Letting Odyn out was something she would likely be unwilling to do. Forcing her with an order, Helya would do it, but their relationship would plummet to freezing point, which would be somewhat more loss than gain. Besides, Odyn was no kin or friend of his, so why should he help him?
But the idea of letting Odyn and Loken fight to the death was something that made Helya feel particularly excited. As long as Odyn suffered misfortune, she was happy.
Twisted from a titan construct into a neither-human-nor-ghost Val'kyr, unable to truly live nor die, and forever enslaved. This wasn't just Helya; if it happened to anyone else, they would also become twisted in character, harboring extreme hatred towards everyone, and desiring the utmost revenge.
Now reborn, the resentment in Helya's heart had not diminished; instead, it was accompanied by an eagerness to take revenge and settle scores. She held no resentment towards other matters anymore, nor did she harbor the desire to tear apart the living. She wasn't that extreme anymore.
"Master, we can send the disc to Hall of Valor. After Odyn sees it, we can then release him from his planar imprisonment and banish him to Ulduar. He is stubborn. Once he learns that Loken betrayed the Pantheon and sided with the Old Gods, even if he knows he's being used, he will still fight Loken tooth and nail."
Helya was all too familiar with her foster father, Odyn. As the saying goes, the one who knows you best isn't the one sharing your pillow, but your enemy!
It was precisely because she wanted to kill him at every moment that she went to great lengths to understand her enemy's actions, dislikes, preferences, and daily routines. Knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle—this principle held true.
Arthas handed the Platinum Disc to Helya. This was what Brann had led the expedition to find inside the titan ruins of Uldaman. It recorded how Loken, in ancient times, sowed discord and instigated infighting among the Titan Keepers, as well as the process of how he caused Tyr's death. Everything was recorded inside.
Once Odyn learned the truth, his stubborn and obstinate nature would surely drive him to attack Ulduar at all costs, to reclaim this most important titan facility and reinforce the imprisonment of the Old Gods.
This was the method Helya wanted. She understood Odyn's character all too well; that guy would definitely fall for it.
With the plan agreed upon, the next step was implementation.
To transfer the entire Hall of Valor to Ulduar in Icecrown Glacier required crossing a vast expanse of ocean before reaching Northrend. This teleportation would consume several times more energy than moving the entire Dalaran to the Broken Isles.
Thus, powerful magical energy was needed as both the startup and consumption fuel. Otherwise, even if the idea was feasible, the teleportation couldn't be performed.
Fortunately, when it came to Arcane magic, Arthas, with the Nightborne now under his command, didn't need to worry. Since the Nightwell was no longer required as a support, using it as the startup energy source was entirely sufficient.
And once in Northrend, they only needed to draw energy from the Blue Dragonflight's habitat, The Nexus, to sustain the teleportation consumption, and then further teleport Hall of Valor to Ulduar.
The plan was perfect, but it required notifying the Blue Dragonflight.
Because Arthas had altered the course of history, Neltharion had not fallen to become a pawn of the Old Gods, nor had he become Deathwing. Correspondingly, the Blue Dragon Queen, Sindragosa, had not died, and the Blue Dragon Aspect, the Spell-Weaver Malygos, had not gone mad with grief over the loss of his mate.
All of this was negotiable and still acceptable.
After communicating with Malygos, the other party readily agreed to help. This was no problem at all for the magic-proficient Blue Dragons. Moreover, knowing that Arthas had saved his wife's life, Malygos was quite grateful to him.
As for Arthas stealing his brother's wife, Malygos could only sympathize but was powerless to help. Being caught in the middle was awkward, so he simply chose not to get involved. Since Neltharion didn't seem to care much about such matters, he let it be.
It was precisely someone like Arthas who could coordinate two different factions to work towards the same goal. Anyone else would have been overwhelmed.
A few days later.
Vereesa brought back good news: they had already scouted Ulduar's defense mechanisms and even disabled the alarm systems. It had to be said that the Dwarven race possessed considerable talent for exploring ruins, often finding the key to puzzles in unexpected places.
And with the Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza overseeing things, Brann, the notorious 'aggro magnet,' dared not cause trouble and obediently carried out the door-opening tasks.
In the Storm Peaks, everything was as usual. The ice Vrykul and storm Vrykul were still fighting fiercely, their feud a legacy of ten thousand years of conflict.
If not for the protection of their respective Titan Keepers' temples, one side would likely have been wiped out long ago. This situation was exactly what Loken wanted to see; he hadn't intended to use this method to eliminate the two Keepers.
He only needed them to be consumed by guilt over the war. Regardless of right or wrong, the fact that it had come to this was an unforgivable sin. Even if they weren't yet aware this was Loken's conspiracy, even if they found out and the two Keepers could shake hands and make peace, what about their flesh-crafted followers below?
Emotions were often the hardest to balance. The people below had fought to the point of tearing each other apart; if their leaders now said to make peace, wouldn't they become clowns?
And indeed, they had become clowns. There was no helping it; those below were cannon fodder and tools. Once peace was declared, they had to obey and carry out orders.
But doing so would inevitably alienate the followers. Losing these followers, and being unable to create new constructs themselves, they would become commanders without an army.
Whether it was Thorim or Hodir, neither was a match for Loken, who commanded a vast army of steel troops.
At this moment, Loken was still dozing off in the Halls of Lightning within Ulduar. Waiting for his master, Yogg-Saron, to break the seals was boring, so he could only find some amusement nearby: instigating conflicts between the two sides, making two previously peaceful races fight to the death.
As the mastermind behind the scenes, he quietly admired his handiwork. Nothing was more satisfying than this kind of amusement. As the Keeper of Wisdom, Loken reveled in using his intellect to crush others.
But for some reason, he had been feeling uneasy lately. What was the name of that neighbor next door in Icecrown Glacier?
The Lich King! Yes, called the Lich King.
Something about an undead army wanting to conquer all of Northrend? When Loken heard this, he felt no ripple in his heart, even a bit like laughing. Had he been drinking fake liquor to dare say such a thing?
Anyone with a bit of sense wouldn't be that drunk. The biggest advantage of an undead army compared to mortal armies was that they didn't need sleep, food, drink, or excretion; they only required energy to sustain themselves.
Coincidentally, his own steel army was the same, needing no food or drink, only a tiny bit of energy for daily maintenance. This energy was provided by Ulduar's engines, enough to maintain and arm over a hundred thousand steel soldiers, each forged from metal, with individual combat power approaching that of high-level warriors.
Being metallic bodies, they were even stronger than practitioners of the same level in direct combat. The reason he had been lying low was that Loken's authority had been stripped; he could only use these legions to defend against external invasion, not for offense.
These armies' range of activity absolutely could not exceed Ulduar, so having more of them was meaningless—there was no space. Since he couldn't mobilize the army away from Ulduar, there was no need to manufacture too many soldiers.
It was better if that Lich King didn't come. If he really dared to come, Loken would definitely make those filthy, rotting undead know what it meant for a god to descend and crush everything!
How dare mere skeletons think of clashing with bodies of steel? Only someone with a brain full of holes would think of such a move. Even flesh and blood couldn't withstand steel, let alone skeletons!
Some time ago, he received news that the descendants of those degenerated Vrykul were gathering armies in Northrend to wage war against that so-called Lich King.
Originally planning to watch the spectacle, he happened to have some tasks assigned by Yogg-Saron and thus missed the time for the show. By the time he finished handling things and looked back, he found the Lich King had already been utterly crushed!
Utterly crushed in the literal sense—completely and thoroughly shattered, soul annihilated along with it, not even ashes remaining.
This made Loken feel a bit regretful. A perfectly good neighbor, just about to have fun teasing a fool, and then he was gone?
Now, only some scattered, uncontrolled undead remained on Icecrown Glacier, being hunted down by their fellow undead.
That was Illidan leading the charge, with Kaelthas and KelThuzad assisting. To reach Outland, they needed enough energy to open a portal and also required a batch of supplies and baggage. Even with a large undead army, there were still living beings among them, and Demon Hunters existed.
Thus, they needed logistical support: food, armor, clothing, medical supplies, and baggage.
This included all aspects of logistical materials, such as bowls and forks for eating, cups for drinking, water distillers for extracting water vapor, tents and blankets for sleeping, etc.
These were all necessary, essential needs. No matter how much Demon Hunters used Fel Energy, they still had to eat. Directly consuming Fel Energy might be possible, but Illidan definitely wouldn't let his followers do that. Because Fel Energy had a strong corrupting effect on the mind; those with weak willpower could easily become pawns of the Burning Legion, turning into traitors, which was not a good thing for him.
As a wandering legion without a base, they either needed to find territory to settle and develop, or plunder others' supplies. The latter was doable; Arthas wouldn't interfere anyway.
But plundering was inefficient. The natives of Northrend didn't have good reserves. Besides gaining more undead soldiers, everything else would be smashed and unusable.
Thus, the only option was to work for Lordaeron. The entire legion would work, clearing out undead, mining ore, etc.—whatever they could do, exchanging labor for supplies.
As for why they didn't refine the mined ore themselves? Because they couldn't. They didn't have the capability, you know.
Glancing at the scene in Icecrown Glacier through a crystal ball, Loken felt disappointed; it didn't spark any interest in him. These undead had no brains. If he went himself, he wouldn't gain anything. The language barrier made it less fun.
Then he looked at the Conservatory of life. Once a garden lush with greenery and blooming flowers, now it lay in ruins. His companion, Freya, was wandering in the garden, her mind controlled by Yogg-Saron, though not yet fully mastered. Thus, she wandered unconsciously in her temple garden. Aside from her nature constructs, any steel constructs that entered would be attacked.
At first, Loken thought Freya was pretending, but after observing for thousands of years, she remained the same, patrolling the garden as if tireless, only following the most basic commands.
This reassured Loken. As long as she wasn't wide awake, she was temporarily an ally.
He then looked at Thorim on the outskirts, still sitting in the Temple of Storms, despondent, showing no sign of life. As the saying goes, no sorrow is greater than a dead heart. Some Keepers were alive, but they were already dead.
Confirming that this Titan Keeper's situation remained as normal as ever, Loken then looked towards the mountain peak. That was the temple of another Titan Keeper, Hodir. He was still frozen in ice, having been severely injured in the battle with Thorim and using this method to repair his body.
Still the same old story. These former companions—brainwashed, despondent, injured—all seemed exactly as before. Since they showed no problems, what was this ominous premonition in his heart?
He shifted his gaze to a room inside Ulduar. This was the observatory, used for observing the sky, and it held a little-known secret: it was the contact address for another observer, Algalon.
Besides the Titan Keepers, the Pantheon had specifically left their servant, Algalon, as an observer. They had also established a series of alarm devices. When the ordering was threatened, a signal would automatically trigger, pulling this observer from the cosmos.
At that point, Algalon would perform calculations in a unique way to determine if Azeroth needed to be reformatted. If his analysis showed systemic corruption on the planet, he would be forced to initiate the planetary restructuring process, stating it was in the Titans' best interest.
This reformatting was achieved by activating hidden weapons that absorbed the world soul's dissipated energy and stored it for use in a 'nuclear peace.' A massive energy explosion would cleanse all life and corruption from Azeroth's surface. Although everything on the planet's surface would be destroyed and all life would perish, Azeroth's world soul would remain unaffected.
This was something even Loken couldn't prevent. But if a reformatting really happened, it might not be a bad thing for Loken. At least everyone would be dead, so no one would know he had betrayed the Pantheon. Even if the Titans returned, he would still be that obedient pawn.
Whether it could kill Yogg-Saron was uncertain, but it would definitely kill most naturally reproducing life forms.
Loken was panicked to discover that some creatures from who-knows-where had bypassed the alarm system, reached the observatory, and were tinkering with the machines. What if they attracted the observer and triggered the cleansing plan? Wouldn't he be caught in the disaster too?
How could he have forgotten about this? He immediately dispatched his subordinates to the observatory, making sure to crush all these meddling bugs!
At this moment, at the observatory.
Brann was quickly cracking the code. He didn't know what was inside, only that his mission was to trigger the communication device here. Once triggered, he could leave via teleportation, leaving the remaining headache to whichever local administrator was in charge.
Because this involved the origin stories of humans and dwarves, he was working particularly hard.
If not for the Emperor of the Lordaeron Empire personally speaking up, he would probably still be sitting in a confinement room right now. Forget about going out on an adventure; he wouldn't even have a drop of wine to drink!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a bit excited; at least he didn't have to be numb anymore.
The lights on the wall changed from dim to green, and the stone walls rapidly began to shift, even gradually becoming illusory. This scene left Brann dumbfounded.
"Don't just stand there in a daze. Get ready to teleport away. Once Ulduar is taken over, all the secrets here can be cracked. Don't interfere with my husband's plan!"
Vereesa stopped pretending at this point, directly saying "my husband." What brother-in-law? This is my husband, understand!
"Fine, fine, I'll listen to you, Your Highness the Queen."
Brann also gave a comical salute. He didn't dare to be insolent in front of Vereesa; if he dared to be disobedient, he could look forward to going back and continuing his confinement. Furthermore, the exploration work would be handed over to others. Besides Gnomes,
humans and goblins were all considered decent explorers. It wasn't strictly necessary to rely on dwarves.
This was an opportunity to leave a significant mark on history. If he lost this chance because of disobedience, he would be moved to death by his own anger.
As the teleportation magic flashed by, the group was teleported to a temporary camp in the Storm Peaks. The Red Dragon Queen and the Green Dragon Queen had also been waiting here for a long time. They were responsible for receiving them, providing room for support if anything went wrong.
"Is the matter settled?"
Alexstrasza was somewhat sluggish. For some reason, she had been feeling sleepy lately. Perhaps this was a precursor to pregnancy?
"It's done, and the lights have come on. It should be the arrival of the Observer that Arthas mentioned. But is this really okay?"
After descending, the Observer of Ulduar would evaluate the planet. If it did not conform to orderly development, he would send a signal to the Pantheon requesting a re-origination. Once the Pantheon received the signal, they would review it once more to ensure no errors, and only then would they send back a signal permitting the re-origination.
Now the Pantheon has been destroyed; this could be seen from the despondency of the Titan Keepers.
If the Pantheon still existed, a cunning fellow like Loken would certainly not have been bewitched by Yogg-Saron. How could an Old God compare to a Titan?
The most powerful Old God, Y'Shaarj, was yanked from the ground and killed by a Titan, unable to resist in the slightest, just like a bug being crushed. And since even Y'Shaarj was no match, how could Yogg-Saron possibly bewitch Loken?
Unless the Pantheon had already fallen, Loken would not have agreed.
In fact, Loken had also vaguely guessed that the Pantheon had fallen, but he couldn't be certain. All the Guardians were titan constructs, and their own power was closely linked to each Titan. Before all the Titans were killed by Sargeras, they had transmitted the last of their remaining power to the Guardians on Azeroth; they had sensed it.
Guessing vaguely but being unable to confirm gave Yogg-Saron an opportunity to strike.
"It's fine. As long as we do as Arthas said. He is not a reckless person and knows what to do. Perhaps he isn't great at managing internal affairs, but strategically, he is still stronger than all of us."
Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza was very certain of this. No matter what the other party did, it always seemed disorganized, but the final results were unexpectedly good.
It was precisely because of his vivid track record that no matter what kind of request Arthas made, those beneath him would accept it unconditionally. Don't ask; if you don't understand, you don't understand, but in the end, everything would suddenly become clear.
At the Ulduar Observatory, a man shimmering with starlight appeared along with a teleportation array. He was a bit confused at first, and it took a while before he remembered that this was a planet he supervised, named Azeroth.
After a brief moment of confusion, he began to evaluate the entire planet. He accessed the archived records set in the facility, and the more he looked, the more his brow furrowed.
The originally fine iron constructs and stone constructs had begun to degenerate for unknown reasons, eventually becoming flesh and blood. This morphological change was not permitted in the results of orderliness. The result of the Curse of Flesh was the continuous corruption of the entire world, leading to the collapse of order.
Algalon shook his head, expressing regret over this developmental outcome; what shouldn't have happened had happened nonetheless.
While he was still reviewing, a tall giant hurried in. The other's identity appeared in his database: this was one of the Guardians, Loken.
"Respected Observer, I did not know of your arrival. I am Loken, the administrator of Ulduar. How may I assist you?"
Loken was panicky inside. If the other party found out about the things he had done, dying a hundred times wouldn't be enough.
"Where are the other administrators here? Have them come see me. I need to evaluate Azeroth's risk of disorder. Your opinions will also serve as important references. Any absence will be counted as an agreement. Go now."
Algalon's voice carried not a hint of emotion. He merely executed orders mechanically and had no interest in anything outside of those orders. He did not know the news that the Pantheon had been destroyed, nor did he know the situation of the other Guardians.
To him, it was nothing more than punching a clock at work. If he could be defeated, he could even discard his beliefs and act as if nothing had happened.
These words made things difficult for Loken because two Guardians were already dead: one was Tyr, and the other was Mimiron. He did not know that Mimiron had been saved by his followers, only that he had lost his Guardian duties and his mind.
The remaining Freya, Thorim, and Hodir were also either corrupted, despondent, or frozen; it was truly difficult for them to attend.
After much consideration, he could only ask with trepidation.
"They have all gone out on missions. Recently, some facilities have been very unstable and require them to re-stabilize them. If they return now, it will lead to the facilities being breached. The duty the Pantheon bestowed upon us is to ensure order by all possible means. We are currently executing this, and until the final moment, we will not employ any extreme measures."
"This is the command of the Pantheon, and we must stand firm. Observer, please tell the masters that we are still firmly executing their orders. Everything is currently under control, so please let them rest easy."
Algalon didn't care about any of that; his duty was not such. He only cared about observing whether Azeroth needed to be re-originated, ignoring everything else.
"That is none of my business. Go and call them here now. I will give you one day; otherwise, I will initiate a re-origination request."
"Alright, I will go find them now."
Loken was already very displeased. Since he wouldn't be flexible, then he could just go die!
Above the Broken Isles, inside the Hall of Valor.
The one-eyed Odyn looked at the Platinum Discs that were brought up. He had been trapped here for tens of thousands of years. Since he was a titan construct and not a creature of flesh, he did not need to eat, nor did the soldiers of the Hall of Valor under his command; they only needed to absorb ambient energy to survive.
These Platinum Discs triggered his memories, making him feel a sense of familiarity; he was still the Prime Designate.
"Who sent them? What was their appearance?"
Captain of the Guard Kael recalled carefully and pointed at the giant statue nearby.
"Similar to this statue, but his limbs were mangled and he was falling apart. After he delivered this item into the Hall of Valor, he lost energy, disintegrated, and fell from the sky."
"What!"
Odyn's eyes nearly split with rage. He knew very well that this was an iron construct of Ulduar. Something must have happened there. If not for an unknown crisis, an iron construct would never have come to deliver something.
Without any hesitation, he took the discs and entered a secret chamber. The Hall of Valor was originally part of Ulduar; back then, Helya had used magic to move the entire Hall of Valor away from Ulduar, forcibly splitting it off. The ruins left behind were transformed by Mimiron into a massive plaza. To enter Ulduar, one had to pass through a vast area that was originally where the Hall of Valor stood.
As a part of Ulduar, there were naturally Titan facilities here, so reading the contents of the Platinum Discs was not a problem.
After watching the images reproduced by the discs, he saw how Loken was bewitched by Yogg-Saron to become his pawn, how he framed Tyr, hunted Archaedas and the others, and how Freya and the rest were ambushed—all of it was recorded within.
After seeing all this, Odyn was beyond furious, destroying the wall of the secret chamber with a single punch.
The guards rushed over upon hearing the noise, thinking someone had attacked, but they saw only the immensely enraged Odyn. Captain of the Guard Kael summoned his courage to step forward and ask.
"Master, do you need us to do anything?"
"Go back and organize the armaments; be ready for battle at any moment."
Odyn began to think about how he could leave this imprisoned plane. For the betrayal of his adoptive daughter Helya, he felt only hatred and loathing. A creation should obey the will of its creator instead of having its own thoughts. What was she trying to do? Start a rebellion?
Something had gone wrong with Ulduar, which was the most important of all Titan facilities, equivalent to a headquarters. There, every Guardian had their own exclusive temple area, which simply did not exist in other Titan facilities.
The Night Palace.
Arthas learned that Brann had successfully triggered the encounter and drawn Algalon the Observer over. Loken had even personally gone to receive him, only to be scolded and leave dejectedly.
"Good. There's no rush. Wait a bit longer and let things get chaotic inside Ulduar. Once they start fighting and wear down that Observer's energy, then we will begin the Hall of Valor transfer plan."
"It would be best to hold out until the Old God's servants join the battle. When we drop the Hall of Valor in at that time, Loken will have no room left to maneuver."
He gave a sinister laugh as he spoke. This feeling of sitting behind the scenes and calculating against others was truly satisfying—it was exhilarating. No wonder Loken always loved using schemes and intrigues; it turns out this vanity from killing without leaving a trace and successfully pitting tigers against wolves brings immense satisfaction!
"Algalon's strength is not weak, and it won't be a simple matter for Loken to take him down. I think he doesn't even need to rely on the Old God's servants; he just needs to cut off Algalon's administrative privileges and then use the Iron Legion to besiege him. No matter how powerful he is, he'll be worn to death."
After Helya became a creature of flesh and blood, much of her rationality had returned. In any case, as long as she could disgust Odyn or even kill him, it would bring her the pleasure of revenge.
"Then we'll wait until he's near death before teleporting Odyn over. Hehe, this time, I want Ulduar to be razed to the ground."
Arthas didn't much like these Titan facilities, perhaps because he was influenced by Azeroth's world soul.
But it didn't matter; anyway, the awakening of the world soul was the primary factor.
After taking Ulduar and dealing with Yogg-Saron, he could focus his military strength on southern Kalimdor to slowly deal with C'Thun. Furthermore, he could find something for The Legion to do; having no enemies is very boring and not conducive to the empire's development.
Cultivating both internal and external affairs is the true path. Blindly focusing on military might is not advisable, while blindly focusing on development only leads to becoming a fat sheep. At this time, both hands must be used, and both must be firm, in order to sustain the empire.
Just then, a portal opened. Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza appeared. This time she came alone, and her expression was not very good, as if something was troubling her.
"Arthas, I need to talk to you alone."
Hearing this, Arthas nodded and waved his hand at his two female subordinates.
"You two go down and prepare first. Helya, bring two cups of tea while you're at it."
Scalding green tea was served, its fragrance filling the air. These were tea leaves that had just been freshly roasted. Such tea leaves have more flavor and are more mellow when steeped.
However, such behavior seemed somewhat extravagant and wasteful; how much manpower was needed to be on standby at all times?
For the Lordaeron Empire, these were not problems. In terms of enjoyment, the Black Dragon Princess, who knew how to make money, also had a unique advantage when it came to spending it.
"What is it? Have you encountered some difficulty?"
Arthas narrowed his eyes, sizing up the Red Dragon Queen in her mature woman form. If nothing else, this appearance alone highly appealed to a man's aesthetic sense. She was much better looking than some dark-skinned women; that Western political correctness was truly nauseating.
The Red Dragon Queen didn't know how to start for a moment, her hands rubbing the teacup, appearing somewhat hesitant.
"I seem to be pregnant. This time, it's not laying a dragon egg, but normal embryonic development like you humans."
Oh.
Dragons giving birth basically involves laying a dragon egg and then waiting for it to hatch. Now, this pregnancy of hers appeared exceptionally different, and she didn't know if it was because she had been influenced. This made her quite uneasy, but also somewhat apprehensive and expectant.
Hmm?
These words caught him off guard. How was she pregnant too? Wasn't this all happening at once? Was it planned?
Sylvanas had also become pregnant a while ago, so she had started to rest and no longer came out to work much. Now it was Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza's turn, but the original method of laying eggs had turned into a pregnancy, which was quite thought-provoking.
Interesting. The more pregnant women there are, the more it proves my strength, doesn't it?
"Isn't this great? Just focus on nurturing the pregnancy and don't involve yourself in subsequent matters. Giving birth to the child is what's most important right now."
Seeing that the Red Dragon Queen wasn't in high spirits and seemed to have something on her mind, Arthas went over to embrace her, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
"You can speak your mind. We are husband and wife, and we'll be together for the rest of our lives. So, you can say anything; keeping it bottled up inside will only lead to anxiety, doubt, and estrangement. Tell me your thoughts and concerns. If there's something I haven't considered that you have, speak up. Let's be sincere, alright?"
He had always been very indulgent toward his women. He craved their bodies, but he also liked their personalities.
To say that inner beauty is everything is a lie; appearance is the primary criterion for choosing a mate. With good looks, one wakes up every day to a good mood just by seeing them.
Listening to the man's sweet words, Alexstrasza finally revealed her vulnerable side, her tone carrying a hint of uncertainty.
"I have lost the power of the Guardian, and I worry that this child's talent will be diminished because of it. Our dragonflight has always laid eggs, but now it has become a live birth; it's quite strange. I even wonder if I've been afflicted by some curse, otherwise why would it turn out like this?"
Alexstrasza was somewhat lost, her mindset unable to keep up with the changes. She was still the Red Dragon Queen, but she had shifted from being independent to being dependent on a man. The physical changes were what caught her most off guard—clearly a dragon, yet becoming more and more like a human. What did this mean?
"This is normal. After you accepted the power of the Guardian, didn't you also become different from the other Proto-Dragons? Not even mentioning the Elemental Drakes, even those Storm Dragons in Stormheim are extremely different compared to them."
"This is a normal evolutionary path; there's nothing strange about it. Just adapt to it. If you can't, then don't think about it. Some things change too quickly and exceed our expectations; that's normal. So don't worry, take it slow."
In truth, he didn't know why either, but looking at Alexstrasza's status panel, he didn't find any curses or anything of the sort. This indicated that everything was normal and there was no need for alarm.
"Alright, I'll listen to you. This is truly shocking; perhaps it's a change you brought about. You are the most mysterious of all known demigods, perhaps it's because of you!"
The Red Dragon Queen sighed softly; she didn't know what to do either.
"Don't think too much. Come, let's take an airship out to see the scenery, have some afternoon tea and snacks, and you'll find your worries forgotten. Highmountain has changed a lot recently; new mines have been opened there, and there are unique mountaintop farms. Let's go see them together."
Arthas extended the invitation; originally, he hadn't planned on going to Highmountain. That place was just a backup resource production site; it didn't matter much whether he went or not.
The reason he didn't go to Valsharah was also because the Night Elves had been very busy lately. The entire race had begun bustling about to find materials in preparation for resurrecting the demigods. This was a promise made, and it had to be fulfilled.
The resurrected demigods shared a natural emotional bond with the Night Elves, and their relationship was so good that they would give their lives for each other in war. One side gives, and the other must also give; that is a true mutual commitment.
"Alright, you are my mate; I will listen to you."
The airship soon departed. In the Broken Isles, land transport was a very troublesome affair. The shattering of the Well of Eternity had triggered landslides and tsunamis, causing the entire continent to break apart and its terrain to be altered.
Places like the Broken Isles were originally plains, but the land had been squeezed into mountainous regions. The stones here were exceptionally hard, but not very useful. The harder they were, the harder they were to process and cut, making them difficult to utilize. They also lacked insulation, making them a material people avoided for building houses.
Learning that her master was coming, Great Chieftain Mera set aside her official duties and went to welcome him joyfully. Aside from seeing him once at the coronation ceremony, she had been staying in Highmountain. She really wanted to go to Lordaeron, but there were many things to handle in Highmountain, and she couldn't fail her master's expectations.
In the past, Highmountain was a remote and desolate place, with an appallingly small amount of farmable land.
Now, after the transformation, it had changed completely. The original mountains had been leveled into a highland plateau, retaining river irrigation while adding reservoirs from melting mountain snow. From a barren zone, it had suddenly become the food supply site for the entire Broken Isles.
In addition to the Mantid's contributions, the underground worms they enslaved also helped. They were responsible for hollowing out the mountains to level them. The worms might not be good for combat, but hollowing out mountains was their specialty. Combined with designers sent by the Gnomes and Goblins, who were in a competitive relationship, this place was a testing ground.
Besides not being allowed to sabotage each other, the goal was to see whose design was superior. The winning side would not only receive rewards from Lordaeron but also be allowed to develop new areas in Northrend and receive a percentage of the profits as a bonus.
This kind of reward was sustainable; if the trade volume and net profit increased every month, the rewards they could receive would also increase. Conversely, whether they could win more leverage for their race depended on themselves.
This effectively stimulated their fighting spirit and work enthusiasm, preventing them from becoming loose alliance members who couldn't provide effective help as they had in the past.
This is the benefit of a dictator, though dictatorship depends on the person. If the leader is shrewd, the entire empire can benefit infinitely. If the leader is fatuous, it's a disaster.
Considering that Lordaeron had only one heir and Arthas was a demigod with a very long lifespan, almost no one could shake his position. The kingdom was meant to be passed down to him anyway; how he chose to manage it was his business.
"Greetings, Master. Greetings, Your Majesty the Queen."
Mera stepped forward to greet them very warmly. When her eyes looked at Arthas, there was a hint of a different emotion—beyond loyalty, there was something more intriguing.
The Red Dragon Queen saw it at a glance; she wasn't a fool, and she felt somewhat proud. After all, although Arthas was flirtatious, he didn't have many mates. Future expansion was certain; they couldn't expect their husband to remain celibate just because they were pregnant, could they?
"Mera, you've done well. I came by airship with Alexstrasza. Highmountain is no longer at war and has entered a period of recovery. Your wish has been fulfilled, and no one will oppose you being the Great Chieftain anymore."
Arthas nodded with approval. Appropriate encouragement would give her a sense of belonging, and small rewards could maintain her enthusiasm. He was quite experienced in managing subordinates.
"Thank you for the praise, Master. I could only do this with your help. Otherwise, I really wouldn't know what to do. Without the threat of the Drogbar, even the Harpies on the snowy mountains have ceased their fighting and are willing to cooperate with us. This is all thanks to you, Master; I have only done trivial things."
Mera complimented him excitedly, and she was telling the truth. Because Arthas had reached an agreement with Aviana, the Queen of Birds, in the Emerald Dream, almost all the Harpies out here were her descendants. Whether civilized or savage, they would follow the instructions of the demigod they believed in.
This was why the Harpies, who had always been at odds with the Tauren, suddenly eased their relations and expressed a willingness to cooperate.
Don't be fooled by those Harpies' hot bodies and skimpy clothing; they were violent to the core. Their favorite thing was to eat their mates. Once successfully pregnant, they would tear their mates apart and eat them to supplement the nutrients needed for the pregnancy.
They were egg-layers; they laid bird eggs, which would hatch into Harpies.
As for their mates, they were diverse; if you could think of it, they could catch it.
Furthermore, Harpies didn't like to bathe, so their bodies were very dirty and emitted a foul stench. Even a prisoner released after ten years in jail would likely rarely choose a Harpy; that would truly be a death wish.
In the Kingdom of Lordaeron, there used to be Harpies, but they stayed in deep mountains and old forests and wouldn't appear easily. There were also bored nobles who tried to capture Harpies as 'tools,' only to end up being torn to shreds. Isn't there a saying that lust is a blade over one's head?
A snow-white Harpy flew in from the distance. Her feathers and skin were pure white, a natural evolution from living on the snowy mountains for a long time. This helped them hide better and not be easily discovered by prey.
"Xueyu, Chieftain of the Snowclaw Clan, pays respects to Your Majesty."
The female chieftain knelt respectfully on one knee, her movements stiff, showing she was still somewhat unaccustomed to it. Her face was actually quite similar to a Night Elf's. If not for the feathers on her arms and the claws on her limbs and feet, it would be hard to tell whether she was a Harpy or a Night Elf.
"Rise. I heard from Mera that you've been doing well lately. It seems you are quite law-abiding. Aviana's return is imminent, and she doesn't wish to see her descendants become savage creatures. Have you encountered any difficulties since joining? Speak up, and I can help you resolve them."
"Mera, the same goes for you. In Lordaeron, you don't need to report only the good news and hide the bad. Good news should be shared, but bad news also needs to be spoken. Matters you cannot resolve are trivial to Lordaeron; you don't need to shoulder them alone. That wastes time and delays the progress of the projects."
Arthas's gaze lingered on the deep cleavage for a moment. Damn, he seemed quite easily distracted lately. He needed to keep Thalyssra by his side. Elisande had to handle the teleportation matters, and afterward, she had to go to Kul Tiras to support Jaina; she didn't have much time to help him with private affairs.
As His Majesty the King, how could he not have a private secretary and maid by his side? That would be against etiquette.
Xueyu looked up respectfully at her new master. In the Harpy race, submission meant acknowledging a master, so Arthas was her master. However, this didn't mean eternal loyalty; if he mistreated them, they would still turn on him and flee.
"Everything is proceeding according to plan. Our people no longer have to worry about food, and we are living well. However, there are some jewels we desperately need that cannot be obtained in Highmountain. So, I would like to request Your Majesty to allow the Snowclaw Clan to join the mercenary system; we can also fight for Lordaeron."
Currently, there were no wars in the Broken Isles, and even if there were, it was just clearing out some audacious bandits and outlaws.
This ancient profession never lacked people; there were humans, orcs, and members of every race.
However, the combat capability of the Harpies was nothing to boast about; their morale and tactics were mostly based on individual fighting, and they rarely engaged in large-scale operations.
Arthas considered it for a moment and decided to nod.
"Very well, but the combat environment for mercenaries is harsh, and there is the possibility of sacrifice; you must be fully prepared. Furthermore, this must not affect the development plans of Highmountain. Enough manpower must be left behind. If the plan stagnates because you are greedy for merit, I will strip you of all your power and expel you from the Broken Isles. Do you understand?"
"Please rest assured, Master, I will arrange everything. Thank you for your bounty, Master. If Master is willing, you can spend the night with our Snowclaw Clan. We will perform the most wonderful dances for Your Majesty and ensure Your Majesty spends a night full of pleasure and unforgettable memories."
Xueyu had no sense of shame at all, or rather, they didn't know what shame was. Honor and shame couldn't be traded for food, so if shame was useless, why have it?
Her approach was bold and audacious; she said whatever was on her mind.
If Arthas really dared to spend the night with the Snowclaw Clan, it probably wouldn't be long before a large number of pregnant Snowclaw Harpies appeared.
Although he liked beautiful women, he wasn't so desperate as to eat anything; that was the plot of some smutty novel, and it wasn't allowed to happen here. If a demigod like Aviana invited him, he might agree, but ordinary Harpies were out of the question. He had no interest in riding a public bus; a private car was safer and more comfortable to drive.
Mera's eyes widened on the side; she really hadn't expected this new ally to be so shameless as to say such things. She hadn't even had the nerve to speak up; how did this one dare to get ahead of her?
The Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza watched with great interest; the worries in her heart were indeed diluted by this trip.
"I have received your kind offer. This visit is short on time, so I will rest at Thunder Totem. We can talk about future matters later. Alright, now let's go see the results of the development."
Arthas waved his hand, not wanting to discuss these things at this moment. Even if he wanted to, he needed to save face. If you say it so openly, who would be thick-skinned enough to agree?
No emotional intelligence at all!
On the other hand, Alexstrasza laughed merrily, her peaks rising and falling even more dramatically than those of the Harpies.
"Hehe. How interesting. This is also my first official time touring Highmountain. Chieftain Mera, please lead the way and let me experience some authentic Highmountain cuisine."
Since it was a tour, naturally they had to see the scenery and eat good food. It was a pity there were no cameras, otherwise taking a few photos would have been even more appropriate.
After playing for a day, experiencing the unique switch between snowy mountains and plain climates, and soaking in a hot spring on the snowy mountain, today's tour ended successfully.
The Red Dragon Queen went to bed early. After her mood had gone through such ups and downs, she slept very soundly once her heart was at ease.
In the middle of the night, Mera secretly entered the master's manor to report the recent development situation to him alone and, incidentally, to resolve some private issues.