Silence, a deathly silence.
This is a big problem, one that everyone avoids talking about.
This is ultimately a world where nobility reigns supreme. Even the Silver Hand cannot ignore the thoughts and needs of the nobles. At this time, the Order of the Silver Hand are not the Holy Light army of the entire planet Azeroth, but the army of the Kingdom of Lordaeron, firmly controlled by His Majesty the King!
In fact, of the original five Paladin, Gavinrad Doom and Dathrohan were of noble birth, while only Uther, Tirion Fordring, and Turalyon were of commoner birth but were later knighted. Uther is now a very high-ranking knight, Tirion Fordring is the Highlord of Hearthglen, Dathrohan is the Highlord of Stratholme!
Among the second generation of Paladin, Alexandros Mograine was a high-ranking nobleman!
In fact, since the rise of Paladin and their gaining the attention of King Terenas, nobles have flocked to join the Order of the Silver Hand. The Knights have essentially become an organization that serves the nobility, and there are very few Paladin of commoner origin, and it is difficult for them to hold high positions.
This isn't just a problem of the Order of the Silver Hand; it's a problem of the world. At this stage of civilization, everything is inevitable, and no one can change it.
"You joined the Cult of the Damned because of your dissatisfaction with the nobility? You've forgotten your oath!" Harak was seething with anger, but didn't know where to vent it, his face turning red.
"Do you remember that rescue operation from the Orcs? To save the Earl, who was farther away and more heavily guarded, we lost seven Paladin and abandoned another, less guarded cell containing ten civilians! I still can't forget the look of despair in the eyes of that girl when she saw us being forced to retreat!"
A look of madness flashed across Elmer's face as he coldly declared, "If we can't change this world, then let's destroy it! At least the Cult of the Damned doesn't discriminate between nobles and commoners; those who rise to power do so solely through their own strength! It's fairer than a world ruled by nobles!"
This was ironic, yet it seemed more like the truth, so for a time, neither Fenna nor Harak, nor the other two High-Ranking Paladin, could refute it.
However...
"Really? You're quite the orator. How can you make your selfish interests sound so noble? And Cult of the Damned really that fair? Will all your efforts in this life earn you the same status as Baron Soroson and Baron Rivendare? Most importantly, do we need to waste our breath on you? Do we... have time to waste on you?" Jiang Jie smiled faintly, then swung his arm and knocked him unconscious.
"Luckily, there was only one." Harak gritted his teeth, casting a grateful glance at Jiang Jie, thanking him for finding the Cult of the Damned member in his team, and thanking him for knocking him out... so he wouldn't continue spewing nonsense.
Otherwise, he'll be even more embarrassed!
"You think it's just him?"
Jiang Jie vanished again, reappearing in front of another Paladin the next moment. "Should I help you take it off, or will you take it off yourself? That symbol... it's on your right arm, isn't it?"
"I... I am not a member of the Cult of the Damned! I have no skull mark on me! You are framing me!" The Paladin remained calm, rolling up his sleeves with an air of righteous indignation. "I am a devout and pure Paladin! A Warrior favored by the Holy Light! I am of noble birth, not Elmer! I have no reason to join the Cult of the Damned!"
His arm really didn't have the skull symbol; it looked completely smooth.
Seeing that there really wasn't one, Harak breathed a sigh of relief, then declared righteously, " The Circle of the Holy Light is the most devout Paladin squad; we can't possibly have another fallen one! Elmer is an exception! His father is a kingdom baron; there's no reason for him to join the Cult of the Damned!"
"Really? You're smarter than the others, knowing to use powder or something to cover up the skull symbol."
"You think you can escape my sharp eyes like this? I got tired of this when I was three!" Jiang Jie suddenly made a move. The Widowmaker flashed a cold light, lightly scraping the Paladin's arm, peeling away a layer of opaque skin-colored film to reveal a ghastly green skull mark! "Tsk tsk, an amazing alchemical artifact, so realistic! If it were anyone else, you would really fool them, but unfortunately, you can't escape my eyes! This is the work of an alchemist from the Cult of the Damned, isn't it? It seems our search will be much more difficult!" Jiang Jie sneered.
The second one!
And he's Paladin!
Now, all the Paladin unconsciously began to distance themselves from others, because no one knew if there were any members of the Cult of the Damned among their comrades!
Harak's face turned even uglier, chilling to the bone, almost dripping with water!
"Rest assured, Lord Harak, ' The Lifebringer,' among your Paladin, there are only two members of the Cult of the Damned. Trust me, your mood will soon improve, because..."
Jiang Jie said calmly, "The number of members of the Cult of the Damned is greater in the groups of Lords Magroth and Dagran!"
More!
These words brought a sigh of relief to the Paladin of the Circle of the Holy Light, but the hearts of the other Paladin were in their throats.
Magroth and Dagran, the two High-Ranking Paladin, instantly turned ashen-faced.
"Miss Fenna, please have you and Lord Harak's Paladin block all the entrances and exits. Now, I'm going to drag out all the ghosts one by one! Don't worry, luckily, none of your Paladin are members of the Cult of the Damned!" Jiang Jie brandished the dagger in his hand, his eyes as cold as autumn water.
"Alright! I believe you!" Fenna drew her Truesilver Holy Sword from her back with a "whoosh": "Let's go!"
Harak, true to his High-Ranking Paladin resolve, quickly ordered his Paladin to cooperate with Fenna, instantly surrounding everyone else and raising their swords, shields, or warhammers.
"Lord Magroth, Lord Dagran, please have your men line up in rows, all facing each other in pairs, keeping watch on one another to prevent anyone from acting rashly!" Jiang Jie smiled faintly, "Attention everyone! When I place my hand on your shoulders, it proves you are not members of the Cult of the Damned, and you can join the outer encirclement to assist in the defense!"
A very simple and practical method!
Because the Cult of the Damned consists of only a minority, at most one-tenth, the Order of the Silver Hand are extremely difficult to infiltrate, far more so than the Lordaeron Royal Assassins.
As long as they keep an eye on each other, they can effectively prevent anyone from being Cheap Shot and killed. In this situation, anyone who dares to suddenly attack and hurt someone, anyone who makes any unusual moves, shows that they have something to hide, and that they are a member of the Cult of the Damned!
By doing this, Jiang Jie could ensure that everyone would be safe as much as possible, and also deter the members of the Cult of the Damned from making any rash moves, as they all tried to slip through the cracks.
Of course, there are also those who act rashly, such as...
"It's all your fault! You're an enemy of the Cult of the Damned! Die!" As Jiang Jie turned his back to someone, he suddenly sprang up, his long sword descending from the sky.