The two men in the center of the battlefield chatted and laughed easily, and there was a reason for that: after the initial minor chaos, the Bronzebeard formation had completely stabilized, which meant that the rebels had not posed much of a threat at all.
Sure enough, a soldier soon reported, "Your Majesty, the attackers have been repelled, and General Hard Hammer is on his way in pursuit!"
"Very good, send more men. We must wipe out these treacherous rats!"
"Yes!"
Clearly, the Dark Iron rebels, having failed to achieve their goal of sowing discord, could only flee like stray dogs, and thus, this major upheaval finally came to a head.
Once the messenger was out of sight, Magni let out a long sigh, his heart finally at ease, and his eyes revealed a disappointment and weariness that could no longer be concealed. "I can't believe I lost to you. It feels like a dream."
Unas smiled, refraining from revealing the truth that would embarrass the other party even more: he had intended to hold back from the beginning, and he still had a trump card up his sleeve (Ancient Kings' Guardian) that he hadn't used yet.
Although he wore down his opponent by using various survival skills, Unas was very proud to have defeated a powerful figure like the Dwarf King, who stood at the pinnacle of mortal strength. His confidence in his own abilities increased greatly, but on the surface, he still had to give Magni some face.
"Your Majesty, you are truly ruthless. Every move you make is designed to kill me. Several times I thought I was going to die. Perhaps because of this, my combat potential has been fully unleashed, allowing me to unleash power far exceeding my original limits."
"A duel is a duel, and I will not hold back."
"I understand." Unas nodded.
Magni looked the spirited Paladin up and down. Even after the duel was interrupted, Unas was still flying around energetically, and he didn't look like he had just gone through a life-or-death battle at all. He asked doubtfully, "Knight Unas, you didn't go easy on me, did you?"
"Haha, I was a little hesitant at first, but after you knocked King Kong unconscious, I got serious and showed absolutely no mercy."
"But you look completely unharmed. Did my heavy blow have no effect on your body?"
The Ardent Defender can only restore 50% of its stamina and cannot heal injuries, but Unas felt that his body had fully recovered.
Such astonishing self-healing power reminded him of the ability he gained as Demon Lord after sacrificing himself to the Emerald Tree. Could it be that he had inherited a portion of that powerful regenerative ability?
Whether this is good or bad remains to be seen, and it's also unknown whether there are any side effects.
The unusual physical condition couldn't be easily revealed, Unas changed the subject, saying, "Then, Your Majesty, you must abide by the agreement."
"I've been thinking about this too," Magni sighed again, deeply frustrated by the humiliation of ceding territory and paying reparations. "After this day, I don't know how I'll face my people."
Unas secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed the Dwarf King didn't intend to renege on the agreement. "I've come up with a new plan on the spur of the moment, hoping to salvage Bronzebeard's reputation. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to listen?"
"Oh? I'd like to hear more about it."
Night fell quietly, Bronzebeard Army, following Magni's instructions, had retreated to the vicinity of the border in Dun Morogh.
Magni himself, despite his severe injuries and exhaustion, stayed behind to meet with Rendaen in person.
Unas's so-called new plan was actually just a fancy way of packaging the territorial cession and reparations—the land and money would be paid according to the agreement, but the public narrative had changed: these riches were no longer reparations for defeat, but rather bounties specifically for the warriors who rescued Bronzebeard.
The choice for this warrior was naturally Unas himself. Ironforge had always maintained good relations with the human kingdoms, and the Bronzebeard Dwarves were more willing to accept a human warrior for the bounty than the Dark Iron Dwarves.
As for the opening of border trade and tax exemption, the truth is completely reversed: because the Bronzebeard Clan helped the Dark Iron Clan fight the rebels, the new king of the Dark Iron decided to put aside the hatred and get along well with the Bronzebeard, so he opened the border and resumed exchanges. The Bronzebeard side reciprocated by generously offering a three-year tax exemption.
Even Magni's defeat in the Challenge could be covered up with another explanation: the rebel raid interrupted the duel, so it was invalid or judged to be a draw. In any case, Magni fainted while standing, he didn't fall down, and no one officially announced the result of the duel.
The true contents of the duel agreement were known only to a few high-ranking officials and negotiators on both sides, so it was not impossible for them to keep it a secret.
Magni shook his head in disapproval upon hearing the plan, inwardly cursing them for being such cunning humans who dared to fabricate such outrageous lies.
But after calmly considering the situation, he couldn't help but ask, "Would Rendaen agree to help me cover up my failure?"
"It definitely will," Unas said firmly.
Are you so sure?
"I'm sure."
So Magni stayed, deciding to trust a human Paladin just once.
No one was qualified to participate in the meeting between the two kings, and all that was known to onlookers was that it ended very quickly.
When Unas saw Magni off, the Dwarf King was still somewhat incredulous— Rendaen had actually agreed to cover up his failure.
Of course, he also paid a small price: he handed over all the hundred or so Dark Iron rebels he had captured during the day to the other side, but this price was really negligible.
"Now you can tell me, Knight Unas, why are you so sure Rendaen will help me?"
"It's simple, he really needs friends right now."
After Rendaen arrived here with his army, he made two important choices: first, to negotiate Challenge; and second, to remain inactive and not launch a general attack on the Bronzebeard.
Although it seems that he was persuaded by the Paladins, it also reveals Rendaen's true thoughts - he cannot Bronzebeard.
Every new ruler faces the challenge of consolidating their position.
Rendaen faced his arrogant old subordinates, the remnants of Thaurissan, and his Fire Elemental enemies in the upper and lower levels of Blackrock Spire. Looking around, he saw enemies everywhere he looked.
His greatest support for his throne was the gratitude of the vast number of freed slaves, but this gratitude would fade with time.
Recently, he has heard some rumors that a small group of former slaves have started to complain: after becoming free, they have to rely on themselves for everything, and it was more comfortable to live off their former masters.
Rendaen naturally despised such people, but he also felt that his foundation of rule was too weak.
He has too many enemies, so when the opportunity to turn an enemy into a friend presents itself, he will seize it without hesitation.
"The feud between the Dark Iron and Bronzebeard generations isn't so easily resolved," Magni said dismissively after hearing the Paladin's explanation. "He's far too optimistic."
"Times have changed, Your Majesty," Unas said confidently. "The era of Thaurissan is over. Perhaps your two races can put aside their hatred and reconcile as before."
"I hope so." As a fellow Dwarf, Magni was also already tired of the endless civil war.
"Yes, you see, His Majesty Rendaen has already made you owe a great favor. Once the borders open and exchanges increase, the misunderstandings and hatred between the two sides will become a thing of the past."
Unas was so confident because he knew that in the near future, the three Bronzebeard clans of Dwarf, Dark Iron, Wildhammer would reconcile and form the Council of Three Hammers to jointly rule the Dwarf world.
Despite the constant minor conflicts between the three tribes, they were able to unite as one in the face of the enormous threats they would face in the future.
As the two talked, they were unaware that a large area of firelight appeared ahead—they had arrived at Bronzebeard's camp.
"You should go back now, Knight Unas. There's a surprise waiting for you at Rendaen's place."
"Oh? What surprise?"
"You'll find out when you get back," Magni said mysteriously, then smiled before becoming serious. "Knight Unas, on behalf of myself and Ironforge, I sincerely thank you for your help in this matter."
"You're welcome," Unas replied with a respectful bow, "I'll have many favors to ask of you later."
"Don't worry about that. As long as it's within my capabilities, I won't hesitate to lend a hand."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"