Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

“This is truly…” Bella and Mary looked as if their jaws had dropped in astonishment. “Unbelievable…”

Beside them, the bard was bolder. She cautiously raised her hand, wanting to touch the unicorn's body. However, the creature, which appeared docile and elegant but was still a considerable size, gently avoided the bard's fingertips. With a snort, the voice that had just echoed in Angrita's mind resounded in the real world:

“Beautiful poet, but I’m sorry, I can’t let you touch my body, or your fingers will get burned.”

"You...you can talk?" Others might not understand why the unicorn was saying that, but Daisy knew perfectly well. She quickly withdrew her hand and stared wide-eyed at the unicorn in front of her in surprise. "And your pronunciation is so perfect!"

“Thank you,” the unicorn looked up and glanced down at Daisy with one eye. “I’ve lived in the Rebel Zone for about a century, so I’m pretty good at it.”

"So, Anne, what's your conclusion? Am I fortunate enough to become your partner?"

"Wait!" Although the unicorn seemed very willing, even to the point of being enthusiastic, the three archdruids had reservations. The follower of Melika quickly interrupted her, "Veruna, are you serious? Is this really what you intend to do?"

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Despite having some inexplicable feelings about this unicorn deep down, Leslaufer still stood by Angrita’s side. “Didn’t you say that as long as it agrees, it’s fine? You’re not thinking of going back on your word, are you?”

“No!” The woman who believed in Adas gave a wry smile. “But Your Excellency, this one… is theoretically not a candidate, because she is not actually considered an ‘animal’ of our woodlands. She is actually considered one of our believers.”

"Fellow believer?" Angelita quickly looked at the unicorn—was it a druid in disguise? If so, then this joke was a bit too much.

The unicorn took two steps back, but did not transform into human form: "I apologize for my rudeness. Please allow me to introduce myself: I am indeed a unicorn, not a druid. My current name is Verunara, but I used to have a True Language name, Verianari."

"However, what Bug and the others said is true. I am not just a creature that dwells here. I am also a believer of the gods, and the one who controls my destiny is the Silver Moon, the Unicorn Queen Larry. I arrived in the material plane under their guidance."

The unicorn named Veruna stood there quietly, but behind her emerged moonlight-like shadows that, together with her true form, formed the holy emblem of her deity, proclaiming that her words were true: "So, Miss Anne, would you be my knight?"

Chapter 577 The Reason for Traveling Together

“I… would be happy to travel with a unicorn,” she said, but Angrita took a step back, closer to Leslaufer and further away from Verunara. “But I want to know, why did you choose me?”

This is not a question worth asking. Unicorns do not usually choose their companions easily, and Veruna is not a maverick in the group.

She certainly had very good reasons, reasons that no decent person could refuse.

But when Angelita asked this question, Veruna lowered her head slightly, remained silent for a moment, and then asked in return, "Miss Anne, which reason would you like to hear? I have many reasons for choosing you, and I can assure you that they are all true, but even among the truths, there are still distinctions of primary and secondary reasons."

"I wish I could know everyone, is that alright?"

“Then so be it,” Veruna said, her blue eyes looking calmly into Angelita’s, like two sapphires set in her hair or two deep oceans. “First of all, you are a young woman, young, unmarried, and very beautiful, and your voice is also wonderful—this is not a compliment, I am just stating the facts—and I also like your eyes very much.”

"Secondly, your status is far more noble than you claim, yet you do not appear superficial or arrogant. I can see the marks of constant training and learning in you; you are always improving yourself, which is exactly what the gods advocate."

“Thirdly, your sword,” Veruna looked at the Longsword of Wisdom at Angrita’s waist. Although it was not drawn, the unicorn recognized the sword. “This is not my first time arriving in this material plane, this world. In a much earlier time, I was given the opportunity to travel with a king, and this sword was his sword back then.”

"...He is the Elf King of Kolasund."

Angelita slowly drew the Long Poem of Guardian Spirit, gazing at the emerald green blade that had transcended time and reappeared before her. Even a being from the heavens couldn't help but feel her emotions surge once more.

"Back then, he and I roamed the forests, dispelling the corruption of dark forces..." the unicorn sighed softly. "It was also then that I received my name in this world: Verianari. That is, now known as Verunara in the language of Inasas."

"A period of great passion and fervor, but unfortunately, it didn't last long. However, that's not what we're discussing now. Next is the fourth point:"

“I have returned to the mortal realm because evil and darkness have once again reached out their claws, and you will inevitably be very close to them. I need your help to better fulfill my mission.”

"Finally, although I don't quite agree, I have another responsibility bestowed upon me by the gods: I need to protect, prevent, and stop things from going in a bad direction. Your side is a very suitable place, neither too close nor too far."

Leslaufer's eyes narrowed slowly. He was almost certain that the unicorn had glanced at him more than once. Was it sent to spy on him?

What is the reason for this? Is this Edas's will? Or... the will of the unicorn goddess that Veruna herself has entrusted to her?

I hadn't heard much about the deity Leslaufer, only that he was a god who existed alongside the forest queen Melique, and was said to be Melique's mount. Just as Melique and Edas served Sylvanas, the unicorn goddess Larri and other gods whose names were rarely heard of also served Melique. If we were to follow this order, he should be one rank lower than Edas.

By what right does He have to get involved in this matter?

Although he harbored some wariness and dissatisfaction, Raslaufer did not show it outwardly. He had been "summoned" by a deity, and regardless of his allegiance, a deity was a deity, so it was best to avoid provoking him as much as possible.

Whether a god is benevolent or malevolent, Doples didn't really believe in that.

Veruna's reasons were so compelling, perhaps even overly so, that Angreta accepted her kindness. Although unicorns were not creatures that could be led out of the woods by wooden signs, as members of the Society, even the Archdruid had no right to interfere with her freedom of action, and Bug and the other two could only accept this outcome.

“But you have your own duties in the woods, don’t you?” Bella suddenly spoke up. “I’m sorry, perhaps we haven’t met before, but I am Bella, I came from the Imperial Silent Creek Society…”

“Yes, we haven’t met before. As you can see, I live in a rather remote location,” Verunara chuckled. “But I think we’ll have time to get to know each other in the future.”

"As for your question, please don't worry about that. According to the will of the gods, another natural ally will soon take over this job. Although it hasn't been a member of the society for very long, it has been practicing its ideals for a very, very long time."

The three archdruids exchanged surprised glances. Like Bella, they were unaware of this and had asked similar questions earlier: "If that's the case, then it has been our ally for a long time."

Even in this world, the essence of faith remains a unclear topic. What constitutes a true believer? Is it practicing the teachings of a deity, even if one is unsure of the deity's name and existence? Or is it reciting the true name and praying, yet completely deviating from it in every word and deed?

No one can provide an answer, because both extreme examples could potentially receive divine blessing or even divine attention. However, regardless, since the unicorns have made this claim, their allies should be able to continue shouldering the responsibility of protecting the forest, just like Verunara.

"Even without a griffin, we actually got a unicorn?" Unbeknownst to everyone else, Zhengling secretly thought to Daisy, "Isn't this just like that 'a blessing in disguise' from your memory...?"

"How can we be sure it's not a unicorn?"

“...I think after a while, I’ll be more like a local from your hometown than you are.” “Then keep bragging. If my world weren’t considered ‘forgotten,’ I’d be so high and mighty that you’d have to go and see for yourself.”

"But I'm telling you, Zhengling, they've already taken such a proactive step, don't you have anything to say next? Didn't you tell me before that your mistress was paying extra attention to Lao Lei? Well, look, they even sent him a mount, and all you did was give Lao Lei a hellish scolding?"

The devil's voice sounded somewhat annoyed: "That was just an extra. I'm right here, aren't I? Whose fault is it that you can't learn magic?"

"So this is my fault? It's clearly because you didn't want to teach me the new song!" "Then why don't you sign a contract with me?!"

Chapter 578 Duncan's Invitation

Veruna left with Angelita, while Bella decided to stay, as she still had much to learn in the Land of Refusal.

This is not an endless academic journey, but she at least needs to complete the relatively basic parts.

The unicorn concealed her radiance and horn, making herself appear like an ordinary white horse. Unless she revealed herself or was forcibly spied upon by a spellcaster, no one would ever discover that a celestial being was standing there.

She seemed to know all the problems in the group, but chose to ignore them. If her nature hadn't degenerated, then there was only one explanation: she was tasked with facing something far more dangerous than what was around her.

In Zebrech, Blackclaw showed great interest in the arrival of the unicorn, mainly evident in its several attempts to taste it. Unfortunately, it never succeeded. In fact, on its closest attempt, Veruna, awakened from a light sleep, instinctively raised her hind legs and broke Blackclaw's jaw with a powerful kick.

Although Veruna, once fully conscious, immediately treated Black Claw, even neglecting the scratches on her own hind legs, the Deinonychus still harbored a deep psychological trauma towards the white horse. So much so that whenever it saw Veruna approaching, it would immediately stop all activity and hastily flee from the unicorn.

The latter had considered communicating with it, but for some reason, even with her telepathic abilities, she couldn't persuade Blackclaw to let go of its fear of her. In the heart of that seemingly clever and intelligent reptile, she could only see an abnormal chaos.

It is said that this is because creatures like Black Claws have a different origin than most creatures, but even she has no idea why.

However, she soon had no time to think about the Black Claw's problems: her knight Angreta's actions were always based on Raslaufer, and this Doppler was receiving two acquaintances who had come to visit that day.

“We met you when we escorted that dwarf before,” the two mercenaries stood respectfully in front of Raslaufer, not even daring to sit on the chairs not far in front of them. “This time, we were sent here by Boss Duncan.”

"Not only that, two of my brothers who were traveling with me went to invite that lone beast, but I don't know if he will have time."

“Him?” Leslaufer’s knuckles tapped loudly on the armrest of his chair. “A skeletal man hanging around with him is never a good thing. But why is he looking for me?”

“Well…we’re only responsible for delivering messages, Your Excellency Raslaufer,” another mercenary said awkwardly. “You certainly know what the boss is thinking better than we do; we really can’t guess.”

Leslaufer pondered for a moment, but ultimately shook his head: "Me? I have a deep impression of the old Duncan, a hapless guy who was obsessed with saving face and suffered for it. Then he became a 'human stick,' and I just can't figure him out."

"He only has his brain to work with now. We who are able-bodied don't have that much time to figure him out."

Raslaufer could say that, but the two mercenaries dared not respond. He was a ruthless man who could cut off all his own arms and legs. If he was like that to himself, he would have no mercy to others.

"Alright, stop scaring me like that," Leslaufer stood up and waved his hand. "Wait for me a bit. I'll see who here has time to go with me. On the way, you can tell me what's been happening in Ironforge lately."

If Duncan is looking for him, then there must be a reason why he needs him, and Raslaw won't stand idly by. But he also needs to know the things that are important: Duncan has his reasons, and Raslaw has his own methods.

Unless you pay more—then it's just a matter of where to kill and how much.

Fortunately, the two mercenaries arrived at the right time. Daisy had been "in seclusion" at home recently, racking her brains to try to create some new music to match the magic she could use, so the group was able to set off quickly.

Upon learning of the city they were to visit, Veruna did not follow. It was not a place where she could exert her power, and her intuition and instincts did not sense any particularly powerful evil they would encounter on this journey. Therefore, it became her responsibility to stay home and look after the yard. The rest of them resumed their journey to Ironforge.

“This is a good opportunity to visit Professor Paul,” Angelita said, sitting in the carriage, still looking forward to the trip to Ironforge. “I wonder how he is doing. He wrote to me a while ago saying that he was not used to the climate of Inasas and that he was very grateful for Mr. Lecorney’s care.”

“Le Corneille, that priest?” Marie thought for a while before remembering him. “How interesting. It seems we have quite a connection with him.”

“While it’s not exactly that he owes us anything, it seems we should treat him to a meal,” a common understanding in the city of Toastmasters, once blessed by the god of wine. “Lord Raslaufer, are there any good taverns in Ironforge?”

Leslaufer sat in the front seat without even turning his head, casually pointing to the two mercenaries beside him: "You should ask them, I'm not a local from Ironforge."

“Then I recommend ‘Salted Butter’!” a mercenary quickly said. “It’s a tavern run by dwarves. Although they have many branches, the most authentic one is the original one on the fourth floor of Boot Lane. It’s a bit pricey, but their cheese sandwiches, rich tomato soup, and Golden Plate are all signature dishes, each one is top-notch… this one!”

As if to prove his point, the mercenary gave a strong thumbs-up.

Daisy's curiosity was piqued: "The other two dish names are obvious, but what is this 'Golden Plate'?"

“Dwarves don’t like vegetables,” another mercenary explained, “but they can’t eat meat every day, can they? So they came up with this idea: they soak the vegetables in a salty batter, fry them until crispy, and then drizzle them with a layer of ‘golden sauce’! But that’s their family’s secret recipe, and we don’t know what it is. It tastes like citrus, but no matter how I try to make it with my wife, she can’t replicate it—ugh, it’s making my mouth water!”

“You shouldn’t have been so detailed,” his companion couldn’t help but complain. “It’s so annoying! You know perfectly well that there’s no way to get a table these days! Not to mention the original store in Boot Lane, even the branches are packed every day—it’s all those barbarians’ fault!”

The people of Eastern Inasas were often derogatoryly called "savages" by people from other regions, but it was rare for them to call others barbarians, which made Leslaufer perk up a bit: "Barbarians? From the East Sea, or from the Ampiri?"

“Damn it,” the mercenary scratched his stubble-covered chin in frustration, “I don’t know what’s gotten into those people over there. Wouldn’t it have been better to just keep fishing and feeding the fish in the ocean? Now, even pirates are coming ashore to steal our livelihood!”

Chapter 579 Cold Iron Guard

This time, Leslaufer was genuinely surprised.

Although the mercenaries called them pirates, in reality, the difference between pirates and sailors was not much different from that between mercenaries and bandits. When business was good, they were sailors; when business was bad, they were pirates.

What are these people who make a living on ships doing here on land? And why aren't they in Ampiri, or even East Sea, but have all come to East Inasas?!

"Isn't this why the 'human stick' sent you to find me?" Dubul frowned. "Tell me, besides me and the beast, who else did he look for?"

The two mercenaries exchanged a glance. They weren't particularly sensitive to this kind of thing, but only now did they realize that what Leslaufer said seemed to make some sense. They quickly rattled off the list of names they knew.

Hearing those names, some familiar and some unfamiliar, even Raslaw occasionally couldn't help but exclaim, "This guy is still alive!" Judging from Doppler's expression, Angelita and the others could easily guess that Mr. Duncan had made quite a show of things this time.

"They're not even sparing the cavalry regiments; this time, it seems the 'human stick' is really enraged."

Chewing on a few names that held some significance for him, Raslaufer tilted his head back, a thoughtful look in his eyes: "But if the goal is simply to drive away outsiders, there's probably no need to go to such lengths."

Duncan isn't some "King of Mercenaries." He can't just order around so many famous figures with a few words. They either have to pay favors or offer real money. The fact that he's willing to pay such a high price means it's definitely not as simple as "outsiders taking his job."

Perhaps we should do what we did before and try to get information from Caristella first?

The gates of Ironforge soon came to the front of the carriage, but a small child approached with it. Raslaw had once saved him, and it seemed that he had indeed survived.

“Your Excellency,” the boy knelt down, bowing to Raslaufer with the utmost respect and awe, “'She' said that you don’t need to bother looking for her, just go directly to the union.”

"In addition, you'd better 'keep your eyes open,' 'stay alert,' and 'walk lightly.'"

Leslaufer stared at the top of the boy's head for a moment: "That's what she said?"

"Not a single letter can be wrong."

“Very good, go ahead, your mission is complete.” Leslaufer turned around, grabbed the Black Flame Greatsword from the carriage, and strode towards the city gate.

This is Ironforge, not a place to resist. Raslaufer has no time to put on a long robe and pretend to be civilized. The broken spears made an ominous noise under his movements, making Dobull look like he was coming to attack the city rather than entering it.

The sight of the gatekeepers made them dizzy, and they could only muster their courage to step forward: "Is this Lord Raslaufer? Please put away your weapons, this is Iron Keep..."

"Get lost," Reslaufer said, shoving two other men in armor aside. "Without me, you wouldn't even know where the demon dragged you!"

"Today I'm going to stomp on your city lord's face, and let's see who dares to stop me!"

The goalkeepers were in a terrible predicament, but they dared not go forward to block them any further. They could only send someone to rush ahead of Raslaufer and his group to inform their colleagues at the doors on the next few floors, lest some foolish young man try to stop them.

Raslaufer was a formidable figure among mercenaries, even among the Doples. In the past two years, he has stirred up trouble in Eastern Inasa. So what if he just entered the city with his sword?

As for causing trouble... he really needs to draw his sword to kill whoever he wants.

“Old Rae, isn’t this different from what that Tifflin said?” Rae walked very fast, forcing the bards behind him to jog to keep up with him.

Leslaufer ignored her, but Mary already understood the meaning of those three paragraphs. She reached out and tugged at Daisy's sleeve, asking softly, "When do you think we need to walk quietly?"

"Doesn't that mean being careful and cautious?"

"...You did learn some swordsmanship with us, at least, think it over again."

Moving lightly allows for more efficient movement and a more advantageous position, which in turn enables the sword to be used for defense or offense in conjunction with hand movements. In other words...

That was when they were preparing to kill.

Although the poet might not fully understand this meaning, the two mercenaries who delivered the message understood it very well. They had already drawn their weapons when Raslaufer drew his sword at the very beginning, and now they followed closely behind Raslaufer, charging through the streets and alleys of Ironforge like a charge, causing pedestrians on both sides to gasp and retreat.

The sixth floor, the fifth floor, the fourth floor... No one dared to stop Raslaufer wherever he went. Although it was broad daylight and the streets were bustling with citizens, in front of Dubler, it was like a ghost town.

He knew that the third layer of the city wall was ahead of him.

"Halt!"

Sixteen hunting horses replaced the gatekeepers, completely blocking the road at the city gate. Rows of barricades lined both sides of the road, clearly indicating that no one was to take a detour. On the lead horse, an unfamiliar woman raised her hand, her right hand resting on the hilt of her sword, and looked coldly at the approaching Raslaufer.

"This is the Cold Iron Garrison! By order of the City Lord, unauthorized personnel are prohibited from passing through with weapons!"

“The garrison? Never heard of it.” Beneath his horned helmet, Raslaufer’s icy blue eyes glanced ahead without slowing down in the slightest.