Onyxia brought Arthas to the outskirts of the Nexus. A mature, beautiful woman with a scar over her right eye stood on a mountain peak. The scar did not detract from her beauty; instead, it gave her a stern, heroic aura—a charm extremely rare in a woman! She was a woman who looked to have a special allure, a woman with a story.
Standing behind this mature woman was another equally cold woman, though much younger, who exuded the air of a commanding older sister. In her human form, she had long black hair draped over her shoulders and wore dark, lacquered armor that encased her voluptuous, fleshy body. Her face was beautiful, with the features of an Eastern woman, which gave Arthas a pleasant sense of familiarity. She wore a detached expression; the Black Dragons had always been an arrogant and conceited race. Currently, she looked just like a haughty female secretary who would only pant and moan beneath her master.
Onyxia linked her arm with Arthas's, her expression warm and affectionate. "Husband, this is my mother, Sinestra. She adores me. And this is my mother's subordinate, Nalice, the Black Dragon Ambassador at Wyrmrest Temple. She is a very capable dragon."
Arthas looked at Sinestra, and Sinestra looked back at Arthas with a questioning gaze. She could sense his power, and it was surprisingly weak. A trace of contempt touched the corner of her mouth. "Onyxia, I'm disappointed that the consort you've chosen is so weak."
"So what? Wasn't the powerful Deathwing also a failure? He was defeated during the War of the Ancients even while wielding the Dragon Soul. Is that what you call strong? True strength isn't just about power; intelligence and planning are just as important," Arthas's favorable impression of his mother-in-law plummeted. What an ignorant dragoness.
"Hmph. With your strength, you can't even protect Onyxia. What talk is there of plans?" Sinestra was obsessed with strength. If she hadn't been strong enough, she would have died long ago under Deathwing's abuse along with the other female black dragons. It was because she was resilient enough to escape that she survived.
For her husband, Deathwing, she felt not a shred of affection, only hatred and resentment.
"I am indeed still weak. But the tables can turn in thirty years. Don't bully a young man for being poor. Was anyone ever born with world-destroying power?" Arthas's gaze gradually turned icy.
The growth of strength was a step-by-step process. Even with a system, he still needed to kill monsters to gain experience. Every kill required his full effort, honing his combat skills and practical experience in one battle after another. This was all training. It wasn't simply about leveling up through slaughter, but about gaining insight and improving his use and understanding of skills in the midst of it.
"Hmph." Sinestra clearly didn't want to speak with Arthas anymore. She felt ashamed that her daughter had found such a consort.
"Mother, Arthas is amazing. I became queen because of him. Arthas, please don't be angry. My mother is just like this." Onyxia was in a difficult position, caught between her husband and her mother.
But Arthas squeezed Onyxia's small hand, lacing their fingers together, giving her warmth and comfort. "It's alright, I can understand. This is just another reason for me not to slack off."
"Thank you, husband. You're so good to me." Onyxia beamed, her eyes crinkling with a smile. She had been worried that Arthas would get angry, but it seemed she had overthought it.
Her husband was not like those foolish nobles. If one day she had to choose, she would choose her husband without hesitation, for no other reason than she could no longer leave him.
"We are husband and wife. We will be together for a long, long time. Don't worry, I will always be with you," Arthas smiled.
He was very happy to have met Onyxia. Being with a dragon queen was bound to come with a lot of controversy and conflict. What he needed to do was not give up on himself or throw tantrums, but to understand his wife as much as possible.
Nalice had been observing Arthas the whole time. From her experience, Arthas was definitely a person of consequence. To be mocked in front of his wife, a typical human would have become enraged. It was a matter of face, a matter of dignity.
Yet Arthas was calm and did not shy away from others calling him weak. To be able to clearly recognize his own strength and use shame as a motivator for improvement—such a person, no matter their race, would always achieve something great!
Watching Arthas ride away on Onyxia's back, Sinestra let out a soft laugh, devoid of her earlier coldness. "What do you think?"
"He is a person of consequence," Nalice replied coolly, her tone tinged with respect. After a pause, she added, "If he can grow to his full potential."
"Let's go. We'll go and see. If he can really save these dragon eggs, then he is worthy of being with Onyxia." A smile played on Sinestra's red lips. She had only been trying to provoke Arthas earlier. But he hadn't taken the bait at all. It seemed this boy was quite the character.
Finding a human consort? That wasn't a problem. As long as one was powerful enough, it didn't matter what race their partner was. They could even choose a cow or a snail. Even a well! The Sunwell! It wouldn't be a problem.
Compared to taking revenge on Deathwing, Sinestra was more interested in reviving the Black Dragonflight. That was why, when her daughter contacted her through Nalice, she only agreed to show herself after confirming that Deathwing had truly lost his power.
The rampaging Deathwing required the combined might of the other Dragon Aspects just to be defeated, and even then they couldn't kill him. Let alone her; facing Deathwing would be suicide.
Nalice silently transformed into her dragon form and followed behind. She had been raised by Sinestra like a daughter and was extremely loyal to her, having acted as her eyes and ears in Wyrmrest Temple, passing on intelligence.
Conversely, in his mind, Arthas had already placed Sinestra on his list of prey. Since she had a problem with him, then when he had the time and opportunity, he wouldn't mind using the rod below to properly educate her on what it means to be severely lacking! Ah, no, what it means to be lacking in strength