"So the Titans have been killed by Sargeras and can no longer attend to matters here. Your Guardian powers cannot be restored, even if you return to the Dragon Isles, it would be meaningless."
Arthas understood this clearly: other people's power is ultimately other people's, and once an irreplaceable power is used up, it's gone.
Not many people could thoroughly understand this, not just the Aspects, but also the Guardians. Once the core power recedes, it is bound to be irreversible, and their strength will continuously decline to the level of ordinary creatures.
Unless they can be recharged again, but unfortunately, Sargeras blew up all the charging stations, so that path is cut off.
Or solve the charging problem and try a new energy source?
At the same level, only the azeroth world-soul can bestow it, and the energy is even purer. However, gaining the world soul's approval is no simple matter.
Don't think that what the Aspects do will please the world soul. In fact, the Pantheon Titans were merely transforming Azeroth according to their will, and they didn't care at all whether this path was correct.
Precisely because of this, being in the same camp as the order represented by the Titans means being an accomplice. The Bronze Dragonflight bore the brunt of this, being the most criticized; their so-called maintenance of the timeline was actually quite absurd.
Alexstrasza nodded slightly, the freckles on her delicate face actually accentuated her mature charm, a seductiveness even the Black Dragon Aspect lacked.
"Then can you help us? At least to find this power again."
Arthas shook his head slightly, a hint of a smile on his lips, whether it was mockery or disdain, it was hard to tell.
"No, unless you change your faith, and this faith does not include the Moon Goddess. That means Ysera can still believe in the Moon Goddess; there's no conflict there."
It was almost common knowledge that Ysera was the Moon Goddess's pet. The Moon Goddess was a higher-dimensional being. Whether elune was stronger or the Titans were more powerful, these were all unsolved mysteries and not gossip that needed to be investigated, because even knowing the answer wouldn't change anything.
One is the sky, the other is the deep sea; they have no intersection, so naturally, there will be no conflict.
These words piqued Alexstrasza's curiosity. Since it was confirmed that Arthas was her spouse, and she had given birth to so many dragon eggs for him, this debt had to be repaid. Thinking of this, her beautiful eyebrows raised slightly, and her tone carried a hint of reproach.
"As long as you help us, I can't speak for other Dragonflights, but the Red Dragon and Green Dragonflights will always be at your command, and I can also do things for you."
"Anything?"
Arthas's tone was a bit odd. What if it was about having children?
Uh, it's not like they haven't had children before, so this request isn't a request at all, is it?
"Of course, including procreating. But can you do it? Or do you have the ability?"
Alexstrasza used a provocative tactic, unsure if 'can do it' referred to having children or helping them regain their power and return to the level of Aspects.
Aspects are at the peak of demigod power. Without Guardian power, they are like demigods on the roadside in terms of combat strength, but they are not considered demigods.
The basic ability of a demigod is to revive from death, which dragons obviously cannot do, so they cannot be considered demigods.
Onyxia covered her small mouth, her beautiful eyes filled with surprise. She had seen the Red Dragon Queen, who was as majestic as a mountain; how could she say such words?
And couldn't she be a little more mindful? Today was her wedding day; she was the bride, and Arthas was her husband. How could someone openly flirt with another's husband in front of the bride? Bah! Shameless, and she calls herself the Red Dragon Queen, do you have no one else?
"Ahem, as long as you change your faith, I should be able to help you, and it wouldn't be too difficult. Today is a joyous day, so let's not talk about these matters. I hope you enjoy yourselves."
Arthas didn't want to continue the conversation. Confirming the cooperation was enough; the rest could be discussed later.
His strength had not yet fully recovered; he still needed to eliminate demons or Void Faceless Ones, objects abhorred by the azeroth world-soul, to gain attribute points.
Otherwise, if he returned to the southern Tanaris Desert to continue slaughtering Silithids, his attributes would skyrocket in minutes.
One could only say this was neither good news nor bad news; the attribute gains had increased, at least starting from one point, not 0.1 or 0.01.
Newlyweds, Arthas planned to take a vacation, at least ten days to half a month; this counted as a honeymoon.
Unfortunately, sometimes he couldn't take a vacation just because he wanted to; there would always be various unexpected interruptions.
While he was sleeping soundly, the room door was pushed open, accompanied by the sound of high heels tapping on the floor.
Jandice came in carrying a washbasin, gently waking her master.
"Master, the Night Elves have sent a representative, Maiev Shadowsong, the leader of the Warden Force. She is looking for you, saying she needs to verify some matters and discuss cooperation with Lordaeron."
Arthas was groggy and extremely sleepy. He had been fighting for a long time last night, and if he weren't a demigod now, he really couldn't have endured it.
The second stage of being a demigod is the transition to a deity, and this stage requires hard power, which he has not yet reached, so he cannot exert the corresponding abilities.
Onyxia next to him was also yawning, the sunlight falling on her black hair, illuminating her exquisite profile, even revealing tiny soft hairs, as pure as an angel, making one want to defile her.
"Husband, you go see her first. She probably has something important. They are very experienced in hunting demons, and if you can cooperate, it will be very beneficial for finding demons lurking within the Alliance."
"I'm so sleepy, let me sleep a little longer, hmm, I really don't know how Jaina and Sylvanas managed to get here. Zzzzz!"
After only a few words, she fell back into a deep sleep, naturally snoring when she was utterly exhausted.
It must be said that a beauty snoring is also a kind of torment, greatly reducing her impression score. Fortunately, she doesn't usually do this; even a fallen princess maintains a graceful demeanor.
With a slight pout, Jandice smiled, wrung out a towel, and wiped her master's cheeks. Daily service like washing, dressing, etc., could be done by an ordinary woman; having an Archmage do it was truly a waste of talent, a serious waste of resources.
In the still-surviving kingdoms of Gilneas and Stormwind, such a thing would be unthinkable.
There have always been talks about the restoration of Stromgarde and Dalaran, but there has been no action to speak of, or rather, not a single bit of action.
Having finally gotten the opportunity to unify the northern continent, let alone Arthas, even Onyxia, the calculating finance minister and current Queen of Lordaeron, would not allow it.
How great are the benefits of centralized royal power? The Dragonflights are an example of this, essentially obeying only the Dragon King's commands and acting as an extension of the Dragon King's will.
A loose alliance where every matter requires endless debate is much like America in that other world, unable to accomplish anything.
Jandice was very enthusiastic about this work, as it greatly benefited her Archmage cultivation. Further advancement involved expanding her knowledge reserves, enabling her to cast more spells, and increasing her strength.
And the most crucial thing was extending her lifespan!
Even human Archmages could only extend their lives by a few decades at most; they would still grow old.
If one wanted eternal life, they either had to become a Lich, a mere skeleton, or find other methods, like the Night Elves who were blessed with immortality.
She and her mother, Ilucia, had discussed this, and their conclusion was quite consistent: bet on Prince Arthas. Following him since his time as a prince made them founding ministers, elders.
In the future, His Highness would surely become king, and then they would rise with him.
However, once appointed as ministers, it would mean estrangement, busy with state affairs, unable to meet even once in ten days or half a month.
So, the mother and daughter decided: they would never accept any official positions. They would firmly occupy their positions by his side, and in the future, their family would be inherited by their descendants. What they had to do was firmly occupy this 'pit' by his side.
One would be a maid, serving Arthas's daily life, food, and drink, and occasionally acting as a bodyguard.
The other would be a private magic consultant and alchemist, like a tutor, focusing on intimacy, not being estranged by official duties, able to have an audience at any time, and maintaining emotional connection.
This was truly clever; beautiful women playing mind games was an innate talent.
In the reception hall.
Maiev, dressed in her classic hooded cloak and helmet, her entire body concealed, stood before a painting.
The painting depicted Arthas wielding frostmourne, slaying the demon lord Mannoroth. The painting was lifelike, with a faint magical aura that made it stand out.
Staring blankly at the portrait, the figure and that weapon looked exactly like the hero who appeared in the War of the Ancients.
Not just similar, but identical. By this point, she firmly believed a fact: Arthas was Ximen Chuixue, though she didn't know how he had arrived.
If it was reincarnation, that didn't quite make sense; it should have been a direct resurrection, not growing up slowly as a child.
As footsteps approached, Maiev turned around and met Arthas's gaze as he entered.
In an instant, all the memories of the past flooded her mind.
It was in Sin'Dorei where endless demon armies poured out, surrounding the Anti-Mage Alliance. She found her dying brother, Garrosh, betrayed and on his last breath.
She tried her best to heal him, but couldn't save her brother's life. Watching her loved one die before her, Maiev collapsed on the spot. She fought the demons like a madwoman, completely disregarding her own defense.
She didn't know how many demons she killed, and she herself was on her last breath. All the sisters of her order she brought with her had died in battle, and she was about to die under the blade of a Doomguard.
It was Arthas's appearance that turned the tide of battle. Not only did he kill the demons, but he also miraculously resurrected her fallen sisters of the order. Even her long-dead brother, Garrosh, was resurrected with them, swaying back to his feet.
This was not necromancy, but true resurrection, restoring even fatal injuries.
That holy light of healing healed her and countless remnants of soldiers, restoring them to their peak condition.
The resurrected comrades looked at Arthas with confusion, which soon turned into fanaticism. She herself felt the abundant power within her, an unknown energy flowing, cycling endlessly.
At that moment, she also fell in love with him. This was the Queen's spouse; such divine ability could only belong to the Queen's spouse.
This feeling was deeply hidden in her heart, and precisely because she knew Tyrande was carrying Arthas's child and she couldn't compete with her, Maiev chose to step back and form the Warden Force, hunting and imprisoning the Burning Legion demons who had destroyed their homeland.
Now, seeing her former crush again, her heart was far from calm, and her voice trembled slightly.
"Should I call you Ximen Chuixue or Arthas?"
This was interesting; it seemed she had guessed something.
"Just call me Arthas. Ximen Chuixue and Asathaz were both aliases I used. At that time, I couldn't say my real name, so please forgive me. Not just you, Tyrande and Azshara didn't know either; I truly couldn't tell you. Now that everything is over, there's no harm in telling you."
Arthas briefly explained, extending his hand in an inviting gesture.
"Please sit. What would you like to drink? Coffee, black tea, green tea, or wine?"
"Do you have Shadowberry Wine?"
Maiev usually didn't drink, but at this moment, she wanted a drink to soothe the shock in her heart.
Jandice took two wine glasses and brought out the priceless Shadowberry Wine, which could increase maximum mana and was crazily sought after by countless mages, pouring it for both of them.
Suramar City regularly brewed these fine wines. After being transported to Lordaeron, Chromie, the Bronze Dragon, was responsible for aging them with time acceleration; this was the true Shadowberry Wine.
Wine without time's precipitation tasted very ordinary. It shouldn't be too much, nor too long; after twenty-five years, the effect wouldn't get better further on.
For powerhouses like Azshara, the effects of the fine wine were already negligible. But the taste was excellent, sweet and rich without losing the fragrance of fruit wine, very suitable for women to drink.
Maiev extended her hand, wearing metal gloves. It seemed that, apart from her eyes, no part of her was visible.
"Tyrande misses you very much and hopes you can visit her in Teldrassil."
This was small talk; awkward conversation was truly not her specialty.
"I will go, but it will take some time. Some matters here still need to be dealt with. If she doesn't have anything urgent, she can wait a bit."
"And you, how have you been all these years?"
Arthas gave an answer, implying he would go, but without much urgency. After all, ten thousand years had passed; what was the harm in waiting a little longer?
Maiev felt a stir within her. This feeling was like meeting an old friend, a relaxed, natural conversation that allowed her to drop all her guard, no longer needing to be cautious.
This feeling was not good; she disliked it, even resisted it. Relaxing her vigilance would make her fall prey to demons; she had to remain vigilant at all times.
But for some reason, here, she couldn't feel the slightest resistance.
She took off her helmet, revealing a face that was still pure and refined, on par with Tyrande's.
One was gentle and mature, the other cold and heroic, each with their unique charm.