The wilderness was open and offered few places for anyone to hide.

When Anser saw that no one had followed them out of the city, he relaxed. Ever since leaving the battlefield, he had felt as though countless eyes were watching his back.

The Flaming Fist might not mean him any harm. They might even be eager for him to join, but he did not like the word “forced.”

“What happened?” Bratt caught up to Anser in a few quick steps, sounding concerned.

“Soladin said the Grand Duke issued a forced conscription order to form a battle group...” Anser briefly explained the situation.

“Won’t that offend a lot of people?” Bratt looked puzzled. “They even dare conscript paladins?”

“Elite classed individuals and clergy are naturally exempt. They can only be hired at a high price. Rand could protect us too, but if we hid in the church and refused to come out, we’d fall out with the Flaming Fist and the Grand Duke. Better not to meet them at all,” Anser explained.

The Flaming Fist had elite barbarians. Civilians and ordinary classed individuals probably had no power to refuse, especially when the compensation was generous.

“Makes sense.” Bratt nodded. “Joining the battle group might not be dangerous, but staying away definitely won’t be.

“It’s a shame about all that loot. Not handling it ourselves makes it feel like something’s missing.”

Anser laughed. “We only killed small fry. Those kuo-toa came naked and left naked, so they probably had nothing valuable. At most, their bodies might earn us a bounty.”

“The bounty would still be substantial.” Bratt seemed to remember something. “That archpriest had a fine scepter. Rand appeared to have damaged it, but it was still in the pile.

“And those giant crabs—I asked around. They’re edible, taste excellent, and are usually reserved for nobles...”

Beside them, Finn glanced down at the crab legs and meat in his hands and smiled to himself.

“Rand killed the Kuo-toa Archpriest, so its loot doesn’t belong to us.” Anser added that explanation. He was already satisfied to have gained 385 Combat Experience with a single Hold Person spell.

He had not expected to receive so much experience without dealing any damage. Killing it alone would probably have yielded only a little over two thousand. Apparently, the harder the battle, the larger his share of experience.

After they had walked for a while, the sun climbed higher and the heat became oppressive. A sheen of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

Bratt looked back. The city district had shrunk into the distance and was almost impossible to make out.

“Leaving is probably for the best.” His expression turned melancholy. “If those kuo-toa attacked at night, we wouldn’t even sleep properly.”

“They probably won’t come again,” Anser reasoned.

“Why? They can jump into the water whenever they want. They can come and go as they please.” Bratt did not understand.

“Think from their perspective. They don’t live in your houses or eat your grain, so what would they gain? Does human flesh taste better than sea fish? Everything needs a motive.”

“Then why did they come in the first place?”

“The duergar and kuo-toa probably formed an alliance. The kuo-toa dream of returning to the surface, so an alliance makes sense. Their invasion was merely supporting the duergar’s operation.

“Kuo-toa are amphibious and mainly live in shallows, rivers, and seas. Now that they’ve achieved their goal, they must be perfectly comfortable. Wyrm’s Crossing is broken, so the duergar can’t get through. The kuo-toa probably won’t keep risking their lives...”

These were only Anser’s deductions, but he was almost certainly right.

If the kuo-toa truly blockaded the River Chionthar, disaster would soon descend upon them.

The River Chionthar stretched eastward to the Lake of Dragons, running nearly 2,000 kilometers—about 1,250 miles—through numerous cities and kingdoms. It was an economic lifeline. If it were blocked, countless people would be furious.

“I hope your reasoning is correct.” Bratt’s mood brightened considerably.

Finn suddenly moved closer. “Too hot.”

Anser thought he wanted to find somewhere to rest, but before he could speak, Finn held out an armful of crab legs and meat.

“How did I never realize you were such a glutton?”

Despite the complaint, Anser fired two Rays of Frost to chill the giant-crab meat.

Once it spoiled, they would not be able to eat it.

“Let’s keep going a little longer.” Anser waved a hand.

“All right...”

After the downpour, the ground was a muddy mess and exceptionally difficult to traverse.

Many refugees traveled along the road, some in groups of two or three and others in larger bands.

Everyone kept their distance, hurriedly moving away whenever they met, afraid that someone might harbor ill intentions.

Catastrophe inevitably bred chaos. Under the pressure of hunger, greed, and despair, what wouldn’t people do?

After walking for a while, the group found a dry patch of woodland and stopped to rest.

Anser took out the map and climbed a tree. After comparing it with the surroundings for some time, he found nothing but desolate land ahead. The ranch marked on the map did not exist.

“An old map?” Finn communicated with the gray hawk for a while and confirmed that something was wrong with it. They had left the district only two or three hours ago, so they could not have misjudged their position.

Bratt looked at Anser in confusion. “Aren’t you a local?”

“Well...” Anser smiled awkwardly. “You know me. I devoted myself to studying magic and haven’t left the city in years. I’ve barely even visited Rivington.”

In truth, the real Baldur’s Gate differed greatly from the version he had known through books and games in his previous life. Many of those memories could not be applied directly, much less to the wilderness.

A single magical contamination or migration of unusual creatures could completely transform a region’s ecology.

Bratt resorted to the ultimate technique from his adventuring days. “Follow the sun. If we keep heading west, we’ll reach the coast eventually.”

“Makes sense.” Anser gave him a thumbs-up.

“Hah.” Finn remained expressionless, which probably meant he agreed as well.

“Let’s eat something.”

Bratt and Finn gathered firewood while Anser used Prestidigitation to light the fire.

Finn handled the cooking. He often lived in the wilderness and always prepared his own meals.

Breakfast consisted of crab legs. They needed no seasoning. A simple roasting released a mouthwatering aroma, and the meat was firm and springy, savory with a trace of sweetness. It truly was a top-quality ingredient.

A giant crab was a Medium amphibious creature, roughly the size of a human. It could carry a kuo-toa at a run, but it was not especially strong in combat and was generally trained as a mount.

Finn had brought only a few legs, some crabmeat, and part of the shell, perhaps thirty or forty pounds altogether. With a little shaping, the shell could serve as a shield. It was light, hard, and more useful than an ordinary shield.

After eating their fill, Anser leaned against his backpack and quietly opened his character sheet.

The third symbol on the silver die was only a fraction away from fully illuminating. Anticipation stirred within him.

His experience had reached 2067/2700. He had gained nearly a thousand experience from one battle despite casting only a few spells, and he had faced practically no danger throughout. It had been almost effortless.

‘Paladins really are model workers.’

A magic item called the <Concordant Holy Symbol> had appeared in his Equipment field, glowing with soft white light.

‘The holy symbol Rand gave me.’

Understanding dawned. He touched it with his mind, and the die immediately displayed its details.

[Magic Item: Concordant Holy Symbol]

<Category>: Wondrous Item

<Rarity>: Rare

This platinum holy symbol is a sacred emblem of Tyr, the God of Justice. It was once carried and used by a paladin. Evil-aligned creatures cannot use it.

<Evil Warning>: The holy symbol warns you when an Evil-aligned creature approaches or observes you from close range.

<Otherworldly Steed>: You summon an otherworldly being as a loyal steed, forge a soul bond with it, and fight or adventure together.

You can dismiss or recall it at any time. If the steed dies, you can summon a new one, but the chance of your request being refused increases.

Thanks to all the honored readers for your support and suggestions!

Creature Sizes:

Tiny (under 0.6 meters / 2 feet): bat, sprite, imp

Small (0.6–1.2 meters / 2–4 feet): goblin, kobold, halfling, gnome

Medium (1.2–2.4 meters / 4–8 feet): human, elf, dwarf, orc

Large (2.4–4.8 meters / 8–16 feet): ogre, worg, griffon

Huge (4.8–9.6 meters / 16–32 feet): giant, adult dragon, mammoth

Gargantuan (over 9.6 meters / 32 feet): ancient dragon, titan, kraken

(End of Chapter)