Now the entire city was empty, with only buildings remaining and not a single person in sight.
Only the magical brooms, crafted by the high elves to automatically sweep the streets, were still diligently working, as the city had ample magical energy, and the aura effect was sufficient to keep the inscribed magic circles functioning.
The watchtowers, visible everywhere in the distance, were still standing, without the slightest damage, not even a trace of an attack.
The Town Hall was as bright and clean as ever, its floors spotless, yet there was not a single person inside.
"Jaina!"
"Sylvanas!"
Arthas called out loudly, but after a long while, there was still no one.
"Onyxia!"
No one responded. In the vast city, no one answered. The buildings were all there, yet no one responded.
"What the hell? Did I arrive at an unknown point in time again?"
Arthas fell into contemplation, rubbing his chin. It seemed everyone had disappeared; not a single person was alive, which was very abnormal.
Had they disappeared, or had they not yet appeared?
If it wasn't in the current timeline, then the City of Hope couldn't possibly be here. This city would only exist when the undead Scourge began to sweep across the land.
Before he could ponder for long, the panel's notification provided the answer: someone had tampered with the timeline!
'Main Quest Updated: Reverse Time.'
"Quest Content: Archimonde has seized the bronze dragon Legion's artifact, the Timeless Sands, and used the power of Sargeras' avatar to tamper with the timeline. This is now a timeline where the Burning Legion destroys the world. If left unchecked, this timeline will become the mainstream and cannot be altered."
'Find a way to reverse time, successfully reverse time, and set things right. There is no unchangeable timeline; you are the future.'
'Quest Reward: Timeline will no longer be tampered with, enter the second stage of demigod advancement.'
Damn it!
Arthas felt that the so-called Warlords of Draenor expansion pack, which casually threw out a skull that was made into a demonic artifact by Gul'dan, was already absurd, but then this Gul'dan, who should have died, triggered another Legion invasion, which was even more preposterous.
Blizzard, if you have nothing to do, don't force it. If it really comes to it, live-streaming biting a lighter is also an option.
The Burning Crusade, again and again.
Wrath of the Lich King, again and again.
Cataclysm, again and again.
Pandaren, a mystery within a mystery.
Warlords of Draenor, king of kings.
Legion, again and again.
F*** you!
"Is that Master?"
A cold voice came, and the black dragon Aspect, covered in wounds, emerged from the mysterious sacred land, her life hanging by a thread, her entire body covered in blood.
Holy Light Spell!
A beam of Holy Light Spell descended, raising her health once more. However, her injuries were severe, preventing her from fully healing and causing her life to continuously ebb away.
Confirming she was an ally, Arthas went to help her, and the two walked towards the Town Hall.
"What happened to you?"
Arthas continued to use Holy Light Spell to heal her. With no incurable wounds, Holy Light Spell for survival, and the life-restoring effect of the unholy aura, combined with the black dragon's powerful physique and self-healing ability, there was no obstacle she couldn't overcome.
It took several minutes for Sinestra's injuries to stabilize.
She shook her head, a little bewildered, and rested her head on the prince's shoulder.
"I don't know, it seems the Burning Legion succeeded and destroyed Azeroth. Everything was ruined."
"The Titan Guardians fell in battle, and many demigods were killed. The fallen Titan Sargeras personally intervened, turning Azeroth into a planet corrupted by Fel energy."
"All of this happened too quickly, as if we entered a specific timeline. I heard the bronze dragon queen, Chromie, say that our time has many different branches, and if one of these timelines grows large enough, it will become the main timeline."
As a survivor who participated in the War of the Ancients and lived for so long, she understood many secrets.
This timeline was when the Alliance of Azeroth was defeated during the War of the Ancients, and Sargeras successfully descended upon Azeroth using the Well of Eternity.
All seemingly powerful beings appeared vulnerable before this fallen Titan.
The night elf forces were crushed by his bare hands, and even demigods couldn't struggle, turning directly into pulverized flesh.
Even the five dragon Aspects were annihilated in an instant; even Deathwing, who had fallen into darkness, was killed before he could betray them.
The Old Gods lurking in the shadows also fared poorly, as the Burning Legion's goal was to eradicate these void creations.
It was fine if they didn't appear, but once they did, they became public enemy number one.
The demons didn't attack anyone else; they specifically targeted these parasites!
The disparity between the two sides was no less than a machine gun and artillery colliding head-on with an atomic bomb; they were simply not on the same level of existence.
After hearing this, Arthas combined it with the quest panel's prompt and already knew what he needed to do next.
Tampering with time sounded like a messed-up thing, but in this world of swords and magic, and steampunk retro, anything was reasonable.
If something felt unreasonable, it was definitely because one's worldview couldn't keep up with the changes.
Sinestra lifted her head, her mature and beautiful face still bearing traces of blood and tears, her eyes filled with fear and uncertainty, her usual elegance and wisdom replaced by confusion.
"Master, do we still have hope?"
Reaching out to wipe away the tears on her face, even though he was in a world that had been destroyed, Arthas had never despaired.
Perhaps it was because he had experienced the information age explosion before transmigrating; let alone the world being destroyed, even the universe restarting was nothing to be surprised about.
Aside from flight attendant and nurse uniforms, high heels, and shiny stockings, there really didn't seem to be much that made one's heart race.
That's it?
"As long as I'm here, there's hope. I told you I would protect you all. I don't like to make promises; some things I know I can't do."
"When I make a promise to you, even if it costs me my life, I will fulfill my word."
"Don't worry, it's not time to despair yet. Archimonde can tamper with the timeline, and so can I."
Arthas hugged the pitiful, confused beautiful woman, not out of any ulterior motive, but because he needed her help!
Help as a fire extinguisher?
Is his temper flaring now?
He knew the outcome of changing the timeline back, but how to do it and where to start still required investigation.
Currently, Sinestra was still here, and she possessed rich experience and knowledge, enough to help him find a way.
Of course, if she still wanted to be the dragon Aspect but didn't care who the dragon King was, Arthas would still be happy to oblige.
She was already a widow; he couldn't let her remain a widow in name only.