When it came time to negotiate with the Dwarf mercenaries, the Jailer wisely refrained from mentioning the dispersal of personnel, instead incorporating the Dwarves into the second squadron.
Moreover, he was quite polite. The Bronzebeard Dwarves was honest and trustworthy, making him almost impossible to be a spy. Furthermore, winning him over could be used to counterbalance the Blacksword's arrogance.
Unas followed the Dwarf through the prison gates. Inside was a spacious hall with a wall made of sandbags in the center. The ground was littered with sand and gravel, suggesting that the wall had been temporarily erected.
Fifty-odd guards stood in layers around the walls, and on the hall wall ten meters above the ground, there were six inward-facing arrow platforms. The archers on the platforms were all staring at the center of the hall. The entrance to the dungeon must be inside the walls.
Unas carefully recalled the appearance of the prison in the game and deduced that the entrance to the dungeon should be in the central tunnel.
The prison guards should have been a battalion of over 500 men, but they have long been understaffed. In addition, the casualties from the riot a few days ago have left only a little over 300 combat-ready regular soldiers, many of whom are slightly wounded.
Therefore, there were plenty of empty spaces in the barracks. Apart from the Blackblade Mercenary Company, who had offended the warden and were assigned to camp outside, the other newcomers quickly settled in.
The lone warriors were incorporated into the various squads as reinforcements, while the Dwarf mercenaries were immediately assigned to night watch—mercenaries were quite expensive, and the warden didn't want to waste them.
The Dwarf mercenary group was led by a junior officer Grace, who had witnessed the entire riot and had only nine combat-ready soldiers left under his command, which together with Unas and the Dwarves formed a full-strength squad.
"For now, everyone can only rest in the barracks and cannot move around freely. I will come to inform everyone when it's time to go on duty."
The young squad leader had a bandage wrapped around his left arm and looked exhausted, but his attitude was still relatively kind. Unas politely asked, "Could Captain Grace please tell us the details of the riot so that we can be prepared?"
"It's no secret," the young man replied. "You'd find out sooner or later anyway, so I'll tell you. According to the Military Intelligence Office Bureau, this riot wasn't accidental; it was planned by the Defias Brotherhood. Their main objective was to rescue Bazil Thredd — VanCleef's close ally, the Defias' number two, who was Inquisition to hang last month and was supposed to be executed this week. To rescue him, the Defias organized a large number of people to commit crimes and arrests beforehand, and even bribed a logistics officer to smuggle a batch of weapons in. They were well-prepared, and within half a day of the uprising, the entire prison area was overrun. They even nearly broke out of the dungeon, but fortunately, the warden hired three battle mages from the Mage District at great expense, and with everyone's desperate counterattack, they managed to repel the rioters."
The entire region has fallen? Unas couldn't help but worry about the old marshal's safety, but asking directly would easily arouse suspicion, so he probed indirectly, "How many prisoners are there in the riot? Are they all serious offenders?"
"The prison was in complete chaos back then, who could tell the difference? Even the innocent victims who were wrongly accused, or those convicted of petty theft and minor offenses, must all be coerced by Defias now—they had no choice but to join the riot, or they would die. There were probably nearly two thousand prisoners in the entire prison, and they suffered heavy losses when they attacked the dungeon gates. I estimate that their current fighting strength is no more than 1,500, but don't worry, they are short of weapons. Many of them only have iron bars and planks that they have taken from the cell doors as weapons. Moreover, Defias' official members are no more than three hundred; the rest are just a mob that has been coerced."
"I see," Unas nodded, then tentatively asked, "No important figures died in prison, right?"
"I haven't heard of that."
Unas felt slightly relieved, but then another question popped into his head, "What have they been eating these past few days? You haven't been sending them food, have you?"
"How could that be? We were waiting for them to be defeated by hunger, but strangely, today is the fourth day since the riot started, and not a single person has come out to surrender. Defias must have prepared food in advance."
Smuggling a large amount of food into prison requires the use of a storage Arcane Artifacts, so these thieves seem to have gone to great lengths. Moreover, in the Azeroth, mages can create food out of thin air, although it consumes mana.
The Defias Brotherhood a den of iniquity and has no shortage of spellcasters; sending a few mages in specifically to make bread would be enough to keep things going for a while.
But this can't last forever; the food will eventually run out. Defias launched several raids in the past four days, but they were all harassment-like and retreated after being slightly thwarted. They won't sit idly by and wait to be killed; they must be preparing for a general offensive. This is just the calm before the storm.
Once a battle breaks out, Unas will have a chance to infiltrate, ascertain the old marshal's safety, and even rescue him amidst the chaos. Now, he can only wait for the right opportunity.
Seeing that the other party had no more questions, Grace said goodbye and left in a hurry. Unas and the Dwarves could only rest idly in the barracks, waiting for the storm to arrive.
Meanwhile, in Stormwind Keep northeast of the prison, two richly dressed people were having a secret meeting in a dark room.
This is the top floor of a remote tower, originally used for storing military supplies. It was abandoned long ago. Only one small window lets in dim light, making the room feel empty and covered in thick dust, which seems out of place with the man and woman standing in the center, dressed in brocade robes.
"My most beautiful and noble lady, I have followed your instructions and recommended that mercenary squad to guard the prison," the man's voice was fervent yet cautious, clearly trying to ingratiate himself with the person he was speaking to. "Even at a time like this, you are still concerned about the safety of the prison, which shows your care for Stormwind City. You are the most suitable person to be the next Speaker of the House of Nobles!"
"Thank you for your trouble, Your Earl," the woman's voice was magnetic and alluring, like a ripe peach, "I have many more requests to make of you. I wonder what Earl Excellency would like as payment?"
I want you!
Earl Aulbe cried out in his heart, but fearing he might offend the beauty, he dared not speak. Just as he hesitated, the beautiful goddess actually took the initiative to extend her hand to him.
The Earl grunted, then knelt down on one knee with a thud, cupping the beautiful woman's long, slender, white hand against his cheek, and declared loudly, "Lady Katrana, I love you, and I'm willing to give everything for you!"
"Is that so? Hehe~" The noblewoman chuckled coquettishly, gently unbuttoning her outer robe, instantly exposing a beautiful body that could drive any man mad!
Earl Aulbe looked up, dumbfounded. The thing he had always dreamed of was right before his eyes; he simply couldn't believe it was real.
The beautiful woman chuckled softly, raised her hand, and gently traced the man's cheek with her fingertips.
The Earl could no longer restrain himself; with a low growl, he lunged forward...
In another room, an identical beautiful woman stood in front of a Water Mirror, watching with great interest the ugly reflections of men and women.
Alongside her, a man shrouded in black robes chuckled softly, "Hmph, what a pathetic wretch. A little Charm and illusion have him completely bewitched."
The beautiful woman, Countess Prestor Katrana Presto, the Black Dragon Princess, waved her hand to remove the Water Mirror and ordered expressionlessly, "Once it's over, have the guards send Earl Aulbe back. He's still useful. Van der Linde, you went a bit too far."
The man in black robes remained silent, not daring to argue. It was true that an ordinary person's physique couldn't withstand the torment of Charm, and Earl Aulbe would likely faint from exhaustion afterward.
Dragons are naturally powerful, Black Dragon Princess had many lovers, but a mere human Earl wasn't worth her personal attention. So, she had her Elf Warlock Vandrin Bloodsoul, act on her behalf, creating an illusion to entangle the count with Earl.
The Warlock's Charm is like a powerful drug. If the Earl's body suffers from problems due to overindulgence, and something is discovered, it will be troublesome. But that's a minor issue. The Black Dragon Princess is only concerned about one thing right now. "How's the investigation going in the Dwarf District?"
"We have some leads. Several informants witnessed the Dwarves carrying a mysterious cargo from the Minecart Subway to the ambassador's hall in Ironforge that day. Based on the intelligence reports, that 'cargo' is very likely our target."
"Find out the truth immediately. If it's true, I don't care if you bought it, stole it, or robbed it. Get that little Naga as quickly as possible!"
Ever since losing both Varians after their split, the Black Dragon Princess has been trying to redeem the docile Storm King from the Darktide Horde, but the Horde's demands have been too high, and no agreement has been reached.
A day earlier, an urgent message suddenly arrived from the Naga Horde, asking her to help find a female Naga who had fallen into the hands of the Bronzebeard Dwarves, and expressing their willingness to renegotiate the terms for the ransom of King Stormwind. The Black Dragon Princess immediately realized that this was a good opportunity.
Previously, the Naga captured the human king, believing themselves to be a valuable asset, and demanded an exorbitant price with a very tough attitude. Now, they have taken the initiative to seek help, indicating that the captured Naga must be an important figure who can greatly increase their bargaining power in exchange for Varian.
The Elf Warlock nodded in agreement, then added, "There's another important piece of information. A suspicious human accompanied that subway train had unusual black hair and eyes, and seemed to have a close relationship with Ambassador Bronzebeard. What do you think...?"
"He's just a tiny human. If you feel threatened, just eliminate him. Don't ask me about something so trivial!"
"Master hasn't forgotten, has she? Marshal Windsor, who attempted to assassinate you last month," the Elf Warlock carefully reminded his mistress. "That old man was too stubborn; we couldn't extract anything from him. However, two of his assassins confessed, and one piece of information came in—the one who rescued the marshal in Blackrock Depths was a black-haired, black-eyed human. Moreover, I just received news that this human was mixed in with a group of Dwarves, having joined the prison guards as a mercenary. I believe this can't all be a coincidence."
Last month's assassination attempt turned out to be a false alarm, but when Windsor was arrested, he revealed her true identity in front of everyone, which surprised the Black Dragon Princess.
During the time that King Stormwind was missing, she made great strides, using bribery, enticement, intimidation, and assassination to control nearly half of the seats in the House of Nobles. Even the regent Duke Bolvar -Fordragon showed her deference, and her position and power in the human kingdoms became increasingly secure.
Therefore, no one dared or wanted to believe the old marshal's accusations, and they simply thought he had lost his mind, so the Countess's reputation was almost undamaged.
But this incident also alerted her. Several assassins who were captured along with the marshal were severely tortured and even subjected to mental torture magic.
Windsor's own will had already been tested in the dungeons of Blackrock Depths; it was as firm as a rock, and he had not uttered a single word of confession. However, two of his assassins could not hold out and surrendered.
However, their knowledge was limited. The marshal had not revealed any details about the Black Dragon Princess's identity to anyone. The two who surrendered simply recounted what they had seen and heard in Blackrock Depths. Naturally, the riot in Shadowforge City and the Paladin instigated it attracted the attention of Vandrin Bloodsoul.
Black Dragon Princess recalled the surrendered men's testimonies and said, "I also received a secret report some time ago that the situation in Blackrock Depths has changed drastically. The Thaurissan Dynasty has been replaced by a Dark Iron Dwarves lord. It was also mentioned that one of the main forces of the overthrowers was a human Paladin, who was later appointed as a foreign lord of the Dark Iron Kingdom by the new king. Could it be him?"
"Black hair and black eyes— Paladin with such distinctive features is one in a million. It must be him," the black-robed Elf affirmed. "This man, who managed to secure a place in the Dark Iron Kingdom and arrive in the Bronzebeard Dwarves's precious subway, must possess extraordinary abilities. Now that he's infiltrated the prison, his goal is likely to rescue that old man again. He might even know your true identity."
"Let's deal with them all at once," the Countess said coldly, her voice dripping with murderous intent. "Windsor knows my identity; he must die. This Paladin is unpredictable and may even be connected to that captured Naga. We won't act rashly. You send someone to leak the intelligence to SI:7. Given that head of the intelligence agency, Shaw, his spies are definitely planted among the prison guards. Let them fight like dogs; it'll be good for us to test this little bug's mettle!"
"Master is wise!"
Vandrin Bloodsoul quickly flattered him, saying that the Paladin had not revealed his true identity but had instead forged documents to infiltrate the prison guard camp. In the eyes of Stormwind City's intelligence agencies, this made him a prime suspect, and the agents of SI:7 would certainly not let him go.
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and a man dressed in a gray robe pushed the door open and entered. He then knelt down and bowed, saying, "Master, news just arrived that Barbosa had a minor argument with the Jailer and has been placed outside the prison gates. This affects our plans..."
"Can't even handle such a small matter, what a useless piece of trash!" the Blood Elf retorted first. Like him, Barbosa, the bald leader of the Blackblade Mercenary Company, was also a confidant and lover of the Black Dragon Princess. There was no friendly or harmonious relationship between them.
The Countess wasn't angry; her coldness only intensified. "It's alright. Sending him to prison was just a side move anyway. We'll stick to the original plan. Once those bandits make their move, my targets must be wiped out without exception!"