When Arthas led the Death Knight and Scourge soldiers into Naxxramas, the floating fortress had landed in the mountains, but it was already an empty city inside.
"Don't tell me, you tipped off Detheroc." Arthas glanced at the somewhat embarrassed Varimathras, his words full of displeasure.
The coordinates Varimathras provided were correct, but Naxxramas was now an empty city, and its facilities had suffered varying degrees of damage.
The remains of the original soldiers in Naxxramas were everywhere; it seemed a Dreadlords had extracted the essence of all the undead here before leaving.
"I'm very sorry, but, my esteemed Your Majesty, after Mal'Ganis's death, we raised our vigilance," Varimathras said with a hint of helplessness.
"Detheroc thought we had lost contact for too long and had already escaped.
This contact is two-way; even if I unilaterally shielded Detheroc, he would sense that something was wrong.
From the beginning, it was unlikely to capture him."
Arthas surveyed the chaotic Naxxramas but did not show too much disappointment or dissatisfaction. He summoned Kel'Thuzad and instructed him to thoroughly repair the damaged floating fortress.
Although they failed to capture all the Dreadlords, among the remaining three Dreadlords in the Eastern Kingdoms, one was dead, one had surrendered, and another's whereabouts were unknown.
However, judging from the materials missing from Naxxramas, Detheroc had escaped with some of the most crucial items, likely intending to rendezvous with Tichondrius to achieve their ultimate goal.
Detheroc knew very well that if they failed, the Legion's arrival would be indefinitely postponed. Before the next suitable opportunity, the Burning Legion would find it difficult to truly invade Azeroth.
The time delayed and the consequences of failure were something the Dreadlords could absolutely not afford.
When facing the Legion's punishment, Varimathras and Detheroc chose diametrically opposite paths: one betrayed the Legion, while the other remained loyal to the Legion.
However, what made Arthas suspicious was whether Varimathras was truly sincerely controlled and directed by him; he could not completely trust a Dreadlords.
Temporarily "recruiting" the Dreadlords was merely a delaying tactic, and Arthas wanted to extract more useful information from Varimathras.
Under Arthas's influence, the history of the entire Azeroth was developing in a different direction. Although much of the information Arthas knew was still valid, this did not mean Arthas could completely blindly trust what he knew.
The place he was in was a real world, and any small change could lead to a drastic change in a major event.
"Varimathras, you stay in Naxxramas for now and be responsible for matters here with Kel'Thuzad." Arthas observed Varimathras; he planned to find an opportunity to test whether this big bat truly intended to break with the Legion.
If it was true, that would naturally be excellent. With the help of a Dreadlords, it would provide Arthas with many conveniences when facing the Burning Legion in the future.
But if it was false... Arthas had to find a way to make it true, or make this demon completely disappear from the world, after all, this demon was an old turncoat, capable of abandoning his compatriots without hesitation.
Therefore, before Varimathras's loyalty was thoroughly proven, Arthas did not intend to let him get too involved in Scourge affairs, and assigning him to Naxxramas was the most appropriate.
Although the things here were also quite precious and mysterious, these Dreadlords had long regarded this floating fortress as a strategic stronghold. They knew everything there was to know, and there was no need to worry about Naxxramas having any secrets to leak.
After arranging all this, a thought flashed through Arthas's mind: "Wait, Varimathras, what did you say Tichondrius was doing in Kalimdor?"
"He should now be exploring ancient Kaldorei ruins, hoping to find some artifact or holy relic that can replace medivh's book, but he hasn't told us his exact location.
It's just, my esteemed Your Majesty, if we really want to stop the Legion's arrival, it's best to act quickly, otherwise, once Detheroc and Tichondrius rendezvous, they will definitely accelerate the progress of this task at all costs."
As expected of a Nathrezim, selling out his teammates was completely without hesitation, even eager to kick his former teammates when they were down.
"I understand."
Arthas nodded lightly, not elaborating much on his thoughts. His reservation made Varimathras feel quite uneasy.
In truth, Varimathras had not completely betrayed the Legion, but his life was indeed in Arthas's hands now. He was currently walking on a tightrope, and a slight misstep could lead to complete defeat.
His practice of betting on both sides was not uncommon among the Nathrezim, but this time the risk he was taking was indeed very great.
The reason demons are not afraid of death is that after their physical bodies are destroyed, they will leave Azeroth and return to the Twisting Nether, where they can reshape their bodies by paying the corresponding price.
But the fates of Mal'Ganis and Balnazzar made Varimathras dare not use this trick of shedding his skin in front of Arthas; he was afraid that his shell would be shed, but the cicada would not escape.
Both Arthas and Kel'Thuzad were masters of manipulating souls; Varimathras dared not play any tricks in front of them, as the possibility of being discovered was much higher than the possibility of hiding it.
But the Burning Legion would definitely come to destroy Azeroth; Varimathras was absolutely certain of this. Tichondrius's success or failure would only affect the time of the Legion's arrival.
Varimathras did not want to bet on one side; he wanted to live longer.
However, Arthas's attitude made him a little uneasy. He knew he would not gain the Lich King's trust, but he was afraid Arthas would break the contract and secretly dispose of him.
So he could only say sorry to Tichondrius and Detheroc; he was also completing the task in a roundabout way now!
After watching Arthas's figure disappear into the usable portal in Naxxramas, Varimathras breathed a slight sigh of relief; at least he wouldn't become fodder for shadows and undead like that fool Balnazzar.
"I wonder what kind of torture that fool's soul will endure—thinking about it actually makes me a little excited."