"Dryad Cavalry" was, of course, a joke from Andreas.
Dryads are daughters of Cenarius; they would never allow an outsider to casually ride upon their deer-like bodies, and an ordinary person wouldn't dare provoke them at the risk of offending a Demigod... except for certain eccentric individuals with peculiar mindsets.
Since Lunara herself didn't mind, Andreas could only chuckle at the strange way these two interacted.
After a short period of rest, Andreas called back Leticia—who had been playing a bit too wildly—and left Starfall Village under the farewell of Lunara and Shandris.
A majestic Gryphon with golden-yellow feathers spread its wings and soared into the sky over Winterspring. The swirling wind and snow could not hinder him as he plowed through the flurries, flying steadily toward the south.
Sitting on the Gryphon's back, Leticia reached out to catch the falling snowflakes.
"No matter how many times I see it, I still find it strange. Why is there a region as out of place as Winterspring within the range of Nordrassil's blessing?"
This was a question that not only Leticia couldn't understand, but Andreas also found puzzling. All regions within the reach of the World Tree Nordrassil showed signs of eternal spring, yet Winterspring stood out as a singular anomaly.
In his Gryphon form, Andreas mused for a moment. "I can't be a hundred percent sure, but in this world, over seventy percent of anomalous regions are likely related to Titan relics."
Regarding the situation in Winterspring, Andreas had asked Shandris during his period of relaxation. Before the ancient continent of Kalimdor split, Winterspring did not look as it did now. The Ruins of Kel'Theril were once a Night Elf settlement, proving that this land once had a period suitable for the habitation of intelligent beings.
As for what caused Winterspring to be covered in endless snow, Andreas did not know for the time being. As a border territory in the north for the Night Elves, Winterspring was currently of little concern to most; only a few Furbolgs, who had gradually adapted to snow survival over long ages, settled here.
Perhaps archaeologists will come to uncover the secrets of Winterspring in the future. I'll make a note of this for now.
As they flew over Lake Kel'Theril, the ruins that once stood there had been leveled. Residual Arcane energy still present today indicated that a large-scale magical battle had occurred here recently.
Andreas thought gloatingly, It seems the Blue Dragons were very angry at the Satyrs' insolent behavior. As they say, if you look for trouble, you will find it.
Mazthoril was a general term for a valley area, and the Blue Dragon settlement was located in the Azurewing Repose to the north of the Mazthoril valley.
As Andreas approached the vicinity of the Mazthoril valley, the Blue Dragons—who had recently suffered a Satyr attack—appeared exceptionally vigilant. Soon, two whelps blocked their path.
"Halt! The Blue Dragon base is ahead. Trespassers proceed at their own risk!"
Today was the first time Leticia had seen Blue Dragon whelps. During the War of the Ancients, the heavily depleted Blue Dragonflight had not deployed troops at all; only Malygos had charged forward as a "one-man army."
While the girl examined the two whelps with sparkling eyes, the Gryphon hovering with flapping wings spoke in a human tongue.
"Friends of the Blue Dragonflight, I am Andreas Moonshadow, Lord of Moonshadow's Rest. I have come to visit Lord Azuregos, who oversees this place. Please, would you be so kind as to announce my arrival?"
Although dragons are naturally proud, as rogue Blue Dragons rooted in the northern reaches of Kalimdor year-round, these two whelps had clearly heard of Andreas's name. Seeing Andreas's polite and formal visit, the whelps' vigilance relaxed considerably.
"Lord Moonshadow, please wait here. I will relay your request for an audience to Lord Azuregos immediately."
After its companion left, the other whelp took the opportunity to chat with Andreas. "Please forgive us. Mazthoril was unprecedentedly attacked by Satyrs recently, so the companions in the base are a bit nervous, and Lord Azuregos's mood hasn't been very good either."
Hardly surprising, Andreas thought, nodding in understanding. Although the Blue Dragons' current situation is indeed tragic, as members of a Guardian Dragonflight, they aren't so weak as to be bullied by Satyrs without consequence.
In the past, all mortal races maintained a cautious attitude when facing dragons. The Satyrs' provocation inevitably brought a strong sense of contrast and frustration to the Blue Dragons; it was no wonder Azuregos felt depressed.
Andreas had expected the dragons to be extremely haughty toward mortals, but the whelp before him was very talkative and quickly became acquainted with Leticia, who also enjoyed chatting. Judging by the voice, this Blue Dragon whelp was likely female; she mentioned her name was Haleh during her self-introduction.
Through her conversation with Leticia, Andreas obtained some basic information about Azurewing Repose. Just as Andreas had heard, after the other kin observing Nordrassil's growth departed, Azuregos took the initiative to stay behind to continue guarding Mazthoril. According to Haleh, he did so to watch over the Dragonflight's base in northern Kalimdor.
However, Andreas knew that this statement was just Azuregos blowing his own trumpet; he simply didn't want to return to the deathly silent Coldarra. Andreas vaguely remembered that Azuregos would appear in the Azshara region at some point in the future—he couldn't remember why, but it seemed related to Spirit Healers.
The whelp who went to report soon returned with Azuregos's permission. Under the guidance of the two whelps, Andreas slowly landed on the ground and reverted to his original form.
...
"You are Andreas Moonshadow?"
Deep within a wide ice cave in Azurewing Repose, a dragon covered in deep blue scales lowered his head to look at the two small mortals before him. This was Azuregos, the adult Blue Dragon responsible for managing Mazthoril.
Although he tried hard to maintain a dignified appearance, Andreas could still see sorrow and sentimentality in Azuregos's yellow vertical pupils.
"Yes." Andreas led Leticia in a polite bow to Azuregos. "Lord Azuregos, it is an honor to meet you..."
"Skip the pleasantries."
After a symbolic display of draconic majesty, Azuregos quickly lost the motivation to continue acting grand. He rested his head on his own body, coiling lazily in the cave. With half-closed eyes looking levelly at Andreas, he asked, "Let's get straight to the point. Why are you looking for me?"
Andreas blanked for a moment; he hadn't expected the other party to be so direct.
"Very well, please excuse my lack of ceremony." After a moment of hesitation, Andreas asked softly in this empty ice cave containing only two people and one dragon, "Lord Azuregos, I wish to know the whereabouts of His Majesty Malygos. Do you have any clues regarding this?"
"Hmm?"
At the mention of Malygos, a sharp glint flashed in Azuregos's eyes, and his lazy demeanor instantly became piercing. His yellow vertical pupils stared intently at Andreas, as if scrutinizing his intentions.
"Leaving aside whether I know His Majesty's whereabouts... even if I did, why should I tell you?" Azuregos asked with a threatening tone. "Do you intend to plot something while His Majesty is not of sound mind?"