Arthas, who had a certain understanding of the Dreadlords' actions, began to consider whether he should go to Kalimdor. Although this might increase his chances of catching the Dreadlords, there was one thing Arthas had not forgotten.
There was not just one Dreadlord, but four of them!
Arthas guessed that the Dreadlords might travel to Kalimdor to find a way for the Burning Legion to descend, but he wasn't sure how many Dreadlords had gone.
If there were still hidden Dreadlords in the Eastern Kingdoms, then this itself could be their trap, waiting for Arthas to fall into it.
Arthas returned to the table and sat down, lost in thought: his initiative was not obvious from the beginning; he was merely guarding Dalaran and Quel'Thalas, preparing to wait for the rabbit to come to him.
But the Dreadlords clearly wouldn't be as rigid as in games or history; they would adjust according to the situation, especially the death of Mal'Ganis, which must have made these once-unrestrained fellows realize their situation was not safe.
However, Mal'Ganis had to die. He knew some information about Arthas, and his abilities were also the most dangerous to the Human Kingdom.
Leaning against the table, Arthas's expression grew heavier: could the descent of the Burning Legion truly be unavoidable?
As things stood, he had already avoided many possible or impending events and tragedies, but the existence of the Burning Legion alone felt like an Icecrown Glacier pressing on his heart, impossible to dodge or avoid.
The deeper he delved into the source of power, the stronger he became day by day, the more he understood the terror of the Burning Legion as an enemy of life-bearing planets. Therefore, from the day Arthas was born, he had been preparing to prevent the Burning Legion's descent.
He reshaped the order of Lordaeron, establishing complex and powerful organizations to serve as his hands and eyes, monitoring the operation of the entire continent.
He used his connections to eliminate most of the barriers and prejudices between Alliance races, seeking a balance point for an alliance, and continuously pursuing more allies with common goals.
He forced the orcs across the ocean to Kalimdor, while not completely destroying their clans; he replaced the Lich King, took over the Scourge, and established a new order in the far north.
Everything he did was in hopes that when disaster struck, all available forces could become a bulwark for Azeroth.
In his more than twenty years living in Azeroth, he had constantly observed the beauty and ugliness of this world.
As the Prince of Lordaeron, he was the focus of attention from birth, but as a person with foreign thoughts and memories, he was also simultaneously wary of gazes from darkness and the abyss.
And even Arthas's understanding of the Burning Legion was only partial.
Even the Night Elves, who had faced the Legion head-on in this world, probably only knew the tip of the iceberg of the Legion that swept through the void.
The Elves paid a heavy price for their arrogance and pride; their empire and world crumbled in the cataclysm ten thousand years ago.
Arthas did not want to repeat the Elves' mistakes; otherwise, wouldn't everything he had done before be in vain?
The Dreadlords had very well grasped Arthas's weakness.
Perhaps they couldn't directly enter Dalaran and Quel'Thalas in their prime to steal artifacts and energy, but they could easily destroy mortal villages, towns, and even... Legions.
Arthas now faced a choice: either go to Kalimdor to continue tracking the Dreadlords, or stay in the Eastern Kingdoms to prevent more tragedies from happening.
"Sigh…"
The Prince wearily raised his hand and placed it on his face.
Those damned demons had indeed given him a problem; weren't they forcing Arthas to choose between future disaster and present danger?
After much deliberation, the best solution Arthas could think of was to remain inactive for now; the Dreadlords feared him because he knew of their existence.
The mages of Dalaran did not fully trust Arthas's words; they were unwilling to put in great effort to guard against a danger whose existence was uncertain.
And the Silver Hand had limited manpower, most of which was deployed in the defense of Lordaeron itself, making it impossible for Arthas to reallocate them.
Although the threat of the orcs had been eliminated and the Undead were under Arthas's control, this did not mean that Lordaeron could truly rest easy.
The Trolls to the north and the Burning Steppes to the south were both things Arthas had to guard against.
Even the Gnolls, who usually hid in forests and wilderness, could cause considerable damage to towns and villages if not guarded against.
The reason Lordaeron recovered so quickly after the war was not only because King Terenas inherited Alterac's legacy and gained some benefits from the wealth plundered from the orcs, but more importantly, because there were almost no more bandits and monsters within Lordaeron's borders.
Freed from these culprits affecting local development, the peaceful and prosperous people of Lordaeron could naturally create a better kingdom over these past ten-plus years.
The price was that Terenas and Arthas had to dispatch necessary personnel to garrison every important area of the kingdom, and drive away monsters and beasts from the mountains at specific times.
So, the current situation was that Arthas did not want the Dreadlords to wreak havoc in Lordaeron, but this did not mean he would let them search for clues in Kalimdor and bring the Burning Legion to sweep across Azeroth again.
He now had several bold ideas and plans in mind, and Arthas thought it might be time to try them.
… … … …
"What? Sunwell water?" Kael'thas's expression of surprise flashed across his face, then turned a bit difficult, "Arthas, it's not that I don't want to help you with this, but… you know, anything related to the Sunwell, let alone leaving Quel'Thalas, even entering and exiting Quel'Danas Isle requires passing through multiple checkpoints and reviews."
"Of course I know, so, I actually want to make a deal with the High Elves."
Kael'thas was momentarily speechless; he wasn't sure how to answer Arthas, because he was afraid of discouraging Arthas.
Compared to humans, who had risen for only a few thousand years and experienced divisions and various wars, the Elves' ancient heritage from antiquity still persisted today. It could be said that whatever humans had, Elves had, and what humans didn't have, Elves also had.
Of course, bad habits like arcane addiction, which couldn't see the light of day, didn't count.
Arthas, of course, understood what Kael'thas meant, but he didn't feel embarrassed at all, because he was confident that what he was about to say was something the High Elves couldn't refuse.
"Don't make that face yet, how about you listen to me first? After all, what I'm going to trade with you is older than you are."
"Older than me?" Kael'thas was slightly stunned, then sighed with a smile, "It wouldn't be something from the Arathor Empire era, would it? Those items are rare, but we still have quite a few in our inventory…"
"Eldre'Thalas."
Arthas directly interrupted Kael'thas's words, uttering a word in Elvish that clearly contained an ancient aura.
This name made Kael'thas's originally confident expression freeze instantly; he seemed to be searching his vast knowledge for anything similar to this word.
"Eldre'Thalas… No… Impossible, isn't that just a legend?! Even if it really existed, it should have been destroyed in that Great Sundering!"
Watching Kael'thas's expression gradually change from confusion to surprise to shock, Arthas felt it was truly, exceptionally entertaining—it was rare to see this fellow show such an expression.
"Interested in hearing what I have to say next?"
Kael'thas nodded heavily. Eldre'Thalas. Even among the High Elves, not many knew of this place. Only the Sunstrider family's legacy was relatively complete; otherwise, Kael'thas might not have known either.
And when this place was uttered by a human no older than thirty, Kael'thas felt even more disbelief, but Arthas's pronunciation was flawless, no different from what Kael'thas remembered.
As for why it could make Kael'thas so surprised, even shocked, the reason was that the ancient city of Eldre'Thalas was not an ordinary city-state, even during the ancient Kaldorei Empire era.
This ancient city was built by a secret order of Elven mages to store and protect Queen Azshara's most precious arcane tomes and magical treasures, the "Light of Lights."
Who was Queen Azshara?
She was the leader of the ancient Kaldorei Empire, the supreme and only Empress; she possessed unparalleled beauty and unmatched power, and was called the "Light of Lights" by the ancient Kaldorei.
She ruled almost all the land on this planet, from forests to deserts, from snowfields to deserts, from mountains to oceans—all were Kaldorei territory, and even the stars in the universe had to sing praises to her empire.
One must know that the current Quel'Thalas, in the past, was just an ordinary Elven city-state, but even so, Quel'Thalas was a sacred place coveted by many modern mages—Queen Azshara possessed countless such cities.
At the same time, this Queen was very likely the most powerful entity to have emerged from any race in Azeroth, from ancient times to the present.
What kind of existence were the magical treasures she cherished?
This question could probably make any mage rack their brains without being able to imagine it, and now, Arthas had actually mentioned this city to Kael'thas?
Kael'thas, knowing Arthas's temperament, was aware that the Prince of Lordaeron would never make rash conclusions about things he wasn't clear about. This meant that he should already have concrete information about this ancient city.
Thinking of this, Kael'thas felt as if tens of thousands of Mana Sabers were scratching at his heart; he wished he could pass through the magic projection, stick his face in front of Arthas, and listen to him continue.
"You guessed correctly, I know the whereabouts of this city. It survived the Great Sundering ten thousand years ago. Although the current Eldre'Thalas is not what it once was, the city still hides secrets and treasures worth exploring."
"Originally, I planned to send people to excavate this ancient city alone, but as you can see, I am currently in urgent need of some rare resources." Arthas looked at Kael'thas, his intentions clear.
After hearing Arthas's words, Kael'thas was no longer as urgent. He narrowed his eyes, "Wait, Arthas, don't try to fool me. With human technology alone, searching such a large city won't be easy, and there's a risk of damaging many important tomes and holy relics."
You sly dog, are you trying to bargain with me?
Arthas saw through Kael'thas's trick at a glance, and he continued to speak indifferently.
"Yes, but conveniently, I have a group of Dwarf friends in my advance team, and they are very enthusiastic about archaeology."
Kael'thas's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? What do those Dwarves know about Elven ruins?! They only bang away in mines. If you send them, aren't you just wasting precious resources?!"
"No choice, our technology is insufficient, and Dwarves are still better at this job than us."
Kael'thas's face stiffened. You're the one asking me for a favor, but why do I feel so uncomfortable right now?
After a fierce ideological struggle, Kael'thas finally compromised. "Twenty bottles it is… Wait, by rights, if we send people to help you search that ruin, shouldn't you be giving us benefits?"
"My friend, you should have heard a common saying in Dalaran." Arthas spread his hands and sighed with a smile, "The most expensive thing in this world is knowledge. Now that I've told you such a secret, the price will naturally be a bit higher."
Kael'thas was exasperated into laughter by Arthas's shamelessness. He truly couldn't understand how Arthas had become a paladin; he was even harder to deal with than the most cunning Goblin.
But then he thought, since such a difficult person was his ally, Kael'thas felt a bit relieved. He didn't want to stand against Arthas one day, otherwise, he felt he would be in deep trouble.
What Kael'thas didn't know, however, was that in a certain timeline, he indeed ended up on the opposite side of Arthas, and the outcome was not as simple as twenty bottles of Sunwell water.
After the deal was struck, Kael'thas's curiosity as a mage made him ask one more question, "What are you going to do with the Sunwell water? For Jaina?"
But before Arthas could answer, Kael'thas thought again that if it were for a friend's need, Arthas could simply ask him to take him and Jaina to Silvermoon City, where enjoying the benefits of the Sunwell would be far more substantial than a few bottles of well water.
Although the energy contained in the well water was unimaginable to ordinary people, it was still somewhat lacking compared to Silvermoon City, which drew magic directly from the Sunwell.
Arthas glanced at Kael'thas. Just as the Elven Prince thought Arthas wouldn't tell him, Arthas said faintly, "I have a small conflict with someone, and I need to resolve it with Sunwell water."
After speaking, Arthas ended the video call, leaving Kael'thas full of questions, not understanding Arthas's meaning.
What does it mean to have a conflict with someone and resolve it with Sunwell water? Excuse me, can someone explain this to me?