However, Arthas, who understood his father well, knew that Terenas wasn't merely trying to eradicate the Ogres in Alterac.
Eliminating the Ogres there and protecting the citizens of Lordaeron was only one aspect; what Terenas truly desired was Alterac itself.
But Arthas wasn't keen on it; the geographical location of the Kingdom of Alterac was simply too awkward. Although it bordered several territories of Lordaeron, its environment was too harsh.
The capital of the Kingdom of Alterac was built within the mountains, relying on the natural barriers of valleys and peaks, making it an inherently defensible city.
Had Pinore, the former King of Alterac, not been so foolish as to open the city gates and allow the orcs to enter, the orcs, even with several times their troop advantage, would have found it incredibly difficult to overcome Alterac's defenses.
If they had truly tried to force their way in, they would have paid a heavy price.
At that time, the orcs' situation was already deteriorating rapidly. If Pinore had been more resolute and willing to shed blood, Alterac would not have ultimately turned into ruins.
Yet, this King lacked foresight. He believed the orcs were opponents from previous wars, capable of negotiation and seeking peace. However, the Horde led by Ogrim was not waging war to seek peace with humans at all.
This was not about justice; it was purely for survival. The orcs at that time could not retreat to Draenor, and if they didn't fight to the death and conquer Lordaeron, they would inevitably be annihilated by the human armies.
Pinore's foolish actions not only destroyed his kingdom but also led countless Alterac nobles to their demise.
As mentioned before, Alterac's land itself was not fertile because it was a country built in high mountains, originally serving as a fortress against Trolls, lacking arable land and pastures.
Remember in one second m.
However, the wise people of Alterac, leveraging Alterac's geographical location, earned a large amount of gold through commerce and trade.
And those who first accumulated this initial capital became Alterac's first batch of "nobles." These nobles, realizing Alterac didn't have much land for their development, ran to other places to purchase land from other countries as their own territories.
Among the wealthiest and most famous was the Barov Family. During its peak, Southshore, Taren Mill, Caer Darrow, and even Brill in front of Lordaeron Royal City were all their territories.
This family ultimately overextended itself. Although they chose the correct side in the war, for the still ambitious Terenas at that time, the Barov Family had already threatened Lordaeron's interests and absolutely could not be allowed to continue existing.
And the answer was clear: after the war, although the Barov Family retained a portion of its territory, most of it was handed over to the Kingdom of Lordaeron as compensation for the Kingdom of Alterac.
Of course, this might also have been a gamble by the Barov Family; they wanted to use these territories to gain recognition from various countries.
For Alterac, which had lost its King, if a powerful family like Barov truly gained the support of Lordaeron and other nations after the war, the surname of the Alterac Royal Family would likely change.
Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. While the Barov Family was gambling with the human nations, a "Lord Prestor" who appeared out of nowhere completely disrupted their plans.
And after losing the support of the kingdom, even the most powerful family was merely a facade, an empty illusion. Moreover, Barov had already paid a heavy price in the previous contest, and this setback left them unable to recover for over a decade.
Even when they were at their most desperate and had nowhere to turn, they made the most foolish decision: signing a pact with the Scourge.
The Barov Family completely failed to learn from previous lessons, which is that power and wealth might be strong bargaining chips at the negotiating table, but ultimately, only those with true strength have the ability to overturn the table.
And the Scourge even had the power to overturn the entire chess game of the continent of Lordaeron. For Barov, as a pawn, to hope for equal cooperation with such a colossal entity was utterly delusional.
The results proved that Barov had indeed made the most foolish decision. They not only lost the family's last assets but even became appendages of the Scourge themselves.
However, the Scourge has now been taken over by Arthas, and he doesn't have the energy or time to personally deal with a group of mountain-dwelling Ogres, no different from bandits. Lordaeron's First Legion could easily dispatch one or two legions to wipe them out completely.
As for the question of Alterac's ownership, which Terenas hoped for, it naturally fell to Arthas. Arthas currently has no good ideas for Alterac. There's nothing he can do; although its geographical location is special, it's now a ruin, and rebuilding it would take a lot of time.
Moreover, once Lordaeron intends to take control of this land, the remaining Alterac nobles would certainly not agree to it.
But what if the one taking control of Alterac was an Alterac noble himself?
...
Gandling, who was meticulously studying dark magic in Scholomance, suddenly shivered. The new magic circle he had painstakingly formed instantly dispersed into a useless pool of energy.
However, he showed no sign of anger at all, because his magic was interrupted by the majestic and oppressive voice that echoed in his mind.
"Gandling, how has Ilucia been recently?"
"Your Majesty, the Barov Family's eldest daughter is well. She is still publicly managing the Barov Family's affairs," Gandling reported the recent situation truthfully, not daring to deceive his superior.
"Have your people take over the Barov Family's affairs for a while. Have Ilucia come to the Royal City; I have something to discuss with her.
Also, go resolve the Ogre problem in Alterac. You don't need to kill them all; just weaken their strength as much as possible. As for the 'things' you obtain, you can handle them yourself."
After he finished speaking, Arthas's voice disappeared, and the Dean's office returned to silence.
Only Gandling was left with a bitter smile. He had thought it was something major, but it was just for that puppet eldest daughter and those foolish simpletons in the Alterac mountains.
Alas... what a shame for the magic circle he had researched for days. Now he would have to spend a lot of time reconstructing it—
A soul echo invigorated Gandling. He carefully read a new message, which contained the complete runes and spell structure of the magic he had been researching, several times more detailed than his own studies.
Needless to say, this was the Lich King's reward to him. Gandling immediately bowed towards Lordaeron Royal City to express his gratitude to Arthas.
Arthas sat in his study, resting his right hand on his cheek. Gandling's new magic was quite interesting. He had helped him perfect it using his high-level understanding of death, which also served as a reward for his upcoming actions.
All that was left to do was wait.