Chapter 222: Chapter 222: Night of the Alliance - Part 1
In truth, many things happened on the 12th of October.
First, Lothar was promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal of the Alliance.
To show respect for the descendants of Emperor Thoradin, all kings who directly joined the Alliance were ranked as Marshals, resulting in titles like Marshal Llane Wrynn and Admiral Daelin Proudmoore.
By the way, due to his control over more than a hundred warships and nearly 7,000 soldiers from his former Bloodsail Fleet, Duke had an odd dual rank - Admiral in the Alliance Navy and Field Marshal in the Army.
As for how to manage these forces, Duke resolved the issue at the banquet that night.
That's right, the banquet.
With so many human kingdoms joining forces, this was a once-in-a-millennium event, and a grand banquet was held at the Lorderon Palace that evening. Nobles who hadn't had a chance to show their faces before all came out. The lowest-ranked attendee was a count.
Of course, counts and marquises aside, if you weren't a ducal military leader, you wouldn't even be allowed to join in the fun.
Duke happened to be a star of the Alliance - Medivh's successor, Sargeras' slayer, the nemesis of the 100,000-strong Horde, the youngest Sky Mage, Duke of Stormwind, and the master of a vast naval fleet.
Any one of these accomplishments would make Duke the center of attention.
Lord Daelin had long, black hair soaked with the scent of seawater. His elongated, curled mustache gave him a masculine charm, and his well-defined, handsome face was evidence that he had been a dashing man in his youth.
Not long after the banquet began, he approached Duke with his eldest son, Derek.
Duke and Llane exchanged glances. Llane knew why Daelin was coming over, and in fact, he didn't understand Duke's decision. However, Duke's foresight far surpassed his own, and in the end, Llane agreed with Duke's choice.
"Hello, Duke Marcus. As partners about to dominate the seas together and send the orcs to feed the fishes, don't you think we should have a proper conversation beforehand?" Daelin raised his crystal goblet filled with wine, clinking it against Duke's.
The two exchanged smiles. Duke then raised his goblet to Prince Derek of Kul Tiras as a sign of respect, and together with Daelin and Derek, they emptied their goblets in one gulp.
"I envy you mages, seizing a fleet with powerful magic so easily. You know, it would take at least three years for all of Kul Tiras' shipyards to build that many ships working day and night."
Duke replied with a smile, "Your Majesty, Proudmoore... You aren't thinking of asking for the fleet I took from the Bloodsail pirates, are you?"
"No, no, no! Don't underestimate me. Even though most of them probably came from Kul Tiras, since you didn't get them from us, they're rightfully your spoils of war. Even if my men are unhappy with your crew, as long as they fly the Alliance's banner, they're our comrades for a day." King Daelin was obviously a bold seafarer, and in the age of the vast universe, he would have been a cosmic overlord, proclaiming, "My conquest is the sea of stars."
It was difficult for normal people to harbor ill feelings towards such a forthright man, unless they were his enemies.
Duke laughed, just as straightforward. Furthermore, his smile had a sacred radiance. Whoever saw it would believe he was a selfless saint.
That's right; it was Duke's inherited sense of integrity from Medivh at play.
According to the system prompt:
"Integrity Divine Technique: As you possess a level of humanity far beyond what you should have, if you let this part of humanity temporarily govern your body, you will become a sacred figure in the eyes of the world. You will appear more like a selfless saint for the people. All non-evil-aligned beings will be more likely to believe your words."
Duke spoke up, not even bothering to lower his voice: "No. Actually, I want to say that I would feel more at ease if my fleet were handed over to King Daelin, an expert in naval warfare."
Daelin and Prince Derek were taken aback, almost doubting their ears. Not just them, but also the surrounding nobles who were attentively listening to their conversation were stunned.
Daelin frowned, "Duke Marcus, I didn't mean to..."
"I know, but after serious consideration, this is the best choice to maximize the Alliance's naval strength. In fact, I discussed it with King Llane, and His Majesty also supports my decision." As Duke's words fell, King Llane approached and nodded with a smile at Daelin.
Duke continued, "I may be a genius, but only in the fields of magic and strategy. I'm a complete novice in naval warfare. The hundreds of warships under my command would merely serve as transport ships, but in the hands of Lord Proudmoore, they would become supreme weapons that could send thousands of orcs to the depths. If not for the final control of the naga and murlocs in my master Khadgar's hands, I would even be willing to hand them over to Your Majesty for command."
"Please don't evade; this is for the Alliance." Realizing the situation, Llane was also exceedingly magnanimous.
As Duke's words ended, a wave of commotion quickly spread from the four of them.
Low murmurs of admiration arose from the surrounding area.
What is selflessness? What is considering the greater good? This is it!
Forming an alliance, which king doesn't have their own plans?
Daelin had definitely been eyeing Duke's fleet with envy, privately complaining more than once in front of his son about Duke's waste of resources.
Now, with one sentence "For the Alliance!", Duke offered to transfer the command of hundreds of warships. What an internationalist spirit! If Daelin were ruthless enough, he could completely wipe out the rare resources of the Stormwind Kingdom.
With Duke's magnanimity, Daelin's previous grievances vanished into the atmosphere.
Daelin raised his wine-filled goblet and loudly proclaimed, "Did everyone hear that? Marshal Marcus is willing, for the sake of the Alliance, to hand over command of all his warships to me, Daelin Proudmoore."
"We heard," the nobles replied in unison.
"Since Duke Marcus is willing to make such a concession for the Alliance, I, Daelin, cannot fall behind. I, Daelin, hereby swear on the name of the descendant of Emperor Thoradin, that I will not mistreat the fleet that Duke Marcus has entrusted to me. Even if the Kul Tiras First Fleet is wiped out, I will not let Duke Marcus's fleet suffer the same fate."
The surrounding astonishment spread like ripples, quickly reaching every corner of the banquet hall. People clapped their hands, praising Duke and Llane's magnanimity.
The worst thing for the Alliance is when each king hoards their forces and refuses to contribute. In the end, Lordaeron might just end up with a commander with no troops to command.
But now, with Duke leading by example, the other kings were surely too embarrassed to send their second-rate forces.
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