Subduing the Eastweald region is easy to say, but there are many details that need attention. It's like building an atomic bomb; materials, refining, craftsmanship, experiments, assembly, and so on can make one's head spin.
The entire Eastweald region used to be half of Lordaeron's granary, but now the land is polluted and cannot grow crops. There are also many civilians, some even soldiers, who went mad because their relatives turned into Undead Scourge. Should these unstable elements be eliminated?
There are also numerous branching mine tunnels, dark and gloomy, which are favorite hiding places for the undead, making their subjugation very difficult.
If the undead are not completely eliminated, any renewed undead attacks will cause the hard-won relocated civilian farmers to flee, making it very troublesome.
However, if the Forsaken, who have regained their free will, join, then things will become much easier to handle.
Soldier against soldier, general against general, using undead to fight undead—there's no more ingenious idea. Compared to mechanical constructs, the undead at least have autonomous souls, can be trained, and can undertake more work in the future.
Moreover, many private soldiers of the Windrunner Family sacrificed during the initial undead invasion and were resurrected as undead.
They were originally meant to be annihilated, but because some elves broke through the mental blockade and regained control of their bodies, this gave Sylvanas new hope. Perhaps there was an alternative way to save these kin?
Hearing her husband's explanation, and holding hands in front of so many people...
Sylvanas maintained a calm demeanor on the surface, but her delicate hand tightly clasped her husband's large one, and a blush quickly spread from her fair neck all the way to her long, pointed ears, making her look particularly alluring.
Jaina covered her mouth and chuckled. This situation was quite interesting; even the usually strong Ranger-General could show such a demure side. They had fought side by side and shared a deep friendship, so there was no jealousy over such a small matter.
"Let's go, it's a good time to try the delicacies of Suramar City. Jaina, if there's anything you want, just ask, Elisande will agree, won't she, Archmage?"
Arthas's tone was very proud, as if he had the other party completely under his thumb. Forget about asking her to send a magical troop to Lordaeron for help; she could even play the role of a bride tonight.
Perhaps it seemed a bit too uninhibited, but the truth was exactly that—unconditional obedience.
Becoming the spokesperson for the azeroth world-soul was not without its benefits. Locking time to prevent changes was one such benefit. At least he wouldn't have to worry about waking up to find his wife and children gone after falling asleep.
The second benefit was interfering with prophecies. With Elisande as the main focus, she didn't actually believe Azshara, nor did she believe Arthas, this ancient hero. Instead, she believed the prophecies she saw; the future revealed by astromancy was what she trusted and believed implicitly.
The azeroth world-soul interfered with her prophecy, allowing her to see only the benefits of pledging allegiance to Arthas. The deluded Elisande then betrayed the Burning Legion and assisted Arthas in returning to Karazhan—ahem, I misspoke, it was returning to ancient times to reverse the future.
This delusion was something she couldn't detect at all. Because of her implicit belief, she would do whatever Arthas told her to. No matter how unreasonable or shameful the request, she would try her best to fulfill it. If she couldn't, she would overcome difficulties to complete it.
She was an excellent tool!
And a tall, elven big sister tool, at that. If Arthas's bottom line were just a little lower, not a single Highborne in Suramar City would escape; all would have to obediently relieve the Dragon Queen's spouse's stress.
Fortunately, Arthas still had a bottom line; his morality was flexible, but not utterly without limits. If it were his counterpart from another timeline, he'd probably already be considering having a second child.
Elisande, hearing this, respectfully bowed, completely unguarded from Arthas's perspective, frank and open.
"Your Lordship's command is the will of the Nightborne. Queen Jaina is Your Lordship's spouse, and we will also obey your instructions."
Her words were flawless, ultimately still obeying Arthas.
"Rise, there's no need to bow unnecessarily. In these ten thousand years, you've had ample time to find a new path, even during the last Battle of Mount Hyjal, there would have been many benefits to joining the Burning Legion."
"Sargeras's avatar is on the Broken Shore across the sea. Aren't you afraid he'll break through the barrier and enter Suramar City to wreak havoc?"
Arthas asked with interest, having unknowingly arrived at the Court of Stars.
The courtyard connected to the port, allowing access to The Great Sea at any time via waterways.
This was also the noble district of Suramar City; only noble families could reside, trade, and enjoy life here. Class was ubiquitous, and oppression was also ubiquitous. While it was called oppression, those exploited commoners didn't seem to object much as long as they could work and ensure basic sustenance.
To be able to live, find a partner, have children, and raise them through hard work. Aside from being looked down upon by nobles, there didn't seem to be too much misfortune. Compared to commoners outside, these Nightborne commoners were extremely fortunate.
Elisande stood at the courtyard entrance, her dark purple skin gleaming with silver runes of rebellion, making her look exceptionally alluring. One wondered if these tattoos were beautiful, and if there was a heart shape carved somewhere?
"You are Her Majesty the Queen's spouse. Your heroic presence, even after ten thousand years, still resides in the hearts of all citizens of the Kaldorei Empire. It is also thanks to your valiant fight that we are still alive today."
"Now that Your Lordship has successfully returned, I believe Your Lordship can turn the tide, and Her Majesty the Queen also believes. Sargeras's avatar is indeed strong, but we are not weak; after all, it is just an avatar."
"Now, your words are our will. And there is one more matter that requires Your Lordship's help; we can only appeal to Your Lordship, as only Your Lordship can help us, and this is something even Her Majesty the Queen is powerless to do."
These words were somewhat treasonous, a kind of betrayal of the Queen. How could she say such a thing?
Loyalty to Queen Azshara turned into loyalty to the Queen's spouse; this is transferring affection, you're breaking the law, do you know that!
Jaina and Sylvanas immediately became interested, perking up their ears, wanting to hear the gossip.
The fact that her husband went to ancient times was not a secret, but what happened during that time, Arthas was unwilling to elaborate, often just playing dumb and smiling it off.
They didn't know the details; the only thing they knew was what the Black Dragon Aspect, Sinestra, had said. The Burning Legion had changed the timeline, and all of Azeroth was destroyed, almost all life exterminated, and they two were nominally dead.
Only after Arthas successfully reversed the timeline, turning back time and changing the past, did the current development occur. More or less, some tragedies that were meant to happen still did, but some did not.
At least ten thousand years later, the Night Elves maintained an extremely friendly relationship with him, and the Nightborne, led by Elisande, worshipped him. As for the Naga? With Queen Azshara, they also held Arthas in awe.
Although they hated land creatures, they didn't detest their transformation into Naga; for them, it was punishment for failing to protect their Queen in the past. It was also a new responsibility, and this time they would do their utmost to fulfill Her Majesty's commands.
If their beloved didn't want to speak, they wouldn't force the issue. When he was willing to speak, he would naturally do so; when he wasn't, no amount of racking their brains would yield an answer.
"Report to me after the banquet. My two wives are here for the first time, don't let them leave disappointed. Speaking of which, Sylvanas also has distant kinship with you, but she is not skilled in Arcane magic and prefers the path of a bow-wielding Ranger."
Arthas probably guessed what it was about—nothing more than energy depletion, or an unsolvable external crisis, and so on.
These are not difficult to solve. If the Nightborne's inability to leave the Nightwell for extended periods could be resolved, their magical knowledge and skills, once they reached the Kingdom of Lordaeron, could help Lordaeron enter a rapid reconstruction phase. Many things that human labor cannot achieve, magic can easily solve.
"Your command, my will. Your Lordship, Queens, please."
Elisande was happy in her heart, and her joy was unconcealed on her face. She led them into the courtyard, where most of the members of the two great families were present.
The Moonbrook family, led by Lady Lilith Moonbrook, specialized in winemaking. The Shadowberry Wine, which increases mana capacity, came from the Moonbrook family.
The other was the Astavar family, led by Lady Aurore Astavar, specializing in magical enchanting. A copper axe, after being enchanted by them, could easily cut through ten steel axes, maximizing magical power. This enchanting ability could be applied not only to weapons but also to other items.
Commercial trade was handled by Chief Arcanist Thalyssra, Elisande's advisor. She primarily interfaced with the Naga Legion, and the contacts were not fixed. Sometimes it was Lady Vashj, sometimes Commander Sivara. Foreign trade was handled by the Naga; she was only responsible for coordinating transactions.
Also under the rule of Queen Azshara, the two sides occasionally had minor frictions but still coexisted peacefully.
As soon as Elisande finished her introductions, two dark-skinned elven ladies immediately accompanied Jaina and Sylvanas, one on each side.
Lilith conversed with Jaina. Besides brewing Shadowberry Wine, her family also produced many other wines that could help mages improve their strength.
She also had a group of mages under her command. As long as the problem of not being able to leave the Nightwell for long periods could be solved, she could make Jaina's mage army's strength skyrocket.
Aurore, as an enchanting master and artisan, had common ground with Sylvanas, who oversaw military operations. As a gesture of sincerity, she would certainly first present Sylvanas with a valuable weapon or upgrade and forge the Windrunner Bow.
The Blood Elves were originally High Elves who, after enduring the Undead Scourge and the death of their king, were renamed by Prince Kael'thas to commemorate the fallen victims. There was essentially no difference between the two, though some traditional crafts might have been lost.
Whether Blood Elves or the more complete High Elves, the heritage they carried was merely the tip of the iceberg of the Highborne. Far inferior to their distant relatives in Suramar City, who preserved a complete system. With their full assistance, upgrading a weapon to artifact standards was a possibility.
On the stage, scantily clad elven dancers performed, each bold and fiery, frequently winking at the distinguished guests. It was vulgar, but very down-to-earth, which suited the tastes of ordinary people.
Arthas used to not know what a dance troupe was, nor did he understand the joy of 'hanging lanterns'. Now he somewhat understood; this feeling could only be described with one word.
Exhilarating!
However, despite how good it looked, Arthas didn't appear overly lustful. He wasn't in a great hurry; good-looking was good-looking, exhilarating was exhilarating, but it didn't mean he couldn't resist.
Gaining knowledge was a good thing; at least he wouldn't become an ignorant bumpkin in the future.
The happiness of the rich is something the poor can never imagine. He was rich, the Prince of Lordaeron, and would soon be king.
In the future, given the opportunity, I must form my own song and dance troupe. Let it be corrupt, then. Prince Arthas has fought for half his life, can't he just enjoy himself?
Someone! Continue the music, continue the dance!
"My Lord, later we have also prepared a wellness and beauty experience, hoping that Your Lordship and the two Queens will grace us with your presence.
The entire process will involve only maidservants, with no males present. This wellness experience is a favorite among noble ladies and madams."
Elisande chuckled softly. When it came to enjoyment, the Nightborne inherited both the strengths and weaknesses of the Highborne, and even amplified them.
Without mentioning the stench of wine and meat in rich houses while people freeze to death on the roads, the enjoyment was absolutely unforgettable.
"Is it legitimate?"
Arthas raised an eyebrow; it wasn't surprising for him to react this way. In his awakened past life memories, his life consisted only of going to work and coming home, playing games, or watching action movies with only two people. His life was two-dimensional, a boring and ordinary existence.
Now, suddenly gaining immense power, his corruption wasn't that fast, nor was his descent into wickedness.
Among the powerful noble class, he could truly be considered a "saint."
After all, if it were anyone else, they would have started feasting every night, let alone saving the world. Even resting for one night would be a disservice to their status as Prince of Lordaeron.
Being asked this, Elisande was also a little stunned, not quite understanding what was going on.
"Replying to Your Lordship, everything is normal, guaranteed to be legitimate."
Consultant Thalyssra, standing nearby, smiled, her hands clasped in front of her abdomen, bowing respectfully. This angle also offered an unobstructed view, highlighting her wealth and generosity!
"Elisande, you can tell me what you wanted to say now."
Arthas raised his wine glass and clinked it with his two wives. He was enjoying the pleasures of the banquet, while his two wives had truly started discussing work.
He had never seen a king who was such a hands-off manager, merely setting strategies and directions, occasionally offering ideas. Yet, he never participated in actual affairs, not managing trade, nor finance, nor the army, nor the economy and people's livelihoods, nor even bothering to gather public support or prestige.
Those who knew understood that His Royal Highness trusted his subordinates; those who didn't might think he wasn't the Prince of Lordaeron. Who would delegate so much power?
It was also difficult for Jaina and Sylvanas, to be saddled with such an extremely lazy husband—it was both a blessing and a misfortune.
The good news was that these career-driven strong women had a safety net and strong backing, allowing them to utilize their expertise and fulfill their dreams.