The Great Thief

“Let’s call it here today; let nature continue to guide you,” Remulos sighed. His eyes were staring directly at where Lu Li was Stealthed.

The Druids did not dare to disobey the will of the Keeper of the Grove and had no choice but to leave. There were some that attempted to sneak a peek from a distance, but they were all transferred back to Nighthaven.

“Arrogant stalker, I can see you. I can even hear the sound of a flower blooming in the depths of the jungle,” Remulos boasted.

“That is true – you are the king of the jungle, so nothing in the jungle happens without you knowing it,” Lu Li said as he revealed himself and walked towards Remulos. “Lord I am here to ask for your help.”

“Help? Let’s hear it,” Remulos responded.

“In the forest of the Grey Valley, I have acquired a piece of land located near the trees of the forest on the bank of the Fallon River,” Lu Li began to explain.

“Oh, that place. I heard the thunder of some drums in that direction. The Dryads had reported to me the progress of the war,” Remulos said with a smile. “The land had been ravaged by Satyrs and Fire Elementals. Now that they are gone, the forest thanks you.”

“I am worried that the enemies we have defeated will return, so I want your help,” Lu Li pushed.

“Return?” Remulos asked incredulously as he shook his head, “There is no way they will return. The Satyrs and Fire Elements have completely retreated. It will now be a paradise for adventurers.”

“Ahem,” Lu Li coughed. He had no choice but to be more straightforward, saying, “I have some enemies that look enviously upon the fruits of my labour. Dear Lord Remulos, I need your help. To gain your favour, I have not cut down a single tree in the forest.” It wasn’t that wood buildings weren’t good. Wood buildings were sturdy and could be made fireproof. They were not that much worse than stone. Moreover, there were so many trees in the Nightsong Forest that it would have been easier to collect wood than stone. However, to earn Remulos’ favour, Lu Li gave an absolute order after the Stronghold event that prohibited the chopping-down of trees. All buildings had to be made of stone or metal.

“Thank you for your friendliness to the jungle,” Remulos thanked. He had to admit that Lu Li had successfully gained his favour. “I am willing to contribute my own strength for the prosperity of the forest, so I hope to receive your help,” Lu Li stated sincerely. The reason why he didn’t want to cut the trees was to maintain a good relationship with the natural guardians – Remulos, the Cenarion Circle, the Keepers of the Grove, the Dryads and the entire Night Elf race.

If Lu Li was a Horde player, he definitely would have cut down all the trees. After all, the entire Orc race was focused only on growing in strength, no matter the cost. The Alliance’s presence in Grey Valley was precisely to prevent the deforestation of these ancient trees.

“Well, I have some quests here that your Druid friends can do,” Remulos promised.

Since Lu Li was willing to complete quests, this was fine. From the game design’s perspective, there was only a chance to gain these quests. After successfully triggering the quest, Lu Li knew that Remulos was willing to help.

“Rest assured that they will do whatever you tell them to.”

Lu Li immediately informed some Druids in the guild to complete the quest and arranged for more players to help them with it. If Lu Li remembered correctly, the name of the quest should be called Save the Seedling. The quest was tedious, as not only was it a waste of time, but it was also dangerous. Moreover, there was no reward. There were very few Druids that would willingly do this quest. After all, players were here to play the game or to listen to the NPC’s teachings.

However, if this quest was completed by someone with a forest Stronghold, and this Stronghold was a friend of the forest, they had a probability of obtaining the Keepers of the Grove’s Protection after completing it. The Keepers of the Grove were the sons of demigod Cenarius and they looked like their smaller Dryad sisters. The Keepers looked like half-Elves and half-stags with huge antlers and leaf-like manes. The right hand of a Keeper was a giant tree-like claw, and they had many supernatural Artifacts.

The so-called Keepers of the Grove’s Protection summoned a Keeper of the Grove illusion for half an hour which helped players fight monsters in the Wild. Lu Li intended to place them at the walls. These Keepers of the Grove had a few skills that were perfect for defending a Stronghold. They had Bind, Tranquillity, Thorns Aura and Force of Nature.

Bind’s effect was similar to that of a Restraint Tower. It was mainly used for crowd control and deceleration. If Keepers of the Grove were placed on the wall, they would Bind the enemies that rushed for the walls. There wasn’t much to say about Tranquillity. Hachi Chan often used this skill and it could restore HP to many units. Casting Thorns Aura on a friendly target would surround them with thorns that not only reduced damage taken, but also reflected damage back to those attacking them. As for Force of Nature, it was a skill that transformed trees into treants. Keepers of the Grove generally didn’t use this skill, because the trees only lasted for a limited amount of time. When their time was up, they would become rotten wood, ultimately killing the trees. To be honest, it was enough help even if the Keepers only used Tranquillity.

The probability of acquiring the Keeper of the Grove illusions was not great, so Lu Li sent almost all of the guild’s Druids. Anyway, as long as they had Detoxify, they should be able to complete the quest. Only a few Druids needed to succeed, and it would dramatically improve their chances of winning.

Countless Druids from Ruling Sword poured into Nighthaven and then left after accepting the quest. Each of them was assigned four teammates to form a team. The Druids would focus on detoxification and would use the healing dust to save the trees, while the rest of the team would kill the monsters around them.

“The decay undermines the harmony of nature. My friends will be fighting the decay as long as it is needed,” Lu Li assured Remulos. He didn’t mind making such a promise because he was sure that the benefits would be worth the trouble.

From the experience he had with Remulos, he was a generous elder. “My Dryad sisters who live in the forest seem to be in trouble. You will be neighbours in the future, so I hope you can help them as much as possible.”

Remulos was touched by Lu Li’s gesture once again.