Rhodes transmitted vivid imagery of highly developed cities directly to Azshara: megalopolises with tens of millions of people, where the night was as bright as day, illuminated by a sea of lights.
People wore clothing that, in her eyes, appeared remarkably opulent; the materials used were of a quality that ordinary citizens of the Night Elf Empire could never afford. Meanwhile, the sights of airplanes, high-speed rail, trains, and automobiles utterly upended Azshara's understanding of the world.
Even more jarring for the Queen were the records Rhodes shared of the First and Second World Wars: massive naval fleet engagements, million-man battles on open plains, and massive tank divisions charging across the landscape. He showed her modern warfare—drones, ultra-long-range strikes, and beyond-visual-range combat.
In these visions, attacks were launched before the enemy had even detected a threat, leaving them no time to react. The sheer, terrifying power of missiles and nuclear weapons left the Queen visibly trembling. Her beloved city of Zin-Azshari—even with its magical shields raised—would be defenseless against such weapons. According to Rhodes, the temperatures generated in an instant were higher than the surface of the sun.
How is this possible? How can such absurd weapons exist? How can such an outrageous civilization thrive?
"This... this is impossible. None of this can be real," Queen Azshara stammered after coming to her senses, gripping the edge of the pool for support, looking utterly shell-shocked.
"What if," Rhodes began with a calm smile, "what if there was an attack that could ignore your legion of mages, bypass all magical protections, and act directly upon the Well of Eternity itself? Or what if there was a plague—one that targets both body and mind—leaving your soldiers and civilians without any resistance, causing mass death while remaining highly contagious?"
"Or perhaps an idea? One that doesn't preach conquest by force, but spreads quietly among your commoners and lower nobility, shaking the very foundations of your rule... How would your armies or your demigods respond to these?"
Rhodes pointed out that modern human warfare was often conducted with restraint, avoiding the most cruel methods like biological or viral warfare. But he didn't sugarcoat it: if a hostile alien race threatened humanity, the super-bacteria and engineered viruses cultivated in modern laboratories would be nightmarish. Between precision GPS strikes and hypersonic missiles, the Well of Eternity would be nothing more than a stationary target. All military hubs and major cities would be sitting ducks for a carpet-bombing campaign. The command structure would vanish, and half the population would be dead before they even saw a human face.
The Well of Eternity is a massive lake of energy. While destroying it physically might require planetary-level energy, "disrupting" it is much easier. Dropping a multi-megaton nuclear warhead into the Well would create a thermal shock and radioactive fallout so severe that the water would become unstable, lethal, and unusable. For a civilization dependent on that energy, it would be the end. It's like poisoning a civilization's only water source—you don't need to evaporate the lake to destroy the people.
Once the Night Elves lose their source of magic, they fall into despair. But humanity? "If you wipe out a million of our soldiers," Rhodes thought, "we'll raise another million, and ten more armies after that." With the advent of unmanned combat systems—mechanical dogs, spiders, drones, and integrated aerospace warfare—what chance did the Night Elves have?
Rhodes introduced the concept of "Asymmetric Warfare." He showed Azshara a form of conflict entirely outside her paradigm. Her mind was stuck on "legions clashing" and "magic duels," while he was describing "decapitation strikes," "systems destruction," and "strategic nuclear deterrence."
Azshara wanted to argue, but she found herself voiceless. In her eyes, her empire had no defense against the methods Rhodes described. And what unsettled her most was that Rhodes claimed he was merely a "commoner." If this was what the public knew, how many "hidden" deterrents did the state keep in the shadows?
"I mention my world not to boast," Rhodes said, "but to show you a possibility—that a glorious civilization can flourish without being tethered to a single energy source like the Well of Eternity. Your desire for greater power and higher levels of existence is not wrong. But perhaps the path to strength is not the only one you've imagined. Blindly chasing it might invite a catastrophe you cannot control—or even comprehend."
Rhodes was testing her now. He wanted to know if the Highborne had already opened a line of communication with the Burning Legion.
Queen Azshara gripped the cool rim of the pool so hard her knuckles turned white. For the first time, a look of "emptiness" and "fear" appeared on her peerless face. The "Light of Lights" had seen the white light of the mushroom cloud, and the wall of her perceived superiority had crumbled.
"Your Majesty, your ambition to reach beyond the limits of mortals is admirable," Rhodes continued. "But allow me to be bold: in your exploration of the boundaries of power, have you... heard any 'whispers' from the distant stars, or perhaps an unnamable dimension? Have they promised you unparalleled knowledge and power? Have their leaders called themselves gods?"
Azshara's expression shifted instantly. "What... what do you know?"
"In my world, we have studied the rise and fall of many civilizations. A common pattern emerges: when a civilization reaches a critical point and becomes desperate for a breakthrough, it often attracts... 'unsolicited help.' And this so-called selfless aid always carries the heaviest price."
Rhodes chose his words with extreme care. He couldn't name Sargeras or the Burning Legion directly—that might trigger an uncontrollable reaction—but seeing her face, he knew. She had already made contact.