The Kaldorei looked at Gale, unsure what he meant.
Gale announced loudly, "The war has just ended, and the Kaldorei have endured too much suffering. I do not wish to see Kaldorei killing each other."
He looked at Malfurion. "I will not use my status to pressure you. You want to abolish Arcane, but I will not agree. Neither of us will abandon our ideas; this is a conflict of philosophies. Therefore, it is better for us to separate. I will give you Mount Hyjal and the surrounding woodlands. You can pursue your idea of abolishing Arcane there. As for me, I will remain in Nordrassil and continue to develop Arcane."
He then looked at everyone. "And as for you, those who wish to support Malfurion can follow him to Mount Hyjal. Those who wish to support me will remain in Nordrassil. Rest assured, I will not force you in any way. You must follow your own hearts."
Everyone looked at each other, wondering if this meant a split. They felt ashamed, having not expected things to escalate to this point.
Malfurion's expression was also complex; he did not want things to turn out this way. However, Gale had not given him a retreat, unless he abandoned the idea of abolishing Arcane, otherwise he could only go to Mount Hyjal.
Although there was nothing wrong with Mount Hyjal, he did not want to bear the blame for splitting the Kaldorei.
Gale said calmly, "No one should feel burdened. Those who go to Mount Hyjal are still subjects of the Empire, and you can still choose to return to Nordrassil to live. However, outside of Mount Hyjal, do not speak of abolishing Arcane. The opposite is also true; within the confines of Mount Hyjal, do not use Arcane. This is our mutual respect for each other, and I will write this into law!"
Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief. Being able to come and go freely, the consequences seemed not so severe.
However, they had not considered that the initial choice was very important.
Maiev was the first to stand behind Gale. Metri, leading the Mages, Navoli, leading the Rangers, and Draksa, leading the Warriors, followed him steadfastly.
Tyrande also immediately stood behind Malfurion, supporting her beloved. Although Illidan Stormrage felt a pang of jealousy, he still followed.
Both sides looked at Nalarex. He was both Gale's attendant Mage and a Druid, and everyone wanted to know what choice he would make.
Behind Nalarex were the Druids he led. Although not many, they were all carefully trained by him, and these Druids very much wanted to support Malfurion.
Even back in Antu'dara, there had been resentment between Druids and Mages. If Gale had not been decisive in expelling the troublesome Druids, the two magical factions might have developed a deep hatred. Nevertheless, there were still many conflicts between them.
Nalarex turned to his disciples, "Follow your hearts."
Then, he walked directly to Gale and knelt on the ground.
"My King, I have said that no matter what happens, I will follow you steadfastly."
Gale smiled with relief, "I believe you."
The Druids hesitated for a moment, and most chose to continue following Nalarex. The rest, perhaps following their hearts, turned to support Malfurion.
Druids, after all, originated from Cenarius. Malfurion was Cenarius's prized student and also the first Druid. He received the favor of Azeroth and became the Great Druid. In contrast, Nalarex was much less prominent. If these Druids had not been taught by him, probably few would have supported his decision.
Illidan Stormrage raised an eyebrow at Nalarex, a smug smile on his face.
Nalarex's expression remained unchanged, as if he did not care about the Druids' choices.
Everyone then looked at the Priests led by Dyganna, especially the refugees. In their state of confusion, the choice of the Moon Goddess would sway their thoughts.
Maiev and Tyrande both looked at Dyganna; this High Priestess was the spokesperson for Elune.
Dyganna slowly began, "Elune has decreed that since Your Majesty Gale wishes to use time to prove who is right and who is wrong, Elune also supports this decision. To avoid affecting fairness, the Sisterhood will be divided into two. Those who remain in Nordrassil will have Maiev as their High Priestess, and those who go to Mount Hyjal will have Tyrande as their High Priestess. As for me, I will resign as High Priestess and return to the Temple of the Moon to live in seclusion, serving Elune wholeheartedly."
Everyone showed surprised expressions, unable to understand Elune's choice.
Gale was also very curious; he had thought Elune would support Malfurion! In the original history, after Dyganna died in battle, Tyrande was appointed High Priestess, for which Maiev was jealous for a long time.
Now Elune chose not to help either side, possibly because Gale had a stronger advantage. Otherwise, given Elune's admiration for Tyrande and her dislike for Gale, she would definitely have chosen to help Malfurion.
It seems Elune also understands politics!
However, this decision made the Kaldorei refugees very hesitant. They had originally been swayed and had no ideas of their own.
Dyganna looked at the refugees, "Follow your hearts. Your Majesty Gale said that no matter where you go, you are still citizens of the Kaldorei Empire. If you don't get used to it, you can always move to another place."
The refugees thought for a long time before slowly making their choices.
Some were lazy; if they could move back and forth, why go to Mount Hyjal? Staying in Nordrassil to work was not bad! There was bread made by Mages, game hunted by Rangers, and fish salvaged from the sea; food was abundant.
Others feared Gale's future retaliation and chose to leave with Malfurion.
Ultimately, tens of thousands made their choices. Gale had the majority, but Malfurion also had a significant number, about five thousand people.
Gale did not care about these five thousand laborers. He had a large number of Mages, so having or not having these five thousand people made no difference.
He did not make Malfurion and his followers travel across the ocean, but instead had them go to Shaladrassil and pass through the Titan Portal to Mount Hyjal.
In the future, this Titan Portal would be an important channel for communication between the two places.
Of course, because the Titan Portal on the other side was built on a high mountain, it could only ensure the flow of people and small amounts of supplies; large quantities of goods still needed to be transported by ship.
Gale placing Malfurion on Mount Hyjal was not without restrictions. Besides Mount Hyjal, Ashenvale, Moonbrook, Felwood, and at most Winterspring. Other places, including but not limited to Darkshore, Azshara, Cenarion Thicket, Stonetalon Mountains, and others, remained under his rule.
Confining Malfurion to the northern part of the new Kalimdor, not allowing him to extend his reach, was Gale's restriction on Cenarius.
Cenarius was different from other demigods; he had a strong sense of territory. Moreover, he liked to plant trees, and while planting trees was good, it did not align with Gale's development strategy.
Without cultivating land, mining, or developing the ocean, how could one dominate Azeroth?
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