When the Fode, who had fallen behind, caught up, the Portal array was already drawn. The two were taken aback and quickly landed. Fode asked anxiously, "What are you doing? Are you going to start a full-scale war with the Silver Hand?"
Rachel chuckled, "You're exaggerating. That Paladin doesn't represent the Silver Hand; he's just a newcomer in the subordinate branch Argent Dawn."
"That being said, you've seen those Dwarf -style Iron Golems, Molten Giants, and armies of Dark Iron Dwarves and humans along the way. The power of the Knights of Unas is not to be underestimated. Let's not allow it to escalate into a pointless war. At this stage, Dalaran's only enemies are demons and Undead. We and the Paladins are natural allies."
Rachel's words were direct. "Precisely because their power is not weak, we must become stronger. Otherwise, how can we reclaim Master Merlin's remains and notebook? The two levels beneath the ruins of the Mage Tower are where the master fell, yet they are now occupied by a false god. This is our disgrace."
"There's nothing shameful about it. According to Merlin's notes, he was the one who captured that spider false god and placed it under the tower to intimidate the wild Giant Spiders in the Forest."
"Is that so? Then we must take it back even more! Although Master Merlin has been in seclusion for a long time, he is still a member of Dalaran. His legacy must be taken back in its entirety, including that false god!"
Fode realized his persuasion was completely futile, and in anger, he threatened to quit. "Fine, do whatever you want! I can't manage things here anymore. Once you open the Portal, my apprentice and I will go back."
"No, this Portal is one-way; you can only exit, not enter."
"Why?"
"Master Pino forbade any passages leading directly into his Mage Tower, only agreeing to create a one-way Portal out of respect for the adults."
"Master Pino? Are you really going to start a war with an army of Golems?" Fode turned to his apprentice. "I will not get involved in this unjust war, Arnold, let's go!"
"No," Modera finally spoke, "You must stay. I will not allow you to leave with a distorted illusion. The truth about Lord Merlin's death must be revealed; his honor cannot be desecrated."
Fode had already made the facts crystal clear, Modera still refused to admit Merlin's crimes, clearly wanting to overturn the case and cover up the truth. He understood the nature of these important figures very well.
"This matter can be discussed. Knight Unas isn't a dogmatic person. He hinted that I could resolve it through negotiation. If we rashly resort to force, there will be no room for negotiation."
"How can we gain the upper hand in negotiations without strong military backing?"
Modera did not rule out the possibility of negotiations, which reassured Fode somewhat. He only hoped that the matter could be resolved peacefully and quickly; a major conflict that escalated into a major mess was the last thing he wanted to see.
The larger the Portal, the more difficult it is to maintain. All the female mages working together could only maintain a portal three meters high and two meters wide. Two tall figures walked out of the portal first. They were covered in armor, so their true faces could not be seen, but the people of Dalaran knew that these were Master Pino's personal guards, because their breastplates were marked with a square symbol, indicating that they were Pino's work.
An old man with disheveled hair then emerged from the Portal, exclaiming, "Wow! It's been so long since I've been to Forest brimming with life! The air is so fresh!"
"Master, quickly summon your Golem Legion! Maintaining this Portal is draining our mana." Rachel knew the other party was always informal and didn't bother with formalities, so she just shouted.
Pino, however, wasn't in such a hurry. He circled the Portal and looked around. "No, no, Modera, this portal is too small. More than half of my works won't be able to get through."
"This is the limit. None of us are good at spatial manipulation. We'll send as many as we can."
"No, no, you said you would rent all my products, how can you change your mind now?" Pino's businessman's nature flared up at the thought of losing a large sum of money.
"I'll pay you the full amount, hurry up." A hint of disgust flashed in Modera's eyes as she tossed over a small bag. These small Spatial Bags were specifically used for trading items and could be opened by anyone.
"Haha, thank you for your patronage." Pino had no trace of a mage's demeanor; he was more like Goblin. He took the small bag and quickly counted out the deposit.
One after another, towering Golems emerged from the portal. Unlike the Iron Golems created by Thaurissan, these Golems had more flexible joints in their limbs, making them look more human, and they walked faster than the golems.
Not only Golems, but also mages in robes occasionally emerged, all reinforcements that Modera had brought.
With over three hundred Golems and six mages, this force was already quite powerful. The golems were essentially half-giant versions of heavy infantry, possessing immense strength and wearing thick armor. Moreover, they had no issues with morale or command, making them easy to use.
The members of Thorn of the Rose had expended a lot of mana maintaining the Portal, so they needed some time to Meditation and recharge. The Golems, under Pino's command, were lined up and ready to depart at any time.
In the shadows of the Forest, two Nightsabers witnessed everything that happened, then turned and ran back. They were, of course, Druids who had come to scout out the enemy's situation.
Upon receiving the news, the people in the Mage Tower ruins felt immense pressure. None of the Mage Corps knew advanced Spatial Magic like Portal, Unas couldn't possibly send his entire army over, putting them at a disadvantage.
The opponent had six more mages of unknown skill, narrowing the gap in the number of mages between the two sides. This gave Huoye, who had originally planned to use numbers against the opponent, a major headache. His side was far inferior in quality, so he had to pull out the mage assistants from the Spider Research Institute to make up the numbers.
Only two hundred elite Giant Spiders were selected. Although Shadra could use the same tactic again once the battle started, no matter how many Giant Spiders there were, they might not be able to defend against more than three hundred monolithic steel Golems.
Moreover, the enemy possesses top-tier troop deployment capabilities like spatial portals, so even if you repel them, they will continuously reinforce and return. This is a battle that is extremely difficult to win.
Just in case, Unas began preparations for evacuation. The Mage Tower ruins were not actually worth occupying; as long as Shadra could be safely evacuated, giving the ruins to Modera wouldn't be a big deal.
The most valuable spoils were the thousands of spider eggs in the incubation chamber. Merlin's Ruby Ring had a very large capacity, enough to hold all the eggs plus some experimental equipment. Unas left them nothing, ordering his men to empty the research institute.
But preparing to retreat didn't mean running away. On the contrary, he wanted to have a good fight, at least to let the other side know that he wasn't someone to be trifled with.