Du'an fell into thought. Unas, seeing Angela's boredom, took out his Hearthstone from his bag. "This is the Hearthstone I used to use, but I don't know why it's not working anymore. Miss Angela, could you take a look?"
The female mage took the oval gray stone, examined it for a while, and said, "I can't see anything wrong with it right now. Take it back and study it."
"Of course, thank you."
At this moment, Du'an finally finished thinking and asked with a puzzled look, "Excuse my frankness, but your words reveal great confidence in this battle. However, the Argent Dawn's previous battle records have proven how troublesome the Giant Spiders are. I would like to ask, sir, where does your confidence come from?"
The implication was that he wanted the new Warden to give him some confidence. Unas thought for a moment and decided to tell them the truth, "I have control of two Overlord Spiders."
The three people before him did not show the shock Unas had expected. Erigor asked in confusion, "I seem to have heard that this is a very ferocious spider. Is there anything special about it? What's the use of controlling only two ends?"
The other two mages also looked on with curiosity, so Unas had no choice but to resort to the Troll's explanation. "It is the overlord of the spiders. It usually acts alone, but when the spiders gather in large numbers, the Overlord Spider is the natural leader. I control their command, and I don't need to elaborate on the role this plays in war, do I?"
Angela nodded and said, "If what you say is true, that is indeed a very favorable condition."
"I'm telling the truth, of course. I can take you to see it right now."
Du'an said, "It's too late today, so let's leave it at that. Of course we trust you, sir."
"If you need even more confidence, you can come again tomorrow morning and witness firsthand how I train those alien prisoners," Unas boasted. "Whether they are Orcs, Trolls, or Gnolls, they all obey my orders without question. They double my military strength, which is one of the sources of my confidence."
"We've heard about this too," Erigor asked doubtfully. "How exactly did you manage to subdue them? I can hardly imagine why the prisoners, once their shackles were removed and they were armed, didn't dare to resist. Did their temperaments suddenly become docile overnight?"
"Some people in this world are born with an aura, what's called leadership qualities," Unas casually began to boast, "Perhaps it's the invisible aura of dominance that suppresses them; it's something no one can really explain."
Erigor scoffed without giving him any face, "Stop talking nonsense and tell us how you did it."
"Alright, let me tell you my guess," Unas began to make up stories again, "After the Battle of Lordamere Lake, I noticed that they were very afraid of me when I was escorting prisoners. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but after coming here to take up my post and having more contact with them, I gradually realized that everyone who had been controlled by Bessarius was afraid of me. As you all know, I am the one who killed the Dreadlord, so perhaps I inherited the demon's mental pressure."
The three people opposite him exchanged glances. Du'an said, "I've never heard of such a thing."
"Now you've heard it," Unas said, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer, "Anyway, this is just my speculation. We don't need to investigate the real reason; as long as the facts are in our favor, that's enough."
Angela laughed, "Judging from your tone, I thought you were a mage. This kind of pragmatism doesn't seem like something Paladin should have."
Unas retorted, "I am Paladin, but my more important role is as the Warden here. How can I protect everyone in such a difficult environment if I'm not a paladin?"
His words were somewhat treasonous. The creed of the Holy Light should be the highest code of conduct for Paladins. His use of demonic means to control prisoners was indeed pragmatic, but according to the standards of the Inquisition, it was a crime punishable by burning at the stake.
Erigor coughed lightly and reminded him, "Some things are better left unsaid; we all understand that."
"That's good," Unas thanked him first, then said, "I've told you all my cards, what's your answer now?"
The two mages exchanged a glance, Du'an said, "We can help you, but on one condition: lend us Arenas Fireleaf for a period of time, and also, excluding the Blood Elves' share, 30% of the crystal mine's production will be ours."
Did Du'an not study math well? These are clearly two separate conditions, and they previously said they would exchange resources for crystals, but now they want to take it for free. Unas certainly can't agree. "Huoye can be lent to you, but not for more than a month. Crystal ore is limited to 10%, the rest must be exchanged for resources. This is my bottom line."
Du'an stared into Unas's eyes, and the new Warden looked back at him firmly, unwavering. The Arcanist knew the other was serious, stood up, and extended his hand. "That's settled then."
Unas stood up and shook his hand. "It's a deal."
Two days passed quickly, and at dawn, all the participants, except for the two Overlord Spiders and their controllers, had assembled at the stronghold.
Unas had originally planned to give a leadership speech to boost morale, but a Troll and two Gnolls suddenly started fighting, ruining his mood. After beheading them as a sacrifice to the flag, he immediately ordered an attack.
His vanguard, personally led by him, consisted of a hundred men from Liante and four hundred men of prisoners. Whitemane, Erigor, Korfax, Archmage Angela, and several members of the Brotherhood of the Light surrounded him. Of course, Marcus's elite squad and Raphael's personal guard were also present.
Du'an brought five of his students from the Mage Academy, and the Blood Elves used all the Fire Elemental Crystals to temporarily restore the combat power of seven mid-to-low-level mages. Mages are delicate and precious, Unas dared not let them take risks, so the Mage Corps was arranged to be heavily protected in the rear.
The old Earl personally led the few remaining family guards to protect his willful daughter. Unas didn't want others to think he was bullying an elderly person, so he arranged for Helen to be in the last reserve team, which infuriated the young girl who considered herself the commander Arcane advisor.
Unas had no choice but to rely on his talent for talking nonsense, giving Helen a long lecture on the importance of the reserve team, which temporarily fooled her.
In the past two days, the Blood Elf rangers have been mobilized and have already scouted out the general location of the spiders within five kilometers of the Red Stone Stele. Therefore, Unas is still adopting the second risky and aggressive tactic: he will lead the vanguard to make a rapid advance, while the rear guard will press forward to eliminate the spiders that have not yet gathered. Once the two armies join forces, they will only have to face the enemy outside the New Boundary Monument.