To facilitate communication and avoid trouble while heading to Wyrmrest Temple, the only dragon who had resided in the mortal world for a long time was summoned by Andreas from Kalimdor.
By now, Onyxia was no longer the whelp she once was. Her physique had fully matured, and she was significantly larger than before.
Menacing dragon horns protruded from her head, and while her build was somewhat smoother than that of a male dragon, she possessed the complete appearance of an adult dragon.
Boom!
As Onyxia landed outside Wyrmrest Temple, Andreas and Aurora jumped off her back one after another. The Black Dragon Princess quickly transformed into her Night Elf form.
Compared to her adolescence, Onyxia's mortal appearance hadn't changed much, but her temperament now held the charm and allure of a mature woman.
It must be said that there are quite a few people in this world with unique tastes. Even knowing that Onyxia was a dragon in mortal guise, many people in Astranaar still pursued her fiercely, seemingly entirely unconcerned about... compatibility issues. Ahem.
Having spent her entire adolescence living among mortals in the Night Elf Republic, Onyxia had long since grown accustomed to their customs. Her sense of aesthetics and criteria for choosing a partner seemed to have undergone a subtle transformation.
Although she hadn't accepted a confession from any suitor yet, Andreas could tell she enjoyed being the center of such attention.
With the help of a Red Dragon guide, they reached the top of the tower, where ambassadors from various dragonflights, having received the message beforehand, were already waiting.
Alexstrasza, the "model worker" of the dragon race, resided at Wyrmrest Temple year-round. She had been the first to receive Ysera's message, and currently, the two Dragon Queens were whispering to each other.
Representing the Blue Dragonflight was still Eleigos. Having transformed into a High Elf form, he was leaning against a pillar with his eyes half-closed, dozing off.
The Black Dragon ambassador was Nefarian, who had finally regained his freedom. He was currently making faces and communicating with his sister Onyxia through meaningful glances.
As for the Bronze Dragons, the representative sent was an acquaintance of Andreas—Chronormu, who called herself Chromie.
Compared to the Night Elf form she took last time, Chromie had also transformed into a High Elf like Eleigos. However, for some reason, she still preferred a youthful, petite appearance.
Seeing the main party arrive, the Life-Binder stopped her conversation with Ysera and formally welcomed Andreas.
"It has been a long time, Andreas. Ysera mentioned that you found an important clue related to the Old Gods?"
Alexstrasza got straight to the point, and Andreas didn't intend to waste time on pleasantries either.
"Yes. I have brought samples for everyone to inspect."
A piece of Saronite wrapped in black light hovered above Andreas's right hand. The highly curious Nefarian was the first to approach; he had taken the form of a human with black hair and a beard.
"Hmm... I can indeed feel a strange power from this ore."
As the most advanced technical talent among the dragons, Nefarian took the sample from Andreas with a solemn expression and examined it closely for a long time.
"I see. This ore is filled with powerful Void energy inside and out."
"The exterior is a neutralizing filter Andreas intentionally set up using similar energy. The interior... that should be the power of an Old God, right?"
Seeing Andreas nod in confirmation, Alexstrasza asked gravely, "Is it certain that he is the one behind this?"
"There should be no mistake."
Andreas pointed toward the north of Dragonblight. "The Beast with a Thousand Maw, Yogg-Saron."
...
Having confirmed the source of the ore, the ambassadors of the five dragonflights set out together for a field inspection at the border of Moonsong Forest.
The large amount of Saronite veins protruding from the ground made the dragons present look grim. As the guardians of this world, they were well aware of the threat posed by the Old Gods.
The Black Dragon Prince, who possessed the strongest defense, took the risk to fly into the Storm Peaks to investigate. Under the pursuit of numerous Proto-Dragons, he managed to return safely to the city of Shandaral with some effort.
"Phew~"
Exhaling sharply, the soot-covered Nefarian tidied himself up.
"There's no mistake. The Saronite veins originate near Ulduar. The entire Storm Peaks are covered in this bizarre ore, and it is still expanding into the surrounding areas."
Eleigos nodded. "The side of Icecrown Glacier near the Storm Peaks is also being eroded. Zul'Drak probably isn't faring much better."
Alexstrasza's brow furrowed. "Several Watchers are stationed inside Ulduar. How could they allow such a situation to occur? Is Yogg-Saron's seal about to fail?"
Since the Watcher currently leading Ulduar was Loken, the Keeper of Wisdom, he had long ago issued orders to the Dragon Aspects in the name of a superior Watcher, forbidding them from entering the Storm Peaks without permission.
Currently, Alexstrasza and the other Dragon Queens were still in the dark about the changes within Ulduar, but Yogg-Saron's "eyes" protruding from the earth already indicated the severity of the problem.
Ysera said with a bitter smile, "Nefarian tried to contact Ulduar earlier and received a personal reply from Loken. He still refuses to allow us to interfere in the affairs of Ulduar and the Storm Peaks."
The authority of the Titanic Watchers was higher than that of the Dragon Aspects. As the current chief administrator of Ulduar, Loken's orders had to be heeded.
Chromie sat on the low city wall of Shandaral, swinging her chubby legs. "Regardless of what's happening in Ulduar, we eventually have to find a way to solve this."
"Andreas, do you have any ideas?"
Andreas shrugged. "I don't have a perfect solution, but I do have an emergency plan that carries some risks."
Aurora's eyes darted back and forth between Andreas and Chromie. The peaceful conversation between these two showed no signs of the animosity she expected.
Onyxia noticed Aurora's puzzled gaze, patted her small head, and whispered, "Chromie is an outlier among the Bronze Dragons. The relationship between the other Bronze Dragons and your father is indeed terrible."
"Years ago, Andreas had a face-to-face argument with the Bronze Dragon Queen. Since then, the Bronze Dragonflight has always looked at him with disfavor."
Chromie turned to look at the two whispering and raised her voice to remind them: "Hey, over there! I can hear everything!"
As Chromie joined Onyxia and Aurora's gossip session with her short legs, Ysera learned of Andreas's so-called emergency plan.
"A World Tree?"
"Exactly. Simply put, we plant a World Tree in Shandaral."
Andreas issued a serious warning: "But please note, this plan carries significant risks."
"While we are confident we can guide the World Tree's roots to avoid Yogg-Saron's prison and use powerful Nature energy to suppress the spread of Saronite..."
"By the same token, Yogg-Saron and the other Old Gods can use the contact between the Saronite and the World Tree system to enter the Emerald Dream."
"This plan is a classic double-edged sword. Once an Old God enters the Emerald Dream, their corruptive power will gradually affect the dream world. It will be difficult for this paradise to maintain its current peace and tranquility."