Unas was completely immersed in the pleasure of absorbing energy. He didn't know how much time had passed when his body gradually reached saturation. The vortex in his heart seemed to have turned into a slowly rotating spring of water that shimmered with a rich golden light.
With a slight jolt, he awoke from his Meditation state. The hall remained silent, yet he could hear whispers like mosquitoes in the corners. Everything before him became exceptionally clear; the slight nearsightedness he had developed from playing games had completely vanished. Turning his head to look around, he could see every face clearly, regardless of distance.
Undoubtedly, his hearing and vision have been greatly improved, and his body is so light that it seems non-existent; he could probably fly away with a wave of his hand. He feels a complete transformation from the inside out.
The thinning ball of light above his head gradually dissipated. The Paladins around him had already finished their infusions. Unas was the last person to awaken from Meditation, and he reaped the greatest rewards.
"Then, take up the symbols of your identity and mission, and become the guardians of the Kingdom of Lordaeron!" Isillien, the host, proclaimed passionately, "Welcome to the Silver Hand!"
The ten people simultaneously stretched out their hands, gripped the giant silver hammer standing in front of them, raised it high above their heads in unison, and cheered according to the pre-arranged procedure.
At this moment, the horns sounded, and the Paladins and Priests on both sides began to cheer, and the whole hall boiled over with applause and shouts.
The Paladins rushed forward, embracing and shaking hands with the newcomers to congratulate them. At that moment, the barriers between factions seemed to disappear, and everyone joyfully celebrated the addition of the new members.
Unas was tossed into the air three times by a group of Argent Dawn Paladins led by Erigor, which made him feel that he was quite popular.
After a lively exchange of congratulations, the ten new members were gathered again by the ceremonial officer. With so many enthusiastic people still outside the church, they couldn't be disappointed, so they had to go out and make an appearance, parading around to celebrate.
Stepping out of the church gates, the newly appointed Paladins mounted their tall horses and, accompanied by cheers from the crowds along the way, circled the main road of the Monastery, much like a top scholar parading through the streets.
All ten received abundant blessings, flowers, and flirtatious glances. Unas discovered along the way that there were many enthusiastic and lovely girls in the Monastery. Why should I hang myself on Whitemane? That's a question worth pondering.
Marland was undoubtedly the most popular; as a very rare female Paladin, the screams she received from women made every man envious.
Unas checked his attribute panel midway through the process. The Holy Light Infusion had indeed greatly improved him. Although his level hadn't increased, all his attributes had increased significantly: Strength +39, Agility +12, Constitution +45, and Energy +55. Strength, Constitution, and Energy had all exceeded 100, which was equivalent to leveling up seventeen or eighteen times.
Not to mention the "Energy Pool" at his heart, which was a name Unas casually gave to the vortex inside his body. It was a pool formed by Holy Power, so let's just call it the Energy Pool.
Its constant rotation causes the energy within Unas's body to circulate continuously, which is similar to the effect of Meditation. In other words, he will be in Meditation state at all times from now on, and this improvement will undoubtedly be enormous.
As for the Dreadlord trapped in the center, this pool of water is like a tightly sealed prison of Holy Light, keeping him obediently inside and unable to move. Outsiders also find it difficult to detect his presence through the thick energy layer. In this light, it seems that this vortex is Unas's greatest gain.
With his strength suddenly increasing so much, Unas couldn't wait to find someone to practice against, but he also had to attend the victory banquet after the parade.
The Monastery was short of supplies and did not want to be extravagant, so the victory celebration was limited to a small area. The ten people were led to a side hall of the Cathedral, where several long, narrow tables were already filled with the Paladins of the Silver Hand.
Next came the routine toasts and drinks, and the whole day passed in socializing. Unas wasn't without his gains; at least he became a familiar face among the Paladins and got to know many people. He even seemed to have seen a few of their names in Todd's ledger.
Several Paladins came to apologize to him. They were the ones who had made things difficult for Unas during the Holy Light Infusion. These men claimed they had received orders from their superiors to give him special "care" during the infusion.
Surprisingly, none of these people belonged to the North Maple Legion, but rather to the Silver Hand headquarters. Therefore, their superior could only be Dathrohan.
The reason why Dathrohan targeted him was answered when he toasted Dathrohan alone, "Your abilities have earned my complete trust, as you did not reveal your true nature even under such intense Holy Light Infusion." These were Dathrohan's exact words.
This was actually a test from Balnazzar to Bessarius. He had several of his men poison Unas, wanting to see if Bessarius could control Unas without leaving a trace.
If possible, he would certainly be a usable pawn; if not, given the circumstances at the time, if Unas, who was possessed by a demon, were exposed, he would be instantly obliterated.
The infighting between demons is indeed ruthless and merciless. Just a few days ago they were chatting and laughing together, discussing important plans, and now they're testing each other with such vicious methods.
It's no wonder Bessarius dared not reveal his weakened state. If Balnazzar knew he was powerless to control Unas, he might be devoured as trash by the Soul Balnazzar.
Having figured all this out, Unas felt as if he had escaped a calamity. A bit of luck and a bit of cleverness had not only allowed him to survive this test, but also brought him great benefits.
As dusk fell, Unas bid farewell to the group of Paladins, slung a large bag over his shoulder, and returned to the hut. The day's haul was a jumble of odds and ends, all contained within the bag.
The heaviest weapon is that Silver Hammer. The Verigan's Fist is the standard weapon of Paladins. Comparing it to the one Gordon gave him, they are almost identical, only one is new and the other is old. He can try playing a dual-hammer Paladin in the future.
Then came an exquisite silver circular arm shield, with a small device on the back that could be directly embedded into the arm armor, which was very convenient. This was a congratulatory gift from Erigor; weapons and equipment were the best gifts among Paladins.
There is another very important thing— the Knight's Badge of the Silver Hand, palm-sized, engraved with a silver hand pattern. This is proof of his identity. From this day forward, the Silver Hand recognizes his legitimate identity, and the stain of his unknown origins can be put aside.
The ten people received their Knight at the same time upon becoming official Paladins, thus becoming members of the nobility. Of course, apart from Unas, who had traveled from another time, most of the other nine were originally from noble families. In this era that revered bloodlines, it was not easy for commoners to rise to prominence.
Another smaller Iron Cross was awarded to him personally by Tyrosus in recognition of his bravery at the Battle of Lordamere Lake. This medal seemed quite rare, attracting some envy and appearing to add considerable prestige.
There were also a few love letters from girls he'd received during the parade. These letters were the most exciting of all the gifts for him. Unas had lived for twenty years and had never received a love letter before. After reading them several times, he put them under his pillow, hoping to find happiness like this in his dreams.