"Welcome, Ranger General, I'm glad you could come. I will take you to the military camp. If you need anything, please let me know. I apologize for any inadequate hospitality." Arthas, slightly distracted for a moment, quickly recovered; although he had never dated, he knew that first impressions were important.
Alleria had a good impression of Arthas. Setting aside their statuses, he was quite a handsome young man. Coupled with his decent manners, she caught his brief distraction upon seeing her, and it gave her a sense of pride in herself to be found appealing to someone she admired.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Arthas led the way, chatting with Alleria, "You must have had quite a tough journey, right?"
"I'm used to it; this distance is nothing," Alleria replied, shaking her head.
Her walking posture was proper, but it inevitably drew attention to her swaying curves. The beauty of elves is renowned, especially among their mages and nobles, comparable to human nobility.
"Be extra careful when fighting the orcs; those green-skinned monsters become even more violent after drinking demon blood, ignoring significant pain, and excel at exchanging wounds for kills. If you can take them out in one blow, do not hold back. I have always liked the saying, 'To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to yourself.'"
Arthas spoke calmly, not asking Alleria how many had come, knowing there were barely a few hundred elven rangers, skilled in guerilla warfare, but not very effective in close combat during front line battles.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Have you fought orcs before?" Aurelia asked curiously, as the prince seemed merely fourteen years old. Were humans this mature at that age?
"No, but I've heard tales from veterans. Most of them are missing arms and legs; their experiences come from bloody lessons. Ranger General, we have arrived; this is your military camp. If you need anything, feel free to find me, and I'll help as much as I can." Arthas smiled brightly, not relying on others; it was better to nurture one's own power.
Upon hearing this, Aurelia felt a hint of respect for him; compared to the nobles in Silvermoon City, this prince was remarkably perceptive.
"Thank you; I will reach out if I need assistance."
"Then I won't disturb you; once you're settled, we can chat more." After making an inviting gesture, Arthas turned to leave.
Romantic matters were not on the agenda right now. To make strategic moves, one must have considerable strength. Being a prince alone was not enough; one also needed personal power. Terenas was still in good health, he would not be stepping down anytime soon.
What do healthy kings fear most? An exceptionally talented prince, someone so capable they become a threat to their rule, turning into a bitter power struggle. From the start, Arthas had laid out a plan to gain great accomplishments in war, secure ample merits, obtain a fief, and then bring orc captives across the Endless Sea to develop his power in the Kalimdor continent.
He perfectly avoided the king's animosity; even father-son relationships could turn into conflicts due to power struggles. The world of Azeroth consists of four continents and many islands: the Eastern Kingdom, where Arthas is located, the Western Kalimdor, the Northern Northrend, and the Southern Pandaria. In between are several large islands, including Kul Tiras, Zandalar, and the Broken Isles.
There were many places to develop, and ultimately Arthas set his sights on Kalimdor, which suited him better and offered more opportunities. For now, he just wanted to seize the opportunity to showcase his abilities, gather enough talent to form a power base, and then set sail. With the help of his aunt, Lady Ashvane, crossing the ocean wouldn't be too much of a problem.
One must say Arthas had planned well and put a lot of thought into where he would start his own place of power. Some would disagree and claim it would be more suitable to develop in Lordaeron given his status as prince. But aside from the transition of the father-son power struggle, there was a large group of noble lords below who were corrupt and greedy. Like lords in the medieval era, they only needed to pay a small portion of their food and money to the king.
The rest were basically self-sufficient, allowing them to maintain their own armies and collect taxes. Even the king could hardly interfere in matters within their territories; as long as they did not openly rebel, they could exploit their own lands, and it would be none of the king's business. Such a dismal set of rules posed difficulties for any attempts to break them. Civil officials, military generals, and other talents were all raised by the nobles; uprooting them would surely not be easily done.
It would be madness for everyone to agree to work together unless for an unavoidable war. Otherwise, if the nobles ran away and later returned, they would still have to cry poverty to the king for relief, which was quite bothersome. Arthas despised these power struggles. Though competing with nobles for power could be exhilarating, he had no time for that.
The Orc Wars, the Undead Plagues, the Burning Legion invasion, the Outland War, the Old God Crisis, the Ahn'Qiraj Bug Crisis, the Troll Crisis were all painfully large issues. He needed to focus on development; saving the world had never crossed his mind, just hoping to survive was good enough, while also getting plenty of beautiful women to enjoy life with.
Some women were challenging, requiring power and strength, which was why he needed to strive so hard; he was simply drawn to their beauty! Soon, Arthas arrived at a dwarven settlement.
"Hi, Hanlon, is Muradin inside?"
"Hey, Your Highness; Lord Muradin is inside drinking." A boisterous dwarf greeted him with a hearty laugh, clearly familiar with Arthas.
Arthas skillfully pushed open the pub's door, looking for Muradin, the brother of the king of the Dwarven Kingdom of Ironforge, who also taught him martial techniques. Inside, he saw a dwarf with a beard braided, chugging beer, his muscular build exaggerated, almost as thick as an adult man's thigh, incredibly strong.
"Muradin, I need your help to face the orcs as my ally."
"Oh, that's no problem at all, Arthas. Those vile green-skinned bastards attacked Ironforge but were driven back. Hmph, they are currently besieging Ironforge and sending troops northward." Muradin unhesitatingly agreed, acting as teacher, friend, and ambassador between dwarves and humans, focused and determined.
"Thank you; I actually have a plan. Come, let's discuss it; it's quite interesting." Arthas thought of something; what could better attract dwarves? Good wine and an exciting adventure!