Without staying too long in Lordaeron, the group returned to Tirisfal Glades.
Kael'thas had already teleported away, taking the high elves from Dalaran with him to teleport back to Quel'Thalas to support the battle.
It was also thanks to the change in the Wheel of Fate that he had the chance to return to his homeland to support the fight.
Otherwise, when he returned to Quel'Thalas, he would face the ruins left ravaged by the undead Scourge and the plague, his father dead in battle, more than half of the elite forces casualties, and his people suffering from arcane Addiction.
With the army setting off, there were many preparations to be made.
With Onyxia as the Minister of Trade, the issue of supplies was no longer a problem.
After being subdued, she truly didn't harbor many ulterior motives; not only did she use her connections to contact the nobles of Stormwind Kingdom to open up trade routes, but she also poached a large number of people from there.
There was plenty of grain in Stormwind Kingdom, and with the threat of the orcs gone, the economy recovered particularly quickly.
After subduing the murloc tribes, those squawking, unruly murlocs became much more obedient.
It wasn't Onyxia's dragon might that subdued them, but rather that after becoming allies, they could enjoy Arthas' aura effects.
The aura effects, which ignored distance, suddenly became even more potent.
Brilliance Aura's mana regeneration, Vampiric Aura's lifesteal, Unholy Aura's increased movement speed and health regeneration, Devotion Aura's damage reduction, and Trueshot Aura's increased ranged attack power.
This was enough to make the murlocs, who had some intelligence but not much, develop fervent worship. Mental sustenance was useless; the visible improvements from joining naturally made them willing to submit and obey.
Without the aura's blessing, the casualty ratio was one-to-one; with the aura's blessing, it was ten-to-one.
With the help of the murloc tribes, collecting pearls also became effortless.
With pearls paving the way, and the newly joined Baroness Anastari's network of connections, these pearls sold incredibly well in Stormwind Kingdom.
Moreover, pearls were consumed in huge quantities and were also magical materials, making them fast-moving goods. No matter how many were sold, it wouldn't affect the price.
A ship of pearls was transported, and several ships of grain and craftsmen returned. Both sides believed they had made a killing!
Looking at the brand new port, although it wasn't as large as the future Stormwind port, which could simultaneously dock over thirty large warships and airships, it could still accommodate three large cargo ships for unloading.
Arthas was somewhat surprised, looking at the black dragon princess who was smugly standing by his side.
"Not bad, my Minister of Trade. You built the port so quickly? It's beyond my expectation, truly amazing!"
If anyone else had said these words, Onyxia would have merely smiled faintly, her heart unperturbed.
But coming from the lips of the prince who had easily defeated her, the meaning was different; at least, she quite liked hearing it.
She slightly raised her snow-white neck, adorned with a string of priceless golden pearls, and a charming smile curved her beautiful face.
"I dispatched dragonkin and murlocs for construction, and your mage squad helped. The advantage of magic in this area is far greater than that of mortals."
The mage squad she mentioned should be House Barov, brought by Lady Illucia to seek refuge, hoping to revive their family through the prince.
The original Barov Family was essentially finished, having joined the Cult of the Damned, which was backed by the undead Scourge, spreading the plague, an unforgivable sin.
Once he was free, he would definitely eradicate them!
Mages were a noble profession; how could they do such lowly work in their eyes?
But they had no choice; if they didn't work, they might just be worked to death.
Who didn't know the prince's style: if you don't do it, he'll do you!
"That's good. Have any other dragons come to bother you recently?"
Arthas looked at the deep cleavage in her evening gown, wondering if he might drown in it.
Onyxia noticed the prince's gaze and deliberately jiggled a few times.
"Not for now, but you never know in the future. If they come, you must stand up for us!"
"We are so pitiful, chased for thousands of years, hiding and sneaking around. We don't even know when we might fall asleep and be found and killed!"
As she spoke, she feigned crying, taking the opportunity to lean on his shoulder. Her face, turned away from the man, curved into a sly, triumphant smile.
"Of course. Since we are allies, an offensive and defensive alliance is one of the terms. This time, select a small team of dragonkin to assist me in the support mission."
Arthas patted her fragrant shoulder. What was wrong with a woman throwing herself at him?
Most of the territory consisted of system buildings, solely for generating economy and food.
Onyxia couldn't take them away, and besides, the hatched whelps were absolutely loyal to him; taking them away was almost impossible.
If these whelps were captured, could Onyxia still escape?
Unless the black dragon King himself came, but if he appeared, all that was needed was to stall for time, and the other dragon queens would surely be happy to come and twist off his head, hanging it above the dragonblight Temple to commemorate the dragons who died because of him!
"Hehe, that's not a problem."
Onyxia lightly turned away, that previous moment seemingly just an emotional impulse.
"Does Prince Arthas intend for us black dragons to regain the approval of those guys? This is a thankless task. Aren't you afraid we might betray you?"
"You know, the reputation of us black dragons isn't exactly good, it's even quite notorious!"
She blinked her eyes, half-joking and half-serious, her moist red lips parting slightly in feigned surprise.
"Could it be that Prince Arthas is interested in me? Or perhaps my mother? Do you want to form a marriage alliance?"
Pfft!
These words truly made Arthas laugh. He had never thought of cuckolding Neltharion, the future Deathwing.
As for Onyxia, she was indeed quite good.
But there was no time for such thoughts now, and besides, if he didn't give this black dragon princess more shock, the opportunistic princess wouldn't be easily subdued.
Cooperation was one thing; marriage was another.
He didn't deny that Onyxia's elegant temperament and stunning beauty were very attractive: fair skin, beautiful face, long legs, young, pretty, and rich. Marrying her could save eighty years of detours.
But to think of her as that simple would be a huge mistake.
If he married her, she might cause trouble every three days, and fighting with Jaina and Sylvanas every five days wasn't out of the question.
He couldn't actively pursue her; he had to let her see his unique value and future potential, making her pursue him instead.
"It's not impossible, but now is not the time."
"Logistics will be handed over to you. Lordaeron will not provide us with supplies; everything must rely on ourselves."
Arthas sighed. The expedition to Quel'Thalas was an opportunity, but also a test.
He had a premonition that after returning from Quel'Thalas, it would be about time to take over as king.
Onyxia's eyes lit up, and she smiled knowingly, raising her hand to tuck the hair blown loose by the sea breeze behind her ear, her movements elegant yet possessing an indescribable charm.
"I know, this is a test, isn't it? My father used to test my brother and me like this often."
"Prince Arthas can rest assured and leave it to me. We are in a cooperative relationship; it's rare for someone to be willing to cooperate with us rather than deceive and exploit us."
"The hope of The Legion is all in your territory; we can't escape, hehehe. Besides, building a place from scratch into a big city also excites me very much."