Anser swept his gaze over the furtive blue-robed figures around him and decisively returned to the city.
He was tempted by that green dragon as well, but he feared death even more. He still had a bright future ahead of him—why take part in a battle where he might end up as cannon fodder?
By the time he returned to the small manor, Tim and the others had already packed up: two carriages and more than a dozen horses. The remaining hundred-plus guards could rely only on their legs.
Finn was also assigned a horse. Giant Tail's body and weapons were too heavy, so he could only run.
Seeing Anser, Sandray showed delight on his face. "Is the green dragon dead?"
"No." Anser waved a hand. "Let's go. We can't delay."
Whether they lost or won, they had to leave. If they lost, there was nothing more to say. If they won, they would still face retaliation from the green dragon queen.
"Move, move—set off! Maintain formation…" Sandray immediately directed everyone to withdraw.
Tim rode up beside Anser and asked in a low voice, "Where's the Great Reader of Candlekeep?"
"Didn't see him. The vanguard has withdrawn too." Anser curled his lip.
The Great Reader was a scholar and had no stake in the Claw City-State; it was normal for him not to appear. But the vanguard was the core fighting force, and they had withdrawn faster than anyone—that was a serious blow to morale.
"I knew Selig couldn't be relied on. And that Baron—slaying dragons, was he? The dragon's right here. Where is he?" Tim gritted his teeth, speaking indignantly.
Cliff City was gone, and the Claw City-State was finished as well. A lifetime of effort had come to nothing.
Anser said nothing. He understood Baron very well. In such circumstances, a level-11 Fighter would not make much difference. Preserving oneself was entirely understandable.
Tim knew that too. Reason was reason; emotion was emotion. The fact that he was not cursing aloud already showed considerable restraint.
The group moved swiftly along the main street. Though they were fleeing, the nearly two-hundred-strong party advanced and withdrew in orderly fashion, without descending into chaos.
The turmoil in the city was comparable to what Baldur's Gate had once faced. The difference was that the three Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate had chosen to stand their ground, whereas the city lords of the Claw City-State had taken the lead in fleeing.
After leaving the city, it was finally no longer so crowded. Across the wilderness were scattered pinpricks of light, most of them to the southeast—that was the direction of Beregost.
Anser and the others adjusted their course as well. It was their only way out.
To the north, the area around Baldur's Gate was filled with Underdark creatures. To the east lay the Wood of Sharp Teeth. They could only head for Beregost; it was a transportation hub, convenient for traveling anywhere.
Not long after leaving the city, dense barking erupted in the night, mixed with shouts, screams, and the sounds of battle.
Tim drew his longsword and moved to the rear of the group, urging, "Pick up the pace. Prepare for combat."
Finn's gaze was vacant. "Grey Eagle says the kobolds are hunting humans. There are many of them."
"Mm." Anser was not surprised.
Kobolds were innately vile and evil; they would eat almost anything. Faced with so many humanoids, there was no way they would remain indifferent.
In fact, kobolds do not like to eat intelligent creatures, but they had crossed the Emerald Plains to wage war for the green dragon queen without any supplies. By now, they were likely starving and would seize and eat whatever they could catch.
However, the kobolds had been scattered by the green dragon, and their numbers were fewer than those of the humans. They could only hunt isolated individuals or small groups of humans, so the threat was not great.
Hearing the chaotic barking, Anser's heart stirred. He was short on manpower—weren't kobolds high-quality slaves?
A kobold's Intelligence was around 8. They could speak Abeir Common and Draconic, feared death, had strong comprehension, and could handle many kinds of work, such as mining, burying corpses, reclaiming land, chopping trees, and the like.
If they did not obey, he could simply kill them. There were plenty of the creatures anyway.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He quickly found Tim to say farewell. "Let's part ways here. I have something to deal with."
"You're not thinking of going back, are you?" Tim's eyes showed surprise. He thought Anser could not resist the temptation of dragon-slaying and wanted to return to Bluewater City to check the battle situation.
"Of course not. Stay safe." Anser did not elaborate. He waved and led Finn and Giant Tail away from the group.
Tim opened his mouth but could not think of a reason to persuade him to stay. He could only sigh silently and watch them leave.
He knew his daughter liked this young man; these past two days she had seemed somewhat absent-minded.
If Cliff City still stood, he would have dared to shamelessly bring it up. But now their situation was precarious. A marriage alliance would look as though he were using his daughter as a bargaining chip in exchange for protection. With his temperament, he simply could not bring himself to say it.
…
In the night, Anser and the others gathered together.
Through the Paradise Mark, he notified Bratt to be ready. After Bratt put on his armor, Anser waved his hand and teleported him out.
Seeing the surroundings, Bratt asked in alarm, "Something happened again?"
"Yes. The green dragon has arrived…" Anser briefly explained the course of events.
"You want to capture kobolds?" Bratt's eyes widened, his tone rising. "Are they easy to tame?"
"We'll try."
"Then what are we waiting for!"
The four of them eagerly began searching for kobolds. Soon, Grey Eagle brought good news: there was a group of kobolds ahead, about twenty or thirty of them.
"Finn and I will ride to encircle them. You two intercept from behind—focus on intimidation," Anser instructed.
"No problem." Giant Tail bared his large mouth and struck his shield, producing a dull thud.
Nornoth was very fast and entered the kobolds' field of vision before Finn did.
The kobolds took Nornoth for an ordinary horse and did not flee. Instead, they actively surrounded him, shouting threats.
Anser lifted his cloak. His head transformed into a ferocious dragon's head, and resonant Draconic burst from his throat: "Crawl on the ground and submit. I will spare your lives!"
The kobolds trembled in fright. Weapons fell from their hands to the ground. At least half of them knelt and prostrated themselves. The rest looked at one another and turned to run.
Anser raised his hand and cast Ray of Frost. A flash of white light streaked out. The fastest-running kobold pitched forward onto the ground. A thin layer of ice formed over its body, cold vapor curling around it like an ice sculpture.
Whoosh—whoosh—
Finn circled to the front. Arrows fell one after another, forcing part of the kobolds back.
From the rear, Giant Tail came charging in. With a sweep of his heavy club, he sent a kobold flying several meters. It hit the ground with a wet smack, like a lump of rotten flesh, no longer in human shape.
"Crawl on the ground and submit!" he roared, imitating Anser's tone.
"Submit, submit…" (Draconic)
The remaining kobolds spoke clumsy Draconic, squatted in place with their heads in their hands, their movements crisp and practiced.
By the time Bratt arrived with shield in hand, everything was already over. He felt both excited and helpless.
Nornoth snorted and lifted a hoof, kicking a kobold over.
Anser gave it a slap on the forehead. These were no longer enemies. He called out loudly, "Move to the center." (Draconic)
The others closed in from all sides, applying pressure.
Seeing some hesitation among the kobolds, Anser made another sweeping gesture and cast another Ray of Frost, turning one kobold into an ice sculpture.
[Target killed. Gained 22 experience points.]
The other kobolds stiffened, their movements immediately becoming nimble. On all fours, they crawled together into a tight cluster.
Anser said calmly, "I need a group of laborers. Food and lodging provided. No need to fight."
Upon hearing this, the kobolds exchanged glances quietly but did not dare to speak.
After a brief pause, Anser continued, "I will use magic to take you to my domain. Those willing, do not resist. Those unwilling… I will not force you."
He raised the Rod of Security. From the milky-white gem shot more than twenty strands of magical sigils, each landing upon a kobold.
Most of the kobolds did not resist. In a flash of light and shadow, more than half of them vanished, already teleported to the still-recovering Holrewen.
"The rest are yours." Anser lightly patted Nornoth and swung down from the saddle.
Nornoth bared its teeth and suddenly charged at the remaining kobolds, kicking and lashing with its tail. Ignoring their wails and pleas for mercy, it killed them all.
Anser's expression remained calm. He had no time to distinguish whether those kobolds had been bold, slow to react, or simply too foolish. In any case, they were unqualified—at best, they could be put to waste use.
He brought up Nornoth's character sheet. The experience had finally climbed past nine hundred; it could level up. But now was certainly not a good time to advance.
Through the Rod's mental projection, he also checked the situation inside the space. Those kobolds were huddled in the square, not running about, exactly as he wished.
"This is too easy." Bratt wore a smile. Looking at Anser's dragon head, he understood that this was the key to success.
Kobolds were more inclined to accept enslavement by higher dragons.
"Let's go. Continue." Anser laughed.
This success greatly boosted his confidence. However, for the sake of safety, they did not remain in place. Instead, they hunted while retreating, keeping as far from Bluewater City as possible.
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