While the night elves were busy tracking down and repairing the seals of the Tomb of Sargeras, Taron Bloodmaul, who had obtained three artifacts, had already fled back to the Dark Portal.
The Warsong, Thunderlord, Bonechewer, Laughing Skull, and Shattered Hand clans were still trying to hold back the Alliance in the Blasted Lands, but after reinforcements from the northern kingdoms arrived, the Horde's resistance was finally crushed.
The Warsong and Thunderlord were driven to the edge of the Blasted Lands, unable to affect the situation near the Dark Portal, while the Bonechewer, Laughing Skull, and Shattered Hand retreated urgently to Draenor, preparing to hold Hellfire Citadel to buy time for Ner'zhul to open a spatial passage.
After an urgent discussion, Turalyon decided to lead the army across the Dark Portal, pursuing the orcs to their homeworld to permanently resolve the issue of these restless orcs.
Khadgar also agreed with Turalyon's idea and decided to join the expedition to Draenor.
If the problem of the Dark Portal wasn't solved from the other side, who knew when the remaining Horde forces would continue to use it to cause more trouble for Azeroth.
Velen and Andreas had discussed the Dark Portal issue long ago; the draenei were not surprised by its reopening and had long prepared for it.
Yrel and Archmage Hataaru led a draenei force, volunteering to cross the Dark Portal with the Alliance army, returning once again to Draenor, a place that evoked deep emotions in them.
The Tanaan Jungle, where the Dark Portal was located, had long been unrecognizable; this barren red land was now called Hellfire Peninsula.
The draenei forces did not fight alongside the Alliance; Yrel and Hataaru took advantage of Turalyon's army battling the Horde at Hellfire Citadel, using their familiarity with the terrain to advance westward into Hellfire Peninsula.
After entering the now much more barren Talador Forest, the draenei routed scattered orcs deeply affected by the after-effects of demon blood, and once again arrived outside the barrier of Shattrath City.
A'dal, who remained on Draenor, opened the barrier, allowing Yrel and other followers of the Light to enter Shattrath City.
After the Horde launched their expedition to Azeroth, this city sheltered a large number of refugees from Draenor's native races, including the botani, saberon, ogres, and even cyclopes.
Yrel obtained a lot of information about the mass evacuation of the draenei from the Naaru A'dal and the Archmage Osaar, who had stayed behind.
Although the orcs had always wanted to breach the three fortresses the draenei held on Draenor, they ultimately failed because their forces were spread thin by the invasion of Azeroth.
Draenor's ecosystem was already in a very poor state due to the continuous corruption of fel energy, but for the draenei, who possessed considerable bio-technology, it was not entirely irreversible, provided that the inhabitants of Draenor stopped using fel energy on a large scale.
This was not difficult; as the effects of fel blood faded and Ner'zhul once again rose to power, the orcs' aversion to fel energy became increasingly apparent.
As a sage-level figure among all orcs, Ner'zhul was well aware that the primary reason Draenor had fallen to its current state was the erosion of fel energy.
Under Ner'zhul's restrictions, orcs began consciously reducing the frequency of fel energy use; unless absolutely necessary, orc warlocks were strictly forbidden from using large-scale fel spells.
Osaar thoughtfully stroked the fleshy tendrils on his chin, "So, the Prophet and Andreas plan to establish Draenor as an outpost to observe the Burning Legion's movements?"
Yrel nodded and said, "That's roughly it. I don't know the detailed plan either. Archmage Osaar can ask the Prophet in person after arriving in Azeroth."
"I understand." Osaar was not one to dither. "I will arrange Shattrath, leaving the necessary troops to A'dal for defense. You all go execute your missions first."
Shattrath was only Yrel and Hataaru's first stop; next, the two separated, heading to the Karabor Temple in Shadowmoon Valley and Auchindoun in southern Talador Forest.
At the same time, the Arakkoa defending Skyreach also sensed something unusual from the sudden activity of the draenei; Shadow-Sage Iskar specifically sent people to Auchindoun to contact the draenei and inquire about the situation.
The Alliance's progress in attacking Hellfire Citadel was not very smooth; the five northern kingdoms had just experienced a significant civil war, so the forces they could deploy were not many.
Hellfire Citadel was a frontline fortress built by the orcs before invading Azeroth, possessing very strong defenses, making it difficult to breach quickly.
Turalyon left Danath Trollbane, who had voluntarily joined the expedition, to lead the army in besieging Hellfire Citadel, aiming to tie down the main orc forces in Hellfire Peninsula.
Ever since entering Draenor, Turalyon had always heard a faint, ethereal calling, which guided him westward to the Talador Forest in Hellfire Peninsula.
Horde reinforcements from Nagrand and Shadowmoon Valley continued to pour into Hellfire Peninsula, and the three most important artifacts were carried south by Taron Bloodmaul.
To nip the problem in the bud, Turalyon decided to move west to completely destroy the Horde's main base, crush their ambitions, reclaim the three artifacts, and incidentally find out what that unknown calling was all about.
Horde Warchief Ner'zhul was stationed at the Citadel of Anguish in Shadowmoon Valley; although the frontline situation caused him considerable worry, the turn of events was not beyond his expectations.
The Horde had lost the elite forces that invaded Azeroth and were no longer a match for the battle-hardened Alliance; being suppressed by the enemy was still within his predictions.
After Taron Bloodmaul brought back the three artifacts, Ner'zhul did not want to delay for a moment, ordering the frontline clans to desperately hold off the Alliance army while he began casting spells to use the artifacts to tear open spatial passages.
The Draenei, Alliance, and Horde were all racing against time to carry out their plans; now it was a matter of who could complete their plan first...
Although Andreas was quite concerned about what was happening on Draenor, separated by the Dark Portal, the intelligence relayed from Draenor could not guarantee timeliness.
When he received news, it had usually been several days since the event occurred.
In this situation, neither he nor Velen could precisely command the actions of Yrel and the others; they could only let them adapt as planned.
Yrel's mission was to connect the draenei remaining on Draenor, bring the Archmage and the vast majority of the remaining civilians in the city back to Azeroth, and have the Naaru continue to lead the army to garrison the three fortresses, monitoring the movements of the Burning Legion.
Hataaru's mission was more important: he was to carry a positioning device and an interstellar communication terminal to fix and record Draenor's coordinates, striving to establish remote contact with Azeroth.
Although Andreas' reminder to position twice seemed somewhat inexplicable, Hataaru still decided to follow his advice.
After completing the first positioning, Hataaru set off back to Shattrath to rendezvous with Yrel and prepare for evacuation; he temporarily left his subordinate Rom'ogg in Shattrath, instructing him to operate the so-called second positioning a month later.
When Andreas brought Ra-den into the True Thunder King's Tomb, the explosive news from Draenor had just reached Azeroth, and Andreas, deep in the mists, did not receive the intelligence immediately.
In short, Draenor was torn apart by the spatial rifts recklessly opened by Ner'zhul, and the entire planet's surface structure was no longer stable.
As Yrel and Hataaru hurriedly led a large number of people through the Dark Portal back to Azeroth, a powerful fel energy explosion erupted on the other side of the interstellar gate.
The draenei and Alliance soldiers who were lagging behind were thrown by this explosion; when all the dust settled, the Dark Portal had lost its function of connecting the two worlds, completely closed from the other side by the expeditionary forces' remaining soldiers.
"Boom!"
Pushing open the heavy stone coffin lid, a perfectly preserved blue-skinned Mogu corpse lay supine in the exquisite and luxurious coffin, hands clasped over its lower abdomen, as if sleeping.
Andreas looked solemnly at Ra-den, "Are you ready?"
Ra-den took a deep breath and said calmly, "Yes, let's proceed as planned."
"Alright, Taran Zhu, have your monks transport this guy to the highest peak of Kun-Lai Summit. The resurrection ritual requires a large amount of lightning power. Have Xuen and Yu'lon start acting as well."
The highest peak of Kun-Lai Summit is located in the center of the entire mountain range.
The Shado-Pan monks placed Lei Shen's body on a cart, which was then pulled by cold-resistant yaks, struggling to ascend the snow-covered mountain path.
Yu'lon and Xuen, who had been waiting at the summit, began to cast spells upon receiving instructions.
The winds and clouds above Kun-Lai Summit started to shift under the control of the Dragon and Tiger August Celestials.
As Yu'lon had not yet recovered her peak strength, Xuen primarily drove this spell to summon wind and clouds, with Yu'lon only responsible for gathering thunderclouds.
When Andreas and Ra'den escorted Lei Shen's body to the summit, thick dark clouds had already covered the entire peak of Kun-Lai Summit.
Under the dim sky, bright lightning flashed intermittently.
Ra'den used his hand to lift Lei Shen's body from the cart and placed it on the altar that had already been prepared on the summit.
He then sat in one of the array's nodes within the magic circle that covered the mountaintop.
Andreas looked up at the raging lightning in the sky, nodded, and said, "That's about enough, let's begin."
As he injected his energy into the colossal magic array beneath his feet, the dim mountaintop, amidst the snow, wind, thunder, and lightning, began to glow with dazzling light.
"Alas~"
A phantom figure dressed in traditional Pandaren attire suddenly appeared on the summit.
He looked at the somewhat stunned Andreas with a compassionate expression, "Young man, are you sure you want to resurrect Lei Shen?"
"Young man?"
Andreas' expression was a bit strange; he couldn't remember how long it had been since someone had called him that.
"Pfft~"
Onyxia, who was hiding nearby, ready to watch the show, couldn't help but burst into laughter.
It wasn't until she saw Andreas' angry side-glance that she quickly composed herself, but judging by her trembling body and twisted expression, she seemed unable to suppress her laughter for a while.
Andreas asked expressionlessly, "Is it that funny?"
"No." Onyxia cheated by using the power of the earth to control her muscle movements. "I've had professional training; no matter how funny it is, I won't laugh... unless I can't help it."
Andreas rolled his eyes at the cheeky dragon, speechless. "I knew I shouldn't have told you those memes."
Turning to the somewhat bewildered Pandaren phantom, Andreas twitched his lips and said, "You're Shaohao, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Andreas."
"Andreas... Wait!"
Shaohao's action of stroking his beard in thought suddenly paused.
He asked with some surprise and doubt, "Are you the one Shantis mentioned ten thousand years ago...?"
"That's right, I was the one who suggested seeking help from the Pandaren."
Andreas shrugged, "So don't call me young man; I'm definitely older than you."
"Uh..." Shaohao's expression was a bit stiff, much like the awkwardness of trying to show off and failing.
"Ahem~"
Deliberately coughing to divert his gaze, Shaohao respectfully bowed to Yu'lon and Xuen.
"Two August Celestials, thank you for continuously guarding the peace of Pandaria for the past ten thousand years."
Xuen sighed with some melancholy, "Shaohao's spirit, I didn't expect to see you here.
Why haven't you come to us all these years?"
Shaohao regained his previous elegant demeanor and explained with a smile, "It's not that I didn't want to, but that I couldn't."
"My spirit can only manifest for a moment at the top of this Spirit Peak; I cannot leave the summit."
"For the past ten thousand years, I have silently watched the development of Pandaria.
To see the people free from the influence of the Sha and living in peace and prosperity, I am content."
Andreas shook his head and said, "Emperor Shaohao, with all due respect, Pandaria has not truly escaped its crisis."
"You did seal six Sha at the time, but the final Sha of Pride still lurks beneath the Vale of Eternal Blossoms, which you sealed, near Y'Shaarj's heart."
Shaohao smiled bitterly and said, "I know, it's all my fault for not being able to control my own arrogance, leaving an indelible hidden danger for Pandaria."
Andreas sighed, "You still don't understand.
Your attempt to solve Pandaria's crisis by yourself is, in itself, an idea of extreme arrogance."
"This..."
Shaohao was stunned in place for a long while after being exposed by a single sentence.
After a long pause, Shaohao sighed faintly, "Alas~ So this is the original sin..."
Andreas never believed that the power of one person alone could truly save an entire race or even the world.
Human power has its limits; even the mighty Titans needed to band together to form the Pantheon, and even then, they were completely wiped out by Sargeras.
The root cause still stemmed from their own arrogance.
If they had abandoned their Luck mentality and made thorough preparations in advance, even if Sargeras was more valiant and skilled in battle, with the Pantheon's numerous powerful devices, it wouldn't be a problem to seal him, let alone kill him.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for now."
Andreas turned around and faced the altar again.
"Currently, Pandaria is indeed very peaceful, but this peace cannot last forever."
"Leaving aside the internal crises of the Mantid and Mogu, I don't believe that the mists you embody can protect Pandaria for all eternity; things outside the plan will happen sooner or later."
"Resurrecting Lei Shen seems like a risky move, but who can be sure that it isn't a turning point to break through the existing pattern?"
"Just watch.
Perhaps Lei Shen's record in your Pandaren history is too strong, causing all Pandaren to be unable to escape his shadow, but for me..."
Andreas, standing within the array's node, gripped the staff of G'Hanir tightly with both hands and slowly chanted the ritual incantation he had learned from Rezan.
The lightning in the sky, influenced by the array, began to converge towards the center of the altar.
"Lei Shen is merely one of the many demigods of Azeroth."
"Crackle!"
A bolt of lightning struck not far from where Lei Shen lay on the altar.
The scattered electric arcs splashed onto Lei Shen's body, and like a stone sinking into the sea, they were absorbed by his body.
"Great Protector of Pandaria, Eternal Sovereign of the Mogu! Your loyal devotee calls upon you in the name of the Nine Heavens' Thunder, reawaken from your endless slumber!"
Suppressing his disgust, Andreas finished chanting the last and most important part of the incantation.
He witnessed the scattered lightning in the sky gather into a thick, silvery-white bolt of lightning that struck down from the sky in the blink of an eye.
Lei Shen on the altar bounced slightly from the impact of this lightning.
But immediately, these violent lightning energies were absorbed into Lei Shen's body.
Everyone present could feel Lei Shen's corpse rapidly regaining vitality.
His hands began to tremble slightly, and the lightning dancing at his fingertips was... oh, wrong scene.
"Roar!"
Lei Shen, gradually floating up from the altar, let out a roar towards the sky.
His open eyes were filled with silvery-white lightning, and his powerful aura blew Yu'lon, whose strength had not yet fully recovered, several meters away.
"Mogu, your supreme Emperor has returned!"
"Crack!"
The lightning energy overflowing from Lei Shen's body surged wildly across the summit platform.
Mortals like Taran Zhu were struck by the lightning and scattered in all directions.
Xuen used his massive body to shield the Pandaren from Lei Shen's might.
"Ha!"
Upon his resurrection, Lei Shen immediately saw the massive white tiger.
A proud smile appeared on his face, "It's you again, vanquished foe, still wanting to suffer... at my hands?"
Feeling the abundant thunder energy in his body rapidly draining, Lei Shen's words were cut short as he showed an expression of shock and anger.
"My power! Who is stealing my power?!"
"Stealing?"
Ra'den, sitting cross-legged in the array's node behind Lei Shen, had a strange expression.
"You seem to have it backward.
I'm not stealing your power; I'm taking back the power of the Watcher that you stole."
"Lei Shen, you have already proven to the world through your actions that the path of a tyrant does not work, so..."
Ra'den intensified his absorption of power from Lei Shen, "It's time for me to reclaim my leniency and grace towards you, and make you recognize your true identity and strength once more."
"Ra'den?! No!!"
Zzzt!
A streak of lightning shot toward the immobilized Loken, but before it struck, a figure flashed in front of him, swung a staff, and dispersed the arc.
"First meeting, false demigod—Mr. Lei Shen."
Andreas greeted the stunned Thunder King with a smile and a hand on his chest. "I am Andreas, a Night Elf and only the second 'true' mortal demigod in Azeroth's history."
Strictly speaking, the Mogu are not mortals; they are second-order Titan creations, born with innate gifts no Mortal race can match.
Moreover, Lei Shen's power isn't his own—he stole it from Loken. His demigod status is largely a sham.
Desperate to stop Loken from reclaiming his might, Lei Shen ignored the barb and waved his hand, summoning several bolts of lightning that crashed toward Andreas.
"Out of my way!"
Crackle-crackle!
Andreas swept the sword of the dark empire through the black sky, splitting every falling thunderbolt in two.
Forged from Xal'atath's claws, the blade isn't metal and doesn't conduct, giving it an edge against lightning-wielding foes like the Thunder King.
Charged with Shadow Energy, the sword drank the surrounding light; the lightning that had lit the heavens died beneath its arc.
"As the old Pandaren saying goes: return courtesy with courtesy—catch this!"
Thud!
Andreas slammed the ganir staff into the ground. Blazing golden light shredded the storm clouds, and shafts of sunlight speared through the torn sky.
While Lei Shen glared at the descending meteors of energy, Andreas channeled Shadow into the array at the summit; violet runes flashed and vanished.
"Ridiculous! A few falling rocks think they can beat me? Dream on!"
lightning erupted around Lei Shen, lifting him into the air; the torn clouds regathered and raged.
Dozens of bolts danced overhead, weaving a ragged net of thunder that shattered most of the meteors mid-fall.
"Ugh!"
With Loken still siphoning his strength, casting on such a scale drained him; emptiness surged within, and pride finally gave way to alarm.
'Now!'
Spotting the fleeting grimace, Andreas' eyes flashed. Violet tentacles burst from the ground array, seizing the Thunder King's limbs while his gaze was skyward.
"You—won't—have me!"
Silver-white lightning crackled as Lei Shen fought to break free, but the continuous drain left him powerless.
The mighty Keeper strength that once brimmed within was rushing away; for the first time in ages he felt the hopeless weakness of the endless warlord era.
"Enough."
Loken clenched his left hand; a flash of gold and the struggling Thunder King went limp, unable to resist as the tentacles hurled him to the ground.
His crown rolled into the slush, muddy water splattering his blue stone skin—utter disgrace.
Power restored, Loken rose and stretched his left hand skyward.
Rumble!
golden lightning flooded the mountaintop like a myth reborn, stunning every resident of Kun-Lai Summit.
The bolts converged in Loken's grasp; the Great Guardian who once commanded legions of Titan-forged alongside Odyn had returned.
Feeling lightning course through flesh instead of stone, Loken's expression grew complicated.
He could wring the nalakshaa engine's secrets from Lei Shen and rebuild his stone body, yet after a moment he let the thought go.
The age of Mortals was advancing; no handful of Keepers could reverse that tide.
So he would keep this Mortal flesh, learn what Mortals feel, and seek a path where Keepers and Mortals might coexist.
As for Lei Shen—zzzt!
With a casual sweep, Loken bound the fallen king head to toe in chains of living lightning.
"Andreas, leave him to me. I still have questions."
"No problem."
Andreas released the shadow tentacles. Stripped of stolen might, the once-unrivalled Thunder King stared blankly.
After ten millennia of supremacy, returning to weakness was crushing; whether the tyrant could endure it—only the two Keepers would ever know.
Andreas, Onyxia and the others bade a conflicted Emperor Shaohao farewell, tactfully leaving the summit to these two masters with their tangled past.
Though Loken had tipped the scales, the clash between Mortal and "god" had shown Shaohao that Mortals could reach the heavens.
Uncontrolled, the storm clouds dispersed, and Kun-Lai's sky returned to flawless sapphire.
Keeper and emperor talked till dusk; a final blaze of lightning flashed, then Loken vanished in a thunderous stride back to the Temple of the White Tiger.
Reading the crowd's silent question, he shook his head. "He refused to help govern the world—he only begged for death."
Lei Shen's choice surprised no one.
Even bolstered by Loken's power, the empire he carved was won by more than personal might.
His rule was brutal, yet under him the Mogu reached their zenith; the Serpent's Spine that holds the Mantid was built in his reign—though countless slaves died raising it.
Setting cruelty aside, he was a hero to legions; bending such pride to another's will was impossible.
Seeing Loken wished no more of it, Chi-Ji shifted topics. "Then the remnants on the Isle of Thunder cannot be persuaded either?"
"No." Loken sighed. "Destroy them; let them follow their king in death."
"I've gleaned improved methods for the nalakshaa engine. I'll start it in the Mogushan Vaults; once enough reinforcements are born, they'll join the assault on the Isle."
Loken's departing figure looked lonely. However brutal the method, Lei Shen had been his only conversation in millennia of exile; the king's defiant death gave the Guardian new insight into what "leader" truly means.
With Loken's power restored and the engine re-ignited, Andreas' first Pandarian objective was complete.
The heart of the aspect's tutelage under Yulon also proceeded smoothly; the recovering Yu'lon trained alongside Dragon, showing by example how to master borrowed strength.
Dragon can now tap that vast Keeper power, though true mastery will still take time.
"Time to head home and check the latest on the Draenor campaign—let's hope events stay on course."
Upon learning that Andreas was leaving, Dragon, who had not yet completed his studies, clung stubbornly to his neck, clearly unwilling to let him go.
Since his "birth," the little Dragon had been stuck to Andreas, likely treating him as his parent.
Andreas placated him helplessly, "I won't abandon you. I just need to go back and handle some matters. You continue studying here with Yulon. I promise I'll come back to see you as soon as possible, okay?"
"Woo~"
Dragon looked back at the gentle Yulon, considered for a moment, then shook his head like a rattle-drum, stubbornly coiling around Andreas and refusing to leave.
Yulon seemed to have a knack for soothing children. With her help, Dragon, who had been throwing tantrums for several days, finally agreed dejectedly to let Andreas leave.
The little fellow's study progress was related to the ownership of the Power of the Aspects, and furthermore, to the future of the Aspects race, and even the future of Azeroth.
Now that the Titan Keepers had clearly taken sides and were preparing for civil war, the Aspects were the only remaining guardian force of Azeroth capable of providing support against powerful external invaders. Their status determined the severity of the crisis facing the inhabitants of Azeroth in the future great war.
Although he felt guilty being stared at by the little guy's teary eyes, Andreas finally hardened his heart and left Pandaria with Chi-Ji.
After this, Pandaria would likely enter a long period of troop mobilization and internal cleansing, unable to provide external support for a long time.
Once Dragon completed his studies, he would leave the mists and return to Andreas on his own. The little guy was extremely good at navigation and could find his way back to Astranaar.
Upon returning to the world of Information Explosion, the latest intelligence regarding Draenor immediately reached Andreas' ears.
Under the active self-destructive actions of Nerzhul and Teron Gorefiend, Draenor, the planet that had received the favor of the Titan Aggramar, finally headed toward ruin.
The soldiers of the Expeditionary Force who retreated to Azeroth recounted the decision made by Turalyon, Khadgar, and others: in the world teetering on the brink of destruction, they resolutely chose to stay and close the Dark Portal.
The signs of Draenor's collapse were severe, and the Expeditionary Force soldiers who escaped at the last moment all thought the world was doomed.
The increasingly aged Lothar nearly fainted when he received the news. He hadn't expected his proud protégé, whom he had personally taught, to "die" in a crumbling world like this.
The Kirin Tor Council of Dalaran also felt deep regret over the loss of Khadgar. Although Khadgar belonged to the Tirisifal Council, given that the latter council now existed only in name, calling him a mage of Dalaran was not incorrect.
Among the new generation of mages, Khadgar was undoubtedly the most talented prodigy; otherwise, he wouldn't have been taken as an apprentice by Medivh.
Garona, whom Khadgar had entrusted to stay in Azeroth, was also somewhat dazed upon hearing the news.
Draenor was a place of unmitigated sorrow for Garona. When Khadgar decided to enter the Dark Portal, she hesitated repeatedly and decided to stay behind to help Khadgar investigate the collaborators behind Teron Gorefiend's theft of the artifacts.
She never imagined that this parting would be forever.
As an outsider, Garona didn't have many friends in Azeroth. Among the companions who had fought side-by-side to kill Medivh, only Khadgar maintained contact for the longest time.
Although the assassination attempt had failed back then, Garona felt she had no face to meet Lothar and Llane again, and had been secretly guarding the Kingdom of Stormwind from afar, using intelligence provided by Khadgar.
It wasn't just Khadgar and Turalyon who decided to stay in Draenor to close the gate; Danas of the Kingdom of Stromgarde also went with them, along with thousands upon thousands of Expeditionary Force soldiers who voluntarily stayed and sacrificed themselves.
Moved by their noble spirit of self-sacrifice, monuments and statues were erected outside the rebuilt Stormwind City for these heroes and nameless "martyrs," commemorating their immense contribution to Azeroth.
When Andreas emerged from Pandaria, which was Disconnected from the Network, everything had already settled.
Without Andreas' specific interference, the choices of Turalyon and the others did not deviate from history, and Nerzhul still self-righteously charged straight into Kiljaeden's embrace.
Since he didn't interact much with Turalyon and Khadgar, and knew they were likely still alive, Andreas didn't focus on their future. Instead, he first came to the Lost Isles to learn about the results of Yrel's mission.
This time, Yrel brought back three Archbishops from Draenor: Adal, Malardal, and Akama.
Although only a short eight years had passed, this period felt like an eternity for the separated parties.
Akama and the others struggled for eight years in the extremely difficult living conditions of Draenor, solely to preserve the last hope for the Draenei, prevent the Colonization Plan of Prophet Velen and others from failing, and maintain the last spark of the Draenei people.
Conversely, the same was true: although the Orcs couldn't breach the defenses of the three Draenei fortresses, if the Burning Legion personally launched an attack, even the strongest defenses would eventually be broken by the demons.
Fortunately, the current outcome was good, and both sides successfully merged.
The Burning Legion did not attack the Draenei who had lost Velen, and the Tempest Keep Fleet successfully arrived at Azeroth under Medivh's guidance.
"So..."
After exchanging greetings with Akama and the others, Andreas turned to look at Hataru, whose expression was conflicted.
"Hataru, did you set up the two location markers as I instructed?"
"I did it, but does this really matter?"
Thinking of Romul, who was left behind in the collapsing world, Hataru sighed deeply. "Draenor is finished. The Naaru can survive in the Dark Void, but Romul and the others..."
Patting the somewhat sorrowful Hataru comfortingly, Andreas said, "Cheer up. Do you think I would do something without assurance?"
"Did it not occur to you why I told you in advance to set up two location markers? And why I had you bring a Portable Signal Station capable of interstellar communication?"
Velen, who had been stroking his beard in contemplation, suddenly brightened his eyes. He looked at Andreas in surprise and asked, "Could it be... Draenor can still be saved?"
"No, Draenor cannot be saved."
Andreas spread his hands and said, "But that doesn't mean Draenor will completely perish just yet."
"According to Yrel's description, the Space portals opened by Nerzhul tore Draenor apart after they went out of control, but... can those Space portals truly destroy an entire planet?"
Velen nodded thoughtfully. "I understand what you mean. Are you saying... although Draenor's Celestial Body is shattered, the planet's main structure is still intact?"
"That's basically it. The countless Space portals opened by Nerzhul would, at most, only affect the planet's surface; they cannot cause significant damage to the planet's core."
"If I'm not mistaken, the remnants of Draenor should still be floating in the cosmos. This is why I had Hataru activate the secondary location marker."
Unlike the original history, the Draenei did not crash onto Azeroth while fleeing; instead, they piloted the Tempest Keep Fleet and entered the planet through official channels.
As long as conditions allowed, the Tempest Keep, which was charged by Geothermal Charging, could completely track the coordinate signal and travel to Draenor again to establish contact with the shattered planet.
Although Andreas didn't know the exact structure of the Dark Portal, based on experience from the original history, this Interstellar portal seemed difficult to destroy completely, and there was a possibility of it reopening in the future.
This was also why the Burning Legion constantly paid attention to Draenor.
After the Well of Eternity disappeared, the most convenient channel for the Burning Legion to enter Azeroth was this portal that could never be truly destroyed.
Conversely, if they could place spies in Draenor, at least the shortcut the Burning Legion used to enter Azeroth from Draenor could be monitored to the greatest extent.
"Zzzzt~"
The Small Signal Receiving Terminal Hataru had placed aside suddenly emitted a jumbled static noise. The Archbishop rushed forward in a single stride and picked up the terminal.
"This is Hataru, can anyone hear me?"
"Zzzzt~ This is Romul, Archbishop Hataru, can you hear my voice?"
The Draenei present cheered in unison. Velen personally picked up the small terminal to speak with Romul, who was on Draenor.
Andreas mischievously twitched the corner of his mouth under Onyxia's gaze, which scrutinized him like a monster. "What are you looking at?"
Although Pandaria is not a primitive society, its completely closed-off environment made it very difficult for Andreas to contact the outside world, slowing down his intelligence gathering.
While Andreas was in a semi-isolated state, Yrel and Hataru perfectly completed their mission, establishing contact between Azeroth and the remnants of Draenor floating in space.
Although this communication system was fragile and unstable, constantly risking disconnection, it was currently the only convenient way to understand the state of Draenor after the great explosion, especially since the Dark Portal had closed.
The conversation between Romul and Hataru lasted only about ten minutes. Many rules within the fragments of Draenor had been twisted, and energy tides from the cosmos could sweep over them at any moment.
The communication between Hataru and Romul was interrupted by an energy tide. Fortunately, Romul had managed to quickly relay the situation of Draenor after the great explosion during those ten minutes.
The planet Draenor was torn apart under the influence of the countless spatial rifts ripped open by Nerzhul, causing immense changes to the formerly intact planetary environment.
The Sea of Isolation surrounding the continent was drained, and certain lands that were originally separate were forced to merge due to sudden tectonic movement.
According to Romul's preliminary observations, at least half of the Arak Peaks region was ripped into the cosmos.
Having been warned of the impending disaster by the Draenei, the Arakkoa, led by Shadow Sage Aeska, urgently evacuated. After losing nearly half their population, they managed to escape near Auchindoun, barely avoiding the catastrophe of the planet's collapse.
Frostfire Ridge, the homeland of the Frostwolf Clan, was completely torn away from the continental plate, replaced by a swampy area that emerged after the sea was drained.
Farahlon Island, the last homeland of the Prime Thorn Beasts, was ripped to pieces. Through intense tectonic activity, it was barely integrated into the eastern edge of Gorgrond, forming a strange area composed of countless floating landmasses.
These were only the obvious changes Romul learned about in a short time; it is said that the remaining regions also experienced varying degrees of topographical and ecological shifts internally.
The great earthquakes covering the entire world of Draenor have largely ceased, but this now incredibly unfamiliar world prevents most people from daring to leave their shelters rashly.
Draenor's gravity is weaker, and the air is much thinner than before. All survivors will need time to readapt to this shattered world.
After confirming the situation on Draenor, Andreas immediately bid farewell to Velen and the others.
With Hataru's Technicians constantly monitoring the connection, they would immediately share any new developments with the Night Elves.
Onyxia did not follow Andreas back to Astranaar. She needed to return to the Wyrmrest Temple first to report the situation and check on her mother's condition.
Emerging alone from the Astranaar teleportation tower, Andreas took flight, returning to the Great Moon Temple while being respectfully seen off by the Highborne Mages.
During his absence, Kalimdor maintained a stable trend of development, a stark contrast to the suffering Eastern Kingdoms.
The Expeditionary Force lost on Draenor caused varying degrees of loss to the nations of the Eastern Kingdoms. The Northern Five Kingdoms, originally full of tension, could only quiet down together and lick their wounds.
Due to Terenas' unusual behavior, Andreas had Prisim increase surveillance on the Royalty of Lordaeron over a year ago, and they recently found some clues.
"The Cathedral of Light?"
After receiving the intelligence from Maiev, Andreas was genuinely surprised.
"Yes, Terenas has been under immense pressure in recent years, often going to the Cathedral to seek guidance from the Archbishop."
Maiev flipped through the documents and explained, "The former Archbishop Alonsus Faol has passed away. The one who took over his position is a High Priest named Benedictus, who was one of Alonsus' Priest Apprentices."
"Benedictus?"
Andreas raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he from the Kingdom of Stormwind? Why is he serving in Lordaeron?"
Benedictus, one of Alonsus Faol's apprentices.
Unlike his favorite disciples who were blessed and became Paladins, Benedictus adhered to the Path of the Priesthood from beginning to end. He had no intention of going to the front lines, instead staying in the rear to soothe the troubled souls of the people who came to pray.
For Andreas, this name was certainly not unfamiliar, but not because of any great deeds he had performed, but because of a role he would play in the future.
In the original history, after the war, Benedictus returned south with the high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Stormwind, becoming the Bishop of the rebuilt Cathedral of Light in Stormwind City, playing a crucial role in post-disaster reconstruction.
Maiev nodded and said, "The intelligence Prisim uncovered confirms that he was originally from the Kingdom of Stormwind."
"According to Benedictus' own public statements, he received deathbed guidance from his esteemed teacher, Archbishop Faol, and decided to abandon national prejudice, staying in Lordaeron to continue spreading the Faith of the Holy Light for Archbishop Faol."
"After Archbishop Faol's death, Terenas reduced the frequency of his visits to the Cathedral of Light, but Benedictus is often invited into the Royal Palace to relieve the worries of the royal family members."
"Is that so..."
Andreas subconsciously tapped the desk lightly with his fingers. Tyrande frowned slightly and asked, "Do you suspect this Benedictus has a problem?"
"Huh?" Andreas looked up, puzzled. "Why do you ask that?"
"Your hand."
Tyrande pointed mockingly at Andreas' recently stilled fingers. "When you detect a threat and hesitate about how to handle it, you habitually tap the table with your fingers. Haven't you noticed that yourself?"
"Uh..."
Andreas awkwardly lifted his hand from the desk. 'Looks like I need to pay attention to my habitual movements from now on...'
"Ahem~ My personal habits aren't important. Let's get back to the main topic."
Andreas composed himself and said, "Benedictus is indeed one of Alonsus Faol's disciples, but his importance is far less than that of Uther, Turalyon, and others."
Regarding Alonsus Faol, many people have a misconception that he only had those few world-famous apprentices, but that idea is wrong.
As the greatest contributor to spreading the Faith of the Holy Light across human nations, Alonsus certainly took on more than just a few disciples in his lifetime. Many unknown Priests and Paladins also received his instruction, and Benedictus was just one of them.
Perhaps Alonsus himself never expected that it would be Benedictus who stepped forward to take over his Archbishop position after his death.
Regardless of what happened, Benedictus, a man from the Kingdom of Stormwind, taking office in Lordaeron represents an abnormal deviation from the original history, which is enough to raise Andreas' vigilance.
"Have Prisim shift the focus of surveillance and keep a close eye on Benedictus."
Andreas narrowed his eyes and said, "Considering that the heavily defended Dalaran was easily invaded by Teron Gorefiend, I suspect the interiors of the human nations have already been infiltrated by certain forces. We must be highly vigilant against those acting in the shadows."
"Perhaps Benedictus is one of the important figures we are looking for."
With the Dark Portal closed from the Draenor side, Azeroth once again ushered in a rare period of peace.
The wars between nations like Lordaeron and Alterac were forced to cease due to the sudden second invasion of the Orcs. After the Dark Portal closed, the five nations showed no intention of reigniting hostilities, each retreating to their own territories to develop in isolation.
However, this war, which lasted over a year, ultimately had some adverse effects on the world situation.
First and foremost was the issue of public welfare.
After the Orcish War ended, all nations should have focused on recuperating and recovering from the severe damage sustained during the conflict.
But the five-nation war instigated by Lordaeron nullified this period of peace. As the instigator of the war, Lordaeron bore the greatest pressure. Terenas suddenly realized after the Dark Portal closed... their logistics were starting to fall behind.
Due to the large-scale conscription of farmers within the kingdom to participate in battles, the farmlands of Eastweald lacked sufficient manpower, and production consistently lagged. The backlash of the war began to affect Lordaeron, the most powerful human nation.
Food shortages were only one aspect. By stubbornly launching an unjust war, Terenas had caused relations between Lordaeron and other Alliance nations to plummet to an all-time low.
Aside from the shameless Dalaran, most Alliance member states, including the completely estranged Kul Tiras and the southern-dwelling Kingdom of Stormwind, deliberately reduced their trade with Lordaeron.
Terenas, who had confidently built the Orc internment camps, had been experiencing severe headaches recently.
If Lordaeron had been at its peak, the maintenance costs of a mere internment camp would have been a drop in the ocean. But now, with internal and external difficulties, the expense of maintaining the camps was starting to make him wince.
The fuse was lit from this point.
Lordaeron deliberately defaulted on the maintenance fees for the internment camps that it was supposed to pay. Other nations naturally wouldn't cover these expenses for them. The soldiers guarding the camps, demoralized by unpaid wages, became less diligent in their duties.
Since his defeat and capture, Orgrim, the former Warchief of the Horde, had been contemplating the reasons for the Horde's failure.
Seeing his compatriots, exhausted and weakened by the fading effects of demon blood, Orgrim gradually understood.
He did not regret the Horde's invasion of Azeroth, as it was the only way for the Orcs, whose homeland was slowly dying, to survive.
Warchief Blackhand's excessive reliance on warlocks like Gul'dan had brought disaster to Draenor, and the destructive power of fel energy was undeniable through the Orcs' years of practical experience.
Indeed, after drinking demon blood, the Orcs gained extremely strong physical enhancements for a period, but this was not without cost.
The berserk Orcs had extremely poor discipline, making them difficult to control. In battle, they were prone to hot-headed, reckless charges. These unruly troublemakers were hidden dangers for any military commander.
While warlocks manipulating fel energy were more destructive than shamans, the healing and comforting power possessed by shamans was something warlocks could not achieve.
The conclusion was that Gul'dan, who introduced fel energy to the Orcs, must die.
Of course, now that Gul'dan was already dead, Orgrim was more concerned with the future of the Horde.
Without the enhancement of demon blood, the once fierce and fearless Orcs became decadent and weary. Orgrim could barely believe that the lazy Orcs around him were the same species as his once industrious, herding compatriots.
If he couldn't find a way to cure their soul-deep exhaustion, even if they successfully escaped from the internment camps, Orgrim didn't believe he could rely on these lazy individuals to fight another war against the Alliance.
Shamans.
Orgrim recalled what the old blind Drek'Thar had told him when he brought Thrall to the Frostwolf encampment.
The elements of Draenor no longer responded to their calls under the ravages of fel energy, but Azeroth was different.
The elements of this new world were stronger and more active than those of Draenor.
After the Frostwolf Clan secluded themselves in the Alterac Mountains, Drek'Thar, after much soul-searching, abandoned fel energy and attempted to communicate with the elements of Azeroth, and had already received initial responses at that time.
The internment camp where Orgrim was imprisoned was the largest one, located in the northwest corner of the Hillsbrad Foothills, near the foothills of Alterac and Dalaran.
This internment camp was supposed to be jointly funded by Lordaeron, Alterac, and Dalaran. After Alterac withdrew from the Alliance, the maintenance costs fell to Lordaeron and Dalaran.
Dalaran's fundamental reason for wanting to establish Orc internment camps was the Kirin Tor Council's interest in the spells used by the Orcs.
They intended to use captured Orcs for experiments, attempting to master the weaknesses of fel magic and implement targeted protective measures.
Dalaran, after all, was just an independent city-state, and the bulk of the internment camp's expenses still fell on Lordaeron.
And when Lordaeron began to default on payments, the soldiers guarding the internment camp started to slack off.
Orgrim had long noticed this opportunity, but he always worked diligently with his one arm, performing heavy labor without showing any emotion, appearing very docile.
Orgrim, who had not drunk demon blood, did not fall into weakness like his compatriots, but his deliberately feigned exhaustion caused the heavily armed guards to unconsciously relax their vigilance.
When the internment camp soldiers, disheartened by unpaid wages, once again gathered to complain, Orgrim finally began to act.
Using his understanding of the internment camp gained over more than two years, he quietly slipped out of the weakly defended camp under the cover of night.
By the time the guards discovered the former Warchief's disappearance the next morning, Orgrim had already hidden himself in the Alterac Mountains, dashing towards the secluded dwelling of the Frostwolf Clan.
As the most important prisoner in all the internment camps, Orgrim's disappearance was, of course, reported to Terenas.
Terenas, who was already overwhelmed by the funding issues of the Orc internment camps, immediately suffered a splitting headache. To prevent more Orcs from escaping the camps and causing greater chaos, he could only grit his teeth and pay off the overdue internment camp fees.
This news was quickly learned by Niana, stationed at Alliance Headquarters. When the intelligence reached Anarthis, various nations in the Eastern Kingdoms also received related news.
"Orgrim escaped, did he..."
Andreas frowned and stroked his chin. He didn't underestimate Orgrim just because he had lost an arm.
While Orgrim's personal combat strength was not weak, it was still some distance from the Orcish War God Grom Hellscream. What made him most vigilant was his far superior strategic vision and keen strategic awareness compared to his other Orc compatriots.
Unlike the Alliance soldiers who were still searching for Orgrim's whereabouts, Andreas knew exactly where Orgrim had gone with a single guess: he must have fled to the secluded dwelling of the Frostwolf Clan.
What bothered Andreas was that the people sent by Priisim had searched the Alterac Mountains for several years but had never been able to find the Frostwolf's secluded dwelling.
These non-mainstream Orcs, who had long separated from their tribe, had completely hidden their tracks in the snow and wind. Even the high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Alterac had no idea that a group of Orcs was hiding near their homeland.
Although the Alterac Mountains seemed unremarkable in the game, in reality, this mountain range was very vast, and it was by no means easy to find the reclusive Frostwolf Clan.
'Let's note this down for now. I hope Priisim's rogue scouts can bring back relevant news soon.'
The Orc problem could be put aside for now. With the internment camps still intact, a mere Frostwolf Clan couldn't stir up much trouble.
The most important thing at hand was the intelligence arriving from Northrend.
The current Governor of Shandalar sent an urgent military report: starting this morning from the Icecrown Glacier, an unnatural earthquake spread across the entire continent of Northrend.
'It's finally here, isn't it?'
Hearing that the fluctuations came from Icecrown Glacier, Andreas immediately knew the cause of this vibration.
Icecrown Glacier was a definitive forbidden zone for life; the temperatures here were simply not something ordinary Mortals could withstand.
The scouts sent by the Governor of Suramar had ventured deep into Icecrown Glacier multiple times to explore, but limited by insufficient preparation, their explorations yielded no results. These scouts were forced to return to Suramar for rest just as they were about to fall into a state of hypothermia due to depleted mana.
Icecrown Glacier, as the name implies, is a region of permafrost glaciers situated above the cold Arctic sea.
The entire area of Icecrown Glacier is vast. Even if they searched with the center of the shockwave as their target, it would be difficult to obtain any useful intelligence in a short amount of time.
To this end, Andreas personally made a trip to Wyrmrest Temple and persuaded the Dragonflight to launch an aerial search over Icecrown Glacier.
However, it was unclear if Kiljaeden had anticipated the Dragonflight's intervention; the object he had thrown into Azeroth never showed its face, as if it had completely lost contact after plunging into the glacier.
Although he really wanted to finish off the Lich King while he was at his weakest, the opponent was clearly prepared, so Andreas could only let it go for the time being.
But he did not relax his surveillance of Icecrown Glacier.
A portion of Suramar's garrison moved to the edge of Icecrown Glacier ahead of time, slowly adapting to the climate changes from south to north. It was imperative to train a special unit capable of exerting full combat power in Icecrown Glacier before the Lich King's plan was set in motion.
The anomalies in Icecrown Glacier did not only alert the Night Elves and the Dragonflight; Loken also sent his Iron Army riding Proto-Dragons to search the glacier region, likewise yielding no results.
Loken did not yet know that Great Elder Loken had been unsealed. Although the mists of Pandaria blocked their communication with the outside world, at this time, it served as an excellent protective barrier.
Thorim and Hodir were both informed of Ra-den's return through Andreas' notification. They silently made preparations within their respective guarded areas, waiting for Ra-den to accumulate enough troops through the nalakshaa engine to invade Ulduar in one fell swoop and eradicate Loken... As the threat from Draenor receded, the various nations of Azeroth spent five years in an atmosphere of overall peace.
During these five years, all nations were busy handling internal affairs, doing their best to smooth over the effects brought about by years of war.
Under the leadership of King Llane, the Kingdom of Stormwind successively reclaimed Westfall, Duskwood, and Redridge Mountains. They have now redeployed their defensive lines at the junction of Stranglethorn Vale and Duskwood.
The recovery of the Swamp of Sorrows has been relatively slow. The Warsong Clan hiding in the swamp would occasionally rush out to plunder the grain the Alliance sent to the Keep.
Having lost the elite Expeditionary Force led by Turalyon, and with the Dark Portal being closed from the other side, the importance of the Keep has dropped significantly, and the Alliance has reduced the troops sent to the Blasted Lands by quite a bit.
The Keep, short on troops and generals, already found it very difficult just to suppress the Thunderlord Clan hiding in the Blasted Lands; for the time being, they really had no way to deal with the roaming Warsong Clan.
In recent years, the Kingdom of Stormwind, having learned its lesson, has strengthened its ties with its neighbors. Both the Dwarves and Gnomes have provided considerable help for the reconstruction of the Kingdom of Stormwind.
Of course, there was a return on this.
The icy and snowy Dun Morogh was not a major grain-producing area. The Bronzebeard Dwarves and Gnomes mainly relied on raising edible sheep to maintain their consumption. The cereal grains produced in Westfall effectively improved their dietary structure.
In return, muskets and various fine equipment manufactured by the Dwarves and Gnomes gradually flowed into the Kingdom of Stormwind, allowing this former human runner-up to gradually begin recovering its strength.
In contrast, the northern nations, amidst mutual wariness and suspicion, instead formed a trend of internal friction.
Although the war between Lordaeron and the other four nations had ended, the grudges between them had already been established, and trade between the nations plummeted.
Dalaran, however, continued to play both sides, doing business with Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron with its left hand, and selling these goods to nations like Gilneas and Alterac with its right.
On the other hand, Kul Tiras seemed to have fallen into trouble recently. The Drust natives on the island, who had been silent for centuries, began to stir again. Daelin was busy investigating the witch cults that suddenly rose up in various places.
For Andreas, who was accustomed to the passage of time, five years was but a blink of an eye.
He hadn't been idle during these five years either. His main achievement was collaborating with the Draenei to research and develop floating warships for use within the atmosphere.
Although the Night Elf navy was powerful enough, ships that relied on sailing in water ultimately had their limitations; it was difficult for them to play a role in battlefields far from the coast.
The Draenei's level of technology was very advanced. Through their research on the naaru ship, they had mastered many high-level technologies that were difficult to obtain on Azeroth.
In the alliance and cooperation between the two nations, the Draenei shared part of the technology they had researched with the Night Elves, while also obtaining a lot of the basic knowledge they lacked from the Night Elves.
Andreas was somewhat speechless at the Draenei's 'castle in the air' technology. By reverse-engineering the technology of the naaru ship, they had indeed researched many high-end things.
For example, warp drives, alloy armor plates for space use, star map navigation technology, and so on. But this kind of leapfrog development could easily make them top-heavy. The Night Elves' experience in steady, step-by-step development was exactly the foundational filler they needed.
Based on the size and role of the flying warships, Andreas used the navy's mature experience to categorize the flying warships into several types.
Those skilled in close-quarters combat using small-caliber arcane cannons were destroyers; those providing escort and fire support for capital ships were cruisers; battleships provided powerful fire strikes and were the most resilient; and finally, there were aerospace carriers serving as aerial command platforms.
Of course, there were also many logistical types under the sub-classification, such as supply ships that pre-condensed Well of Eternity energy into crystals stored within the hull, and emergency repair ships carrying a large number of maintenance personnel.
The core of the Flying Fleets came from anti-gravity technology, and this technology was provided by the Night Elves themselves.
As early as the Night Elf Empire period, the Highborne under Queen Azshara had researched Arcane anti-gravity spells, though they could not be widely applied to large-mass objects at the time.
With the support of theoretical books provided by Eversong and the personal participation of Suramar's Magisters, the Night Elf Republic finally scaled up anti-gravity technology two years ago, making it sufficient for application to flying vessels.
After three years of construction, the first batch of prototype Flying Fleets has left the factory. Andreas specifically found a deserted island in the Forbidden Sea near Moonshadow's Rest to quietly experiment. The results obtained from the experiments were quite good, confirming that they could be put into mass production.
When the High Council unanimously passed a resolution to increase the production of flying warships, the heart of the aspect, having spent five years under Yulon's tutelage, finally left Pandaria and hurriedly flew across the sea to return to Andreas' side.
"Ang~ Ang~"
From its appearance, Dragon, who was currently pestering Andreas and acting spoiled, had not undergone any obvious changes. However, Andreas could feel that the energy within this little fellow's body had become more condensed.
Andreas smiled and tapped his finger on Dragon's head. The little Dragon affectionately rubbed its warm neck against his finger of its own accord.
"Have you finished your training?"
"Ang!"
"Very well, then let's set off for Wyrmrest Temple."
"Awoo~"
Five years had passed without any changes to Wyrmrest Temple. When Andreas arrived at the council hall atop the tower, Malygos, Ysera, and Alexstrasza had already arrived, while Nozdormu alone remained missing.
"Awoo~"
Dragon ignored the eager gazes of the three Aspects, coiling around Andreas' shoulder as if saying something.
As a Druid, Andreas could sense the general meaning Dragon wanted to express through its cries.
"Oh? That lord lent his power to you temporarily?"
Unsure if there were any ill-intentioned members within the dragonflights, Andreas did not mention Loken's name.
Letting Dragon fly into the air, Andreas said encouragingly, "Then let's begin. Show us Nozdormu's whereabouts."
"Ang!"
Dragon stretched its body in mid-air, and pale golden energy gradually radiated from its body. SoDomi and Chromie, representing the Bronze Dragonflight, both paused simultaneously, their eyes filled with shock as they stared at Dragon.
"This!"
"By the Titans! Could this be the power of the Father of the Gods?!"
Dragon ignored their exclamations, concentrating on channeling the power Loken had infused into its body according to Yulon's teachings.
As Dragon spun faster and faster in the air, the pale golden glow gradually formed a blurry image.
A massive bronze Dragon was being besieged by countless Dragons with shadowy scales. Although he could strike down an enemy every so often, these strange Dragons always managed to reverse their own time just before dying, returning to their peak state.
SoDomi stepped forward excitedly. "Nozdormu!"
"Dragon Queen, don't be agitated!"
Chromie held SoDomi back, preventing her from disturbing the projection, while she struggled to observe the surroundings of this unknown space-time.
"It looks like... Wyrmrest Temple?"
Chromie recognized the blood-red giant tower standing in the distance of the battlefield. Although it had changed significantly, its shape was unmistakably Wyrmrest Temple.
The sky near the temple was extremely dark, and the corpses of the five dragonflights were scattered everywhere on the ground. The combatants seemed completely oblivious to their surroundings, continuing their never-ending battle.
'Bronze Dragons really are cheaters.'
Andreas shook his head helplessly. 'When their condition fails, they just use a time rewind. Although it can't be used indefinitely, having two lives in a fight is a huge advantage.'
Andreas could see that there were only about a dozen Shadow Dragons besieging Nozdormu, but through their coordinated time reversals, they were indeed causing Nozdormu no small amount of trouble.
SoDomi was, after all, a Bronze Dragon Queen who had seen many grand scenes. Having been reminded of her initial loss of composure, she quickly regained her calm.
"This timeline..." SoDomi said with a frown. "It's very strange. It doesn't exist within any established branch timelines. It's as if it's hidden beneath the reality of history. No wonder we could never find Nozdormu's whereabouts."
As Dragon withdrew the radiating power, the image vanished.
SoDomi and Chromie had already deduced the coordinates of this hidden timeline based on the background and time-stream traces in the image. The two of them hurriedly bid farewell to everyone present, preparing to return to the Caverns of Time to dive into the timeline... "Roar!"
Using his Temporal Sand Breath to strike down another Shadow Dragon obscured by the time-stream, Nozdormu took a light breath and watched helplessly as the wounded enemy restored itself once more.
"Tsk!"
Nozdormu felt his limit. If he couldn't reclaim his lost Aspect power, he would never be able to catch up to the culprit hiding behind the scenes; he could only continue being led around like a monkey.
The Shadow Dragons, who were about to continue their attack, suddenly paused in unison. Then, they silently exchanged glances and opened a time portal in an orderly fashion, retreating into it one after another.
This wasn't the first time Nozdormu had encountered this situation. He didn't rashly chase after them to attack, because that would only be a futile effort.
"Dammit..."
Nozdormu wearily folded his wings and landed on the ground. After fighting for so long, he was starting to feel exhausted.
Under the gloomy sky, Wyrmrest Temple, its tower covered in the blood of countless Dragons, looked exceptionally jarring.
Nozdormu felt a sense of powerlessness in his heart. As time passed, the scene before him was becoming increasingly worse.
When he first saw this same scene, there weren't so many Dragon corpses near Wyrmrest Temple. Aside from many strange tentacles nearby, the tower didn't look significantly different from before.
But as he repeatedly approached that group of mysterious Dragons disturbing the timelines, every time he returned to a different point on the same temporal scale, the images he saw were worsening step by step.
"What will it be next time? The Aspects whose figures I still can't capture, dead atop the tower?"
Nozdormu laughed self-deprecatingly. "I wonder if I'll still have time to see that scene."
Trapped in the endless loop of the time-stream for too many years, Nozdormu had long forgotten how much real time had passed in the outside world, and he couldn't even remember how many times he had looped.
"Nozdormu!"
"Hmm?"
The familiar call from behind caused Nozdormu's spirit to daze for a moment. Above this scene, which should have completely become a closed-loop time, multiple golden time portals appeared, and a large number of bronze Dragons flew out from them.
Nozdormu stood up in surprise. "How did you find this closed-loop timeline?"
"It's a long story."
Seeing that Nozdormu had no injuries, SoDomi, the leader, finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Come back with us first. It's time for you to reclaim your lost power. We can deal with these hiding cowards later."
...Seeing the Timeless One, Nozdormu, again after many years, Andreas waved and greeted him with a smile.
"Long time no see. Was the time loop fun?"
"Heh~"
Nozdormu twitched the corner of his mouth in a mirthless smile. "You'll know if you experience it once yourself. Facing almost identical scenes countless times, even the most resolute person will eventually fall into madness."
Andreas shrugged. "I'll pass. Dealing with countless branching timelines all day isn't exactly a good job."
"We can talk about other things later. Let's finish the business at hand first."
"Dragon."
"Ang!"
At Andreas' signal, the heart of the aspect closed its eyes and curled into a ball in the air, and four-colored light slowly separated from its body.
Feeling this primordial power originating from themselves, the four Aspects took a deep breath simultaneously, taking their respective portions of power into their bodies.
After releasing this energy, Dragon appeared somewhat weak. The little guy wobbled back to Andreas, let out a few babyish cries, and then burrowed into his chest, coiling around his neck once more.
"Thank you for your hard work." Andreas gently patted his chest. "Have a good rest."
The Aspects, having reclaimed their power, were gradually radiating their respective auras. The nearby Dragons were unconsciously pushed outward by their presence, but Andreas alone remained standing steadily in place.
Looking at the four Aspects as they gradually revealed their true forms, a look of anticipation appeared on Andreas' face.
"Come, reclaim all your power. Azeroth needs you."
The Aspects regaining their powers was a great joyous occasion for the Dragonflights, and more and more The five-colored Great Dragons gathered around the giant tower of the Wyrmrest Temple. Even Sinestra, who was recuperating in the Obsidian Sanctum, rode on Nefarian's back to attend.
"Roar!!"
A resounding dragon roar echoed from the top of the tower. The first to regain consciousness was Red Dragon Queen Alexstrasza.
A powerful life force spread outwards from the Wyrmrest Temple. Under the influence of this uncontrolled overflowing power, the barren ice plain miraculously began to grow sporadic cold-climate plants.
"Sinestra, let me try to heal you again."
At Alexstrasza's call, Nefarian brought his mother to the outside of the tower. Sinestra, veiled in black gauze, stood trembling, leaning on a tower pillar. Her condition was clearly very poor.
After Alexstrasza transformed back into her human form, she extended her right hand to Sinestra. "Give me your hand."
A green life force, almost visible to the naked eye, flowed from Alexstrasza's hand, clasped with Sinestra's, into the Black Dragon Queen's body.
"Ugh..."
Sinestra bit her lower lip and let out a muffled groan. Her body trembled more and more violently. Auni quickly entered the tower to help her mother up.
Logically, among the four-colored Aspects, Malygos should be the strongest. However, the Guardian of Magic had suffered many hidden injuries, both physical and mental, due to his years of madness.
During the process of absorbing the Aspect powers, these primordial forces also incidentally cleared away the chronic ailments in his body. Malygos was the second to awaken after Alexstrasza.
Unlike the phenomena that accompanied Alexstrasza's awakening, Malygos did not seem to undergo any obvious changes. However, Andreas, who was very close, could feel that the Guardian of Magic's demeanor had become more profound and reserved.
Ysera and Nozdormu also absorbed their powers and woke up successively. Nozdormu, who had been exhausted for thousands of years, took the longest time.
When he opened his eyes, a complex and unreadable expression flashed in Nozdormu's gaze.
"I never thought... this is the truth I've been desperately searching for?"
Andreas heard Nozdormu's murmur and raised his eyebrows slightly.
'It seems the Dragon Aspect of Time finally knows the true identity of the Infinite Dragonflight. So... what do you plan to do?'
In Andreas' opinion, all Five Great Aspect Dragons had huge hidden dangers within their respective Dragonflights.
The Red Dragon's hidden danger came from the dragon soul. The timeline where Alexstrasza was enslaved had been preemptively eliminated by Andreas.
The Green Dragon, needless to say, their main enemy was Xavius, the lord of nightmares, who was causing trouble in the Emerald Dream.
To be precise, it was N'Zoth, Xavius' master.
The Blue Dragon's problem was even more apparent, stemming from their Dragon King, Malygos.
After Andreas' repeated efforts to sort things out, the heart ailment that drove Malygos mad had largely disappeared after the last "killing" of Deathwing.
Now, the only remaining crises were with the Black Dragonflight, who had not yet reclaimed their Aspect position, the Green Dragonflight, whose enemy's whereabouts were temporarily unknown, and the Bronze Dragonflight, who were lost in the contradiction of their own ideals.
The "Big Cousin" hiding in the deep sea couldn't be found for now, but under N'Zoth's scheme, the "Big Cousin" and Xavius would eventually deliver themselves. There was no need to deliberately search; they just needed to wait at ease and be prepared.
Previously, Nozdormu's whereabouts had been unknown. Taking advantage of him regaining his lost powers this time, Andreas planned to solve the Bronze Dragonflight's problem once and for all... Sinestra's injuries, accumulated over many years, could not be completely healed in just one treatment, but the injection of Alexstrasza's extremely potent healing life force greatly alleviated her pain.
Auni could see through the black veil that her mother's complexion had become rosier, no longer the pale, sickly look from before.
However, her injuries were still very serious and would require several more years of recuperation, and during this time, she needed to avoid combat as much as possible to prevent old wounds from flaring up... The four Aspects had finally recovered their full strength. The normally solemn Wyrmrest Temple was filled with joy. Even many Green Dragonflight members stationed in the Emerald Dream awoke from their slumbers and rushed to the Wyrmrest Temple to participate in the celebration.
During the grand celebration, Nozdormu maintained a formal, faint smile, but there was no mirth in his eyes, only a complex expression alternating between hesitation and unease.
"Can we talk?"
Andreas walked up to Nozdormu and signaled to Dragon Queen SoDomi with his eyes.
Although SoDomi still harbored some dissatisfaction with Andreas, Andreas' words, having ascended to demigod status, carried much more weight than before. Many things that once sounded absurd now at least made her ponder.
Seeing that Andreas had something important to discuss privately with Nozdormu, SoDomi tactfully walked aside and conversed softly with Chromie and others.
Nozdormu pulled his wandering thoughts back and gestured to Andreas with his hand.
"Speak directly, you anomalous existence outside the timeline."
Andreas shrugged indifferently. "Since that's the case, I'll get straight to the point."
"How do you plan to deal with the Infinite Dragonflight and their Dragon Aspect?"
Nozdormu's eyes flickered, and he feigned confusion, retorting, "Why do you ask that? It sounds like I have complete confidence in taking them down."
"Isn't that true?"
Andreas took a small sip of the Dragonflight's aged fine wine. "As the saying goes, the one who knows you best is always yourself. Don't tell me you haven't seen through the origin of the Infinite Dragonflight."
Nozdormu gave Andreas a deep look. "You really do know many secrets. Did Elune tell you again?"
Andreas chuckled noncommittally. "You can think of it that way."
Nozdormu stared blankly at the ice plain outside the tower. "I just... never thought that one day I would have to personally kill my future self. Can you understand how difficult this decision is?"
Andreas nodded. "I know, but I want to correct a common ailment shared by you seers who perceive time."
"The Infinite Dragon Aspect is indeed your future self, but your future doesn't necessarily have to become him. Do you understand what I mean?"
Nozdormu turned to look at Andreas, frowning. "I can understand what you're saying, but... do you really understand the Infinite Dragon Aspect?"
"Due to the Titans' blessing, there can only be one Nozdormu across countless timelines. If I kill the Infinite Dragon Aspect, it would be equivalent to erasing my own future."
"Really?" Andreas curled his lips. "Then why can you and the Infinite Dragon Aspect coexist? You wouldn't think it's really because of that ridiculous name and the deceptive Infinite Dragonflight form, would you?"
"This..." Nozdormu was stunned. After Andreas' reminder, his chaotic thoughts finally noticed this loophole.
"Are you saying?"
Andreas smiled and shook his head. "That's why I said you were misled by the concept of time bestowed by the Titans."
"Even according to your own understanding, Murozond, this Infinite Dragon Aspect, has already broken the rule of only one Nozdormu existing and appeared by exploiting a loophole. Doesn't this mean that the world doesn't recognize him as Nozdormu?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Andreas asked meaningfully, "If that's the case, will killing him truly affect the future of 'Nozdormu'?"
Although Nozdormu did not make up his mind on the spot, the thoughtful expression on the Timeless One's face as he left already spoke volumes.
The composition of the time system is extremely complex, and Andreas would never claim to fully understand it, but at least he could see that some of the time concepts within the Titan system were indeed flawed.
It's not that the Titans' theories were completely wrong, but as shown by Aman'thul's "death," even the Titans hadn't fully grasped the true laws of time flow.
At least Andreas didn't believe that killing Murozond would necessarily have a devastating impact on Nozdormu's future; the so-called "One Nozdormu Principle" had already been broken the moment the Infinite Dragonflight King appeared.
While the Dragon Aspects were regaining their power, Andreas specifically brought up the issue of the Icecrown Glacier to them.
Before obtaining concrete evidence, Andreas couldn't tell them the whole truth, but by using suggestive language to let the dragons know that an unknown evil force had infiltrated this forbidden zone of life, it would at least leave an impression in the minds of the Dragon Aspects.
Nozdormu, who had just regained his power, did not intend to immediately confront the Infinite Dragonflight King. In the thousands of years he had been gone, some matters had accumulated within the Bronze Dragonflight that his consort, Soridormi, couldn't decide on. He still needed to return to the Caverns of Time to make overall arrangements.
Moreover, if the Infinite Dragonflight King was truly his future self, as he and Andreas suspected, then the identities of the other Infinite Dragons would also be clear. Nozdormu needed to consider whether to tell his kin the truth.
Due to Malygos' enthusiastic invitation for Andreas to visit the Nexus, and having nothing else to do, Andreas simply made a trip to Coldarra and, while there, met the old blue dragon Senegos, who had long since recovered his vitality.
Senegos' illness was due to a lack of magic. The Nexus is not only the blue dragons' stronghold but also the convergence point of all magical nodes on Azeroth. Upon returning to the Nexus, Senegos' condition quickly improved.
However, this old blue dragon and Malygos still frequently bickered. After suffering devastating blows in the War of the Ancients, most of the blue dragons of Malygos' generation had already perished.
Besides the loyal but less powerful aide, Arygos, only the powerful and experienced Senegos dared to openly defy the Blue Dragon Aspect.
The group of blue dragons that Senegos had brought back to the Nexus had grown under the ample supply of magic, and this time, when Andreas visited Coldarra, he saw many young dragons flying in the sky.
Unfortunately, the birth rate of direct dragon descendants is too low. Although Coldarra seemed to have regained some vitality, the number of core members of the blue dragonflight was still severely insufficient, which explains why Stellagosa was pampered like a princess after returning to the Nexus.
It is said that the recent arguments between Senegos and Malygos were about whether to pair Stellagosa with Malygos' eldest son, Arygos.
After a brief tour of the Nexus and the Eye of Eternity, Andreas was continentally teleported back to Mount Hyjal by the blue dragon responsible for his transport.
In recent years, the Nightmare had completely retreated into the shadows of the Dream World. Malfurion, unable to find any clues, finally awoke from the Dream and entrusted the monitoring work to Koda, Shaon, and others.
Fandral had been planning to take some time off to spend with his family after the birth of his granddaughter, so Malfurion's return was perfectly timed.
With Malfurion's soothing presence, the short-tempered Tyrande had calmed down considerably, and the efficiency of the High Council had seen some improvement in recent years.
When Andreas returned to the council chambers, Malfurion was looking at a report in his hand, troubled.
"Naga again?"
Andreas also frowned after learning the details of the situation.
According to reports from various coastal areas of Kalimdor, since the year before last, the activity of the naga had significantly increased, with their traces of activity visible in almost all coastal regions.
Moreover, the naga's activity was not limited to the continent of Kalimdor. Ambassador Fortagen of the Kingdom of Stormwind had recently requested assistance from the Night Elf Republic.
The number of naga along the coast of Westfall had noticeably increased, and King Llane had to dispatch naval fleets to patrol the coastal areas.
However, the Stormwind navy, still rebuilding after the disaster, was relatively underdeveloped and unable to exert overwhelming deterrence against large numbers of naga, forcing them to seek help from Kul Tiras.
Yet, Kul Tiras was currently preoccupied. The rise of the Drustvar witches had consumed too much of Daelin's energy, and it was said that a formidable ancient enemy was being resurrected under the witches' catalysis.
With Kul Tiras unable to spare resources, the second naval reinforcement Stormwind thought of was not their human brethren to the north, nor their dwarven and gnomish allies who lacked naval power, but the Night Elf Republic across the sea.
During the Orcish Wars, although the Night Elf army was suppressed by Terenas and couldn't fully exert its strength, the Third Naval Fleet, which sailed around the entire Eastern Kingdoms and successively destroyed Horde naval bases, left a deep impression on the Alliance nations.
Andreas wanted to use this opportunity to strike at the naga and, incidentally, put Stormwind in his debt, but at this time, the Night Elf Republic's fleet was undergoing upgrades. Only the First Naval Fleet, which had completed its refit first and was temporarily stationed in Feathermoon Stronghold, was operational.
Furthermore, the so-called naval upgrade was not merely a modification of existing old ships but a fundamental change in the fleet's combat style. Even the most elite First Fleet had spent over a year training to initially adapt.
Undecided, Andreas looked up at the other council members, "What do you all think?"
Maiev quickly replied, "Decline. The naga worldwide are uniformly entering an active phase, and Kalimdor also needs the fleet's protection. We don't have surplus mobile forces to assist Stormwind."
No sooner had Maiev finished speaking than Jarod, without giving her face, retorted, "No, actually, there are still troops available."
Under Maiev's threatening, narrowed gaze, Jarod's mouth twitched, but he still suppressed his fear of his sister and expressed his opinion.
"The naval ships being phased out haven't been destroyed yet. If we repurpose them, they should be able to provide some support to Stormwind."
"Hmph!" Maiev crossed her arms over her chest and questioned, "And the soldiers? The fleet's sailors are all diligently training, trying to adapt to the new combat style. Where do you plan to mobilize naval personnel from? Conscripting new recruits from the Feathermoon Naval Academy?"
"No," Jarod said with a smile, "We don't necessarily have to use our own forces. Didn't the Draenei mention before that they wanted some opportunities for actual combat? This is a perfect chance for them to take action."
"The Draenei…" Malfurion mused, lowering his head, "Can they do it? They haven't fully familiarized themselves with the seas of Azeroth, have they?"
Andreas interjected, explaining, "Actually, the Draenei's adaptation training to the seas of Azeroth was completed long ago. Just as Jarod said, what they need now is the test of actual combat."
The Draenei had a tradition of developing a navy when they lived on Draenor, but the world of Draenor had vast oceans with no opponents for the Draenei's ships, so a lack of practical combat experience was inevitable.
After the Dark Portal closed and Yrel's forces withdrew from the Temple of Karabor, the Draenei living on the island had few opportunities to interact with the nations of Azeroth. They usually only had dealings with the Night Elf Republic and Kul Tiras, who possessed strong naval power, and occasionally encountered Zandalari trolls sailing the seas.
The Draenei on Draenor were too alienated from the local natives, which is why they failed to stop the orcs in time when they were corrupted by the Burning Legion, leading to a series of subsequent events.
Learning from their past mistakes, Velen intended to make some positive changes in his foreign policy. He had repeatedly expressed a desire to integrate into Azeroth, and gaining initial recognition from various nations was undoubtedly the first step for the Draenei to integrate into this new world.
"Then let's do that," Andreas said to Celeste, who was responsible for recording the meeting's content, "Inform the Draenei of this matter, and let them decide whether to take action."