"Haha, that's wonderful!" the Druid laughed. "It seems you've gained something else, sir."
"We'll talk about those things later. The Black Soil is all in my bag; I'm giving it all to you now."
"This way, sir. There are a few dug Cave that will be perfect for storage," Oakleaf pointed to a passage on the right, then turned to Beryl and said, "The rest of the lessons are yours, Beryl."
The Elf girl pouted somewhat reluctantly, Unas had to coax her a few times before finally managing to get rid of her.
"I never imagined the master had another identity," Unas, seizing an opportunity to be alone with the two on the way to the Cave. "Our soil-collecting operation just happened to uncover the target you and Nightmoon were investigating."
"Nightmoon told you?" The Druid reacted immediately, his voice rising involuntarily, "You've found the culprit?"
"No, but..." Unas briefly recounted the story of the Beautiful Spider to him.
After listening to the story, the Druid remained silent for a moment before shaking his head and saying, "What if it's just a coincidence? I need solid evidence to prove that the Purple-robed Person is the mastermind behind the raids on the Elves before I can issue an emergency summons. That's the most basic rule."
His implication was that the evidence was insufficient and therefore unreliable; what an old-fashioned man. Unas had no intention of interfering in the affairs of the Night Elves, so let Nightmoon persuade him.
"For concealing our true purpose in coming here, I apologize to the Argent Dawn on behalf of the Cenarion Circle. Lord Unas, I also personally extend my sincere apologies to you."
"No need, Nightmoon has already apologized, and I don't mind."
As they talked, the two arrived at an empty Cave. Following Oakleaf's instructions, they unloaded all the Black Soil into the outer chambers of the cave. Unas then excused himself from the Druids, saying he didn't want to disturb their lesson, and hurriedly left the Mushroom Cave, bumping right into Nightmoon, who was returning from gathering information.
"It's very likely that the crystal mine deal has been leaked, and the mages at the Monastery want a piece of the pie too," the Night Elf whispered as she leaned closer.
Unas had strictly ordered all those involved in mining the crystal mine to keep it a secret for the time being, but too many people knew about it, and it was hard to guarantee that someone wouldn't spread the word. He didn't expect it to reach the Monastery so quickly; there must be someone else's spies in the stronghold.
What are you planning to do?
"It's nothing more than a transaction. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Unas said, pointing to the cave entrance. "Master Oakleaf is inside. I think he's taken a while to get into growing mushrooms. It might take some effort to convince him."
"You've spoken to him?"
Unas relayed the Druid's words to Nightmoon, Elf frowned upon hearing them. "It seems necessary for him to see Rosebane Sunstrider with his own eyes and hear the victim's account firsthand. I think he'll change his mind."
I hope so.
The two parted ways here. Nightmoon had a headache about how to deal with the Druid, while Unas had a headache about how to get rid of the people from the Mage Academy.
Back at the camp, a few young guards were waiting at the gate. Raphael led the way to greet them, "My lord, you're finally back! That mage is throwing a tantrum in the main tent."
The young man's tone carried a hint of panic, which was understandable, as ordinary people usually harbored fear of mysterious figures like sorcerers.
Unas tossed him a large bag of meat, saying nonchalantly, "Go back to my Tent and make lunch first. Everyone can try some crocodile meat. Since that mage is angry, let him calm down first."
His relaxed demeanor calmed the soldiers' panic, and they became even more excited upon hearing that there would be meat to eat. With a cheer, the crowd joyfully surrounded the Warden as they headed towards his quarters.
Halfway there, I heard a loud shout from behind, "Stop!"
Everyone turned to look and saw a young man in a purplish-red robe standing not far away. His short red hair stood on end, and his violently heaving chest showed his intense emotions. His eyes were fixed on Unas, as if he were breathing fire.
A soldier whispered in Unas's ear, "He's the mage who insists on seeing the master."
Unas turned around and said sharply, "Do you know what crime it is to shout at the supreme commander in the military camp?"
The purple-robed mage retorted sharply, "Ignoring a mage of high status won't break any laws, but no rational person would do that."
Unas sneered, "Considering you are a 'noble' mage, the fifty lashes will be waived. Now I order you to get out of my camp!"
The Mage Academy, wanting to claim a share of the elemental crystal mine, should have been the one seeking help. Instead, Du'an sent such an arrogant fellow to negotiate, clearly trying to extort money and see if he could intimidate the new Warden. Unfortunately for Duan, Unas wasn't buying it.
The young mage's lips trembled with anger, unable to utter a word for a long time. He pulled a document from his robes and threw it at him. "You have no right to do this. Lord Tyrosus of the Argent Dawn orders you to accept my... conditions."
Unas took the scroll and unfolded it to examine it. It was a letter, and it did indeed bear Tyrosus's signature. The gist of it was that he was to discuss the crystal mine with the representatives of the Mage Academy. But Unas smiled when he saw the last few words. The One-Eyed Baron was indeed very considerate of his own people.
He rolled up the letter and threw it back. "Has the sorcerer lost his ability to read after chanting so many incantations? Take a good look at the last line: Lord Tyrosus has granted me full authority to dispose of this matter as I see fit."
He softened his tone slightly, "Our conversation ends here. Please go back and tell Dean Du'an to be more sincere and stop playing so many tricks."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and waved, signaling his guards to continue walking back; a feast of roasted crocodile meat awaited them.
The mage stood there, gritting his teeth, nearly losing control several times and hurling a Fireball at that vile face. But reason prevailed in the end; the only one who would suffer in a conflict was himself. The young man swallowed the consequences of his bad temper, slunk away from the stronghold, and vowed never to return to that awful place.
Unas's tough stance towards the mage won the hearts of the soldiers, especially a few who had been humiliated by the mage, who loudly praised him. However, some were worried that it might provoke retaliation.
Unas, however, was not worried. Du'an was not about to turn against him over such a small matter, and he believed that another messenger would appear soon.
After lunch with the soldiers in a celebratory atmosphere, a messenger brought news that Perella and Huoye were requesting Warden. The Blood Elf leaders must have received word of this, as elemental crystal mines were their lifeblood, and they could not accept any human mages getting involved.
Unas immediately went to the main tent to greet the two Blood Elves. They seemed to have just returned from the mine. Perella, panting, said, "We heard the news of your return and rushed back. Congratulations on your successful journey!"
Their real purpose was probably to persuade Unas to refuse the Mage Academy's demands, but they didn't expect him to drive them away on his own initiative, making it difficult for him to make any demands.
Unas said understandingly, "Don't worry, the amount of Fire Elemental Crystal Mine mined will only be used for other purposes after all your Mana Addiction needs have been fully met."
"Thank you, sir," the two Elves said in unison, expressing their heartfelt gratitude.
Unas then changed the subject, "But ultimately I can't refuse the Mage Academy, so increasing mining is the fundamental solution. A sufficient supply of Fire Crystals can meet everyone's needs."
"We know that too," Perella said urgently. "Please, sir, quickly send a group of Dwarf miners to help us. That narrow crevice in the mountain is simply not enough."
"The first level of the Mushroom Cave will be completed in a week. I've decided to send the Dwarves to mine then, but before that, I want to redefine the border with the spiders and move the Red Stone Stele forward five kilometers. This is also for safety reasons; the crystal mine is too close to the current border."
Unas's words left the two Elves with mixed feelings of joy and worry. Perella almost screamed, "Five kilometers? That's impossible!"
"No, anything is possible. I need you to prepare for battle, especially your mages. The elemental crystals you've collected these past few days should restore some of your mages' fighting strength. Elf mages have been celebrated by humans for thousands of years, and I believe their power will not disappoint you."
"We plan to use the crystals we collected first on the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled; they are the ones who need them most..."
Unas interrupted her, saying solemnly, "We are at war now. Improving our combat strength is the top priority. Everyone else, please wait. I plan to launch an offensive in three days. Hopefully, a small Mage Corps will provide us with firepower by then."
The two Blood Elves, seeing the Warden's resolute gaze, knew he wasn't joking. They were both a little stunned. Huoye muttered to himself, "He's gone mad, he must be mad," wanting to dissuade him but unable to utter a sound. Perella also fell silent. Even after the two were ushered out of the tent, they still couldn't believe it was real.
The outpost hasn't initiated a war with the spiders for a long time. The prolonged passive defense has led everyone to believe that the spiders are invincible. Unas wants to break this illusion. In three days, Rosebayne and the Overlord Spider should be able to recover to about 70-80%, and that will be their time to shine.
Unas issued the order to prepare for war, and the stronghold immediately erupted in commotion. One officer after another came to persuade him, but he remained unmoved. Once everyone understood his determination, there was no other way but to obey the order.
With the war on their doorstep, there's no need to prepare any supply lines. Most of the Dwarves are immobile, but they still need to dig tunnels to keep the mushroom project going. This makes the human and Elf as the main attacking force somewhat weak.
Unas thought of using prisoners to fill the gaps. Orcs, Trolls, and Gnolls could all be used as cannon fodder at the front, since he wouldn't care how many died, and it would save food. Ogres and Kobolds could be used as a second layer of cannon fodder. There were only fifty or so Ogres in the stronghold, but these incredibly strong and thick-skinned giants were the best Charge.
The only problem was whether or not to arm the prisoners. If they were, there was a risk of riots; if not, they would have little fighting power. Unas was having a headache over this. Controlling them using the methods of the Dreadlords was one way, but he was sure he couldn't withstand the corruption of such a large-scale use of Fel. If they were transformed into demons, he would be doomed.
He thought of the seventeen Orcs Warriors; the Orcs laborers obeyed them without question. Perhaps controlling them was equivalent to controlling all the Orcs —a more cost-effective approach.
Without hesitation, Unas headed straight for the prisoner-of-war camp. He first used a Gnoll as a sacrifice, then made up an excuse to interrogate the Orcs Warrior alone.
The guards didn't dare ask why the Warden was bringing a Gnoll to interrogate the Orcs; the commander insisted on doing so, and they couldn't do anything about it.
Having learned from his previous sacrifice, Unas was adept at it. The incantations flowed from his lips as if they were imprinted in his mind, requiring no guidance from the Dreadlord. Half an hour later, all seventeen Orcs Warriors had become mental slaves with the character "Wu" tattooed on their necks.
Having dealt with the Orcs, there was still some Fel left, so Unas decided to wipe them all out at once. He then set his sights on the other prisoners. Trolls, Gnolls, Ogres, and Kobolds were not as finely divided as the Orcs clans; they each had only one or two leaders, and their control over their subordinates was not as strict as that of the Orcs. Unas also changed their surnames to Wu.
Now almost all the alien prisoners in the stronghold were under his control. The price Unas paid was that his entire left arm was pierced by Fel, and the skin on his left hand seemed to be changing, developing into demonic keratinized skin.
He repeatedly washed his left arm with Holy Power, secretly resolving that he must not use Fel again for the foreseeable future. Although the Shadowfiend had grown considerably, it would still take a long time for it to completely absorb the effects of this Fel.
After doing all this, Unas announced that he had successfully negotiated with all the prisoners. He ordered the armory to be opened, armed the prisoners, and personally instructed them in human military tactics and formations so that they could better cooperate with the Argent Dawn in battle.
Many were terrified by the Warden's series of incompetent orders, believing that a riot was inevitable. However, in reality, these ferocious alien races seemed to have become obedient grandsons, and after receiving their weapons, they all obediently participated in military training. Only three Trolls tried to escape, but were immediately chopped into pieces by the Executioner Paladin.
By this point, people no longer doubted the new Warden's abilities and even began to fear him. Those who paid attention would realize that the prisoners could not be subdued by simple "negotiation," but in this pre-battle mobilization, no one dared to ask the executioner those questions.
Unas knew that his methods were somewhat crude, and if someone investigated, it would be easy to deduce that he had used unethical means to control these prisoners.
But in the face of the desire for victory, none of these matter. As long as victory is achieved, all stains will be washed away, and people will only remember his heroic legend and forget the doubts of the past. They may even take the initiative to defend him and condemn those who pursue him. This is what is meant by history being written by the victors.