Now, almost all the major forces that have a good relationship with Stromgarde have come to Stromgarde. Their idea is very simple: first, meet with Galen, who has been missing for ten years, and at the same time, the two sides exchange information and communicate with each other.
After all, they first established a deep friendship with Galen on the battlefield, and later developed into steadfast allies because of personal relationships.
Old friends met, and naturally they chatted enthusiastically. Finally, Muradin saw that everyone was here, and suggested a friendly match, which everyone responded to.
The recognized number one warrior among the human kingdoms is Anduin Lothar. He, who possesses the noble bloodline of Emperor Thoradin, was recognized by everyone in the war more than ten years ago.
Then, Thoras Trollbane and Daelin Proudmoore, who were in the same era as Lothar, can be ranked second and third, followed by Llane Wrynn and Genn Greymane.
However, as everyone knows, King Llane and King Genn are still stuck at the peak of the ninth level, and have been unable to find the threshold of the Legendary rank for more than ten years.
In the thousands of years of human development, a rule has been summarized: if you cultivate to the ninth level before the age of thirty, then you have a chance to hit the Legendary rank during this peak period of your physical body.
Warriors, after all, are a profession that relies on the physical body. Now that the two kings are over fifty years old, it is very difficult to improve. The reason why their strength has not declined completely depends on their solid foundation, and the use of natural treasures to maintain the fullness of their flesh and blood.
If you miss the opportunity to break through the bottleneck in your peak state, it is not impossible to break through, but relying on external forces is still very slim, unless you rely on the effect of external forces.
Lucky ones are always rare. This is why so many people choose to believe in the Old Gods or the Lich King, and why so many people choose to become guides for the Burning Legion. Being infused with Void energy or Fel energy can ignore all talent factors.
Of course, the above is for melee professionals. It is not common for spellcasters. They are even more dependent on talent than warriors. Without any talent, they can't even light a small flame. Back then, Galen wanted to be a mage, but his mental power was profound, but he couldn't cast spells!
At that time, Galen felt that the world was about to collapse.
The first to fight were Varian and Derek. The two princes went all out as soon as they made a move, fighting quite fiercely.
Varian used a two-handed sword, while Derek used a saber. His left hand was loosely placed on his waist, and he repeatedly wanted to draw the short gun from his waist, but in the end, the two stopped at the right time and ended in a draw.
Next was Galen against Muradin Bronzebeard. This dwarf prince is a natural warrior. He awakened his bloodline talent and became a Mountain King. The war hammer and battle axe in his hand were swung so tightly that no wind could pass through. Unfortunately, Galen is not affected by dizziness, and in the end, Galen won by relying on the power of his physical body.
The third match was Daelin against Brann Bronzebeard. Similarly, the saber in Daelin's hand was completely different from the saber in Derek's hand. The saber in Daelin's hand was like a poisonous snake, and every attack would bite Brann hard.
At this time, Galen also saw the strength of the veteran powerhouse. He remembered that in addition to cultivating combat skills, the Proudmoore family also practiced a kind of Tide Sage power in order to fight better at sea. It's just that Daelin is just sparring now and hasn't used his full strength, otherwise the Admiral would have won in advance.
The following were the individual challenges. Derek and Varian successively applied to Galen for a flag match.
After several battles, Lothar and Thoras also felt itchy and joined the battle one after another.
Everyone had a great time all day, but only Lothar noticed something unusual. Only Galen had a complete victory, and no matter who his opponent was, he could always overwhelm them.
Could it be?
Lothar looked at Thoras, and Thoras seemed to understand Lothar's inquiry and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Everything was understood without words.
The next day, the Stormwind Kingdom, the Stromgarde Kingdom, the Kul Tiras Kingdom, and the dwarven delegation left Stromgarde together and headed to the Stratholme Cathedral in northern Lordaeron.
At this time, the Eastern Plaguelands area was quite lively, because of the upcoming celebration, in addition to the nobles of this country, there were also many kings, nobles, and famous people from other countries who came, and Stratholme is close to the southern border of the high elf kingdom, and it is very likely that high elves will attend the celebration, which has attracted many people to come.
The large flow of people greatly stimulated local commercial trade.
At this time, the protagonist of this celebration, Prince Arthas of Lordaeron, was in a farm outside the royal city of Lordaeron.
Here lies buried a colt that he loved the most. Arthas witnessed its birth and named it 'Invincible'.
After adulthood, Invincible, under the careful feeding and training of the Lordaeron royal family's horse trainers, possessed physical qualities far superior to ordinary horses. Most importantly, Invincible was very smart and understood human nature.
However, all of this was gone eight years ago. At that time, it had just snowed on the land of Lordaeron. Arthas wanted to leave the Lordaeron Palace to practice his riding skills. He quietly untied Invincible's reins. At this time, Invincible had grown from being clumsy and weak when he was first born to a tall and handsome horse.
Arthas led it out of the palace once, and after putting on the saddle, he leaped onto Invincible's back in one stride, and then galloped happily on the white land of Lordaeron!
Unfortunately, Invincible was indeed a strong adult horse, but it was raised as a pet of the Lordaeron prince. It was not familiar with the wild environment of Lordaeron, and the weather was cold, the ground was covered with snow and there were many places with ice.
Arthas got carried away while running and directed Invincible to cross one obstacle after another.
Finally, Invincible stepped on a frozen rock. Unfortunately, its hooves slipped and it fell, and Arthas almost fell face first into the mud.
Arthas landed safely by virtue of his superb physical fitness, but Invincible was not so lucky. It fell into a patch of dead grass, and under the dead grass were hidden jagged stones.
Arthas's Invincible struggled in the snow, and a large amount of blood was steaming in the snow. Its two hind legs were not injured, but its two front legs had been completely shattered and were hanging in front of its chest at a strange angle.
At that time, Arthas thought about finding a priest to treat his Invincible, but he got lost in the blizzard.
Arthas returned to Invincible's side. He knew what he had to do. He needed to help Invincible end this pain.
Arthas drew the long sword from his waist. Invincible looked at him calmly and trustingly, as if knowing what was about to happen.
Looking at the Invincible that understood human nature, Arthas felt very guilty, and tears instantly blurred his vision.
Despite being very reluctant, Arthas still raised his long sword, and the blade accurately pierced Invincible's heart, ending Invincible's pain.
"I'm sorry!"
"I'm so, so sorry!"
Arthas looked at the small mound of earth outside the farm, muttering to himself.
The past events flashed before his eyes. Everyone thought it was an accident, that Invincible had simply lost its footing, but only he knew what had truly happened.
Arthas looked at the small mound and made a vow in his heart: if anyone needed protection, even for the well-being of others, requiring him to sacrifice his own life, he would not hesitate, no matter the cost!
"Prince Arthas, His Majesty the King requests your return. Delegates from Stromgarde, Stormwind, Kul Tiras, and the dwarves have arrived!"
A guard arrived behind Arthas, conveying the King's new orders to the Prince.
"I'll return immediately!" Arthas replied.
Arthas turned and left the place, mounting a new warhorse. In recent years, he had focused on training his horsemanship, no longer as clumsy and bewildered as he had been in his youth.
Although the warhorse beneath him was strong, well-trained, and of pure blood, he still missed Invincible, the little foal he had watched grow up.
The ceremony for his induction into the Silver Hand was approaching, but his mind was blank, and he had no idea what he should do. A disturbing thought churned within him: did he even deserve to receive the blessings of the Holy Light and the glory of becoming a core member of the Silver Hand?
When he returned to the Royal Palace of Lordaeron, this anxiety was instantly cast aside as he saw many familiar faces.
Former Alliance Marshal Anduin Lothar, King Thoras Trollbane, Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, his martial arts instructor Muradin Bronzebeard, and three princes of his age, Derek, Galen, and Varian!
Many years ago, they had gathered in Lordaeron to discuss how to deal with the great enemy of mankind. Ultimately, under the leadership of this group, the Alliance had emerged victorious.
Arthas scanned the crowd again, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. He did not find the figure he longed to see.
The girl who had deeply attracted him when he was just a boy, her vitality and wisdom shining, had become the white moonlight in Arthas's heart.
"Good day, Your Majesties. Good day, cousins!" Arthas greeted the group.
The seven human kingdoms all originated from a colossal entity thousands of years ago, the Arathor Empire. The current royal families are all descendants of the great nobles of the original empire, and intermarriage between nobles was common, so it was normal for them to be related.
Arthas was nineteen this year, Varian was twenty-five, Galen was twenty-eight(but 22 due to time travelling) according to his birthdate, and Derek was the oldest at thirty. They were worthy of Arthas calling them cousins.
The others returned Arthas's greeting. When Galen looked at Arthas, his demigod senses suddenly triggered, and a strange sensation came to his mind.
"Child, when you were born, the forests of Lordaeron whispered your name.
Child, I watched you grow with pride, becoming the embodiment of righteousness.
Remember, we have always ruled this nation with wisdom and strength.
I also trust that you will use your great power with caution.
But, the true victory, child—is to stir the hearts of your people with courage.
I tell you this, for one day, my life will reach its end, and you will be crowned king."
Galen was stunned.
"Cousin, Cousin Galen?"
After completing the greetings, Arthas chose to come to the younger generation. After all, the older generation had their own topics, and it would be unwelcome for Arthas to intrude. However, Galen's vacant gaze and absent-minded expression made Arthas somewhat displeased.
Derek and Galen had the best relationship. He patted Galen on the shoulder, waking him from his daze.
"What's wrong, Galen?" Derek waved his hand in front of Galen's eyes, asking with concern.
"Oh! I'm fine," Galen chuckled. He couldn't possibly say that he had just had a fragment of a loving father-son scene flash through his mind.
"Long time no see, Arthas!" Galen greeted Arthas after regaining his senses.
Arthas concealed his dissatisfaction and politely responded to Galen.
Arthas was confident at this time. When he was a teenager, that girl had said that Galen was the strongest knight, which had deeply stimulated the young prince. Later, he held his breath and worked hard.
In the end, he seemed to have closed the gap!
He could sense that Varian and Derek were about the same as him, and Galen might be a little stronger than him, but he estimated that the difference was limited.
Everyone's upper limit is legendary, and I'm still young. The one who wins in the end will be me!
So Arthas put down his past jealousy and began to chat with the three princes while drinking mead, trying to integrate into their circle.
Galen took a sip of wine, his eyes subtly fixed on the young prince of Lordaeron, his mind still recalling his semi-divine sense that was sometimes effective and sometimes not.
Perhaps the one in Northrend is already looking for his death knight!
Galen could only guess this. The current Alliance has been completely changed by him, and many things have changed. The events in Galen's memory may not necessarily happen anymore.
Now, the land of the Eastern Kingdoms has basically been distributed. The Arathi Highlands are in the human heartland, and the Notheron and Wetlands that can be developed have been developed in these years. These two pieces of land have settled many base farmers.
Galen's training plan in Draenor has achieved remarkable results. Now, in addition to the Scarlet Flame, Tidefury, Stone, Gale, and Thunder Legions, Omar, Henny, and their five infantry legions and Varrokal's Knights have all been transferred to higher-level arms.
The remaining two million infantry and musketeers have now been reduced to local garrison troops, and only when there are losses in these ten main battle legions can they be replenished from this million-strong garrison.
I'm very strong, I want to make waves!
According to the news that Thranduil sent back from Northrend, Ner'zhul's real-time strategy is going smoothly. Soon he will be able to subdue his first team and successfully create his first general: the Crypt Lord Anub'arak from the underground Spider Kingdom.
Perhaps Kel'Thuzad is also about to begin his destiny.
Oh, dear, the script that Galen is looking forward to has begun to turn pages. Now he has transcended the fate of a pawn and has the qualification to play chess. The situation in the Eastern Kingdoms should also change.