"What exactly happened in that forest? Even you came here personally." Varian was a little surprised by Arthas's sudden arrival.
Arthas wore a helpless expression. "The Nathrezim are as slippery as loaches. I spent a lot of effort and only caught two of them. The rest have all come to Kalimdor."
"Come to Kalimdor? What are they doing here?"
Varian and Muradin, who didn't know much about ancient secrets, weren't clear why these demons, who had been causing trouble in the Eastern Kingdoms for so long, suddenly abandoned their plans and turned their attention to Kalimdor.
Arthas looked at the burning brazier, his tone imbued with a sense of mystery.
"That takes us back to things from ten thousand years ago…"
Now that the Alliance and the Elves had made initial contact, coupled with the arrival of the demons, Arthas felt it was time to tell some of the world's story to certain high-ranking members of the Alliance.
When he was younger and weaker, he didn't dare to reveal all these things at once, otherwise he would instantly expose himself to the sight of many terrifying existences.
But now, Arthas had usurped the Lich King's throne, and the strength he displayed as a paladin on the surface was already the pinnacle of mortals, not to mention the part of him that was hidden, as the Lich King.
He could now avoid the scrutiny and threats of some beings; it was time to tell these things to others.
Arthas's voice became low and drawn out. He used simple and detailed words to describe the rise and fall of the Elven Empire ten thousand years ago.
Varian and Muradin felt as if they had returned to the era of the Children of the Stars. They witnessed the rise of the Kaldorei Empire, and its rapid decline after they summoned demons and calamity.
The vast empire spanning the entire continent instantly collapsed due to demons and disaster, countless lives were lost, and even their world suffered irreparable damage.
However, when Arthas's story ended and the two returned to reality from the Elven Empire, Varian said jokingly, "Arthas, are you sure these aren't legends or stories—the continent being blown into several pieces, that's just too… unbelievable, isn't it?"
Varian couldn't imagine how powerful the energy must have been to split a continent into several pieces. To current humans, it seemed a bit too fantastical.
Although Varian had seen and heard of Archmages who could destroy an entire army with a flick of their hand, these paled in comparison to the explosion of the Well of Eternity described by Arthas.
However, it wasn't Arthas who answered Varian's question, but Muradin, who, as a Dwarf, knew more about this history than Varian.
"No… perhaps what Arthas said is indeed true. The Elven ruins scattered across the world can prove this. A long time ago, this continent did indeed have a common master."
Muradin sighed. The archaeological discoveries of the Dwarves had actually led some scholars to speculate that long before the Dwarves and Humans even appeared, this world had a dominant civilization ruling the entire continent.
But what Muradin had never thought of was that in ancient times, Kalimdor, the Eastern Kingdoms, and even Northrend, were all connected as one single continent.
The Dwarves had always been dedicated to unearthing the origins of the Dwarves and the truth of the world. Although he didn't know if everything Arthas said was completely true, Muradin still felt a sense of mist clearing and the moon appearing for the first time.
"Alright, even if all that is true, what does it have to do with us letting the orcs enter Ashenvale first?" Varian was still somewhat puzzled by Arthas's decision to let the orcs leave.
"Haven't those massacred Elven villages already explained the problem well?" Arthas sighed, "The Orc leader Thrall should have realized that the unrest in Ashenvale is inextricably linked to Grommash's Warsong Clan."
"Perhaps we can use this opportunity to offer aid to the Elves." Varian stroked his chin, "We have the same enemy as them…"
Muradin patted Varian's lower back, shook his head, and said, "You didn't understand Arthas's meaning. Our common, greatest enemy now is no longer the orcs.
What we are facing now may be an even more dangerous, more serious predicament. You can tell by the anxious look on that Orc Warchief's face.
Although there is an irreconcilable hatred between the orcs and us, they are also living on this land now and cannot watch their homeland be destroyed."
"So, we'll help them later?"
Varian was a little resistant to this suggestion. Arthas had already thought of this. To get Varian, who had experienced the pain of his kingdom being destroyed by the orcs, to agree to aid the orcs, was inherently asking too much, at least not from his perspective, because it was not Lordaeron that was destroyed by the orcs, but Stormwind.
If Varian could figure it out himself and agree to join forces with the orcs, that would be another matter, but for now, Varian's attitude towards the orcs was not good.
"I hope not," Arthas met Varian's gaze for a moment before continuing, "Let them enter the forest first. If that Thrall can't solve the trouble, then we must intervene."
The power of the Night Elves was indispensable in the fight against the Burning Legion, but from the beginning, Arthas had no intention of saving that Wild God, because if the arrogance of the Night Elves wasn't shattered by the orcs who drank demon blood, an alliance would be almost impossible.
Just an arrogant Demigod. Physical death isn't true death anyway. This fellow's role isn't even as useful as his disciple Malfurion; he would only cause trouble for the Elves and their allies.
Cenarius's strength was good, but Arthas always felt that he might have been born with a screw loose in his head, otherwise why was he always the one getting beaten?
The Wild Gods were basically in slumber during this period. Originally, even during the Battle of Mount Hyjal, not many Wild Gods were seen. Instead, they seemed to have a lot of experience later when it came to being captured or enslaved by the Old Gods or the Burning Legion.
Moreover, Arthas wanted the residents of Azeroth to understand that even without relying on these "unreliable" deities, the power of mortals alone could make Azeroth's enemies fear them.
The era of gods reigning, vying for faith, and looking down on all beings from above was coming to an end. Arthas hoped to create an era for mortals, an era truly controlled by the common beings of Azeroth.
What this world needed were more heroes, not arrogant gods!