Unas was about to refute her when Nightmoon preemptively asked, "You've been working so hard to subdue the spiders because you want to retake the dungeon and find the Purple-robed Person, right? Do you even remember the way back to the dungeon?"
"Although I don't remember clearly, deep in the Forest, my little spiders must remember."
"Great, then we have a common goal. Can you take me there?"
"If you could help me subdue that injured Overlord Spider..."
Rosebayne's implication was that a deal was to be made. Before Nightmoon could answer, Unas glared at the Elf and said, "Wait, what are you talking about a common goal? We only have one goal this time: to obtain the Swamp Black Soil, not to cause trouble for some Purple-robed Person. Don't forget that."
"And you," he turned to the Beautiful Spider, "Stop dreaming about taming the Overlord Spider. The story you just told was touching, but I won't trust you until it's proven."
These words left the two women speechless for a moment. After a moment of contemplation, Nightmoon said, "There's no need to hide it now, Lord Unas. I think you already know that I'm not a Druid apprentice. Now I can tell you that Master Oakleaf and I didn't just happen to travel here. Our target is very likely the Purple-robed Person that Miss Sunstrider mentioned."
It turns out that after the pirate attack in Blue Spring Town where Beryl lives on the Darkshore, the Darnassus navy quickly launched an operation to wipe out several groups of the North Sea pirates, but they couldn't find the main culprit.
Many townspeople were abducted, and tracking their whereabouts became the main task. Relying on the navy was not realistic, so the Night Elf high command quickly dispatched the Cenarion Circle and the elite of the Watcher to handle the matter together. Oakleaf and Nightmoon were members of this group.
As the investigation deepened, they discovered that the disappearances of Night Elves had become much more frequent in the past two years than in the previous decade.
Night Elves are naturally long-lived, and it's normal for them to disappear for ten or eight years before reappearing, whether they live in seclusion to cultivate or travel the continent. However, investigators have discovered many unusual disappearances, almost all of which are related to human abduction.
Finally, they discovered the reason: someone was offering an extremely high price to buy the Elves from the North Sea pirates' free market— the Rogue's Isle.
The Watchers immediately sprang into action, and the man who had acquired the Elves was quickly captured by Azeroth's elite special forces. However, they were unable to extract much useful information from the human pirate merchant; he was merely an uninformed agent.
Following the trail of the Elf slaves being transported, the investigators discovered that their final destination was Lordaeron —a land ravaged by the Undead War —and that's where the trail went cold.
The terror of Scourge Undead had spread throughout the world, making it unlikely that a large force could be dispatched to investigate. Therefore, the investigators selected elites and dispersed them throughout the Kingdom of Lordaeron. Oakleaf and Nightmoon were assigned to a group, and they were responsible for the northeastern part of Tirisfal Glades.
"We finally managed to break through the Forsaken's defenses, wandering through villages and towns that had become ruins. Zombies and Skeletons couldn't give us any useful clues, and we almost got surrounded by the Undead several times. Exhausted, we heard from a human soldier about the alien gathering point in Venomspider Gorge, so we came here."
Unfortunately, the stronghold was full of High Elves who had come to fight alongside their prince; none of them had been captured by pirates. The investigation once again reached a dead end. Master Oakleaf gradually became disheartened and began to help the refugees in the stronghold to divert their attention, while I was just doing some futile reconnaissance in the Canyon.
Just as we were about to give up and leave, Beryl appeared. Lord Unas, we are truly grateful to you, not only for saving Beryl, but also for giving us hope. Beryl's experience proves that our investigation was on the right track, and I also believe the story Miss Sunstrider just told us is true. The Purple-robed Person is the ultimate target we have been searching for.
A sincere light shone in Nightmoon's starry eyes as she bowed her head to Unas in an Elf salute. "I am very sorry for concealing these facts from you before. I hope Lord Unas can understand Master Oakleaf and me."
"Well, honesty is the best policy, and your white lies didn't harm anyone, so you don't need to apologize to me at all," Nightmoon's formal apology made Unas reluctant to blame Unas, and he quickly helped her up. "On the contrary, I should thank Master Oakleaf for the mushrooms and for your help along the way."
This time, Nightmoon didn't pull her hand away. An unprecedentedly warm smile appeared on her face. Unas quickly withdrew his hand. When a conservative woman gives you this kind of smile, you'd better be careful.
He coughed lightly, pointed at the Beautiful Spider, and asked, "So you trust her?"
Nightmoon deftly avoided a direct answer, "I believe Miss Sunstrider is a victim, and the Purple-robed Person is our common enemy."
Rosebayne quickly defended herself, saying, "I haven't told you a single lie, please believe me!"
Unas questioned, "According to Nightmoon, the Purple-robed Person captured so many Elves, yet you didn't see a single one in the dungeon?"
"I was locked up in solitary confinement, and the only living people I saw were those guards whose identities I didn't know," the Beautiful Spider hurriedly explained. "The Night Elves would send someone like Miss Nightmoon to track down their abducted kin. I wonder if my country and family will also send people to search for me? I just heard Miss Nightmoon say that there are many High Elves in your stronghold. Has His Highness Kael'thas come as well?"
The Beautiful Spider was likely abducted before the outbreak of the Scourge War, so she was unaware of Quel'Thalas's fall to the Undead army. Unas hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell her, "I'm sorry, the Elf Prince has left, and you are now called Blood Elves. This is all because..."
Unas briefly recounted the series of events that followed the outbreak of the war. As Rosebayne listened, she murmured, "This is impossible." When Unas finished speaking, her desperate eyes were already filled with tears, and her lips trembled, unable to utter a single word.
Nightmoon comforted her, "Don't be too sad. I heard that the Blood Elves have retaken Silvermoon City, and Prince Kael'thas seems to have found a new energy source for your people. It's only a matter of time before the remaining Scourge is completely eradicated."
"No wonder I couldn't sense the Sunwell's presence. I thought it was because my constitution had been altered," Rosebayne said after a moment of silence, gradually regaining her composure. "My spiderlings are back. Let's see what information they bring."