"Who's there?"
The exploration team immediately gripped their weapons and turned to guard, and Arthas also frowned, looking at the white-haired old man standing at the edge of the forest.
The Paladins could easily sense that several conflicting energies were entwined around the old man, especially that strange void energy, which had almost completely eroded his body.
Most people would have died from it long ago, and it was unknown how he survived such erosion.
However, the battle-hardened Silver Hand knights and the two dwarves from Ironforge did not relax their vigilance because of this; on the contrary, the strange phenomenon on him made them focus their attention and guard against potential threats.
Jaina also subtly prepared several magical spells; once a conflict occurred, her magical support could arrive instantly.
Having experienced the war with the Burning Legion, Jaina had matured considerably, and she was more adept at using magic, far stronger than the student she once was in her ivory tower.
Arthas, on the other hand, was not particularly wary. He could tell that the person in front of him was not an illusion and had not been corrupted; it was just that the residual energy in his body did indeed affect his bodily functions.
"You don't need to be so wary of an old man like me," the old man said with a sigh, leaning on his staff. "I can see that you are all extraordinary, but the danger here will not change based on strength. It will invade your mind, reach your thoughts, and assimilate you into beings like them."
"Old sir, since you've said so much, shouldn't you first consider whether your appearance is reasonable?"
Jaina, standing beside Arthas, spoke before him, and she directly pointed out the loopholes in his words.
The old man was clearly stumped by Jaina's words. Perhaps he hadn't conversed with outsiders for a long time, as he thought for a moment before continuing, "I... I am a Guardian of the Tomb. You can call me Gerard."
After speaking, the old man named Gerard said no more about his identity. He waved his hand at Arthas and the others, then leaned on his staff and walked into the forest. "You should leave quickly. There is nothing here but a curse."
"So Emperor Thoradin also perished in this curse?"
Arthas's question made the old man stop. He turned and looked at the young prince. "He was merely one of the victims of this curse. If you are looking for his burial place, it is no longer to be found."
With that, the old man quickened his pace and swiftly left, as if afraid Arthas would ask other questions.
"What a strange fellow." Seeing the old man leave, Muradin rested his battle-axe on his shoulder and mumbled, "But in these deep mountains and old forests, how can there be a Guardian of the Tomb?"
"If this old man named Gerard is not an illusion created by the corrupt energy here to affect our minds, then it's highly likely he's not alone," Uther judged. It was simply too unbelievable for such an aged man to live alone in such a bizarre area.
"Tyr's Guard... Uther, do you remember that organization Bishop Faol mentioned?" Dathrohan recalled a conversation he had with Uther when they were chatting, where they had discussed such an organization.
"Of course I remember, but we can't so hastily connect him to Tyr's Guard. Tirion, Dathrohan, come with me. Gerard left very quickly, and perhaps we can find some clues."
The three entered the forest together, preparing to see if any valuable clues were left behind.
Arthas stood by the lake, motionless, though he was actually searching for the exact location of Tyr's Tomb. This lake in the Whispering Forest was truly not small; at least, everyone could not quite see its end at a glance.
In other words, this mountain-top lake ended at least at the junction of the opposite mountain range and forest.
Tyr's Tomb was not yet destroyed by those fanatical Twilight Cultists, and even Arthas could not easily find the hidden tomb.
The old man named Gerard leaving like that suggested he was confident that those present would not be able to find the true tombs of Tyr and Thoradin and would return empty-handed.
Indeed, looking out, the view by the lake was extremely wide, but everyone could only see the unremarkable lake and the surrounding dense forest, with no other suspicious locations visible.
"What now?" Magni patted Arthas and asked softly, "Didn't Archaedas tell you the location of Tyr's Tomb?"
"He only said it was in Tirisfal Glades. After so many years of changes, the exact location is probably known only to a few of Tyr's Guard," Arthas shook his head.
Besides being the resting place of Guardian Tyr , Tyr's Tomb also served to seal Zakas, a servant of the Old Gods. This powerful K'thir had not completely died in some sense; his body still retained vitality, which was why Twilight Cultists would later come looking for Tyr's Tomb.
Since it was a sealing chamber, it would indeed be made very discreetly. Perhaps even among Tyr's Guard, only a small number of core members knew the true purpose of Tyr's Tomb.
Jaina was also using magic to observe the surrounding land. She gazed at the image reflected from high above and said with some hesitation, "This lake seems a bit strange..."
"What's wrong, Jaina, did you find anything?" Muradin asked.
"Come look," Jaina conjured a magical image, a top-down view of the lake. "This lake doesn't seem to be naturally formed. The true source is on the other side of our current location. The part of the lake on our side looks somewhat like... an artificial pit?"
Under the clear magical image, the few people present could clearly see that the shape of the Whispering Forest lake was indeed extremely peculiar. There was a scattered "island chain" in the center of the lake, but this island chain appeared extremely barren, without any trees, and on the other side of the island chain's gap was another lake.
"So... this half of the lake is indeed very strange, and the shoreline of this half of the lake also seems a bit too 'regular.'"
"That's because this place was originally a relic left after the fierce battle between Guardian Tyr and the monster Zakas." Arthas stopped his search. He already had some ideas, but further exploration was needed.
"Tyr and the servant of the Old Gods had a fierce battle in the Whispering Forest. Tyr fought two against one, but it became a stalemate. To quickly deal with these two evil servants, Tyr chose to detonate his immense energy. This power blasted a huge depression out of the flat ground. One monster died on the spot, while the other, severely wounded, fled the battlefield."