With Chieftain Theka the Martyr dead, except for a few fanatically loyal troll guards who fought to the end, the rest of the Sandfury Trolls, dizzy and weakened from hunger, simply raised their hands and surrendered.
The trolls remaining in Zul'Farrak were basically the young and able-bodied. Although their rations had been even scarcer than those of Theka's personal guards, they had at least received enough to survive.
Nawaz dragged out a prophet who had attempted to hide among the crowd disguised as a common warrior and executed him. The remaining trolls showed no intent to resist; the year and a half of starvation had completely eroded their will to fight.
"By order of Lord Moonshadow, detain these trolls in Gadgetzan temporarily and await further instructions."
One by one, the emaciated trolls were escorted toward Gadgetzan by Night Elf soldiers. Nawaz turned his head to look at the Arcane Golems that had just undergone their field test.
"They seem... quite decent."
...
The war with the Sandfury Trolls had ended, and the news of victory reached Astranaar immediately.
Andreas did not show any significant emotional fluctuation, merely smiling and nodding in approval to the messenger who brought the victory report.
"You've worked hard. Go and rest now."
Since the Sandfury Trolls lost Shifting Sands Post and were besieged within Zul'Farrak, the outcome of the war had been very clear. It was only a matter of seeing how the Night Elves chose to dismantle the remaining trolls.
Compared to the result of the war, Andreas was more concerned with the combat test reports of the Arcane Golems.
Speaking from a soldier's perspective, Nawaz—the general who had just achieved great merit—gave the Arcane Golems a very high evaluation.
With the war over and the era of peaceful development and morale-building returning, Andreas intended to have Alan refine the designs further. There was no rush for mass production; they had plenty of time.
Andreas left the task of drafting the rewards and recognition scheme to Shandris. Meanwhile, he summoned a female official named Somira from the Magitech Department.
The 200,000 captured Sandfury Trolls were scheduled to be sent in large batches to Tanaris and Un'Goro Crater for mining. However, considering the potential for resistance or escape from these able-bodied males, certain precautions were necessary.
"How is it? Can it be done?"
After hearing Andreas's requirements, Somira nodded thoughtfully. "It should be no problem, but I need some time for design and testing."
Somira was a Highborne magi-technician Andreas had brought from Moonshadow's Rest. Her technical knowledge was solid, and her practical skills were exceptional. In the past, whenever Andreas had a creative idea, it was usually Somira who helped bring it to life.
This time, Andreas needed Somira's help to create a type of limiter specifically for the Sandfury Trolls to prevent them from putting any undesirable thoughts into practice.
Andreas did indeed have the idea of domesticating the trolls, but it was impossible for this generation of Sandfury Trolls, who were filled with hatred for the Night Elves.
It might take several generations of brainwashing education for their offspring to slowly eliminate their wild nature. Until then, while ensuring the troll labor remained usable, they had to be placed under a "tightening curse."
A month later, Somira delivered her finished product.
The solution she chose was an Arcane Collar, embedded with multiple layers of restrictive enchantments.
If a troll showed any intent to take up a weapon, resist, or escape, the collar would immediately tighten in response, causing the ill-intentioned troll to fall into a state of suffocation.
Simultaneously, the collar would send a specific Arcane pulse to nearby overseers, ensuring that those holding receivers could arrive as quickly as possible to handle the situation.
Andreas was very satisfied with Somira's efficiency and design, and he immediately ordered the Magitech Department to begin mass production.
With the Tanaris desert fully occupied, the route to Un'Goro Crater was no longer obstructed.
Archdruid Malfurion mobilized the druids of the Cenarion Circle to enter the crater in force, focusing their study on the peculiar ecology of this lowland jungle.
Andreas was quite curious about the druids' research findings, but it would likely take time to reach any definitive conclusions. He first focused his attention on the Thorium veins in Un'Goro.
According to reports from the advance exploration team led by Naisha, the distribution of mineral veins in the crater was very strange, almost entirely concentrated around the surrounding mountain range. They also discovered a strange crystal pylon not far from the western side of the entrance.
Andreas had records in the notebooks he kept from his early years noting that similar crystal pylons existed in the north, south, east, and west directions of the crater.
Considering how the ecology and climate of the crater were completely out of sync with its surroundings, Andreas speculated that these crystal pylons likely resonated to form a field or a barrier.
The effect was similar to a greenhouse, allowing the Titanic Watchers to modify the climate conditions within the barrier at will. The terminal control station was likely located somewhere within the crater as well.
...
The exploration and study of Un'Goro Crater would certainly not be completed in a day or two. With the Cenarion Circle handling that work, Andreas temporarily shifted his focus after confirming that Un'Goro had a sufficient yield of Thorium.
By defeating the Sandfury Trolls, Andreas gained a great deal of trust and admiration from the populace for winning the war against their ancient rivals.
The situation in the capital, Astranaar, became increasingly stable. Even officials who still had grievances against him did not dare to cause trouble at this time.
To commend the soldiers who performed exceptionally in this war, Andreas personally awarded medals and titles to Nawaz and the others in the plaza before the Great Temple of Elune.
Since the transition to the Night Republic, all land belonged to the state, and the system of hereditary nobility with actual power had been swept into the dustbin of history.
Andreas would not go against the will of the people by reversing historical progress; he had already had open and honest conversations with the Highborne under his command regarding this point.
However, to encourage soldiers to fight bravely on the battlefield, certain honorary rewards were necessary.
Andreas adapted the military rank system from Earth and, after overcoming the objections of Tyrande and others, reintroduced a system of honorary nobility.
Honorary nobles held no actual power, could not be granted land, and could not form their own private armies; it was merely a titular rank.
However, for Night Elves coming from a noble tradition, even a title without power was something that generals from commoner backgrounds desperately hoped to acquire.
In their worldview, becoming a "noble lord" was undoubtedly a great honor that brought glory to one's ancestors.
After confirming the formal establishment of the Night Republic, Andreas immediately established contact with Black Rook Hold and Eldre'Thalas, which were isolated on the borders.
Upon learning that the one currently in power was the former Lord of Moonshadow's Rest, Andreas Moonshadow, the High Council of Eldre'Thalas was the first to declare its intention to join the Republic.
After all, Andreas had personally led the team to establish contact with Eldre'Thalas, helped them plant a World Tree to suppress their mana addiction, and eliminated the fel-corrupted Tortheldrin, preventing the maddened prince from committing further insane acts.
After Eldre'Thalas agreed to join, Andreas reciprocated by granting military ranks to the Shen'dralar generals, such as Hines, who had participated in the war.
Seeing Eldre'Thalas take the lead, the new Lady of Black Rook Hold, Illysanna Ravencrest, also agreed to formally join the Republic after some consideration. However, her condition was that the Ravencrest family retain the noble title of the Lord of Black Rook Hold.
Due to the existence of the honorary nobility system, there was room for negotiation regarding Black Rook Hold—which was far from the core territories—retaining a noble title. Andreas readily agreed to the Ravencrest family's request.
In any case, the local residents' recognition of the Ravencrest family—who were the first to stand against Queen Azshara—remained consistently high. Andreas treated it as a favor granted with ease.
Reviewing the massive map hanging in the administrative hall, Andreas rubbed his chin with interest, his gaze coming to rest on the continent of Northrend to the north.
"Next, it should be the turn of the northernmost city, Shandaral, right?"