"Humble little human... Ouch!"
The Little Red Dragon's curses suddenly turned into screams, all because she had been punched hard in the nose.
Although Unas's fist was smaller than the Red Dragon's nostrils, the explosive force caused the latter to bleed from its nose and shed tears. Its entire body twisted violently, and it almost lost its balance and fell to the ground.
Just as the Little Red Dragon regained her balance, her eyes were struck twice more. The Paladin's speed was already astonishing, but now she could see even less. She could only cover her head and accept her fate of being beaten.
Unas threw over a hundred punches before stopping, feeling thoroughly satisfied, all his frustration vanished.
He wasn't confident of defeating the Little Red Dragon before, but now he's full of confidence.
The Little Red Dragon had already been beaten black and blue, but unexpectedly, she didn't rush up to fight the Paladin. Instead, she looked at him with teary eyes and burst into tears.
Unas was taken aback: So she really was just a child.
He felt a pang of guilt, but considering the "dragon child's" terrible character, a beating might be good; perhaps it would make her behave better.
"Let's go, let this useless Red Dragon howl all it wants!"
Unas coldly uttered these words and then led the group to continue flying towards the Canyon.
Little Red Dragon was used to bullying others and was so arrogant that he was beyond redemption. When he was being bullied and had no choice but to give up, he became helpless.
She felt endlessly wronged and heartbroken. Her opinion of the Paladin changed from contempt to fear, and she could only pitifully fly away alone.
"Isn't she alright?" Natasha asked.
"Don't worry about it, it's better that she's gone."
Unas wasn't just saying it out of anger. The Emerald Tree was gone, and the promise to nourish the dragon eggs might not be fulfilled. He was worried about how to explain this to the Red Dragon, and it was good that the dragon was gone, saving him some trouble.
The group returned safely to the Canyon, but the camp was brightly lit in the dead of night. Unas touched the ground, a soldier came forward to report: the team that went to Blackrock Spire to investigate had returned and was waiting to report to the Warden.
Unas had just gone through a thrilling life-or-death battle and wanted to rest for a while before having a heart-to-heart talk with Luisa that evening, hoping to strike while the iron was hot and deepen their relationship.
Now, he could only hastily instruct his men to protect her closely before rushing to the commander's tent to attend to important business.
Before long, Nightmoon arrived with the Watchers and the Red Dragon Valas. They looked hurried but not worried, indicating that the plan was progressing smoothly.
"Have you found Half-Face?"
Nightmoon replied, "We found him easily after only a few Orcs guards were interrogated. He's the leader of the Dark Iron Dwarves, with Half-Face showing, and he's been placed on the front lines of the lower levels of Blackrock Spire, making him very conspicuous."
How's your contact with him going?
"We've given him the letter of surrender and the king's signed offer of amnesty, but he said he needs to think about it some more."
Could it be that he doesn't think much of the conditions offered by Rendaen?
Unas tapped the table. "What about the Dragon Scales?"
"We've got some leads; Half-Face has given us a bit of information," Nightmoon, taking out a palm-sized, diamond-shaped plaque. "Look what this is?"
The black sign had an uneven surface, was very hard, and had some scribbles-like symbols on it.
"These are the Black Dragon Scales?"
"Yes, it was also a symbol of status in the Old Horde, bestowed only upon members who had achieved certain military merits."
"So it's a medal?" Unas tossed the plaque in his hand. "This thing is pretty good. Wearing it on a vital part of your body could save your life. So, who awards this Black Dragon Scale Medal?"
"The Warchief of the Old Horde — Rend Blackhand."
Unas frowned. Rend Blackhand spent most of his time hiding in the upper levels of Blackrock Spire, and causing trouble for him would be time-consuming and laborious, and might even provoke a full-scale war.
What are your plans?
"If the adults are unwilling to engage in direct warfare, then we'll have to resort to theft, robbery, and fraud. Stealing and assassination are compulsory courses for us Watchers; leave them to us."
"Okay, but it's best not to touch the Orcs chieftain. Find more guys with medals. Remember, theft is preferable to assassination. After all, we don't want to cause a big commotion. It would be perfect if we could collect them all without anyone noticing."
"Yes."
"We've made another discovery."
Red Dragon Valas placed the black cloth bag on his back on the table, untied the knot, and a foul stench wafted out.
Inside the cloth bag was a broken, rotten, giant green egg, shriveled like a rotten pumpkin. Unas looked at it and said, "This size... could it be a dragon egg?"
"Yes," Valas's voice was filled with grief and indignation, "Although it's rather small, it's a Green Dragon Egg, and it shouldn't have been rotting for very long."
Nightmoon continued, "We found it in a place where Troll hoarded food. Valas is certain it's a dragon egg, but isn't Blackrock Spire the territory of Black Dragons? How could there be a rotten Green Dragon Egg?"
Unas knew the answer perfectly well: Nefarian stole it from the Green Dragon Abyss.
The Black Dragon Prince's research project required the genes of the five-colored dragons, so he stole various dragon eggs from all over the place.
He must have stolen this Green Dragon Egg too. Maybe it was spoiled and he threw it away, only to have it picked up by the Trolls as food. Of course, it's also possible that the trolls stole it because they were Troll. In some legends, dragon eggs are considered a great tonic.
"No matter where it came from, this is the greatest contempt and blasphemy against the Dragonflight! I will find the culprit!" Valas vowed in his rage to capture the murderer, then pleaded, "Please help me!"
Seeing his expression, Unas knew he couldn't stop him. "Of course we'll help you, but this matter needs careful consideration."
The Paladin's insincere reply deeply disappointed Valas. The Dragonflight's pride made him unwilling to ask humans for help again. "Where is my sister Alice? Why didn't she come back with you? I need her now."
"She... maybe she's lost. Go look for her," Unas guiltily, scratching the bridge of his nose. "Southwest."
"Hmph!" The Red Dragon snorted coldly and turned to leave.
The tent fell silent. Nightmoon glanced at the Red Dragon's retreating figure with displeasure. "What about this egg?"
"Let's find a decent place to bury him."
With a deafening roar, the heavy stone door was pulled open by dozens of Dark Iron Dwarves. Blinding sunlight streamed in through the cracks, eliciting cheers.
This is the Backdoor Fortress of Blackrock Depths, the place that Unas once conquered.
Standing here now are not only him, but also a large group of humans in neat rows, or more precisely, refugees and soldiers from Stormwind City.
"Luther, Hart, and Stonebrow and Redbrow," Unas, looking at the two young faces and the Dwarf brothers before him, "I'm counting on you."
"Don't worry, Knight, we will definitely protect everyone's safety!" Hart, who had been promoted to Luther's second-in-command, answered excitedly in a loud voice.
The journey home has finally begun; who wouldn't be happy?
As the current commander of the Stormwind City army, Luther naturally had to remain composed, giving the Paladin only a brief salute, "Yes, sir!"
The Dwarf brothers also raised their fists and waved in greeting.
Unas nodded to them. "Let's go."
"Set off!"
Luther gave the order, and the soldiers at the front of the line immediately marched out of the gate. The crowd moved slowly outwards, like water seeping through a crack.
Sending the people of Stormwind City home—this long-delayed promise was finally beginning to be fulfilled, Unas feelings of joy and worry.
When Luther received the letter from Marshal Windsor, he gave Luther a firm order—to depart in three days.
Although some unexpected events have occurred in the past three days, and the Black Dragon's secret message has not yet been deciphered, Unas cannot break his promise again.
Those who wanted to leave were all prepared, so early this morning, he applied to Rendaen for the royal decree to open the Back Gate.
He was supposed to escort them personally, but considering that the first half of the journey through the Searing Gorge was mostly under Rendaen's control and relatively safe, he decided to catch up later.
He stayed behind mainly to wait for the secret message to be deciphered.
Nightmoon and her companions collected eight Dragon Scales in just one day and one night, thanks to Half-Face's secret assistance in providing them with a list of Old Horde members who possessed medals.
Otherwise, facing a vast number of Orcs, Trolls, and Ogres, it would have been impossible for the four Watchers to find the correct target so quickly.
His Half-Face gesture clearly indicated his inner bias, suggesting that there were no major problems with the surrender negotiations.
Unas thought to himself that if Half-Face continued to cooperate like this, he could put in a good word for him with Rendaen and try to negotiate better terms for surrender.
In addition, Unas stayed behind to appease the two Red Dragons.
Alexstrasza was brought back by Valas that very night. The two dragons had been plotting to break into Blackrock Spire to investigate the Green Dragon Eggs, but Unas forcibly stopped them.
"Once the group heading back to Stormwind City is far away, you can do whatever you want. Now, all of you, stay put!"
These were his exact words, and the two dragons were naturally not intimidated by the words of a mere human.
But faced with the imposing Paladin and his impressive Mage Corps retinue, the Little Red Dragon immediately backed down. Unas's beating hadn't been in vain; psychological trauma was the best tool for persuasion.
After another day and night of waiting, Rhonin's return brought good news: he had bought some scraps of the Black Dragon Body in Dalaran —hair, nails, and the like.
Master Omar looked at the materials in his hand and considered them for a moment. "That should be enough. Quickly bring the Night Elves back; their situation is only getting more dangerous."
With the Dragon Scale Medals disappearing one after another, the beasts of the Old Horde will surely become alert. Nightmoon and her companions have indeed taken a great risk.
Unas immediately sent messengers to deliver the order, and soon Watchers returned unscathed.
The group looked exhausted and were covered in blood, as if they had fought their way back.
Nightmoon's voice deepened, "Even without orders from our lord, we must retreat. The Orcs have laid down multiple layers of defenses, and we cannot move freely within the confined space of the tower."
She took out four Dragon Scales from her bosom. "These are all we have."
"You've all worked hard," Unas, accepting the Dragon Scales and expressing his sincere gratitude. The Watchers hadn't slept for two days and two nights for this mission. "You can rest now; we've had enough."
Master Omar had prepared the Magic Circle long ago. He placed all the materials into the glass dish in the center of the Magic Circle, added various unknown powders, and then began chanting incantations.
As the long incantation fell to its last syllable, the silhouette of a Black Dragon appeared above the Magic Circle, instantly flashing Omar Master Omar's body.
A ring of black light emanated from the master, and a majestic aura suddenly appeared around him; those familiar with the Dragonflight knew this was the Dragon's Presence.
The master picked up the letter and read it word by word. The strange and awkward syllables were unsettling, but he finished reading it quickly.
Strands of blue light, intersecting horizontally and vertically, appeared out of thin air and gradually combined to form a three-dimensional image:
This is a continuous and towering mountain range with few bare trees. There is a Shen-shaped lake not far from the mountain. There is a large town on the shore with various buildings and bridges.
"This looks like Redridge Mountains?" Rhonin recognized the image at a glance.
Unas quickly rummaged through the bookshelf and found a map of the continent. Comparing the two, Rhonin was right; the image was indeed Redridge Mountains.
"This is a Three-Dimensional Map? It's exquisite!" Master Omar exclaimed. "Is this the contents of the secret letter?"
"It's probably not that simple," Unas quickly noticed something amiss. "Look, what are those places marked with red dots?"
"A supply depot," the well-informed Master Omar immediately pointed out, "That's Kingdom of Stormwind's temporary supply depot."
As the image became more complete, various colored lights and spots appeared, marking special locations and facilities such as sentry posts, camps, water sources, Caves, and secret passages.
Now everyone can see that this is an extremely detailed Military Map, completely exposing the entire Redridge Mountains border defense area.
"Whoever tries to send this map to Black Dragon is guilty of treason and must be sent to the guillotine!"
Rhonin was filled with righteous indignation and anxious about the safety of the Kingdom of Stormwind.
"Those who have access to Military Maps are all high-ranking and powerful individuals, and they also possess the ability to visualize them in 3D. They must be incredibly powerful. Would such a person betray their country?"
Master Omar was a little confused. "I'm starting to believe what Knight Unas said—there's a Black Dragon lurking in Stormwind City."
Unas said with certainty, "No doubt about it, this Dragon-language Letter is the best evidence, I know—"
He almost blurted out, "Katrana Countess Prestor is the Black Dragon Princess," but saying that would be too prescient and easily be questioned, especially when facing two extremely intelligent Archmages; he had to be extra careful with his words.
What do you know?
"It's nothing," Unas changed the subject. "My intelligence is that Black Dragon is disguised as a human and hiding in the upper echelons of Stormwind City. If we find him, how do we break his Polymorph?"
"This secret letter has a signature, which is likely his code name or real name. I'll study how to read it. Once I know his real name, the illusion-breaking spell will come in handy."
Unas couldn't help but say, "Why don't you try Onyxia?"
"Oh?" Omar looked at the signature, muttered it to himself a few times, and exclaimed in surprise, "It's a great match! How did you know?"
Everyone in the game knows this, because the boss's name is highlighted in bright red above his head.
Unas replied dismissively, "It came with the intelligence; I'll be glad it comes in handy."
"Who exactly gave you this information?"
Unas feigned a frown. "That's where you're wrong, Master. I'm responsible for the safety of the intelligence agents; that's a matter of strict secrecy."
"Haha, my apologies, Sir Knight. Please forgive this old man's excessive curiosity."
"No way! That's the true mark of a scholar!"
The old man and the young man were happily flattering each other, while Rhonin, listening from the side, curled his lip and said, "Alright, now let's discuss our next plan."