Reforged Chapter 69: Countdown to the Opening Ceremony

Llane Wrynn knew Bolvar Fordragon was a young man of exceptional integrity and self-discipline, embodying the ideals of a knight. As a high-ranking member of the kingdom, Bolvar's opinion carried weight.

Llane nodded wearily, "Alright, if there are no new opinions, those who are not members of the cabinet may leave. We need to hold an emergency meeting."

Duke and the man who had been staring at him left along with a group of non-core members of the kingdom's power structure, escorted by the guards.

Duke no longer cared about the outcome of King Llane's discussion with his advisors. As he exited Stormwind Keep, he looked up at the massive statue of Azeroth's guardian, Medivh, which stood not far away, its grandeur impossible to hide even in the darkness of night.

The statue had been built to commemorate the great Medivh, who had protected the kingdom of Stormwind for twenty years.

Ironically, the once-protector of the entire kingdom and world was now on the verge of becoming the mastermind behind its destruction.

As someone about to witness this event, Duke also felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

Old Norton approached Duke, intending to say something, but Duke interrupted him, "Let's go. I want to continue learning how to become a Sky Mage."

"Duke, don't you think you're being too hasty?"

Duke shook his head, not responding. According to the system fairy's judgment, there were only 100 days left before all the sand in the dark hourglass would run out!

It was unclear whether Duke's crossing had anything to do with it, but history had already changed dramatically, and the Dark Portal incident had been significantly expedited.

Duke didn't have much time.

Deep within Stormwind Keep, the king and his advisors argued fiercely, but their discussions yielded no constructive results.

Three days later, Duke received a secret summons from the king.

In the secret meeting room within Stormwind Keep, there were only five people present - King Llane, Anduin, Bolvar Fordragon, and an old mage who appeared to be a guard.

The first to speak was the young Lord Bolvar Fordragon, "Sir Marcus, we wouldn't normally disclose such matters to you, but Lothar insisted on seeking your opinion. We hope you won't disappoint us."

Duke nodded, understanding. He knew that under normal circumstances, he, a mere mage, would not have a say among the kingdom's elites. Ultimately, in their eyes, he was merely a young upstart, a mage capable of making some money, but not a heavyweight figure.

His presence in this meeting was solely due to his 'prophetic vision' that had seemed like the ramblings of a charlatan.

Anduin's eyes were still bright, but dark circles betrayed his lack of sleep. King Llane and Bolvar were in similar states, having likely slept poorly as well.

.

Anduin leaned on the table with both hands, speaking gravely, "Things are taking a turn for the worse. On that night, we sent out three waves of messengers. The first group consisted of three messengers carrying the kingdom's banner and riding gryphons. They were then struck by lightning and turned into charred corpses, along with their gryphons, discovered by the second wave of messengers in front of Karazhan."

Anduin gritted his teeth and continued, "For safety, the third wave of messengers was divided into two groups, following the second wave at a distance. They witnessed the second wave being reduced to pulp by magical missiles fired from the tower. As they moved forward, they shouted and held aloft the King's Summoning Guardian token—a specially enchanted ring that Medivh could not possibly fail to sense."

Bolvar chimed in, "Then Medivh allowed the third wave of messengers to send people to retrieve the battered bodies of the second wave."

At this point, King Llane, seated on the throne, clasped his hands tightly against his forehead, "The worst-case scenario is that our Guardian has become our greatest enemy. Aside from notifying the Council of Tirisfal, we have no other options."

Anduin slammed his fist on the table, making a loud noise, "We have no idea what happened to Medivh! If he wanted to destroy Stormwind, he could do it alone. But why would he do such a thing!"

Duke, of course, knew why! The Demon Lord Sargeras sought to vent millennia of resentment. He had failed to invade Azeroth multiple times over the millennia, and even had his physical form destroyed by Medivh's mother, leaving him as a wandering spirit. Mere slaughter could no longer quell the rage of the Demon Lord.

Sargeras not only wanted to utterly ruin Medivh, the Guardian, and the reputation of the Council of Tirisfal but also to have the world's living creatures crawl at his feet in despair and fear.

These 100 days were Sargeras' entertainment time to torment the people of Stormwind.

More accurately, it was just an appetizer before the beginning of the destruction.

Llane stepped down from the throne, gently patted Anduin's shoulder, and calmed his anger, "Duke, we sought you out for two reasons. First, to see if you have any further insight. Second, Anduin says you have a way. After all, the kingdom can't do nothing while under threat, so do you have any ideas that won't cause panic among the people, yet could prepare us for the possible crisis? You know, the news of our most relied-upon Guardian's possible betrayal would plunge the people into immense panic."

Duke pondered for a moment, thinking to himself: Old Medivh, you've forced my hand, so don't blame me for revealing some dark technology that doesn't exist in this era.

Then Duke looked up and answered confidently, "We can strengthen three aspects: propaganda, early warning, and military buildup."

Llane, initially not expecting much from the young Duke, was now intrigued, "Go on."

"For propaganda, we inform the people that the monsters of Elwynn Forest have mutated recently. A while ago, I happened to hunt down a giant Gnoll named Hogger. He stood over 12 feet tall. Moreover, other Gnoll are also over 7 feet tall. This poses a significant threat to the people's lives, so Stormwind decides to strengthen the guard in various parts of Elwynn Forest."

"A 12-foot-tall Gnoll—that's a giant. I haven't heard of this before," King Llane muttered.

"Your Majesty, it was actually mentioned in the report I submitted to you, but you didn't have time to pay attention to such a small-scale monster invasion," Lothar reminded.

Bolvar snorted, "It's a good excuse. We can use this opportunity to reorganize and expand the militia in various towns. After the busy farming season, have them train for an hour a day, so that the people receive basic military training."

"What about weapons and equipment? Are we supposed to arm the farmers in advance?" Llane's retort made Duke realize that in any era, rulers do not want to see armed farmers.

Anduin glanced at the king, "We can transport some weapons to key towns and assign trusted officers with troops to guard them."