It must be said that Darkan's logical thinking ability and sense of developments are very keen, and he can piece together conjectures close to the truth through the limited information he has at his disposal.
However, no matter how bold Darkan was, he could not guess that Sarlayan had direct contact with Princess Calia, who had lived in the palace for a long time.
It is almost impossible for outsiders with unknown origins to enter the heavily guarded Sun Chaser Court.
Although Lordaeron is not as long as Quel'Thalas, which has been founded for more than 7,000 years, and is also inferior in terms of high-end technology, at least they will never neglect the defense of the palace.
After all, the brains of the entire Lordaeron lived here, the core members of the Menethil royal family.
Unlike Quel'Thalas, which had experienced a fall in power, since the founding of Lordaeron, control of the country has been firmly in the hands of the Menethil family.
Lordaeron has also had some amazingly talented noble lords, but without exception, they were all suppressed by the Menethil royal family and failed to make any waves.
As far as Darkan knew, only the core members of the Menethil family were eligible to stay in the Royal Palace of Lordaeron, and the side families were all arranged in the Noble Street near the royal city.
This is also the reason why Sarlayan felt deserted when he sneaked into the palace of Lordaeron before. There were too few people living in this huge palace, and its popularity could not support such a large area.
But to be honest, the Sun Chaser Royal Court is actually not much better.
Although the Sun Chaser family allows side branches to live in the side hall of the royal court, due to the tragic fertility rate of the high elves, the total population of all the main branches of the entire Sun Chaser family does not exceed 30 people in three generations.
However, other big families in Quel'Thalas have no right to laugh at the small number of members of the Sunstrider royal family. The fertility rate is equal to the high elves, so don't laugh at the second brother.
Even among the four nobles who once held great power, at their peak, there were definitely no more than 50 important family members who could be named.
That's why Sarlayan tried every means to unlock the fertility rate limit of the high elves and tried every means to open up the source.
If a race lacks the potential to mobilize on a large scale in times of crisis, they will inevitably be helpless when participating in large-scale battles that can determine the fate of the world.
Because people can’t afford to die.
Once a certain generation is completely destroyed in the war, Quel'Thalas may take thousands of years to recover.
Who knows what will happen in this thousand years, maybe a certain human kingdom that has regenerated its population in a century will take the initiative to provoke a war while Quel'Thalas is weak.
This is a situation that Sharlayan, Kael'thas and other senior leaders of Quel'Thalas absolutely don't want to see.
However, in the foreseeable future of Sharlayan, forces hiding in the dark and coveting Azeroth such as the Burning Legion and the Old Gods will inevitably launch wave after wave of offensives, and Quel'Thalas is destined to be unable to survive alone.
That's why Sarlayan has been searching for allies all over the world in the past few years, in order to minimize the losses of the high elves in future wars.
This is a cost-saving measure.
With the two-pronged preparation of increasing revenue and reducing expenditure, Sarlayan already has some confidence for the coming era of great turmoil.
…
After the dinner, the nobles who came to attend the meeting politely said goodbye to the members and associate members of the Deep Shadow family, and left the duchy with satisfaction and embarked on their way home.
Today's banquet finally gave them a piece of mind.
The rapidly rising Duke of Deep Shadow made it clear that he had no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of the noble territories, but only made a suggestion to the noble lords in the southern part of Yongsong Forest.
He hoped that these descendants of nobles who had made meritorious service in the Troll War could change their past decadent lifestyle of lying down and enjoying themselves, and stop following the old nobles who were ennobled during the founding of the country in the northern part of the forest.
It has been less than 3,000 years since the Troll War ended, which is only one generation for the long-lived high elves.
Most of the nobles of today's generation, their fathers had personally participated in that tragic war, and won honors and titles for their families with blood and scars.
Except for the Amani trolls, which had long since fallen into decline, the frontiers of Quel'Thalas have never faced any large-scale threats since the Troll War.
The peace has been peaceful for a long time, and many nobles have begun to imitate the old nobles of Silver Moon City and enjoy life while lying down, gradually forgetting the fighting spirit of their fathers when they earned this family fortune.
Compared with the traditional old nobles around Silvermoon City who are rotten to the core, Sarlayan believes that the descendants of the nobles in the southern part of the forest can at least be saved. The inheritance of just one generation should not completely wipe out their ambitions.
As it turns out, Saryan's prediction was correct.
Everyone has a mentality of comparison. Seeing the Shenying family who were once just ordinary nobles rise rapidly due to their meritorious service, and the Windrunner family happily following behind, how could these nobles not be jealous.
It's not that Sarlayan doesn't want to bring them prosperity together, but he will never allow a dandy who is accustomed to idleness and indolence to follow behind him.
Want to board this rapid development express train? OK, show your value.
After some private discussions, Sarlayan, as the undisputed leader of the aristocratic circle in the southern part of the forest, set the standard for those nobles who were willing to make progress.
As long as they meet his standards, Sarlayan is willing to include their family in the core business circle centered on Unicorn City. There will be people who can contribute, and everyone can make the cake bigger together.
But if someone wants to get in there and hold back, and enjoy the benefits... Sarlayan has made ugly remarks in front of him, so don't blame him for being unkind when he is found out.
When most of the nobles left the Duchy of Deep Shadow with satisfaction, Sarlayan, who went out to see him off, unexpectedly discovered that Darkan hadn't left yet.
Since this meeting was for the nobles in the southern part of Yongsong Forest, Darkan knew the reason and did not shamelessly ask to attend. Sarlayan thought he had left long ago.
Seeing that Sarlayan was very tired after a busy day, Darkan, who had stayed until now, did not waste his time with nonsense. He just said goodbye politely and left with a smile.
Seeing the luxury carriage Darkan was riding in driving away at a steady speed, Sarlayan frowned slightly and lowered his head in thought.
"It's just about getting closer. Is it necessary to go to this point?"
…
In the luxurious carriage of the Drasil family, Darkan closed his eyes slightly and leaned on the soft backrest to relax.
His mouth was moving slightly unnoticeably, as if he was talking softly to someone.
But at this time, there was no one in the carriage except him, and the coachman outside the door could not hear his master's voice at all.
This chilling scene lasted until the carriage stopped, and Darkan opened his eyes again. With the help of two coachmen, he got out of the car and walked towards his mansion.
"Haha~"
After returning to the study at home, the gentle smile that had been hanging on Darkan's face finally disappeared, replaced by an indescribable strange expression.
"Descendants of the Dragon Clan are indeed not easily offended, but... the Dragon Clan is not the only extraordinary species in the world."
"Are you right, my friend?"
Disembodied laughter echoed in Darkan's study, but the housekeeper who had been waiting outside the door could not hear any movement.
…
After the long-prepared banquet ended, Vereesa, who was the last to leave, hugged Sarlayan, Valeela and others one by one to say goodbye.
Early tomorrow morning, she will go to the Sunstrider Court to report her work and accept a new mission. There is a high probability that she will lead the rangers to the Cursed Land to take up the post that day.
In order to avoid being in a hurry at the end of the day, Vereesa simply took the opportunity of this banquet to say goodbye to Sarlayan and other friends in advance.
To be fair, there is still some gap between Vereesa's hard power and Sylvanas.
But with the help of artifacts and animal companions, if there was a fight, she might not necessarily lose to her second sister.
As for Alleria... This one is quite different, after all, there is a big age difference between the two parties.
Moreover, Alleria also holds an artifact passed down from generation to generation by the Windrunner family - the Windrunner's Bow, Thasdora, which can equal Vereesa in terms of weapon blessings.
Seeing Vereesa wave away freely, Sarlayan sighed with emotion.
"The rest time is over. Whether it's Vereesa or us, we're probably going to be busy again."
Yin Nasi glanced sideways at her son: "You haven't forgotten your promise to me, have you?"
Sarlayan smiled bitterly and raised his hands in surrender: "Don't worry, I won't leave the territory easily."
"Those intelligence officers who are still in Lordaeron waiting for orders act as my brothers and sisters. Some things can be controlled remotely even without leaving home."
