Although Northrend was cold and remote, this northernmost continent possessed many vital resources that Kalimdor lacked.
First were the minerals.
While Andreas didn't want to jump to conclusions before a proper survey, Northrend likely held vast veins of Cobalt and extremely precious Titanic ores.
Additionally, Northrend specialties like Frost Lotus, Icethorn, and Fire Leaf could provide many new inspirations and formulas for the Night Republic's alchemy industry.
Not to mention the thick and resilient furs evolved by Northrend's wildlife to adapt to the extreme cold; these resources all made Andreas salivate with anticipation.
Previously, he had been busy taking control of Kalimdor and didn't want to provoke Yogg-Saron prematurely, so Andreas had avoided turning his gaze toward Northrend.
But with the Tanaris Desert and Un'Goro Crater now under Night Elven control, there were very few unexplored areas left on that continent.
Excluding the inaccessible ruins of Uldum, all that remained was the vast Silithus Desert occupied by the Qiraji.
Malfurion was currently leading the Cenarion Circle in an ecological survey within the Crater; discovering the path to Silithus was only a matter of time.
It remained to be seen whether the Qiraji had recovered from their ancient war with the Troll Empires—a matter that required Andreas's focused attention.
Overall, however, Kalimdor held no more secrets from the Night Elves. As long as he remained vigilant against the Qiraji and C'Thun, Andreas could finally look elsewhere.
The Broken Isles would sooner or later be developed extensively through Black Rook Hold and Lorlathil, and he even intended to establish contact with his kin who were self-sequestered in Suramar.
As for Shandaral in Northrend, which had existed since before the War of the Ancients, Andreas already had a preliminary vision for his planning of this arctic continent.
If I rely on the elves of Shandaral to expand territory, as long as we don't foolishly march into Storm Peaks, Loken and Yogg-Saron shouldn't become too wary, right?
Shandaral was an ancient elven city that had always been in Northrend. Loken was surely aware of its existence. When Shandaral began expanding outward, his vigilance would be far lower than if a group of outsiders suddenly appeared.
Hearing Andreas's invitation, Harris showed a look of difficulty on his face.
"Lord Andreas, I am merely the administrator stationed at Moonshadow's Rest Gardens. The invitation you proposed exceeds my authorized jurisdiction."
"I will report the relevant information regarding your Lordship to the higher-ups in Shandaral as quickly as possible. Please wait patiently for a while."
Andreas shrugged indifferently and said, "That's fine. However, my trip to Northrend this time wasn't solely for the sake of Shandaral."
He reached out and produced a fiery red scale, waving it slightly as he smiled. "At the invitation of the Dragon Queen Alexstrasza, I plan to visit Wyrmrest Temple first. If the leadership of Shandaral reaches a decision, send someone to Wyrmrest Temple to find me."
As he stood up under Harris' astonished gaze, Andreas suddenly remembered something and struck his palm with his fist. "Ah, right."
"If you can't find me at Wyrmrest Temple, I'll likely have gone to the Nexus on Coldarra to visit the Blue Dragons. If there's nothing urgent, your messenger can wait at Wyrmrest Temple with my personal guard."
...
Since they had already reached Dragonblight, Andreas didn't plan on traveling slowly across the ground with his entire guard.
Selecting the Druids from his personal guard, Andreas took flight toward the northeast, escorted by various avian forms.
Wyrmrest Temple sat at the very center of Dragonblight. The giant tower, constructed under the supervision of Keepers like Tyr and Archaedas, asserted its presence quite strikingly.
Leticia, riding on Onyxia's back, couldn't help but complain, "You managed to act cool again. You should have seen the look in Harris' eyes before we left—he practically wanted to worship you like Elune on the spot."
Andreas, in his Gryphon form, chuckled. "What's the difference between a person who doesn't act cool and a poser? Besides, I wasn't boasting; everything I told him was the truth."
Onyxia couldn't help but roll her eyes, and Celeste, perched on Andreas' back, let out a muffled giggle.
As the ancestral home of the dragons, the barren snowy plains of Dragonblight were dotted with the shrines of the five dragonflights.
On the way from Moonshadow's Rest Gardens to Wyrmrest Temple, Andreas and his companions could see the Ruby Dragonshrine to the north and the Azure Dragonshrine to the south, belonging to the Red and Blue Dragonflights respectively.
"By the way, Ony."
Seeing these dragonshrines reminded Andreas of something.
"Hmm?"
"Didn't your mother and Nefarian say they were going back to the Obsidian Dragonshrine to recover? Aren't you going to visit them?"
The Obsidian Dragonshrine was northwest of the Ruby Dragonshrine, relatively far from Wyrmrest Temple.
Onyxia turned her head toward the direction of the Black Dragonshrine and shook her head. "No need. If Mother and Nefarian know I've arrived at Wyrmrest Temple, they'll likely come to see me of their own accord."
"I just wonder if Nefarian has been trained so hard by Mother that he's lost a layer of skin."
Seeing the schadenfreude on Onyxia's dragon face, Andreas said somewhat speechlessly, "Does your mother treat her children with a bit of... double standards?"
Onyxia gave him a sidelong glance. "What do you know? Nefarian will eventually inherit the Black Dragonflight. Mother's expectations for him are naturally higher than for me. The stricter she is, the more it means she values him."
Don't you guys consider compatibility? For a technical shut-in dragon like Nefarian, making him a Dragon Aspect is a bit much.
To pass the time during the journey, the group chatted about all sorts of topics.
Though it didn't look far, it was a classic case of "the mountain looks close but the horse dies trying."
By the time Andreas and the others landed on the snowy plains before Wyrmrest Temple, three days had passed since they left Moonshadow's Rest Gardens.
Up close, Wyrmrest Temple, this giant tower filled with Titanic architectural style, felt even more magnificent.
Dragons of all colors patrolled around the tower. Rare adult dragons were as common here as cheap cabbages, visible everywhere.
Onyxia's approach drew the attention of the Wyrmrest guards. An adult Red Dragon, several sizes larger than her, descended from the top of the tower and transformed into a male Night Elf wearing red robes.
"Everyone, I am a child of Alexstrasza, Keristrasz. You may call me Kayren."
This humanoid dragon calling himself Kayren was, like his mother, very kind toward mortals. He said to Andreas and the others with a smile, "Lord Moonshadow, Mother is already waiting for you at the top of the tower. Please follow me."
Andreas nodded to Kayren and turned to instruct the Druids to remain at the base of Wyrmrest Temple to wait for the rest of the guard arriving by land.
Under Kayren's guidance, Andreas, Celeste, and Leticia rode on his back and flew with Onyxia toward the meeting hall on the highest level of Wyrmrest Temple.
When Kayren reached the top, the mortal-form Alexstrasza was waiting for them with a smile.
Alexstrasza nodded to Kayren and then warmly welcomed Andreas and his companions.
"Welcome to Wyrmrest Temple, Lord Moonshadow... No, I suppose I should call you Speaker Moonshadow now?"