In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed since the humans landed on the continent of Kalimdor. During this time, they established a basic base of operations and, with the help of materials shipped in by the Goblins, successfully built the prototype of a city.
Unlike makeshift structures, humans held extremely high standards for urban planning. Thus, while this city was built with Goblin assistance, it remained distinctly human in style.
Great stone walls were rising. Dwarven craftsmen forged steel reinforcements to fortify the city. Even the Goblins marveled at human engineering; when it came to city-building, humans were true masters.
A Goblin overseer even suggested that in the future, humans might consider sending people to work with him to build other cities; they could make a fortune together.
Rhodes neither refused nor agreed. For now, humans needed to focus on their own city—a future capital. Rhodes planned to invest heavily in its construction, estimating it would take six months to a year to complete. Its scale would be no smaller than Stratholme.
During these ten days, the Dwarven craftsman, Dirk, forged specialized anti-magic metal armor for the accompanying Paladins. The magic resistance of this unique plate reached a staggering 95%.
The reason? Anti-magic diamonds were embedded into the armor. These diamonds possessed over 95% magic absorption capability, and when layered with anti-magic metal, they achieved an optimal synergy—a masterpiece from High Elf gemstone carvers.
Furthermore, the armor was enchanted and inscribed with runes, granting the Paladins formidable defensive capabilities and immense magic resistance. The Dwarven smiths also forged a large number of "Spell-breaking" weapons—hammers, two-handed greatswords, and one-handed blades—which could cleave through magic with a single swing.
The High Elf mage and Jaina tested the power of these weapons and armor.
"I have to say, Rhodes, you are extremely unfriendly to mages. Super unfriendly," the female mage remarked with some dissatisfaction.
With such gear, even a well-trained human soldier could force the most powerful mage to flee in shame. After all, you couldn't expect a mage to pick up a staff and engage in melee with a warrior—especially one who could use Holy Light spells.
"It is indeed unfriendly to mages. However, Lord Rhodes, these special anti-magic weapons you've invented are very similar to the Spellbreakers trained by our High Elf race," Capornia said with a smile. "But Spellbreaker equipment is prohibitively expensive. We can only produce one set every few years, and their magic resistance is likely less than half of yours. In the future, the High Elves might want to import some of this metal and these diamonds."
"Hahaha, no problem. I am never stingy with allies," Rhodes laughed. This stuff was practically the least valuable thing on his end. After all, who could blame him for knowing how to exploit "bugs"?
Theoretically, he could arm an entire army, but until he obtained absolute top-tier power, he didn't plan to distribute these on a large scale to avoid attracting unwanted schemes—even from allies.
"These weapons are indeed excellent. So, when do we depart, Rhodes?" Uther asked. The Lightbringer had changed into a new set of armor, a reforged version of his original plate integrated with anti-magic metals and diamonds. Even his warhammer, the Hand of Silver, had its head plated with anti-magic metal and set with a spell-breaking diamond.
"The situation here has stabilized. I plan to lead a small team of fewer than ten people and depart immediately," Rhodes said, rubbing his chin.
The Paladins had cleared out the nearby Centaurs, and human peasants had already tilled several fields. The food from the Goblins would last three months, and with hunting and gathering, they could survive until the harvest. It was time to find the Night Elves and join the Third War. The rear could be left to Princess Calia.
"The Prophet told us to bring the entire human army, yet you are only taking an elite team of less than ten. Is that wise?" Princess Calia asked.
"Rest assured, these seven or eight people are the elite of the elite. Though fewer than ten, we are worth an army of ten thousand," Rhodes replied with a smile. Sometimes combat power wasn't about numbers.
Rhodes didn't lack "cannon fodder" legions after landing; his goal was a decapitation strike. Blocking enemy advances with Walls of Fire or laying mines could be handled by his summoned hero units. Human labor was better used as the foundation of production.
"You certainly have high confidence, Rhodes. I suppose only you and Lord Uther can back up such words!" Jaina remarked.
"Don't worry, I have a detailed plan. And don't forget, the Titan Watcher will support us," Rhodes said with a mysterious smile. Jaina, Uther, and Calia's eyes lit up. Had the Watcher sent more powerful creations?
Rhodes laughed and summoned three Deadwood Warriors—giant tree-like beings five meters tall.
"These... these are Treants! How is that possible? Those are a specialty of the Night Elves!" Capornia exclaimed.
"Who knows? Perhaps the Titan Watcher had some history with the Night Elves. Besides these, the Watcher sent a large number of soldiers." Rhodes then summoned a group of Gold Golems and Diamond Golems.
His "Factory" had recruited 10 Diamond Golems and 15 Gold Golems. The refugee camp had also refreshed twice, bringing him upgraded Wyvern Kings with powerful venom capabilities. Rhodes now had four flying units.
"It seems the Titan Watcher places great importance on this war. In that case, I choose to believe in you, Rhodes. Who do you intend to take?" Uther asked.
"First, myself, Jaina, Lord Uther, and the mage Capornia. Plus my two Angels and the powerful envoy Solmyr sent by the Watcher. This small group will be our squad." Rhodes explained that with flying mounts, their mobility would be vastly superior. Adding more people would only slow them down.
"The two Angels and Solmyr can fly on their own. As for the rest of us—Jaina, myself, Lord Uther, and Capornia—we will each ride a Wyvern. That leaves four empty seats for flexibility," Rhodes told them.
"So it's a seven-person team. Including your special warriors, it's a few dozen units, but less than a hundred people. Since we have empty seats on the Wyverns, we could take four more Paladins," Uther suggested.
"No need. I want those seats empty for emergencies. The Paladins are more needed here for defense," Rhodes shook his head.
Seeing his determination, Uther didn't argue further. Their mobility was now at its peak. If they encountered a large enemy force, he and Rhodes could summon Holy Light Elementals, while the two mages could summon Fire Elementals to hold the line.
After finalizing the preparations, Rhodes and the others packed their rations and supplies, mounted the four Wyverns, and took to the skies toward Ashenvale.