"The Lich King is not yet dead, and I cannot travel to Outland right now. We must deal with the Lich King first, and I need troops—a force that can stand against the Burning Legion."
"Ten thousand years ago, the Burning Legion invaded Azeroth. Ten thousand years later, they have invaded again, and each time it results in mass casualties. The world has been left scarred because of it. We are always on the defensive; can we not take the initiative and strike directly at the Burning Legion's main base?"
"Arthas, you must have a way, don't you? I know you can do it. You are Tyrande's mate; the mate she chose must be a Guardian of Azeroth. You have this responsibility, and you have this obligation!"
Was Illidan trying to reverse-brainwash him? His speech was so impassioned it felt like PUA, like a brainwashing propaganda session.
Arthas let out an untimely yawn. This was a very impolite gesture during a conversation, and it also subtly indicated that he was uninterested in Illidan's PUA tactics.
It had always been him lecturing others; now the roles were reversed. This was quite the reversal of the natural order. As the Guardian of Azeroth and King of Lordaeron, how could he be manipulated by a ten-thousand-year-old blind man?
Resolutely opposed!
"Let's talk about something else. I'll give you ten days to prepare. I will have the Mantid forces act as the vanguard to enter the underground Nerubian empire for battle; you may join the expedition. Whether you can get those Nerubians to listen to you and go to Outland together depends on your own skill. If they look down on you, they won't go even if you enslave them."
"Kael'thas, do you intend to go to Outland as well? The Blood Elves' Mana Addiction is worsening, and many have already gone mad. You are not performing your duties as a prince very well. If you need my help, just ask. Since the time of the High Elves, whether it was then or now as Blood Elves, you have been members of the Alliance and our most reliable allies."
"Don't try to hold on if you can't manage. The Blood Elf population is already small. If this continues, by the time you find a new source, I'm afraid not even one-tenth of your people will remain."
If he didn't want to discuss the current topic, he would simply shift it, specifically choosing the most sensitive one to discuss.
Talking about how to attack Icecrown Citadel might be a bit abrupt, but when it came to the development of one's people, one had to be vigilant. At the very least, if they didn't continue to find a solution now, the Blood Elves might truly become a thing of history.
By 'history,' it meant the downfall of the elven kingdom of Quel'Thalas; it was quite normal for a kingdom to become history if its population became too sparse.
The King had died in battle, along with a large group of council elders at the Sunwell Plateau. Only the Prince survived, yet this prince had gone a long way round to seek a so-called way out, leaving the Blood Elves remaining in Silvermoon City to suffer.
If not for the food aid from the Alliance, they likely would have starved to death even if they hadn't been driven mad by Mana Addiction.
The topic had inexplicably shifted to him, and Kael'thas hadn't quite recovered his senses. He was actually quite uncomfortable. What could be more painful for a man than to bow his head before a former love rival?
As a prince, does an elven prince not care about his pride?
Between pride and his people, it was a choice between two options. However, Kael'thas had lost both his pride and his people. Good grief, he had somehow turned a fifty-fifty choice into a zero-percent success rate; he really had a knack for that.
"Joining the Alliance also leads to ruin. You want to form a New Empire, which means Quel'Thalas will inevitably become the dust of history."
Kael'thas had held it in for a long time before finally letting this out. He was well aware of the other's ambition; this guy wanted to integrate all races together to become part of a New Empire.
Signs of this had already appeared since the annexation of Dalaran and Stromgarde. He would not allow Dalaran to restore its nation, yet he occupied the moral high ground, leaving people with nothing to say.
Dalaran mages needed to join Lordaeron's sects to obtain more powerful mana recovery and magical enhancements. This enhancement was akin to a miracle, invisible and intangible. What made it even harder to bear was that comparison breeds resentment; those Dalaran mages who joined Lordaeron first would inevitably show off.
Not only did their personal strength reach a higher level, but they could use it anytime and anywhere without any drawbacks, weaknesses, or restrictions. Compared to other mages still adhering to ancient traditions, it was a total outclassing. It was hard for anyone not to be tempted or want to obtain such power.
Kael'thas was, after all, a former member of the Dalaran Council of Six and had connections among the Dalaran mages, so he knew about this. There was really nothing to say. You either live as a refugee, leading a miserable life with no end in sight, or you join Lordaeron to gain trust and receive higher-standard treatment and quality of life, without having to worry about magical materials. How would you choose? Most would certainly choose to join!
Who would bother being an ascetic to train their mind? In the time spent training the mind, others would have already begun practicing as High-level Undead Mages.
Blame it on the fact that magical cultivation is particularly expensive. Casting spells requires catalysts, and increasing mana requires pearls. Aside from those, the basics like staves and robes are essential equipment. Without a strong backer and the support of these items, even an Archmage's power would be greatly diminished.
Using interests to drive a wedge and entice the internal factions of Dalaran to split was truly a clever tactic. The faction that joined would inevitably speak highly of it, while the restoration faction was constantly suppressed and lacked supplies. How could they possibly restore their nation like that?
With Dalaran as an example, applying it to the Blood Elves made it clear that everyone's situation was identical. Not just the Blood Elves, but the Orcs, Trolls, Dwarves, Gnomes, and so on were all the same; members of each had already joined Lordaeron.
Isn't the Windrunner Family the best example?
Unruly?
No matter, there would be instructors to teach them how to be proper citizens of the kingdom.
Most people would feel very embarrassed if their inner thoughts were exposed to their face. No matter how composed one is, there would be at least some awkwardness. But Arthas was not only un-embarrassed, he instead stood tall with righteous confidence, his sharp gaze seemingly seeing through the human heart.
"The things you speak of are exactly as you imagined. In a complete empire, members of every race can live and coexist in harmony, engaging in professions according to their racial strengths. By maximizing efficiency and benefits, a single dwarf blacksmith can outperform ten of other races. Having ten people do a job that one can complete is called waste!"
At this moment, Rhonin also arrived. The poor fellow had no idea that the Third Windrunner Sister he liked had already given her heart to another. He was still currently busy for the sake of Dalaran's restoration, coming to Northrend to fight just to rely on military merit to obtain Alliance supplies.
"Honorable Majesty, Rhonin sends his greetings."
"Amora greets His Majesty."
"Mhm, you've arrived at just the right time. It's fitting for you to hear some of these things as well, so I don't have to say them a second time."
Arthas scanned the representatives of the various races who had come to the military camp. Some things could be made clear today. Because he would demonstrate his great strength, making them not dare to have any thoughts of opposition. Even if they were unwilling to join, they could leave on their own—but how could he spit out the meat he had already eaten!
The dwarf representative was his martial arts mentor, Muradin; the Dalaran representatives were Rhonin and Amora; the Blood Elves were represented by Prince Kael'thas; the Night Elves were Fandral Staghelm and Illidan; and the Gnome representative was High Tinker Mekkatorque.
"A family has internal conflicts; a village has external crises—thieves, food shortages, volcanoes, natural disasters, and so on.
A town is the same, and a kingdom even more so. Although these crises are difficult, if everyone works together, or even if only a portion of the people contribute, they can be resolved quite well."
"But a world is different. The Burning Legion's invasion required multiple races to unite to successfully resist, and even then, a huge price was paid. The first invasion destroyed the Well of Eternity, causing the continent to shatter; the vast ocean in the middle is the best proof. The second time, the Night Elves' blessed World Tree was sacrificed, and the second weakened Well of Eternity was also destroyed. The Night Elves also paid the huge price of losing their immortality and freedom from disease."
After Arthas finished speaking, he looked into the distance at his daughter, Shandris, who was playing with a Red Dragon mount. A gentle smile touched the corners of his mouth; having a daughter was truly wonderful.
"What Illidan just said to me about needing to counter-attack the Burning Legion's main base is something I agree with. But not now.
There are only two problems that need to be solved. The first is: where is the Burning Legion's main base, and how do we get there? The second problem is: how do we defeat the Fallen Titan, Sargeras?"
"If you don't know how strong Sargeras is, then ask yourself: do you think you can defeat the Moon Goddess Elune?"
This question was somewhat sacrilegious. Had he not been Tyrande's mate, as well as a hero and honored guest of the Night Elves, this question would have caused them to turn hostile immediately.
Illidan didn't particularly believe in the Moon Goddess; he had awe in his heart, but he didn't want to become a believer. He actually gave it serious thought, resting his right hand on his chin with a solemn expression, and finally had to shake his head and admit his inadequacy.
"No, I am no match for Elune at all. It could even be said that I am not even qualified to be the Moon Goddess's opponent. She is a True God, not someone we can defeat, and certainly not someone I can challenge. Moon Goddess above, please forgive my insolence."
"But as for finding the passage and method to the main base, I can do that. That is the reason for my deal with Kil'jaeden. We cannot afford a third invasion. If this continues, with the world being damaged every time, our world will eventually collapse and be destroyed!"
"As for how to defeat Sargeras, that is what you need to think about. We can only do what we are capable of. I admit I am very talented, but in truth, I am not even as good as Kil'jaeden. That doesn't mean I am afraid or cowardly. I will not back down; even if the opponent is very strong, I dare to challenge him!"
This was true, because the world really couldn't take much more turmoil. Even ten thousand years of recuperation wasn't enough to alleviate much. Without substantial energy replenishment, relying solely on the world soul's self-recovery was far from enough. It was like a seriously ill patient not using medicine to recover; could drinking plain water alone solve the problem?
Arthas nodded. It seemed Lord Illidan wasn't stupid. He knew his own limits. What he feared most was the kind of person who, ignorant of the vastness of the world, insisted on having their own way; in that case, they would only become a liability.
"It seems you are still lucid and haven't lost your mind or gone down a dead end. That's good. Otherwise, I would really have to consider whether your subsequent trip to Outland is appropriate, and whether you would cause some heaven-defying disaster that even I couldn't cover for. That would truly be the end of us."
Kael'thas didn't want to hear all this. He had only one question now, which was also the reason everyone really wanted to know: why agree to unify all races? Was it just for the sake of a collection hobby?
It wasn't that shallow!
"Apologies, Your Majesty, but what you're saying seems to have strayed from the topic. Rather than these things you've mentioned, what we care about or are more focused on is why you want to establish a New Empire—an empire that merges multiple races? In my view, there is no precedent for such a thing. Perhaps some forces tried it in ancient times, but at most it ended in failure."
"So please tell me the reason. I really want to know, and I want to know exactly what this is for."
As his teacher, Muradin shouldn't have been contradicting him, but he couldn't help but step forward to raise his own question. This matter was no secret in Ironforge either. The Dwarves weren't particularly strong and were the most loyal allies of the humans, perhaps even slightly weaker.
If the Kingdom of Lordaeron began to expand and annex others, with the fiery temper of the Ironforge Dwarves, they certainly wouldn't allow it. Even if they died in battle, they wouldn't submit! Dwarves will never be slaves!
Dark Iron Dwarves: Guess which Elemental Lord enslaved me?
"That's right, Arthas, please answer this question. It also concerns Ironforge's choice."
Joining the Alliance was just the appetizer. One didn't even need to think to know that they would eventually be slowly annexed, just in a more subtle way with methods that were even harder to guard against.
Seeing so many representatives so confused, and even his wives having curiosity well up in their beautiful eyes, they thought their husband was just making the best use of everything. But on second thought, that wasn't entirely correct; it was only part of the reason, not that shallow or simple.
*Ahem!*
Arthas reached out and took the large teacup handed over by his Archmage maid, Jandice. He took a sip of the green tea, which was still steaming in the icy snow. Using magic for insulation to drink such tea in these conditions was indeed both willful and extravagant!
"Since you are all so curious, then I might as well tell you."
Hearing this, everyone's ears perked up. It was coming, it was coming—the crucial part was coming!
"Because a divided world is destined to be unable to withstand the coming threats. These threats are not just external enemies, but also internal traitors."
"Just imagine if all the races in the world joined the New Empire. Improving the quality of life is just a minor benefit; the real benefit is being able to mobilize an army anytime and anywhere to deal with crises, so we don't have to rush into battle, which is what leads to heavy casualties."
"The internal danger is the sealed Old Gods. What they want to do is devour the entire world to promote themselves to True Gods. They want to devour the world, and the Burning Legion wants to destroy the world. Neither are good things."
"The reason I require you to join is right here: a unified empire working together will allow us to completely resolve the external threats!"