As evening approached, the group and Shadra, escorted by a swarm of spiders and two giant dragons, arrived at the campsite by Fairy Lake.
Along the way, Unas asked Haikesi about his plans. The Troll said he hadn't decided yet. His goal when he was young was to find the Spider God, then go back to save his enslaved people and take revenge.
Now that the first wish has been fulfilled, the Trolls' deep-rooted worship of Shadra has been rekindled, while their faith in the Holy Light has gradually become blurred.
The Holy Light is like a backup plan. When Shadra disappeared, the Trolls used it as a source of comfort. Now that the Spider God has returned to his side, Haikesi wants to get rid of this backup plan, but he doesn't dare to tell the Warden the truth, because the Paladins are the guardians of the Holy Light.
Before Shadra recovers from his injury, Haikesi is unwilling to face reality; he needs to think again about whether to stay or leave.
Huoye brings new secret intelligence to the Warden. While copying Merlin's personal notebook, he finds a letter tucked inside. It must have been casually slipped into the notebook by Merlin after reading it. There is no coded message. The contents are a report on income to Merlin from the perspective of a subordinate, and the date on the cover is two years ago.
The mention of words like "plunder" immediately suggests that this is not legitimate business, and the signature Edward Teach, is that of a famous figure—a notorious pirate who roamed the North Sea.
Merlin turns out to be the mastermind behind a pirate crew. According to Huoye's speculation, Merlin probably helped Edward Teach a lot in transforming him from an unknown fugitive into a major pirate with a fleet, dominating the oceans for decades.
It's easy to understand why he cultivated such a force; buying, selling, robbing, and transporting people are all underworld businesses, so naturally he would need the help of Blackhand.
After Gunsel betrayed Merlin, he likely took over this force. Natasha couldn't find any memories of this, Lich himself didn't confess, so we don't know what he's planning.
After settling everyone in, Unas went down to the lake and sneaked into the research institute. The tense atmosphere there vanished instantly, and after a brief inquiry, he learned that the antidote had indeed been prepared.
The mutated states of all the victims were removed, including the Orcs and Trolls. They were all thawed and moved to various rooms to rest. Of course, the hostile races were all sent back to their cells.
After finding Natasha and retrieving the cracked Phylactery, Unas immediately questioned Gunsel about the pirates.
"I lost contact with him a long time ago. Edward Teach is Merlin's loyal dog; he never listens to my orders. After Merlin fell into a deep sleep, he couldn't issue commands himself, and that bastard has never contacted me. He's probably off enjoying himself at sea."
"So how did you transport the test subjects?"
"I found someone else."
"Who?"
Bloodsail Buccaneers.
The Bloodsail Buccaneers were a very powerful plundering group, committing all sorts of atrocities. They dared to steal anyone's goods, which is why they were universally hated.
"You actually dare to do business with the Bloodsail Buccaneers? Aren't you afraid your 'goods' will be stolen?"
"I not only provided them with money, but also gave them my modified items. The powerful Water Monsters were what they wanted most, so it's impossible for me to double-cross them."
Where do you trade?
"Northport."
"Wasn't that area occupied by the Murloc Horde?"
"The Murloc who prey on the weak and fear the strong. How could they dare to oppose pirates who possess warships? They can be easily appeased with a few gifts."
"I see, "Unas nodded, then asked, "Rosebayne is resting up there. Have you thought of a way to restore her?"
"It's impossible to completely restore her to her original state. I can try to replace her legs, but there will likely be side effects." There are many corpses in the cryogenics room, so a pair of legs shouldn't be hard to find.
"This... we still need to discuss it with her."
He put away the Phylactery, took a walk around the research institute, and seeing that the mage assistant and the Night Elves had handled everything in an orderly manner, he felt relieved and went ashore again.
They pulled Rosebayne aside to discuss the matter. The Beautiful Spider's desire to regain her body surpassed anything else, and she was willing to take any risks. Just as they were discussing the details of the surgery, a messenger arrived with news.
The group then spotted a flock of flying beasts approaching from the horizon. The mages of Dalaran had returned, but this time they were less aggressive. Led by Rhonin, the Fode master and his apprentices, Modera, and the Thorn of the Rose all landed.
Rhonin told the Paladin about the Council of Six's decision. Unas was not disappointed; the best solution was to cover things up and avoid being held accountable.
"I knew I hadn't misjudged you, Lord Rhonin Ning. You are a trustworthy person."
"I am unworthy of such praise. Unas Knight a hero who Execute the corrupted mage, yet he remains silent about it. As the leader of Dalaran, I feel only shame and should apologize to you."
The two exchanged polite greetings, leaving Modera standing to the side, growing impatient. "Paladin, quickly gather all those on your side who know the truth. We have entered into a Silence Oath."
Quite a few people on Unas's side knew about the whole thing. The Night Elves and elite squads who stormed into the Mage Tower with him almost all knew about Merlin's crimes, along with the two dragons, making a total of nearly twenty people.
It's difficult for so many people to keep a secret, but the mages have their ways. The Silence Oath that Modera speaks of is a magically effective constraint.
After silently reciting the incantation and making the oath, the secret within the oath is sealed in the heart and cannot be expressed whether spoken or written. Even if someone manages to break through the restriction and reveal the secret, all those who swore the oath with him will immediately sense the identity and location of the whistleblower and will be obligated to hunt down and eliminate this person who broke the oath.
Under the guidance of Rhonin and Modera, all those who knew the truth swore an oath—forbidding them from revealing anything about Merlin's crimes and death to anyone.
After giving a few more warnings, Modera left with the Thorn of the Rose. Unas breathed a sigh of relief; the threat from Dalaran was finally gone.
Rhonin didn't rush to leave, but instead tried to get close to the Mage Huoye Group. Unas leaned over and immediately realized that this guy was trying to poach their members.
Rhonin took a liking to the newly Magister, Huoye, and enthusiastically invited the Blood Elf to join his newly established organization, promising to build a Mage Tower for Huoye.
However, the Blood Elves of Huoye remained indifferent. Due to the discrimination of Marshal Garithos of the Alliance, they had been imprisoned in the Arcatraz of Dalaran along with Prince Kael'thas. Without the rescue of the Naga, they would have been hanged, and not a single Dalaran mage stood up for them back then.
Therefore, the Blood Elves Dalaran, and the possibility of them accepting recruitment is almost zero.