakable.

King Llane was unaware of these minor details, but seeing Edwin's fanatical devotion, he was pleased. He patted Edwin on the shoulder, "You've done well. Finish the outer city wall and move on to the inner city wall. The orcs are coming soon, and it will be the domain of the warriors from now on."

"Your command, Your Majesty."

In no time, a gust of wind mixed with a foul smell seemed to suddenly emerge from the dense forest. The swirling wind carried dust and weeds into the air, forming a massive gale.

The ferocious wind blew through the leveled forest, rushing straight towards the outer wall of Stormwind City. The leaves and debris it brought with it made it difficult for the soldiers to raise their heads.

In that moment, everyone instinctively shielded their eyes with their hands, watching in shock as the green hue that accompanied the wind emerged from the forest.

The surging green, the green with thunderous footsteps, countless strange greens filled the entire forest. Like a horde of army ants covering the mountains, they converged into rivers, and the rivers transformed into oceans, pouring out of the forest.

The thick green tide rolled incessantly, the orcs' frenzy spilling from every gap in the forest. The entire forest seemed to come alive, casting an ominous green hue in the eyes of every soldier.

Following closely behind were the sounds of rumbling war drums and horns.

For the sake of battle, the trees within a kilometer range of the city wall had been completely felled.

However, the green tide of orcs filled a solid eight hundred meters of open ground in the distance, as far as the eye could see.

In the forefront, a towering green-skinned orc carried two massive beast bones on his shoulders. He rode atop the largest wolf even among the pack, a beast more formidable than the largest bull ever seen by humans.

The alpha wolf reared up and howled towards the sky, its pure black mane billowing in the wind, exuding an aura of ferocity.

"Awoooo—"