"Sir, there are several seriously injured people who urgently need rest. How about we stay in this town for the night and go back tomorrow morning?" As soon as the Troll left, Liante also came up to him.
Unas looked up at the thick darkness of the night. With wounded soldiers weighing them down, even if they set off immediately, they probably wouldn't return to the stronghold until close to midnight. Moreover, this area was far from the Monastery, and unknown enemies might be lurking in the mountains and forests. The risks of marching at night were considerable.
"Do as you say. Don't forget to send scouts back to report on the battle situation." Unas agreed to his suggestion. The town was within the Undead Mage's territory, and there should be no other enemies around, so it was safe for the time being.
A raging fire broke out beside the collapsed clock tower, and the remains of all the Undead were gathered together and burned; judging by the momentum, it might burn until dawn.
This was the last cleanup work. Leaving a small team to watch over the fire, Liante directed everyone to the southeast corner of the town, where he selected a suitable residential area to stay.
This was clearly an affluent area; the streets were neat and wide, and the houses were all grand mansions with courtyards. The elite team chose the largest house on the outermost side to stay in. After a simple dinner, Unas said, "Thank you all for your hard work today. I'll be on watch tonight. You should all get some rest."
Exhausted, the men didn't refuse much and went to find their rooms to rest.
Unas didn't feel particularly tired. Perhaps this was one of the advantages of Priest; Holy Power could continuously enhance the body's stamina, allowing Paladin to fight for much longer than others.
He reflected on the day's battle, realizing he had relied on Nightmoon far too many times, which wasn't a good sign. He hoped the other young men could grow up quickly.
Today we witnessed the power of the Blood Elf Mage. Arenas Fireleaf was the biggest contributor; his two high-level fire spells laid the foundation for today's victory.
I heard that there are still a dozen or so low- to mid-level Blood Elf mages in the stronghold who are weakened by their Mana Addiction. Now that we have Fire Elemental Crystal Mine, it should only be a matter of time before they recover their fighting strength. At that time, we can form a small Mage Corps to serve us.
"My lord." Haikesi's voice rang out from outside the courtyard, interrupting the Warden who was lost in his daydream.
Unas opened the door and saw Troll standing outside holding the Undead Mage's head, while the Overlord Spider lay motionless on the street further away. "How's the research going?"
"This spider is just a walking corpse used to scare people," the Troll said, looking somewhat disappointed. "But I can use some methods to make the other spiders think it's still alive."
"Great, we'll really need its escort on our trip to the Swamp," Unas reassured him. "Don't be too disappointed, it's just an unexpected bonus. Go inside and rest."
"Yes, sir." The Troll returned the head to the Warden in front of him, then hunched over and went into the house.
Unas, carrying the Undead Mage's head, sat back down in the courtyard. The two stared at each other for a while before Unas couldn't help but say, "Don't think you're safe just because that spider was useful to us. Like I said before, it was just an extra bonus, and I can abandon it at any time."
The Undead Mage said, "I have never entrusted my safety to a beast; I have survived thanks to your kindness and trustworthiness, sir."
"Don't give me that crap. You and I both know perfectly well what happens to an Undead Mage who's captured by humans. What's the point of you clinging to life for this little while?"
Unas's sudden frankness caught the Undead Mage off guard. He was speechless for a moment before finally saying, "As you say, sir, to survive is of course to live longer. I finally obtained immortality, and I don't want to give up any hope of survival."
The Undead Mage's eyes were like a stagnant pool, showing no sign of wavering, making it impossible to tell whether he was lying.
Unas didn't know if the Undead Mage was genuinely ignorant or feigning ignorance, but he was basically doomed. Once his usefulness was exhausted, everyone would advise Unas to purify him, as the principle of not killing prisoners did not apply to the Undead.
Judging from his words, he has a strong will to survive; he won't just wait to die. What methods will he use to escape this fate?
Moreover, we now have to rely on him to control the Overlord Spider. If he were to suddenly cause trouble while we were deep in the Canyon, the destructive power he would cause would be immeasurable.
Unas couldn't rest easy until he figured out Unas Undead Mage's true intentions. He couldn't get any information out of him through verbal interrogation, so he had no choice but to seek help from an expert.
Unas immediately entered Meditation state, his consciousness traveling through the vortex in his chest to his heart, and said teasingly, "Demon King, are you awake yet?"
Unexpectedly, there was an immediate response. "I don't need sleep like you mortals."
Unas was very proud of the vortex of Holy Light within him. "So, how has the extraordinary Demon Lord been living in the golden cage I specially built for you all this time?"
"Without external interference, I've recovered quite a bit of energy. Thank you for your hospitality," Bessarius retorted.
Unas said, "How about I let you get some fresh air tonight, and you do me a small favor while you're at it?"
"You are me, and I am you," the Dreadlord repeated his usual doctrine, attempting to brainwash Unas. "What's wrong with helping myself?"
Unas didn't waste any more words. He took the head and then controlled the center of the Energy Pool vortex to open a small crack, allowing the Dreadlord to sense the outside world.
"Gallon-Master, one of Gunsel's men, I thought he was long dead, but I never expected him to fall into your hands now." Bessarius immediately recognized his former colleague.
Who is Gunsel?
"A Lich went missing during that rebellion; he was a powerful fellow."
To be called "powerful" by the Dreadlord, he must be a formidable opponent. Unas secretly noted the name down, then got down to business. "Can you delve into Garon's soul and glean his true thoughts?"
"With the abilities of my remnant soul, I can only give it a try if he doesn't resist."
"His head is in my hand; I'll make sure he doesn't resist."
Unas instructed the Undead Mage to open his mind and not to resist under any circumstances, or he would smash his head. Garon obediently complied.
A pale purple ray of light shot from Unas's chest to the space between his eyebrows, connecting the two. Soon, streams of information were transmitted. Perhaps because of the fusion of his soul with Bessarius's, Unas could also vaguely see some of the information.
They were fragmented images, possibly the memories of Undead Mage: polluted forests, dark caves, mutilated limbs, a jumbled mess of scenes that couldn't be connected at all.
Once the light faded, Unas asked, "So, did you discover any useful secrets?"
"Weren't you curious why he was being so obedient? I've found the answer: he believed someone would come to his rescue, and that person is the Lich Gunsel I mentioned earlier."