Chapter 229: The Kirin Tor Council - Part 1

Duke was busy, having just finished introducing the South Sea defense line.

He was originally going to continue with military discussions. In his mind, the next week would be filled with the same topics for the big shots to discuss - where the Horde was most likely to come from, where they might attack, and how to quickly mobilize the Alliance forces to that area.

It was important to note that it was harvest season, and not every country had food reserves like Lordaeron to last the entire nation for a year. For nations like Gilneas and Alterac, it was crucial to keep the damned Horde at bay before their most valued core territories and crops were trampled.

But Duke was called away.

Archmage Antonidas, one of the only two Sun Mages in the world, held a special status within the Alliance. He wanted Duke to attend an exchange with the Kirin Tor Council.

The Kirin Tor Council was fundamentally different from the Tirisfal Council, which had been destroyed by Sargeras. The Kirin Tor Council ruled only the kingdom of Dalaran, while the Tirisfal Council was a global organization focused on combating demons and preventing the misuse of magic.

Duke couldn't refuse his request.

"I've already asked for your leave from the Marshal. Although I'm a bit sorry, the Kirin Tor Council wants to meet you in Dalaran. You're familiar with teleportation portals, aren't you?" Antonidas, with his long white beard almost reaching his belly button, chuckled at Duke.

Duke nodded.

Then, arcane energy flowed out of Antonidas' hands in an orderly fashion.

A series of small supplementary spells left Duke dazzled. He stopped counting after the third one. Anyway, the system sprite had already recorded them for him, so he could study them slowly later.

As he stepped into the purple-hued portal, pulsating with strange arcane fluctuations like a living breath, Duke immediately noticed the gap between his and Antonidas' magical prowess.

With the system's help, Duke had already become quite formidable.

In terms of 'quality,' Duke's magic couldn't compare to a Sun Mage or even a Morning Star Mage. Antonidas opened this portal using only Morning Star-level power.

Duke could also perform teleportation, but while traversing space, he was more like playing dodgeball, carefully avoiding unstable spaces and spatial cracks, never risking passing through any unstable areas.

Antonidas, on the other hand, drove away all spatial cracks or obstacles with his magical power, except for those terrifying black hole-level spaces.

It was like when Duke encountered a mountain, he would go around the base, but Antonidas would simply tunnel through the mountain – instantly. How could Duke compare?

After Medivh's death, this awe-inspiring old mage was undoubtedly the most outstanding when it came to spatial magic.

Duke teleported himself to Dalaran. His magic was powerful enough for the job, but after successfully crossing the daunting distance, he probably needed to spend some time recovering from nausea and exhaustion.

Antonidas' teleportation, however, was as smooth as taking an elevator.

Stepping into Dalaran was a magical feeling.

If there was a place in the human kingdoms that could be called a miracle, it was Dalaran. This magnificent city, located south of Lake Lordamere, combined wisdom, power, grandeur, elegance, art, and mystery. It was the brightest jewel in the whole of Azeroth.

Although the royal city of Lordaeron on the northern shore of Lake Lordamere was also beautiful, it lacked the miraculous feeling that Dalaran had.

Nearly all human mages in the world once studied the arcane arts they learned from the high elves in this city. The mysterious and elegant white towers scattered throughout the city symbolized the wisdom, ambition, status, and power of the mages.

Antonidas had brought Duke to Dalaran during a time of great danger, so naturally, there was no time for sightseeing. Duke was escorted directly to the magical hall where the Council of Six convened.

The Council of Six's hall was a peculiar space; in the strictest sense, it did not belong to the city of Dalaran. In a way, it was already part of the sky above.

If Duke's vision and his sprite's altimeter were not deceiving him, the hall was 1,024 meters above Dalaran. Beneath them, low-lying clouds lingered, while the black sky and twinkling stars stretched out before their eyes. It was as if a hook had caught the sky, suspending the hall in midair. The bright lights of Dalaran on the ground reminded Duke that this was still a part of Azeroth.

The view from this altitude resembled that of an airplane, with a slightly distorted space at the top. Temporal fragments whipped up by space storms caused the scenery above to change in strange ways. Sometimes it was dark and drowsy, and other times it was bright as the sun rose. This was not a sight one would ordinarily see.

The six council members stood on a massive metal ring even higher than Duke. To look at them and speak, Duke had to raise his head, with each member positioned at 60-degree intervals. This greatly annoyed him.

But what bothered him more was the council members' mysterious attire, perhaps designed to evoke awe in those who were questioned. To outsiders, they could only see the purple headdresses embroidered with the Dalaran kingdom's emblem and the huge cloaks covering the person's entire body. Other details, such as their size, faces, and even gender, were concealed by clothing and magic.

What was this? Were they summoning him for judgment?

Duke's anger flared.

Antonidas quickly sensed Duke's rage and apologized, "I'm sorry, the members of the Kirin Tor council are secretly chosen. Because our country adopts a relatively democratic system, the council members' votes on crucial matters can influence the nation's policies. To avoid bribery, threats, or other pressures, everyone, except for me as the council leader, meets with outsiders in this manner."

What infuriated Duke most was not this explanation, but the looks in their eyes. They did not see him as the Alliance's deputy commander, only as an insignificant Sky Mage.

"Enough!" Duke shouted sharply, causing the six council members to shudder, "I am not one of your Dalaran mages, nor am I a prisoner here for judgment! Raise my chair! Remove your masks! Showing your true faces is basic etiquette. If you cannot even do that, I will leave now. The Alliance does not need Dalaran to defeat the Horde."