A killing radius of several dozen meters might seem large, but compared to the number of fish-men, it was insignificant.
However, that one casting of Lightning Sphere stalled the fish-men's charge and bought everyone time to retreat.
Anser turned and left, refusing to get entangled with them.
Fortunately, the effect of Lightning Sphere was astonishing. It made those relatives of the Kuo-toa understand that these humans were not soft targets, and their instinct to bully the weak but fear the strong stopped them from coming ashore in pursuit.
From a distance, the city design of Bluewater City looked as though it was imitating Baldur's Gate, with city walls separating districts. Only upon closer inspection did one realize it was not so; it merely used walls to enclose the inner city.
The dock district and the outer city district were both left outside the walls—effectively abandoned—and most of the civilians had been relocated into the inner city.
Anser did not wish to linger here. His original plan had been to skirt along the wall and leave directly.
But just as they departed the dock district, several wyverns appeared in the distant sky. They were extremely fast, and before long they were flying above the city.
"Into the city!"
The city gate opened halfway. After the group entered, it was immediately shut again.
Everything that had just happened had already been noticed by Bluewater City's defenders. No matter how foolish they might be, they would not possibly shut such powerful professionals out of the city.
The inner city was quite spacious, yet disaster refugees crowded the streets. Anser had seen this kind of scene far too many times—so often that he had grown somewhat numb to it.
Apart from sighing that Faerûn truly suffered from endless calamities, there was nothing he could do.
Logically speaking, this should have been the responsibility of the gods. If these were his followers, he would have descended to intervene no matter what.
At that moment, a wave of screams rose from the crowd ahead. A wyvern swooped low across the city, its long tail sweeping the flagpole from the top of the bell tower in passing.
On the wyvern's back rode a half-dragon. The long blade in his hand pointed directly at Anser from afar. He opened his mouth wide and let out a roar full of provocation.
'Him?' Anser narrowed his eyes.
He did not recognize the other party, but judging from the attire and behavior, this half-dragon was most likely the same one from last night's siege.
'His reaction is quite fast.'
After realizing it, the opponent had actually abandoned the cliff fortress and rushed here specifically to hunt him down. The resentment must be considerable.
"How arrogant!" a voice rang out from ahead, thick with anger. "A pack of beasts from some barbaric land—do they truly think Faerûn has no one left?"
Anser looked toward the sound. A man clad in blue armor was approaching head-on, followed by a squad of blue-clad warriors, fully armed.
"Sir Casanova, you were not injured, I trust?" The man came to stand before Tim, raised a hand to remove his helmet, and revealed a square, broad face with a short, full beard.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Baron." Tim gave a slight bow, his expression relaxed. "We are unharmed."
After saying that, he pointed at Anser. "Thanks to Mr. Anser, otherwise it really would've been hard to say what would've happened last night."
The man's expression did not change; he apparently had not heard Anser's name. He turned to face Anser, smiling broadly.
"I saw Mr. Anser's performance from above just now—truly unexpected. My name is Baron. I'm the commander of Bluewater City's vanguard guard."
"Hello, Mr. Baron." Anser swung down from his horse, a trace of polite smile on his face.
The dice rolled for quite a while before finally detecting his information.
[Baron, human, Level 11 Fighter (Battle Master)]
'So strong—a high-level professional.'
This might not have been the first high-level professional he had ever seen, but it was the first high-level professional the dice had detected.
If elite professionals were the backbone of the major factions, then high-level professionals were strategic-tier—people of real weight, and wherever they went, they were senior figures.
For someone like that to stand atop the city wall and personally direct things meant the situation must be extremely grim.
In truth, there were more high-level professionals on the continent of Faerûn than one might imagine; it was just that many people never got to see them. And after the Weave went wrong, most of the professionals who relied on spellcasting had gone into hiding.
"Mr. Anser, there's no need to hurry to leave. Bluewater City has gathered half of the professionals and soldiers of the Claw Bay. Those dragonborn and kobolds absolutely won't be able to break down Bluewater City's gates." Baron looked utterly confident.
After something happened to Dusk City, the Claw City-States notified all areas to carry out a strategic withdrawal, building a defensive system centered on Bluewater City and Antak City along the eastern shore, already prepared to hold out for the long term.
There was no choice but to hold. To the east lay vast wilderness; if they fled, they would be dragged into a running pursuit. With wyverns having limitless room to operate, it would likely turn into a rout.
"What if the enemy enters the inland from the peninsula and circles around behind Bluewater City? Once we're surrounded, things could get very bad." Anser pressed.
"Bluewater City has ample supplies, and there are also several high-level professionals here. In the short term, there's no need to worry. I've already sent people to Candlekeep and Beregost to request aid. I believe reinforcements will come." Baron's tone was firm.
Claw Bay had hundreds of thousands of civilians. The various city-states, following the example of the Lords' Alliance, formed a Claw City-States alliance. Although they fought fiercely among themselves in ordinary times, when it came to critical moments, pooling all resources and force was absolutely not something to be underestimated.
The bay's trade was prosperous, so it was common for professionals to cluster there. They did not lack mid- and low-end strength; what they lacked was top-end strength. If a green dragon appeared, it would probably be hard to deal with.
"Mm." Anser neither affirmed nor denied.
If he had not been targeted by that half-dragon, he would actually have been more inclined to leave.
"Sir Selig, the lord of Bluewater City, has issued a conscription order on behalf of the alliance. Anyone willing to help defend the city—from professionals down to civilians—will receive generous compensation, and there are extra rewards for killing enemies…"
Baron waved his hand, and a blue-armored soldier handed Anser a paper notice.
Ordinary professionals naturally were not worth his personal recruitment, but Anser was different. The value of an elite spellcaster was extremely high, and he even had a small team with him.
As for Tim, he himself was already a member of the city-state. Defending the city was the duty of the Casanova family.
"I'll explain this matter to Mr. Anser. We fought all night—we need to eat and rest for a while." Tim suddenly cut in.
"Yes, of course." Baron's gaze was somewhat unnatural. "Do you need me to arrange accommodations for you?"
"No need. Thank you." Tim refused directly.
"If you reach a decision, come find me at any time. This time… the payment can be given in advance." Baron did not press further and turned to leave.
"There's… something going on here?" Anser sensed Tim's abnormality and asked softly.
"This isn't a good place to talk. Follow me." Tim beckoned and led the way ahead.
Anser followed on horseback, with Bratt and the others flanking him.
After passing through two crowded streets, they entered an area guarded by sentries. The place was filled with garden villas—roughly dozens of them—each courtyard enclosed by iron fences.
"Fortunately, I bought a property here years ago…"
Tim led them into a small estate composed of three villas. Inside were over a hundred guards, and from their attire, all were Tim's subordinates.
The small estate immediately grew noisy as a group of people poured out from the houses. Among them, a mature, beautiful woman threw herself into Tim's arms, crying uncontrollably. Her eyes were swollen and ringed with heavy dark circles.
"All right, all right…" Tim comforted her carefully. Even in front of outsiders and his subordinates, he neither avoided it nor felt embarrassed.
It was clear that he valued family ties greatly.
After finally soothing his family, Tim hurriedly invited Anser and the others inside for tea and pastries, and introduced his family members along the way.
Anser was absentminded. He only remembered that his daughter, Tina, was very beautiful—delicate skin, gentle features—very much in line with his aesthetic.
Seeing what was on his mind, Tim hastily dismissed his family. "That Baron is fairly reliable, but he doesn't have the final say. The one in charge is Bluewater City's lord, Selig. That man cannot be trusted…"
The Selig family had risen through smuggling and was extremely wealthy. In recent years, they had grown arrogant, fantasizing about standing shoulder to shoulder with Baldur's Gate.
He looked down on those adventurers. Breaking promises was commonplace for him; he had no credibility whatsoever.
"No wonder Baron said the payment could be given in advance." Anser chuckled.
Tim ran a hand back through his messy beard, his expression serious.
"There are wyverns patrolling in the sky. Horses can't outrun them, so we can't leave for the time being. If Mr. Anser wants to go up onto the city wall, tell me what you need, and I'll negotiate."
Anser's heart stirred. "I want elemental essences—earth, water, or wind will do."
Assisting in the defense was not mandatory. Even if one took the payment, it did not mean one had to hold the line to the death. Since that was the case, it was better to secure some benefits first.
If it's free, why not take it?
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