This was a bizarre, phantasmagorical world that completely transcended Azshara's imagination. The Queen of the Night Elves could not fathom how—without the use of magic—one could achieve such a terrifying offensive effect as destroying a city in a single strike, leaving it barren for centuries.
Only forbidden-level magic could achieve such a feat. Even she, with her current prowess, could not do so without drawing upon the power of the Well of Eternity.
Azshara felt that Rhodes was lying, perhaps even exaggerating to an absurd degree. It was simply too preposterous.
"Rhodes, first, I wish to express my welcome. I truly and warmly welcome you to our world, and I shall receive you with the highest protocol," Azshara said, her tone souring as she set her wine glass down on the floor. Her expression was no longer friendly.
"You may ask of me anything you require, but you should not deceive me so. The things you describe are impossible. Those skyscrapers—buildings taller and more majestic than my palace, yet serving as mere dwellings for commoners? Do you mean to insult me?"
"A continent where transportation across air, sea, and land is more efficient than teleportation magic? Compared to your world, is my empire merely a backwater province? And this 'nuclear weapon' you speak of... its power is simply ridiculous. By your logic, any nation possessing such a weapon could easily annihilate its enemies. Your world should be nothing but an endless wasteland of war," she said sharply.
The Night Elf Empress felt cheated. She had received this extra-planar visitor with the highest etiquette, only for him to spout nonsense. To her, the world Rhodes described could not exist; no place could be more luxurious or exquisite than her palace.
"Queen Azshara, I can assure you that I have no intention of deceiving you. Every word I have spoken is true. Nuclear weapons are exactly as powerful as I described," Rhodes replied with a calm smile.
"There are even more powerful hydrogen bombs. If all the nuclear weapons in our world were detonated at once, the energy released would not be far behind the explosion of your Well of Eternity. As for the skyscrapers, the tens of thousands of kilometers of asphalt roads, and the winding railways connecting continents—these are real. One can travel between continents in days or weeks via rail, plane, or freighter without a single teleportation spell. And as for the commoners, while life in developed nations cannot be compared to that in impoverished ones, in my home country—which ranks second in comprehensive national power and may rank first in a decade—the people live without worry of food or clothing."
"Then prove it to me," Queen Azshara challenged. "Prove that what you say is true. And tell me, why has no massive war broken out? If such weapons exist, it is only logical that you would be hurling them at one another until the entire world is destroyed."
Rhodes let out a sudden laugh. Truly, she was a case of "long hair, short sight"—it is precisely the possession of world-ending weapons that makes the world safer. People of Earth understood this best; the reason no world war had broken out for over seventy years was precisely due to the existence of nuclear weapons.
"Pfft, hahaha... Your Majesty, I must first correct a flaw in your logic. As a ruler, if you face another nation no weaker than your own, and you have the power to destroy them, but they also have the power to destroy you—what do you do?" Rhodes asked with a chuckle.
"That goes without saying," Azshara replied as if it were obvious. "I would unhesitatingly use my most lethal weapon to annihilate them and defend my realm."
"No, no, no, my dear Queen. Quite the opposite. As a ruler, you must weigh all costs and benefits," Rhodes countered with a cold smirk. "You cannot guarantee that in the moment you destroy them, they will not react in time to destroy you. Do you dare gamble your life, all your subjects, and your entire nation on those odds? Do you have the courage to perish together with your enemy? If you do not, then do not speak so lightly. In this world, your Night Elf Empire is peerless, so you have the luxury of such conclusions. But if an empire existed that was as powerful as yours, you would not say that."
In truth, Azshara was talented, beautiful, and intelligent, but she was far too arrogant. To put it bluntly, she had never suffered a setback; she believed the universe revolved around her. She expected everyone to be unconditionally good to her and believed she should have whatever she desired—the classic personality of a spoiled "immortal."
"Heh, in the end, you are just boasting about the strength of your world. By your reckoning, what would be the odds of victory if your world went to war with mine?" Azshara huffed.
"The odds? I'm afraid, Queen Azshara, that I am not familiar enough with your military strength to make a balanced comparison," Rhodes said.
"Then let me tell you. Our Night Elf Empire is invincible! we have the world's most powerful legion of mages, mastering potent magitech weaponry. we possess elite sorcerers, vast warrior hosts, the mysterious Druids, and the protection of the mighty Wild Gods..." Azshara began to proudly detail the Night Elf Empire's intelligence, laying bare her nation's combat capabilities.
To the Queen, this was the best way to deter an enemy. Look how strong I am, you fool. Do you dare offend me now?
"Pfft! Hahaha! My Queen, I thank you for your candor. Are you certain you have told me everything regarding your empire's military situation?"
What a naive, "sweet-but-clueless" Queen, Rhodes thought. No wonder Sargeras tricked her so easily. Giving away detailed military intelligence to a stranger? She had absolutely no political sense.
Rhodes's sudden laughter caused Azshara's delicate eyebrows to knit together in fury. The mockery in his laugh was undisguised, stabbing at her pride like a needle. The air around her began to stagnate as Arcane energy churned restlessly.
"What are you laughing at?" Azshara's voice turned cold. "You find my empire... laughable?"
"No, Your Majesty. I am not mocking the empire's strength," Rhodes said, reigning in his laughter. "I am laughing at your... sincerity. Or rather, the limitations of your understanding of 'power.' You have so easily laid out all your military trump cards before a visitor you cannot fully trust. In my world, this is a fatal mistake no leader would ever make. Intelligence is the lifeline of war; it is the most important factor in deciding a large-scale campaign or a final showdown between nations. In my world, revealing such information is no different from seeking death. If I were your enemy, I would use this to create targeted defenses and surgical strikes."
The Queen opened her mouth to argue, but found herself at a loss for words, looking like a little girl who had been tricked.
"Insolence! You are playing with me!" Azshara finally snapped. Surging Arcane energy swept out like a literal violet storm, causing the starlight-infused water in the bath to boil violently. "Are you suggesting that you, or that world of yours so weak it needs 'nuclear weapons' to maintain peace, possess the power to threaten the foundation of my empire?"
"Threaten?" Rhodes shook his head. Facing the suffocating magical pressure, he slowly stood up straight. Holy Light flowed naturally from his body, forming a soft but resilient golden halo that pushed back the encroaching Arcane energy.
"Your Majesty, you misunderstand. I am not provoking you; I am stating a fact. If you do not believe me, perhaps I can let you see for yourself."
Rhodes's eyes sparkled with golden light. As his mastery over the Light grew, he had developed a specialized skill—an advanced form of illusion. The Light's greatest strength wasn't just healing, but deception; at a certain level, one could weave illusions so perfect they were indistinguishable from reality, comparable to the Tsukuyomi of the Sharingan.
Rhodes projected images of Earth directly into Azshara's mind.
"Look closely, Your Majesty. You will find that if your army faced the armies of Earth, they would be utterly defenseless. Earth can mobilize millions, tens of millions of soldiers at any time. Humanity has never met an equal."
To be honest, Rhodes thought, if Sargeras found Earth, his first thought wouldn't be to destroy it, but to turn humans into a new breed for the Burning Legion. Human history is one long epic of war; such a bellicose race would be the Legion's favorite.
Queen Azshara's body began to tremble. Her handmaidens tried to rush forward, but Rhodes instantly froze them in place with a gesture.
"Don't worry, ladies," Rhodes whispered. "The show is just beginning."