Andreas' smooth return allowed Shandris and the others, who had been waiting anxiously at the Administration Hall, to breathe a sigh of relief.
Shandris quickly noticed that Andreas's aura was significantly weaker than usual. She hurried forward to support her boyfriend and helped him sit down.
"Phew... I'm fine, just a minor injury."
Andreas smiled warmly and patted Shandris's hand, then straightened his expression to address the others. "Back to business. This trip to the Nexus yielded unexpected gains. We need to make some fine adjustments to our previous plans."
...
The citizens of Shandaral had endured stagnation for far too long. The anxiety transmitted from the upper echelons had gradually infected every resident of the city.
The Night Elf Empire had been a civilization developed through the practical use of magical technology. In the past, every industry in Shandaral bore the traces of automated arcane equipment.
However, with the Great Sundering of the Well of Eternity, the good days of infinite energy came to an end. Shandaral, secluded in the far north, entered a literal and metaphorical ice age.
To till the fields, they had to swing hoes and pull plows themselves. Garment work that had once been handled by automated looms was gradually outsourced to the common folk.
The citizens, busy struggling for survival all day, could hardly remember the last time the city they lived in had shown true vitality.
Recently, news about Shandaral joining the Night Elf Republic began to spread among the people. Certain officials who had desperately hoarded benefits for themselves and their families quietly disappeared, replaced by a group of entirely unfamiliar faces.
Most citizens didn't care about the changes at the top; they cared about the lives of themselves and their families.
The series of changes that occurred over the following period caused the citizens of Shandaral—numbed by a life of hardship—to subconsciously pay attention to their surroundings.
First were the Arcanists, who began to hold their heads high again.
Due to the lack of mana sources, the Highborne of Shandaral had not had a "full meal" for a very long time.
As the semi-permanent portal to Astranaar gradually stabilized and a sufficient supply of Moonwell water arrived, the Highborne in the city re-established their presence.
By refining the mana-rich well water, they reactivated the runic Great Trees left behind by Queen Azshara.
The people of Shandaral, who had endured over 2,000 years of winter, felt a long-lost warmth once again under the protection of the fully activated magical barriers.
And this was only the beginning.
It was a pipe dream to rely on external Moonwells for the long-term energy consumption of defensive barriers. However, the arrival of a high-ranking figure completely changed the status of Shandaral.
Multiple Ley Lines flowing near the city abruptly shifted their course. Shandaral became one of the nodes where these Ley Lines converged.
Furthermore, the newly created Ley Line node in Shandaral was not throttled by the Blue Dragons. Instead, it directly bestowed this northernmost city with an unprecedented abundance of mana.
While far from "infinite energy," the mana provided by the node eased the energy shortage in Shandaral to a significant degree.
With the most critical problem solved, the citizens found the city they had lived in for millennia beginning to glow with new life.
Day by day, many unfamiliar faces appeared in the city. These compatriots, whom they had never seen before, possessed a spirit different from their own, appearing much more energetic than the decadent elves of Shandaral.
The reorganized municipal government issued a pioneering decree to the city. Unlike the desperate and tragic expeditions of the past, the lower-level officials issuing the orders vividly described the benefits of joining the pioneer teams to the skeptical public.
The demands of the common people are always the most grounded. To earn more food and tax exemptions for their families, the citizens scrambled to register at the various enrollment points across the city.
Batch after batch of exploration teams were formed, departing one after another from the western side of Moonshadow's Rest.
Under the guidance of their leaders, the exploration teams—filled with both anticipation and unease—stepped into a stabilized portal.
When they regained their footing, the scene before them was vastly different from Moonshadow's Rest.
"A frozen lake? How are we supposed to farm here?"
The members of the exploration team looked at the unfamiliar scenery, completely bewildered.
"Ahem—everyone."
A strong man, bare-chested despite the freezing snow, stepped out from the crowd. His unkempt beard and messy green hair, which looked like wild grass, gave him a somewhat scruffy appearance.
The strong man seemed able to ignore the cold wind blowing across the frozen lake. He thumped his chest and shouted, "I am your leader, Fandral Staghelm, a Druid."
"Perhaps the officials who recruited you didn't make it clear, so I will explain it again."
Fandral took a step back and spread his arms, introducing the area to the team. "Our mission is not simply farming, but developing all valuable resources within the Wintergrasp region."
"Minerals, herbs, animal pelts, and so on. Depending on the total amount of resources you obtain, you can come to me to exchange them for various benefits. The amount of benefits depends entirely on your diligence and professional skills."
Before the exploration team set out, Fandral had led his druids to establish a camp at the eastern foot of the mountains near Shandaral in Wintergrasp. At this moment, the exploration team was located within this still-rudimentary camp.
Seeing the eager expressions on the faces of the team members, Fandral gave a serious warning. "I know you want to set out immediately to fight for the future of yourselves and your families, but I have a few rules to state here."
"First, you must not use despicable means to snatch resources from others. Once discovered, the punishment is exile."
"Second, act within your capabilities. I don't want to see any fools freezing to death on the lake out of greed."
"Third..."
...
While Fandral began reading the regulations to his team, Andreas was in the former Governor's Mansion of Shandaral—now the City Hall—frowning as he listened to Mayor Roddick's report.
"No response?"
"None."
Roddick said with a bitter smile, "No approval, no opposition—just complete and utter disregard."
"Hmm..." Andreas rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "The Furbolgs of Kalimdor have indeed drifted apart from us Night Elves in recent years, but surely the Furbolgs of Northrend wouldn't go as far as to give our envoys the cold shoulder to this extent?"
"Roddick, did you offend them before?"
"Absolutely not."
Roddick shook his head hurriedly. "In fact, we didn't even have the standing to offend them if we wanted to."
"There is no direct passage between the Grizzly Hills and Moonshadow's Rest. We haven't had contact with the Furbolgs for many years."
That's strange.
Andreas lowered his head in thought. Could it be that the Furbolgs have been busy with something else lately and temporarily have no time to deal with our request for an alliance... or rather, they don't want us to know about it?