Robbie was both surprised and delighted to see Kel'Thuzad.
Robbie was eager to know what had happened to Arthas and the Scourge after he left.
Kel'Thuzad gave Robbie a warm and friendly smile and said:
"The moment I saw you, I sensed an extraordinary power within you, bearing the marks of time and years. I've been to your hometown, and upon hearing news of you, I immediately rushed here to seek refuge. You probably can tell by now that life on the run is far from easy."
"Is Prince Arthas alright? What happened after Archimonde's arrival?" Robbie asked anxiously, unable to believe that Arthas had fallen.
Kel'Thuzad said with a hint of melancholy, "To be honest, I don't know Prince Highness's final fate either. The enemies we face afterward are growing stronger and stronger. Compared to them, the Argent Crusade led by Tirion Fordring is insignificant. The Prince was merely using them to escape and prevent the war from spreading to the Azeroth Continent."
"You know I have two bodies. Most of my memories of that time are stored in my Undead body, which contains my magical knowledge and most of my mana. My Undead body perished in Naxxramas. For people like us, surviving is too difficult; we have to pay a price. I didn't retain any memories of what happened afterward, to avoid giving myself away."
Robbie understands Kel'Thuzad; memory is the most precious Wealth in life, but it must be given up. Sometimes, an unintentional utterance in one's sleep can cost one's life.
"Let's go see your commander. I know her background; she's the leader of the Brotherhood, one of our own."
Inside the fortress's Town Hall, Vanessa, wearing an eye patch, carefully observed Kel'Thuzad, nodded in satisfaction, and said:
"You are Kel'Thuzad. I know you are a very powerful mage, a member of the Council of Six of Dalaran, and you accomplished many great things under the Lich King. Do you know what the most important principles are in our Brotherhood?"
Kel'Thuzad, being quite shrewd, quickly replied, "Of course I know. If it needs to be useful, my magic will definitely help the Brotherhood. All I need is a secret laboratory."
"No! No! All we need is loyalty, nothing more."
Vanessa removed her blindfold and nodded to Robbie, indicating that she could trust him. People change, and although Robbie had worked with Kel'Thuzad for a time, she still had to be wary.
"That's enough for you. I'll set up the lab for you, and there are many topics for you to research. But right now, you only have one task: you must assist Robbie in handling the deal with Med'an."
Vanessa activated the mechanism on the wall and led the way up the long staircase into the fortress's secret basement.
This is an underground furnace, and on the platform in the very center sits a huge Battle Axe.
"This Battle Axe, forged from Sulfuron Ingots and imbued with my magic, with artificial light and shadow, is indistinguishable from the Legendary Shadowmourne." Vanessa beamed with pride. "You are very fortunate to witness my perfect creation firsthand."
Robbie and Kel'Thuzad observed the fake Shadowmourne together. On the surface, the Battle Axe was flawless, wrapped in dense auras, as if countless Restless Souls were wailing.
"Excellent work, enough to fool anyone." Kel'Thuzad gave his approval; gaining the Archmage's approval was no easy feat.
Robbie used his abilities to see through the magical transformations of points, lines, and planes, revealing that this was merely a fake, all show and no substance; only the surface was shiny and bright, while inside it was just an ordinary Battle Axe.
Vanessa yawned, somewhat absentmindedly saying:
"Don't envy my abilities. The rest is up to you. I've already contacted Griftah, the legendary treasure merchant and the famous old Troll of Shattrath City. He'll be in charge of the deal with Med'an. You'll need to assist him and handle the behind-the-scenes work."
Vanessa left, leaving everything to Robbie and Kel'Thuzad.
"Why do I feel like our commander is even more difficult to deal with than Arthas?" Kel'Thuzad, somewhat frustrated.
Robbie shrugged. "Times have changed. You'll get used to it. Vanessa's just good at recognizing people; she knew we could handle this."
"No wonder I was given such an important task so soon after joining the Brotherhood." Kel'Thuzad scratched his head, looking embarrassed. "Unfortunately, I only know magical knowledge; I have absolutely no experience in this kind of thing."
"Don't worry, leave everything to me. Your magic will be a great help."
Robbie knew perfectly well that even the most convincing fake Shadowmourne wouldn't complete the deal. Med'an wasn't stupid; no one would believe a Legendary weapon could appear out of thin air. He would be extremely cautious.
"What do you remember about Shadowmourne and its wielder?" Robbie asked.
Kel'Thuzad thought for a long time, "I have very few memories left from that period. All I know is that the owner of Shadow Sorrow is very mysterious, a mysterious person whose identity even Tirion Fordring doesn't know."
Shadowmourne belongs to the Argent Crusade and the Knights of the Ebon Blade. If Tirion Fordring didn't know this person's identity, then it's even less likely that King Varian, Thrall, Jaina, and other leaders of the Alliance and the Horde would know the truth.
Of those who fought against the Lich King Arthas, only Tirion Fordring survived.
Later, when people ascended the Frozen Throne, they found the ground littered with the corpses of warriors, the Freeze Duke Bolvar on the throne, and the shattered Frostmourne. Arthas's body was nowhere to be found.
Strangely, Shadowmourne and its wielder also disappeared. Many people suspected that Tirion Fordring had hidden this Legendary weapon, but at the time, Tirion Fordring's reputation was at its peak, and no one dared to question him.
As time passed, Tirion Fordring's reputation gradually cooled, and more and more people began to doubt Tirion Fordring. Countless adventurers ventured deep into Northrend to investigate the whereabouts of Shadowmourne. Unable to bear the harassment any longer, Tirion Fordring even swore in the name of the Holy Light that he knew nothing about the whereabouts of Shadowmourne.
Robbie is thinking of a plan: antique dealers need to fabricate outlandish stories to sell their wares.
To successfully trade a fake Shadowmourne, a story is needed, preferably a mysterious Legendary.
Kel'Thuzad, such a powerful mage, is very familiar with Dalaran; he is Robbie's secret trump card.
Robbie's gaze fell on Starfall Outpost, Archmage Khadgar. In the present Azeroth Continent, Khadgar's strength and reputation were widely recognized, and Robbie could take advantage of his fame.
A high-priced item appeared at the auction house in the Lunarfall: a Booty Bay map salvaged from a shipwreck, priced at 150,000 gold coins. No one could understand the Booty Bay's meaning. Adventurers were discussing the unusually high price, especially the patterns drawn on it, which were said to represent some kind of mysterious symbol.
The priceless Booty Bay map quickly caught Khadgar's attention. He stared in amazement at the few symbols the seller had revealed—ciphertext of a certain school of thought in Dalaran. After Archimonde destroyed Dalaran, this school of thought also disappeared.
There are many unremarkable schools of magic in Dalaran, and most of the related records have been lost. Fortunately, Khadgar had come into contact with this unremarkable school and was familiar with its Magic Symbols.
Could it really be a Booty Bay map? Khadgar remembered that this faction had once ventured into Northrend.