Even after ten thousand years, the Highborne's elegant habits were still well-preserved, to the point that even human nobles felt ashamed in their presence, utterly disgraced.
She put down her teacup and elegantly crossed her legs, forming a posture that would later be known as the Goddess's Pose. It perfectly showcased her body curves without losing her elegant demeanor, and it never appeared vulgar.
"The Queen is also seeking Lord West Gate Snow Flutist for an urgent matter. As the Queen's spouse, he defeated the Burning Legion's invasion in a battle ten thousand years ago, but the Well of Eternity exploded, submerging eighty percent of the entire continent into the sea. A portion of the Kaldorei Empire's residents also fell into the deep sea."
"Fortunately, with the protection of Lord West Gate Snow Flutist's power, we were able to survive in the deep sea in a completely new form. The Empire is a thing of the past, and the Queen was severely wounded in the great war ten thousand years ago. Her power is now insufficient to sustain her, so if Your Highness knows of Lord West Gate Snow Flutist's whereabouts, please inform us."
Although she claimed to be looking for someone, her eyes were constantly fixed on Arthas, as she could directly feel that familiar power from him.
As the Queen's head attendant, she sometimes had to serve the Queen's spouse; this was both her job and her duty.
It was just a pity that before she had the chance, she was transformed into a Naga due to the explosion of the Well of Eternity.
Because she could pass on Void Energy to Azshara, even without N'Zoth's help, she could transform into a Naga and survive in the deep sea, avoiding suffocation.
At least this Void Energy was external and not her own power; she had to maintain the ability to switch between Naga and Highborne forms.
These powers were diminishing with use, and now they had reached a point where they could no longer be sustained. This was why Vashj, despite her noble status, still came.
It was an urgent matter; if there was no subsequent power, she would truly become an ugly Naga.
For aesthetics, and to please the Queen, Vashj had to find the former Lord West Gate Snow Flutist.
Although many believed Lord West Gate Snow Flutist died in the explosion of the Well of Eternity, Azshara insisted her spouse was still alive, otherwise the origin of the Old God's power could not be explained.
Tyrande also largely agreed with this, as she didn't want her daughter Shandris to be without a father.
Even after ten thousand years, with her eternal lifespan, she didn't feel it was that long, especially with her daughter accompanying her. Other sisters in the sisterhood were also with her, managing the race, resolving conflicts, and so on; every day was fulfilling.
As for her daughter's origin, Tyrande believed it was the will of the moon goddess elune, and the child born was blessed by the Moon Goddess.
To say she had no feelings for her spouse would be untrue, but her feelings were not as intense and crazy as Azshara's.
After hearing this, Arthas became somewhat silent. After some thought, he looked up at Vashj.
"I need to rest. If you can help me with a favor, I might recover faster, and your problem will naturally be solved."
This was true; he was currently a weakling, all his attributes having been absorbed by e-chan, not a single drop left.
"As you wish, Your Highness. If there is anything you need me to do, please command me. I can serve you in anything."
Vashj bowed again, seemingly recognizing something.
At least from Arthas's previous use of Divine Ascension in his duel with Onyxia, his figure wasn't as massive yet, but his aura was already evident.
The surge in combat power brought by attribute inflation transformed him from a 'foot massage master' into a 'god of war' who could instantly defeat anything, a single man holding off thousands.
Now, however, the more enjoyable it was before, the harder he had to work to pay off his debts.
Furthermore, Void Absorption was temporarily stagnant, seemingly requiring a level-up or attribute qualification to unlock; it was currently gray and unusable.
Everything had to start over. Previous attributes had all been contributed to the world soul to mend its wounds, and he himself seemed to have gained nothing so far.
Everything he did was to fix the timeline, to stop those annoying timeline alterations.
This timeline was not as the Titans had preset it. Destiny itself was ever-changing; if everything proceeded according to plan, that wouldn't be destiny, but a pre-written script.
The breeze swayed, like a hand gently caressing his cheek. In the unseen, there seemed to be the world soul's attention.
The world soul had not yet awakened, but this did not mean she could not express her joy to her spokesman through natural phenomena.
"Are there still Demons on the Broken Isles?"
"Yes, they are mainly entrenched on the Broken Isles. Grand Magistrix Elisande is monitoring the Tomb of Sargeras, which seems to be connected to the Twisting Nether, with a continuous stream of Demons emerging from it."
"Fortunately, their strength is not great, and we haven't dared to go deep. Fel Energy will corrupt our sanity, and creatures whose sanity is taken over will be twisted into Demons."
Vashj nodded. Seeing Arthas's apparent confusion, she added details about the Second War of the Burning Legion.
After Archimonde destroyed Dalaran and Lordaeron, he could only reduce his strength when he first teleported due to the portal. Later, he forcibly used spells to destroy cities, which caused wounds that never healed, preventing him from returning to his peak.
At this time, he found the Tomb of Sargeras, awakened Sargeras's avatar from within, and broke the seal set by Guardian Aegwynn. Using unique magic, he opened a Twisting Nether portal, where he recovered to his peak before leaving.
He cleverly bypassed the Anti-Mage Alliance on the periphery, using teleportation magic to reach the foot of Mount Hyjal.
Night Elves, humans, Orcs, Tauren, Gnolls, and Aquir, among other races, once again formed an alliance to fight Archimonde. This time, due to the lack of absolute high-end combat power, Archimonde was unopposed.
Even the Archdruid Malfurion and the Demon Hunter Illidan, working together, were repelled and suffered significant injuries.
Archimonde wanted to draw power from the World Tree. Below the World Tree was connected to the second Well of Eternity. Although not as powerful as in ancient times, it was still a vast power.
This was a power sufficient to bless every Night Elf, making them immune to disease and almost immortal.
If Archimonde absorbed this energy, he would become the strongest Wild God, perhaps even breaking through the barrier between Wild God and Titan.
At that point, no one would truly be able to stop him. The Chromatic Dragons were responsible for blocking The Scourge in Northrend, eliminating those attempting to revive the Proto-Dragons.
Azshara, meanwhile, was holding off Sargeras's avatar, unable to spare attention for anything else.
Ultimately, at Malfurion's suggestion, and with Tyrande's approval, the wisps were used to detonate the World Tree, blasting Archimonde, who was attempting to consume the tree, back into the Twisting Nether.
Thus, the second crisis also came to an end.
Both invasions by the Burning Legion brought extremely heavy costs. The first great war resulted in the deaths of over half of the Wild Gods, the Well of Eternity exploded, and Queen Azshara became the Naga Queen.
The second involved the detonation of the World Tree, which stripped the Night Elves of their immortality, causing them to revert to mortal status, and many of their people died.
Each time brought deep scars; even victories were merely Pyrrhic.
It was precisely because she killed Sargeras's avatar that Azshara's current condition was not good. She could barely sustain herself, and doing anything more was unlikely.
The situation for the High Elves was also not optimistic. A portion of their people migrated to the City of Hope, integrating into Lordaeron as citizens of the kingdom.
Another portion, led by Prince Kael'thas, was seeking a solution for their magic addiction. They still trusted their prince, believing that the High Elves could still restore their nation.
The Anti-Mage Alliance did not participate in that war; only the elves who had joined Lordaeron were involved.
Listening to Vashj's explanation, he still felt some regret for missing the Second Great War.
With his current weak attributes, even if he had participated in the war, he probably wouldn't have fared well.
"Since there are Demons, cripple them and send them over. The more, the better, with no upper limit."
Arthas casually gave the order. He could only legally pick up kills now, and there was nothing he could do about it.
It wasn't impossible for him to fight alone, but the risk was too great. Being slapped to death would be ridiculous.
A weak beginning often means great potential, so there's no need to be so picky.
"As you wish, Your Highness. Your will is our mission."
Vashj took out a conch and blew it. Waves of magical notes spread out, and in the distance, the sea churned, clearly indicating that the Naga had received the signal and begun to act.
He did not admit that he was the West Gate Snow Flutist of ancient times; it was not yet the right moment.
The West Gate Snow Flutist of ancient times was a ruthless individual who could beat Archimonde, even cut off Sargeras's true body's arm, and slaughter countless Demons as a supreme Wild God. How could he appear in this weak state now?
A man of his stature would not allow himself to reveal his identity in such a weak form; he had some pride, after all.
"Oh, by the way, can you tell me about the current situation of those Orcs?"
Arthas didn't like Orcs. To him, these Green-skinned Orcs were invaders. They didn't belong to this world; they were just outsiders, yet they wanted to live and reside here openly, and even wanted more. This was unacceptable.
It wasn't about exterminating them; if they could stay put, keeping them as cannon fodder for future wars wouldn't be a problem.
There were Orcs in Lordaeron, but their professions were strictly controlled. They were either farmers, laborers, or joined the army, exchanging their bravery for honor.
The Horde wanted to develop?
Sorry, their ashes would be scattered!
Vashj, however, detected something unusual, sensing that His Highness didn't seem to like Orcs much.
But didn't the Lordaeron army also have an Orc unit under its command?
Was it merely utilizing the Orcs' bravery, rather than genuinely accepting them?
How should one put it? The Warsong Clan was currently undergoing a process of atonement.
If they hadn't participated in the Second Great War, their status would probably be even lower, no different from slaves.
Having sacrificed their lives for Azeroth, even outsiders could gain the right to reside. These races, who served e-chan like cattle and horses, were welcome; the more cattle and horses, the better. What farmer would complain about having too many cattle and horses?
"Currently, the Orcs have formed the New Horde and settled in the northern Barrens. They are still building their city, and many Goblins and Trolls have joined them, becoming part of the so-called Horde."
"Orcs reproduce faster than humans and are much stronger, but they lack intelligence."
"The current Warchief of the Horde is named Thrall, reportedly an escapee from a Lordaeron Alliance internment camp.
He maintains a neutral and cautious attitude towards the Alliance and the Kaldorei, but recently, due to extensive construction, he needs more timber, which inevitably leads to conflicts with the Sentinels in Ashenvale."
"The tension between the two sides is very high, and it could explode at any moment. The Sentinels allow logging, but the Horde doesn't seem to care about balance, which has angered the Druids. To the south is Theramore, founded by Princess Jaina, guarded by Dragonkin of the Black Dragonflight. With our Naga's assistance, we control the nearby shipping lanes, so the Horde has to rely on Theramore for survival."
This was quite interesting. It should be after the Second Great War, during the period when the Horde was preparing to build its capital city.
Before, with Jaina as a mediator, humans and Orcs could maintain restraint and avoid war.
Now, Theramore had been taken over by Onyxia. Her lair was in the Dustwallow Marsh to the southwest, which had become a base for breeding Dragonkin.
As the Chief Financial Minister of Lordaeron, the Horde becoming her neighbor was truly bad luck.
To the north, Ashenvale was Night Elf territory, and tensions were high over logging, on the verge of war.
If war broke out, Theramore would definitely help the Night Elves, as their friendship was much deeper than with the Orcs.
To the east of the Horde was The Great Sea, the territory of the Naga and Murlocs. If they wanted to develop there, all their population wouldn't be enough to fill a single tooth gap.
The west was a bit better, being the Tauren capital of Mulgore.
That area was infested with Gnolls and Centaur bandits. The Tauren could be self-sufficient, but if they had to support the Horde, then sorry, the Tauren had no surplus grain either!
Now the situation was awkward. It had to be said that Thrall's vision was truly poor. If only he had gone south.
Going to Feralas, Un'Goro Crater, or even the Tanaris Desert would have been much better. Although the environments were dangerous or barren, at least they wouldn't be choked.
Building a capital city while surrounded by enemies could only lead to death.
Onyxia was thoroughly implementing her master's will. If she said these Green-skinned Orcs would have no way out and become slaves, then it must be done.
They could be cut off from supplies from any direction, primarily through a strategy of boiling a frog in warm water: supplies would become scarcer and scarcer, prices higher and higher, until the Horde went bankrupt.
At this point, they would either sell themselves into slavery or launch a war of plunder.
Either option was exactly what was desired. The only outcome for the Horde was dissolution; there was no better choice.
However, if the Horde was willing to leave its current location and go to southern Kalimdor, serving as the first line of defense against the Aquir, that would also be acceptable.
If not, going to Northrend would also work. Although it was an arctic region, there were many places suitable for grazing and farming, so people wouldn't starve.
It would be a good place to deal with the Nerubians, the Undead Scourge, and the Titan constructs. While full of disasters, it also presented opportunities and challenges.
But don't be ungrateful. They were once part of the Anti-Mage Alliance. If he had to personally deal with them, it would be a loss of face.
It had to be said, this move was truly despicable and effective!