Luisa nodded and shook her head blankly. The two had met in a dimly lit Tent, and even though the other person's Asian appearance was quite distinctive, she hadn't been able to see him clearly.
It's okay if you don't remember me, you'll definitely remember this.
Unas immediately began removing his armor, nearly scaring Luisa into running away. Fortunately, seeing that he showed no intention of attacking, she remained trembling in place.
Because Gordon had told him that the spider silk robe could defend against swords, Unas always wore it as inner armor. The pleasant rose scent was never masked by his sweat and remained with him, ensuring that he never forgot the girl in front of him.
"Do you remember the robe you lent me in the Whispering Gardens?"
Luisa stared wide-eyed at the black robe, then quickly remembered, nodding hastily. Her lips moved but she didn't speak, her timid appearance quite endearing.
"You've done me a huge favor. I promised to share half of the food with you after I got it, but you were gone when I went back to look for you. Don't worry, my promise still stands. I promise you won't go hungry again."
"Thank you, Sir Knight."
"Have you been in the Whispering Gardens all this time?"
"No, yes, it is."
Luisa gave two contradictory answers, but Unas assumed it was a slip of the tongue due to nervousness and didn't pay much attention. He folded up the black robe he had taken off, saying, "Here, take this robe back."
"No need," Luisa waved her hand, quickly refusing.
Unas slapped his forehead. "I was so rude. I'll return it to you after I wash it off."
In fact, the Iceweb Spider Silk robe can clean itself and does not need to be washed. What needs washing is the psychological barrier: it is always difficult for a girl to accept clothes that an unfamiliar man has just worn close to her skin.
"Really, no need. You can have this robe. I... I'd like to ask the Knight for a favor."
"Just tell me what you need help with. As long as it's within my ability, I'll definitely do it."
"I... I heard that you're going to Stormwind City Knight, so I was wondering if you could take me with you..."
Unas rubbed his chin; the problem that had been bothering him for the past few days had resurfaced.
The Kingdom of Stormwind's nine hundred soldiers, along with over two thousand civilians, totaling more than three thousand people, were all human slaves liberated from Blackrock Depths. Only fifty-odd people, like Frank, volunteered to stay and work at the mines. After the recruitment notice for reclamation was announced, more than four hundred people were willing to stay and cultivate the land, while the remaining two thousand-plus people still wanted to return home.
Unas had promised to send them back after dealing with the Dalaran matter, and such a large-scale operation could not be kept secret; the news had already spread, causing unrest among the people in the stronghold.
Everyone has the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm, and some Lordaeron residents also wanted to leave the Canyon and follow this operation to Stormwind City for refuge.
Unas, of course, couldn't agree to that. He was short-handed at the moment, so he could only launch a vicious attack on Stormwind City, spreading damaging information about them:
After King Stormwind disappeared, the nobles became tyrannical and oppressed the people, causing widespread suffering in the city and rampant banditry outside, with starving people everywhere. The south had been occupied by the Defias rebels, and the northern border was threatened by the armies of Blackrock Orcs and Black Dragons, making it extremely precarious. Yet, the nobles in power remained holed up in the city, indulging in a life of debauchery. Stormwind City was arguably even less safe than Venomspider Gorge; they might as well stay and farm.
These are not lies, of course. Stormwind City indeed in a very dangerous situation right now, because the power of the country has been seized by the scheming Black Dragon Princess, and she certainly won't govern the country of these "little reptiles" properly.
After this "lecture," the restless spirits in the stronghold were mostly calmed down, and some Stormfolk were even willing to stay and clear the land. However, when the route back home was determined, the Dwarves made another request—they also wanted to go home and visit.
There are two routes from Blackrock Depths to Stormwind City. One is south, through the Burning Steppes to the Redridge Mountains, and then across Elwynn Forest. This route is entirely overland, and both the Burning Steppes and Redridge Mountains are extremely dangerous. Large groups of people will almost certainly encounter enemies, Orcs, Ogres, and Black Dragons, none of whom are easy to deal with.
The second option is to head north, cross the Searing Gorge to Ironforge, and then take a boat from Menethil Harbor back to Stormwind City. Although this route is longer, taking a boat is much faster than walking, and it's relatively safe once you leave the Searing Gorge.
Considering that there were many civilians in the group, Unas decided to take the second option, which touched the hearts of the Bronzebeard Dwarves.
Most of the Dwarves in the original stronghold were soldiers sent by Ironforge to support Lordaeron. Redbrow was a military commander, while Stonebrow was in charge of supplies. After the main Alliance army was scattered, the Dwarves followed the humans and gradually drifted to the Monastery. They were then expelled by Abbendis, but Tyrosus took them in and sent troops to establish this temporary settlement for the alien races in the Canyon.
They could be said to be members of the Argent Dawn. The Redbrow Brothers also stated that the Dwarves would never be ungrateful and desert. They only wanted to send a small number of unfortunate Dwarf civilians stranded here back to Ironforge, and also send a few messengers back to report to Bronzebeard King Magni, and perhaps even ask for some assistance.
Logically, it was just along the way, and the Dwarves ' request was reasonable. Unas almost agreed, but then he thought, "If the first group of Dwarves successfully returns to Ironforge, there's no guarantee that even more won't want to go back." There were nearly a thousand Bronzebeard Dwarves in the stronghold, who had always been his strong support. What would happen if they all left?
This troubled him greatly, and he could only suppress the problem for the time being, which even delayed the humans who were already preparing to set off from Blackrock Depths.
Luisa's request to go to Stormwind City was somewhat like rubbing salt in the wound, but Unas couldn't bring himself to get angry with her. He asked gently, "You're from Lordaeron, aren't you? Why do you want to go to Stormwind City?"
"I... I just want to get away from here, away from Lordaeron, not Stormwind City, anywhere is fine..." Luisa seemed to sense the Paladin's displeasure and shrank back slightly.
"Why is that?"
Receiving no answer, he could only assume she was terrified by the Scourge and wanted to escape. Such a delicate girl couldn't cultivate much land anyway. Unas wanted to find her a job. "What can you do?"
"She can paint, play the piano, embroider, and also weave a little."
Unas almost forgot that she appeared to be a noble lady, a fact discerned from her Iceweb Spider Silk robe, which was extremely expensive and not something an ordinary person could afford.
What's your surname? Maybe I can help you find your relatives or something?
They didn't answer. Were they all dead? Unas could only guess that this was a common occurrence among the Lordaeron people after the Scourge War.