"Green Dragons?"
Andreas put down the planning schedule in his hand and looked up in confusion at Shandris, who was dressed in plain clothes.
"My interactions with the Green Dragonflight aren't particularly deep. Why would they be visiting me?"
Shandris was also quite puzzled. "I'm not sure either, but the ones who landed outside the city were indeed green whelps. I've already led them to the reception hall. Do you want to see them?"
"Of course."
With Shandris's help, Andreas changed into a more formal robe. He spread his arms, allowing his girlfriend to smooth out the wrinkles from behind.
"Regardless of their intent, we should maintain basic respect for the Dragon Aspects. Let's go hear what they have to say."
As the population of Moonshadow's Rest surpassed one million, the scale of a "town" was no longer appropriate. Andreas had adopted Maclay's suggestion to upgrade Moonshadow's Rest town into 'Moonshadow's City'.
Thanks to the various whimsical ideas Andreas brought from his previous life, the standard of living in Moonshadow's Rest far exceeded that of the surrounding villages. If one set aside the population bonus, even the capital, Astranaar, paled in comparison to Moonshadow's Rest.
Years of high-quality living had instilled confidence in the residents. The new generation had been educated from a young age to be loyal to their community, feeling a sense of belonging to the Night Elven race and Moonshadow's Rest that was even stronger than that of their parents.
Although the growth rate had slowed over the last hundred years, the overall quality of life still allowed the residents of Moonshadow's Rest to hold their heads high when facing visiting relatives.
As the lord's residence, Andreas' Lord's Palace had undergone several expansions during the city's growth and remained one of the most famous landmarks in Moonshadow's Rest.
One of the other two famous landmarks was the giant statue of Elune outside the Darkmoon Shadow Cathedral square. The lifelike facial carving was a departure from the perfunctory statues of the past; for the first time, followers of Elune had an intuitive understanding of the image of the Goddess they worshipped.
The final one was the Moonshadow's Rest Arena, whose fame had spread wider and wider in recent years. Every year, countless warriors of various professions who were confident in their strength flocked to Moonshadow's Rest. The level of combat in the arena grew higher as well; anyone who could distinguish themselves there would quickly see their name spread throughout Night Elven society.
Whether these people traveled thousands of miles to Moonshadow's Rest for fame or profit, the administrators of the city, led by Andreas, welcomed it—as long as they were willing to abide by the laws of Moonshadow's Rest, everything was fine.
After tidying his attire, Andreas left Shandris to temporarily handle administrative affairs while he went to the reception hall alone.
Upon opening the door, three Night Elves—two women and one man—met his gaze. Needless to say, the appearances of these three were mere transformations; the vertical pupils in their eyes revealed their true identities.
Andreas's gaze swept over the three visitors, all of whom had long black hair. The two women appeared similar in appearance and temperament, but Andreas was certain he had never met them... at least, not in this form.
However, when he noticed the smiling male, the formulaic smile on Andreas's face paused, replaced by an expression full of deep meaning.
Click~
He cautiously closed the door. Andreas scrutinized the three "Green Dragons"—suspected to be a mother and her children—with sharp eyes. Finally, his gaze settled once again on the smiling man's face.
"It's been a long time, Prince Nefarian."
Calmly sitting down on the sofa opposite Nefarian, Andreas asked with a smile, "I didn't expect the so-called Green Dragons to be you."
Nefarian, wearing a hooded mage robe, shrugged helplessly. "Because we Black Dragons are currently being hunted by the other Dragon Aspects, it's impossible for us to appear openly in your city. So, we simply disguised ourselves as Green Dragons, who have the best relationship with the Night Elves."
Andreas nodded and turned to look at the two beautiful women beside Nefarian. One possessed a more mature and graceful aura, yet a hint of irritability and anxiety could be vaguely seen in her eyes. The last woman's eyes were more agile, and her temperament was quite lively, but the look she gave him carried a touch of hostility and curiosity.
"Won't you introduce these two to me?"
Nefarian smiled and nodded. "I would have introduced them even if you hadn't asked."
First, he looked with respect toward the mature and glamorous woman. "This is my mother, the noble Dragon Queen of the Black Dragonflight, Sintharia."
As expected.
To be treated with such respect by Nefarian, the Black Prince, there were likely only two dragons in this world—his parents, Neltharion and Sintharia.
Andreas politely stood up, placed a hand over his chest, and bowed to Sintharia. "Respected Black Dragon Queen Sintharia, welcome to Moonshadow's Rest."
Sintharia maintained her poise and gave a faint nod to Andreas. For the proud dragons, this attitude was considered quite friendly.
Since this lady's identity was confirmed, there was no need to ask about the final person. No wonder she was looking at him with such dissatisfaction.
With a smile in his eyes, Andreas looked toward the humanoid Black Dragon whose noble temperament and stunning beauty rivaled her mother's.
"Princess Onyxia, it has been a long time for us as well, hasn't it?"
"Hmph!"
Onyxia gave a cold snort and turned her head away, clearly still angry about Andreas trespassing into her temporary nest hundreds of years ago.
Seeing her daughter's impolite behavior, Sintharia frowned. "Ony."
Although her mother's tone was flat, Onyxia could hear the dissatisfaction within it. Pouting, Onyxia sat up straight and returned the greeting to Andreas in a standard manner.
"It has been a long time, Lord Moonshadow. I have been 'thinking' of you throughout these past few centuries."
"Er..."
The heavy emphasis Onyxia placed on the word "thinking" while gritting her teeth made the corner of Andreas's mouth twitch.
"Cough~ Let's get down to business."
Ignoring Onyxia's remark, Andreas composed his expression and looked toward Sintharia, the leader of the three.
"Since the three of you have risked hiding your identities to come here, you must have important matters to discuss with me, right?"
Sintharia nodded calmly and looked toward Nefarian, who sat to her left.
At this point, Andreas noticed one detail: the black dress the Dragon Queen had chosen for her transformation covered a vast area of her skin. Even her hands were encased in black lace gloves; except for her face, not a single inch of bare skin could be seen on her body.
It's as if she's intentionally hiding something... I see.
Nefarian bowed his head respectfully to his mother, cleared his throat, and began to explain their intent.
"Lord Moonshadow, we have come this time to seek help. Does what you said back then still hold true?"
"Oh?"
A flash of light flickered imperceptibly in Andreas's eyes, while a calm smile remained on his face.
"Of course it holds true. Has Prince Nefarian finally made up his mind to overthrow the tyranny of Neltharion..."
"Deathwing."
Sintharia, who had been acting very reserved, suddenly interrupted Andreas. With a low voice filled with hatred in her eyes, she reminded him, "The name Neltharion ceased to exist when my husband was corrupted. Now, he calls himself Deathwing, the Aspect of Death."