Andreas paid no heed to the symbolic guards left behind by the Highborne of Moonrest Gardens. He ordered his personal guard to join the fray and launch an attack against the Nerubians.
After a period of observation, combined with the reminders Andreas provided based on his own memories, the members of the personal guard, led by Leticia, had gained a general understanding of the Nerubians' characteristics.
These grotesquely shaped insectoids were most adept at burrowing into the ground. As long as one was prepared for them to emerge from beneath the earth for an ambush, their inherent combat strength was not considered overly formidable.
Although Andreas's personal guard numbered only a few hundred, these soldiers were elites handpicked from various units.
In a world like Azeroth, where individual strength can turn the tide of battle, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that these guards could each take on dozens of their former peers single-handedly.
The frontline warriors charged in unison with their shields raised high, their kite shields slamming into the faces of the Nerubians with a dull, heavy thud.
The Druids of the Claw seized the opportunity to use their nimble movements to plunge into the enemy ranks, their sharp claws and teeth tearing through the Nerubians' bodies without mercy.
When the Nerubians tried to strike back in pain, they found their attacks firmly repelled by thin, transparent energy shields surrounding these sudden arrivals.
The insertion of a fresh, elite force into a battlefield between two long-time rivals caused the situation to shift immediately.
Due to their lack of familiarity with Druids, the Nerubians appeared somewhat helpless against their diverse array of offensive techniques.
The Druids of the Talon cast spells from within the safety of the barrier, using wind magic to blast large numbers of Nerubians into the sky.
Aside from the minor flying variants, the abilities of high-ranking Nerubians were all rooted in the earth. Once blown into the air, all their methods became ineffective, leaving them to spray webs in a panicked, disorganized frenzy.
Andreas had already warned the Druids of the Talon to be wary of the Nerubians' web sprays. They flapped their wings lightly to dodge, and with the coordination of their allies, they suppressed local Nerubian forces until they had no room to fight back.
One move affects the whole board. With one side of the battle line collapsing, a massive gap appeared in the Nerubians' entire formation.
The Nerubian commander, highly experienced, let out a raspy, unpleasant screech toward the sky—the signal for retreat. The strictly disciplined Nerubians immediately obeyed the order and withdrew, soon retreating north toward their underground hives in Azjol-Nerub.
Andreas did not let his guard down despite this minor victory. He was both shocked and concerned by the discipline and coordination the Nerubians had displayed.
They won't be easy to deal with.
During the joint combat with the arcanists of Moonrest Gardens, the identity of Andreas's group was revealed. Their shared appearance caused the local elves to breathe a subconscious sigh of relief.
The leader of Moonrest Gardens was named Harris Starsong. At this moment, he frowned as he watched his retreating kin.
Druids? Could it be...
Andreas removed the hood that shielded him from the snow, a warm smile on his face as he approached the leading Harris and extended a friendly hand.
"Greetings, Highborne kin. I am Andreas Moonshadow, the current Speaker of the High Council of the Night Republic. It is a pleasure to meet you in the cold and desolate lands of Northrend."
"The Night Republic? High Council?"
Harris was completely bewildered by Andreas's self-introduction, but he still upheld noble etiquette and lightly shook Andreas's hand.
"Thank you for your assistance, Lord Andreas Moonshadow. However, about this Night Republic..."
Andreas replied with a smile, "That is a long story. If you don't mind, let us return to the warmth of the indoors where I can explain it to you slowly. I am still a bit unaccustomed to Northrend's freezing winds."
"Of course. Please, everyone, follow me."
...
After some exchange, Harris and Andreas both managed to glean a fair amount of information from each other.
While Harris fell into deep thought over the newly established Night Republic, Andreas also rested his chin on his hand, pondering for a moment.
According to the intelligence provided by Harris, the situation in Shandaral City, located in Moonsong Forest (later known as Crystalsong Forest), was currently not good.
Due to a long-term lack of mana supply, the lives of ordinary citizens had not changed much, but the anxiety among the Highborne—the city's rulers—was growing stronger by the day.
The term "internal strife and external threats" perfectly described the situation in Shandaral.
The Highborne, suffering from a lack of mana, were becoming increasingly irritable under the influence of mana addiction.
For 2,000 years, they had tried every possible way to create a new source of magic, but without the waters of the Well of Eternity or the Eye of Aman'Thul, it was simply impossible.
To find a new way forward, Shandaral's leadership had sent exploration teams to various regions of Northrend.
Currently, Icecrown Glacier was still a barren, uninhabited dead zone. Exploration in that direction yielded nothing and resulted in the loss of many team members in the extreme cold.
Storm Peaks, to the north of Moonsong Forest, was the stronghold of Titan-forged beings. Almost none of the elven exploration teams that strayed into that area returned alive.
To the south lay Dragonblight, the home of the dragons. Thanks to the decent relationship between the Night Elves and the dragonflights, Alexstrasza, who oversaw Wyrmrest Temple, allowed the elves to explore Dragonblight as long as they did not touch certain forbidden areas.
Lacking sufficient mana, the exploration teams found it difficult to travel far; the mana required just to maintain temperature-regulating spells was enough to drain them dry.
A small group from a Shandaral exploration team was accidentally caught in a blizzard, lost their way, and stumbled into the Lothalor Woods in southern Dragonblight to seek shelter.
They were fortunate enough to follow the ley lines within the forest and find a nexus located on the south side of Moonrest Gardens, where they had settled ever since.
However, the group of elves who established Moonrest Gardens did not have an easy time either. While they no longer had to worry about mana addiction, the Nerubians to the north were enraged that an alien race dared to set up a post at their doorstep, frequently sending troops to attack them.
The final Shandaral exploration team entered Zul'Drak from the east of Moonsong Forest. Given the ancient blood feud between Trolls and Night Elves... their fate needs no explanation; they all became savory meals in the pots of the Drakkari Ice Trolls.
However, discovering a magic-rich place like Moonrest Gardens had partially achieved their goal. Many Highborne seized the opportunity to leave Shandaral City and relocate to Dragonblight.
Over a thousand years had passed, and the settlement of Moonrest Gardens had gradually grown to the size of a mid-sized town.
But as the saying goes, it was a temporary fix that didn't address the root cause. The amount of magic that a single primitive ley line nexus could provide was ultimately limited.
Furthermore, the Highborne did not dare risk offending the Blue Dragonflight by claiming the ley line nexus as their own, so they could only quietly absorb mana nearby.
As time went on, the magic supply of Moonrest Gardens reached its limit, yet the amount of mana extracted from the nexus fell far short of the expectations of Shandaral's Highborne.
Andreas had arrived in Dragonblight against this backdrop. It was said that the high-ranking officials of Shandaral were currently debating whether to risk approaching the Blue Dragonflight to formally request usage rights for the ley line nexus.
"The Blue Dragons... I see."
Andreas said thoughtfully, "Perhaps I can help you establish contact with the Blue Dragonflight. However, there is actually a better way to solve your mana addiction issues."
Harris, who hadn't quite processed this, was stunned for a moment. Then he asked with some urgency, "What way?!"
A benevolent smile appeared on Andreas's face. "Return to the embrace of the Night Republic. Your homeland will solve all your problems for you."
Harris: "..."