Eastern Kingdoms, Lordaeron.
Once the most powerful existence among the human kingdoms, a premeditated Undead Scourge turned many kingdoms into the past, into the dust of history.
Only Lordaeron stood tall; while suffering heavy losses, it also gained a battle-hardened army, unexpectedly purged those annoying nobles, and returned all power to the hands of the King.
Lordaeron remained the most powerful kingdom, incomparable to the Stormwind Kingdom in the south.
A kingdom that remains standing after war and turmoil possesses a terrifying resilience, and even more formidable is having a powerful army as its backbone.
In the City of Hope, the cathedral of the Azeroth Guardian Sect rose from the ground, featuring a unique style that combined marble with natural vines. Elemental and Arcane energies swirled above, possessing both a welcoming kindness and an intimidating power.
It is worth mentioning that the Church of the Holy Light has no cathedrals here, having been ordered to relocate to the Eastweald region. Publicly, it was framed differently, stating that Light's Hope Chapel was more suitable and that only the best location should serve as the cathedral.
Faith in the Holy Light is difficult to completely eradicate; since it was a competition for faith, it was better to exile them far away, as that area was also near the location of the Forest Trolls. It served as both an exile and a way to have them block the Forest Trolls.
And the deity the sect worshipped was also correct: none other than Prince Arthas of Lordaeron.
Now, besides restoring production and order, preparations were being made for His Highness's return to be crowned as Emperor.
Not a King, but an Emperor! An Emperor is a level higher than a King; only humans would understand that a King is just the tip of the iceberg, while an Emperor is the existence that commands all of humanity.
The original Archbishop of the Holy Light, Alonsus Faol, also served as a promoter. He was a Lightbound Undead; except for the fact that his corpse would not rot, he was no different from other undead, merely a more unique kind.
The High Priestess of the sect was Sinestra; this companion helped handle religious matters, as she was adept at manipulating hearts. Like daughter, like mother; since the daughter was a master at manipulating hearts, the mother wouldn't be far behind.
The remaining bishops were Sally Whitemane, Lilian Voss, and Bridget Abbendis.
Since Bridget was a Highlord, she had to lead the army in battle and was also the commander of the Scarlet Crusade, so she was generally not in the cathedral.
The Scarlet Crusade was originally established for the purpose of slaughtering the undead in revenge; an army formed to avenge a blood feud was, in itself, beyond reproach.
The "repaying evil with kindness" saintly behavior was not popular in Lordaeron. Avenging wrongs and repaying kindness allowed for clear thoughts and a pleasant mood, which was the only way to live better.
Dressed in a red and white nun's habit, Whitemane stood at the front of the cathedral, holding a staff. Her youthful aura appeared exceptionally mature under the influence of her religious faith.
"Today's prayer has concluded. Those who wish to return may do so; if anyone has questions, they may stay and seek answers from the priests."
"Patients who feel unwell or are sick can go to the infirmary for treatment. Let us once again thank His Majesty Arthas for the stable life he has bestowed upon us."
"For Arthas! For Lordaeron!"
Below were all the believers invited to join; they were either subjects of Lordaeron or members of newly joined races, including Orcs, Blood Elves, Dwarves, and more. Even races like the Kobolds and Naga, who were generally not accepted, lived here in harmony.
It was hard to imagine that the Blood Elves, renamed from High Elves, and the Forest Trolls, with their thousands of years of war-torn hatred, could be under the same roof without conflict or war.
"For Arthas! For Lordaeron!"
Faith is an invisible power; devout believers could obtain corresponding aura effects based on the faith energy they contributed. After passing an inspection, one of the three bishops would perform a baptismal prayer to grant a blessing.
With the aura effects applied, the most direct benefits were stamina recovery and healing abilities. After a regular day of exhausting work, with the blessing, one could still go to a tavern for a drink or spend time with family in the evening.
They did not reject the Holy Light or the Arcane; even opposing Shadow Priests could exist. Divine arts were kept as a trump card, and normally, one could use whatever they wished.
Instances where the Holy Light did not respond occurred frequently, but if a priest was trained in the mysterious sanctums within the territory, they could still use the Holy Light even without faith in it, bypassing the mechanism that required devotion to the Holy Light to obtain its power.
This was a unique "system shortcut," bypassing restrictions in a manner similar to enslavement. Regardless, as long as it worked, there was no need to dwell on it.
Barracks, Mysterious Sanctums, Lion Pens, Workshops, and other human buildings were places for producing soldiers and professionals. Besides costing gold and resources, local biological beings also needed to enter and learn personally.
Whitemane had gone to a Mysterious Sanctum to study and was an excellent priest, while Lilian Voss had gone to the Barracks to learn and became an excellent warrior.
The sect did not just preach; it also personally engaged in external combat. They wiped out wandering undead or wild races that refused to follow management, mostly Kobolds and Gnolls, and occasionally stubborn Trolls.
The so-called prayer was to make them recall their previous lives, especially the painful memories of being exploited and oppressed by lords or having loved ones killed by the Undead Scourge, stimulating their inner resentment and sorrow. Only then would they compare it to their current life of having enough to eat and wear as long as they worked hard.
Here, there was no old-era noble class oppression; everything was bestowed by Arthas, and as beneficiaries, they had to be grateful.
Spies from Stormwind or other factions were not non-existent, but it was difficult for them to gain trust. Superficial efforts could deceive anyone, but the faith energy provided could not lie.
According to Bridget's thinking, the natural course was to find the spies and kill them all one by one, with public executions to establish authority and maintain the dignity of the empire in the most extreme way.
As for the Scarlet Crusade, it wouldn't be normal if they weren't extreme. According to her logic, as long as Arthas gave any instruction, they would give everything to complete it and maintain his status as a deity of faith.
In comparison, wanting to bear children for Arthas was simply not worth mentioning. Fortunately, Arthas had no such thoughts; otherwise, a harem of three thousand beauties would be a matter of moments.
However, as the High Priestess, the Dragon Queen Sinestra did not agree. According to her, killing them directly was too wasteful. Since they were spies, they should be assigned to places where they could be most controlled and where they would suffer the most.
For example, going to improve the genes of Kobold miners; these burly males were quite popular among the Kobold tribes.
Goldtooth, the Kobold chieftain, expressed that such good things should be as frequent as possible; even shorter Goblins would be fine, as they could at least improve the intelligence.
Perhaps some lecherous people might think this was a great benefit rather than a punishment! But living in a pigsty with Kobolds who emitted a dark, foul stench year after year would drive even a demon mad.
As for why, in the words of the not-so-wise Kobold chieftain, the dirtier and more chaotic the environment the pups survived in, the stronger their physical genes would be; a little dirt didn't matter.
But if one were to actually visit and see, they would know it wasn't just a little dirty, but a massive amount!
This form of punishment was somewhat inhumane and cruel, as was the task of screening toxic ores, which was originally handled by Arcane Golems. Now, those spies were responsible for it; prolonged contact with toxic minerals would cause their bodies to deteriorate until they died silently.
Actually, that's not right; perhaps they could receive a post-mortem prayer and a chance at cremation!
Scouting and eliminating undead in dark corners, cleaning up ruined villages to organize supplies, and so on—basically, the hard and tiring work always needed someone to do it. There were still many things that the current stage of Arcane Golems could not do and required manual labor, which led to a shortage of spies!
Looking at the believers praying spontaneously below, a proud smile curled on Whitemane's red lips. Having developed so many believers, the Master would surely reward her, right?
She was a mindless fanatic. After being saved by Arthas in Stratholme, she joined the Church of the Holy Light as a priest and had been following the army in battle ever since. Despite her young age, she was strong-willed and very skilled in using the Holy Light; even Alonsus praised her talent.
Later, after the new sect was established, Sinestra personally recruited her, and she switched sides without a second thought.
No one felt there was anything wrong with the High Priestess and the bishops all being female, nor did they think there would be any issues with it.
It was just that they were all women; if there was ever a need, and they were fanatics, they could be picked at any time. Besides, facing beautiful women, even if one didn't "eat," it was pleasing to the eye—wasn't that good?
A unit of the Imperial Guard appeared outside the cathedral; this was an elite force assembled to guard the palace, commanded by Sinestra and entrusted to Lilian.
Unless the Queens appeared, the Imperial Guard rarely mobilized.
Whitemane was somewhat puzzled. Could it be that Lady Jaina was coming? This lady rarely came to the cathedral, preferring to return to the Magic Quarter instead.
The door was opened, revealing a mature and beautiful elf in a court dress, looking modest yet elegant and noble.
She didn't recognize this elf. Many Blood Elves had settled in the City of Hope, and many more were continuously coming from Quel'Thalas. But none could compare to the elf before her; that nobility and elegance were etched into her bones, requiring no affectation. Her pure aura radiated, making one feel an impulse to prostrate themselves before her at a single glance.
Tall and slender, she was much taller than Queen Jaina beside her, giving off the feeling of a giantess next to a little girl.
"This is the hall of the Azeroth Guardian Sect. The believers are praying; they come whenever they are free. If they don't have time, they pray at home. If it weren't for the regulations, I'm afraid everyone would be crowding in here."
Jaina introduced gracefully, her tone very gentle, showing no stage fright despite the other's power.
Whether you are the Queen of the Kaldorei or the High Priestess of the Sisterhood of Elune, here we are sisters, and no one should look down on anyone else.
Who else could this tall and elegant queen be but Azshara?
Behind her followed a Night Elf in armor, looking around lively with a spirited and playful expression.
Shandris was visiting her father's kingdom for the first time, and everything seemed very novel to her. And were these creatures her father's believers? They seemed quite devout!
She looked up at the sculpture in front of her; it was a statue of her father, holding frostmourne, standing and gazing ahead, with his cloak carved lifelike.
"It's very nice, Aunt Jaina, heehee."
Jaina rolled her eyes slightly; being called "Aunt" by an elf several thousand years old gave her a dizzying feeling. She had felt a sense of closeness the first time she saw Shandris; no wonder the girl was the favorite of the group. It really made one unable to resist wanting to be good to her, a feeling like facing one's own offspring, instinctively doting on her.
"The cathedral has always been a focus; it not only embodies the sacred but also serves as a ritual site for many major events."
"This is Bishop Sally Whitemane; you can just call her Whitemane."
"Whitemane, this is Shandris, Arthas's daughter."
Whitemane, who was already somewhat puzzled, almost had her eyes pop out upon hearing this. Daughter?
His Highness the Prince—no, His Majesty the King—how did he end up with such a grown daughter?
Jaina rubbed her head; she was also very shocked when she heard the news. How could her childhood sweetheart have an extra daughter?
He traveled back to ancient times and had a daughter with Tyrande, and that's how it is.
It sounded incredible, but in this world, nothing is impossible; there's only what one can't imagine, not what can't be done.
Guardian Medivh could father a child with a half-orc, Garona; a Grove Warden could father Centaurs with an Earth Elemental Princess; this seemed like nothing was impossible.
It wouldn't be impossible for a human and a Mantid to have a child someday; anyway, the main theme was an orderly chaos.
"Ahem, hello, Your Highness. I am Whitemane; it is an honor to meet you."
Too crazy; this was crazier than a mouse giving birth to a cat's child.
"Heehee, no need to be so polite; we don't have such rules where I'm from. I like things relaxed, so don't be so serious; just call me Shandris. I heard you were a bishop personally appointed by Father; thank you for your hard work, Father needs talents like you to help."
Shandris didn't feel anything was amiss; she was just a girl by nature, lively and curious about everything. This was her everyday way of life; if she were on the battlefield, she wouldn't be like this, but a serious and calm commander.
Whitemane's head was still buzzing, and she didn't react for a moment. Her deity of faith was quite down-to-earth, even having a daughter appear.
"Alright, show us around."
Jaina also knew this was crazy and needed time to digest. At the same time, she felt a bit of urgency; she had originally planned to wait a while before having children, but now that she saw someone had already beaten her to it, she had to speed things up.
That's what she thought, and Sylvanas, upon hearing the news, thought so too—at least they had to start considering having children. They would just focus on giving birth; someone else would help raise the kids.