After half a night of secret discussion, Maiev left the Lord's Manor at dawn. The once-boisterous city gradually fell into silence as the residents yawned, preparing to head home and sleep.
Facing the rising morning sun, Andreas silently watched Maiev's receding figure. Her stride remained as firm as ever, showing no visible sign that their previous conversation had affected her emotions.
Beside Andreas, Shandris, leaning against the railing, suddenly asked, "Are you certain Maiev will stand on our side?"
"I'm not certain."
Andreas shrugged. "Although many people's impression of Maiev is stuck on her being a reckless woman, she is actually a person with very strong convictions."
"If an irreversible situation truly occurs, I cannot be sure which side she will choose."
"However, today's conversation should have more or less influenced her mindset and stance. For me, that is already enough."
Turning to look at Shandris, whose expression was somewhat complicated, Andreas gently pulled her by the shoulder. "As for you, have you truly decided to stand with us?"
"If things develop as I expect, Tyrande won't be able to escape this time just by lowering her profile when the moment comes."
Shandris gave a bitter smile. "Even if I told her in advance, what would it change? Do you really think my mentor can't see through the current situation? Even if she can't, the Archdruid will remind her."
"As you told Maiev earlier, the conflict between the two sides has reached a point where it can no longer be reconciled."
"Unless one side takes the initiative to back down, this conflict will erupt sooner or later."
Andreas kissed Shandris on the forehead and comforted her with a smile. "Perhaps things won't get that bad. Dath'Remar is no incompetent noble; I believe he won't provoke a conflict at the risk of starting a new civil war."
The usually steadfast Shandris showed a rare moment of hesitation and bewilderment. She leaned into Andreas's embrace, her gaze drifting toward the horizon where the sun was rising.
"If it's as you say, why would Dath'Remar burn his bridges and send his precious daughter to Moonshadow's Rest for refuge? Doesn't that mean he's already prepared to fight to the end?"
Celeece had arrived less than an hour before Maiev. While Alfonso was leading Maiev in circles around the city, Shandris had just finished settling in the Sunstrider's eldest daughter, who had blossomed into a beautiful young woman. This was also the reason why Shandris hadn't appeared in the reception hall as the lady of the house earlier.
Andreas chuckled and patted Shandris's head. "You're being too pessimistic. This is just the standard practice of the Highborne."
"Whether Dath'Remar wants to resist or escape, the seemingly fragile Celeece is his greatest weakness in the eyes of others."
"To prevent Celeece from becoming a breakthrough point for hostile forces, and to ensure the Sunstrider bloodline doesn't end just in case, sending her to Moonshadow's Rest was the best choice."
"And look—didn't Tyrande tacitly allow this without stopping her? Otherwise, do you think Celeece could have been teleported out so easily?"
"But..."
Seeing the lingering conflict on Shandris's face, Andreas tightened his embrace.
"Don't worry. I promise you, I will do my best to prevent things from reaching the worst-case scenario."
...
Although Dath'Remar had made up his mind and begun his plan, the Highborne continued to keep their heads down and endure humiliation until they obtained the crucial "key" to freedom.
Over the next 100 years, with the Highborne proactively backing down, certain greedy individuals continued to press their advantage, repeatedly shrinking the Highborne's activity zones.
Large tracts of land that originally belonged to the Highborne districts were seized and divided by commoners. This carnival of "striking the landlords" caused Astranaar to show a temporary surge of prosperity.
However, anyone with a long-term vision could see that a giant shadow was approaching, hidden behind this false prosperity.
During these 100 years, Tyrande maintained a semi-transparent, low-profile state.
Regarding the policy suggestions submitted by lower-level officials, she consistently chose the more conservative options.
Malfurion was occupied with the heavy burdens of the newly founded Cenarion Circle, coupled with the great responsibility of maintaining the Emerald Dream. Although he was deeply worried about the undercurrents surging in Astranaar , he could find no suitable way to mediate at the moment.
Even though the Druids did their best to step in and soothe the over-excited commoners, in the face of tangible benefits, most people's vision became narrowed by greed. They only cared about snatching the meat in front of them, ignoring the Druids' mediation.
Tyrande and Malfurion, who had risen to power by championing the commoners, found themselves bound hand and foot by them in return. The lower-class citizens didn't care about the big picture or the future of the race.
Their primary concern was their own immediate interests. Once someone dared to block their pursuit of a better life, the red-eyed commoners wouldn't care who was standing in their way; if they swarmed together, it might even trigger a riot.
Andreas had maintained the highest level of attention toward Astranaar over these years. Seeing the populace gradually turn into a mob in the face of profit made him shake his head repeatedly.
It couldn't be said that this was entirely the people's fault. Ultimately, it was Tyrande's governance that failed to provide the people with a sufficiently good standard of living or correct guidance; instead, she had fanned the flames behind the scenes to gain political capital.
When you play the game, you eventually have to pay the price. It was Tyrande's negligence and shortsightedness that led to the current, almost unmanageable situation.
In Andreas' previous life, his homeland had a classic ancient proverb:
"The people are the water, and the ruler is the boat; water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it."
...
While the capital of Astranaar was mired in turmoil, Moonshadow's Rest continued to develop steadily.
Shipbuilding craftsmen had gradually adapted to using iron keels, and their acceptance of pure iron-clad ships was rising year by year.
Under Andreas's guidance, the craftsmen were attempting to create the first prototype ironclad ship. Craftsmen with differing opinions were arguing incessantly over the issues of maneuverability versus armor thickness.
Speed or combat power? This "choose one of two" dilemma was a perennial problem in the warship industry. In his previous life, Andreas only saw this issue gradually resolved during the modern era as technology advanced.
Naval development had entered a temporary bottleneck due to warship issues, but the exploration fleets of Moonshadow's Rest did not stop their progress because of it.
Many port towns on the west coast of Kalimdor became increasingly developed, fueled by efficient maritime trade. Andreas gradually turned his gaze toward the relatively barren east coast.
Starting from Storm Port in the Azshara region, the newly formed Second Naval Fleet headed south along the east coast, further expanding the Night Elves' sphere of activity.
However, the coastline of the east coast was indeed quite poor. Whether it was the barren red-clay plains later known as Durotar or the mud-filled Dustwallow Marsh further south, they were all lands of little value in the eyes of the Night Elves.
Instead, the exploration team discovered a very precious mineral—Mithril—in the Great Tanaris Desert located at the southernmost tip of Kalimdor's east coast.
But a problem followed: if they wanted to mine the large number of Mithril veins growing in the mountains surrounding this vast desert, the Sandfury Trolls living there were an obstacle that could not be avoided.