For Shandaral and Roddik, currently plagued by internal and external crises, they possessed virtually nothing of value for Andreas to covet, aside from the autonomy they had gained by remaining distant from mainstream Night Elven society.
Since the Night Republic had been established with the goal of fostering racial cohesion, the autonomy of Shandaral would eventually have to be reclaimed. Now, it was simply a matter of how Roddik chose to act.
Would he continue to be a "local emperor" living a destitute life, or return to the embrace of the Night Republic, accept warm assistance from his homeland, and become a Northern Lord with a bright future?
However, the "bright future" was Andreas' perspective. Roddik lacked such confidence; the Governor was still wavering.
"Lord Moonshadow, could you give me some time to consider?"
Roddik maintained a very humble posture. It was unclear if the 2,000 years of hardship had ground away his arrogance as a Highborne, but he consistently presented himself as low-key and pragmatic in front of Andreas.
Andreas nodded readily. "Certainly. However, please reach a conclusion as soon as possible. My visit to Shandaral is a brief window of time I've carved out of a busy schedule. Afterward, I have important matters to handle at Wyrmrest Temple."
The Blue Dragons were attempting to escort the maddened Malygos to the Azure Dragonshrine. The suggestion of using "fighting fire with fire" had been proposed by Andreas, and he intended to personally witness the Blue Dragon King's reaction after being subjected to significant psychological stimulation.
Would he sink into total oblivion? Or be reborn? The answer would be revealed within the next few days.
Roddik's brow twitched slightly. "Wyrmrest Temple? Very well. I will convene the city's officials for discussion immediately."
...
"I object!"
While Andreas led Leticia and the others on an interested tour of Shandaral, a fierce argument was erupting in the deliberative hall of the Governor's Palace.
A lavishly dressed Highborne official spoke emotionally, "Though life is difficult now, at least we still possess the right to self-governance."
"Once we join this so-called Night Republic, who can guarantee that the Speaker won't replace all of us?"
Another official, who appeared more composed, nodded in agreement. "If I were him, that's exactly what I would do. It's impossible to leave the management of a newly merged region entirely to the original staff."
"Hmph!"
An official favoring the merger with the Night Republic sneered, "In the end, you just can't let go of the power in your hands, can you?"
"So what if we can't! We aren't children; we must consider the future of our families. Do you want to go from being a high-ranking magistrate to a penniless commoner?"
"Shallow! Without the aid of the Night Republic, we can't even guarantee we'll survive until tomorrow. In such a state, you're actually still thinking about your own power! Don't you care about your family members at home, desperately waiting for magic supplies? You selfish scum!"
"How dare you!"
Governor Roddik watched the officials below, whose argument had escalated into a physical brawl, with a growing headache. The chaotic scene in the hall mirrored the struggle within his own heart.
No one noticed a mysterious figure in a hood crouching in a state of stealth on a beam above the hall.
Prizm's eyes, hidden beneath the hood, watched the loudest dissenters with zero emotional fluctuation, silently noting the appearances and names of the officials who opposed the merger most fiercely.
...
"Heh... Shandaral has truly fallen into a sorry state."
Shaking the observation report handed over by Prizm, Andreas sneered mockingly. "They can't even deploy a basic True Sight barrier in their most important deliberative hall. Under these circumstances, they're still thinking about consolidating their own power first."
A cold light flashed in his eyes as Andreas spoke calmly, "Prizm, give Governor Roddik a hand. By this evening, place all the dossiers of those opposing officials on his desk."
"I don't need you to dig back eight generations, but at least find enough dirt on these officials to bury them."
"Understood."
If the difficulty of persuading Eldre'Thalas was a 7, then handling Shandaral, in Andreas' view, was only around a 3 or 4.
Although they both faced the same problem of magic shortages, Eldre'Thalas had at least managed to persist through unorthodox means. There was a significant difference between them and a Shandaral on the brink of collapse.
If Andreas hadn't exposed the issue of Prince Tortheldrin being corrupted by Fel energy, the Shen'dralar likely could have relied on siphoning Immol'thar's energy for another several thousand years.
Shandaral lacked such a foundation. Although Andreas couldn't be certain of the exact timeline, the ruins of Crystalsong Forest in the future proved that this group of northern kin had failed to survive the erosion of time.
As expected, just as the moon was rising the next day, Governor Roddik walked into the mansion assigned to Andreas and his group with a determined expression.
"Lord Moonshadow... no, Speaker Moonshadow. Roddik Wintermoon, in my capacity as Governor of Shandaral, has decided to join the Night Republic."
As those words left his mouth, a complex expression of both relief and melancholy appeared on the face of the man who had shouldered the pressure for over 2,000 years.
"I hope Speaker Moonshadow can keep his promise and give Shandaral a bright future."
Andreas stood up from his seat and gave an approving smile. "Governor Roddik, congratulations on making a wise decision."
"Once my itinerary in Northrend concludes, I will immediately return to Astranaar and send personnel to conduct the handover. Subsequent aid will be delivered as soon as possible."
"I believe that in the future, you will certainly not regret your decision today."
...
While there was a slight sense of taking advantage of someone in peril, Andreas had at least achieved a good result in the shortest amount of time.
Furthermore, he wasn't bluffing Roddik. Regarding the development of Shandaral, Andreas indeed had some ideas; he could begin putting them into practice as soon as the handover was officially completed.
To show his sincerity, Andreas first gave Roddik bottled Moonwell water and Nightwell water he had brought on this trip for a trial.
Drinking the water skeptically, Roddik soon felt the surge of Arcane energy within his body, and a look of joyous surprise appeared on his face.
This energy-rich water reignited Roddik's hope for the future. He immediately guaranteed that he would continue to work hard to manage the order of Shandaral until the handover process began.
With the Shandaral trip concluded, Andreas and his party began to retrace their steps. When they returned to Wyrmrest Temple, they happened to see a massive, well-groomed Blue Dragon being pinned to the ground by the combined efforts of Alexstrasza and Ysera in their original forms.
"Malygos, huh..."
Compared to the disheveled state of their last meeting, Malygos was still insane, but his appearance at least possessed some of the dignity of a Dragon King. This was likely thanks to Saragosa's care.
The strength of the three Guardian Dragons was roughly equal. Two against one was just enough to pin down the frantically struggling Malygos.
"Be quiet!"
The Dragon Queen, having reached the end of her patience, finally grew angry. Relying on her power of life for self-healing, she suddenly slammed her head into Malygos'.
The roaring Malygos was completely dazed by this strike, his head swaying as he failed to regain his senses for a long moment.
Ysera seized the opportunity to use her authority to pull Malygos into the Dream, finally calming the restless Blue Dragon King.
"All right, let's move out."
The swelling on Alexstrasza's forehead dissipated at a visible rate. Malygos was not so lucky; the large bump on his head bulged out like a tumor.
Seeing Andreas return in time, the two Dragon Queens grabbed Malygos from either side, flapping their wings to lead the group toward the Azure Dragonshrine to the south of Wyrmrest Temple.