Chapter Ninety-Eight: An Uncontrollable Fate

After the grand council, the allocation of the major families was also reasonably arranged, taking geography into consideration. The main forces of the Silvermoon branch from Moonlight Woodland were deployed to resist the orc tribes from the northwest, led by General Sylvanas Windrunner and the legendary hero, Sothia Nightstalker, from the Nightstalker family.

Regarding the Void, the legendary warriors of the Stormrage and royal Sunstrider families were originally leading the frontline, so the council decided to have the legendary Dryad, Oqiane Whisperer, and the master Wild Druid, Rein Bearwarden, lead the support units to bolster the Emerald Dream against the Void's corruption.

This meant that, aside from those legendary heroes of the Natural Order who still slumbered, only the Moon Priestess, Qinlande, and the Shadow Speaker, Maiev, remained to oversee the rear.

As for the allocation, Guo Lang’s current host, Iwein, was fortunate enough not to be sent to the frontlines. This brought Guo Lang some relief—even though he served as a logistics officer, being assigned to the front was still extremely dangerous. The battlefield was not merely about head-on clashes; logistics officers often faced threats from enemy assassins.

In the rearguard, however, it was unlikely that assassins would brazenly infiltrate the main city to kill a mere silver-ranked Dryad. In theory, as long as he did not accidentally meet his end through some mishap, he should be safe. Yet, Guo Lang couldn’t shake a feeling of unease.

Having lived in the human world in his previous life, Guo Lang was sensitive to political machinations, and he felt something off about this grand arrangement. History’s records of this great schism were vague—understandable, since dark histories are always shrouded in secrecy. Each of the three races painted a different picture, leaving Guo Lang unsure who to believe.

Out of caution for his own safety, Guo Lang decided to trust the blood elves’ version. In the Library of Heroes, Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider, the reviver of the blood elves, once declared: “The Natural Order and the Silvermoon Order are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They conspired against our royal house, betrayers who hypocritically parade as paragons of justice—a truly disgusting lot!”

The official story held that the blood elven royal family delved into forbidden magic, becoming the Fallen. Indeed, there had been an unprecedented energy breach that tore open the barriers of the highest planes, allowing the Void to invade on a massive scale, rather than through minor rifts as before. Chaos followed, with the incursion of the Legion of Disorder, sparking the most brutal war in ancient history.

It seemed the royal line was exiled before the war, after which they took the name Blood Elves. Yet something unsettled Guo Lang, for the records stated that the Whisperer family was wiped out at that time. But if the purge was directed at the royal family, shouldn’t the two great orders—the future Night and Nature factions—be the ultimate beneficiaries? The Whisperers were supposed to be of the Nature branch. Why would their entire family be exterminated?

Guo Lang struggled to make sense of it, suspecting this was the gravest crisis the host would face.

Days of anxious waiting passed in a haze, and on the sixth day, Iwein set out for the supply office as usual. It almost felt like a civil servant’s routine, and Guo Lang thought this life was not so bad—being a civil servant in such a beautiful city was no minor blessing, especially if he could be the protagonist himself.

As always, Iwein began his day with tedious affairs. It was the end of the month, and with the front at war, the workload was heavy—but fortunately, their mental fortitude was high.

In every race, logistics were typically managed by mages. Mages were knowledgeable, versed in many languages, and adept at categorizing strategic resources. Their strong mental prowess made them meticulous, and their superior communication methods allowed them to coordinate forces efficiently. Thus, logistics officers across all races were almost always mages, even among the beastmen.

Within the elves, logistics was mainly handled by Dryads and Moon Priestesses—supportive magical professions. Once a Dryad advanced, they either became field medics, joined the rear medical system, or, like Iwein, served as logistics officers.

But as the morning wore on, Iwein sensed something amiss. The paperwork he was supposed to handle had not arrived, which was unusual on such a busy day. The supply office, usually bustling, was eerily quiet.

Alerted by this anomaly, he rose slowly and stepped out of his office. Just as he crossed the threshold, a cold, raspy voice sounded close behind him: “Where do you think you’re going, Whisperer?”

Iwein froze. The voice was so close it sent chills down his spine. Though he had not seen combat in years, his rank remained. For someone to approach so silently and closely—this was no ordinary guard.

He turned stiffly to see a figure cloaked in black. In broad daylight, such attire should have been conspicuous, but unless he looked directly, Iwein could barely make out the stranger.

And there was more than one. At some point, the entire supply hall had been surrounded by these black-clad elves. Their insignia startled Iwein—it was the mark of the Nightstalkers.

Something major had happened! Both Iwein and Guo Lang realized this at once. Assassins never made such open displays during the day, let alone in groups.

“Can you tell me what’s going on, Nightstalker?” Iwein’s tone was tinged with irritation, while Guo Lang was much more cautious. He thought his host was rather dense—how could someone like this be a mage? Couldn’t he read the situation? Yet he dared to show attitude!

“Apologies, Whisperer. You lack the necessary clearance. Please return to your room,” came the flat reply.

“Are you imprisoning me?” Iwein demanded darkly, but the other showed no reaction, as if the answer was too obvious to bother with.

Feeling the scorn, Iwein’s expression grew darker still. His seaweed-green hair started to stir despite the still air, and a faint green glow shimmered around him. Guo Lang, though compelled to mimic these actions, felt only despair—how had he ended up possessing such a fool? Couldn’t he see how many were around? Even if he were alone, on what grounds did he think he could win a duel? By every measure, Guo Lang was sure the other could snap his neck with a single hand.

Clearly, the Nightstalker thought the same. He didn’t even blink at Iwein’s display—at this range, a silver-ranked Dryad was as good as dead.

“Enough,” a crisp, clear voice suddenly broke the tense farce, and Guo Lang sighed in relief. But what happened next left him utterly shocked—the Nightstalkers all bowed deeply in deference to the newcomer.

Iwein, too, turned and bowed in surprise at the sight. Even through the barrier separating their worlds, Guo Lang could sense her presence. The combined aura of all the Nightstalkers here was nothing compared to hers. With just one look, it seemed the world held only her.

A great figure, indeed. Guo Lang recognized her at once, having seen her in the compendium of heroes: one of the six legendary figures of the Night, Moon Priestess Qinlande Moonwalker.

“Lady Qinlande, may I ask why we are being detained?” As Guo Lang was still marveling at her aura, his foolish host once again courted disaster, making Guo Lang tense with anxiety.

Qinlande glanced at him coldly. “A grave report has come from the front. Oqiane Whisperer has been found corrupted by the Void, has fallen, and conspired with the enemy, causing severe losses. The order has come to detain all members of the Whisperer family for individual inspection. Any found corrupted will be executed on the spot.”

“That’s…that’s impossible!” Iwein murmured, his face ashen, his composure shattered.

But a flicker of understanding passed through Guo Lang’s mind. If this was a political plot aimed at the royal family, why was the Whisperer clan purged first? Could it be…they were loyal to the royal house?

It wasn’t implausible—faith in the Order and loyalty to the crown need not be mutually exclusive. When forced to choose, not everyone places faith above the throne. Clearly, the Whisperer legend was such a person, and for that, she had to be eliminated.

As for the corruption accusation, Guo Lang scoffed—could a legend truly be so easily corrupted? If the Void were that powerful, why fight at all?

“Where is Lady Oqiane?” Iwein’s voice turned icy.

“She’s dead,” Qinlande replied, her tone even colder.

A sense of foreboding gripped Guo Lang.

“It was you—it was you who framed Lady Oqiane! It must have been you!” Iwein’s delicate features contorted with rage as he suddenly lunged at Qinlande in a frenzy.

Guo Lang, unable to control himself, followed suit, all the while thinking in despair: Are you insane?