Before the sunlight completely disappeared, the group landed on a small hill five kilometers Blue Rock Pass.
The Little Red Dragon didn't land. After dropping Rosebayne at low altitude, it flew directly into the Stone Cave. She was seriously injured; the venom of the Seven-Headed Lizard had seeped into many wounds, and she had been flying unsteadily the whole way, urgently needing to recover.
For dragons, sleep is the best way to heal; their resistance and self-healing abilities are significantly enhanced during sleep.
Mati'gosa was much gentler than the Little Red Dragon. Although she was also exhausted, she landed on the ground very politely, Unas quickly grabbed the Troll by the collar and jumped down.
The Druids then landed and transformed back into their original forms. Flying in raven form was very tiring, and they were all panting and looking dejected.
Rosebayne stood there dejectedly, having lost all her spider minions, she was all alone again.
The Troll let out a long breath; for him, escaping alive was the greatest stroke of luck.
No one spoke for a moment on the small hill; everyone needed to catch their breath.
Although they fled in defeat, Unas didn't feel ashamed, at least everyone was rescued safely.
He bowed slightly to Oakleaf and Blue Dragon, saying, "Thank you again for your help."
In a flash of light, Mati'gosa transformed back into a tall, Blue-haired Female Elf. She seemed to find it more polite to interact with humans in human form, which certainly made her appear much more approachable. "Paladin, no need for formalities. We've done what we promised you. So, what did you promise us...?"
"Of course, I will send scouts into the Forest to scout out the enemy situation first. Once the spiders in the Canyon are cleared out, the main force will set off immediately."
Actually, he wasn't in such a hurry. The Purple-robed Person hadn't revealed his true identity, and without figuring out his opponent's background, he was unsure of himself to attack the Forest rashly.
Blue Dragon managed a weak smile, and Unas continued to reassure him, "Lord Red Dragon will likely need a few days to recover. Lord Blue Dragon, please wait for my good news."
"Don't call us 'sirs,' we are not your superiors."
"From now on, please don't call me 'Paladin' anymore. Just call me by my name. I'll call you Mati, is that alright?"
Using more intimate terms of address helps to build rapport. After half a day of getting to know each other, Unas found the Blue Dragon easy to talk to and decided to latch onto this powerful ally.
"No problem." Mati'gosa did not object, which was a good sign.
Unas shared his speculation about the Purple-robed Person, and after a discussion, everyone agreed that it made a lot of sense.
"The Purple-robed Person is obsessed with modifying creatures, and this time he's even set his sights on the Dragonflight. It's clear that there are countless terrifying monsters like the Mutant Spiders that have been modified in the Spider Forest. Perhaps we should plan this carefully," Unas subtly revealed his reluctance to launch a rash attack.
Blue Dragon, however, seemed not to grasp his meaning, and suddenly realized, "No wonder Alice and I sensed several very dangerous hostile forces when we were circling and searching above the Forest. The level of threat was no less than that of the Seven-Headed Lizard. Those were probably monsters controlled by the Purple-robed Person."
At this moment, a young Druid suddenly spoke up, "In the Swamp, I also sensed the silent wailing of this Forest; deep within the Forest, there seems to be an evil will enslaving and oppressing the Nature Spirit."
Master Oakleaf nodded, as if he already knew about this.
Seeing the enemy's unfathomable strength and the somewhat oppressive atmosphere, Unas rallied the troops, saying, "We all share the same goal. As long as we unite, we will surely defeat the enemy. Our first step will be to attack the Swamp."
The Swamp is right next to the Forest, so it must be taken down first. Unas was also disappointed that he hadn't been able to kill the Seven-Headed Lizard. Now that beast was at its weakest, it was the perfect opportunity to make his move.
"The Seven-Headed Lizard has an incredibly strong regenerative ability. We need to find it quickly and cut off one of the Purple-robed Person's claws first."
"Leave it to us! We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning and we'll definitely find it!" a young Druid shouted.
Unas nodded. The Druids who could transform into Thunder Ravens were indeed excellent at reconnaissance, and he would also send out all the Elf Rangers; five Druids alone would not be enough.
With a common enemy, Unas's personal grudges against the Druids seemed insignificant. After discussing the details, the Druids left one by one.
"What about me?" the Blue Dragon asked curiously, wanting to see what kind of mission he could get.
"Miss Mati and Miss Alice, get some rest and conserve your energy. Once someone spots the Seven-Headed Lizard, take me straight there. I want to deal with this beast myself." Unas wasn't about to let go of this experience with a big boss.
Mati'gosa did not mock the humans' arrogance; today's battle had proven the Paladins ' formidable strength. She said, "I look forward to fighting alongside you again, Knight Unas."
"Me too," Unas replied with a smile, then pointed to Rosebayne. "There's one more thing I need to ask of you. Could my subordinate stay here for the time being? I hope Miss Mati can protect her safety."
The existence of the Beautiful Spider has always been a secret, known only to Unas and the Trolls. Although it no longer needs to be kept secret, it is still inappropriate to bring her back rashly, after all, her appearance is too terrifying.
"No problem," Blue Dragon readily agreed.
Unas said to the Beautiful Spider, "You should rest here tonight. We can talk about it tomorrow."
Rosebayne nodded and followed Mati'gosa into the Stone Cave, wondering if she would have a good dream while sleeping with the two dragons.
Not long after dawn, the surrounding noise reached his ears. Unas opened his eyes in a cross-legged position. After a night of Meditation, his Holy Power had finally recovered to about 70-80%, and his injuries were mostly healed. The Paladin's self-healing ability was indeed powerful.
Stepping out of the Tent, I was surrounded by soldiers busily working.
"Greetings, Lord Unas!"
The passing soldiers saluted loudly in greeting, and Unas returned the salute to each one.
Last night, after he and Haikesi returned to Blue Rock Pass, they were immediately surrounded and interrogated by his men. Unas told them everything he had seen and heard, including the dragon and Rosebayne, since these secrets wouldn't stay hidden for long anyway.
After everyone was shocked, they could only actively prepare for battle. Unas, however, wanted to hold Blue Rock Pass firmly so that even if the battle at the front was unfavorable, they would have no worries about their rear. After discussing it last night, they immediately launched a general mobilization this morning.
Even when moving slowly sideways, the Iron Golems all had to follow commands to cross the valley and reach the Forest side to defend.
The Molten Giants could not possibly pass through the narrow valley, but with them guarding the rear, the safety of the rear was at least largely guaranteed.
All the Dark Iron Dwarves reinforcements received orders to gather stones on the spot and prepare to build a Stone Wall at the mouth of the valley—a task the Dwarves excelled at.
The rest of the group continued to hunt down the scattered Giant Spiders, while simultaneously deploying spies to monitor the Forest's movements.
Unas issued a bounty, offering a high price for live spiders, encouraging his soldiers to capture them alive—this was, of course, intended for Rosebayne.