The Incarnation of Light, as before, guarded Dracofyrrassil and the Glimmering Dream.
However, as they grew, all the disguises and concealments Obsidian had previously made gradually lost their meaning.
If he wanted to, he could, of course, hide them until the end of the world, but there was no need.
Apart from the 'Dragon Kindergarten' in the core area, other parts of the Glimmering Dream had gradually been opened to the outside world.
Druids native to Azeroth or other beings capable of entering the Emerald Dream were allowed to visit and study.
They could draw power from the Glimmering Dream, but in exchange, they had to offer the power of faith.
For Obsidian, why wouldn't he be happy about that?
There was just one thing he hadn't anticipated, and that was the Green Dragonflight.
More precisely, their Dragon Aspects, Ysera.
She seemed to show a strong interest in the Glimmering Dream, constantly hovering around its periphery, trying to explore its essence.
The Incarnation of Light chose to ignore her; as long as she didn't show hostility, she was allowed to do as she pleased.
The other Incarnations had left Azeroth, as three Incarnations stationed on one material plane were more than enough.
They traveled to other worlds provided in Mannoroth's gift package, collecting divine power related to war, knowledge, and so on.
After confirming his Divine Kingdom, subordinate gods, and Incarnations, Obsidian turned his gaze to Azeroth.
By his reckoning, approximately 4200 years had quietly passed since he left that cave.
The Drakkari Kingdom, which he had personally supported, had now developed into a behemoth, occupying half of Northrend—including ZulDrak, Grizzly Hills, Howling Fjord, and a small part of Dragonblight.
The nation occupying the other half of Northrend also basked in his glory: the Dragonborn Empire.
Though the Dragonborn Empire's territory was slightly smaller, it still covered Borean Tundra, part of Dragonblight, and part of the Sholazar Basin.
Adding Sendarra, nestled in Moon Song Forest, and the floating city of 'Olasorn' suspended over Storm Peaks, almost all of Northrend had become Obsidian's sphere of influence.
Only the Titan prison 'Ulduar' and the currently uninhabitable Icecrown Glacier, which was still a sheet of ice and ocean, remained outside his control.
It had taken over four thousand years to reach this point, which was indeed slow.
Since the unification of ZulDrak, Obsidian had rarely intervened personally to push the process, with mortals largely developing on their own.
If one had to mention it, Neltharion's efforts also contributed.
The main reason was that after striving for so long, he finally got to rest a bit, so Obsidian took a long vacation.
It was also his first time being a Dragon God, so his concept of time was a bit vague; this long vacation lasted until now, making him a God of Intermediate Divine Power.
"Hmm—it's roughly 2800 years before the Dark Portal, which is the eve of Thoradin's unification of humanity—" Obsidian mused, "The Troll Wars? This should be the best time to spread my teachings to humans."
"After that, I should only have to wait for the Orc invasion or the Scourge Plague," Obsidian looked at Icecrown Glacier, "But now that the Lich King's old home is occupied by me, will there really be a Scourge Plague?"
He shook his head, dismissing these options, "Now that I am a God of Intermediate Divine Power, I don't have to worry about the Titans' back door if I'm careful; I can completely preach to humans."
"However, such a small matter shouldn't require my personal intervention." Obsidian raised a claw, from which tiny specks of light emanated.
With a casual wave, that speck of light fell from the Divine Kingdom, passed through the Sea of Memories, and landed on Azeroth—
—Dividing Line—
Northrend, Borean Tundra, Dragon's Roost, Docks.
This was precisely where the 'Valiance Keep' marked on the World of Warcraft game map was located.
When Neltharion abdicated his throne and set sail to explore, he departed from these very docks.
To commemorate this founding father, the Dragonborn renamed the city 'Dragon's Roost'.
The biting sea wind, laden with a salty tang, gently swept across the stone-paved docks.
Kael Echo-Voice tightened the cloak wrapped around him, revealing only a head covered in red scales.
He stood at the edge of the docks, his ruby-like vertical pupils gazing at the ships anchored in the harbor, then lowered his head to look at the few worn copper coins in his hand.
The initial passion he had felt upon setting out had largely cooled after months of being continuously buffeted by the sea wind.
Kael was a Red Dragonborn, newly entered into adulthood, approximately two hundred years old.
At this age, within the Dragonborn's long lifespan, he was in the prime of his energetic youth.
He possessed the typical strong physique of a Dragonborn, his red scales retaining a warm luster even in gloomy weather.
At this moment, although Kael's eyes showed obvious fatigue, a spark that had not been completely extinguished still flickered deep within.
His luggage was simple:
An old leather bag containing a few changes of clothes and a small amount of performance props;
And most importantly, a lute case slung over his shoulder, housing Kael's most loyal companion—a well-maintained lute.
Like most Dragonborn, he also wore the divine emblem of the Dragon of Radiance around his neck, as it was the state religion of the Dragonborn Empire.
For the past few months, Kael had been stranded in Dragon's Roost.
Penniless, he could only barely make ends meet by performing in the dock square and in front of taverns.
He did manage to attract some attention with his skills and earned a few scattered silver coins, but he was still far from his dream.
Kael, who had admired the founding father 'Prestor' since childhood, also hoped to follow in his footsteps and travel all over Azeroth.
But he simply couldn't afford a ship ticket.
The cheapest bunk in steerage on those transoceanic merchant ships cost dozens of gold coins.
So, every day he repeated the same routine:
Inquiring about newly docked ships, squeezing among the noisy crew and dockworkers, and trying to pitch himself to the first mate or steward—
A bard willing to entertain the crew and passengers with performances during long voyages in exchange for a free ticket.
But their responses were either shakes of the head, waves of the hand, or rude rejections.
On this day, a medium-sized three-masted sailboat slowly entered Dragon's Roost, its hull conspicuously painted with the three large characters'Seagull'.
The anchor dropped heavily, and the sailors shouted in unison as they lowered the gangplank.
The crew busily unloaded some cargo, then loaded Northrend's specialties, mainly furs and ores.
Kael's gaze immediately locked onto it.
What attracted him was not the sailors, but the passengers who came out on deck for air, among whom appeared Night Elves, a very rare sight in Northrend.
Kael took a deep breath, once again summoning his courage, and walked towards the busy gangway.
He skillfully avoided the cargo-carrying sailors and explained his purpose to a Dragonborn who looked like a steward.
Unexpectedly, the steward did not immediately refuse this time, but looked him up and down, especially at the lute case on his back and his Dragonborn appearance, then nodded: "Wait here, I'll go ask the captain."
The waiting time was not long, but for Kael, it was somewhat agonizing.
Finally, the steward returned, motioning for him to follow.
The captain's cabin door was pushed open.
The figure seated behind the large oak table made Kael slightly pause.
It was an old Ice Troll.
His skin was still a pale blue-gray, but much finer and smoother than the pictures in books.
The captain's white hair was meticulously combed, and most notably, the tusks in his mouth were significantly shorter.
He wore a well-tailored captain's uniform and sturdy leather boots.
This was an Ice Troll who had been 'elf-ified' by time and Dracofyrrassil.
The captain raised his eyelids, and a pair of sharp eyes in deep-set sockets scrutinized Kael.
"A bard?" The captain's voice echoed in the small room, "Want to come with us to Howling Fjord? Dekonor?"
"Not only that, Captain," Kael bowed slightly, maintaining politeness, "You can call me Kael."
"If possible, I also hope to follow you out of Northrend and go to other places."
"I can use my performances to entertain your crew and passengers, easing the monotony of the journey."
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