As it turned out, the Night Elves who grew up on the ancient continent of Kalimdor were, to a man, complete landlubbers.
Unlike the fragmented world of the present, ancient Kalimdor was a single, contiguous landmass. The closer one got to the central Well of Eternity, the more prosperous it became; only a tiny fraction of Night Elves had ever traveled to the continent's edge to see the ocean.
With the massive explosion of the Well of Eternity, the sea—once a rare curiosity—had violently barged into the lives of the Night Elves. Although few people had moved to the coast yet, the surging floods during the Sundering had left a lasting impression on the Night Elf psyche.
The Moon Guard and the combat priestesses were elite troops, but limited by their living environment, they had never undergone underwater training. When Andreas followed the waterway back to the breach Vashj had smashed open, he found the small opening had already been blocked with cut stone.
Returning to the entrance of Blackfathom Deeps from the surface, Andreas arrived just in time to see a group of "drowned rats" helping each other out of the subterranean ruins in a sorry state.
Fortunately, by the time the seawater began to pour in, the Naga in the ruins had been mostly cleared out, allowing Naisha and Delier to focus their energy on dealing with the flood. Had they been forced to fight Naga in the water, the combat effectiveness of these "land-bound rookies" would have plummeted, and the landlubbers would likely have suffered significant losses before escaping.
Cough, cough!
Coughing up a mouthful of briny seawater, Delier abandoned all noble decorum and slumped onto the sand, gasping for air. "I never imagined... that seawater would be salty."
Well, obviously... Andreas rolled his eyes discreetly.
These inland creatures lacked any fundamental understanding of the ocean. Considering his future strategic layout, Andreas felt it was necessary to put maritime training on the agenda.
...
"So, Aku'mai is still alive?"
"Yes," Delier sighed. "We only had enough time to block the breach; we didn't have time to deal with that giant hydra and its exceptional dual resistances. It's likely still lurking deep within the tunnels."
Despite its low intelligence, as a pet of the Old Gods, Aku'mai possessed outstanding physical and magical defenses. Andreas's mental spells acted directly on the soul, effectively providing innate magic penetration. However, while the Arcane magic mastered by Delier and the Moon Guard was powerful and versatile, it was difficult to deal a fatal blow to a specially modified magical beast like Aku'mai in a short amount of time.
Andreas thought for a moment and said, "Fine, let's leave it for now. Since the Naga have been cleared out, that big, dumb brute shouldn't be able to reach the surface through the narrow underground waterways."
The path from Blackfathom Deeps to the surface was deep and narrow. If Aku'mai tried to force its way up, the most likely outcome would be a collapse of the tunnels, burying itself in the rubble. However, considering that the depths of Blackfathom Deeps connected directly to the sea, Andreas would eventually have to bring the entire subterranean temple under complete control to prevent Naga like Vashj from entering his rear through unconventional means again.
Before the Moon Guard and combat priestesses set out, Andreas had indeed considered the possibility of a Naga presence, but he hadn't expected Vashj to lead the team personally, nor that they would arrive so quickly.
When they returned to camp, the disheveled appearance of Delier, Naisha, and the others drew curious stares from many. Several heavy-armored warriors responsible for camp security approached them.
"Lord Moonshadow, are there enemies?"
This group of warriors was specifically recruited by Andreas. Considering the need for a balanced professional composition, he had extended an olive branch to the "loser warriors"—a class that wasn't particularly respected within the Night Elf race.
Although the Night Elf Empire had fallen, some deep-seated concepts from the ancient era were hard to dispel in just a few short years. In the age of the Empire, Arcane magic was undoubtedly supreme; the Highborne who controlled the Well of Eternity were almost exclusively Arcanists. Below them were the Priestesses of the Moon who worshipped Elune and the Druids who made up a large portion of the commoners. Below them were the Rangers used as scouts and the "loser warriors" who handled the manual labor in battle.
Compared to the Rangers who served as long-range fire units, the warriors charging at the very front faced the most discrimination. Only young Night Elves who lacked talent for any elemental or magical paths would reluctantly choose the way of the warrior.
Andreas did not view warriors with prejudice. Without these front-line soldiers, relying solely on long-range firepower would eventually turn them into the equivalent of a "run-and-gun" nation incapable of fighting tough, attritional battles.
The leader of these warriors was named Nawaz Dawnwind, a veteran who had survived the War of the Ancients. His highest military rank was Major, but he had been caught in the post-war demobilization wave and forced to retire to civilian life. Not everyone had lost their fighting spirit in the peace following the war; Nawaz was a prime example. Having joined the military in his youth, he was long accustomed to army life; after being discharged, he found himself at a total loss in the countryside.
Andreas had met Nawaz while handling a large-scale bar brawl; the former Major was one of the instigators. In the eyes of many Night Elves who had returned to a peaceful life, Nawaz was an unrepentant troublemaker. But after an interrogation, Andreas concluded that Nawaz harbored no ill intent; it was simply the aimlessness of his future that led him to drown his sorrows in alcohol every day. Alcohol being what it is... it's easy to lose one's head after drinking too much, and brawls among a group of drunkards are nothing new.
After Andreas promised to return Nawaz to active duty, the man—who had been depressed for years—quickly found his form again. During the journey from Mount Hyjal to Ashenvale, he demonstrated his seasoned experience. The fact that this thousand-person group, mostly composed of non-combatants, could successfully traverse the Ashenvale forest was largely due to Nawaz leading them around large predator dens multiple times.
Andreas waved a hand in amusement at the eager Nawaz. "It's been handled. It was a group of Naga—creatures with human torsos and fish tails."
After describing the characteristics of the Naga to Nawaz, Andreas reminded him solemnly, "The base we've chosen is not far from the coast, right within the Naga's striking range. The warriors guarding the camp must remain highly vigilant."
"Yes, sir!"
...
After establishing their roots on the west coast of Ashenvale, Andreas led his subjects officially into the "farming era."
Speaking of farming, the first priority was food security. This was handled by Feryn and the other Druids. Andreas only needed to provide the general direction, and the Druids would refine his eccentric ideas. The wheat improved by Malfurion had high climatic adaptability, and its yield was significantly higher than normal wheat.
But living on bread alone wouldn't do; side dishes had to keep up, or else nutritional imbalances would occur, affecting the future growth of newborn children.
At Andreas's request, Feryn and the other second-generation Druids brought back many plant seeds from their explorations—some edible, some not. To Andreas's immense surprise, he unexpectedly found potatoes and corn among the miscellaneous seeds.
With plant-based Druids who were unsuited for combat guiding the planting and helping to accelerate growth, the farmers soon harvested their first batch of grain.
Watching the bright smiles on the farmers' faces during the harvest, Andreas took a bite of a boiled potato. The familiar texture made him murmur with emotion, "I didn't expect to be able to eat potatoes in Azeroth. It seems the camp's development is finally on the right track."