"Who goes there! A Guardian Dragon? How dare you enter the Titan's laboratory!" A delicate voice rang out from a distance, accompanied by earth-shattering tremors.
A nearly thirty-meter-tall female giant appeared, forged from unknown steel, surrounded by a green glow. Compared to the lifeless steel giants, she had a hint of the vitality one would expect from life.
This was Nablya, the manager of the Titan laboratory in the Un'goro Crater, a tall female metal giant.
"Wait here for me," Arthas instructed as he landed and walked directly toward her, while the female metal giant watched him intently, knowing he had reached her feet. Only then did her gaze change, seemingly assessing him.
"Take me inside," Arthas commanded calmly, his voice tinged with a mix of anxiety and hope. Nablya and Arthas exchanged glances, the atmosphere tense for a full minute, causing the Red Dragon Queen and her companions to frown, as if a fight was about to break out.
Nablya then extended her hand, "Step on, the others are not allowed to enter!" After Arthas jumped onto her palm, Nablya took heavy steps forward, showing no respect for the Guardian Dragons.
This made the Blue Dragon King Malygos unable to help but comment, "Tch, she really thinks highly of herself!"
"Don't you find it strange that a human prince could gain the Titan Keeper's approval?" Deathwing was surprisingly calm, and his tranquility indicated deeper calculations.
"What's so strange about it! We're just being polite! If it came to a real fight, she wouldn't be my opponent at all! Hmph, such arrogance!"
What Malygos said was indeed true; he was merely giving her face. Strictly speaking, the Guardian Dragons were on par with the Nine Titan Keepers. Nablya was merely a lesser keeper, ranking one level lower! If not for the possibility of the titan's workshop turning hostile, he might have shown this arrogant metal woman her place.
Standing on Nablya's palm, Arthas curiously assessed this rugged female giant. He discovered that her skin, which resembled metal, was not metal at all, but an unknown mineral that resembled metal. To be able to create life in such a manner, how powerful must the Titans be? From this, one could also see just how powerful the Burning Legion's leader, Sargeras truly was!
"The Life Binder has bestowed upon me a noble mission; you must cooperate with my actions," Arthas tried to strike up a conversation, as he needed to get through to this female giant. Of course, not in a bedroom sense; he lacked the capability to deal with a thirty-meter-tall female giant. It would be utterly ridiculous. However, Azeroth is a strange world, and nothing is impossible; it's just a matter of power.
Nablya raised her brow slightly, expressing some dissatisfaction, "My duty is to guard this laboratory!"
"I know, but orders are not set in stone," Arthas attempted to persuade her. The Un'goro Crater was incredibly fertile. The distribution of resources here was especially even, having been intentionally modified. The north was an open oil field, with oil thick enough to have generated elements on its own. In the center was a vast mine, rich with ore. To the west was a hot spring suitable for settlement, and to the south were lush grass plains, while the east was a forest dense with greenery, filled with abundant natural gifts.
Most importantly, there was only one entrance, which was the forest in the east, connecting to a vast, desolate Tanaris Desert, a defensible strategic point. This area was ideal for development; both ore and wood could be self-sufficient, and the animals in the forest could be hunted. The diverse range of dinosaurs could also be tamed, hunted, and domesticated as mounts. Additionally, with a lesser guardian present, the safety here would be unmatched!
"Without Lord Khaz'goroth's orders, I will not change my duties. You carry the scent of Lord Eonar; you may reside here, but others cannot!" Nablya's intelligence was not high, or one could say she was rigid and inflexible, which happens to be just what the Titans needed.
"Fine, take me to the Creator's platform," Arthas said helplessly; he intended to use the Titan's facilities to harness energy from within to empower Eonar, awakening the Titan's soul, as this would greatly aid him.
There were both benefits and risks, for the Nine Great Guardians were practically non-existent. Some were dead, some rendered useless, some imprisoned, and some sealed away; not a single one was available to take action.
The chief guardian, Odin, was imprisoned by his adopted daughter Helya in the Hall of Valor in the sky, unable to break free from the blockade. He could only rage helplessly within the palace, and his temperament was akin to that of Aman'Thul, the being that granted him his power.
The supreme guardian, Ra-den, had fallen into despair after learning that the Pantheon had been wiped out, to the point of even losing his heart. That usurper called himself the Thunder God, ruling over the southern continent of Kalimdor for a long time.
The Wise King Loken was corrupted and influenced by the Old Gods, secretly plotting against the wife of his brother, causing infighting among the guardians. He even imprisoned the Storm King Thorim, the Frost King Hodir, and the Life Queen Freya, while also eliminating the Creation King Mimiron! The Order King Tyr sacrificed himself to cover his companions' escape from Loken's pursuit, perishing in the explosion.
The last remaining Earth King Archaedas was in deep slumber in the depths of Uldaman in the Eastern Kingdom, with nowhere to hide from his pursuers, not even showing his head. The Discs of Norgannon, which recorded everything that happened in the world of Azeroth, was a monitor for information; once the Titans learned about the information inside, they would know of Loken's betrayal, and the Titans' wrath would surely come upon him.
This was also the reason why Loken was hunting Tyr and Archaedas, out of pure fear of death!
"Isn't Lord Eonar's command enough to make you change your duties?" Arthas tentatively asked, somewhat annoyed; this female giant guardian was truly meticulous!
"If it were an order from Lord Eonar, I naturally would comply, but the Lord has not given me any orders," Nablya replied honestly. Any Titan from the Pantheon could command her, even commanding the Keepers themselves. But unfortunately, the Titans had not appeared for tens of thousands of years and could not possibly come to command her.
Since there were no higher-level orders, she naturally followed her core directives. In this regard, she was completely in the right; there was no fault to be found. Essentially, she was a being that executed commands much like a robot.