"The enhancement you received from the Consecration Ceremony is unprecedented, and with the legacy of the Flame Knight, even if it came down to a real fight, I'm not confident I could defeat you," Erigor picked up the wooden sword and put it back on the weapon rack, showing no intention of continuing the battle. "I didn't expect you to become so strong in such a short time. You truly deserve to be Holy-favored. It seems I'll have to work even harder."
Unas, feeling refreshed and invigorated after being bullied for so long, released all his pent-up frustration. With the system's help, his speed of growth was unmatched, and he became a little smug. "You really should work harder, or I'll leave you far behind."
This made Erigor unhappy. "You're really getting cocky now," he thought, picking up the wooden sword he'd just put down. "Shall we play again?"
"No need," Unas quickly added, "Let's do basic training. I'd also like to ask you to teach me a few more sword techniques."
"You have so many weaknesses, you need to practice more!" Erigor said, taking the opportunity to back down. "I'll teach you a few more moves depending on the situation."
Another day passed in training. As dusk fell, Unas was racking his brains for a reason to decline Erigor's invitation to drink when a messenger suddenly came to his rescue— Tyrosus had urgently summoned him.
The One-Eyed Baron could only be looking for him about the Venomspider Gorge. Unas hurriedly followed the messenger to the Argent Dawn's headquarters, and after a brief greeting Tyrosus handed him a document.
Unas opened it and the first thing he saw was the word "appointment letter" in large characters. As he read further, he saw his own name clearly on the paper. After reading the whole thing, he was appointed as the acting Warden of Venomspider Gorge.
Was this the reply the One-Eyed Baron had arrived at after a day of contemplation? Unas only understood the reason after asking him.
It turns out that at today's five-person meeting, Abbendis and Isillien suddenly challenged Tyrosus, demanding that troops be sent to garrison Venomspider Gorge. Dathrohan even supported them. All three believed that the Argent Dawn was incapable of managing the area and that it should be jointly supervised by several parties.
If they were genuinely trying to help, that would be fine; Venomspider Gorge does indeed need assistance. But the problem is that Abbendis is clearly there to cause trouble, and sending the North Maple Legion there will only exacerbate the conflict.
Tyrosus vehemently refused, but under pressure from the three, he had no choice but to concede and agree to have the Silver Hand headquarters station personnel there. This sparked another controversy, Dathrohan, using Holiya's death as an excuse, insisted on appointing his own men as the garrison commanders of Venomspider Gorge.
Tyrosus, of course, disagreed, arguing that he had already appointed a new successor, and that Unas, the alternate he was considering, had thus been decided.
Unas stared blankly at the letter of appointment, unable to help but admire Balnazzar's cunning. On the surface, it was a power struggle with the Argent Dawn, but in reality, it was paving the way for his own plan. He achieved his goal without leaving a trace, using the tactic of feigning one move while secretly making another to his advantage with unparalleled skill.
As for why he was appointed acting officer, the One-Eyed Baron said it was because his qualifications were too low, and adding the title of acting officer was more appropriate. In reality, his powers were no different from those of a regular Warden.
At the same time, his rank was promoted from warrant officer to second lieutenant, and he was allowed to recruit a personal guard of no more than 30 men. However, in times of war, if you were willing to pay for your own private army, no one would care how many you exceeded the limit.
Encouraged by Tyrosus, Unas accepted the appointment and loudly proclaimed his loyalty and vision to the One-Eyed Baron.
"There's one more thing I need to ask of you," Tyrosus said in a low voice, "Holiya's death was rather suspicious. After we get to Venomspider Gorge, I hope you can investigate it discreetly. It will also help with your safety."
Yes, I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Everyone says Holiya died a stupid death, running into the depths of a dangerous Canyon in the middle of the night to hunt down escaped prisoners, being overly dutiful. But now it seems there might be another reason; Tyrosus wouldn't just make things up.
Night had completely fallen when Unas emerged from the command post. Unas looked up at the beautiful starry sky of this other world. In the chaotic world of Azeroth, only those who possessed great power could survive. This appointment was just the beginning.
In the dead of night, when all was quiet, Unas opened his eyes. With his current physical condition, he could wake up whenever he wanted, without needing an alarm clock.
He fumbled to put on his black robe and tiptoed out of the room. He was going to the cemetery so late because Natasha and Emily were probably still hiding there. He was about to take up his post in Venomspider Gorge and, as agreed, he was going to bring them along.
They arrived safely at the tomb where they were hiding. Unas stomped his foot, and the stone slabs on the ground made a hollow sound, alerting them that someone was coming down below. Then he tapped the stone slabs with his fingers, twice hard and once lightly, repeating this three times. This was the coded signal they had agreed upon.
After a short while, a deep, muffled voice came from behind the stone slab, with a distinctive Gnomes's voice, "Who is it?"
"It's me, Emily."
"I am Emily, you are Unas." The stone slab was lifted from the inside, and Unas quickly took it and gently placed it aside. The Gnomes woman's face, that of an old woman, appeared from the black hole, looking extremely haggard.
"Where is my friend?" Unas asked about Natasha's whereabouts.
"Is this how you humans maintain friendships? Leaving her (and me) in this dark, sunless hole for so many days without a trace," the Gnomes woman's initial surprise turned to anger. "Don't blame me, I've advised her to break off our friendship many times."
Judging from her tone, Natasha seemed to still be here. Unas was worried that the Shadow Priest might wander off, as the bounty on her wanted poster was quite high. "Let me in. I'm here to report good news: your chance to escape has arrived."
The Gnomes woman stopped arguing, and the two covered the stone slab and went down to the bottom. There, a black figure stood gracefully in front of the stone coffin. The surrounding darkness seemed to be drawn to her. The light emanating from the luminous gem in Unas's hand seemed to encounter an obstacle in front of her, twisting and scattering elsewhere, so that only her general outline could be seen.
Natasha had been unconscious until now, so this was their first formal meeting. Unas bowed slightly and asked first, "Miss Natasha, how are you feeling?"
"Thank you for your concern. I'm almost fully recovered after all these days." Natasha's voice was very similar to the one she had heard in the telepathic conversation, clear and melodious.
But Unas sensed a lot of resentment in her words. Both women seemed very unhappy that he hadn't been seen for the past few days. It made sense; anyone would get very bored after being hidden in this harsh environment for days without any news.
But he was also helpless. He didn't dare to come over a few days ago because of the tight security, and he was too busy with the Consecration Ceremony these days. To put out the fire, he had to explain quickly.
He quickly gave the two a general overview of the handling of the prison break and the Consecration Ceremony, and of course, he also mentioned the Warden at the end.
"So, does that mean we can escape?" the Gnomes woman couldn't help but scream softly.
"Yes, I'll be leaving to take up my post early the day after tomorrow. You can blend in with my team and sneak out together."
"Waaaaah, this is wonderful! I'm going to go crazy if I stay in this cave any longer, waaaaah!" The Gnomes woman cried tears of joy.
Natasha, seemingly relieved, sat down in the shadows, and Unas smiled with satisfaction. An atmosphere of joy, incongruous with the surroundings, filled the tomb.