CHAPTER 725: LET’S GET STARTED

Duke waved his hand. "Don’t blame them; they were simply making a last-ditch effort to save the Sunwell. If I told you that from the moment the Sunwell was polluted, my judgment was that it had to be destroyed, would you have accepted it?"

The faces of every high elf present turned ashen.

Right! A cruel, yet accurate assessment. Although they knew that Duke’s words were likely correct, their national pride and heritage made them subconsciously ignore this undeniably sound decision. Until the situation spiraled out of control.

Sylvanas instructed Lor’themar to hand over a report written in Elven. She knew Duke could understand it, and she nodded as he flipped through the pages.

Jaina Goldsword explained in a grave voice: "The Sunwell is more than just the well itself. Its magical ley lines spread across most of the kingdom, passing through Silvermoon City, and then branching into three conduits, covering the entire Eversong Forest. So, if the pollution isn’t cleansed, the most direct result will be the spread of plague throughout the kingdom. We estimate that if it’s delayed for another month, the entire kingdom will become barren."

Duke glanced at the well water. The system AI’s rapid calculations streamed countless data points from top to bottom, like flowing light, across his left retina.

Duke shook his head. "You haven’t accounted for the speed at which the pollution spreads. Once the core is completely contaminated, the rate of spread will accelerate by more than a thousand times. You only have three days left! To be exact, 69 hours."

A collective gasp echoed among the elves. If not for the Holy Light shield maintained by Liadrin and other priests, every elf would likely have inhaled mouthfuls of the plague’s poisonous gas. Then, a wave of quiet sobbing swept through the group.

Sylvanas pursed her lips. "What are the worst and best outcomes?"

"The worst outcome is that I fail to control the situation, and the entire island of Quel’Danas and every mana branch it feeds will be obliterated, causing the pollution to spread and turning everything within a thousand miles into a dead zone. Unless a large number of druids and priests of heroic caliber join forces, it will be impossible for ordinary people to live here for three hundred years." Duke’s voice left a deathly silence in its wake.

Unbeknownst to her, her nails had dug deep into her palms. Sylvanas suddenly lifted her head and asked, "What’s the best?"

Duke raised his first finger. "If my control is successful, I will drive the pollution to a specific location and then detonate it. That area will be completely transformed into a dead zone. It must be sealed for a thousand years, with no one allowed to enter or leave. Otherwise, if it leaks, all people and animals within a radius of hundreds of kilometers will perish."

Then he raised his second finger: "The sacrifice will not be without cost. This way, the Isle of Quel’Danas and Eversong Woods will most likely be preserved intact. At the very least, Quel’Thalas will not become a deadly place."

"Please leave Duke and me alone for a while." Sylvanas nodded to the other elves, then walked ahead, leading Duke into a side hall of the palace.

The side hall was not large, only about 20 square meters, and featured the typical luxurious decoration of the high elves. Just as the door closed, Duke was suddenly embraced by Sylvanas.

"I’m sorry. I don’t want to place all this pressure on your shoulders. But I can’t think of any other choice besides you."

He had once thought Sylvanas was a warrior who fought against fate and never gave up. During the Scourge invasion, she had fought Arthas to the death until she was defeated and killed. Then, when she saw a chance to retaliate, she immediately led all her suffering compatriots—even as undead—to fight back against Arthas. After realizing she was truly dead and could not return to the embrace of her living kin, she led all the Forsaken to establish her own power in this world.

But as Duke looked at her trembling shoulders, felt the intense heartbeat against his chest, and sensed the wetness of tears on his shoulder, he fell silent.

That’s right! The remaining high elves yearned for a wise leader. They also yearned for a relatively intact home. While walking here, the word Duke heard most often was "Gnomeregan." Yes, if anything went wrong, Quel’Thalas would become another Gnomeregan—a land of death from which one could never return.

Hugging Sylvanas tightly, Duke comforted her in her ear: "Don’t worry, I have at least an 80% chance of preserving one-third of the Sunwell."

In fact, according to the system AI’s judgment, the proportion was much higher. Duke simply didn’t dare to reveal the full extent of it.

"Really?!" Surprise and infinite hope shone in her tear-filled eyes. She quickly wiped the tears away and said, "If we can preserve even one-tenth of the Sunwell, then the new Sin’dorei Kingdom will be stable. Internal affairs are not my forte. I will bring the most elite warriors and follow you to take revenge on the Scourge. Even if you want to go to the ends of hell, I will accompany you!"

Duke suddenly laughed. "No need to be so exaggerated as to say it’s the end of hell. Wait until Alleria and Vereesa come back, and you three sisters will be willing to have a pillow fight with me on the bed."

They were discussing serious matters and making solemn vows, but Duke abruptly shattered the solemn atmosphere. Just as Sylvanas was about to scold him, she suddenly found that she was no longer nervous.

She chuckled and said, "Although your joke is ridiculous, thank you. I genuinely feel better now."

Uh! Wait, you misunderstood!

I really want all three sisters to come together!

Hey—Sylvanas, did you misunderstand something?

Where are my benefits?

Aren’t you afraid I’ll go on strike if there are no benefits?

Seeing Duke’s disappointed expression, Sylvanas twisted his soft waist and said, "You little bastard! Get the job done first." With that, she waved her hand, opened the door, and left.

The only expression on Duke’s face was embarrassment.

An emergency evacuation order was issued, mobilizing all elves to evacuate every survivor beyond the potential reach of the mana veins, either to the seaside or outside the Eversong Forest.

The next night was a stormy one, and no one knew what kind of dawn the following day would bring. Would it be a dark and destructive end? Or the rebirth of the elves?

Around the Sunwell Plateau, the guards, who had already left suicide notes or said goodbye to their families, wore red armor with gold trim, holding double-headed crescent swords in their right hands and kite-shaped shields in their left. They formed small teams with rangers and battle mages, cautiously surveying their surroundings. They not only monitored the island for illegal intruders but also had to pay special attention to the movements inside from time to time... especially the massive wellhead made of volcanic rocks. Because every one of them could sense that an unpredictable, mysterious force was brewing.

On the central island of the Sunwell, Duke exhaled a breath of foul air and looked at Sylvanas, who was guarding him. "Let’s get started!"