vncnus Page 13
Page 13
“Uther, you’ve come to help me after all. That’s good!” Arthas said to Uther.
“Watch your words. Although you are a prince, I am still your mentor.” Uther’s expression was somewhat displeased.
Since the outbreak of the undead plague, Arthas's attitude has changed. He no longer treats me with the same respect as before, and is even somewhat hostile towards me!
Chapter 24 The Rupture at the Gates of Stratholme
“Of course I haven’t forgotten that. Listen, Uther, now I’ll tell you about this terrible plague.” Arthas began to describe the horrors of the undead plague to Uther in detail.
The female mage cautiously approached Rhodes and began asking him what had happened between him and Arthas in Hearthglen.
"It's fortunate you left early, Lady Jaina, otherwise you would have witnessed the outbreak of the plague."
The villagers who ate this grain immediately turned into undead and began attacking those around them. Rhodes told everyone everything that had happened in Hearthglen without hiding anything.
"That was terrifying," Jaina said, her face still showing signs of fear.
After discussing the undead plague, Arthas went to the city gates to inspect the area. He saw some crates of transported grain! A sense of foreboding washed over him.
He was very familiar with these grains; they were the infected grains that came from Andohar.
"Oh no! Damn it, we're too late!"
"These poisonous grains have already been distributed to the townspeople, and they have already eaten this food tainted with the undead plague!" Arthas said in agony.
He knew perfectly well that once someone ate this stuff, there would be no hope; there would be no hope for anyone in the entire city!
“Calm down, child!” Uther said.
Arthas seemed to have made a decision: if all the people in the city were infected with the Scourge, there would be hundreds of thousands of undead. This undead army could even instantly engulf the entire Lordaeron and overthrow the entire Alliance.
As a prince, as the future master of this country, he must do something for his people.
“Listen to me, Uther and the others have been infected. Although they appear normal now, they will become undead sooner or later. We must purify this city.”
"What! Arthas, how could you have such an extreme idea?"
This violates the oath of us paladins! It also violates the teachings of the Holy Light! This is absolutely not the solution! Uther immediately rejected Arthas's request to purify the entire city.
“Oath? The doctrine of the Holy Light?” Arthas let out a short, sarcastic laugh, pointing sharply at Stratholme.
"When the entire city's inhabitants become zombies, when they pounce on our soldiers, tearing at the flesh of the living, can your oath and doctrine stop them?"
Uther! Look at reality! Those who ate the grain are dead!
Their mutation is only a matter of time! We won't stop it now.
"When the undead from Stratholme surge forth, how many warriors' lives will we need to sacrifice to fill the void? The entire army of Lordaeron?"
"Arthas, this is not purification, this is slaughter!" Uther's voice rose, filled with grief and anger.
"The Holy Light will never condone such behavior! As your mentor and leader of the Silver Hand, I urge you to abandon this insane idea!"
"We'll first lock down the city and find a way to cure the undead plague."
“It’s a pity, Uther, it’s too late. In the name of the future king, I order you to clean up this city,” Arthas said.
“Child, you are not my king, and even if you were, I would not obey such an order,” Uther immediately retorted.
Arthas would never have dared to speak to him like that before.
"Then I can only consider your decision as treason."
"Treason! Arthas, have you gone mad?" Uther was shocked and looked at his disciple in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe these words came from his humble, polite, and cheerful disciple.
“That’s right! As Crown Prince of Lordaeron, I hereby declare that Lord Uther is stripped of all his rights and positions in the Silver Hand,” Arthas said firmly.
This decision shocked everyone present! Even some high elves and dwarves who came to help looked at Arthas with disbelief.
What a joke! The title of Uther the Lightbringer, one of the five first-generation paladins of mankind, was revoked for his meritorious service in the Second World War!
"Wait, Arthas, how could you do this?" Even Jaina was stunned.
"This is my decision. Anyone who wants to save this land, come with me. The rest of you, get lost," Arthas said.
At this moment, he couldn't even listen to a word from his childhood sweetheart.
“Prince Arthas, I urge you to make a careful decision,” said Rhodes, who was standing to the side.
“Master Rhodes, you joined my army as a mercenary. Now, if you wish to continue this employment, continue to serve me.”
"Either come with me, or leave." Arthas appeared extremely cold and ruthless.
It's one thing for others to oppose him, but Rhodes has witnessed the horrors of the undead plague, so why is he doing the same?
Rhodes was a little taken aback by these words. What was wrong with this kid? Just a few days ago, he was very humble and polite.
Why is everyone trying to persuade and then criticizing each other now? Is it inevitable that this kid will become the Lich King and fall into the Death Knight realm?
To be honest, if he had been in this world for a longer period of time, and if the Bone Dragon had already developed his city to its fullest potential, commanded a large army, and had a group of loyal hero units, then Rhodes would have tried to prevent the tragedy of Stratholme.
But now, he can't listen to anything, not even his mentor Uther or his lover Jaina.
To confront the prince head-on by summoning an army of the undead is undoubtedly a suicidal act.
A human soldier with 500 skeletons on the field could tear his own army to shreds, and summoning the undead at this point would certainly make him look like a lackey of the Scourge.
As for staying here to help Arthas slaughter the city, are you kidding me?
Arthas's massacre of the city might deter others from harming the prince, but if one were to participate in the massacre, they would certainly face retribution.
As for joining Arthas on the expedition to Northrend, Rhodes said he didn't want to die, as that was the Scourge's stronghold.
“I’m sorry, Prince Arthas, our employment is for me to help you deal with the Scourge undead, not to slaughter an entire city’s inhabitants,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes didn't want to do something so thankless; his primary goal right now was to develop his city stealthily.
“You haven’t fulfilled our employment contract, so I won’t pay you a single gold coin,” Arthas roared.
“I don’t care either! But Arthas, as a friend I’ve spent a few days with, I want to remind you not to fall into the enemy’s trap.” Rhodes said the word “friend”.
Arthas is now so different that he is almost unrecognizable. How could he have changed so much in just half a day?
Chapter 25 Not a Scapegoat, The Stratholme Massacre
"Don't get me wrong, you've never been my friend. My friends would support my decisions," Arthas said with a cold snort.
Rhodes had witnessed the horrors of the undead plague firsthand, so why was he unwilling to support his actions? If they were truly good friends, they should have helped him with the purification work.
"Arthas, you've made a terrible decision." Uther said, then turned and left. He was utterly disappointed in his disciple!
Even the female mage looked at Arthas with a pained expression, patted Rhodes on the shoulder, and gestured for him to follow her.
"Gina!"
In the end, Rhodes chose to leave with Jaina and Uther. There was no other way; the waters of Stratholme were too murky, and his current strength was not suitable for getting involved in such a mess!
Putting aside external factors, Stratholme is also fraught with internal crises, and Rhodes can't guarantee that five mysterious adventurers won't suddenly appear in Stratholme!
Under the command of the Bronze Dragonflight, they will assist Arthas in the purification process, and there's even a possibility that an Eternal Dragonflight will appear, along with a Dreadlord.
My primary goal right now is to increase my strength and become stronger, not to act like a hero or a big shot.
Given time, and with the Heroes of Might and Magic III system, Rhodes can definitely reach the top of the world in Azeroth.
“Mr. Rhodes, I thought you would stay and help Arthas!” Jaina said to Rhodes as they arrived at a desolate field.
"You are also a princess, a princess of Kul Tiras, you should know some diplomatic and political factors."
I helped the prince fight against the Scourge, no problem. All of Lordaeron will treat me with respect because I helped them at a crucial moment.
But if I participated in the massacre of Stratholme with Arthas, how do you think the people of Lordaeron would view me?
Behold! That wicked mage has bewitched our prince, causing him to unleash the massacre of Stratholme!
"It's all because of that despicable mage. If it weren't for him, there wouldn't have been a massacre in Stratholme." Rhodes said, mimicking the tone of an ordinary civilian.
Upon hearing this, Jaina chuckled first, then fell silent. She was not a girl from an ordinary noble family; she was the princess of Kul Tiras, an admiral in the Alliance navy.
She knew perfectly well what the consequences would be if Rhodes really followed Arthas in massacring the city.
King Terenas, though wise, would never allow his future heir to bear the stigma of massacring a city.
A mage from out of town, a mage without any powerful background, naturally becomes the target of public criticism!
If he helps Arthas massacre Stratholme, he won't be punished because of his father being an admiral. Therefore, Rhodes will ultimately be the one to take the blame.
Because a scapegoat was needed for the Stratholme massacre, non-participation was the best option.
“I just feel sorry for the people in the city! Mr. Rhodes, what are your plans next?” Jaina asked.
"I haven't decided yet, but if possible, I'd like to travel with you for a while."
He hadn't thought it through yet; the answer was no. Rhodes had already made up his mind.
The next goal is to follow the female mage to the continent of Kalimdor. After the Burning Legion descends, the area around the Eastern Kingdoms will be quite dangerous, unless you head south to Stormwind City.
However, going to Stormwind is merely a refuge and will not help one's strength growth in any way.
You'll miss out on a lot of things, but participating in the Third War will give you many opportunities to learn spells and refresh a lot of wild resources.
Therefore, Rhodes must follow the female mage to the continent of Kalimdor to participate in the Third War and maximize his own interests.
"Haha! That would be very welcome!"
Mr. Rhodes, I need to go back to Dalaran first. As a powerful mage, you must come with me to Dalaran.
"That is a true city of magic, even surpassing Silvermoon City of Quel'Thalas in some magical technologies." The sorceress extended an invitation to Rhodes.
She was also very interested in Rhodes's legion-level magic and the lightning-type magic that seemed to be composed of magical energy.
“Then I’ll have to bother you!” Rhodes said.
Dalaran is great!
Once we arrive in Dalaran, we might have the opportunity to record some more advanced magic using the magical spellbook.
“But before that, Mr. Rhodes, I want to save as many people as possible in Stratholme. I want to see how Arthas ends up,” Jaina said.
“I am happy to accompany Lady Jaina. I now accept your employment,” Rhodes said with a smile.
"Thank you so much. We can evacuate some people from the suburbs and gather them together first."
"If—and I mean if any of them become undead, then we'll kill them; if not, they're survivors of Stratholme," Jaina said.