At this moment, the die turned slightly, and a new line of information appeared beneath the item's attributes.
...
Break the Curse: a consecrated spell sanctum; the soul of a dragonslayer or a usurper; cleansing or soaking it in the fresh blood of a true dragon; offering a sacrifice to the Dragon Gods Bahamut or Tiamat; or making the treasure part of another dragon's hoard.
...
'Huh, did the die evolve?' Anser was somewhat surprised.
He had previously appraised cursed magic items as well, but there had been no method for breaking the curse. It seemed that after he advanced to an elite profession, the die itself had undergone new changes.
There were quite a few ways to lift the curse, but unfortunately each was more demanding than the last. Sacrifice sounded simple, but he did not understand the ritual, and in the current environment, whether he could even establish contact with the Dragon Gods was a major problem.
'Would my blood work?'
After hesitating for a moment, Anser ran into the kitchen, closed the door, took out a wooden bowl, and used an adamantine dagger to pierce his wrist. Faintly glowing blood slowly flowed out, intermittently filling the bowl.
'Feels fine.'
But he felt that his blood was at most comparable to that of a wyrmling, and the quantity was still far from enough. After thinking it over, he injected two more points of metamagic power into it.
'This is an innate source of magic born from a draconic bloodline—it should be useful.'
Before the magic power could dissipate, he steadily placed the bowl into the pocket, then moved the fist-sized elemental orb and immersed it in the blood.
A layer of magical radiance flickered unsteadily over the surface of the elemental orb.
'It works, but it seems a bit short.' Anser's spirits lifted.
Clenching his teeth, he drew another bowl of blood, injected all five points of metamagic power he had just recovered into it, and then sent it into the dragonhide pocket again.
This time the effect was obvious. The elemental orb trembled slightly, then quickly calmed down, and the word "curse" was no longer present in its attribute information.
Anser activated the dragonhide pocket, took out the bowl of blood and the elemental orb, and used Prestidigitation to burn away both the blood and the wooden bowl. Holding the elemental orb in his hand, he bared his teeth in a silent grin.
Knowledge truly was wealth. If that shaman had known this method, he would probably have already embarked on the path of dragon hunting.
'Then again, maybe not. I likely wouldn't even have met the Green Marsh Tribe.'
Being a dragonslayer was not so easy—especially when it came to true dragons.
Wyrmlings would not leave their parents, and those professionals capable of hunting young or adult dragons—would they really be willing to offend the dragon race just for a few magic items?
This was a realm ruled by dragons. Killing one could draw an entire nest.
It was said that the Green Dragon Queen Viritela had had several husbands and many offspring. Even though she no longer bore children herself, her descendants were still reproducing.
This was a "duty" of the true dragon race. To gain freedom, one had to produce at least one clutch—otherwise, how could their rule be maintained?
Anser secured the orb, pushed open the door, and left the kitchen.
Giant Tail had already returned and was chatting happily with the green dragonborn.
"What's wrong with you?" Salian looked at Anser's somewhat pale face, his gaze carrying a hint of concern and curiosity.
"Nothing." Anser replied with a smile.
Although he had lost a bit of blood, it was not a major problem. A night's sleep and eating more would replenish it.
"I remember there's a storage room at the bow that's tall and spacious. Clear it out and let Giant Tail stay there." He felt he could not mistreat this boy who had delivered treasure to him.
"That was my thought as well. I've already had someone clean it." Salian assumed Anser wanted to separate Giant Tail from the crew's quarters, and immediately felt that the two of them were increasingly in sync, their thinking once again coinciding without prior discussion.
"Mm." Anser walked over to Giant Tail and patted his shoulder. "Get to know everyone well. We'll depart tomorrow."
"I like it here." Giant Tail opened his somewhat intimidating wide mouth; the smell of alcohol was heavy.
The various races of the Emerald Kingdom were always fighting one another. A situation like this ship, where multiple races coexisted harmoniously, was rare and made him feel especially relaxed.
In the tribe, he was the main pillar, bearing the survival pressure of the entire clan. But here, he was just an ordinary crew member, with a superior above him, and did not need to worry about so much.
As night fell, the halfling head chef began preparing dinner.
Although lizardfolk had mastered primitive magic and formed a powerful connection with the Plane of Earth, they were still flesh and blood by nature. They loved meat, and their appetite was large.
Fortunately, the ship was not short of meat for the time being and could fully afford to feed him.
Anser ate a little and then returned alone to his cabin to meditate.
He was currently attuned to three magic items: a Ring of Spell Storing, a Monarch Butterfly Cloak, and a Circlet of True Seeing. To use the elemental orb, he would have to give up one.
After thinking it over, he decided to remove the Ring of Spell Storing. Losing one Fireball and one Scorching Ray would not matter much, but without life-saving equipment, he would feel uneasy.
'The lizardfolk seem to have some connection with the Plane of Earth. I'll ask him tomorrow whether he has any earth elemental essence.'
...
Golden sunlight poured over the land. The surface of the lake shimmered beautifully.
The wind was not strong today, yet the cloud-sail still billowed without rest. The Quesser cut through the water, steady as if drifting.
Anser stood at the bow, facing the wind. A silver hollow metal sphere gently rotated around him. Inside, a trace of red light left a faint afterimage in the air, somewhat eye-catching.
"Was that given to you by that shaman?" Salian frowned, unable to understand.
"Yes," Anser replied vaguely.
"That doesn't make sense. What are they after?" Salian's eyes showed contemplation. With his many years of experience, he believed there must be something suspicious within it.
Giant Tail stood at the side, looking bewildered. As far as he knew, the tribe did not possess any powerful magic items. Even his shield and hammer were extremely primitive; their grade relied entirely on the hardness of their materials.
Anser had asked Giant Tail. The Green Marsh Tribe had quite a few fragments of earth elemental crystal, but there was only one complete essence, mounted on the staff passed down through generations of shamans.
He felt somewhat regretful and had no choice but to give up. Having obtained so many good things from them for nothing, to then open his mouth and ask for more would be a bit too shameless.
"Prepare for battle—!" Salian suddenly shouted.
The crew members became alert. Even Giant Tail grabbed his club.
Anser looked up. In the distance, many dark green fish-like heads surfaced on the lake, densely packed and somewhat frightening.
However, they merely watched the Quesser leave in silence. They did not approach, nor did they show any intent to attack.
"They know what's good for them." Giant Tail struck his shield once. It was a new phrase he had learned from the green dragonborn.
Anser and Salian exchanged a glance without speaking.
This lake was very large, stretching more than a dozen kilometers from north to south. The elven ship could not pick up much speed and took over two hours to sail out.
Afterward, they entered a river. The current was slow, but the river channel was fairly wide, making navigation convenient.
Around noon, they encountered a dragonborn town built along the riverbank.
Faced with an unknown force, the dragonborn were cautious and rational. They did not launch an attack without cause, only sending people to trail them from a distance and keep watch.
As the guide, Giant Tail remained by Salian's side the whole time, but his expression grew increasingly bewildered.
"This river… something's wrong. Why does it bend east?"
Salian, experienced in wilderness survival, immediately saw the issue. "The river has changed its course. Look carefully at the riverbank…"
"I'll go up and take a look."
Anser activated the Monarch Butterfly Cloak and, beating its wings, flew upward.
Out of caution, he had rarely flown high these past few days. The sky belonged to dragons and flying creatures; flying too high easily invited trouble.
'It would be even better if I had Invisibility.'
As he thought this, he had already flown more than a thousand meters into the sky. The wind roared around him. He spread the butterfly wings and imitated the gliding posture of a gray hawk nearby. The effect was good—steady and energy-saving.
From high above, the terrain below lay fully within his sight.
After the merging of realms, the Emerald Plains had connected with the continent of Faerûn, with the coastline serving as the dividing line.
South of the Cloakwood lay a peninsula shaped like a claw hooked into the Sword Sea. Between it and the mainland formed a long, narrow bay running north to south, dotted with many towns and once a paradise for smugglers.
And now that bay still existed.
The rivers of the Emerald Plains wound and twisted, extending into this bay, which should now be called an inland lake.
The river flowed into the bay at the "fingertip" of the Claw Peninsula, where the renowned Dusk City was located.
However, at this moment, the once-prosperous port city was filled with smoke and fire, strewn with devastation. Figures chased and slaughtered one another throughout the city.
Several wyverns circled above the city, diving from time to time to strike, or seizing a few people and dropping them from the air.
'Those are the Green Dragon Queen's wyvern guard. The war has begun.' Anser pressed his lips together, his gaze complicated.
When two completely different civilizations are brought together, conflict is inevitable. And killing is the most direct and effective way to resolve conflict.
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