The emissary from Lordaeron was an acquaintance of Aiden—Tirion Fordring from the Silver Hand. The old paladin looked radiant. After a warm greeting, he pointed to the drastically changed Durnholde and said, "It's unbelievable that this former ruin is about to become a new city in such a short time. You are truly remarkable!"
"They are remarkable, not me. I did nothing." Aiden looked at the laborers. Now, the people here couldn't distinguish between Azeroth and Valoran. They were all working hard for their new lives.
"It is foreseeable that this will definitely be a great city in the future," Fordring exclaimed.
After entering the council hall, Aiden said, "Let's talk business. What news did you bring?"
Fordring said, "About the Alliance." He began to talk about the news currently gathered in Lordaeron: "Currently, Gilneas has refused to join the Alliance; Quel'Thalas is also unwilling to send troops, but Lady Vereesa Windrunner is leading a volunteer army of about a thousand high elves to Stratholme. This may be all the support we can get from the elves; in addition, the Kingdom of Stromgarde needs the Alliance to help them eliminate some threats before they are willing to join the Alliance. Others, Dalaran, Kul Tiras, and the Kingdom of Stormwind have all agreed."
"Don't forget about our Valoran," Aiden reminded.
Fordring laughed and said, "Of course, of course, the angels and heroes under your command will definitely shine."
"We also have ordinary troops. After this, I will summon a sufficient number of ordinary troops to fill the ranks of the Alliance's numbers."
"That would be great."
Next, Fordring said, "Besides these, King Terenas is implementing a plan."
"Please speak."
"Since learning that there is another continent on the other side of the Endless Sea that is the same size as Azeroth, His Majesty and Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, King of Kul Tiras, have discussed sending a joint fleet to open up a new route. After the fleet sailed for half a month, it did land on that new continent. It was a swamp. A part of the advance team established a simple dock there and explored inland. The rest of the people returned to report the news to the king."
According to Fordring's description, the human landing site should be Dustwallow Marsh. Perhaps the place where the dock was built was Theramore—it seems that that place is indeed more connected to humans!
Fordring continued, "After hearing your warning and that of the prophet who turned into a raven, King Terenas believes that we should prepare for both possibilities—both striving to eliminate the Lich King and preventing any irreparable situation that may occur."
"This is definitely a wise choice." Aiden nodded in approval. Planning for the worst and making the greatest effort, the old king still clearly understood the principle of not putting all his eggs in one basket.
Fordring added, "Now, the orcs rescued by Thrall have all gathered in the northeast of the Arathi Highlands. They have established strongholds there and have begun Reclamation. King Thoras Trollbane is annoyed by their existence, which is hindering Stromgarde's military strength. Therefore, if he is to send troops to join the Alliance, he wants us to guarantee the security of his rear. So, after considering it, King Terenas is preparing to send me to contact Thrall and negotiate with the orcs. Do you have any good suggestions for this?"
Aiden didn't expect that Terenas seemed to have suddenly become enlightened and made such a clear choice all at once. Without a doubt, in the critical moment of resisting the Scourge, continuing to fight the orcs was obviously unwise.
"How about this," Aiden considered for a moment, "I will go with you to see him. I would also like to meet this legendary figure."
Just as Aiden and Fordring set off to the Arathi Highlands to meet Thrall, Prince Kael'thas Sunstrider of the high elves also returned to his country. Extremely anxious, he immediately found his father and explained to him that Dar'Khan had betrayed them.
After listening to his son's description, Anasterian Sunstrider felt it was utterly absurd: "You said someone calling himself a prophet told you that Dar'Khan betrayed us? How is that possible?"
Kael'thas eagerly said, "Father, I think it's very credible. Many of the things he said have already proven to be true!"
Anasterian said, "Just a human who pretends to be a ghost. My son, you are too nervous. Blind obedience is not a quality that a king should have. You must know that Dar'Khan is the Speaker of our Silvermoon City Council. I have known him for thousands of years. Do you think I should trust him or the rumors of a madman?"
Kael'thas said, "But he did predict the plague and the Scourge, and he also knows many secrets that people in our world are not aware of. Father, please think about it, what if his predictions are true? We have lived safely under the protection of the magical barrier for thousands of years and have lost our vigilance. But if Dar'Khan really betrays us, then how much damage will he, as the Speaker, cause to our kingdom?"
Anasterian looked at his son, who seemed very nervous and worried, and was silent for a while before nodding and saying, "Alright, I will summon him over and test him first!"
Having gained support, Kael'thas immediately summoned a team of spellbreakers to position around the hall. These specially trained guards were immune to most magic and were the nemesis of mages. Even if Dar'Khan was a powerful archmage, it would be difficult for him to survive the encirclement of so many spellbreakers, the High Elf King, and the prince—if he decided to violently resist.
Dar'Khan Drathir was definitely one of the most powerful mages among all High Elves. He was older than King Anasterian, over five thousand years old, and had rendered countless services to Quel'Thalas during those long years. He had participated in countless wars between the elves and the trolls that had lasted for thousands of years, and the trolls he had killed could probably pile up into a mountain. During the last Orc invasion, he also represented the Alliance in the war against the Orcs. Countless honors had pushed this aging High Elf to the position of Speaker of the Convocation of Silvermoon. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the second most important figure in this magical kingdom. In Quel'Thalas, his power was second only to Anasterian.
Anasterian didn't believe at all that this respectable elder would betray Quel'Thalas—except for not being able to become king, he had already obtained everything he wanted, so what else could he crave?
So, he only regarded this as an invitation to this elder to have a heart-to-heart talk and comfort his son, who was gullible and not calm enough.
Obviously, the king was not aware that for Dar'Khan, who possessed immense power but was approaching his twilight years and nearing death, what he craved most was—eternal life!
Coincidentally, the Lich King could fulfill his request.
After receiving the king's summons, Dar'Khan arrived at the Royal Court of the Sunstriders. He still appeared as a middle-aged man, but his hair and eyebrows were completely white. An age of over five thousand years was considered very old for High Elves. Most of them only lived for about three thousand years. In recent years, Dar'Khan also felt that he was starting to lack energy, and he knew that this was a sign of aging. In another two or three hundred years at most, he would become a skeleton in the grave.
But he was not ready to die. He had tried countless ways to prolong his life, but when spells and medicinal materials ceased to work, he had to face the arrival of that moment. After scouring the ancient books, he finally found a way to achieve eternal life in the dark forbidden arts—becoming a lich!
As an orthodox mage, his heart resisted such a choice, but when a voice began to call to him in recent years, he finally couldn't resist the temptation and accepted this only way.
"Your Majesty," Dar'Khan greeted Anasterian. He saw Kael'thas beside the king, and then nodded to the prince, "Prince Kael'thas, you've returned as well."
Anasterian said, "There's no need to be so polite. You are an elder whom I deeply respect. Please, take a seat!"
Dar'Khan sat down. He saw Kael'thas gesturing to the royal guards, and the guards closed the doors of the hall.
"What is the purpose of your summons?" he asked.
Anasterian said, "Kael'thas has heard some secret rumors and wants to ask you to verify them."
"Oh, so it's His Royal Highness who is looking for me. Then please speak, I will definitely answer everything I know." Dar'Khan looked at Kael'thas.
Kael'thas stared at him, as if trying to see through him: "Speaker Dar'Khan, you have always been an elder whom I deeply respect. But what makes it difficult for me to believe is that there is concrete evidence showing that you have been tempted by the Lich King of Northrend and betrayed our people." The prince's tone was heavy, and he didn't blink, observing Dar'Khan's every subtle expression: "What explanation do you have for this?"
Obviously, Kael'thas was not a reckless person. He cleverly used language to set a trap.
Dar'Khan frowned and said unhappily, "Your Royal Highness, where did you hear such bizarre rumors from?"
"From your accomplice, Kel'Thuzad." When Kael'thas mentioned this name, he noticed Dar'Khan's eyebrows twitch, which made him even more convinced of his judgment, "You didn't expect it, did you? We also received guidance from a prophet, who had long seen through the evil plans of your master. We captured Kel'Thuzad, and he has confessed everything!"
No, impossible!
Dar'Khan's expression was uncertain.
"You don't believe it? The next time your master's will is conveyed to you, you can ask that thing in the ice to verify it—if it won't continue to deceive you. But it won't last long either. The Alliance is about to launch an expedition to Northrend to completely shatter the Lich King's conspiracy!" Kael'thas pressed on step by step. Seeing Dar'Khan speechless, he was basically certain that his respected Speaker had really become a traitor. This made him both gratified and sorrowful.
"Come out, guards of the kingdom! Seize this traitor!" Kael'thas shouted to the spellbreakers ambushing around.
Many thoughts flashed through Dar'Khan's mind, and the spellbreakers had already surrounded him. He looked up at the king on the throne, and Anasterian was also staring at him suspiciously. He knew that in this situation, there was almost no possibility of retreating unscathed, but Anasterian didn't seem to know about it beforehand. Only Kael'thas had obtained the news that had leaked from somewhere.
Dar'Khan took a deep breath. In this situation, he could only risk a desperate gamble!