"Knight Unas, what's going on?" The Dwarf officer guarding the prisoners immediately ran over to ask, the Iron Golem also within his guard.
"You saw everything clearly, so you can be a witness," Unas explained, half-jokingly. "After the Molten Core Monster fused with Thaurissan, it gained a portion of his consciousness and thus acquired command of the puppet."
The officer pointed to Bael'Gar, who was standing obediently to the side, and asked hesitantly, "How come this Molten Giant has become so compliant?"
"My comrades just happened to have subdued this monster, so I think these Iron Golems should rightfully be our spoils," Unas said, glancing at the dog tag hanging on his chest. "Lieutenant Sadri, you don't have any objections, do you?"
"This is not something I can decide. Before he left, the lord instructed me to keep a close watch on all the prisoners and puppets, and not to let anyone take them from my hands!"
This was truly a case of refusing to listen to reason and then having to suffer the consequences. Unas's tone hardened. "I'm taking them up now, and you can try to stop me!"
Unas's side had five hundred human soldiers, plus a giant and seventy-eight Iron Golems. The two hundred Dark Iron Dwarves remaining in the hall were no match for them. The Dwarf lieutenant dared not make a move and could only curse, "You stinking dwarf! Don't forget whose territory this is! How dare you act so recklessly! You will be punished!"
Ever since his clash with those officers at the Grim Guzzler, Unas's reputation in the Rendaen Army has been synonymous with that of a rat in the street. Today's battle has salvaged his image somewhat, but this incident may send it plummeting to rock bottom again.
Having too many lice doesn't make you itchy, and having too much debt doesn't make you worry. Unas wasn't here to be an ambassador; he didn't care what the Dark Iron Dwarves thought of him and directly ordered the troops to set off.
Fran and his son, along with Moira, were also taken into custody by his group. These two had been captured by Unas himself, and according to any custom, they were undoubtedly his prisoners. The Dwarf lieutenant did not dare to forcibly detain Fran's son.
With the Iron Golems leading the way and Bael'Gar bringing up the rear, Unas and his group swaggered out of the underground hall.
Rendaen's men took over all parts of the palace. All the Fire Dwarves in the Imperial Palace had been wiped out, and even those who managed to escape only had a few tens of minutes left to live.
This battle cemented the Rendaen Dark Iron Dwarves' position as rulers; as long as they could stabilize the situation, he would be the undisputed new king.
Unas led a small group of Argent Dawn loyalists straight to the wealthy district, while the rest of the group and the puppets went to the Residential District to support Rendaen. Along the way, they learned that the battle there was still very intense.
After the floodwaters receded, the bar was no longer a necessary stop, Unas deliberately avoided it and quickly led everyone to their destination.
The sight of their dilapidated house made Fran and his son want to cry, and once inside, they felt an urge to weep uncontrollably. Everything in the house had been moved out and smashed, leaving it in complete disarray.
Several soldiers came out; this was the squad that Unas had previously assigned to guard the secret entrance.
"Reporting to you, sir, the secret chamber is well protected."
Unas nodded, offered a few words of comfort, and then waved for them to return to their units and rest.
The secret door opened in response to its owner, and Fran's collection room was opened to everyone. Unas, suppressing his excitement and being wary of traps, let Fran go in first to clear the way. Only after confirming it was safe did the others enter one after another.
He truly lived up to his reputation as a weapons collector; his small collection room was filled with shelves of weapons of all sizes, with various types of knives, spears, swords, and halberds reflecting a dazzling light, making one's eyes dazzled.
Unas looked around and saw several crystal weapons, but the design of Firekiss was unique. He quickly stepped forward and took the sword down from a separate shelf.
The warm touch, the intricate runes, the translucent blade, the familiar hilt —Unas examined it carefully, as if caressing a lover's hand. The weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.
"Don't be shy, everyone! Pick one that suits your needs!" Unas became very generous in his excitement, since everyone here was one of their own. "Fran, don't just stand there, show everyone your collection."
The aggrieved man, his face contorted with grief, felt as if giving away his treasured collection was like tearing his flesh out. But the world is a place where the victors are remembered and the vanquished are condemned; he was fortunate to have survived. He had no choice but to begin explaining his collection to everyone.
Fran knew every weapon intimately: its era, who made it, what materials it was made of, its advantages and disadvantages, and even the related legends and stories.
There are a total of 103 weapons here, half of which are rare antiques, exquisite works of art, and exotic items, while the other half are practical weapons.
Since no one was interested in antiques or art, Fran pointed out the more practical items for everyone to choose from.
The rescue team from the stronghold is all here. Although they obtained good equipment during the previous looting, it is still inferior to what is here.
Everyone strives for better things. Angela and Huoye obtained two crystal daggers, one blue and one red, which are said to amplify ice and fire spells respectively. They are the two most prized magical weapons in their collection.
Darian and Erigor had already obtained decent Blacksteel two-handed swords, and casually picked up two short axes. Nightmoon and Natasha had no need for the weapons here and didn't take anything.
The Dwarves were somewhat hesitant. There were many items here suitable for Dwarves, and they didn't know which one to choose. Unas then granted each Dwarf permission to take several items.
Everyone else also made some gains. After everyone had finished choosing, Unas put away the rest. Now his Spatial Bag was almost full of gold, silver, jewelry and all kinds of equipment, and he was overjoyed.
Besides the weapons, Fran's treasury was also opened. Compared to his status, the cash was pitifully small. The most valuable items were some weapon and equipment design blueprints, Unas collected for later use.
Stepping out of Fran's house, Unas felt a tremendous sense of relief. With Firekiss in his grasp, he had no more worries and didn't need to work as hard as before.
He led the group slowly to the edge of the gap in the Residential District, where they met up with the main human force that had arrived earlier.
The Canal's flow was several times stronger than before, and dense Water Elemental could be seen pulling seawater through the river, almost filling the gap leading to the city. Even the water vapor below could not rise. The white fog that had shrouded the Residential District for several days finally dissipated.
Several Dwarf units were still waiting for orders to attack at the edge of the gap. The fact that the Iron Golems and humans had come here together surprised them, and they all sent people over to inquire. Luther relayed Unas's words, and the response he received was, of course, not very friendly.
As soon as Unas arrived, he began asking for information, Luther presented all the information he had gathered.
At the start of the battle, although the Fire Elementals launched a surprise attack, the Water Elementals had been on high alert since Rendaen attacked the Imperial Palace, so the attack did not have the effect of catching the enemy off guard.
The Water Elemental Duke's idea of converting all of his elite fighting force into Boiling Water Elemental, regardless of the risks and losses, now seems like pure genius.
The massive steam generated by the collision of seawater and magma almost reached the entrance to the Molten Core, turning the entire underground space into a battleground for Boiling Water Elementals. In this steamy environment, Fire Elemental creatures were also weakened.
With this shift in power, each of the Boiling Water Elementals could take on ten opponents, but unfortunately, their numbers were too small. Facing an army of tens of thousands of Fire Elementals, they were somewhat overwhelmed, capable of defense but lacking in offense, and thus found themselves in a passive situation.
The stalemate changed with the arrival of Rendaen. Although the Dwarves were afraid of water and few could swim, the Water Elementals in the Canal could safely transport them down.
Riding high on their victory over Thaurissan, the Dwarf Warriors maintained a strong offensive drive even in the sweltering heat, quickly pushing the battle line forward significantly.
In the high-temperature environment, the Dwarves ' stamina is consumed very quickly. Rendaen is now using a rotation tactic, where those who are tired retreat to rest, and those behind them go down to fill in.
Although this approach is troublesome and time-consuming, it keeps our side in the upper hand. The several units waiting here have already gone down to fight once, and according to the last soldier to come up, they have advanced the battle line to a black island in the middle of the river.
Upon hearing this news, the members of Argent Dawn cheered. There was only one island in the underground lava river— Flamewaker Island!
If we can maintain this winning momentum and push the front line forward a safe distance, everyone can easily go home.
Unas was also quite pleased; the good news kept coming in one after another. "I want to go down and see for myself first. If the situation is true, it seems we'll have to give it another shot."
Several people around him said in unison, "We'll go with you."
"We don't need too many people. Angela and Erigor, come with me. The rest of you can rest first."
The three arrived at the sloping, downward-facing gap. Unas waved to the Water Elementals in the Canal and shouted, "Elemental brothers, we'd like to go down there. Please give us a ride!"
A Water Elemental leaped out of the river and sent them several bubbles. The three of them remained motionless as the bubbles floated over and enveloped them completely. The Water Elemental shouted, "Jump in!"
So this was how people were transported up and down; it was indeed quick and convenient. The three of them jumped into the Canal as instructed, letting the Water Elemental pull them along, and soon they were carried underground.
The changes here are simply too great. The constant erosion and cooling by the seawater caused the magma to solidify, and the riverbed below the breach gradually rose and became a dam, cutting the magma river in half.
The lava river downstream of the dam has practically disappeared, replaced by a flat plain of hard volcanic rock, and this trend is spreading upstream.
As solidified magma slowly accumulated beneath the dam, the dam became wider and stronger, eventually even capable of holding water.
As the seawater flow increased, a large pond actually formed below the dam, and the Water Elemental transport team was pulling the water from the pond upstream of the lava river.
This was the scene the three found when they came down, a sight that made one marvel at the Water Elementals ' meticulous planning.
Rendaen was overseeing the battle from the dam. Although he couldn't see the fighting ahead from there, his presence boosted the morale of the Dwarves. So, despite being a heavily wounded dwarf who had just recovered, the Dwarf lord insisted on staying there.
The arrival of Unas and his two companions immediately attracted the attention of the other party. A Dwarf messenger rushed over and brought the three of them to Rendaen.
"Haha, Unas Knight, I didn't expect you to come to my aid so quickly. Have you dealt with that Molten Core Monster?" Rendaen greeted him with a hearty laugh, looking to be in excellent spirits.
Unas repeated his previous statement, and the Dwarf lord's brows immediately furrowed. "Did your mages really control that monster?"
"Absolutely true."
"The puppets actually obey him; it shouldn't be possible to merge with only Thaurissan's corpse and a bit of his remnant soul..." Rendaen muttered to himself, then suddenly asked, "Didn't you find the terminal controller?"
"No," Unas replied, his tone a mix of reality and illusion, "Perhaps the controller was fused with by that monster."
"Very likely!" Rendaen exclaimed in realization. "Thaurissan would definitely have kept something this important with him at all times. It was either destroyed by you or me in battle, or it was swallowed by the Lava Monster."
"Then, what about the ownership of the puppets...?" Unas asked tentatively.
"Let's put this issue aside for now and discuss the details later," Rendaen said, still unwilling to budge, changing the subject. "Hurry up and bring the puppets and your troops down. My Warriors will be retreating soon, so it'll be a good time for rotation."
It seems that even if he saves his life, he cannot allow the Dwarf lord to hand over such a high-level weapon of war. Unas can understand this, after all, the Iron Golem is related to the core interests of the Dark Iron Dwarves.
"I'm afraid we'll have to keep you waiting, Lord. The three of us came down to do some scouting and check out the situation at the front."
Rendaen advised, "There's nothing to see. My scouts report the battle situation to me every three minutes. The next one will be here soon. Please wait a moment, and I will share the latest battle report with you."
"Thank you for your kindness, Lord, but now that I'm here, I'd like to see the battle situation for myself."
Unas's main purpose in going to the front lines was actually to gain experience. After a series of battles in the Imperial Palace, his experience had reached 96%, and his current condition was very poor, so of course he wanted to level up before fighting again.
Seeing that he couldn't persuade him or force him, Rendaen could only watch as Unas and the other two disappeared from sight.
The steam grew denser as they went further, and the seawater drawn by the Water Elemental became increasingly fine. The temperature was very high, but thankfully Angela was there as their portable air conditioner, and the three of them arrived at the rear of the front line feeling refreshed.
The Dwarf above wasn't lying; Flamewaker Island was indeed right in front of them, and it had become a battleground for both sides. Angela tried to call out to the Blood Elf mage who had stayed on the island, but there was no response. She hoped he had safely escaped back to the Canyon.
Unas found a high point on the solidified lava river, a good location where he could gain experience and observe the battle at the front.
Seawater and magma are also clashing ahead. Due to the excessive length of the seawater's transport route, it is at a significant disadvantage here. However, as long as it can continuously generate water vapor, it will be of the greatest help to its side.