"You actually forgot about me?!" The silver-haired prosecutor showed no mercy to Unas, angrily accusing him.
Unas certainly hadn't forgotten her, but he had set off a few hours earlier, thus indeed leaving Erigor and her standing him up.
"How could I forget you?" Unas said in the softest voice, as if reciting a love poem. "Your silver hair, as soft and silky as moonlight, your eyes, as bright and dazzling as stars, your slender and graceful figure, and your long and beautiful legs are always in my mind. Oh! My goddess, your unparalleled beauty will forever be imprinted in the deepest part of my heart."
"What nonsense are you spouting! Don't try to fool me like this!" Whitemane's face was flushed, whether from anger or embarrassment, or both, she couldn't tell. She had never heard such bold and cheesy words before, and her breathing became rapid.
"These are my heartfelt words, Goddess, please accept my love!" Unas knelt on one knee, arms outstretched, shamelessly pleading, while inwardly chuckling wickedly, "I'm going to play tricks on you, let's see what you can do to me!"
"Shameless bastard!" Whitemane cursed unoriginally, then turned and fled as fast as he could.
Unas stood up with a wicked grin, patting the dirt off his knees. He had a lot of trouble to deal with and no time to argue with this woman over such trivial matters. He could only resort to his roguish ways to get rid of her quickly, since this woman needed his help now.
This scene also broadened the horizons of the young men and women nearby. Beryl jumped over and hugged Unas's arm, "Brother Unas, she doesn't like you, but I like you. Can you tell me what you just said?"
"Haha," Unas pinched the girl's purplish-red cheek. She was cute, but lacked a certain feminine allure; in other words, she wasn't mature enough. "We'll talk about it later."
Raphael was still in a daze when Unas beckoned to him and ordered him to find some Dwarf Experts. Time was of the essence; they needed to start digging the tunnel as soon as possible.
A short while later, Yomode Stonebrow arrived in haste with several Dwarves and a Gnomes. Facing Unas's scrutiny, the Dwarves Stonebrow no unusual expression, seemingly unaware of the details of Holiya's death. However, the Gnomes seemed somewhat evasive, though it was unclear whether this was Unas's imagination.
After explaining the mushroom cultivation plan in detail to the experts, Unas added a condition, "The digging and cultivation will be carried out simultaneously, which may interfere with each other. I hope you can come up with a comprehensive solution."
The Dwarves were all quite excited; solving the food problem was a matter of great importance that would benefit everyone. The Gnomes jumped for joy, "I'll go back right now and work with my brothers to design the best stove possible, one that will surely satisfy the Warden!"
Unas nodded and let him go. He hadn't expected that there were mechanical engineers among the Gnomes here. In the game, the Alliance's muskets, tanks, planes, and cannons were all designed by Gnomes and manufactured by Dwarves. He wondered if the Gnomes here could build them. Unas was having a wild idea. The blueprints for such war weapons must be top secret.
The Dwarves busily scurried in and out of several damp caves, examining the surrounding geology. Unas couldn't help with this specialized task, so he grabbed Stonebrow, who was running around, and said, "If you have any questions, just ask Master Oakleaf. He's a mushroom expert. You must do your best to design a foolproof plan. I hope we can start construction first thing tomorrow morning."
The Dwarf shook off his hand, patted his chest, and said, "Leave it all to me!"
Stonebrow is always so confident; hopefully he's not just bragging this time.
Next, Unas went to the warehouse to inspect various reserve supplies. The weapons and equipment were plentiful due to the spoils from the Battle of Lordamere Lake, but there were quite a few damaged weapons that needed to be repaired or remelted.
There are many Dwarves in the stronghold, and quite a few of them should know a thing or two about blacksmithing, but there are no resources to make them all blacksmiths, which is undoubtedly a waste, Unas can't change that right now.
As for the Granary, the grain managers knew it was a matter of life and death, so they did a good job of fire prevention and pest control, and Unas didn't find anything wrong with it.
Daily necessities were scarce, and the most important item, winter clothing, was simply insufficient to ensure that everyone in the stronghold could get through a warm winter.
After inspecting the entire stronghold, Unas deeply understood the saying, "You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household." There were many problems to be solved, and they came one by one, with the most pressing issue being the problem of food.
Back in his command tent, Unas immediately ordered a group of clever and quick-witted children or experienced women and elderly people to be selected, regardless of race or gender. These people were not capable of heavy work and were to be sent to Master Oakleaf to learn mushroom cultivation techniques.
The second order was to prepare logging teams and gather workers who were willing to go out to cut down trees. The area around the stronghold was relatively safe, but according to Master Oakleaf's requirements, the logging area would definitely be expanded, so soldiers would be deployed to protect the workers and transport lines.
As for the black mud, given the current situation, the Poison Spiders would not tolerate a large group crossing the Canyon to collect soil from the Swamp. Therefore, Unas plans to go there himself, as he has a super-large capacity Spatial Bag and can bring back enough soil by himself. Of course, he will not travel alone; it is imperative to establish an elite squad.
Unas a series of orders, Unas rested for a while. Seeing that it was still early, he ordered his personal guards to assemble and, as planned, take a stroll outside the stronghold.
As he passed through the gate, seeing people still busily building fortifications, Unas shook his head. These people would all be transferred to dig tunnels tomorrow, so the defense problem might resurface, giving him a feeling of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
"Giddy up!" he shouted, casting aside all his worries, and led the young men galloping into the Canyon.
However, they had to stop after running for only a few minutes. A blood-red stone tablet not far ahead warned them that the area ahead was a danger zone.
Like a boundary between two territories, the spiders seemed to acknowledge that the area beyond this stone monument belonged to the Argent Dawn. As long as they didn't cultivate fields or build houses in the valley, they rarely crossed the line to attack. This recognition was earned by the Argent Dawn with their blood.
Unas still felt frustrated. The Canyon was so long, and the Argent Dawn had only captured less than one-twentieth of it. However, he was there to survey the environment and enjoy a ride, and he didn't want to get involved in a pointless battle. Most of the young men in his guard were also new recruits who still needed training.
Unas turned his horse around, slowed down, and carefully observed the surrounding terrain before leisurely returning to the stronghold at dusk.