When Gunsel arrived at the lake, he discovered that the enemy was already there. He wanted to enter the lake to gather his men, but the Red Dragon circling on the lake was an insurmountable obstacle. So he remotely ordered the Seven-Headed Lizards in the deep water to attack the Red Dragon, attempting to enter the lake in the chaos.
The Seven-Headed Lizard almost succeeded in its seduction attempt, but was stopped by the humans on the shore. Fortunately, it seemed that the humans and the dragons were at odds, and soon the greatest threat Red Dragon, flew away.
He resisted the urge to immediately ambush the small group of people on the shore. Instead, he summoned a Unicorn Giant Python that had swum to the shallows. With the python drawing the enemy's attention, he could then sneak into the lake.
The result was almost a failure; Gunsel had underestimated his enemy. The Armor-Piercing Dragonbane Arrow killed his beloved mount, and the Paladin almost caught up with him. Fortunately, several lake Water Monsters arrived in time to greet him, scaring the enemy away.
The lich, still shaken, swam into the deep water, where over a hundred strange-looking Water Monsters Lich him. Gunsel swam swiftly downstream and soon arrived at the entrance to the Biological Research Institute —a large cave at the foot of a lakeside hill, where Seven-Headed Lizards stood guard.
Gunsel secretly ordered the Swamp Lord to be on high alert, then went straight into the large cave and reached his destination via the winding waterway.
He emerged from the water and climbed onto a small, shallow beach, then recited a secret incantation, and the magic door on the beach opened in response.
The guards in the Biological Research Institute were quickly assembled, Gunsel took a serious headcount for the first time; there were 173 in total.
These guards were actually his experimental subjects, and they were divided into several categories. The largest group was the Dragonkin Guards, totaling 79, but they all looked different. Some had dragon heads and human bodies, while others had dragon heads and lizard bodies.
While researching the longevity and powerful vitality of dragons, Gunsel also wanted to create a powerful basic infantry unit, so he made frequent use of dragon bloodlines.
The second major branch is the Humanoid Species. They still look humanoid in appearance, but there are more or less variations in their arms, legs, facial features, and even half of their body. They are somewhere between animals and humans. Rosebayne belongs to this type.
The rest were a motley crew of various mutant races, including a monster that Gunsel, the leader of the entire guard, had accidentally created by piecing together Centaur and Tauren.
Looking at the strong and well-equipped army before him, Gunsel's confidence returned somewhat. These guards would surely be able to easily wipe out the enemies on the shore if they rushed out, but whether they could recapture the Mage Tower guarded by the dragon and Shadra was still unknown.
A thought struck Gunsel, and an evil smile appeared on his withered, Skeleton face. He had come up with another good idea.
After the Lich sneaked into the lake, everyone on the shore was filled with anxiety, especially the Watchers, whose Night Elf brethren were below. They wondered what the Purple-robed Person would do when he was cornered.
Unas was mentally prepared to be threatened. Putting himself in Gunsel's shoes, he would definitely use the hostages to intimidate his opponent.
The two moons in the sky began to slant; it was already late at night, and Red Dragon and Marcus's team still hadn't arrived, but suddenly there was movement on the lake.
The group, who had been on high alert, immediately spotted a small figure covered in water bubbles rising from the surface, and numerous ranged weapons were immediately aimed at the figure.
"Don't make any rash moves," Perella called out, raising her hand. "It looks like a small child."
The bubble floated completely to the surface, and inside it sat a Night Elf girl with purple skin, who looked to be only eight or nine years old. Her hands were tied behind her back, and a rag was stuffed in her mouth as she struggled slightly in the bubble.
Nightmoon turned around. "My lord, what should we do?"
It was clear she desperately wanted to save the child, but feared it might be a trap. Her mind was in turmoil, which is why she asked a question she would never normally ask.
"Be careful, get her ashore first." Unas was also full of concerns, but the Elves wouldn't be satisfied until they got the child ashore.
The group threw out lassos and slowly pulled the bubble back to the shore. The Elf child was so excited to see so many fellow humans that she burst into tears. Her tears were practically gushing out of her mouth, and if her mouth hadn't been gagged, her cries would have been quite loud.
The crowd looked at each other, none daring to step forward. Unas used a long spear to puncture the blister, then pulled the cloth out of the little girl's mouth, and she burst into tears.
"Help... help me..."
Her legs went limp, her hands bound and unable to support her as she lay sideways on the shore, her wailing heartbreaking. For some reason, Unas suddenly thought of the story of the Three Battles with the White Bone Demon. Could this child be the White Bone Demon released by Gunsel?
After observing for a while and seeing no real threat, Nightmoon stepped forward, helped the little girl upright, cut the ropes, and comforted her, "It's alright, child. What's your name?"
"Aelia Darkstar..." the little girl choked out.
"Arya, I am Wendy Nightmoon, the Watcher. You are now under our protection, so you don't need to worry about anything anymore."
The Elf girl's eyes lit up at the mention of the title "Watcher," the most elite Night Elves, which immediately put her at ease.
Once the girl had calmed down a bit, Unas gave Nightmoon a wink. The female Elf nodded and asked, "Aria, how did you escape up here?"
"Escape? I don't know," the girl suddenly panicked. "It was so dark, I couldn't see anything. They, those bad people, gave me something very bitter to drink, I don't know what it was."
"Open your mouth," Nightmoon said urgently.
The girl instinctively opened her mouth as instructed. Nightmoon observed her by the moonlight, then dipped her finger into the girl's mouth and smelled a little green liquid. Undeterred by bad breath, she immediately held it to her nose and sniffed. "I can't tell what it is, but it's very pungent; it's definitely not good."
Natasha, who knew a little about medicine, was about to step forward to examine the girl's body when the girl suddenly began to convulse. Nightmoon was startled and quickly used first aid.
But the girl's trembling showed no signs of stopping. Her mouth began to open and close, and the words that came out were devoid of tone and emotion. "Get out of my Forest, get out of my Mage Tower, or you'll be receiving more corpses!"
It was clear that the Purple-robed Person was speaking through the girl. After repeating these words several times, she became motionless. Natasha checked her over, shook her head, and confirmed the girl's death.
Everyone was enraged, even the usually calm and collected Natasha clenched her trembling fists, struggling to suppress the urge to curse.
Holding the girl's corpse, Ye Yue roared to the Nightmoon and screamed at the lake, "You demon of hell, I will tear you to pieces!"
Unas suppressed his anger; getting angry was useless now. Just as he was about to speak to calm everyone down, the girl's corpse began to change again.
"A zombie apocalypse!" someone screamed. "Nightmoon, put her body down immediately!"
The corpse's skin was turning black at a visible rate, and the girl's eyeballs were bulging outwards, looking as if they were about to burst.
For the first time, Unas saw panic on Nightmoon's face. The female Elf wasn't afraid of the zombie infection, but rather she was extremely helpless, unwilling to abandon the girl's body yet unsure of what to do.
Unas felt a tightness in his chest, and there was no time for secrecy now. He steeled himself and rushed forward, saying, "Quickly lay her flat on the ground! I need to try casting a spell; maybe it's not too late!"
Nightmoon froze for a moment, too stunned to be overjoyed, and quickly put the girl down. Natasha immediately understood what the Warden was about to do and hurriedly shouted, "Everyone on alert! The master's spellcasting must not be disturbed!"
Everyone witnessed the girl die, and a question arose in their minds: Could she really be saved like this? But remembering the miracle of the Paladin reviving Master Oakleaf, they all obediently surrounded him.
Unas immediately offered Redemption to the girl, not caring about the possibility of her turning into a zombie; he had no choice but to try anything.
The golden ball of light rolled over the corpse. As the light circled around, the girl's skin gradually regained its luster, and her nearly bursting eyeballs returned to their original positions. The Resurrection could actually resist the corpse's transformation.
Nightmoon's eyes shifted from anxiety to surprise, and finally, her gaze towards the Paladin was filled with adoration. This human who had led them all the way held even greater weight in her heart.
Finally, the spell ended, and the little girl's chest began to rise and fall again; she had clearly come back to life. Nightmoon quickly carried her to the campfire to prevent the icy lake water from making her, who was still weak, sick.
"What a miracle!"
"As expected of someone favored by the Holy Light!"
Everyone praised him, showering him with compliments. Unas, however, felt a pang of regret, realizing that his Resurrection had been exposed. But looking at the smile on Nightmoon's face and the little girl who had returned to life, he felt it was all worthwhile.
"This is not the time to be happy. I can only use this divine spell once a day. If Gunsel sends another girl, I will be helpless."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately calmed down; the situation did not allow them to celebrate.
"What do we do now? Sending us into the water is suicide!"
"We can only negotiate to buy some time. Gunsel has hostages, and I have his Phylactery. We each have leverage, so we can bargain."
Unas walked to the shore and shouted into the lake, "Lord Gunther, I am Unas Laugard, a paladin of the Silver Dawn. I have no grudge against you. Shall we talk? I do not wish to see any more sacrifices!"
The lake remained calm as usual. Unas called out five or six times in a row, then waited for a response. Unbeknownst to him, the Lich beneath the lake was in a state of ecstatic joy.
After returning to the research institute, Gunsel sent an inconspicuous little Water Monster to the surface to observe the enemies on the shore, so he witnessed Unas rescuing the Elf girl on the shore.
This was the resurrection technique he had always dreamed of!
If he could combine this Resurrection with his Physical Resurrection, he might actually realize his dream—to become a living person again!
Excitement made him tremble all over. To him, the Paladin was the most precious thing in the world at this moment, and he had to get his hands on it.
His original plan was to stall for time, because he felt that his current strength was insufficient to reclaim the Mage Tower, and therefore he needed more time to create more powerful subordinates.
The prisoners in the research institute are ready-made raw materials. He can use an Emergency Catalyst to mutate all the prisoners into powerful monsters, of course, the side effect of which is that they lose most of their lifespan and intelligence.
Only after more than 300 prisoners have completed their mutations, and together with the original nearly 200 elite guards, will he be confident in taking down the Mage Tower.
The Elf girl was specifically placed there to intimidate the other party; he couldn't bear to poison more prisoners in vain. If they were to die, they had to be fully utilized by him first.
But he never expected that the reward would far exceed his imagination; the thing he had been dreaming of was right in front of him!
He immediately abandoned his original plan and ordered all guards and the Water Monster to be mobilized to capture the Paladin who held the secret to resurrection alive.
Unas didn't expect to receive not Gunsel's megaphone, but countless water arrows. Fortunately, the Water Monster army had already stirred up the lake, and everyone sensed the danger in advance, retreating to hide under a small hill not far from the shore. The water arrows did not harm anyone.
Some amphibious Water Monsters have actually started to land, and various strong monsters wrapped in water bubbles are emerging from the lake.
"Dragonkin!"
"Giant python!"
"What kind of monster is that? It has the upper body of Tauren and the lower body of Centaur. These two races are mortal enemies."
The crowd gasped in surprise. Unas was utterly bewildered. He had politely invited them to come up for negotiations, so how did it turn into a full-scale war? Was Gunsel going to come out in person, and thus put on a show of force to bolster his negotiating position?
This time he was only half right. Gunsel did indeed come up in person—such an important prey had to be dealt with with all his might, but not to negotiate; he was there to capture him alive and use him as a guinea pig.
Various hideous and terrifying monsters gathered on the shore, and a phantom emerged from the center of the lake. It was clearly not a solid object, Gunsel's cold voice rang out, "Paladin, if you are willing to surrender, I will never harm you. Let me tell you, you are my most precious treasure!"
Pfft! Unas almost spat out a mouthful of blood. This damned Zombie bastard dared to humiliate him in public.
While I am indeed handsome and charming, the kind of tasteless, dried-up corpse who would be interested in me is absolutely not someone like me; it's utterly repulsive.
"Gunsel, don't forget your Phylactery is still in my hands. I'll destroy it right now and show you what happens when you insult me!"
You dare!
With resurrection imminent, the integrity of the soul is the most crucial element. If one of the three Phylactery is destroyed, Gunsel's soul cannot be complete, which would create a significant obstacle to resurrection. He absolutely cannot allow this to happen.
"If you dare destroy my Phylactery, I will immediately order the killing of all the hostages!" Gunsel's threat was palpable. "On the contrary, Night Elves, if you hand over this human Paladin to me, I will unconditionally release all Elves!"