Chapter 194: Dark Moon (part 3)

“We have known for a long time that Miss Ram is a core member of the Silver Moon Wolf Clan, and we have long known what your abilities are, Mr. Tagraedi. Rest assured, Twilight Moon did not provide us with this information. We have our own sources and knew about these things even before she joined us. I just want to tell you that we are natural allies, if not natural comrades,” Dark Moon continued. “Miss Ram, you should understand that we are much more reliable and powerful than among your so-called Silver Moon Wolf Clan’allies.”

This was undeniable. Most of Silver Moon’s allies were more like bandits than rebels. They were unable to match the power and influence of Dark Moon. Moreover, surviving the elves’ massacres to reach adulthood was a testament to the inherent strength of these magic kinds.

Even an untrained magic kind like Feya could become one of the strongest and most reliable forces in Orgrimmar. 

How weak could the magic kinds of Dark Moon be?

Under the intense suppression of magic kinds by the Elven Empire, these people had no other choice but to resist or hide. There was no third path, so there was no fear of them betraying or selling out.

“How many core members do you have?” Wu Qingsong asked.

“Quite a few,” Dark Moon replied, naturally avoiding the question. “Mr. Tagraedi, if you are willing to join and become a member of Dark Moon, I would be honored to introduce you to every core member.”

Wu Qingsong could only smile. He had no intention of becoming anyone’s subordinate.

Dark Moon smiled as well. 

“Your past is a mystery, Mr. Tagraedi. Our members and allies are spread across the entire continent, yet no one has ever heard of a place called Karazhan, nor of a legendary mage or archmage named Medivh. But that doesn’t matter. What we care about is, what do you want? Do you wish to become a lord? Build a kingdom? I know you are establishing a new faith. So, do you wish to become the Pope? I hope you understand that Dark Moon can provide you with a great deal of assistance in this process.”

His words made Wu Qingsong scratch his nose a bit self-consciously. 

“And what about you? What do you want?”

“We?” Dark Moon laughed again. “All we need is some mutually beneficial returns.”

“Can you be more specific?” Wu Qingsong asked.

“Our ideal is to have the right to walk in the sunlight and to reclaim what rightfully belongs to us.”

Wu Qingsong looked into his eyes, and Dark Moon didn’t evade his gaze at all. Wu Qingsong could clearly feel that while what he said might be true, it was certainly not the whole truth.

For magic kinds to walk in the sunlight, they could try to influence the policies of the Elven Empire, build a force strong enough to rival the elves, or they could aim to completely eradicate them. The differences and difficulties between these paths were immense.

So, which outcome were they truly pursuing?

“Mr. Tagraedi, I imagine one of your desires is to help the Silver Moon Wolf Clan restore their nation, correct?” Dark Moon asked with a smile. “This goal aligns with many of our allies.”

Ram’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“This won’t be easy because the elves will never peacefully return the lands they’ve seized, nor will they allow the beastfolk to regain their freedom. Unless we unite and strike them hard. Make them fear our power, and realize they must pay a steep price. Only then will they retreat to their original territories. You all know how powerful they are. Facing such an enemy, we must unite and act together to stand a chance of defeating them. If we fight separately, we’ll be defeated, just as our ancestors were. Crushed one by one.”

While the words made sense, Wu Qingsong couldn’t help but feel a sudden sense of frustration.

He didn’t like the feeling of being led by the nose. Establishing the broadest possible united front and allying with every available faction and force to resist a formidable enemy was undoubtedly the right approach. However, for some reason, Wu Qingsong had a feeling that Dark Moon was not trustworthy.

Their enmity with the elves was undeniable, but was the enemy of their enemy necessarily a friend they could trust?

These people had been watching Wu Qingsong and his group for a long time and chose this moment to approach through their connection with Xeila. This made Wu Qingsong uncomfortable. Most of their secrets were laid bare before Dark Moon, while they only knew what Dark Moon wanted them to know.

The imbalance in their relationship was too big.

When choosing allies, he preferred someone like Nina, who was straightforward and offered help when he was weak, rather than those who only approached when they deemed him valuable enough.

“We need to think it over,” he said.

“Of course,” Dark Moon nodded. “Given the current situation, I suggest you move out of your current lodging. We can arrange a safe and hidden place for you.”

“Thank you,” Wu Qingsong replied, glancing at Ram and nodding.

Dark Moon’s people quickly transported them back to their original locations using two small boats. They then helped them evacuate from the inn and took different routes to a house that was far from the main roads but conveniently located.

“The surrounding houses are all our properties,” Red Moon explained. “We have both visible and hidden sentries watching the area around the clock. If any strangers arrive, we’ll know immediately. If there’s any danger, we’ll warn you. There’s a tunnel beneath your house that leads to a nearby hidden dock. Within minutes, you can blend into the main river traffic. You have four routes to exit the house, and if needed, we can have people follow you to see if anyone is tailing you.”

“Thank you,” Wu Qingsong said with a nod.

Having local support made everything much simpler, and the safety of their situation had drastically improved.

After bringing Bernar and the others over, they quickly had a meeting. Wu Qingsong briefed Bernar and Daryl on the recent events. Although Daryl wasn’t qualified to give his opinion yet, Wu Qingsong hoped he would soon get involved in such matters, learning how others thought through problems and made decisions.

“Wu, we should cooperate with them!” 

Ram’s attitude had completely changed from before, which slightly surprised Wu Qingsong. Before the meeting, she had clearly been distrustful of the people behind Xeila. 

“No, actually, we’ve already been working with them. What I mean is, we should deepen our cooperation,” she said.

“Ram?” he couldn’t help but say.

“They have no reason to betray us,” Ram said urgently. “If they wanted to, they would have done so already. Your identity, the goods we smuggle, and what we’ve been doing in Orgrimmar. They know everything. By working with them, we can increase the shipment of soap and seeds, and even learn from them how to train gifted girls. Our power will grow.”

“But…” Wu Qingsong said, “They know almost everything about us, while we barely know anything about them. How can we fully trust them?”

“A group like theirs can only survive and thrive in a place like the Imperial Capital if they have strict confidentiality measures and methods,” Ram said. “I think it’s understandable that they kept their identities hidden from us before. If their activities are exposed, the elves will hunt them down mercilessly. They face far greater risks than we do. We don’t need to know everything about them. Wu, if you had built such an organization, would you reveal all your secrets to someone who is just a collaborator in one aspect?”

Her point was valid, but…

“Meow~” Liuli chimed in from the side. “I think they should be good people, right?”

“At least for now, cooperating with them doesn’t seem to harm us,” Bernar added. “Although they did hide their identities initially, we’ve benefited significantly from our dealings with them. We already have a foundation of cooperation. Expanding on this foundation is reasonable.”

“Alright, since you all think so,” Wu Qingsong finally nodded.