"I told you," said Alexandros Mograini, "that they will come back." ”

At this time, he and Da Sohan were trying to make their way through the crowd in the square to get to the church. Although the people around them were full of respect and wanted to make a way after seeing them, there were so many people gathered here that there was not much time to spare. And there are always people who can't help but reach out and want to touch their armor, which is no longer shiny, as if in this way they can receive the blessing of the light and keep it away from evil.

After this sudden catastrophe, the people of Stratholme once again turned to the Light for security. Not only the injured and those separated from their families, but also many more ordinary people gathered around the church, occupying the square and adjacent streets. Despite the monks' best efforts to maintain order, only some of those who were in the vicinity were persuaded to leave, while others insisted on staying. They inquired about the news with the strangers around them, discussed, worried, told and comforted each other. Sometimes some unfortunate people who have lost a loved one will suddenly burst into a burst of crying, which will gradually subside with the persuasion of others.

Seeing that it was getting late, the monks began to distribute water and bread. The hall of the church was filled with the aroma of roasted wheat, which masked the unpleasant smell of blood and potions. The injured have been properly accommodated, and those with minor injuries have been sent home, relieving the overcrowding. The seriously injured were accompanied by their family members, and the sounds of their whispered conversations converged into a buzz. When the two paladins squeezed into the church sweaty, many pairs of eyes looked at them, but fortunately a voice greeted them in time: "Come this way, brothers." ”

"Tirio!" Dasuohan breathed a long sigh of relief and stepped forward to give his old friend a powerful hug. "Holy Light, what have you been doing all this time? Tyran has been looking for you everywhere! ”

"With Captain Coravin of the City Guard. I happened to be around when he was assassinated, and we also had a need for temporary incognito. Tirio replied. He and Alexandros had met outside the barracks before, so they just shook each other's hands, "I've already talked to Tyran. I'm sorry to worry you guys, but it really wasn't a good idea for me to act publicly at that time. ”

Da Sohan's reproachful expression faded: "The captain is still alive?" That's good news, he's a good guy. But seriously, I was worried that you were still stupid and wanted to go to that orc. ”

Tirio coughed dryly.

"The orc......"

A call of surprise interrupted him. Darion came out from behind a pillar and rushed to them in one breath, and before he could stand firm on his feet, he hurriedly asked, "Daddy! Are you hurt? ”

Alexandros took the opportunity to take his youngest son, who had not yet regained his balance, into his arms and rubbed his head: "I'm fine. ”

Tyran walked over steadily and greeted them, "Lord Mograini, Lord Dasohan, I am glad to see you all right. ”

"So do we." Da Sohan patted him on the shoulder, a look of relief, "I heard that you also caught a few more spies?" Well done, Tyran, you've grown into a man. ”

"It's the three of us together." Tyran corrected gently, "And only the first two groups, after which we escorted the wounded to the church. ”

Only then did Renault shuffle his steps and lean over slowly. He only walked behind Tyran and stopped, and greeted in a low voice, "Lord Dasohan...... Father. ”

Alexandros' gaze shifted from Darien to Renault. He frowned, the smile on his face gone. Renault tilted his head and looked gloomily into his father's eyes defiantly, as if to see what he could say. The originally warm atmosphere took a turn for the worse, and became tense as the father and son looked at each other.

Before Alexandros could open his mouth, Tirio snatched his head, "I'm sorry, kids, but now is not the right time to catch up, Master Uther and the others are waiting for us upstairs. Why don't you go and visit Dineh? The pastor told me he was badly injured and that maybe you could do something for him. ”

As if given an order, Renault immediately pressed his heels, straightened up, and replied loudly, "Yes, sir," and then strode away without even looking back to see if the other two boys had followed. Tyran sighed covertly and left with Darion after saying goodbye to the three adults.

It wasn't until they disappeared into the crowd that Alexandros withdrew his gaze. He followed his two colleagues towards the stairs at the end of the hall and suddenly asked, "Have you seen that Dinine, Tirio?" ”

"Yes, he's the same young man who defended me in court." Tirio smiled.

"You've known each other before?" Da Sohan also joined the conversation.

"Nope." Tirio paused slightly, and turned sideways to make way for an attendant holding a large roll of parchment, so that the young man in a hurry could pass him and continue his journey upward, "I didn't know his name until noon today. The Captain and I, along with a small team, were trying to rush out of the center of the barracks, and he and Miss Proudmore showed up just in time to save our lives and temporarily stop the undead from flooding into the residential area, buying the militia enough time. ”

"So he's the same as the mage?"

"I can't tell you exactly where he came from, we only talked a few words." Tirio ascended the final step and pointed to a half-open door on his left. "But at least one thing I can say for sure is that he's been doing everything he can to save the city." ”

As the words fell, they walked into the room. Originally a library, it was temporarily used as a conference hall. The candlesticks on the wall are only half-lit to provide illumination for the people gathered on this side. The far end of the room was immersed in darkness, and through the moonlight through the window, a lot of debris could be seen spreading from the long table to the floor.

At the end of the long table sat the revered Archbishop Fao, the only one in the room, and there was nothing wrong with that, given his age and prestige. Upon seeing them enter, the archbishop nodded kindly. The paladins returned the salute with respect. To his left were Uther and Finn, a former captain of the City Guard and now the commander of the militia, whispering a discussion over a map of the city on the table. Opposite them was Gianna. Between her and the archbishop stood a handsome young man, dressed in simple attire but of extraordinary temperament.

"This is the Prince of Arthas," Tirio introduced them.

"It's great to meet both, and your efforts today are an integral part of what has kept this city alive." Arthas smiled, "And Mistress Mograini, I hope you will accept my and Dinein's apologies, and about Renault and Darien, I assure you that they have not missed any homework this week. ”

Alexandros raised his eyebrows, stared at him in surprise, and then nodded slowly after a while: "You are so polite, Your Highness, it is their honor to be able to accept your teachings. ”

"Forgive me for taking the liberty of it, Your Highness. But you came to town a week ago? "We thought you were still in the monastery in Northshire." ”

Arthas's smile became unnatural. He put his fist to his mouth and coughed dryly.

"In fact......"

"That's just an excuse to cover up his behavior." Uther said lightly.

He pointed out a location to Finn, and when he confirmed it, he pinned a pin to the map, and continued, "Remember the letter I showed you? It was they who were in Talummere at that time. ”

Da Sohan suddenly realized: "So, you have already discovered the conspiracy of the Cursed Sect?" ”

"Indeed...... It's a little earlier than you. Alsace admits in a subtle tone. Out of sight of the elder, he smiled wryly at Gianna. The mage grimaced with a narrow face.

After the greetings, they quickly returned to the table and got to business. Alexandros was the first to report, "My team has found enough evidence in Rivendell's quarters, including letters, magical artifacts, and experimental equipment, to prove that he voluntarily collaborated with the Cult of the Damned. Unfortunately, by the time we got there, all the minions had already been poisoned, and their remains were found in the basement. Two apprentices directed some blasphemous creations to roam the house, but there was no trace of any more. According to the documents we have found, the Cult of the Damned still has eleven more strongholds in the city. I'm going to search overnight. ”

Da Sohan picked him up: "I have asked every surviving nobleman, but even the conspirators of those barons do not know much. Rivendell had been contacting them individually, secretly offering them potions, amulets, and promises of immortality in exchange for them following his instructions. Those who fled from the sacrificial ritual were even more ignorant of it, and they didn't even notice anything unusual until they were suddenly taken from their homes. These people were already terrified, and it was impossible to expect them to come forward and identify the Cursed Cultists. What's more, those people are wearing hoods, and it is difficult to distinguish their identities. Seven more people are missing, and I will continue to search for them. ”

Gianna raised her hand to speak, and Uther nodded to her. So she lowered her hand and said, "Speaking of the sacrificial ritual, although the spatial rift torn by the Dreadlord has been closed, the explosion has made the space there very fragile. Kenrito is discussing how to fix this, but don't expect them to come up with results right away. Also, some mages would like to study the remains of the Dreadlord—"

The paladins looked at her in unison.

Gianna shrugged, "Okay. I've already brought the words to me anyway. ”

"My team has finished the search in the central area." Arthas frowned, "It's a slaughterhouse. We eliminated the cultists and undead who had been scattered out on patrol, but the Cult of the Damned killed or captured almost all of them, and we only found a few survivors who were hiding. The only thing thankful for is that they locked the children in solitary confinement, intending to ...... later," he gritted his teeth in annoyance, and continued, "Now the children are safe. And, I found Rivendell's body, he has been duly punished, and he won't cause us any more trouble. ”

Fao sighed, "I will send a few priests there later, may the Light give peace to those innocent." ”

"Please send some to the barracks as well." "The undead city guards have been reinvented, but their bodies are unrecognizable and unrecognizable. This makes the already devastated family even more sad. The Light may be able to bring them some comfort. ”

Finn covered his eyes with his hands, slumped his shoulders, and let out a heavy sigh. Tirio patted him on the shoulder comfortingly. He rubbed his face and cheered up.

"The mood of the people is relatively stable, although they still suspect that there are cultists hiding around. After Master Mograini's search and identification is over, they should be relieved a little. We also have to give an explanation as soon as possible about what happened and what to do, otherwise the rumors will ferment to an unimaginable level. ”

Uther nodded slightly: "I'll find someone they can trust to do this." ”

"There is also the fact that there is still a shortage of food in the city, and those who are hungry are always more likely to panic than those who are well-fed, especially after this catastrophe, and the last thing Stratholme needs is another crisis. It had been Rivendell's handling before, so I didn't have a clue where the next batch of food would come from. ”

Uther muttered, "Do you remember the case of the warehouse fire, Captain? ”

"How can you forget? For me, that was the beginning of all bad things. Fein said, unconsciously putting his hand on his waist, "Damn, if that food was still there, things would be much better now." ”

"They're still there." Uther told him that "all in the basement of the church, there is little to lose." ”

Both Alexandros and Dasohan were surprised, and even Fao was taken aback. Finn was even more dumbfounded: "Are you serious, my lord?" What the hell is going on? ”

"Let me tell you about this, teacher." Arthas sighed, "Before that, we accidentally met a necromancer from the Cursed Sect. Dinen convinced him that we could work together, so he left it to us. We made the illusion that the grain was burned, and deceived them into continuing with the plan in order to find out his co-conspirators. ”

"Yes...... The guards said it was an orc who had attacked them. Finn was still at a loss, "How did you get the grain away?" ”

"Miss Proudmoore's magic played a vital role." Uther said calmly.

Finn gave Gianna a look of awe.

"So the runaway orc has nothing to do with it?" D'Athohan asked, "And where the hell did it go?" ”

"I have reason to believe," Uther glanced at Arthas, "that orc has escaped out of the city by some means that we can't be sure of, after all, it can't continue to hide itself in the current situation. And it's not the focus right now, we have to focus on the Cursed Sect. Every second wasted could allow a cultist to escape the Light's sanctions, and justice would not be served. ”

Everyone nodded in agreement. They continued to discuss some details and ended the meeting. Perhaps because of Uther's words, everyone had an extra sense of urgency and wanted to complete their task as soon as possible. They hurried out of the room, leaving only Arthas at the end of Uther's motion.

"I want you to be able to go to the square and address the people." When only the two of them were left in the room, Uther said to his students, "It is good for your people to know you. ”

"But I wasn't the one who really saved the city."

"I'm not saying you want to think of yourself as a savior. You represent the royal family. Heroes bring hope to the people, while kings bring restoration and stability to the people. Now that the disaster has passed, the people of Stratholme need the latter even more. No one is better suited to give them commitment and confidence than you. ”

The young prince nodded slowly: "I understand. ”

"Also, when this is over, you'll have to go back and see your father. You don't know how worried he is about you. ”

A hint of guilt flashed across Arthas's face: "I will." ”

"And don't forget to bring that friend of yours." Uther glanced at his feet, as if his vision could penetrate the floor to see the next floor, "I'm sure Your Majesty will want to talk...... What you did in the South. ”