Agreement

Meryl was led to a small shack, once inhabited by a Wildkin sorcerer. It was relatively clean compared to the rest of the place, but Eastwind still smelled the stench of evil magic. He reminded himself to endure it a little longer before Nathanos returned.

On the other hand, Meryl admired these Undead who called themselves the Forsaken. They had conquered such a large area as Razor Ridge, but instead of celebrating, they began moving building materials and some defensive equipment, preparing to transform this thorny forest into their own place to live.

He was the champion chosen by Azeroth.

Aegwynn's words kept echoing in Meryl's mind. He found it hard to believe, so he had to confirm it was true. When Meryl seized Christalyssa, he immediately had an idea. This was a test, for someone also of Undead nature. Meryl wanted to know if Nathanos was as ruthless as Arthas. If he killed Christalyssa to conceal his true nature, then he had failed.

Fortunately, Nathanos did not do that, and Meryl had a good first impression of him.

The weather turned dry, and half the sky had cleared. Two Forsaken walked through Meryl's sight carrying a bag of herbs. Their armor was worn and tattered, as if they had been trekking through Razor Ridge for weeks. They were now crushing the herbs and scattering them haphazardly across the ground.

Using this method to mask the blood of the Wildkin! Meryl's eyes lit up, and he inwardly praised the Forsaken's ingenuity.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Nathanos finally returned, Meryl didn't even notice him when he came in.

"Not long after," Eastwind replied kindly, "That dragon..."

"She's gone."

Meryl looked into Nathanos's eyes and was certain he wasn't lying.

"Are you really okay with her leaving?" Meryl asked suspiciously. "Aren't you afraid she'll expose your secret?"

"I've reached an agreement with her," Nathanos replied in a low voice, his hood undone, exposing his gaunt, blood-scarred face to Eastwind. "She won't tell."

"I'm curious how you bribed her?" Meryl's voice was colder than the Witherer's, but still relatively friendly. The mage frowned and continued, "Would you mind telling me?"

Nathanos smiled. "I didn't bribe her, nor did I force her. As I said, it's just an agreement."

"Such cliché diplomatic language!" Meryl clapped his hands and said, "But I don't like deception. If you try to fool that dragon with some trickery, you will pay the price." He sighed and rubbed his face. "Alexstrasza won't let you get away with this."

"The Queen of Dragons truly only favors life," Nathanos said. "So I didn't lie. I... once saved Christalyssa, although..." Nathanos closed his eyes. He had repeatedly reminded himself not to recall the past, but many things he had experienced forced him to remember Nathanos Marius, his former self. "Although that was when I was alive."

"I see." Meryl nodded gently. "The Red Dragon aren't a bunch of ungrateful creatures."

"I've taken care of the trouble you caused me," Nathanos said, then added in a low voice. "Then what are you doing here?" he raised his voice slightly. "If you want to learn about the Forsaken, you can leave now."

Are there any powerful mages among the Forsaken?

Nathanos's expression softened considerably. "It will happen."

"That means it doesn't exist yet."

"Why are you asking this? You sound like a spy."

"Ha, mages never hide in the shadows. Of course I don't," Meryl said.

Nathanos looked at him with some doubt. "Then what do you want to do?" he said. "Until now, I don't know your purpose either."

"My purpose was already made clear when I asked that question."

The Witherer opened its mouth slightly in shock, staring at the Eastwind for a moment. "I understand. It seems I need to announce this news to the others."

As Christalyssa flew over a forest, the creatures of the forest scattered in terror. Red Dragon are known for their love of life, but when Christalyssa flapped her wings and created a powerful gust of wind, several trees were snapped in two without her noticing.

The images that troubled the Red Dragon's mind. When Nathanos revealed his identity, Christalyssa opened her eyes wide and remained silent for a long time. She was heartbroken for Nathanos. The fate of Lordaeron had already reached the Red Dragon's ears, but Alexstrasza strictly forbade the Dragons from interfering in the affairs of mortals. As for the Scourge's rampage, the Red Dragon turned a blind eye.

"I understand," she finally answered Nathanos slowly and painfully. "By the Titans, I have nothing more to say. I thought your wisdom would save you from this calamity, Nathanos, your death grieves me deeply. But I must fulfill the noble mission of the Red Dragonflight."

Christalyssa let out a low growl. She was somewhat afraid that her last words would clash with Nathanos.

But in the end, they didn't... Nathanos simply explained calmly, "I didn't directly participate in the extermination of the Centaur. Of course, I did make them kill each other. As for the Wildkin of Razor Ridge, they have already joined the Scourge, and they deserved to die."

She looked at him calmly. "Nathanos, I think you don't understand the seriousness of the situation at all. The Queen will not ignore what is happening here."

"You can tell her what I said, Christalyssa. I once saved you and participated in the rescue of the Queen of Dragons, but I don't ask your Red Dragonflight for anything in return. Instead, I hope you can keep what you saw a secret. Consider it a favor. If the Dragons ever faces danger in the future, you can come to me anytime."

Christalyssa gave a bitter laugh, gently pressing a delicate hand to her forehead. "A favor? The Red Dragon protect life." She found it laughable; how many places had the Undead destroyed? How many lives had they taken? They shouldn't even exist under Azeroth.

"The Forsaken do not represent death!" Nathanos shook his head. He understood Christalyssa's doubts; this misconception wasn't unique to her. One could say that all the living harbored hostility towards the Undead. Sometimes Nathanos wondered, besides the Forsaken, how many people in this world could truly distinguish between them and the Scourge?

"We still have the consciousness we had before we died; we are just building our own home. It's all for the sake of taking revenge on the Scourge."

The cold wind from the Eastern Kingdoms brought Christalyssa back to her senses, and she realized that she had already left Kalimdor and returned to her homeland, with the Crimson Bastion not far away.

How to report to Her Majesty the Queen was something she needed to figure out before meeting the Life-Binder.