The Drogbar inherently possessed an incredibly strong affinity for the Earth element. Their personalities also aligned well with the rustic nature of the earth: industrious, simple, and steady. In Shamanic culture, long-term contact with elements can cause a variety of emotional changes, and the emotions triggered by each element possess a duality.
The Drogbar were not only influenced by the positive traits of Earth—stability and honesty—but also had the elements of stubbornness and grudge-holding deeply etched into their genes.
Igrul's meeting with Andreas was brief. Even as the leader of the Drogbar, he could not remain away from the sight of the Dragonspawn taskmasters for long. However, Igrul, who was determined to resist Neltharion to the end, brought Andreas a wealth of information. This included details about the Hammer of Khaz'goroth, which Andreas was particularly concerned about, and the current attitude of some Black Dragonflight members toward Neltharion.
According to Igrul, the Hammer of Khaz'goroth was indeed sealed within Neltharion's lair, but unsealing it would be no easy feat. The seal had been placed by the Titan Keeper Archaedas himself. Igrul had attempted the trials of the seal several times while Neltharion was away, but he had yet to successfully defeat the guardians to break the seal.
The guardians of the Hammer's seal consisted of a hundred mass-produced Constellars without self-awareness. Igrul and his subordinates alone were unable to defeat all of them.
Constellars, huh...
Speaking of Constellars—excluding a certain race that might have wandered in from a different franchise—the first thing Andreas thought of was a fellow who bore the title of Observer of Azeroth. Shaking his head, he pulled his drifting thoughts back to the matter at hand.
If Igrul's intelligence was correct, defeating the guardians of the Holy Hammer to break the seal would be extremely difficult. Each mass-produced Constellar possessed strength exceeding that of the elite veterans of mortal races. Furthermore, they followed established protocols with autonomous actions, coordinating with perfect chemistry.
Since Keeper Archaedas had no intention of letting just anyone take the Hammer, and to prevent people from using opportunistic "human wave" tactics to force their way through, he had set a cap on the number of challengers. If the number of challengers exceeded the 100 Constellars, the guardians would not be triggered, and the seal would naturally remain unbroken.
"How troublesome," Andreas muttered, clicking his tongue in frustration. "Anyway, while Neltharion is out, I'll go give it a try later."
Turning back to the still-shimmering Old God scimitar, a mocking curve appeared on Andreas's lips. "Xal'atath, you've listened long enough, haven't you? Don't you plan to say something?"
The light flickering on the surface of the Blade of the Black Empire suddenly paused. Then, a puzzled female voice spoke directly into Andreas's mind.
"Young Night Elf, how do you know of my origins? Have you read the journals of Xandǔ?"
"Heh~ You can think of it that way if you like."
Andreas walked over to the Blade of the Black Empire and crouched down, playfully poking the eerie large purple eyeball on the hilt with his finger. "I'm curious. Neltharion was corrupted by N'Zoth. Among the Old Gods who tore your body apart in ancient times, N'Zoth certainly had a hand in it. Why do you dare to hide so brazenly in the treasure vault of his servant?"
"Ha!"
Hearing Andreas ask such a deep, secretive question so bluntly, Xal'atath knew that her usual tricks of deception and inducement would not work. She let out an undisguised cold laugh. "I do not know from where or to what extent you have unearthed your information, but do you have some sort of misunderstanding about the Old Gods?"
"Firstly, as a weapon that cannot move on its own, I didn't exactly choose to come here. That foolish Black Dragon King accidentally brought me back during one of his expeditions. Secondly, why do you think N'Zoth and the others would still be wary of me in this fragmented state? In their eyes, I have long ceased to be a threat."
"Oh, is that so?"
Andreas did not entirely believe Xal'atath's explanation. It was well known that with the enhancement of shadow power, the suggestiveness in the words of an Old God was extraordinary.
"Forget it." Giving up on probing Xal'atath's past, Andreas stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. "In any case, I have no interest in you. You can just nestle here and wait slowly for a suitable master to appear."
"Wait, don't go yet!"
Having finally encountered a mortal gifted with the power of the Void, and seeing that Andreas intended to leave without a shred of lingering attachment, Xal'atath hurriedly called out to stop him. "Don't you plan to take me with you? I am an artifact that can significantly enhance your Void powers!"
Andreas asked in surprise, "Why should I take you? To keep a time bomb that could explode at any moment by my side? No thanks."
"No, no, no, you shouldn't think that way," Xal'atath said in a fawning, shameless tone. "After all, I was once an Old God. With my understanding of Void magic, as long as you accept my meticulous guidance, your progress in Void magic will be far faster than working behind closed doors. And I promise you, I will never intentionally induce you to do anything against your own will."
Andreas smiled mockingly. "Hmph~ Such words coming from an Old God skilled in beguiling hearts have zero credibility. You probably said the same thing to Xandǔ back then, didn't you?"
"That was different," Xal'atath continued to defend herself. "Xandǔ's obsession was too deep. I merely told him that resurrecting an ancient, powerful entity could help him reclaim his power, and that fool, who thought he was the chosen one, believed it blindly. You aren't a foolish mortal like Xandǔ, are you? I can feel that the conviction in your heart is much firmer than his."
While he wasn't moved by Xal'atath's flowery words, her comment reminded Andreas of something from a certain perspective.
Conviction? That's right. I have the True Goddess Elune backing me up. Can a mere fragmented Old God really break through Elune's blessing to affect me?
Although Elune could not remain in the physical world for long, her will was constantly watching over Azeroth and her two chosen ones. During his harrowing battle with Azshara, because his body couldn't hold out and terminated the spell early, a small amount of Elune's divine power remained. Andreas had not used it since, nor had he returned this final sliver of divine power to Tyrande.
Stroking his chin and pondering for a while, under Xal'atath's constant muttering, Andreas slowly walked back to the scimitar.
"Yes, yes! Just like that! As long as you take me out of this godforsaken place, I will definitely... AAAAAHHHHH!"
When Andreas condensed divine power in his left hand and gripped the hilt, Xal'atath suddenly let out a shrill, piercing scream.
"How... how is this possible?!" Xal'atath's incredulous scream echoed through Andreas' brain.
Andreas, clutching his forehead as a splitting headache hit him, hissed, "Shut up! Haven't you seen the world? What's with all the fuss?"
"You..." Xal'atath's choice of words suddenly became much more cautious, and her sharp tone softened. "Are you a God-favored? An agent of My Lord, the True God, in the material world?"
My Lord? Andreas raised an eyebrow in surprise. Does this fellow think Elune is a Void Lord? Or... does Elune really have a connection to the Void Lords?