"Where did you get your information from? Is it reliable?" asked Whitebeard Frank.
"Of course it's reliable. If you don't believe me, you can use your own channels to find out," Riedel assured him, patting his chest. "This opportunity is fleeting. The four of us must work together to try and take it down in one fell swoop."
Luther asked, "After we take it, what if the Blackrock Orcs recover? How will we hold it?"
"You don't need to worry about that. I've already spoken with Half-Face. As long as we offer half of the Dark Iron, he'll send reinforcements to help us," Riedel said confidently, as if everything was under control. "Besides, it's not certain whether the Orcs will be able to get here anytime soon."
The usually taciturn Bas suddenly roared, "Absurd! We all know what Half-Face is like. He would never rashly wage war against the Dark Horde. Given his cunning and greedy nature, if the Orcs come, he will definitely abandon us; if the Orcs don't come, he will seize all the Dark Iron. Either way, we will not only gain nothing, but we will also suffer considerable losses!"
"You're wrong! Half-Face is also a Dark Iron Dwarves. He won't stand idly by while the Orcs wage war against his own kind; he'd be happy to stab them in the back," Riedel stood up excitedly to defend himself. "Besides, given my relationship with him, he would never break his promise. But if what you're saying really happens, I swear I'll compensate you for all your losses!"
Seeing how certain he was, and even making oaths, Bas couldn't find a rebuttal for a moment. Frank stepped in to smooth things over. "We're all compatriots, let's not hurt our feelings. By the way, what's your opinion on this matter, young brother Unas? You're Paladin, you must have unique insights under the guidance of the Holy Light."
Unas remained silent, pondering a countermeasure. With superior force, he didn't need any schemes or tricks. He only needed to show everyone that he was the strongest and that following him was the most advantageous thing to do. People would naturally obey his leadership. A trio relying solely on violence would only be abandoned.
"Don't talk as if Paladins are some other kind of creature. I only recently became Paladin, I don't know anything, I just have a lot of strength. Charge is my specialty, whether it's Trolls or Orcs, I won't hesitate to kill them."
The voice was calm, but the murderous aura emanating from it made everyone present secretly tremble. Unas's nickname "Executioner" was not for nothing.
"You can continue your discussion. Just tell me the result. Protecting the people of the Holy Light is the duty of Paladin, and I will fight for my comrades," Unas stood up. "Now I want to go check out the Mining District. I can't fight without knowing the terrain."
The four leaders stood up and watched him walk out of the mine. Luther murmured, "He may have killed more people than all of us combined. That's the aura of a demon; I can feel it."
Frank patted him on the shoulder. "Stop talking nonsense. He's clearly the embodiment of the Holy Light —the mortal enemy of demons."
After asking the guard at the entrance for directions, Unas walked into the tunnel and soon arrived at the Mining District. The clanging and banging sounds grew louder as he walked out of the tunnel and into the long, narrow space.
On a sloping stone surface roughly the size of half a football field, about a hundred miners were busy at work. Iron ore, gleaming with a fine silver sheen, was knocked down from the mine face with iron picks, and then picked up by a few short men among the crowd and put into their backpacks. Once the backpacks were full, the ore was poured into three mine carts parked at the tunnel entrance.
Judging from the markings on the mine carts and the brands on people's foreheads, all the miners here are slaves of Coldsteel, Angerforge, and Firerock. It is said that the Blackbeards are the most numerous and monopolize a smaller mine face next door.
Unas's arrival went unnoticed. He was about to cross the room when a shout made him turn around. There he saw Rams running towards him with a bag of ore.
This guy's small frame was indeed only good for picking up ores. He came up to me, panting, "Paladin, are you alright?"
What could possibly be wrong with me?
"It's been so long since I've seen you. Everyone's saying you were... well, you know... by the Riedel brothers..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.
It seems the new Paladin has become the news here. Rams's way of addressing him has already attracted some attention. He laughed and said, "I'm standing here perfectly fine, aren't I? By the way, how's Sam's injury?"
"Thank you for your concern, sir. The wound has begun to heal, and you're looking more and more energetic!"
"That's good."
"However... after hearing about your treatment of Uncle Sam, several other injured people's friends have asked me to come and ask you for help. I wonder if you have the time?" Rams's voice trailed off, his confidence clearly waning as he pleaded.
"Of course, no problem. It is the duty of Paladin to protect and heal the children of the Holy Light," Unas said, spouting righteousness and morality. He had no resistance to saving people, and it would also enhance his influence, so why not? "Saving lives is like putting out a fire. Take me there now."
"Thank you so much!" Rams almost jumped up, threw down the ore bag, and tried to Unas away.
Just then, a burly man digging on the mine surface roared, "Hey, little Rams, don't even think about slacking off!"
"I'm taking the Paladin to treat Uncle John and the others, I'll be right back!"
Rams's loud voice echoed throughout the cave, and almost everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look. Unas's unfamiliar face was immediately identified as the new Paladin, and after a moment of silence, everyone started talking about it.
"What's all this noise about? Don't you want to eat? Get back to work!"
The burly miner, seemingly a foreman, silenced the slaves with a few words. He strode down the slope to Unas and asked, "Are you truly Paladin?"
Unas was annoyed by these questions. To dispel any doubts, he decided to show off in front of everyone. He raised his hands and quickly cast Blessing of Might on Rams, the foreman, and the dozen or so men around him, then said, "This is Blessing of Might; it will make you a little stronger. Consider it my greeting gift."
A dozen or so silver lights disappeared into the people's bodies, and everyone felt a warm feeling in their hearts and their strength increased greatly. The foreman clenched his fist in surprise; what the young man in front of him said was true. However, he did not apologize or bow his head, but turned to Rams and said, "You brat, you have ten minutes. If you're late, you won't get any food."
After saying that, he turned and called to the astonished crowd to go mining. Rams whispered, "Guluo is actually a good person, please don't take offense, sir."
Unas smiled and shook his head. This foreman had a tough temper, which suited him well, so he wouldn't get angry. "Hurry up and lead the way, or we'll go hungry."