Judging from the dense mass of Scourge corpses on the screen, large-scale fire magic was very effective against the undead, but it couldn't withstand the sheer number of the Scourge.
According to reports from the Sunstrider spies, a continuous stream of Scourge soldiers was pouring into their territory from the lands of Lordaeron!
The high elves found it hard to understand why there were so many corpses in human territory, corpses that the people of Lordaeron had accumulated since the days of the Arathor Empire.
Thranduil stood behind King Anasterian. The noble councilors merely glanced at this unfamiliar face, and, noticing the weak magical fluctuations emanating from him, assumed he was just a new advisor to the king and paid him no further attention.
"Gentlemen, you've all seen it, haven't you?" Anasterian rapped on the table, drawing the attention of all the councilors back to him.
"This crisis is far greater than the one ten years ago. These undead are not only vast in number, but they also fight tirelessly. They have been relentlessly attacking the Sunwell for days, and I fear they will soon reach the gates of Silvermoon!"
After the initial shock, the councilors began to murmur amongst themselves.
"Sylvanas Windrunner must be held accountable!"
"That's right, she and the Farstrider rangers failed to defend the Gate of Quel'Thalas, allowing these damned undead to enter!"
The speakers were several minor councilors whose family territories lay within the Southern Eversong Woods. Now, with the Scourge's march, they were leaving behind glaring black trails of death on the land.
"And Prince Kael'thas as well! The Sunwell is garrisoned by the Sunfury and Sunhawk, two powerful magister legions. Why hasn't he taken the initiative to strike out and eliminate these invaders!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the high-ranking noble councilors knew that something was amiss.
Thranduil, standing behind the Sun King, felt a chill in his gaze.
Were these people fools? Why were they speaking so recklessly?
Didn't they see that Prince Kael'thas was at the front line, resisting the enemy's attacks? The number of undead was so dense that even a demigod would be overwhelmed.
No one knew if this so-called Scourge had any trump cards to break through the Sunwell's magical barrier. Once it was breached, even if the prince could retreat through a portal, the three legions inside would suffer devastating casualties.
To bring up such a thing at this time, were they out of their minds?
Did they really think that the Silvermoon Council could cover the sky with one hand and call a stag a horse?
"Silence!"
Councilor Belore, the Speaker of the Silvermoon Council, roared in anger. Even as a neutral party, he couldn't stand by and watch such short-sightedness.
Any discerning person could see that this was a matter of life and death for the high elves. Their southern neighbor, the powerful kingdom of Lordaeron, had already fallen. If they didn't take this seriously, they would certainly follow in Lordaeron's footsteps.
"Reinforcements!"
"Request aid!"
The Sun King and Belovael each proposed two different motions.
When the neutral faction in the council leaned towards the royalist party, the spokesperson of the opposition chose to remain silent.
"Deploy one of the Flamehawk and Fireblade legions!"
"Immediately seek assistance from the Alliance in the south. Although Lordaeron, the leader of the Alliance, is in dire straits, Stromgarde in the south is still a powerful nation. Their warriors can serve as a strong front line for our mage legions!"
The high elves had long lifespans, but reproduction was extremely difficult. Although Quel'Thalas had been established for nearly seven thousand years, their population had still not exceeded one million.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the Sunwell had stationed several legions; in reality, those legions were only two thousand strong at full strength. Moreover, with the exception of the Farstrider rangers, mages made up the majority of the other legions, seriously lacking frontline protection.
Belovael hoped that this time they could replicate the cooperation with Emperor Thoradin thousands of years ago and once again defeat the invading enemy.
Among the opposing councilors, Dar'khan and the other councilors exchanged glances. A glint flashed beneath his eyelids as he said, "We agree to the deployment of the Flamehawk Legion, but as for requesting aid, what do we have to offer to entice the Kingdom of Stromgarde? As you know, we took the initiative to withdraw from the Alliance a few years ago, and Stromgarde is now the most powerful nation in the Alliance. Undoubtedly, they will be the new leader of the Alliance after its reorganization!"
Thousands of years ago, they used the teaching of magic to humans as a bargaining chip to secure an alliance. Now that humans had developed a mage city-state of Dalaran, what could they offer now?
The technology of the Great Barrier?
For some unknown reason, Councilor Dar'khan subtly resisted an alliance with humans, seemingly hoping that no reinforcements would support the high elves, and many councilors expressed agreement when they heard that human interests would be involved.
The Sun King inadvertently glanced at Dar'khan, his expression becoming complex.
"Regardless of the outcome, we need to try. I will dispatch Lor'themar as an emissary to Stromgarde. I will notify everyone of Stromgarde's demands as soon as possible."
Anasterian's words represented a concession. In any case, it was just to deceive those nobles who had secretly pledged allegiance to the Lich King. Crusader reinforcements had already been hidden in Silvermoon City to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
"Then the motion to request aid is temporarily settled. Immediately notify the Flamehawk Legion to prepare. Gentlemen, may Quel'Thalas endure!"
After saying these words, the Sun King stood up directly and left the council hall.
While the main force of the Scourge was attacking the Sunwell, the detachment that Arthas had left behind in Lordaeron had grown stronger in Silverpine Forest.
There were few humans living in Silverpine Forest. The residents in the northern part of Lordaeron had already heard the news and fled, while the territory in the south originally belonged to Duke Darius Crowley's lands of the Kingdom of Gilneas. Those residents had been forcibly relocated behind the Greymane Wall with its completion.
Because it could not obtain too many living soldiers, the commander of this Scourge detachment had no choice but to empty all the graves in Silverpine Forest. There was even a gnoll clan that had been forcibly transformed into his warriors.
When the number of the army increased from 100,000 to 300,000, the Scourge army began to attack the defenses of Gilneas.
The wall that King Genn Greymane prided himself on was quickly breached by the Scourge army, and the Gilneans were retreating steadily.
Under duress, King Genn listened to the advice of Archmage Arugal and summoned powerful worgen warriors from a mysterious place.
In the end, Gilneas relied on the worgen to finally repel the Scourge's invasion, but the worgen army, having lost its target, turned around and attacked Gilneas.
The worgen curse began to spread among the Gilneans, and the entire Kingdom of Gilneas was in a state of panic, with the people complaining and the nobles becoming restless.
Fortunately, Prince Liam and his guards fought bravely in the process of resisting the Scourge and gained the recognition of the people and the army. Under his comfort, the kingdom temporarily stabilized.
However, this was not a long-term solution. Liam decided to advise his father: Rejoin the Alliance!