The wilderness was vast and open, not an easy place to hide people.
Seeing that no one from the city had followed them, Anser felt slightly relieved. From the moment he left the battlefield until now, he had constantly felt as though countless pairs of eyes were watching his back.
The Flaming Fist might not harbor ill intent and might even be full of anticipation about his joining, but he disliked the word "mandatory."
"What happened?" Bratt caught up to Anser in a few strides, his tone tinged with concern.
"Soladin said the Grand Duke has issued a mandatory conscription order to form a battle group…" Anser briefly explained the reason.
"Wouldn't that offend a lot of people?" Bratt looked puzzled. "They even dare to conscript paladins?"
"Elite professionals and clergy are, of course, not included—they can only be hired at a high price. Rand can also protect us, but if we hide in the church and refuse to come out, wouldn't that mean falling out with the Flaming Fist and the Grand Duke? It's better not to meet them at all," Anser explained.
The Flaming Fist has elite barbarians. Ordinary civilians and common professionals probably lack the leverage to refuse, especially since the offered compensation is quite generous.
"That makes sense." Bratt nodded slightly. "Joining the battle group doesn't necessarily mean danger, but not going definitely means no danger."
"It's a pity about that loot, though. Not handling it personally always feels like something's missing."
Anser laughed. "What we killed were all small fry. Those fishfolk came naked and left naked—there probably wasn't anything good, at most some bounty."
"The bounty isn't small either." Bratt seemed to think of something. "That archpriest's staff was pretty good. It looks like Rand broke it, and it's all in that pile of stuff."
"And those giant crabs—I asked around. They're edible and taste great, a delicacy reserved for nobles…"
Off to the side, Finn lowered his head to look at the crab legs and crab meat in his hands, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"The Kuo-toa Archpriest was killed by Rand, so the spoils don't belong to us," Anser added by way of explanation. He was already quite satisfied to have gained 385 experience points just by landing a single Hold Person spell.
He had not expected beforehand that he could receive so much experience without causing any damage at all. Even a solo kill would probably yield only a little over two thousand experience points. It seemed that the more difficult the battle, the more experience was distributed.
After walking for a while, the sun climbed higher, and the heat became stifling. A sheen of sweat appeared on everyone's foreheads.
Bratt looked back. The city area was growing smaller and smaller, already nearly out of sight.
"Leaving is a good thing." His expression was tinged with melancholy. "If those fishfolk launched a sneak attack in the middle of the night, no one would get any sleep."
"The fishfolk probably won't come anymore," Anser reasoned.
"Why?" Bratt was puzzled. "They can jump into the water at any time—come when they want, leave when they want."
"You have to think from the fishfolk's perspective. They don't live in your houses, they don't eat your grain—what would they gain? Is human flesh tastier than sea fish? Everything needs a motive, doesn't it?"
"Then why did they come in the first place?"
"It was probably because the Duergar and the Kuo-toa formed an alliance. The Kuo-toa dream of returning to the surface world, so forming an alliance is normal. The invasion was merely cooperation with the Duergar's actions."
"Fishfolk are amphibious creatures, mainly living in shallows, rivers, and the sea. Now that their objective has been achieved, they're probably quite at ease. Wyrm's Crossing is destroyed, so the Duergar can't cross over. It's unlikely the Kuo-toa will fight desperately again…"
All of this was Anser's speculation, but it was likely close to the truth.
If the Kuo-toa truly blocked the River Chionthar, it would quickly bring about catastrophic consequences.
The River Chionthar flows eastward, stretching nearly two thousand kilometers and passing through numerous cities and kingdoms. It can be considered an economic lifeline—once blocked, no one knows how many people would panic.
"Let's hope your reasoning is right." Bratt's mood improved noticeably at once.
Finn suddenly leaned over. "It's too hot."
Anser thought he wanted to find a place to rest. Before he could speak, Finn shoved a pile of crab legs and crab meat in front of him.
"How did I never notice you're such a foodie?"
Complaints aside, he still fired off two Ray of Frost spells, freezing and cooling the giant crabs.
Once they spoiled, they wouldn't be edible.
"Let's walk a bit farther," Anser waved his hand.
"Okay…"
After the heavy rain, the ground was muddy and extremely hard to traverse.
Along the way, there were many refugees fleeing disaster, scattered in small groups or traveling together.
However, everyone kept a wide distance from one another. When they encountered others, they hurried away, afraid that someone might harbor ill intent.
In times of great disaster, there is always great chaos. Under hunger, greed, and despair, what is there that people would not do?
After walking for a while, they found a dry patch of woodland to rest.
Anser took out the map, climbed a tree, and compared it for quite some time. He discovered that the area ahead was desolate, and the ranch marked on the map did not exist.
"An old map?" Finn communicated with the gray hawk for a while and confirmed that there was a problem with the map. They had only left the city area two or three hours earlier; it was impossible for their positioning to be wrong.
Bratt looked at Anser, his eyes full of confusion. "Aren't you a local?"
"Yeah…" Anser gave an awkward smile. "You know—I've been focused on studying spells. I haven't left the city in many years. I haven't even been to Rivington more than a few times."
In reality, Baldur's Gate was quite different from the Baldur's Gate he had known in his previous life through books or games. Many memories could not be applied directly, let alone the wilderness.
A single instance of magical contamination or an unusual migration of creatures could completely overturn an area's ecology.
Bratt decided to use his ultimate adventuring secret technique: "Walk by the sun. Head west the whole way, and you'll always reach the sea."
"Makes sense." Anser gave him a thumbs-up.
"Heh." Finn remained expressionless—he was probably agreeing too.
"Let's eat something."
Bratt and Finn gathered firewood, and Anser used Prestidigitation to start a fire.
Finn was in charge of cooking. He often lived in the wild and always cooked for himself.
Breakfast was crab legs. No seasoning was needed—just a simple roast, and the aroma hit the nose. The meat was firm and springy, salty and fresh with a hint of sweetness. It truly was top-tier fare.
Giant crabs were medium-sized amphibious creatures, about the same size as a human. They could carry fishfolk and sprint, but their combat power was not that strong. They were usually trained by the Kuo-toa as mounts.
Finn had brought only a few crab legs, some crab meat, and crab shells—about 14–18 kilograms' worth. With a bit of polishing, the shells could be used as shields. They were light and hard, more handy than ordinary shields.
After eating their fill, Anser leaned against his backpack and quietly pulled up his character sheet.
The third symbol on the silver die was just a little short of fully lighting up, and he could not help feeling a bit expectant.
His experience points had reached 2067/2700. One battle had yielded nearly a thousand experience points. He had barely cast any spells, and the whole thing could be said to have been completely without danger—easy to the extreme.
'Paladins really are gold-medal wage earners.'
A new magic item appeared in the equipment slot, named "Cooperative Holy Symbol," glowing with a lustrous white light.
"The holy symbol Rand gave me."
He understood at once. His thought lightly touched the holy symbol, and the die immediately displayed its detailed description.
[Magic Item: Cooperative Holy Symbol]
Category: Wondrous item
Rarity: Rare
This is a holy symbol made of platinum. It is the sacred symbol of the god of justice, Tyr. It was once worn close to the body and used by a paladin, and creatures of an evil alignment cannot use it.
Evil Warning: When you are approached by a creature of an evil alignment or watched at close range, the holy symbol will warn you.
Otherworldly Mount: You summon a certain otherworldly being as a loyal mount, form a soul contract, and fight or adventure together.
You can dismiss or recall it at any time. After the mount dies, you can summon a new mount again, but the possibility of being refused increases.
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