Chapter 247: Sylvanas' Complaint

Standing on a hill at the westernmost point of the western coast, one could see the massive Isle of Penance, or rather, the Isle of Tol Barad, to the right in the southern horizon. The spiral-shaped island boasted a massive fortress at its highest point. On the island's shore, the recently deployed Fourth Fleet of Kul Tiras was stationed.

"Duke, are you joking? I don't think those green-skinned brutes would be foolish enough to attack here," Alleria said, resting her hands on her hips. Following her gaze, one could see the beautiful ranger's toned midsection.

For some reason, Duke found it increasingly difficult to look directly at Alleria.

Alleria shot Duke a glance, reminding him that they were at war. Unfortunately, she also found herself struggling to look Duke in the eye. Even though she kept telling herself that Duke was just a 15-year-old half-pint, he certainly didn't look like one.

Well, back to the matter at hand.

The location was quite delicate. From the terrain, the steep mountains to the west formed a nearly ninety-degree cliff, making it incredibly difficult for even orcs to climb. It would be a nightmare for any army attempting to land.

The slope facing the hill where they stood was about forty-five degrees, leading straight to the beach. It could be said that this was the limit for allowing an army to land.

Alleria didn't believe the Horde would probe here, mainly because it was too close to the Kul Tiras fleet. Even if the Fourth Fleet was weaker and had only half the number of the first three fleets, it was still not something the Horde's transport ships or scout ships could handle.

"No, no, no! Alleria, haven't you noticed? The location is quite peculiar. It's just out of range of the island's cannons."

The elven woman brushed her magnificent golden hair aside. She had noticed the island was a bit far, and due to the protruding mountains to the west, there was a blind spot where long-range weapons couldn't reach. If an invasion occurred here, the island's artillery fire would be unable to hit the invaders.

However, Duke had constructed a massive bunker here. Using a cement mixture made of newly arrived volcanic limestone, he built a five-story-high bunker. The lowest level housed eight cannons, while the second level had twelve ballistae. On both sides of the bunker, there were trebuchet positions.

This setup was almost on par with Southshore.

"I request that you eliminate any invading Horde scout teams as quickly as possible. I can only entrust this task to you, Alleria!" Duke said, his eyes shining with determination.

The elven woman was clearly flattered. She stood with her hands on her hips, giving the impression of an invisible tail flicking in the air. "Hehe! At least you know who the strongest woman in the Windrunner family is."

Duke wiped his brow, feeling the sweat.

Halfway between Southshore and their current location, Duke had assigned Sylvanas to guard a bunker. In Alleria's opinion, that was the most likely spot for probing. For this reason, Alleria had been sulking for quite some time.

Only now that the Lady was satisfied did she let him off the hook.

Entering a state of battle readiness, Alleria...found Duke to be a hindrance. She argued that the specifics of the battle zone's layout didn't require the attention of the deputy commander and sent him away.

Duke had thought that was the end of it, but on his way back to Southshore, he saw two long legs dangling in midair.

The eye-catching green boots, combined with the impossibly long legs that surely exceeded 3 feet 7 inches in length, were hard to miss.

Elven figures are naturally slender, but Sylvanas' long legs were truly exceptional. Neither too voluptuous nor too thin, her legs exuded a sense of perfection.

Duke, Gavinrad, Windsor, and Duke's guards all halted their horses.

"Alright, Sylvanas... what can I do for you?"

Sylvanas' legs seemed to sway playfully in midair, her expression radiating an intoxicating laziness. "Well, I can't help but feel... Are you underestimating me? You've given me what seems to be the most likely spot for Horde scouts to appear, but I think you actually believe my sister's location is the real focus, don't you?"

Uh-oh, the Windrunner sisters' intuition was monstrous!

Duke sighed, "Yes, I must admit, in my heart, the chances of encountering Horde scouts at that other location are five times greater than here."

"Why did you arrange it like this?" Sylvanas asked casually.

"Because you don't seem to be putting in much effort, do you?" Duke decided to play dumb.

Everyone knew that back in Quel'thalas, she was the infamous "salary thief," reaping the benefits of a Ranger-Marshal while neglecting her duties.

Of course, that was just the surface.

The primary reason was the oppression from the Silvermoon Council, or more precisely, the oppression of the ranger faction by the mage-dominated high elves. The mage faction, with their control over magical powers, were the rulers. However, even rulers needed more ordinary soldiers to maintain the pyramid structure of their ruling class. So, they would subtly oppress the ranger faction.

Furthermore, the high elves were originally exiled by the druid-dominated night elves due to differing opinions on magic use. As a result, the mage faction had been suppressing the nature-aligned ranger faction for centuries.

Unable to accept the Windrunner sisters' outstanding abilities and bound by Sylvanas' remarkable accomplishments, the Silvermoon Council reluctantly promoted her to Ranger-Marshal.

But that was their limit; the Silvermoon Council constantly made life difficult for Sylvanas. If a local lost a cat, they'd have her look for it. When major incidents, like an arcane golem going berserk, occurred, she wasn't involved.

This was for political balance and compromise. Sylvanas, with her title as a Quel'thalas city guard - oh, City Defense Marshal - could hardly do anything.

"Oh, don't underestimate the women of the Windrunner family. Any of us four sisters have hunted down hundreds of trolls," Sylvanas complained.

Oddly, Duke noticed that Queen Sylvanas had actually shifted into serious mode.

Uh, the women of the Windrunner family usually displayed a capricious, curious nature. However, if one were to overlook their inherent combative genes due to this aspect of their personality, someone would surely pay a heavy price.

Duke quickly made a mental cross on his chest and whispered a silent prayer, then put on a face that showed he took Sylvanas seriously.

"Oh, I do believe that as well. Since you've spoken up, very well. In three days, I'll prepare a special seat for you in Southshore. There will be prey that you'll be satisfied with," Duke promised.

"Hehe, that's more like it." Sylvanas' figure suddenly vanished from the tree trunk.