"Eh?"
Celeste, who was usually a bit airheaded, dazed for a moment. Onyxia was horrified to find that this girl actually seemed to be considering the feasibility.
"Stop, stop, stop! I was just giving a random example; don't take it seriously! There are plenty of other handsome 'uncles' who fit your criteria, like Maclay, Nawaz, and Delier."
Celeste retorted speechlessly, "Maclay just got married thirty years ago, and Nawaz and Delier's children are already older than me, aren't they?"
"Aren't they all handsome uncles?"
"It's not the same! I would never destroy someone else's family."
"I'm back!"
While the two were chatting about domestic matters, the boisterous Leticia made her presence known downstairs while riding Akumai. Before long, she returned to the rooftop.
"What are you guys talking about? Let me hear."
"Sure, we were saying..."
"Stop!"
These two companions, who were experts at getting off-topic, made the self-proclaimed steady Onyxia rub her temples with a headache.
"Save the idle talk for later. Business first: what exactly are those Green Dragons doing here?"
Leticia picked up a cookie, stuffed it into her mouth, and said indistinctly, "They are going to be permanently stationed in Moonshadow's Rest. Supposedly, it's an order issued jointly by Ysera and the Moon Goddess Elune."
Onyxia: "???"
...
Similar to the situation Elune had anticipated, with the Green Dragons representing the Moon Goddess being stationed there, the originally turbulent Astranaar passed nearly 1,000 years smoothly.
Some greedy merchants wanted to continue relentlessly hounding the Highborne, who looked to have only one breath of life left, but Malfurion was not one to indulge them like Tyrande did.
Although the Archdruid's gentle temperament meant he wouldn't hand down severe punishments to these people, he could at least ensure impartial and fair judgments.
However, Dath'Remar did not abandon his already initiated plans just because of Malfurion's fairness. Tyrande's previous governing policies had long ago caused the Highborne to abandon any wishful thinking. Realizing that the biased High Priestess would eventually return, Dath'Remar and the others steadily advanced their plan.
Everything was ready; all they needed was a final catalyst.
Around 8,100 years before the opening of the Dark Portal, the Highborne leadership gathered once again in a secret room within Dath'Remar's home to hold the final meeting before the commencement of their operation.
Dath'Remar had to deal with the hounding of greedy opportunists while secretly busy advancing the plan; his appearance now looked quite haggard. The heavy dark circles that never faded and his gaunt figure earned him a great deal of respect from the attending Highborne.
Although his outward appearance was tragic, Dath'Remar's spirit was highly excited.
"Everyone, we are only one last step away from success!"
Everyone present nodded solemnly in agreement. Having endured humiliation and being monitored like birds in a cage for so many years, they had never craved freedom as much as they did now.
"Before executing the final operation, we have one more important agenda to discuss."
The scene in the secret room already showed the early prototype of the future Kingdom of the Sun. Dath'Remar, occupying the main seat, proposed the topic; the heads of the various families discussed the feasibility and specific details, and after reaching a stable conclusion, it was passed back to Dath'Remar for the final decision.
Dath'Remar used Arcane magic to sketch a holographic map in front of him. "The location of our new home."
Pointing at the continent of Kalimdor, Dath'Remar said in a heavy tone, "I initially considered relocating to the southern part of Kalimdor, but the expanding power of Eldre'Thalas dispelled that idea."
"If the distance isn't far enough, we will eventually be hunted down by the paranoid Moon Priestesses and Druids. They will never allow a new source of energy to emerge, regardless of whether it is controllable."
Everyone present nodded grimly. Strict control over Arcane magic was the mainstream ideology of the Night Elves now; even the historically inclusive Archdruid would not tolerate their radical methods.
"But!"
Dath'Remar waved his fist and spoke passionately, "We will not give up the Arcane! Researching the Arcane is an innate right of the Highborne. This power of Order is by no means the source that attracts demons; the problem lies only with the people who use it!"
"Therefore, I propose..."
Dath'Remar drew a question mark to the right of the holographic projection of Kalimdor. "Moonshadow's Rest fleet, after years of maritime navigation, has basically confirmed one point."
"When the Well of Eternity exploded back then, at least half of the continent was separated from Kalimdor."
"Among them, the Broken Isles in the center of the Great Sea and Northrend in the north have been verified. Scholars in Moonshadow's Rest generally agree on a hypothesis..."
Adding weight to his point by tapping the question mark, Dath'Remar mirrored and flipped the continent of Kalimdor, shifting it to the other side of the Great Sea.
"There is another continent across the Great Sea; it just hasn't been explicitly verified yet."
Dath'Remar leaned his hands on the table and said in a deep voice, "Among the continents discovered so far, Northrend is located at the world's north pole and is too bitterly cold. The Broken Isles, because of Shaladrassil, are constantly under the surveillance of Druids."
"If we want to truly escape the eyes of the Druids and Moon Priestesses, only one high-risk option remains."
"Cross the Great Sea and head to the other side to find the new continent!"
Dath'Remar's proposal plunged the room into a temporary silence. It took a long while before a red-haired man raised his hand to ask a question.
Dath'Remar gladly called his name. "Patriarch Moonrage, please feel free to raise any concerns."
The red-haired man stood up and adjusted his attire. "Lord Dath'Remar, I have only one question: how are we to cross the perilous Great Sea?"
"As far as I know, even the navy of Moonnight Town hasn't dared to explore eastward from the Broken Isles until now. Only they know the storm patterns on the Great Sea."
"Forgive my bluntness." Patriarch Moonrage sighed softly. "Relying solely on ourselves, I fear it will be difficult to traverse the ocean and successfully reach a new continent that may or may not exist."
Dath'Remar nodded heavily. "That is also a problem I am considering. Unfortunately, Lord Moonshadow and the High Priestess have both been summoned by Elune, and it is temporarily impossible to contact him."
"However, I have secretly conveyed the message to Leticia Moonsong. As a fellow Highborne, she has agreed in principle to help us cross the sea."
"Wait." One of the silver-haired men frowned and raised his hand. "Lord Dath'Remar, you say the Moonsong Matriarch agreed to the crossing? Did she not say anything about exploring the route beforehand?"
Dath'Remar blinked, and then his eyes lit up. "Well asked, Patriarch Mooncrown! Leticia is, after all, lacking in experience; her words have already revealed some key information."
Everyone present was from the elite class of the Highborne. Following the words of Dath'Remar and Patriarch Mooncrown, they quickly understood the logic.
Patriarch Moonrage said in realization, "Moonshadow's Rest has long since confirmed that a continent exists on the other side of the Great Sea, but for some reason, they haven't announced it to the public?"