Internal Conflict of the Defias

Seeing Sulonna approach, the Defias Messenger nodded, then suddenly flipped his hand, a dagger already in his grip, pressed against her neck.

Seeing this from the side, Li Shaolin quickly curled his fingers, Lesser Blindness ready to cast, while mentally ordering the Black Skeleton to save her, to wait for a chance to block the messenger's dagger.

"Stop, Lin!" Sulonna knew how dangerous the skeletons were and quickly waved her hand, signaling him to wait. She turned and asked, "Messenger, what's the meaning of this?"

"Sulonna, can I still trust you?" The Defias Messenger didn't intend to attack her, nor did he let go, simply asking in return.

"Let her go!" Li Shaolin was getting anxious. Having spent several days with Sulonna, he had to find a way to save her.

"What do you mean by that?" Sulonna asked calmly.

Seeing her blank look, which didn't seem feigned, the messenger sighed, put away his dagger, and released her.

Sensing something was off, Li Shaolin held back from acting rashly, just repeatedly signaling Sulonna to come over.

"Honored Necromancer, I meant no offense." The messenger gave a slight bow to show he meant no harm. He then began recounting the Defias upheaval to Sulonna: "News of what happened in Elwynn Forest reached the Deadmines two days ago. Seven squad leaders are dead or missing; there, all leadership is gone. And in Westfall, Benny Blanco, the head of Fabron's Farm, has also vanished—his treasure is gone, either fled or killed."

Pausing, the messenger looked at Sulonna: "Of the seven squad leaders in Elwynn Forest, only you remain, and you appear alone on this Long Beach. So tell me, what happened in Elwynn?"

"And this... has it anything to do with my loyalty to the Defias?" Sulonna didn't answer his question.

"Fine, then I'll tell you. Three days ago, Gryan Storman of Sentinel Hill suddenly notified all Brotherhood members in Westfall, issuing a challenge to VanCleef, planning to lead the People's Army and professionals to attack the Deadmines. Upon receiving the news, I immediately sent word to all the leaders to gather at Moonbrook Town. But do you know what happened?" The messenger's face was heavy: "First, Marisa Dupeig of Dagger Hills refused to fight and has prepared defenses. Then Johansen declared the Jamelord Mine his own. Today, I came to deliver a message to Miser Capol, the leader of Golden Coast Mine and Ariskton Farm, but I didn't see him in person. Based on his men's reactions, he's likely about to betray the Brotherhood too."

Internal strife? That serious? According to Li Shaolin's map, if this chaos spread, wouldn't the Defias Brotherhood's territory be reduced to just the Deadmines and Moonbrook Town?

"So, Sulonna, can I still trust you?" The messenger shook his head.

Sulonna's mouth had long since fallen open in shock, speechless. She couldn't believe that in just a few short days, the Brotherhood's strength had shrunk by more than half. The Defias members who once controlled all of Westfall and Elwynn Forest were now tearing themselves apart?

"How did all this happen at once? Could there be a traitor among us?" Sulonna finally reacted, asking.

"A traitor? Hah, Johansen, Marisa—which one isn't?"

"No, I mean, someone colluding with the People's Army?"

The Defias Messenger nodded, as if in silent agreement. He probably thought the same—after so long of Sentinel Hill and the Deadmains fighting to a stalemate, with neither side gaining an edge, why would a decisive battle suddenly be declared?

A sizzling, crackling sound of air burning suddenly rang out.

The three turned to look. At the entrance of the Golden Coast Mine stood several Defias members in mage robes, flames flickering in their hands, apparently about to cast Fireballs. Among them, an old man dressed as a mage smiled at them: "Messenger? Heh, what brings you to the Golden Coast Mine? Got some news?"

"Not good!" Sulonna cried out, quickly pulling out her Staff while retreating hastily.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Three fireballs shot toward the three of them!

Sulonna raised a hand, sending a Flame Shock that collided with the Fireball midair, both dissolving into flames. The messenger twisted his body, retreating quickly while slashing his dagger several times to disperse his fireball. The most effortless, of course, was Li Shaolin—he did nothing, and the Bronze Skeleton beside him swung its large shield, absorbing the fireball with a thunderous crash, sparks flying everywhere.

"Oh? A Scourge Legion mage?" The old man was startled, finally noticing the three skeletons beside Li Shaolin.

"Miser Capol, you really have betrayed the Brotherhood!" The Defias Messenger gritted his teeth and cursed.

"Hahahaha, what future is there following VanCleef? That arrogant fool—he took such a huge territory and didn't even think to attack Stormwind City. Instead, he spends all day building his worthless ships, dreaming of using iron cannons to bring down the Cathedral of Light. Hahahaha, what a naive thought! I'm not going crazy with him. See, Johansen and Marisa are smart people. How about you join us too?" Capol laughed arrogantly.

"Pah, I wouldn't stoop to your level." The Defias Messenger spat.

"I forgot, you're one of VanCleef's diehards. Fine then, I'll send you on your way." Capol waved his hand, and the mages behind him closed in. At the same time, Gnolls wielding Mining Picks and Rogues with small daggers began emerging from the mine.

Seeing the growing numbers, the Defias Messenger's figure flickered and vanished from sight—he had turned invisible! Suddenly, everyone's attention shifted to Li Shaolin and Sulonna!

Li Shaolin's mouth went dry. What was this? He'd somehow gotten dragged into this mess, and the enemy were all magic users!

Sulonna moved closer, her eyes full of regret. They were truly in danger now. These mages were the infamous Plunderers of the Defias, all fire mages. Two of them could handle her, let alone the Robbers appearing behind. These weren't the puny Murlocs—they were in for a rough time.

"Wait!" Li Shaolin quickly raised his hand. "Mr. Capol, do you really want to make an enemy of the Scourge Legion?" Outnumbered and outmatched, a direct fight was unwise. Better to scare them.

Capol hesitated for a moment, then burst into laughter again: "Even if you are from the Scourge Legion, so what? If I kill you here, who would know?" He waved his hand, signaling the mages to attack.

Seeing this, Li Shaolin steeled himself and pulled out the Book of the Dead.

Remembering he still had an unused skill point, and knowing he needed as many summons as possible now, he quickly allocated it to Summon Skeleton Mage. The mages by the mine had already begun chanting Fireball, the air heating up with scorching waves.

"Attack!" At Li Shaolin's command, the vanished Black Skeleton suddenly appeared, its curved blade slashing down to kill one Defias Mage. It lunged again, cutting down another mage who couldn't finish his incantation in time. Meanwhile, the Clay Golem, Bronze Skeleton, and Bone Skeleton charged forward, blocking Li Shaolin and Sulonna. The Lightning Skeleton Mage's hands crackled with electricity as it struck first.

For a moment, the air was filled with explosions! The Defias Mages finally finished their chants and unleashed their magic.

There were nine mages total. The Black Skeleton had killed two first, leaving seven fireballs flying toward them. At the same time, the other Defias Robbers with daggers closed in.

Sulonna fired a Frostbolt first, taking down one fireball. The Bronze Skeleton swung its large shield, blocking two more. The Bone Skeleton stopped one, the Clay Golem another, but two still came flying through!

Li Shaolin yanked Sulonna aside, stepping forward. Two Bone Shields flickered into existence in the air before shattering.

With a wave of his hand, flesh and blood splattered as another Skeleton Mage rose from the Defias Mage killed by the Black Skeleton. As it appeared, gore sprayed everywhere, splattering the nearby Capol.

"Stop! Stop!" Capol quickly shouted.

Though they didn't know why he called a halt, his men obeyed immediately, ceasing their spells. Seeing Capol wanted to talk, Li Shaolin figured it was better not to fight and stopped his skeletons from advancing.

"Heh heh, honored Scourge Mage, we have no quarrel. How about we call it even?" Capol's earlier ferocity vanished, replaced by a smile.

"Weren't you going to take my life?" Li Shaolin countered.

"No, no, a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding. I thought you were with the messenger. You're free to leave—I, Capol, won't stop you. And by the way, the Golden Coast Mine and Ariskton Farm are always open to you." Capol was practically bowing and scraping, as if eager for Li Shaolin to leave quickly.

Seeing this, Sulonna tugged Li Shaolin, and the two left in confusion, their summons following behind.

"Boss, why?" a nearby mage asked.

"You think I wanted to let them go? That Scourge Mage can raise our dead comrades to fight for him—didn't you see? That black skeleton moved so fast, killing several of our men easily. Then the mage just summons another from behind, and their ranks keep growing. At that rate, did we stand a chance?" Capol cursed. He had seen how formidable the skeletons were, and how Li Shaolin casually turned that Defias Mage into a Fire Skeleton Mage. He feared that as long as there were enough corpses, they'd never win. What he didn't realize was that Li Shaolin's summons, unlike the Scourge Legion's, had a limit—his worry was completely unfounded.