The Swamp was unusually calm during the day. Unas and Troll carefully circled the edge of the Swamp, moving around several places, and managed to fill all the remaining slots of their Spatial Bag without any major incidents.
During this time, he killed a few blind crocodiles, which not only increased their jerky reserves, but also allowed Unas to level up again, from level 27 (95%) to level 28 (1%). His attributes increased by 3 in Strength, 1 in Agility, 3 in Constitution, and 1 in Stamina, for a total of a very average 8 points.
With his new skill point, he learned Blessing of Wisdom (blesses a friendly target, increasing their mana regeneration rate by 10% for 10 minutes). This buff is very useful for magic-based classes, Unas learning it also helps Rosebayne recover faster.
If she wants to subdue more spider minions, the Beautiful Spider's mental energy consumption will continue to increase, and the Blessing of Wisdom is precisely what she needs.
When Unas and the Troll returned to their temporary camp from the previous night in the evening, the two women had actually returned before them. Both sides breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that the other was safe and sound; the fact that nothing unexpected had happened was the greatest fortune.
"It looks like you've returned with a full load." Nightmoon could tell from the Warden's expression that the digging had gone smoothly.
"The quality is hard to say, but at least it's completely full," Unas said modestly, then asked in return, "And you, have you found the location of the dungeon yet?"
"I suppose so. We found the cave entrance where Miss Sunstrider escaped, but it's been completely sealed off. We didn't find any useful traces, and we can only speculate about the true location of the dungeon," Nightmoon said, her expression slightly disappointed. "I also underestimated the harsh environment in the heart of the Forest. Even with the Overlord Spiders, we didn't dare to venture any deeper. There are just too many areas that exude a dangerous aura."
Unas comforted him, "The fact that the cave entrance was blocked only proves that it was indeed done by someone. As long as we can persuade Master Oakleaf to cast a spell to gather more people, that should be fine, right?"
I hope it will be as you say.
Seeing that there was still some time before dark, Unas, eager to get home, said, "I don't want to spend another night in this awful place. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can go home. Let's leave immediately."
No one raised any objections, and the team headed straight for the Canyon in the same formation they had used to break out of the Swamp.
As darkness fell, the group had just reached the Canyon exit Unas ordered them to continue their journey. The adventurous night march continued until they reached the edge of Blue Rock Pass before stopping to rest. They set off again at dawn the next day, and just past noon, the Red Stone Stele reappeared before them, meaning that the stronghold was not far away.
Rosebayne's half-human, half-spider form is definitely not suitable for public display, so she cannot be brought back to the base. It was previously agreed that she and the Overlord Spider would be placed in a Stone Cave near the Red Stone Stele, which would definitely serve as a deterrent to guard the border.
The Troll also wanted to stay with her, his purpose being to carefully study the spider legs that resembled Shadra's. Unas refused, saying that the study could wait. They had set off as a group of three, so of course they should return together to avoid others thinking that one of them had died while they were with him, which would undermine their authority as guards.
The Troll had no choice but to leave the Puppet Spider behind, and the three of them walked back to the stronghold without even glancing at the crystal mine as they passed by.
The long-awaited lively sounds of people assaulted my ears. The overseers cracked their whips, urging the Orcs to push and pull carts full of dirt and gravel. It seemed that the excavation of the Mushroom Cave had gone smoothly during Unas's absence these past few days.
The women were weaving linen on simple wooden looms to make clothes for the winter. Several Dwarf were pretending to hammer away at the Stone Walls to check for leaks and make repairs. People watched the Warden's return with curiosity, many assuming he had returned empty-handed.
Unas was about to go directly to Oakleaf, as Black Soil was to be entrusted to his care, when a messenger rushed up to him, "Sir, a monk from a Monastery in the military camp insists on seeing you. He came yesterday and again this morning, and he won't leave no matter what we do. It's so good that you've returned just in time."
"A mage? What's your name? What do you need me for?" Unas didn't know many mages.
"Doan-Norwid, he claims to be a student of the Arcanist Doan. He didn't say what it was about, only that we needed to speak with the master in person."
"Let him wait a bit longer, I have urgent business to attend to." Unas didn't have a good impression of Du'an. His student was probably here on his behalf. Although he didn't know what it was about, he figured that since it was so urgent, he should make him wait a little longer, which would be a good test of his patience.
"What could it be?" he murmured, whether to himself or to the people on either side.
The Troll's mind was no longer on this matter. Nightmoon said, "I'll go and find out what's going on."
Unas nodded and let her go, also sending Haikesi away as he did so, as the guy was completely distracted.
He headed alone to the Mushroom Cave, and the first thing he saw was Stonebrow, gesturing wildly outside. Upon seeing him, the Dwarf immediately abandoned the other Dwarves who were bowing their heads in instruction and ran over, greeting him while complaining in an old-fashioned tone, "Lord Unas, you're back! How was your harvest? These young people these days have completely forgotten the knowledge our ancestors left us; they almost collapsed a section of the road!"
Unas bent down and patted him on the shoulder. "Isn't your job to instruct them? If they knew everything, you'd be out of a job."
Seeing the Dwarf's speechless expression, he laughed and said, "Where is Master Oakleaf? I need to speak with him urgently."
"The Elf and his apprentice are giving a lesson to the farmers in Cave 4. Go straight in and turn right twice to get there."
After bidding farewell to the Dwarves, Unas entered the cave. He had seen the stone chambers one after another in the blueprints beforehand, but he never expected them to become a reality so quickly. The Dwarves truly deserve to be called Cave architects.
Each stone chamber is different in shape and size, and was likely excavated and divided according to the layers and textures of the Rock. This method makes them naturally sturdy, requiring fewer supporting pillars and greatly accelerating the construction progress.
Following the Dwarf's directions, after turning two corners, we soon arrived at Cave Number Four. This cave was the most spacious so far, with the floor covered with square experimental fields. Mushroom cultivation students were having practical lessons, and Master Oakleaf's booming voice echoed through the cave. Humans and Blood Elves stood in two distinct clusters.
The arrival of the Warden attracted everyone's attention. Oakleaf immediately told the students to rest and walked towards him, with assistant instructor Beryl rushing over at top speed.
But perhaps to maintain her composure in front of her students, she ran up to Unas and then suddenly stopped, finally unable to resist hugging his arm.
Unas affectionately patted her head, Elf girl comfortably squinted her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.
Master Oakleaf ignored all of this, as if he hadn't seen anything. "My lord must have returned with a full load."
"Haha, that's true," Unas laughed. "A total of three hundred and fifty-seven bags of Swamp Black Soil, and we can have as many as we want in the future."