"Is the Dragonkin unable to reproduce in large numbers due to limitations in their Racial Power?"
Thrall originally only wanted to get closer to Antonidas by asking him questions, with the aim of completing the task assigned by the Dreadlord. Deep down, he still leaned towards Arthas's instigation.
But after hearing Antonidas's explanation, he had to become cautious and think it over carefully.
As the chief Archmage of the magical kingdom of Dalaran and the chairman of the Kirin Dalaran Council of Six, Archmage Antonidas's status and position carry considerable weight.
"Venerable High Archmage, may I ask what the limitation of Racial Power is?"
Thrall was extremely respectful, and this time his attitude was genuine.
When it comes to academic matters, High Archmage Antonidas is quite cautious. Even when facing the Orcs Thrall, whom he had to be wary of, he didn't speak carelessly, but patiently explained:
"Through observation and research, the Dragonkin discovered that each race possesses a fixed amount of Racial Power. The stronger an individual organism is, the more Racial Power it possesses. For example, among the Five Dragonflights, the Racial Power of a single dragon is equivalent to that of several thousand to tens of thousands of humans, and the Dragon King is even equivalent to hundreds of thousands of ordinary humans."
"The lower the level of a creature, the less Racial Power it possesses, which is why Kobolds can reproduce without limit. Normally, when an individual dies, the Racial Power it possesses is returned to the living to maintain the balance of Racial Power. However, because of the existence of the Shadowlands, a portion of the souls of the dead enter the Shadowlands, which means a loss of Racial Power. The Racial Power of every race is being depleted, so no creature can reproduce excessively."
Thrall's heart pounded with anxiety, and he asked timidly:
What will happen once the Racial Power is exhausted?
Antonidas was slightly taken aback, then shook his head and laughed:
"For humans and Orcs, there's no need to worry about Racial Power. Racial Power can be seen as the world's impetus for change in living beings, because living beings are constantly evolving. For example, when Dark Trolls evolved into Elves, it was equivalent to a redistribution of Racial Power. The rate of evolution for humans and Orcs is significant. For example, studying magic to become Mages, or Orcs practicing Shaman path and building muscle to become stronger, can all be considered forms of evolution. Only those races that remain unchanged will worry about the depletion of their Racial Power."
"No, no, I want to know what terrible consequences would occur if such a thing happened?"
Thrall grew increasingly worried. Antonidas was unaware of the secrets of the Orcs' reproduction, but Thrall knew perfectly well. The Bronze Dragonflight's help provided Thrall with a constant stream of Warriors, but he hadn't anticipated the serious drawbacks this had.
"Once a race exhausts its Racial Power due to overbreeding, this situation..."
Antonidas frowned, thought carefully for a moment, and then said:
"The consequences would be quite terrible. The Timelines of Azeroth are parallel, which would cause a chain reaction, causing all races in all Timelines to collapse, and that race would be completely wiped out, no longer existing in any Timeline."
"What?"
Arthas was right. Thrall was terrified, but there was nothing he could do at that moment.
After pondering for a long time, Thrall still couldn't come up with a solution, but as expected of a great strategist, he quickly made up his mind.
"After me, who cares about the deluge!"
Thrall thought to himself that there was still time, at least the retribution wouldn't happen while he was still alive, so why worry about the future? He decided to continue with the Dreadlord's plan and immediately put on a grateful expression.
"High Archmage Antonidas, thank you for your guidance. Actually, I have something I'd like to discuss with you. Although there are rumors that the Scourge destroyed Silvermoon City, to be honest, it was we Orcs destroyed it."
"What does Thrall mean by this?"
Antonidas was secretly puzzled; he had his own informants and intelligence sources and knew the truth behind the destruction of Silvermoon City.
As the saying goes, public Medivh spreading such rumors and survivors as witnesses, Antonidas, lacking both the courage and strength to resist, could only join in the fabrication and fuel the fire.
But now, Thrall has revealed the truth to him, leaving Antonidas somewhat bewildered.
As if he had made up his mind, Thrall lowered his voice and said mysteriously:
"According to the Guardian's will, the destruction of Silvermoon City is not enough to make the Scourge the target of everyone's hatred. More innocent blood must be spilled to Scourge. Medivh told me to be prepared; the next target for sacrifice is Dalaran."
"What, Dalaran?" Antonidas's heart skipped a beat.
Wasn't the blood of the innocent flowing in Silvermoon City enough? Damn it, Medivh is actually eyeing Dalaran.
Today, Dalaran primarily inhabited by humans, concentrating the best among them. It boasts thousands of mages, an even larger number of civilians, and a considerable number of War Golems, Golems, and so on.
Although Dalaran was captured by the Orcs twice in history, it was not because Dalaran weak.
During the Second War, while humans and Orcs were locked in fierce combat, Dalaran, with a detached attitude, watched this racial war that would determine the Destiny of Azeroth like a god looking down upon all living beings from the clouds.
The unexpected collaboration between the Orcs and the Red Dragonflight caught Dalaran off guard.
The mages of Dalaran were not discouraged and rebuilt their magical kingdom. Unfortunately, before the rebuilding Dalaran was ready, it was breached a second time by the army of the Death Knight Talon Bloodlord.
The Dalaran of today is different from what it used to be. Having learned from its two destructions, Dalaran is now fully prepared to face any war.
However, Medivh was not among the enemies Medivh; his power was simply too immense.
Antonidas's expression was uncertain. Was it really going to be a fight to the death, a lose-lose situation? Dalaran be destined to fail, but the Guardian Medivh would also have to pay a heavy price.
Thrall sighed, revealing a compassionate and troubled expression:
"Actually, we Orcs don't want to do this, but we are forced to by the Guardians. Antonidas, you are a good man, and I hope you can prepare in advance to minimize the losses in Dalaran. I don't know what Medivh's schemes are, but his collusion with the Burning Legion is something we Orcs cannot accept."
Antonidas can only believe a small portion of what Thrall says.
However, when it came to Medivh to destroy Dalaran, Antonidas had to be cautious. He figured it was better to be safe than sorry. After parting ways with Thrall, the High Archmage returned to his room and began to ponder countermeasures.
He decided to verify the authenticity of the intelligence first, just as Jaina came to visit.
Faced with this beautiful female disciple who is now very close to Medivh and almost always by his side, Antonidas is unsure whether Jaina will side with him, but he decides to give it a try.
"I received a warning, child, about the situation in Dalaran." Antonidas gazed out the window, his hands casually behind his back. "Lordaeron has become a zombie-infested ruin, Silvermoon City has been destroyed by war. Regardless of Dalaran's fate, whether they live or die, I just want to know, can I trust you, Jaina!"
Jaina lowered her head, pondered for a long time, and as if she had made up her mind, bit her lip and said in a trembling voice, "My dear mentor, I can no longer be confused. Medivh is going to destroy Dalaran."