As the days went by, Robbie, Arthas, Muradin often sat together to discuss things, and occasionally a fierce argument would break out. They needed to discuss the design of Frostmourne, how to embed the Holy Light Crystal, how to arrange the nine Runes, and even the size of the sword.
Drawings were produced one after another, only to be discarded. The initial naive ideas were found to be impractical after discussion, so they had to come up with new ideas from scratch.
The Runes of the Dead are powerful. The first three Runes, Blood, Frost, and Evil, are basic Runes suitable for Scourge soldiers. The later Scourge, Mutation, are used to build the Rune Scourge.
The remaining seven Runes — Mind Confusion, Soul Pollution, Dark Parasite, Shadow Trap, Siphon Life, Soul Harvest, Ultimate Fury —are Runes that grant the Scourge extraordinary combat power. A weapon with just one of these Runes is enough to rival a Legendary weapon.
Moreover, to accommodate nine Runes, not only would a sufficiently sturdy material be needed, but the weapon would also need to be large enough.
Muradin looked at the finalized blueprints, his brows furrowed deeply, and he gulped down his beer in dissatisfaction.
After several days of discussion, the three expressed their opinions, considered various issues, and weighed the Frostmourne.
It is about two meters long and more than half a meter wide, a typical door panel greatsword. It is not enough to just inlay nine Runes. The nine Runes must be arranged and combined in various ways to ensure the stability of the sword.
Fortunately, the Axe of Tyranny was large enough that it could be used to forge a massive sword, with some material to spare.
Muradin expressed strong disdain for the unusually rugged design of the greatsword.
This sword only considered its power and sturdiness, but unfortunately it lacked any artistic merit and failed to showcase the superb forging skills of the Humans.
Although Dwarves don't appreciate flashy techniques like openwork designs or intricate patterns like Elves, Muradin believed that this greatsword lacked the aesthetic appeal a weapon should have, and was purely a murder weapon crafted for killing.
At Muradin's insistence, he stubbornly insisted on using the remaining materials to forge a smaller Frostmourne. Although its power was greatly reduced and the blade was more fragile and prone to breakage, it was enough to demonstrate Muradin's superb forging skills.
Robbie carefully examined the blueprints for the miniature Frostmourne. Although it exuded a sinister and dark charm, and the intricate and winding blade was aesthetically pleasing, the blade itself was not sturdy enough.
Once the twelfth Rune, Ultimate Fury, is used, this small Frostmourne is prone to cracking.
"This is a fine work of art, understand? It reflects the status and position of the Scourge Commander, an ornament to be worn on the waist to win the hearts of beautiful women at a ball, not a stupid object for killing."
Muradin expressed his disdain for Robbie's advice:
"Don't ever tell anyone that I forged that ugly greatsword. Good heavens, I can't bear the shame."
During these days, the three of them also did many other things.
Arthas continued to gather small groups of Undead from the vicinity, eventually forming a large Undead army.
Prince Highness is not skilled in mind control magic; his approach is to expel the souls from these corpses and replace them with the Restless Souls of the people of Lordaeron. Their loyalty is beyond question; they are a force entirely devoted to Lordaeron.
When the force was large enough, the three of them finalized the blueprints for Frostmourne and began their northward march towards Dragonbone Plains. The Scourge army was invincible in their path, and all who passed by fled in terror.
Arthas was quite restrained. He tried his best to avoid harassing the local residents, choosing to march in sparsely populated areas, basically traveling by night and hiding during the day, and acting discreetly.
As more and more Undead gathered, traces of Mal'Ganis were everywhere. This Dreadlord clearly had his own plans, which made Robbie and Arthas somewhat worried.
After destroying an Ice Troll camp and resurrecting a few Warriors for his own use, Mal'Ganis, seeing that he had fewer and fewer subordinates due to days of fighting, grew increasingly furious.
The Dreadlord had every reason to venture deep into this frigid, frozen land.
Knowledge is never created out of thin air; it is impossible for someone to attain enlightenment overnight and then destroy the world.
Based on the intelligence gathered, the Dreadlord made a reasonable analysis: Arthas's power likely came from Kel'Thuzad, and Kel'Thuzad's knowledge came from Ner'zhul. This tormented old Orcs must be hiding something.
Mal'Ganis even suspected that Ner'zhul was a test subject for the Legion.
The Legion granted him some unstable powers, allowing him to experiment in this world and observe their effects. Unfortunately, this foolish old Orcs was too weak in strength and lacked intelligence, and Kel'Thuzad stole his precious Wealth, thus producing an anomaly like Arthas.
The Legion was rife with factions, Mal'Ganis didn't know which faction was behind it. However, Ner'zhul's knowledge had proven useful, and he desperately wanted to possess it all.
Unfortunately, even though they knew Ner'zhul was in Northrend, they couldn't find the old Orcs's whereabouts.
Mal'Ganis led his men to search many areas, but all their efforts were in vain. He knew Arthas was following behind, so he had to divert some of his forces to buy time, which is why his men were dwindling in number.
After resting in the camp for a while, Mal'Ganis hesitated for a moment before planting a Magic Beacon.
He hoped to get help from the Dalaran Mages; perhaps they had some good ideas. Although Dalaran envious of Arthas's power, if he sought help from Dalaran and gained something, he would have to share a portion of the spoils.
Delicate little leather boots popped out of the Portal.
Jaina, radiant with spring sunshine and dressed in magnificent attire, stepped out of the Portal, a splendid crown adorning her head.
"Look who's here, Your Majesty the noble Queen of Lordaeron," Mal'Ganis said sarcastically. "Now that you've become the queen of the surviving humans of Lordaeron, will you continue to provide meat for the Orcs?"
"The Orcs are the Saviors of Azeroth, and they deserve this honor," Jaina said with a smile.
Mal'Ganis paused for a moment, then burst into laughter:
"I have witnessed the destruction of countless worlds and lured countless kings into the darkness of depravity, but I am powerless against someone like you, because your heart is inherently black."
"Thank you for your kind words." Jaina smiled perfectly, adjusting the crown on her head.
"Thrall is about to ascend the throne in Lordaeron, and I will be crowned queen. The path of kings is bloody and cruel; how many hearts are not black?"
"Little girl, listen carefully. Even we Nathrezim Race, who pride ourselves on cunning and treachery, absolutely forbid the killing of our own kind. Such ruthlessness towards one's own people is a sign of incompetence and stupidity."
"Are you trying to sow discord?" Jaina raised her head proudly and said, "My loyalty to Thrall, the Savior, is as clear as day."
"Heh, there's no need to sow discord. Foolish humans like you will eventually be eliminated by history. You're destined to become a dish on Thrall's table. He'll be very happy to enjoy this delicious meal. So, what's your purpose here, fresh and juicy ingredient?"
The Dreadlord was adept at manipulating minds, and his words struck Jaina's heart squarely. Jaina cheerful demeanor vanished, replaced by gloom and sorrow.
"The Guardian commands you to monitor Arthas."