Upon receiving orders from Moonshadow's Rest, Nawaz, stationed far away in Gadgetzan, immediately began mobilizing his troops for war. Simultaneously, the Shen'dralar forces, who had been training in the Shimmering Flats, led their army south into the Tanaris desert.
The unusual movements of the Night Elves naturally alerted the Sandfury Trolls.
Many years had passed, and while the chieftains of the Sandfury Trolls had changed countless times, they had always kept the threat of the Night Elves in mind. It had become a fixed custom for every new chieftain to personally lead a charge against the Night Elf outposts upon taking office, demonstrating their hardline stance to their tribesmen.
The current Sandfury Chieftain was named Thullos Sandtop. He had only recently ascended to power after slaying his aging father a few months ago, and he was currently brimming with ambition.
Learning of the Night Elves' movements from his scouts, Thullos felt no worry or fear; instead, he excitedly egged on the warriors of his tribe. He sought to crush the main force of the Night Elves with a counter-offensive, thereby showcasing his personal prowess and consolidating his regime, which had been seized through questionable means.
The two armies faced off in front of the Sandfeather Outpost, east of the Shifting Sands. Young and aggressive, Thullos did not fear the well-equipped Night Elves; he firmly believed that the Sandfury Trolls, possessing the home-field advantage, could defeat these invading "purple-skins."
The combined forces of Moonshadow's Rest and the Shen'dralar totaled 100,000 troops. The Sandfury Trolls had mobilized many raw recruits, bringing their total strength to 250,000. In terms of pure numbers, they indeed far outnumbered the Night Elves.
However, battle is never a simple game of numbers. Logistics, soldier training, equipment disparities, and tactical planning are all factored in. At the very least, Nawaz, who commanded the entire army, did not believe that the Sandfury Trolls—mixed with too many disorganized mobs—could easily break through the solid Night Elf fortifications.
As a great war loomed, both sides silently maneuvered supplies and reinforcements for the conflict. Andreas dispatched another 20,000 reinforcements from Moonshadow's Rest under the command of Naisha. The reinforcements set sail from Stormport, heading south to support the front lines.
The Shen'dralar followed suit. Previously, the troops they sent to the Shimmering Flats were common professions like warriors and rangers; now, to eradicate the southern threat once and for all, they finally deployed a structured unit of Arcanists.
With war on the verge of breaking out, Andreas led several trusted aides from Moonshadow's Rest to the capital, Astranaar, built atop the canopy of Nordrassil, to take his post.
While Andreas had been traveling with the Dragonflight to the Eastern Kingdoms to capture Malygos and visit the Highborne, the "Big Three" of the Night Elves had not been idle.
Maiev had carried out a ruthless purge. Leading her Watchers, she forcefully moved into the former Highborne residential areas. Her brazen behavior naturally drew the ire of the wealthy merchants and landowners who had gathered nearby, hoping to seize the territory.
Maiev was not the protective Tyrande, nor was she the soft-hearted Malfurion. Anyone who dared enter the grounds without permission had their "claws" cut off by her Watchers. She even followed the clues to carry out a bloody massacre of the masters behind these private militias.
Strictly speaking, only the Highborne were entitled to maintain private guards. Under years of suppression from Tyrande, Dath'Remar and others had gradually lost this privilege. However, with Tyrande turning a blind eye, these bold merchants and landowners had blatantly expanded their bodyguard teams, which had long since exceeded the scope of mere security.
Maiev had long wanted to clear out these black sheep. Since they had handed her a pretext by trespassing on restricted ground, she naturally did not disappoint their "expectations."
The merchants and landowners, who were one step too slow, woke up the next morning to find the world had changed. The sight of blood flowing like rivers and corpses littering the Highborne district scared them to their very bones.
If Andreas had been there personally, he likely would have stopped the armed suppression at this point and switched to psychological pressure and selective recruitment to divide the terrified, greedy lot, perhaps even inciting them to attack each other in secret.
But not Maiev. The leader of the Watchers, with her direct way of thinking, continued the killing without mercy.
For several days, the residents of Astranaar near the Highborne district could hear shrill, desperate screams. The thick smell of blood grew so heavy they didn't even dare open their windows for fresh air.
The tragic slaughter alarmed Shandris at the Great Temple of Elune. By the time she arrived at the scene, everything was already over.
Malfurion, having returned successfully from Black Rook Hold, learned of Maiev's cold-blooded methods and was so angry that he squatted in the Emerald Dream for several days, refusing to come out. However, the punishment for these greedy individuals was a collective decision by the Night Elf leadership. Even though Malfurion was extremely dissatisfied with Maiev's excessively bloody methods, he could only nurse his anger in silence.
The situation with the Shen'dralar was relatively more troublesome.
The Hidden City of Eldre'Thalas was originally founded by Queen Azshara, and the scholars responsible for managing the precious library were all highly knowledgeable Highborne. Dath'Remar's flight had made them feel a sense of "the fox mourning the death of the rabbit." Tyrande had visited personally multiple times to reassure the Shen'dralar that Dath'Remar's departure was merely a misunderstanding with the leadership and that no harsh measures would be taken against them.
The High Priestess's personal explanation provided sufficient face. After some discussion, Speaker Mordent Evenshade and the council members eventually accepted Tyrande's apology.
When Andreas and his group teleported to Astranaar, the turmoil from over half a year ago had mostly subsided. However, the impact of the Highborne's departure on social productivity could not be erased in the short term. If this continued, Astranaar, with its many neglected tasks, would need a long time to adapt to life without the Highborne.
Andreas finally understood why, in original history, the Night Elves made little progress for ten thousand years. On one hand, it was due to Tyrande's poor administrative ability; on the other, the flight of the Highborne took away the final afterglow of the Night Empire's magic-industrial civilization, causing social development to stagnate or even regress.
The future trajectory of Quel'Thalas proved this point. At least in terms of living standards and social productivity, the High Elves far surpassed the Night Elves under Tyrande's rule. The High Elves had a small population and relied entirely on automated magical equipment to support their missing productivity. Under the strong push of their leadership, Quel'Thalas's magical technology and prosperity surpassed all nations and races on the two continents.
Andreas did not "kill the goose that lays the golden eggs" by taking all the high-ranking officials of Moonshadow's Rest at once.
Aside from Nawaz and Naisha, who were leading the army in the field, Maclay remained in Moonshadow's Rest as the Chief Administrator. Feron and Delier also stayed behind temporarily until suitable successors could be trained to return to Andreas's side.
Leading half of the Moon Guard to follow Andreas to Astranaar was Delier's deputy, Jorge. This once-impulsive young Arcanist had matured significantly after 2,000 years of experience. Although his personality occasionally led to bouts of frustration, those were kept to his private time; Jorge drew a clear line between public and private affairs.
Besides Jorge, the group included the secretarial team of Lisa, Alfonso, and Celeste; Prissim, who lurked in the shadows; and his only apprentice, Leticia. Of course, Onyxia, acting as the Black Dragon envoy, was also present. Additionally, a group of technical personnel, including the Arcane Golem craftsman Alan, were brought along to stimulate the development of Astranaar's meager technological level.
Lacking the maintenance of the Highborne, Astranaar's teleportation towers had become quite desolate. As Andreas stepped out of the tower, he looked down at the familiar yet strange streetscape with a sigh of emotion.
"Let's begin. A brand new challenge awaits us."