"Sister, why are you looking at him? He feels very familiar, but I'm not entirely sure."
Ysera's eyes were unusually clear. She only felt a sense of familiarity because she hadn't had deep interactions with Arthas, so she naturally wouldn't have a unique perception.
Alexstrasza was different. Back at Grim Batol, she had deep interactions with Arthas. She even laid many dragon eggs because of him, and these eggs were still incubating. In a sense, Arthas was also her spouse.
Moreover, ever since she tasted the delicious food Arthas made, she now couldn't eat any ordinary food and craved exquisite gourmet dishes.
This had made the Red Dragonflight quite withdrawn. They could fight, battle, and even collect treasures and supplies. But asking dragons to cook was a bit too much.
Now, having tasted the delicacies from the City of Hope again, Alexstrasza increasingly suspected that Arthas was her spouse.
"Hmph, even changing your name to Asathaz, are you taking me for an idiot? You can't escape, little spouse!"
The Red Dragon Queen stood to the side, snorting softly. She was quite clever, finding her spouse through a few clues.
As for Arthas getting married, she didn't consider it a big deal; it was easily resolvable.
How could a strong individual have only one spouse? Multiple spouses were the standard.
The Black Dragon Aspect walked over in high heels, her legs trembling slightly. No one knew what terrible things she had endured, but her complexion was rosy and radiant.
"Alexstrasza, Ysera, welcome. Did the other three not have time to come?"
They were all top powerhouses and experienced individuals; how could they not know what had happened? They simply had a tacit understanding, no need to speak it aloud, and it would be meaningless to do so.
"The Battle of Mount Hyjal was largely thanks to the Alliance's participation, successfully tying down the main force of the Burning Legion. Otherwise, it's hard to say how the battle would have turned out. Speaking of which, where was His Highness at that time? He's a top-tier combatant; if he had been there, Archimonde wouldn't have been a threat."
Alexstrasza deliberately brought this up. The three Aspects, Neltharion, Malygos, and Nozdormu, were severely injured fighting Archimonde, which was why they couldn't come this time.
"He was injured and is recovering in his territory. The Burning Legion altered the timeline, and he went back to mend it and permanently resolve the altered problem. Time is no longer a little girl to be toyed with by everyone."
Sinestra's pretty face also became exceptionally serious. She still remembered the doomsday scene when the Burning Legion successfully invaded, wiping out not only the Dragonflights but all living beings on Azeroth. Many powerful unknown creatures also fell one by one, utterly no match for Archimonde.
Speaking of the timeline, Alexstrasza also had something to say, her tone unable to hide a hint of resentment.
"Since you could see what was going to happen in the future, why didn't you tell us? I truly can't understand. Some things could clearly have been avoided. Now the Bronze Dragons have also lost their ability to travel through time. What exactly are they protecting?"
No one likes to have their fate arranged, except for the weak. The strong, once they have the power to overturn the table, are very unwilling and reluctant to be manipulated.
If it were before, she wouldn't have dared to speak. But after pledging allegiance to Arthas, Sinestra clearly felt the presence of a world soul, an existence even more powerful than the Pantheon Titans.
The Pantheon might not always be right, but Azeroth would definitely not deceive them.
"Perhaps they believe the Pantheon's plan is correct, no matter how disastrous this designed timeline is for us. These are things they don't care about."
"You can't blame Nozdormu, after all, your power comes from the Pantheon, so you naturally wouldn't question what the Pantheon does. But don't forget, we are not the Pantheon's slaves; we are the children of Azeroth. This world is our true home."
"You know, the master is a favored one of the world soul and does not allow any external forces to change our world.
Are you feeling your power waning?"
Once this astonishing topic was thrown out, it immediately shocked Ysera, who had been standing by, watching the show with a detached attitude.
Yes, that's right!
The power of the Aspects was bestowed by the Pantheon Titans through the Guardians as intermediaries. This power was non-renewable; once it was used up, they would lose their abilities.
Their forms could be changed, but their upper limits would be greatly reduced. Dragons without their Aspect powers were not much stronger than wild Proto-Dragons and Storm Dragons.
Power that wasn't truly their own was ultimately unreliable. They couldn't possibly reveal these things to outsiders.
But Sinestra's identity allowed her to understand this.
The three moved to another location; this was not a good place to talk.
At the banquet, Arthas only offered one toast and didn't visit every table. These nobles were still worth winning over; after losing their land, they could receive kingdom protection and send family members to study, taking up city management positions after passing assessments.
And those with unique skills, such as business, mining, animal husbandry, or plant cultivation, could continue to receive preferential treatment.
In short, Lordaeron did not support idlers. If you were useless, you'd better keep your head down and not stir up trouble.
The nobles' opposition was futile, because Highlord Bridget stood with the Prince, and Tirion Fording and Uther also stood with the Prince.
This was very beneficial for the kingdom's development. If there had been a king with centralized power, the Undead Scourge incident would not have occurred.
It was precisely because power was dispersed, requiring vigilance against allies and domestic nobles alike, that the tragedy occurred due to overly scattered energy.
With the Silver Hand, the Scarlet Crusade, and his self-created guard, and with grain and finances in hand, opponents couldn't cause much trouble and would gradually be eliminated.
Western weddings were quite different; the bride didn't wait in the room for the wedding night but could accompany her husband to receive guests.
His maid Jandice whispered something in his ear. Arthas nodded, leaving the reception to Uther. As his teacher, Uther commanded sufficient respect.
The paladins' loyal faith also meant there was no fear of betrayal; it had withstood trials of blood and fire. Even with blades and axes at their throats, a paladin's faith would not waver.
Moreover, the rigid Uther could execute this task perfectly. If it involved interests or unanswerable questions, his only reply was to ask His Highness directly.
This made the opportunistic nobles curse him as an old fossil, yet they were helpless.
Times had changed; the old Kingdom of Lordaeron was no more. Now, a new dynasty was being established, and the old order would eventually be overthrown and destroyed until not a trace of it remained.
Either adapt to the tide of the times, or become dust in history.
If it were the old Arthas, he might indeed have needed to engage in some intriguing power struggles; it would be interesting, but it was truly unnecessary now.
If they didn't comply, suppress them, and suppress them with righteousness, leaving no room for criticism. If they didn't comply, fight them, and if they still didn't comply, then make them comply!
In the solemn reception hall, many portraits hung. These portraits included not only Arthas but also his father Terenas, and even other races, with Orcs among them.
The main theme was racial harmony; relying solely on humans could not accomplish the task of saving Azeroth.
The Burning Legion's invasion had ended, but only temporarily. As long as the Burning Legion's stronghold was not breached and Sargeras was not defeated, the threat of the Burning Legion would not cease.
Two failed invasions of Azeroth had become an obsession in the Burning Legion's heart; they would not rest until it was accomplished.
To launch a counterattack against the Burning Legion, Lordaeron alone was insufficient. Only an Alliance integrating human kingdoms and various races would have the strength to contend with it.
Arthas alone couldn't kill them all. Some pitfalls always needed someone to step into. If you don't, and he doesn't, am I supposed to step into them?
Seeing the Red Dragon Queen again, that overwhelming mature allure made him feel rather awkward.
"Greetings, two Queens. I am Arthas, Prince of Lordaeron."
"Hello, Arthas, just call me Ysera. I heard you were injured recently, are you feeling better now?
My sister is very good at healing injuries; would you like her to take a look?"
Ysera was uncharacteristically enthusiastic. Previously, when they met, she was either coldly distant or half-asleep and disengaged.
Alexstrasza didn't reply, merely narrowing her eyes. Even in anger, her sharp gaze was full of charm.
"We met before in Grim Batol?"
"Uh, I guess you could say we did. Don't worry, everything will be fine. By the way, have you found a way to return to the Dragon Isles?"
Arthas changed the subject, seemingly not wanting to be stared at, which made him appear a little guilty this time.
Mainly, some things were difficult to admit, a bit awkward, and he didn't even know how to explain them.
"Stop changing the subject. I'm asking you, are you Asathaz?"
Alexstrasza somewhat impolitely grabbed his collar; they were almost pressed together, feeling each other's warm breath on their faces.
"Cough, cough, yes, that was the situation at the time."
Arthas spread his hands. There was nothing he could do; he couldn't deny such a thing, could he? A man shouldn't avoid responsibility; what's his is his, and he should own up to it.
Alexstrasza was also stunned. He admitted it so readily? No wonder she always had a familiar feeling. She gritted her silver teeth and snorted.
"We can't go back to the Dragon Isles without coordinates. The City of Hope is very good, and I plan to move the Red Dragonflight here. You'll be responsible for the arrangements, right? Also, a batch of dragon eggs needs your help to hatch. You can hatch Black Dragon eggs, don't tell me you can't hatch Red Dragon ones!"
Is she moving all her assets over so readily?
Onyxia, the bride, was stunned. What was going on? It sounded like the Red Dragon Queen had some unspeakable secret with her husband!
Besides being the bride, she also managed the financial income. The thought of the Red Dragonflight coming immediately brought to mind a huge expenditure. However, in terms of income, it seemed pretty good too.
Things produced locally would naturally benefit, and the difficulty of tasks that could be executed would also increase.
"Alright, you can choose an area. Anyway, there will be many distributions in the future."
Arthas didn't object. It sounded like she was preparing to pledge allegiance to him?
Really? A Dragon Aspect needed to pledge allegiance to him?
Hearing that the Red Dragonflight could be relocated, Alexstrasza's anger instantly dissipated. She reverted to being polite, even gently tidying the man's clothes, then sat down, crossing her legs, and elegantly sipped from a green tea cup beside her.
"Now, let's talk about the Aspect powers. All our Aspect powers have disappeared. This is no longer the era of dragons, but your era."
"If we could return to the Dragon Isles, perhaps there would still be a way to regain our Aspect powers, but now it's impossible."
Ysera was somewhat surprised. Why was such a core secret being revealed? Wasn't she afraid that dragons would be hunted by humans? Dragon flesh and bones were top-tier commodities.
Her trust in her spouse was absolute; there was nothing that couldn't be said.
Onyxia's mind was a bit muddled. Wait, just now she was talking about the Dragonflight relocating, hinting at joining Lordaeron. So it wasn't a sudden impulse; it was because she knew the dragons were in decline.
Why had she never felt this way? Was it because she wasn't a Dragon Aspect?
She looked at her mother, who shook her head and gestured towards her husband, meaning to listen to him; now was not the time to explain her confusion.
Looking at her sister, Ysera didn't say much. She made up her mind to see what her sister was up to.
Jaina and Sylvanas also arrived. As wives and queens of the kingdom, it would be disrespectful for them not to be present when such high-ranking guests arrived.
"Good day, two Queens. We meet again."
"Good day, Queen Jaina, Queen Sylvanas."
To be honest, Sylvanas was very unaccustomed to wearing formal gowns. It wasn't that her figure couldn't carry the dress; on the contrary, it suited her perfectly, as Arthas's gaze showed.
She just didn't like wearing formal gowns in front of outsiders. If it was just at home, she wouldn't mind.
Today was a rare celebratory occasion, so she would make do. It was highly unlikely for next time.
"The Pantheon has been annihilated; you know this news, right?"
Arthas rubbed his head, gestured for Sylvanas to sit beside him, and took her delicate hand. The calluses from years of drawing a bow remained, a familiar feeling.
The two Queens exchanged glances and nodded slightly.
"That's right, we had speculated about it before, and later, some things happened within the Guardians, which led us to this idea. But we never verified it, nor could we confirm it."
As the eldest sister, Alexstrasza was very sensitive to such matters.
The Pantheon had established many covert operations, various research facilities, the Chamber of the Heart where world souls were imprisoned, and the Titan Keepers mediating.
Later, Tyr, one of the Guardians, proposed infusing a group of Proto-Dragons with the power of Order, which led to the birth of the Chromatic Dragons.
After that came the infighting among the Guardians: some died, some were injured. The two strongest Guardians, one was sealed in another plane, and one was imprisoned underground in Pandaria, bringing great shame upon themselves.