The moment the communication crystal was reactivated, Arthas didn't hear any voices, but in the next instant, the light of teleportation magic lit up in front of him.
Jaina passed through the curtain of light formed by Arcane radiance and threw herself into Arthas's arms.
"Arthas!"
"Sorry, Jaina, I made you worry."
Arthas held Jaina tightly, and Jaina, feeling at ease, enjoyed the rare sense of security in Arthas's embrace after many days.
"I almost thought I'd never see you again. Thankfully, you're alright."
Time magic is an extremely dangerous type of spell; even a Bronze Dragon could get lost in the endless flow of time with a slight mishap, and Arthas had disappeared during the casting process of time magic. Jaina was very worried about the worst-case scenario.
"What exactly happened? Even Nozdormu didn't detect any problems during the teleportation. Why did you disappear during the process?"
Jaina looked up, gazing at Arthas's face, wanting to ask if Arthas had noticed anything.
"I don't know either, but the magic definitely went wrong. I was banished to the depths of the Twisting Nether in that instant. I guess someone must have been behind it, but their methods were so clever that none of us discovered the problem."
Arthas recalled the entire process of his bizarre appearance in the Twisting Nether, as well as the pendant that had disappeared from his hand. He was certain that the teleportation error was absolutely not an accident; something or someone must have been influencing it.
"Could it be N'Zoth? After we left, Lordaeron has been facing an increasingly severe Naga threat—you must already know about Southshore, right?"
Jaina proposed a suspicious candidate.
"Perhaps."
Could it be N'Zoth?
Even Arthas wasn't sure, but whether or not N'Zoth was secretly behind it, Arthas would not allow this Ancient God to continue parasitizing Azeroth. He and Jaina had risked entering the time stream precisely to completely eliminate N'Zoth without harming Azeroth.
"Before we figure this out, we first need to make the Naga suffer a bit—the grudge of Southshore cannot go unavenged."
Arthas temporarily didn't plan to bother investigating why he appeared in the Twisting Nether. He intended to first drive these presumptuous Naga back into the sea.
-----------------
Kurdran rushed back to Stromgarde, not even waiting for his gryphon, Kare, to land. He anxiously jumped down from the sky, directly creating a large pit in the training ground, yet he climbed out of the pit as if nothing had happened and strode towards the command room.
"Big news, everyone!"
The wooden door was slammed against the wall by Kurdran, letting out a groan of protest.
The dwarf's loud voice immediately drew the attention of those waiting for news. "You're back so soon, Kurdran?"
"I found Arthas!"
However, the people in the command room did not show the surprised expressions Kurdran had imagined. On the contrary, Thoras calmly said, "I knew that fellow couldn't be in trouble."
The Alliance members nodded in agreement. Arthas's habit of running off alone was no secret among them, and they were also unclear about the specific reason for Arthas's disappearance, so they didn't panic like Jaina.
For secrecy, except for a very small number of people, most only knew that Arthas had disappeared again, but they didn't know he had vanished while traversing the time stream. Many even believed Arthas had deliberately hidden his whereabouts.
The only thing that somewhat surprised them was that when Lordaeron faced a crisis, Arthas didn't appear immediately. It was still his sister, Calia, who was in contact with the Alliance.
Varian, who knew Arthas best, also noticed something amiss at this time. He had already inquired about Arthas's whereabouts from Countess Katrana, who was Onyxia, back at Stormwind Keep.
However, this Black Dragon was also unaware of Arthas's situation. She even said that Arthas hadn't contacted her for a long time. Although she had contact with the Scourge, most of the time she was carrying out tasks Arthas gave her, which was to protect the safety of Stormwind.
Realizing that things were not so simple, Varian decided to personally lead the expedition. Moreover, Lordaeron was facing not only the Naga threat this time; the dark deity hidden beneath the ocean was clearly the true mastermind, and the Void creatures encountered by the Alliance army were from him.
It was precisely because of these troublesome Void creatures that the Alliance ground forces had been tied up near Durnholde Keep, making it difficult to cross the river to support Taren Mill.
The plan they were recently studying was whether to send troops to bypass the Hinterlands to Weald, to control the remaining pass before the Naga completely controlled Darrowmere and the Thandol Span.
Seeing that his first piece of news didn't cause a stir, Kurdran directly dropped the second bombshell.
"He's with Turalyon and Alleria."
"Hmm, he and Turalyon and Au—who did you say?!"
It was Danath Trollbane, who was fiddling with the sand table—after Thoras's son, Galen, was banished, Danath, who returned from the Outlands, became the last heir of Stromgarde, and now he served as Thoras's tactical advisor and deputy in Stromgarde.
Thoras glanced at his suddenly excited nephew, then shifted his gaze to Kurdran. "Turalyon and Alleria... It's truly a miracle. I thought the Alliance had lost these two heroes forever."
So, Arthas's departure was actually to search for the lost heroes of the Alliance?
This thought popped into everyone's minds, but their gazes were quickly drawn to the figure behind Kurdran.
Kurdran thought they were looking at him, but then he realized their gaze seemed to be over his head. He also turned to look and found Arthas standing behind him.
"Long time no see, everyone."
Kurdran's eyes widened. "How did you get here? Faster than my gryphon?"
When he was sent off, Arthas was still waving on the ground, and now that he had just arrived at Stromgarde, Arthas had followed?
"It was Jaina's teleportation magic," Arthas explained with a smile, then immediately became serious. "Time is short. I received news that the Naga are already preparing to turn Taren Mill into another Southshore. Dathrohan is now in a dilemma; he can't evacuate the civilians of Taren Mill again as he did before."
The expressions of the others also became serious. They looked at the sand table in the center of the command room. Upstream of Taren Mill was the vast Darrowmere Lake. If the Naga really diverted the water from there, the surging flood would destroy everything in the valley, not only Taren Mill but probably even the garrison at Durnholde would be affected.
Arthas walked to the sand table and moved the flag representing the First Legion of Taren Mill eastward towards the riverbank. "The Naga's advance must be contained here."
The defenders in Taren Mill were already seething with frustration; their forces were in no way inferior to these Naga who had penetrated deep inland, but the Naga always lurked in the river, ambushing them during their shift changes.
Once they tried to leave the city to find traces of the Naga, the main Naga forces would retreat into the river, giving Lordaeron's troops no chance for a head-on confrontation.
Being led by the nose by the enemy felt terrible, but the Taren Mill defenders couldn't simply disregard their primary mission and push out to fight a decisive battle with the Naga. Their main task was to protect Southshore and Taren Mill, as well as the civilians in the surrounding villages and towns, large and small.
The Naga also realized this, always focusing on attrition and feigned attacks. Their forces could easily be replenished via the rivers leading to the sea, but Lordaeron's supply lines with the Alliance had been cut. Even though Lordaeron had long since gained control of Dun Garok Castle on the east bank of the river, it hadn't changed the situation.
Until today, Dathrohan received an attack order from the royal capital: the First Legion troops stationed in Taren Mill were to immediately launch an offensive against the Naga. Apart from the original garrison forces of Taren Mill and Southshore, all First Legion units mobilized to Hillsbrad would participate in this campaign.
Their objective was to prevent the Naga from continuing to build dams, ensuring they couldn't use floods to replicate the Southshore tragedy in Taren Mill.
The remaining Alliance forces to the west would support them, and both sides would besiege the Naga's dam camps until all Naga were eliminated and control of the bridge was re-established.
However, after receiving this order, Dathrohan executed it immediately, but his brow remained furrowed.
In recent days, he had been wary of the Naga's tricks, because with the Naga's forces alone, even with those monsters from the deep sea, they wouldn't be able to gain an inch of ground on land.
Yet, the Naga, relying on the power of some unknown artifact, artificially created various natural disasters, constantly striking at Lordaeron and Alliance forces. The incident in Southshore caused no greater losses only because Rhonin had anticipated it beforehand.
But recently, their losses in manpower due to floods, heavy rains, and landslides far exceeded the numbers lost in direct combat with the Naga. The Naga consistently avoided direct confrontation, usually choosing to evade battle in the rivers, but once they tried to approach the riverbanks to construct fortifications, sudden natural disasters would destroy their works.
Dathrohan was annoyed by such tactics but had no good solution. He could only order the troops to contract their defenses and dispatch small teams to scout the Naga's movements, preventing them from further expanding their influence inland through Hillsbrad's waterways.
So, when he learned that the general command required a general offensive, Dathrohan became quite worried. He knew very well that as long as the Naga's annoying magical influence wasn't resolved, such an offensive wouldn't have much effect.
Dathrohan instructed his adjutant, "Have the Kirin Tor mages arrive as soon as possible. Without their cover, our men will be like living targets against the Naga's magic."
"Yes!"
Dathrohan nodded and then looked at the communication orb beside him, which displayed the projection of personnel from the Stromgarde command. "His Majesty the King, Thoras, forgive my bluntness, but we have tried this method before, and it did not yield very good results."
"Don't worry, Saidan, what we need to do is put enough pressure on the Naga."
When the Naga find it difficult to resist the Alliance's attack, they will surely use the power of magic to try and turn the tide of battle, forcing the Alliance army to retreat, and only then will they expose their fatal weakness.
Meanwhile, in Naxxramas, hidden above the clouds in Hillsbrad's sky, Arthas was examining a magical projection constructed by Kel'Thuzad. Directly below them, in the river valley flowing through Hillsbrad and Alterac, a large number of life signatures were gathered together.
A major battle was about to unfold, but Arthas's focus at this moment was not on the battle itself.
"There's no prominent magical reaction at all, exactly like before. This is truly interesting."
Kel'Thuzad shook his head. He had tried more than once to use detection spells from necromancy to search for the location of the Naga's ritual site, but just like this time, he found nothing.
"If neither you nor Kirin Tor can detect the source of the magic causing earthquakes and tsunamis, then it can only mean one thing."
Arthas scanned the map of the entire Hillsbrad region and judged, "The problem causing the earthquakes and tsunamis is not in Hillsbrad at all, but in a much more distant place."
He recalled the time he observed the entirety of Azeroth from near-Earth orbit via Zenidar. At that time, the entire elemental plane of Azeroth was trembling.
This was clearly not a natural phenomenon. Combined with the frequent natural disasters occurring recently, Arthas had reason to believe that the Naga must have tampered with something in the elemental plane, thereby causing an impact in the real world.
But this was only a conjecture. Although Arthas could sense the instability of the elemental plane, he was not a shaman and could not directly enter the elemental plane. To truly ascertain what problems existed in the elemental plane, he had to seek the help of some external force.
Thinking of this, Arthas quickly used magical communication to find someone who might be able to solve this problem.
-----------------
In Exodar, Nobundo, who was meditating, was awakened by his apprentice. He seemed to have anticipated it, showing no confusion or bewilderment. Instead, he naturally said to the Draenei who came to invite him, "Please wait, Prophet's Guard, I will go to the Exodar soon."
After tidying himself up slightly and cleaning off the dirt used for the ritual, Nobundo met Velen, the Prophet of the Draenei, in the Exodar's Exodar area.
"Nobundo, you've come at a good time."
Velen was conversing with the projection in front of him. When he sensed Nobundo's arrival, he moved aside, allowing Nobundo to clearly see the projection's face.
"Prophet, Arthas, good day." After the usual courtesies, Nobundo asked, "How can I help?"
Velen nodded slightly, "His Majesty the King wants to understand some knowledge of the elemental plane, and the best person I can think of is you, old friend."
Nobundo gazed at Arthas's image, waiting for Arthas's inquiry.
"Master Nobundo, I want to know if you can sense any abnormalities in the elemental plane? The Naga's invasion of the Eastern Kingdoms has likely utilized some power that threatens the stability of the entire world."
"You are very perceptive, His Majesty the King, but I can only sense that some problems have appeared in the elemental plane," This problem made Nobundo a little helpless. He gave the answer he understood, "We have only just established contact with the elemental spirits of this world, after all, and it is difficult to delve deep into the elemental plane. Those panicked elementals are unwilling to tell me the truth."
"But that doesn't mean the answer to this question is unknown, and the elements have told me this person's name."
— "The Warchief of the Horde, Thrall."
......
A bright water curtain slowly unfolded, as the Water Elements in the elemental plane, transcending the boundaries of real space, constructed a channel of communication, and a clear spring, like a bright mirror, formed under Nobundo's control.
And when one looked at the water's surface, what the eyes saw was not one's own reflection, but the scene Nobundo was attempting to connect to—a reddish-brown, wild land.
A few seconds later, ripples spread across the water's surface, and a large green face appeared in the reflection.
"Nobundo?"
Thrall closed his eyes in confusion; in his soul vision, he felt the call of the Water Elements. Although he didn't understand why someone would contact him in this way, among shamans, such spells were mostly used for urgent matters, so Thrall didn't hesitate much and accepted the message brought by the Water Elements.
"Warchief Thrall, I apologize for disturbing you in this manner, but the current situation has deteriorated to a certain extent."
Nobundo's words made Thrall frown, "You also feel the elemental plane losing control?"
In fact, Thrall had also been troubled by this matter. Recently, natural disasters in Durotar and the Barrens had significantly increased. Heavy rain and strong winds were minor calamities, but frequent earthquakes and floods made Thrall even more uneasy.
Although he had warned the Alliance before, Thrall had not expected the disaster to arrive so quickly. The raging elements caused wild animals to run around restlessly, destroying houses and harming civilians. The continuous natural disasters also left the Horde's people displaced, and even in Orgrimmar, many houses had collapsed.
Most seriously, those races with a certain degree of intelligence, such as the Boar People and Harpies, possessed some ability to sense elements but lacked a deeper understanding, or simply wanted to use the raging elements to achieve evil purposes. Their crude methods of manipulating elemental power only worsened the disaster.
Thrall and his shamans had been trying to solve these problems, but the elemental plane seemed to be deliberately preventing them from delving deeper. The deeper elemental domains that could normally be communicated with had now completely cut off contact.
"One of the Alliance leaders, King Arthas of Lordaeron, entrusted me to inform you of this situation. His kingdom is being invaded by the Naga, and the turmoil in the elemental plane is very likely caused by the Naga, because every natural disaster that occurs is intended to strike the Alliance's army."
Nobundo's explanation greatly shocked Thrall. His mind raced, and he quickly recalled several major disasters that had recently occurred on Kalimdor. Thrall voiced his doubts, and Nobundo's answer further confirmed his thoughts.
"Yes, Warchief of the Horde, those dates you mentioned correspond to the Naga's first appearance on the coast of Lordaeron, their first creation of an earthquake, and... the great tsunami that destroyed all of Southshore."
Southshore, Thrall knew this famous human town. It was a prosperous port city, and even the current Horde had few settlements comparable in scale to Southshore. And now it had been completely destroyed by a tsunami?
"It seems the elements' warnings to me have all come true. This is no longer a crisis faced by a single faction or kingdom in Azeroth; the safety of all Azeroth is intimately linked to this Naga invasion."
Thrall's profound understanding of the elements made him immediately realize that the Naga had indeed done something in the elemental domain. They were not using magic to create natural disasters to strike the Alliance army, but rather by leveraging the fulcrums of the elemental plane to cause corresponding tremors in the real plane. Earth Elements brought earthquakes, and Water Elements brought tsunamis.
Thrall's expression had become extremely serious. "If the Naga continue to act so recklessly, I fear what will ultimately be caused is not an earthquake in a certain area, but a catastrophe that will eventually sweep across all of Azeroth."
"Is there a solution? My connection with the elemental spirits of this world is not yet close enough; I need more time to explore the elemental plane."
Nobundo's question plunged Thrall into silence. After a long while, the Warchief calmly said, "I will find a way to figure out what is happening in the elemental plane."
After the communication with Nobundo ended, Thrall leaned back in the Warchief's throne, quietly watching the flickering bonfire within the stronghold.
The Fire Elements were like lively spirits, but Thrall knew more clearly what terrifying power these elements contained. Fire could illuminate darkness, but it could also easily burn down a sturdy stronghold.
But now was not the time for philosophical contemplation. He needed to do some things that absolutely had to be done.
Thrall summoned his old friend Vol'jin. In the night, the two rode their direwolves and raptors, walking side by side on the way to Wisdom Valley.
"Warchief, have you really made up your mind?"
"I must do this, for it concerns the survival of the Horde."
Thrall remained calm, as if this were a casual chat between old friends. "You also know how much loss these sudden natural disasters have brought us recently."
Vol'jin sighed, "Many houses on the Echo Isles were also washed away by the tsunami, and earthquakes are much more frequent than before."
"Ever since we decided to choose this land as our home, our destiny has been intimately linked to the world beneath our feet—this was once also the way of life for us orcs, but it has been so long that many orcs have even forgotten this point."
Thrall recalled the various sights he had seen in Draenor: barren, shattered. The wild but beautiful world remembered by the elders had vanished, and all of this was the orcs' fault; they themselves had destroyed their own home.
When standing on the plains of Nagrand, feeling the breeze, Thrall would think that if the orcs had not been seduced by demons, if they had not abused warlock magic, perhaps he would have been born and grown old in Draenor like an ordinary Orc.
Thrall stood on the bank of the spring in Wisdom Valley and said to his old friend Vol'jin, "While I am gone, I will trouble you with the Horde."
Vol'jin nodded silently, but did not forget to make a joke at this moment, "Don't be gone too long. Old Vol'jin's bones can't handle your complicated affairs piled up to the ceiling. If you don't come back, I'll have no choice but to recommend your captain of the guard as the next Warchief."
"Him? He won't do. He's still too young; he needs experience."
Thrall chuckled. His old friend's teasing reminded him of the young Orc in his guard, the son of another old friend of his. Thrall saw the fine qualities of youth in him, but even more so, the recklessness and thoughtlessness of youth.
The Horde would one day welcome a new, younger, and more vibrant Warchief, but it would not be today.
"I am Duratan's son, Thrall, Warchief of the Horde, for the Horde."
Thrall sat cross-legged on the bank, gazing at the water's surface, his eyes tightly closed, falling into a kind of slumber.