With the experience from the first time, what followed became much simpler.
They specifically targeted small groups of kobolds—surrounding them, intimidating them, then killing one as a warning to the rest. After running through the whole sequence, the matter would be settled. It worked every time.
There were two key points to this tactic: Anser's half-dragon-like appearance, and keeping the kobold groups small.
Once kobolds gathered in large numbers, their courage would swell. They might even fail to grasp the situation, unable to tell who held the true upper hand.
So after capturing nearly three hundred kobolds, Anser decisively stopped. For now, it was enough.
The mark of the paradise on the kobolds had already been removed. For the rest of their lives, they would never be able to leave Holrewen. Even in death, they would serve to fertilize its fields.
Anser sent Giant Tail and Bratt back to Holrewen. The two would cooperate in taming the kobolds—first repairing the damaged square, clearing away bones and refuse, training them while putting them to work.
With Giant Tail present, even if the kobolds rebelled, he could suppress them. Besides, those kobolds had been frightened out of their wits. For the moment, they seemed fairly docile.
Anser and Finn rode toward Beregost, with Grey Eagle scouting ahead.
Traveling at night was difficult. Ordinary horses could not run at full speed, and Nornoth had to hold back his pace, yet he was still far faster than an average person.
Bluewater City, lit by lamplight, gradually receded into the distance and soon vanished from sight. The wyvern did not give chase. The night sky was quiet.
Perhaps that was good news. If it had pursued them, it would instead mean the green dragon had already escaped danger.
'Wonder how that bald big shot is doing?'
That green dragon must have caused serious trouble. Otherwise, the big shot would not have insisted on killing it despite the risk.
'If I were level 11, I could help right now.' Anser let out a silent sigh.
Faerûn was too dangerous. He still could not afford to be reckless.
After traveling for several hours, the sky slowly brightened.
The two reached the Coast Way and headed south along the road. It became much easier to travel.
There were only scattered refugees along the way, not many. They were moving fast and had already left most of the refugees behind.
There were no kobolds here either. They were slow runners and disliked moving about during the day.
Following the Coast Way all the way would lead them to Beregost, a commercial transit hub.
To the north lay Baldur's Gate. To the west, Candlekeep. To the south, beyond the Cloud Peaks, was the Kingdom of Amn. To the east, turning onto the Uldoon Trail would lead directly to the Greenfields and the Dragon Coast.
Therefore, Beregost was coveted by all sides and changed hands repeatedly. At present, it nominally belonged to the Kingdom of Amn.
In recent years, Amn had grown increasingly dominant. Not only had it taken control of many surrounding towns, it had also seized numerous enclaves—like the tentacles of a commercial empire, spreading in all directions, with astonishing influence.
With the sky fully bright, Anser sent Finn, Grey Eagle, and Nornoth into Holrewen, while he continued on alone, riding an ordinary horse.
Daytime was relatively safe, so there was no need to worry about being ambushed. Finn and Grey Eagle's task was complete.
Anser pulled up his hood and cast Disguise Self, turning himself into an ordinary-looking human. He also tucked the elemental orb into his clothes, making himself look utterly unremarkable.
These disguises were necessary. His notoriety was not low now—if someone from Amn saw through him, a major fight would be unavoidable.
On someone else's turf, it was better to keep a low profile.
In any case, he did not plan to stay long. He intended to buy some tools, seeds, and food in Beregost, then leave.
Those kobold laborers needed to eat as well. Missing a few meals was manageable, but if they went hungry for several days, they would definitely rebel.
The warhorse had run for most of the night and was already tired. Anser gave it some water and let it walk at an easy pace along the Coast Way.
Meanwhile, he pulled up Nornoth's character sheet and tried to level it up from afar.
With a light tap on the level field, the character sheet instantly turned blurry.
At the same time, Nornoth—who had been frolicking on the island—seemed to sense something and sprinted back to the black tower's main hall.
It closed its eyes and lifted its head, body stretching in a relaxed posture. A dense magical aura rose from its scales, and rings of water-like ripples spread across its body.
Bratt hurried over. Seeing this, he finally relaxed, his face full of envy.
Only after leaving Baldur's Gate did he realize just how wondrous the world was—there were far too many things he had never seen before.
On the Coast Way, Anser smiled faintly. The dice were way too strong—its effect could trigger instantly even across different worlds. That "rank" was a bit too high.
'It's not easy to gain a level. I wonder what new changes there'll be this time.' He found himself looking forward to it.
About half an hour passed.
Nornoth's character sheet popped back up, and it had already changed quite a bit.
...
[Name: Nornoth]
Level: 2
Experience: 967/2700
Hit Point: 58
Armor Class: 14
[Strength: 19]
[Dexterity: 14]
[Constitution: 16]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Wisdom: 12]
[Charisma: 14]
...
The attribute changes were obvious. Its Hit Point had increased to 58, and Strength and Wisdom had each increased by 1.
Its attributes increased with every level—its racial talent was extremely powerful, not something humans could envy.
Relatively speaking, the growth in abilities was fairly average.
Nornoth gained two passive traits.
Magic Resistance: When making saving throws against spells and other magical effects, the fey steed has advantage.
This was an ability many fey possessed. It was not particularly outstanding, but it was very practical. Simply put, it could resist well and would not be easily controlled by spells.
Jumping: The fey steed's jumping ability is greatly enhanced.
This was also good. Combined with Anser's Longstrider and Jump, its mobility would be pushed to the limit.
Anser closed the character sheet and, using the projection of the Rod of Security, observed the changes in Nornoth.
Its size seemed to have increased slightly, though not noticeably. Its muscle lines were clear, handsome and agile.
At the moment, it was somewhat excited, galloping wildly across the island—running out over the sea at one moment, then scaring those kobolds the next. It looked more like a sheepdog than a mount.
'It's faster now.' Anser was very satisfied.
The horse beneath him was also a fine one, but compared to Nornoth it was nowhere near enough. Given the current situation, he could only make do with it for the time being.
The sun rose high, and the temperature kept climbing.
In the distance, vast stretches of farmland appeared, lush and green. There were no monsters or war—harmonious and natural, pleasing to the mind.
'With Candlekeep standing in front as a barrier, Beregost should remain stable for a while,' Anser remarked.
In the sky, a winding gray line appeared. To the west, it was like a curtain of steel; to the east, blue as a mirror. At the boundary, the two had already begun to merge, resembling a fissure—particularly eerie.
Anser focused his perception. The Coast Way had the Weave, which had little effect on him, but was of great significance to other spellcasters.
At least they could die with some dignity!
At that moment, a black dot drifted in from the horizon.
At first, Anser thought it was some kind of flying creature. Only when it drew closer did he see that it was actually a flying carpet—entirely purple, with a ring of red tassels along the edges, and two ribbons trailing from the tail, dancing in the wind.
'Another big shot,' he thought, lowering his head to reduce his presence.
It was obvious—given how chaotic things were now, who would dare to fly so ostentatiously without real ability?
The flying carpet came from inland, heading straight toward Bluewater City. Just as it was about to pass over the Coast Way, it suddenly stopped, circled once in midair, and then headed straight toward Anser.
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