After speaking those words, Malygos paid no further attention to Andreas. He turned his head toward the sparse number of Blue Dragons near the Azure Dragonshrine, a flicker of gloom flashing through his eyes.
"Saragosa, let us return. I wish to know as quickly as possible what has transpired during the time since the war ended."
Aside from a few whelps left to guard the shrine, the majority of the Blue Dragons returned to Coldarra through the massive portal opened by Malygos.
Before departing, Arygos gave Andreas a bitter smile. "My apologies. I did not expect my father to react this way upon awakening. I have never seen him with such a solemn demeanor."
Andreas smiled and patted Arygos' arm. "It is no matter. His Majesty Malygos' heart-sickness has not yet fully healed. Remember the three mental knots I mentioned?"
"Sindragosa was only the first. To have him recover completely, the remaining two must also be resolved one by one."
He turned his gaze toward Onyxia, who was currently whispering with her mother. "At least he did not erupt in fury on the spot, did he? And he appeared quite calm when seeing the Black Dragons."
"I suspect His Majesty Malygos retains some blurry memories from his period of madness; subconsciously, he remembers that Onyxia and Sintharia are not aligned with Deathwing."
"Go on."
Andreas gave Arygos a gentle push. "Perhaps His Majesty will soon call upon the dragonflights to attack Blackwing Lair. You had best prepare for the campaign."
After Arygos stepped into the portal, Alexstrasza and Ysera approached Andreas.
The Dragon Queen spoke first with an apologetic tone, "I am sorry. Malygos' personality has undergone a great change compared to the past. I did not expect him to appear so somber after regaining his senses."
Ysera also remarked with a sigh, "The Malygos of old was wise and cheerful, well-liked among the five dragonflights. The Malygos of today... feels very foreign to me."
Andreas was not surprised by this. Compared to the original history where the newly awakened Blue Dragon King immediately sought to reclaim the world's Ley Line authority and destroy all magical artifacts, the current Malygos was practically restrained.
However, it was also possible that a more important target was currently hanging before his eyes, leaving him no time to consider reclaiming the Ley Lines—a monumental task that would surely affect the entire world.
The authority to adjust Ley Line nodes that Andreas originally wanted to request was difficult to bring up to Malygos for the time being. With matters in Shandaral and Wyrmrest Temple concluded, he planned to begin his return journey.
However, Andreas did not intend to use conventional means to return; he had other ideas in mind.
Onyxia planned to remain at the Obsidian Dragonshrine for a time to live with her mother and brother. After bidding farewell to the Black Dragon Princess, Andreas and his companions left Wyrmrest Temple and headed west across the Dragonblight.
Finally free from an environment swarming with Great Dragons, the recently quiet Celeste and Leticia regained their vitality.
Andreas' destination for this trip was the Sholazar Basin, located in western Northrend.
Much like Un'Goro Crater, the Sholazar Basin was an experimental ground for the Titan Watchers, said to be the masterpiece of Freya, the Binder of Life.
Andreas was heading to Sholazar primarily to activate a portal. If his memory served him correctly, the Sholazar Basin and Un'Goro Crater could be traveled between directly via a "Waygate."
Before Andreas had left Kalimdor, the Druids of the Cenarion Circle happened to be researching the Shaper's Terrace and the Waygate located in northern Un'Goro Crater.
Perhaps because the Waygate on the Sholazar side had not been activated, the teleportation function could not be opened from the Un'Goro side.
Cross-continental teleportation required a massive amount of mana, and spatial tunnels constructed in haste were often highly unstable.
Given a guaranteed energy supply, it would require a long period of stabilization and adjustment before it could be put into practical use.
If the Waygate between Sholazar and Un'Goro could be bridged, it would provide an additional path for travel between Kalimdor and Northrend.
Portals constructed by the Titan Watchers would, of course, not suffer from instability, though Andreas estimated this gate was established by Freya for her own convenience in traveling between her two experimental grounds; it likely couldn't accommodate too many people at once.
Returning west the way they came through the Dragonblight, Andreas and the others stopped to visit Moonrest Gardens once more.
Harris had already heard of Governor Roddick's decision, and when he met Andreas again, his manner was much more respectful than before.
Under Andreas' orders, the personal guard set sail first aboard the Moonlight Maiden. This icebreaker—the only vessel to have scouted the Northrend route—would also bear the heavy responsibility of charting detailed nautical maps on its return.
The snowy terrain gradually disappeared as the three continued westward, replaced by cold and hardened permafrost. This signified that Andreas and the others had left the Dragonblight and officially entered the Boreal Tundra.
Flora and fauna, rarely seen in the Dragonblight, became dense in the Boreal Tundra. During their trek, Andreas even spotted a vaguely familiar sapient species.
"Taunka."
Andreas explained to the curious Leticia, "They are distant relatives of the Tauren. One branch of the Yaungol that split off in Pandaria came to settle in Northrend. Under the influence of the frigid climate, they gradually evolved into the Taunka."
Compared to the Tauren of Kalimdor, the Taunka had thicker fur and more robust builds.
The village where the Taunka had settled was situated right next to a hot spring, where the temperature was more suitable for living than in other parts of Northrend.
With her usual familiarity, Leticia wanted to step forward and greet the Taunka, but these arctic-dwelling relatives were much more reclusive than their kin, ignoring Leticia's proactive greetings and gestures of goodwill.
Seeing Leticia's slightly dejected mood, Andreas patted her head in comfort. "Let's go. Since they do not wish to interact with strangers, we should be sensible and not disturb the Taunka's lives."
Bypassing the hot springs and continuing northwest, Andreas and the others looked out toward Coldarra Island off the coast, the home of the Blue Dragonflight.
However, since Malygos had just awakened, Andreas did not plan to pay a visit immediately. In any case, the Blue Dragon King had mentioned he would find time to seek him out.
Continuing north through a rugged trail, the three finally reached the Sholazar Basin after a long trek.
Upon entering this basin surrounded by mountains on all sides, Celeste and the others immediately felt the difference from the outside world with amazement.
"The temperature here is higher than in Ashenvale, isn't it? Why is there such a tropical rainforest in the middle of frigid Northrend?"
Andreas shrugged. "Explaining the details is too troublesome. Simply put, this is an experimental ground for the Titan Watchers, similar to Un'Goro Crater."
"I shouldn't need to remind you, but you should know the rules. The creatures here, like those in Un'Goro, are very different from the outside world. Stay alert on the way and be careful not to provoke any troublesome beasts."
The Sholazar Waygate was not far from the entrance leading to the Boreal Tundra. After searching for a few days, Andreas and the others finally found the teleportation device with its accompanying control console.
Andreas had previously received reports from Un'Goro; thanks to the enthusiastic research of the Highborne in the technical department, the operating methods for these Titan devices had already been decoded.
Following the method provided by the technicians, Andreas attempted to activate the Waygate.
Beep~ Beep~
A dull alarm sounded from the console. The surrounding wildlife was startled awake by the piercing noise, causing a flurry of activity in the jungle.
Andreas looked speechlessly at the Titan-language prompt on the console.
"Energy depleted?"