By the light from the Firekiss, Unas could see his enemy clearly. It was a six-armed Naga, with menacing fins along the edges of its limbs and a thick snake tail that made it a terrifying creature.
Unas raised his sword to stab again, Naga swung her remaining five arms, and five sharp blades came rushing towards him.
With two clangs, Firekiss severed one curved blade, but it was blocked by another. The remaining three blades were aimed at Unas's forehead, neck, and chest, respectively.
Unas ignored it and swung his hammer at the Naga's chest, but missed, as the Naga twisted her waist and dodged the blow.
The Naga's blades bounced off the silver shield, Unas unharmed. The Naga stared in astonishment at the "Invincible" surrounding the Paladin before turning and running away.
The sounds of "whoosh, whoosh, whoosh" blended together as seven or eight fish arrows flew past the Paladin.
The beam disappeared after the Naga turned her head, and the Dwarves regained their mobility. Magni's specially selected elite Warriors, seasoned veterans, showed no confusion and immediately fired their Spear Gun.
Naga let out several shrill screams and fell into the water with a splash. Unas a hungry tiger, pinning Naga firmly beneath him.
The Dwarf Warriors quickly rushed forward to help subdue the towering Naga. After disarming her, they bound her tightly with hemp rope, and the thoughtful Dwarf captain even used a long black cloth to blindfold Naga.
"Hiss, hiss!" Naga let out a piercing scream. She had been hit by three arrows, and blood kept flowing from her wounds, but she was still struggling to move.
Gude Graystone punched her in the mouth, demanding menacingly, "Can you speak human language?!"
"Hiss!" Naga roared, a muffled gurgling sound emanating from her chest, causing the water to ripple violently.
"Stop her!" Gude shouted, and several Warriors surrounded the Naga, punching and kicking Naga. Soon she lay motionless in the water, but the Dwarf Warriors did not stop.
Unas watched for a while, then had to speak up to stop them, "Is he dead?"
Gude checked Naga's pulse and replied, "She won't die. These snake demons are incredibly resilient; they won't die so easily."
What do you usually do with prisoners of war you capture?
"They're rarely caught; they're usually killed. This one has six arms and can use magic, so it's probably a high-level Naga. It just emitted a faint whisper, which could likely be picked up by nearby Naga. We'd better leave here quickly."
"Hidden sound?"
"It's their way of communicating over long distances in water; as long as there's water, the message can travel very far."
Unas thought for a moment and said, "Then drag her into the carriage, bandage her wounds to prevent her from dying, and interrogate her when we get to Stormwind City."
After waiting for more than half an hour, the water in the tunnel was finally drained. The Dwarves quickly buried the Drain Valves and restored the tunnel to its original state, and the subway started running again.
Unas was quite curious about the Naga race, so he let the Dwarves rest and personally guarded the prisoners.
In the dim light of the carriage, Unas carefully examined the Naga. Aside from her disgusting snake tail and fins, she was actually quite pretty.
According to his understanding of the historical background, the Naga were transformed from ancient Highborne, so it's normal that they retained some of the charm of the Elves.
Just as they were enjoying the sight, Naga's chest suddenly began to heave violently, and a muffled gurgling sound vibrated through the air once more—the unwilling captive began to utter a low growl again.
Unas slammed a heavy punch into Naga's towering chest. The blow sent a jolt through Naga, who coughed up a mouthful of blood and was rendered speechless.
"There's no water here, don't waste your energy," Unas said lazily, savoring the soft feel of his fist. "Let's chat. I know you know Common."
After the Highborne mutated into Naga, the males gained beast-like, strong bodies, but their intelligence was impaired, while the females retained more spellcasting abilities and wisdom. Therefore, Unas concluded that this captive could understand human speech.
"Hiss!"
"Another threatening response, "Unas scoffed, "I've heard your queen is called Azshara, an old hag with snakes growing all over her head. I wonder how many arms she has, and if she's even more disgusting than you?"
"Insulting Her Majesty the Queen, I'll kill you!" Naga took the bait and began to writhe violently, but she couldn't break free from the ropes binding her.
"So you can talk," Unas continued to provoke, "How will you kill me?"
Naga gasped for breath, her voice filled with hatred. "Don't be so smug! My mother has captured your king. If she sets the price, many will be willing to trade your head for their king!"
"What!" Unas exclaimed in surprise. "Could it be such a coincidence?"
In the original story, the Black Dragon Princess attacked Varian Wrynn's fleet and cast a spell on an island, splitting him into two: the weak and docile personality remained for easier control; the fierce and ruthless personality was killed, so that she could firmly control Stormwind City.
Unexpectedly, their plans were disrupted by a group of Naga pirates lurking on the island. The Naga suddenly attacked, and in the chaos, Varian's brave personality fell into the sea and went missing, while his docile personality was kidnapped by the Naga.
Although the Black Dragon was powerful, it was helpless against the deep and boundless ocean and could only return in defeat. Instead, it tried to seduce Duke Fordragon Bolvar, the second most powerful figure in Stormwind City.
In the original story, she later redeemed the docile Varian from the Naga and held immense power in Stormwind City until the valiant Varian returned, at which point the Black Dragon Princess was defeated and killed in a combined attack from all sides.
Upon hearing the Naga captive's mention of this history, Unas was familiar with the subject, immediately knew that the king she was referring to must be the gentle Varian.
If Unas had done nothing and let things unfold as originally planned, the outcome would have been satisfactory. But the problem is, he has already disrupted history—the rescue of Marshal Windsor has been brought forward significantly.
Originally, Varian the Varian was supposed to return to the Eastern Kingdoms and rescue Marshal Windsor Varian his companions, but now he is probably still fighting in the Blood Ring Arena on the Kalimdor, and his return is still a long way off.
After his battles in the Blackrock Depths, Unas inadvertently released Marshal Windsor ahead of schedule. He was unaware of the consequences and could only proceed cautiously, taking things one step at a time.
Now, having suddenly learned of the whereabouts of the docile Varian, Unas was somewhat at a loss. This weak-willed and useless man might actually do the Black Dragon Princess a great favor by rescuing him.
"Hiss hiss"
The Paladin remained silent for a long time. Unas, thinking Naga had frightened him, hissed triumphantly. Unas snapped out of his thoughts and kicked her unconscious in annoyance.
"Laugh--"
The Minecart Subway came to a halt with a piercing metallic scraping sound. Unas opened his eyes from his nap. Bright white light shone through the window, illuminating the sleeping Naga on the floor, her scales reflecting iridescent light.
He stretched and stood up, and saw a brightly lit hall outside the window. A group of burly Dwarves were waiting by the tracks, and the leader was loudly greeting Mr. Steelgrip, who seemed to be an old acquaintance.
In addition to carrying the eleven passengers, the subway also transported more than a dozen carriages of goods, which the burly Dwarves swarmed aboard to begin unloading.
Unas stood guard in front of his carriage to prevent the porters from barging in. The members of the elite Dwarf squad jumped down from their respective carriages and assembled on the platform. Captain Gude sent someone to deliver a message.
A moment later, a handsome Dwarf entered the hall surrounded by guards. The porters coming and going all bowed and made way for him. After whispering to Gude for a while, the Dwarf headed straight for the Paladin.
Unas stepped forward, Gude quickly introduced, "Knight Unas, this is Aoge-Leishan, Ironforge's ambassador to Stormwind City, in charge of all affairs in the Stormwind City Dwarf District."
Unas bowed slightly, Aoge-Leishan, being rather amiable, smiled and said, "Since His Magni has instructed me to fully cooperate with the Knight's actions, please feel free to give your orders."
Unas declined politely for a moment, then pointed to the carriage behind him and said, "There is an important prisoner inside. I'm temporarily handing him over to the ambassador, and I hope you will keep a close watch on him."
The Dwarf ambassador nodded and immediately ordered the guards to climb into the carriage. A short while later, the Naga prisoners, wrapped in a large black cloth, were carried out and hurriedly taken elsewhere.
The group left the mine's main hall and walked through several corridors. Sunlight streamed in ahead, Unas quickened his pace, eager to breathe in the long-missed fresh air.
He was greeted by a thick layer of gray dust, the entire street shrouded in a yellowish-gray mist, and after taking a couple of breaths, he felt an urge to cough.
The crisp clanging sounds came from all directions. Looking around, there were seven or eight blacksmith shops. Busy workers were forging, quenching, and smelting iron, working enthusiastically. The whole street was bustling with activity.
The Bronzebeard Dwarves supplied more than half of the military provisions for the Kingdom of Stormwind. This was the case almost every day of the year in the Dwarf District, and the Dwarves were used to it. Only Unas, like a country bumpkin entering the city, looked around with great curiosity.
Fortunately, he remembered the important matter. The group boarded the carriage and soon arrived at the ambassador's hall. They sat down in the reception room of Aoge-Leishan, where various snacks and teas had already been prepared. Gude and Unas had not eaten well on the way, so they did not care about their image or etiquette and grabbed the fragrant snacks to wolf them down.
The Dwarf ambassador sat smiling to one side. Unas swallowed a cream cake and sighed contentedly. "Please forgive me, Ambassador, let's get down to business. How's the situation in Stormwind City lately?"
Speaking of this, Aoge-Leishan frowned in distress. "It's very tense. There's a curfew at night and martial law during the day. Outside the Dwarf District, you can hardly see a soul, except for the patrolling guards."
"Oh? How could this be?" Unas asked, feigning ignorance.
The Dwarf ambassador sighed, "Yes, how could this be?"
It turns out that Varian Wrynn had been missing for three months. When news of the King's fleet's demise reached the city, chaos ensued and rumors spread.
Some say the king was assassinated by Defias bandits; others say he was attacked by South Sea pirates and his fleet sank to the bottom of the sea; still others say he fell into Horde's trap and was captured by Orcs.
The Noble Council was in a state of panic. Under the leadership of Duke Bolvar, the Royal Fleet and the Seventh Legion were all dispatched, conducting a thorough search by land and sea for the King's whereabouts, but so far there was no good news.
The city was suddenly deserted, Defias Brotherhood became active. In the first month, four nobles were assassinated, and everyone was on edge. Martial law was imposed in the city.
Despite this, a vicious assassination attempt against Countess Prestor still occurred last month. Fortunately, the Countess was unharmed and several assassins were captured.
After an investigation, to everyone's astonishment, the Marshal Windsor decorated Field Marshal Windsor. No one could imagine why the Field Marshal, who had been missing for so long on the Redridge Mountains front, would secretly sneak back to assassinate the beautiful and noble Lady Prestor.
Upon hearing this, Unas hurriedly asked, "How is the Marshal now?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I heard a leak that after his arrest, he insisted that the Countess was a spy for the Black Dragon, but nobody believed him. The King isn't here, and the Noble Council doesn't have the authority to deal with a criminal of his caliber, so he hasn't been publicly convicted yet. It seems he's been thrown into Central City Prison."
"Really?" Unas rubbed his chin. "How can I go and visit him?"
The Dwarf ambassador wore a strange expression. "Normally, serious criminals like these wouldn't have the right to visitation, but now it might be the opposite."
"Oh? Why?"
"Just three days ago, a riot broke out at Central City Prison. This was no ordinary incident; the prison guards not only couldn't suppress it, but the prisoners almost broke out themselves. The Jailer is urgently dispatching manpower to all sides. If we can sneak in now, we might be able to meet that marshal."
Unas stood up, pacing anxiously back and forth. The Marshal was an important witness and definitely needed to be protected, but dealing with the Black Dragon Princess was the top priority. "How much information do you know about that Countess?"
"Not much is known, only that she comes from the Prestor family of the Kingdom of Alterac. The north has been devastated by successive wars, and she claims to have fled here. However, she is very generous, wealthy, beautiful, and quick to integrate into the noble circles of Stormwind City, becoming the object of pursuit for male nobles. There are rumors that His Majesty Varian also favors her and is a strong candidate for the new Queen of Stormwind City."
Unas wasn't interested in such gossip and asked, "Where does she live? What are her usual haunts? Is there any way to visit her?"
"After martial law was declared in the city, most of the nobles moved to Stormwind Keep. The Defias Brotherhood declared that they would kill all the nobles who oppressed the Stonemasons' Guild, so no one dares to come out normally. The Countess just survived an assassination attempt and probably won't be going out for a while," Aoge-Leishan hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively, "Is the Countess the Countess you're targeting, Sir Knight?"
"That's right," Unas didn't hide it from him, "My biggest goal on this trip is her."
The Dwarf frowned. "This is a bit tricky. I have no connection with her. Stormwind Keep is heavily fortified and well-guarded. The situation in the city is so tense right now, with very strict checks. It's almost impossible for an ordinary person to sneak in."
Unas nodded. Master Omar and his group would arrive in Stormwind City by ship in about a week. Before that, he needed to understand the situation in the city and formulate a battle plan. Otherwise, arriving early by taking the Minecart Subway would be meaningless.
"Then, I'd like to visit other districts. Could you please make arrangements, Ambassador?"