Chapter 220: The Alliance of Lordaeron - Part 2

The Archbishop of Stormwind... this was undoubtedly a weighty title.

King Llane of Stormwind had always been known as a wise monarch, and being from the nearby Dwarven kingdom of Ironforge, King Magni had always placed greater trust in him. As for King Terenas of Lordaeron, who often spoke in bureaucratic terms but offered little substance, well...

At this moment, Muradin raised his hammer, "On behalf of the Bronzebeard Dwarves of Ironforge, we join the Alliance."

King Terenas was not pleased with Muradin's show-stealing moment, but he wouldn't make things difficult for the Dwarves. After all, it was not his Lordaeron that was being pledged.

"So, let's put it to a vote!"

"Stormwind agrees." Llane was quick to make his position known. Everyone knew that the besieged Stormwind was desperate for help, and pretending otherwise would be pointless. It was better to act as a leader and motivator.

Lord Daelin Proudmoore and King Thoras Trollbane spoke up almost simultaneously:

"Kul Tiras agrees."

"Stromgarde agrees."

At this moment, four nations had agreed. If Lordaeron, as the head of the Alliance, gave its approval, the formation of the Alliance would be a done deal.

Then, the ever-calm King Terenas of Lordaeron raised his hand gently, "Lordaeron agrees."

As the strongest of the seven human kingdoms, Lordaeron's approval was expected, both due to its leadership position among the nations and as a response to the recent Orcish slave revolt. Lordaeron had to join.

With Lordaeron's approval, the remaining somewhat hesitant nations of Dalaran, Gilneas, and Alterac also joined.

Thus, all seven human kingdoms and the Dwarves had joined. The kings and princes turned their gaze to the lowest-ranking representative in the throne room - Dak'khan Drathir, a Quel'thalas Silvermoon Council member.

Facing dozens of intense gazes, the handsome high elf mage raised his long eyebrows, took a sip of the finest Lordaeron tea, and spoke with an air of detachment.

"After consulting with our Silvermoon Council and King Anasterian Sunstrider, Quel'thalas will not join the Alliance. However, as a symbol of our long-standing friendship with humanity, we will provide you with necessary assistance."

Not joining the Alliance?

Offering necessary assistance?

Such aloof words seemed to say, "We're merely throwing you humans a bone..."

Several kings stood up in anger, glaring at Councilman Dak'khan.

No one expected Magni to be the one to fire back, "Hey! Long ears! Aren't you afraid those green-skinned brutes will circle around and cause trouble for you first?"

In that instant, Duke secretly gritted his teeth: Damn, Brann hit the nail on the head!

Indeed! In 'history', the Orcish expeditionary force had bypassed most of the northern continent and went directly to Quel'thalas to cause trouble for the high elves.

But Dak'khan seemed unfazed, casually rebutting with an air of arrogance akin to Duke's 'Seven Deadly Sins', "High Elf magic is beyond the comprehension of you tunnel-digging dwarves. Quel'thalas has the most perfect magical defense system. We do not need your concern for our safety."

With that, Dakkan stood up, turned around, and left!

Left!?

He actually left!

This was not only a slap in the face for Lordaeron but also for the entire Alliance!

For a moment, several kings even entertained the idea of waging war on Quel'Thalas.

Still, the kings of humanity were not chieftains of the Horde, who became leaders through brute strength. Their rationality reminded them to remain calm. However, they all told themselves that if those long-eared elves really got into trouble, they could just let them perish.

Duke, standing beside King Llane, was puzzled. As a traveler from another world and a veteran player, he recalled most of the historical events. But why did it seem like the high elves weren't as antagonistic in his memory?

Well, no matter what, the Alliance was established just as Duke had imagined.

From this point on, Duke had no further involvement.

Having fulfilled his role as a behind-the-scenes orchestrator, Duke left the matters of resource allocation, military coordination, and intelligence sharing to the others.

Kings would naturally negotiate with other kings. Although Llane wished for Duke to remain by his side and offer more advice, Duke silenced him with a single sentence.

"Sorry, Your Majesty, I have thirteen hundred reports and documents to review. If I continue to stay here, that number will double by tomorrow. I don't rule out the possibility that due to various unaddressed issues, your people and soldiers may face casualties this winter. After all, Southshore is close to the Alterac Mountains, and the winters here are much colder than in Stormwind City."

Llane had no choice but to let Duke return to the guesthouse.

Back at the guesthouse, Marco opened the door for Duke, and as soon as he entered, he saw his maid, Vanessa.

Duke originally wanted Vanessa to wear a very modern, black-and-white lace maid outfit. However, the highly independent Vanessa ignored the order of the esteemed Duke of Karazhan and Sky Mage, removing all the fancy trimmings herself, turning the plunging neckline into a modest, buttoned-up one, and lengthening the black skirt until it almost reached her ankles.

Forget about cat ears or anything of the sort.

Alright! This was a maid outfit fitting for this era.

Duke wanted to say something, but Vanessa just snorted and turned away, not even sparing him a glance.

Duke wouldn't harm a 13-year-old girl; he just wanted something pleasing to the eye... It's not a crime, right? Sob! Never mind, it's all tears.

Duke buried himself in the mountain of reports and paperwork, feeling bitter.

At least he was better off than King Llane and Lord Anduin, who were both physically and mentally exhausted. The meeting between nations seemed endless and pointless.

For the sake of their respective countries, the kings were willing to do whatever it takes.

It took five long days to establish a comprehensive treaty, officially named the "League of Lordaeron," following in the footsteps of history. Later on, after the fall of Lordaeron and the inclusion of more races, people dropped the "Lordaeron" part and referred to it as simply "the League."

The conference lasted five days, one more day than Duke had remembered, mostly because King Llane had survived. None of the kings were willing to give the leader position to Terenas, as they all sensed his desire to use the Horde invasion as a chance to unify the human countries and become the second Emperor of Thoradin.

The six kings who detected Terenas' underlying motives banded together to resist his complete control over the league's power.

In a sense, compromise is a part of politics.

Terenas, who was perceptive of the kings' firm opposition against a common enemy, didn't push too hard. On the fifth day, he proposed a cunning plan - Lothar, the heir to the throne of Thoradin, would become the supreme commander of the League. Terenas himself would only serve as the nominal leader. Each country would provide troops in proportion to their strength, all under the unified command of Lothar.