Before long, the three of them arrived at a lush green forest. Compared to the outskirts, this place felt different; the natural harmony was gone, replaced by a faint aura of decay.
"Something seems wrong here; it gives me a very bad feeling. It feels like there's some kind of evil aura, similar to a demon's but not quite—something even more sinister and troublesome than a demon."
Arthas frowned. His senses wouldn't be wrong, and after becoming a demigod, his connection to the world had become even tighter. Sometimes, he could even hear the unconscious whispers of the world soul, sounding like cries of pain or calls for help.
While he didn't know much about the world soul, Arthas was certain that the Pantheon's modifications weren't necessarily what Azeroth needed. A path designed by others isn't always suitable for everyone. Just like himself—if he had become a warrior, he would surely have been brave and unstoppable, yet becoming a Paladin and believing in the Holy Light simply didn't suit him.
Every primordial force has an extreme side. death seeks to turn all living things into undead, and the Holy Light would think to Lightforge every creature.
Was the Pantheon evil?
That was uncertain, but overall, they weren't quite right. With differing opinions, they might even clash in the future.
Moreover, there was a special Titan in the Pantheon who wasn't a wielder of Order, but rather seemed to represent the power of Life.
That was the Titan Eonar, creator of the Keeper Freya and the one who bestowed powers upon Alexstrasza and Ysera. In a Pantheon dominated by the power of Order, she was somewhat out of place, appearing both discordant and natural.
Although Eonar's attire was bold and provocative, as for truly evil thoughts, there weren't many—mainly because the gap in power was simply too vast.
Arthas had been able to trade blows with Sargeras solely because the latter was stuck in a portal and couldn't exert his full strength. Using just one hand, he had beaten Arthas half to death, leaving him on the brink of demise; it was impossible to know how much power he had used—perhaps not even half of a half!
The gap between a demigod and a Titan couldn't even be described as that between an ant and a giant; it was more like a speck of dust compared to a planet.
This was a cruel reality and the most profound realization. Only by facing the gap squarely could one know how to work hard. After all, Titans were the gods of the physical universe, just as the gods of other primordial forces were in their own realms.
The difference was that gods of other primordial forces could not enter the physical universe. Even if they could reach it, it would require a massive amount of energy to open a portal. And that's just for the transport; every second after arrival would require a huge expenditure of energy, making it highly inefficient and unsustainable.
Titans were different. Despite being gods of the same level, they could exist in the physical universe for an infinite amount of time. Being born of the physical universe, they naturally belonged here, no different from being at home.
Getting sidetracked—but this should be related to the Emerald Dream. Dreams have good dreams and nightmares, except these nightmares can manifest in reality, which makes them quite special.
Just as the words left his mouth, a melodious female voice with a resonant tone rang out, and a lithe figure emerged from behind a large tree. Nearly three meters tall, she was half-elf and half-deer. Her upper body was adorned with pure natural leaves, which was very eye-catching and quite provocatively alluring.
Damn it, why would I have such thoughts!
It must be the influence of the power of nature; otherwise, it wouldn't be like this.
"You are quite right. This forest has been affected by an unknown power, and the surrounding creatures have become twisted and evil, frantically attacking all living things."
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lunara, the eldest daughter of Cenarius and the strongest Dryad. Hello, Lord Arthas. I wonder if you still remember me?"
The Dryad's towering presence was full of dominant energy. From this feeling alone, one could conclude she was an exceptional warrior.
Dryads aren't usually called Dryads by themselves; they have their own name, which is Dryad.
Just as Night Elves is only a general name, they usually call themselves Kaldorei. High Elves were once called Quel'dorei, Blood Elves are called Sindorei, and Nightborne are called Shal'dorei.
It was a bit of a tongue-twister, but according to them, those names all meant 'children of' something. Children of the Stars, Children of the Arcane, Children of the Sun, and so on.
Arthas thought hard, and as if recalling something, he said uncertainly,
"Did we meet ten thousand years ago?"
"Correct, My Lord. You might not remember, but we have always kept it in our hearts. Your divine magic awakened our fallen sisters once more, allowing them to be successfully resurrected instead of returning to elune's embrace. I admire you greatly. After receiving news from Astaria, I rushed over immediately. It is truly a joy to see you!"
Lunara couldn't help but draw closer, her expression quite affectionate—she was clearly a devoted fangirl.
He had truly underestimated his own charm; this was getting a bit awkward.
"Ahem, it's a pleasure to meet you, Lunara. We can sit down and catch up properly when we have time later. For now, let's talk about the situation here first."
.
Arthas gave a light cough, mainly because Maiev and the others were watching from not far away. They were specifically keeping watch and acting as damage control. They were there to prevent him from finding a new mate, watching him like hawks to ensure he didn't have the slightest opportunity.
Lunara was a bit disappointed, but she soon cheered up. She wasn't like the Night Elves who were bound by a mortal lifespan. As the eldest daughter of a demigod, she had already reached the threshold of divinity and possessed a long life.
She tossed her long hair, which was adorned with fresh flowers—a gift of nature and a symbol of mastery over the Way of Nature. To see how a Druid's cultivation in the Way of Nature was progressing, one only had to look at how large their antlers were and whether there was vegetation on them.
"I have been investigating this phenomenon for a long time. Not long after the War of the Ancients ended, some abnormalities occurred here. At that time, my father also noticed this and personally came to set up a seal to prevent the corruption from spreading."
"With my father's death, the seal here has begun to fail. My sisters and I have been working hard to maintain and purify this area, but often just a few days after purification, the corruption spreads again. Since the source cannot be resolved, this method only treats the symptoms and not the root cause. We have no other way; until we find the source, we can only use this method to sustain it."
"You have arrived at just the right time. Although I really don't want to trouble you, only you can solve our predicament. My Lord, please help us solve the source of the corruption in Valsharah. In return, I can bring my sisters to join your command!"
Lunara even winked and straightened her posture, showing off her beautiful form. She was the strongest existence among the Dryads and surely worthy of this demigod lord.
Well, after just a few sentences, things had veered back to that topic again.
One couldn't really blame them; it was mainly because Arthas possessed the favor of the world soul. Any benevolent race living on Azeroth would have an immense favorable impression of him.
The benefits of this favor were intangible and invisible, yet they could save a lot of unnecessary trouble in many situations.
To approach a racial faction, one usually has to help run errands and do quests before even opening a neutral relationship. To grind up to Revered reputation, one wouldn't even know how much time it would take to earn their friendship.
Arthas frowned, looking at the forest and closing his eyes to sense this evil power.
It was very similar to the power of the Old Gods; those invisible whispers were exactly the same. Unless one was as powerful as the Aspects, they would be plagued by the Nightmare and, over time, become mad and violent.
"It feels like the Old Gods, and the source is right there by the World Tree. Is the World Tree connected to the Emerald Dream?"
"Yes, My Lord. We enter the Emerald Dream using the World Tree Shala'drassil; this is the easiest entrance to the Emerald Dream."
"No wonder. Is there something sealed beneath the World Tree?"
Upon hearing this, Lunara suddenly thought of something and let out a cry of alarm, causing even her mountains to tremble slightly.
"It's the Satyr! After the War of the Ancients, a group of Kaldorei infected by demons were causing trouble here. At that time, we intended to execute them. However, Malfurion insisted on disagreeing, saying that even if they were fallen, they were still kin. So they were sealed beneath Shala'drassil, using the power of the World Tree to suppress them, hoping that one day in the future a way to cure them could be found."
This was quite similar to the dilemma in Stratholme—using a state of slumber to temporarily freeze the infected to prevent further worsening while searching for a cure.
It was just a pity that such a thing was very hard to achieve. It wasn't that it was impossible, but it would require exhausting a demigod's primordial essence to heal them. It was equivalent to using one's own lifespan to save people, which was something no one would ever agree to.
What a joke! If that were the case, unless it was one's own family, they might as well just die. Why should I save a stranger at such a cost?
Human rights?
Sorry, saying those two words would only invite ridicule. Don't try to play that 'Baizuo' game here; it doesn't work.
Arthas rubbed his head with a bit of a headache. This Malfurion was really special—on one hand, he had the heart of a saint, and on the other, he wanted so-called decisiveness; he really wasn't suited to be a leader.
"Let's go. We'll head back now and execute all those Satyr one by one. If I'm not mistaken, they've contacted some entity within the Emerald Dream and are working together from the inside and outside to cause destruction."
Just as the words fell, a Dryad came running over, hopping and skipping, and said out of breath,
"Big sister, this is bad! The Satyr seal has been broken, and they've escaped!"
"What! Then what are we waiting for? Kill them!"
"Uh, Lord Fandral and Lady Ysera have suppressed most of the Satyr, but some have escaped."
Lunara looked toward Arthas. She, who was usually very assertive, now seemed to have lost her cool and her ability to think, and could only place this heavy responsibility on the demigod lord, hoping he could make a decision.
Looking at her state, Arthas felt somewhat helpless.
"Lunara, take some sisters and kill the escaping Satyr on the spot; their bodies must be brought back and completely destroyed. I will go to the World Tree to check the situation. I accept your request. With me here, nothing will go wrong, so don't worry."
Mwah!
Lunara delivered an unexpected, passionate kiss and then raised her head proudly.
"Leave it to me. Not a single one of those damn demon scumbags will get away. Sisters, let's move! Use spells to notify the Treants to track them; we'll hunt them down one by one!"
In the forest, every single plant was an informant, a natural sentry that could pinpoint the enemy's location.
Fighting in the forest was the home turf of the dryads; here, they were confident they could trap anyone. If not for their careless underestimation of the enemy back then, Cenarius would never have died with such regret.
Rushing back on the magic flying carpet, Maiev was as usual the one to proactively stir up trouble.
"It seems you're quite popular here! I know Lunara's character; although she's a Dryad, she has a fiery temper and charges ahead recklessly in every battle. She's a rose with thorns; you'd better be careful."
Vashj covered her mouth and chuckled from behind; even her laughter was so elegant and dignified.
Arthas reached out and pinched Maiev's cheek, then tweaked her beautiful nose in an indescribably intimate gesture. No one had ever dared to treat her like this! Did he really think her daggers weren't sharp? My blade is not without its edge!
"It's not that I provoked her; she came to me herself, and I don't even know why. Alright, now is not the time for this. I didn't expect the Emerald Nightmare to have already started spreading outward; there must be some unknown turmoil happening inside."
"It's just as well that I'm entering the Emerald Dream this time to learn the Way of Nature; I'll solve the source while I'm at it. I can feel the distress signal from the world soul; she also hopes I'll resolve this trouble—a trouble that has plagued her for a long time."
The Emerald Nightmare had appeared long ago after Xavius fell and became a Satyr, but it had been well-contained within the Rift of Aln. It hadn't spread out because the world soul herself was inside; it was only because she had been forcibly moved by the Titans that a source of unresolvable resentment was left behind.
This could be compared to the Sha energy in Pandaria. To solve this trouble, one could only wait for the world soul to resolve it herself. Even with Arthas personally on the scene, there probably weren't many good solutions.
He could try sealing it, or perhaps there was a way to purify it.
Maiev swatted at him in annoyance, though her manner was so flirtatious that even she didn't realize it, and she even seemed to be enjoying it.
"You pest, don't pinch my nose! What if you ruin it! Hmph, I'm going with you this time; I can also enter the Emerald Dream."
"You?"
Sensing the skeptical look, Maiev couldn't help but straighten her back.
"I was once a priestess of elune and have studied some of the Way of Nature. In the Warden Force, I am the only Kaldorei who can enter the Emerald Dream!"
"Fine, fine, fine. With you following me, I won't be lonely. Men and women working together makes the job easier, and I do need your help."
The two of them chatted back and forth all along the way, having a pleasant time.
Only Elisande, acting as the driver, was stuffed full of 'dog food.' While she found it amusing, she was also somewhat envious. As a servant, serving her master was her primary duty. As for love? It didn't seem like there was much of that, though she didn't oppose or resist it.
Returning to the World Tree Shala'drassil, in a forest clearing, nearly several hundred Satyr were trapped within a magic circle.
On the perimeter, Fandral Staghelm and Ysera were casting spells to maintain the magic circle and keep them imprisoned inside.
Even Alexstrasza didn't care about resting and came out to help infuse energy to keep the formation running.
The Satyr inside were still lively, casting Fel Energy spells to attack the formation. Even after being sealed for thousands of years, they still maintained abundant vitality; Fel Energy really was something.
It truly lived up to its name as one of the six primordial forces. Fel Energy is there as soon as it's infused—it doesn't care about faith or technology. The Fel stage is vast; if you have the soul, just come on in!