The development of an industry chain usually involves many different facets.
Take the shipbuilding industry, for instance. For civilian trade vessels, the current Cog-class ships are perfectly adequate. However, if one wishes to construct medium or even large-scale warships better suited for naval combat, relying solely on ship-mounted ballistae for offensive and defensive firepower is certainly not enough.
The warship industry naturally gave rise to the secondary chain of ship-mounted weaponry. Simultaneously, Andreas intended to make preliminary attempts at implementing steel keels. Although wood reinforced by Druidic nature spells possessed considerable strength, it still fell short compared to genuine refined steel.
One must eat one's meal bite by bite. Andreas feared that if he took too large a stride—such as jumping straight to all-steel materials—he might "split his pants" just like Tortheldrin did.
Furthermore, the coordination of the Marine Corps' formations still required time and actual combat experience to refine. Andreas already had a pre-set solution for this problem; if development continued at the current pace, preliminary results should become clear within a century.
Andreas had also considered continuing the technology tree of the Night Elf Empire by developing Magitech, but one critical problem always remained unavoidable:
Energy.
...
For now, matters in the south had reached a temporary stopping point. The outposts along the coast from Ashenvale to Feralas were still in their initial stages of establishment, and time was needed to consolidate the defenses of each camp.
Setting down the blueprints for new ships he had drawn himself, Andreas rang the bell on his desk. Soon, a female Night Elf dressed in professional attire with a single ponytail walked into the office.
"Lord Andreas, what are your instructions?"
Andreas smiled and said, "Sally, how is the situation in the north? That girl Leticia hasn't caused any trouble, has she?"
This meticulous green-haired woman was one of Andreas' secretaries. At the mention of Leticia, a strange expression appeared on Sally's normally flat face.
"Err..."
Andreas's smile froze. "Don't tell me I actually called it?"
"No... how should I put this?" Sally hesitated for quite a while, organizing her words before answering. "Miss Leticia has indeed followed your orders, steadily reclaiming the land in Darkshore. However..."
Seeing Sally's hesitant manner, Andreas rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Just say it. What stupid thing did she do this time?"
"Well... Miss Leticia discovered a large number of Moonkin nests near the ruins of Bashal'Aran in central Darkshore."
Sally explained with a bitter smile, "As you know, the young lady took Aku'mai with her on the expedition. Moonkin are known as the pets of Elune—though it's just a folk legend, it does reflect the type of energy they are accustomed to using."
Andreas rolled his eyes. "Fine, I get it. Just tell me how much damage the local Moonkin suffered. She didn't wipe them out, did she?"
"Not quite that extreme. Miss Leticia waited until the Moonkin parents were out foraging and secretly snatched a baby Moonkin from one of the nests..."
...
The subject of Andreas and Sally's discussion, Leticia, was currently stationed at the second frontier outpost in Darkshore—Auberdine.
The name was chosen by Andreas. To avoid names like "Moonshadow Outpost" or "Moonshadow Fortress" appearing again, he had firmly dictated the name for the second frontline base.
At this time, Auberdine was far from the bustling hub it would become in later generations; it looked like a small fishing village with only a few hundred residents.
Leticia was currently hugging a chubby little bird in her arms with a silly grin, completely ignoring the panicked cheeps the poor little fellow was making.
"Lord Leticia."
A Druid walked in from outside. When he saw the poor little Moonkin struggling desperately in Leticia's grasp, his movements paused for a split second before he pretended nothing was wrong and continued his report.
"Following your instructions, the Moonkin have been driven back, but their lives were spared."
"Mm, good." Giving the chubby little Moonkin's fuzzy head one last rub, Leticia placed the resigned creature on top of her own head.
Although Moonkin have wings, they generally cannot fly due to their weight; they can only flap their wings foolishly to hover in place. This juvenile Moonkin's wings weren't fully grown yet. If it jumped off Leticia's head, it would most likely fall to its death. It could only huddle shivering atop the "Great Demon King's" head, not daring to run around.
Seeing the letter held by the messenger, Leticia's eyebrows twitched. "Is there anything else to report?"
"Yes. A letter from General Feathermoon, sent from Felwood."
"Oh? Sister Shandris?"
Leticia took the letter and waved for the messenger to withdraw. After skimming the contents, Leticia's expression turned serious.
"Finally showing your fox tail, are you..."
...
Northeast of Darkshore lies the Cliffspring River. This river originates from the cliffs near Felwood and flows directly into the Veiled Sea. The source of the Cliffspring River is a large mountain spring located halfway up a steep precipice. Leticia had glimpsed it from afar during her expedition, but she hadn't led the team deep for exploration at the time.
After finishing the exploration of the ruins of Mathystra at the northernmost tip of Darkshore, Leticia originally thought the journey would end there—she had even started teasing Moonkin out of boredom. However, Shandris's warning letter brought her new "fun."
Upon a more detailed re-exploration, Leticia was surprised to find a cave on the steep slope where the Cliffspring Falls were located.
"There really is one."
Feron Zephyr, acting as Leticia's adjutant, stood before the cold, mist-filled cave with a deep frown. "I didn't expect a hidden cave behind the waterfall. If not for General Feathermoon's reminder, we wouldn't have noticed this place at all."
Shandris' letter hadn't specifically mentioned the cave behind the falls; it was about the Satyrs.
The Satyrs, who were gradually revealing themselves, were becoming less discreet about their movements. Shandris had lost track of a small squad of Satyrs near a plateau on the border of Felwood, right above Cliffspring Falls.
Though Leticia often acted willfully in private matters, she had been taught by the steady Andreas for many years; she would never show the slightest negligence in official business.
More than two hundred years had passed. The Leticia of today was no longer the green young girl who trembled on the battlefield. The toy staff in her hand had been replaced by a Moonglaive commonly used by Battle Priestesses.
Under the blessing of the World Tree, the lifespan of the Night Elves was infinite, granting them learning time far exceeding that of humans. A human's short hundred-year life is insufficient to master all crafts, but this was not a problem for Night Elves.
In her first century, Leticia followed Andreas's advice and focused on studying Shadow magic. After a hundred years, her magical studies were basically complete. Andreas had taught her all he could; the rest depended on how she applied it in actual combat.
According to Night Elf custom, after the first century, new "rookies" can choose a branch profession as a supplement. This custom was not limited to combat roles—just as carpenters might learn carving in their spare time, most stonemasons chose gem-cutting as a supplement.
After some inquiry and consideration, Leticia eventually chose the path of a Warden—formerly the Battle Priestesses—as her supplement. Andreas had once tried to persuade Leticia not to choose such a niche weapon as the Moonglaive, but the stubborn girl refused to yield.
Helpless, Andreas could only accept reality. He specifically asked Naisha to contact Maiev, hoping to invite that master of the Moonglaive to teach Leticia the secrets of using this rare weapon.
Unfortunately, after the Broken Isles re-established contact with Kalimdor, Maiev had taken a small team of Wardens to a remote island south of Azsuna. She intended to refurbish the training grounds of the pre-Sundering Battle Priestesses and rename them the Vault of the Wardens based on the changes in geography. A hundred years had passed, and she had yet to return to Kalimdor.
Sniff~
Walking to the cave entrance, Leticia sniffed the air inside. Although there was some stench of rot and moisture, there appeared to be no toxic gas.
Leticia lowered her center of gravity and signaled the combat personnel of the expedition team. "Move out. Stay alert. Perhaps this time, we can catch a big fish."