On the final stretch leading into Westfall, a comical scene unfolded: several hundred knights galloped ahead, raising clouds of dust, while far behind the formation, a juvenile gnoll struggled to keep up.
After crossing the Westfall River, the landscape transformed. Gone were the verdant forests, replaced by an expansive golden prairie.
Though it was January, Westfall, like Elwynn Forest, boasted a comfortable temperature, with breezes sweeping in from the western sea and the Great Forest to the east.
Lacking the windbreaks and soil stabilization of tall vegetation, Westfall's land was helpless against the erosion of wind and sand, resulting in its unique environment.
All of the above was just Galen's conjecture. Climate knowledge from Earth didn't necessarily apply in Azeroth. After all, where else would you find the snow-capped peaks of Dun Morogh, theoretically located in the equatorial region of the continent? Despite sharing the same latitude, Elwynn Forest in the Eastern Kingdoms was fertile and temperate, while Eastvale in the Western Kingdoms still saw snowfall in July.
Galen felt unqualified to apply science on Azeroth, a planet brimming with magical energy.
Jasson's Stead was the first rest stop for Galen's company. Their guide, Mark, seemed to know the farm owner and went inside to greet him. The knights dismounted and rested beside the farm. It was midday, and Galen instructed everyone to prepare lunch.
The Town Hall offered a technology called 'Backpack Skill'. Researching it granted units from the Barracks and Arcane Sanctum two storage spaces, each about two cubic meters in size. As such, every unit, upon completion of training, would be sent to the farm to fill their two storage spaces.
These spaces were usually filled with non-perishable items like flour, dried rations, and drinking water.
The knights started cooking. A small squad of knights left the camp and returned half an hour later, each horse laden with game. Galen glanced over and saw that most of the animals were native to Westfall, like the Bristleback Boar.
The young gnoll, Hogg, squatted on the road at a distance, resembling Galen's Shiba Inu from his previous life, looking pitifully as he waited for food.
Galen beckoned to Hogg. The little gnoll hesitated, a conflict raging within him, but he eventually approached Galen.
A peculiar odor wafted over. Galen fanned the air, then activated Arcane Intellect. Galen spoke.
"From today onward, you will follow me and work for me. As long as you remain loyal and do not betray me, I will help you strengthen the Riverpaw Pack."
"Woof woof! Yes! Master!"
"Good. To meet my standards, you still have much to learn. First, when we set up camp tonight, you will take a thorough bath, and I will provide you with new equipment."
With that, Galen tore off a hind leg of the roasted Bristleback Boar and handed it to Hogg. Hogg's dog-like eyes seemed to light up. He looked delighted, eagerly took the boar leg, and walked aside to begin eating.
Galen gazed at Jasson's Stead. Though not large, it was equivalent to twenty base farms in area. But there were many such farms in Westfall, some even larger: Furlbrow's Pumpkin Farm, Saldean's Farm, Moore's Farm, and Alexston Farm. These farms were where Galen used to complete quests and grind monsters in his previous life.
The people of Westfall were brave and hardworking. In the early days of the Kingdom of Stormwind, descendants of Thoradin, many nobles and high-ranking citizens authorized by the royal family, carved out territories on this vast and fertile land through their own efforts.
At that time, the Kingdom of Stormwind was newly established, and the population was not as large as it was now. Besides a land reclamation order, the royal family had no extra troops to help them resist beasts, repel gnolls, kobolds, and murlocs.
During the busy farming season, they worked in the fields; when enemies appeared, they picked up weapons from the ridges and fought directly. They managed to cultivate rich farms and plantations on this dangerous land. This hardy spirit shaped the Westfall Brigade and the spirited Moonbrook Brigade of later generations.
Before setting off, Galen called over the guide, Mark, and pointed to a spot on the sheepskin map. It was the southwest corner of Westfall. Then, he indicated that the destination of the group was there.
The next few days were spent on the road again. Galen had wanted to give Hogg a horse, but teaching a dog to ride a horse was a bit difficult, so he had no choice but to let him continue running behind the group. When they camped, a large group of priests and paladins took turns using Holy Light to relieve his physical fatigue.
On the evening of the third day, Mark McBride informed Galen that Moonbrook was ahead. They would reach their destination after crossing the next hill.
On the hillside before Moonbrook, Galen gazed at the town. The guide, Mark, was said to be a native of Moonbrook and had already gone ahead to inform the town.
In his previous life, Galen had come to Moonbrook many times in the game to farm the Deadmines dungeon, and he had seen Moonbrook in different situations.
Moonbrook under the control of the Defias Brotherhood: Galen would forcefully corpse run, spilling blood every five steps, his soul returning to the graveyard every ten steps, struggling to enter the Deadmines to farm the dungeon.
Later, the Brotherhood's leader was killed by adventurers, the Brotherhood scattered, and Moonbrook was occupied by a large number of Stormwind refugees. The yellow-named Stormwind refugees and the occasional thugs made it much safer for small accounts to enter the dungeon.
But in reality, Moonbrook was much larger than the dozens of buildings in the game. It was a large town with a population of over ten thousand. Although the Kingdom of Stormwind was in a state of war, Moonbrook was in the heart of Westfall. The west was the ocean, the south was the Dagger Hills, and the east was three days away from Elwynn Forest. So, it seemed that the war was still far away. Apart from the patrol team, there was no sign of tension in the town.
Moonbrook was initially formed by miners who relied on mining ore in the Hope Mine. But its prosperity today was not only due to the mining industry. According to Mark, it was more of a farmer's town. The town's flax, oats, pumpkins, and other crops were incredibly productive, earning it the title of the number one town in Westfall.
What a great town, Galen's old habits returned. Whenever he saw a good place, he wanted to take it over.
At this time, five First Generation Paladins rode forward and stood side by side with Galen, gazing at the town together.
"Galen, do you have some clue as to why you brought the team directly here?"
After several months of getting along, their relationship was quite good, and because of Galen's unique qualities, they had all recognized Galen and accepted him as their leader.
But their personalities differed, and their ways of dealing with people were also different. Uther was serious, Dathrohan was taciturn, Turalyon rarely spoke because of his young age, and only Tirion, from a noble background, was good at socializing and enlivening the atmosphere. Seeing that everyone was puzzled, he took the lead in asking Galen.
"On the first night of entering Westfall, I received a revelation. The Book of Divinity is in the mountains behind this town!"
Upon hearing this, everyone became solemn and respectful. A revelation from the Holy Light was beyond talent; it was the favor of the Holy Light!