"That little bastard went too far, just annexing my territory like that. And that dog Terenas is protecting his son, damn him!" Old Duke Shank angrily smashed his cup on the floor. His direct relatives, the sons of his brothers and sisters, had all been slaughtered. If such ruthlessness had come from Terenas, he could have grudgingly accepted it, because Terenas himself was a ruthless king. How else could he have intimidated so many great lords and pushed Lordaeron to the pinnacle of human kingdoms? But to be used by Arthas, for that little bastard to strike such a fatal blow?
"Aren't the other nobles providing support? What about Garithos? Didn't Arthas humiliate him?" Perenolde was somewhat puzzled. Why hadn't the other nobles of Lordaeron stepped forward?
"That little bastard has them tied up with business. He scraped together a ton of pearls from somewhere and even secured a pearl trade route. Anyone who joins him gets a share of the profits. Hmph, those fools. Don't they realize he's just dividing us?" The old duke clutched his heart, a wave of discomfort washing over him.
It was indeed an overt scheme, a perfectly justifiable way to carve up the nobles' alliance. What were nobles? They were merely representatives of an interest group. As long as there was profit to be made, these sanctimonious individuals would act with more professionalism and precision than any thief.
Compared to Arthas, Duke Shank had no advantages whatsoever. Dragons had even appeared to aid Arthas in battle, which in itself sent a signal: Arthas truly had the favor of dragons! At the same time, he was the Prince of Lordaeron, which was another signal to the outside world. Cooperating with him was profitable, but opposing him would bring absolutely no benefits, and he would retaliate for every slight!
Now, the noble circles were all mocking Duke Shank. To openly assassinate a crown prince and fail—he deserved to have his house sacked by the prince's army!
Perenolde's eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable. No matter which direction an attack came from, the Kingdom of Alterac would be the first to take the blow for Lordaeron. Even now, with the Horde splitting its forces to attack those long-ears, it would still be him facing the Horde when they turned back.
Bypassing them from the east was basically impossible. Stratholme was not just a major population center; if the Horde truly attacked there, they would likely be annihilated on the spot. Once encircled, it was a dead end.
At the Alliance headquarters, King Genn Greymane, not yet a worgen, chuckled as he read the intelligence report. "Uther, your student certainly has character."
"Assassinating the Crown Prince, colluding with orcs—he deserves to die!" Uther had never interfered with Arthas's actions, having only taught him how to use the Light. He was more suited to be a warrior and a general than a mentor.
His status was neither too high nor too low, and his personality prevented him from abusing his position as the prince's mentor and bringing a bad name to the royal family. All things considered, that was why he, and not his own teacher the Archbishop, had become Arthas's mentor.
Uther's words made the atmosphere in the command center turn serious. It was true; assassinating a crown prince was a different matter from assassinating a prince. The crown prince was the future king. This was tantamount to treason, so Uther's words were perfectly reasonable.
None of this had much to do with Arthas. After receiving the king's orders, he had set out once more. This time, he traveled by ship. Before the advent of large-scale teleportation, sea travel had always been the most cost-effective and efficient mode of transport. Unless one was deep in the mountains, waterways were always faster than land routes.
"It's time to develop some airships," Arthas said, standing at the bow and watching the river water part before the ship.
"Goblin airships? Those things aren't very stable." Keristrasza stood at the prow, her hair fluttering in the wind, lending her a unique charm. One had to wonder if all red dragon ladies were so alluring, possessing a kind of innate, natural captivation.
"If you want to use airships, you'd best continue your research. I never used to believe in so-called science, but I think you'll make me a believer."
"I'll make you a believer?" Arthas mused, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
"You are a man full of miracles. Haha, I've never seen Emeriss fall for anyone. Even among the green dragons, she's a renowned female rogue and fighter in one. The fact that you could win her heart proves your ability." Keristrasza blinked her beautiful eyes. Compared to her mother, the Red Dragon Queen, she had a touch more youthful innocence.
"Then I'll take that as a compliment." Arthas narrowed his eyes. He had been busy dealing with all sorts of matters lately: smoothing over relations with the nobility, portioning out some of his profits, and getting local nobles to help him promote his products. This mutually beneficial arrangement only worked because he was the crown prince. There was no harm in showing goodwill to a future king. A crown prince was still a crown prince; even if he wasn't the king, he had to be shown some respect.
A ripple of magic spread through the air. The mages, having been notified in advance, began to channel mana into the array, stabilizing the spatial coordinates to ensure the teleportation would succeed.
A flash of white light, and a mature, beautiful woman wearing a magic circlet appeared with a pretty young girl. Following them were Archmage Antonidas and Arthas's fiancée, Jaina.
"Good day, Your Highness. I am Jandice Barov, and this is my daughter, Illucia Barov. It is a pleasure to meet you." The elegant and mature woman greeted him with a graceful smile, her bearing poised and dignified. She was every bit a duchess, the lady of the Barov family!
After the greeting, Lady Jandice turned and nodded to Antonidas. "Big Brother, it's been a long time. Have you been well?"
Big Brother! Arthas's expression remained unchanged, but a ripple went through his heart. This ripe-peach of a woman before him, whose voluptuous body looked as if it could drip water, was the fellow disciple of the chief administrator of the magical kingdom of Dalaran? Now this was interesting!
Dalaran operated on a council system, where major decisions were discussed by the council. Minor matters were decided by the head of the council, and it was clear that Antonidas held considerable power.
"Hello, little sister. It has been a long time. The last time we met must have been ten years ago." Antonidas sounded a bit wistful. Even for an archmage of his level, his lifespan was still finite, one hundred and twenty years at most. Compared to the average lifespan of sixty, this was obviously much better.