Just as Galen and Huln were enjoying themselves in Highmountain, a major event that could affect the entire world was brewing on Mount Hyjal.
Illidan had been riding his Nightsaber on Mount Hyjal for several days. He used his bandaged eyes to search for any possible dangers in the dense forest.
He was alone. This was Illidan's secret mission.
The disappearance of the Well of Eternity made him very uncomfortable. He had tried the methods passed down from the Highborne elves led by Dath'Remar, absorbing the arcane energy wandering in the air through meditation, and he could still cast spells, but it was too slow!
Illidan was impatient. It could be seen from his unwillingness to learn the slow magic of the druids. Asking him to meditate was simply killing him.
But now Illidan was in a great mood. In just a few minutes, all the problems would be solved by him.
The Night Elves naively thought they had won, but only Illidan, who had been granted fel energy by Sargeras, knew that the Burning Legion was endless. Those demons who died on the continent of Kalimdor could soon be resurrected in their home, the Twisting Nether!
As long as they were given time, they would eventually invade this world again!
Illidan had to prepare to resist the re-invasion of the demons. Today, Illidan was going to revive the lifeline of the Night Elves!
Finally, Illidan found a place that satisfied him. It was an ancient lake located on the highest peak of Mount Hyjal. In the center of the lake was an island covered with greenery.
Illidan patted the package around his waist. He seemed to sense that the treasure he had treasured was also happily calling, which made him even more certain that his decision was correct.
Illidan took out a dazzling crystal bottle. As long as he poured the water from this bottle of the Well of Eternity, his purpose would be achieved!
"Illidan! What are you doing!"
Galen, who was feeding the dragons at Thunder Totem, quickly received news of the changes at Mount Hyjal.
Sentinel Captain Nymuria Lingeringsong came to deliver the message. She happened to be leading a team on a secret mission in Highmountain, and Sylvanas and Alleria followed her back together.
"Your Excellency Galen, High Priestess Tyrande requests your return to Mount Hyjal. Important things have happened within the tribe, and your help is needed!" Nymuria Lingeringsong bowed to Galen, saying respectfully.
In this calamity caused by the Burning Legion, Malfurion made the greatest contribution and is revered by everyone. Now he is the recognized leader of all night elves.
Galen's contribution was also significant. As an undercover agent, he provided the resistance with a lot of important information, avoiding many casualties.
Later, Galen confronted the Burning Legion army on the front lines. His valiant posture of single-handedly mowing down the demon army was deeply imprinted in the hearts of the night elves.
Even among the existing night elf army, Galen's prestige is higher than Malfurion's, second only to Commander Jarod Shadowsong.
In addition, Malfurion developed the path of the druid in night elf society, and Galen, as Malfurion's junior brother and the second disciple of the God of Nature, naturally has a lofty status.
Under various factors, Nymuria Lingeringsong respectfully addresses Galen as 'Your Excellency'.
"What happened? Captain?"
Galen inquired of this skilled priestess of the Moon Goddess, who was also appointed by Tyrande as the captain of the sentinels.
"Your Excellency Galen, Illidan poured the waters of the Well of Eternity into an ancient lake in Mount Hyjal, attempting to recreate a Well of Eternity. Fortunately, Commander Jarod arrived in time and interrupted Illidan's dangerous plan."
Nymuria Lingeringsong's expression showed a hint of rejoicing as she said this, which is also in line with a prevalent view among the night elves: the existence of the Well of Eternity is the main reason for the Burning Legion's invasion.
Consequently, the original mage profession has also been ostracized among the night elves. Many surviving Moon Guards have chosen to switch to the path of the druid. After all, natural magic is also magic, and Malfurion has also demonstrated in the war that natural magic is not weak!
"I'm afraid that's not all. You're so eager to summon me back. Did something else happen afterward?"
"Let me guess, does it have something to do with Illidan?"
In Galen's memory, Illidan poured two bottles of water from the Well of Eternity before Jarod interrupted him with his men. Later, Illidan became angry out of shame, and a fight broke out between the two sides. Illidan fought a group of people alone and still won. If Malfurion hadn't arrived in time, it is estimated that Jarod's side would have been wiped out.
Nymuria Lingeringsong nodded: "Illidan killed most of the guards. Only Commander Jarod and Dath'Remar survived, but both of them were seriously injured!"
The sentinel captain marveled at Illidan's combat power. He truly is worthy of being His Excellency Malfurion's younger brother!
The night elf people have also slightly acknowledged Illidan's achievements, but more and more rumors say that he defected to the demons with the sincere intention of joining them, and that it was his brother Malfurion who saved his soul, preventing him from completely falling. His own efforts have not been recognized at all.
It can be said that in this current era, apart from Galen, no one else can understand Illidan's true plan.
"The sisters of the Temple of the Moon, Maiev, request a trial for Illidan. At the same time, His Excellency Malfurion and High Priestess Tyrande need you to assess that lake."
After listening, Galen understood the purpose of Malfurion and Tyrande asking him to return to Mount Hyjal.
First, it is to use his prestige to save Illidan's life. Of course, Malfurion and Tyrande can actually do this, but unlike Galen's carefree attitude, they have no interest in ruling the night elf race. The couple is already transforming into politicians, and asking Galen to speak is indeed a good choice.
Then, it is to check the lake that has absorbed two bottles of water from the Well of Eternity. This is the most important thing.
If this lake forms a second Well of Eternity, it will cause a huge upheaval in night elf society!
After all, they have just experienced an invasion by the Burning Legion. If it happens again, it is estimated that everyone's mentality will collapse.
"In that case, let us set off."
"Your Excellency Galen, I will prepare the ship immediately!"
Galen and the others sailed for more than half a month, finally returning from Highmountain to the shattered Kalimdor. They landed in Winterspring and then rode hippogryphs to Mount Hyjal.
"It's been twenty days! Malfurion, my brother still hasn't woken up. You must give me an explanation!"
Maiev Shadowsong's accumulated anger erupted at this moment!
At this time, the old era has just passed, and the leadership of the night elves has not yet formed. The night elves are still under the management of the resistance army, but the Temple of the Moon and the Druid Order have begun to rise. Perhaps only an opportunity is needed to usher in the rebirth of the night elf race.
Maiev has reason to believe that Malfurion and Tyrande are using Illidan's hand to eliminate Jarod Shadowsong and Dath'Remar, the leader of the Highborne.
"No matter what! It is a fact that Illidan harmed his compatriots. He must die!" Maiev seemed to have made up her mind, even if it meant disobeying Tyrande's orders.
At this time, Tyrande said: "Maiev, it should not be you who decides Illidan's fate, but Jarod and Dath'Remar!"
"How long are you going to protect him! My brother and Dath'Remar are still in a coma. I can wait, but the people outside can't wait that long!"
Maiev decided to go all the way to the end today!
"Na na na, it seems I missed something."
A gentle tone interrupted the tense atmosphere in the room. Everyone in the hall turned to look and found that it was Galen who had walked in with the Windrunner sisters and his young apprentice Fandral.
The first to react was Shandris behind Tyrande. Her face lit up with joy the moment she saw Galen, but she also knew that now was not the time. She restrained her little thoughts and greeted Galen behind Tyrande.
"I have already been to Jarod and Dath'Remar's side. They are unconscious because they were hit by a special flame."
Of course, Galen couldn't say that there were fel flames hidden under their skin, because if he said that, Illidan would be dead for sure.
Jarod and Dath'Remar relied on their own strength to avoid dying on the spot. The other guards were not so lucky and probably died on the spot.
These two also relied on Tyrande and Malfurion's daily healing spells to suppress the fel fire until now. Just now, a few holy light spells from me directly offset the fel energy fire.
However, Galen guessed that even if he didn't come, Cenarius or the Red Dragon Queen would eventually arrive to save them.
It can only be said that Illidan is indeed radical, and he is so ruthless to his own compatriots.
He is a ruthless man!
"I have cleared the flames from their bodies. Just now, Jarod and Dath'Remar have woken up!"
At the summit of Mount Hyjal, beside a vast lake, Malfurion and his companions were with Galen, examining the lake that had been infused with the waters of two vials from the Well of Eternity.
Galen gazed at the lake, its waters shimmering with an unsteady blue light that clearly indicated the arcane energy it contained.
No one dared to drink from this lake anymore; like the original Well of Eternity, it had become a source of magic.
"Is there any way to undo Illidan's mistake, Galen?"
Malfurion was deeply saddened by his brother's actions. He didn't understand Illidan's intentions, but he knew that the night elves couldn't withstand another calamity!
"Undo?"
Galen's expression turned serious as he considered something else. Illidan could create a magic spring with just two vials of tainted Well of Eternity water, though it couldn't compare to the one he had obtained through the lottery. But didn't Illidan still have several more vials that he hadn't poured in?
The Well of Eternity water he possessed was even purer than Illidan's black water. If he poured it all into the magic spring, wouldn't the spring instantly transform into a magical source on the scale of the Well of Eternity?
However, this idea was too dangerous. There was a risk that the magic spring and the Well of Eternity water would react violently, causing a massive explosion.
"The current situation is irreversible. We can only try to mitigate its impact."
What could Galen possibly do? All he could think about was explosions. The real Well of Eternity could vanish in an explosion, so two mere vials of Well of Eternity water were, at most, a small nuclear bomb. The damage to Azeroth would be minimal, only shortening Mount Hyjal by a few dozen meters.
Of course, he couldn't voice such a solution; it would damage his image.
"Perhaps we can take some action to convert the lake's energy into a gentler form, one that isn't as sinister and volatile as the Well of Eternity."
Galen racked his brains and pieced together this sentence.
Malfurion felt like he had heard nothing of substance.
"Exactly! Galen is right!"
A gust of wind swept through the air, and the three Dragon Aspects descended from the sky.
Emma, saviors had arrived! Galen breathed a sigh of relief. If the Dragon Aspects hadn't come, he wouldn't have been able to keep up the pretense, as he didn't have the ability to plant the Tree of Life and then bless the night elves!
"Greetings, Your Majesties, the Dragon Aspects!"
Malfurion was well-acquainted with the Dragon Aspects. He had even ridden the Red Dragon Queen and the Green Dragon Queen during the war. Today, the most mysterious Bronze Dragon Aspect had also arrived.
Nozdormu, the current era's Bronze Dragon Aspect, stared at Galen with a strange gaze until Galen inadvertently revealed the Bronze Dragon Aspect's mark on his wrist, at which point Nozdormu looked away.
If Galen were a time-traveler, he would have taken action. However, he sensed his own aura within the mark, indicating that it had been planted by a future version of himself at some point in time.
Malfurion asked Ysera, the Green Dragon Queen, whom he knew best, "Your Majesty, what should we do?"
The three Dragon Guardians exchanged glances, and then Alexstrasza, the Red Dragon Queen, turned to the night elves and said, "We must plant a tree."
"A tree?" Everyone present, except for Galen, was confused by the dragons' plan.
"Indeed, a magical tree, along with a special ritual!"
… … … …
At the same lake, several days had passed. The night elves had learned that the Guardian Dragons would perform a ritual here, and nobles, highborne, and representatives of the former lower classes had all gathered at the summit of Mount Hyjal.
The area beside the lake couldn't accommodate more people, so the remaining survivors gathered as close as possible at the foot of the mountain. They couldn't see the progress of the ritual, but they knew that it would affect the fate of them all.
Soon, the ritual began. On the small island in the center of the lake, the Red Dragon Queen spoke in a distant, resonant voice: "Kalimdor has suffered a great calamity."
The night elves remained silent. Everyone present had lost loved ones and suffered hardships to varying degrees.
"The night elves have suffered the most. For this, your race is not entirely blameless, but your pain and your contributions to saving the world have earned you forgiveness."
After the Red Dragon Queen spoke, she held a green seed in her dragon claws, the seed of the World Tree, G'Hanir.
G'Hanir bore the seeds of all the trees in the world of Azeroth. This tree was a realm that soared above the clouds, a haven for the souls of all birds and winged creatures in Azeroth, even dragons considered it a place to spend their remaining years.
Therefore, G'Hanir was known as the Mother Tree.
The Burning Legion had destroyed this tree, leaving only the seed in the Red Dragon Queen's hand alive.
"G'Hanir has withered, and we will use its seed to cultivate a new tree."
Nozdormu, the Bronze Dragon, pressed a claw onto the open ground, waved it, and dug a pit that was best suited for the seed.
Alexstrasza gently placed the seed inside.
Ysera pushed the soil onto the seed.
Then, the Red Dragon Queen began to bestow her blessing: "I grant the night elves robust life. As long as this tree grows here, this oath will endure."
As the Red Dragon Queen's words fell, the mound of earth began to stir, and a seedling sprouted from the newly planted seed, appearing before everyone's eyes.
After the Red Dragon Queen finished, Nozdormu stepped forward and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Time will once again accompany the night elves. I grant them eternal existence, an eternal opportunity to learn, as long as this tree endures…"
The sapling grew again. To the astonishment of the onlookers, it became a two-meter-tall tree with lush, green leaves.
Finally, the Green Dragon Queen said: "I allow the druids to enter the Emerald Dream, to traverse the world in their deepest sleep, to learn wisdom, and to draw upon the power of the Emerald Dream, so as to better maintain the health and safety of Kalimdor in future generations."
The tree continued to grow, sprouting a massive canopy that blotted out the sun!
"Standing before you is Nordrassil—the World Tree! It will stand here forever!"
The Red Dragon Queen announced to the night elves, "As long as it grows here, as long as it is cared for and revered, the night elves will prosper and flourish!"
Not long after Nordrassil's growth, Illidan faced a new trial. Galen believed that Illidan had made indelible contributions during the war, his heroic deeds unforgettable, but his atrocities against his own people were unforgivable.
Ultimately, under Galen's influence, Jarod and Dath'Remar unanimously agreed to sentence Illidan to life imprisonment!
Maiev Shadowsong volunteered to establish a Watcher's force to oversee Illidan's confinement.
Regarding this, Malfurion and Tyrande could only concede, after all, Illidan's life had been spared.
"Sylvanas, Alleria, our ancient journey is about to end. Is there anything you haven't finished?" Galen, preparing to end his day of 30,000 gold in fines for illegal immigration, approached the Windrunner sisters.
Alleria thought for a moment and said, "We need to say goodbye to Nymuria. After all, we promised to join her secret organization, and we even took the insignia. It wouldn't be polite to simply disappear."
After Alleria finished speaking, Sylvanas added, "I also want to say goodbye to our ancestors. Perhaps this will be our last farewell."
The Night Elf race, blessed by the three Dragon Aspects, would become stronger and possess eternal life as long as they were within the radiating range of the Tree of Life, Nordrassil.
However, after several millennia, the Highborne, including Dath'Remar, and the other Night Elves became increasingly opposed, eventually being exiled by their kin, leaving Kalimdor and crossing the ocean to start a new life on the Eastern Kingdoms.
Because the two continents were too far apart, they gradually lost contact with the Tree of Life, Nordrassil. Illness began to plague them, and eventually, their purple skin lost its luster, their bodies became shorter, and they lost their immortality, possessing only a limited lifespan of several thousand years.
The Windrunner's ancestor, Tanalas, chose to follow Dath'Remar to the Eastern Kingdoms, passing away three thousand years before the Windrunner sisters were born.
"Then we'll split up. I also need to say goodbye to Dath'Remar and Fandral. However, Galen Lighthowl, Sylvanas, and Alleria's identities are still useful. I'll tell them that we three will enter the Emerald Dream for cultivation, so that ten thousand years later, we can still use our current identities to reminisce with old friends."
I painstakingly created Galen'Remar, a legendary hero of the Night Elf race, not only with distinguished military achievements but also the lord of Eldre'Thalas, ruling over three hundred thousand Night Elves. How could I abandon it so easily!
"Then let us bid farewell to our friends in this way!"
Ten thousand years later, the High Elves and Night Elves couldn't be said to hate each other, but they were basically strangers. During the two-year journey, they did make some Night Elf friends, so Sylvanas and Alleria exchanged glances and agreed with Galen's suggestion.
The three of them acted separately, seeking out their respective friends.
Galen went to see Shandris, Malfurion, and Tyrande, telling them about his itinerary one by one.
Malfurion and the others didn't think in any other direction. After all, Malfurion and Galen had the same idea: once the Night Elf race stabilized, he would also enter the Emerald Dream for cultivation.
Galen found his apprentice, Fandral, instructing him to cultivate the Druidic path he had taught him and allowing him to also learn some combat skills. After all, it was a tradition of their lineage to have many skills.
Galen had already introduced Fandral to Malfurion. Fandral would become a member of the Druid order as a grand-disciple of Cenarius. Perhaps in the future, after the Cenarion Circle was established, Fandral would be able to become one of the elders thanks to Galen's influence.
Subsequently, Galen gave Fandral a dozen trigger-type return scrolls, telling him that these were congratulatory gifts for his future family, a life-saving trump card for his wife and children in the future.
Finally, Galen sought out Dath'Remar. This Sunstrider had just recovered from Illidan's blow and immediately guessed that Galen had come to say goodbye upon seeing him.
"Are you going back?" Dath'Remar's expression was melancholic!
Dath'Remar felt that since the Night Elves now possessed eternal life, the next time he saw Galen would probably be ten thousand years later.
He never considered the possibility that he would lose eternal life... …
"That's right. My mission is complete. Continuing to stay would be too costly and would also affect history. I must leave."
Damn it, my wallet is almost empty. At the very least, I could have dragged it out for another month... …
It was all my fault for investing most of the gold I carried into the training of the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Winds. As long as there was an initial investment, the Night Elves trained under my command would increase, and in the future, they could earn money or mine to supply the training sequences of the two Ancient Trees.
It's worth mentioning that Ancagalon was the custodian of all of Galen's plans. He was granted certain permissions by Galen, allowing him to operate the two Ancient Trees.
Now, Ancagalon's first plan had succeeded. Using the resurrection materials at hand, he resurrected more than a dozen Blue Dragon spirits in the Azurewing Repose, including the original Blue Dragon Queen, Sindragosa.
And the Blue Dragons' first task was to transport the Tree of Winds and the Tree of Knowledge from their original base to Un'Goro Crater, which was secret enough.
The Human base buildings, except for the Altar of Kings left for Ancagalon to revive the Blue Dragon Legion, the farms and town hall were all demolished, trying not to leave traces of human activity for the Night Elves to discover and record.
"Please accept this. This is the only thing I can leave behind!" Galen handed Dath'Remar an ornament identical to the one worn by Huln. "There are many things I cannot say. You only need to know that we will definitely meet again."
"We will!"
Dath'Remar wore the ornament on his waist, then imagined that ten thousand years later, he could witness the birth of his descendant and personally teach him.
However, Galen's "meet again" didn't mean that.
"Galen, what is the future fate of the Highborne?" Dath'Remar still remembered Galen's words: The Sunstrider Dynasty!
Galen pondered for a moment before saying, "I will leave a gift in Eldre'Thalas. When the Highborne are no longer tolerated by the Night Elf race, you can go to Tortheldrin. He will give it to you!"
"... Why can't we integrate with them!" Dath'Remar didn't understand. He originally thought he would replace Azshara and become the new king of the elves, but now it seemed that it wasn't what he thought!
"The arcane energy destined to flow in the Highborne's blood, the conflict between you and the commoners will one day erupt. At that time, the Highborne will not be a match for the Temple of the Moon and the Druid Order. Leaving is inevitable."
Galen ultimately couldn't resist giving a small spoiler.