Aren't You a Local?

The wilderness was wide open, with nowhere to hide.

Seeing that no one from the city had followed, Anse felt slightly relieved. Ever since leaving the battlefield, he'd felt as though countless pairs of eyes were watching him from behind.

The Flaming Fist might not have meant any harm. They might even have been eager for him to join, but he didn't like the word "forced."

"What happened?" Brat caught up with Anse in a few quick steps, sounding worried.

"Sorry for the trouble."

"Sorry for the trouble."

"Soradin said the Grand Duke issued a compulsory conscription order to form a battle regiment..." Anse briefly explained the reason.

"Wouldn't that offend a lot of people?" Brat looked puzzled. "Would they really dare conscript Paladins?"

"Elite professionals and people with Divine Domains are obviously exempt. They can only hire them at a high price. Land could protect us too, but if we hide in the church and refuse to come out, wouldn't that sour things between us, the Flaming Fist, and the Grand Duke? Better not to meet them at all," Anse explained.

The Flaming Fist had elite Barbarians. Commoners and ordinary professionals probably had no leverage to refuse, especially since the pay they offered was generous.

"That makes sense." Brat nodded slightly. "Joining the battle regiment might not be dangerous, but refusing is definitely safe.

"Shame about all that loot. It feels like something's missing when we didn't get to handle it ourselves."

Anse laughed. "The ones we killed were all small fry. Those fishfolk came in naked and left naked. They probably didn't have anything valuable, just a little bounty at most."

"The bounty isn't bad either." Brat seemed to remember something. "That priest's staff was pretty nice. I think Land broke it, but it should be in that pile of stuff.

"And those Giant Crabs—I asked around. They're edible, and they taste great. They're even served exclusively to nobles..."

Finn glanced down at the crab legs and meat in his hands, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Land killed the Kuo-Toa High Priest. The loot doesn't belong to us," Anse explained. He was already quite satisfied with gaining 385 Combat Experience from a single immobilizing spell.

He hadn't expected to get so much experience without dealing any damage. If he'd killed the priest on his own, he probably would've earned only a little over two thousand experience. It seemed that the tougher the fight, the more experience you got.

They walked for a while. The sun climbed higher, and the heat grew oppressive. Beads of sweat appeared on their foreheads.

Brat looked back. The city was growing smaller and had almost faded from sight.

"Maybe it's for the best that we left." His expression turned wistful. "If those fishfolk attack in the middle of the night, we won't even be able to sleep."

"The fishfolk probably won't come back," Anse reasoned.

"Why not? They can jump into the water whenever they like. They can come and go as they please." Brat was puzzled.

"Try looking at it from the fishfolk's perspective. They don't live in your house or eat your food, so what would they want? Do they like human meat more than sea fish? There has to be a motive, right?"

"Then why did they come?"

"The Gray Dwarves and the Kuo-Toa probably formed an alliance. The Kuo-Toa have dreamed of returning to the surface world for ages, so an alliance makes sense. The invasion was probably just to support the Gray Dwarves.

"Fishfolk are amphibious. They mostly live in shallows, rivers, and the sea. Now that they've achieved their goal, they're probably enjoying themselves. The Flying Dragon Bridge is broken, so the Gray Dwarves can't get through. The Kuo-Toa probably won't keep fighting desperately..."

These were all Anse's guesses, but they were probably close to the truth.

If the Kuo-Toa really did blockade the Chongsa River, disaster would soon befall them.

The Chongsa River flowed east to Dragon Lake, stretching nearly two thousand kilometers and passing through numerous cities and kingdoms. It was an economic lifeline. If it were blocked, who knew how many people would fly into a rage?

"I hope your guess is right." Brat's mood immediately improved.

Finn suddenly came over. "It's too hot."

Anse thought he wanted to find somewhere to rest. Before he could say anything, Finn held out a pile of crab legs and meat.

"How did I never realize you were such a foodie?"

He teased him, but still cast Freezing Ray twice to cool the Giant Crab meat.

It'd be inedible if it spoiled.

"Let's walk a little farther." Anse waved his hand.

"Okay..."

After the rainstorm, the ground was a muddy mess, making travel extremely difficult.

There were plenty of refugees on the road, moving in twos and threes or in groups.

Still, everyone kept their distance. When they encountered others, they hurried away, afraid someone might have bad intentions.

Great disasters always brought great chaos. When hunger, greed, and despair took hold, what wouldn't people do?

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

Anse took out the map and climbed a tree to compare the terrain for a long time. The area ahead was marked as barren, and the pasture shown on the map didn't exist.

"An old map?" Finn spoke with Gray Hawk for a while and confirmed that something was wrong with it. They'd left the city only two or three hours ago, so they couldn't have gotten their location wrong.

Brat looked at Anse, puzzled. "Aren't you a local?"

"Uh..." Anse gave an awkward laugh. "You know how it is. I've focused on studying magic, and I haven't left the city in years. I've barely even been to Rivington."

In reality, Baldur's Gate as it existed now differed considerably from the Baldur's Gate he remembered from books and games in his previous life. He couldn't directly apply many of those memories, and that was even more true of the wilderness.

A single bout of magical contamination or migration of strange creatures could completely transform the ecology of an area.

Brat decided to use the ultimate trick he'd learned on his adventures: "Follow the sun. Keep heading west and we'll eventually reach the sea."

"Good idea." Anse gave him a thumbs-up.

"Heh." Finn kept a straight face. He probably agreed too.

"Let's get something to eat."

Brat and Finn gathered firewood while Anse used Prestidigitation to start a fire.

Finn took care of cooking. He often lived in the wilderness and always cooked for himself.

Breakfast was crab legs. They needed no seasoning. A simple roast brought out their enticing aroma. They were firm and springy, with a savory saltiness and a hint of sweetness. They really were top-quality ingredients.

Giant Crabs were medium-sized amphibious creatures, about the size of a human. They could carry fishfolk at a full sprint, but weren't particularly strong in battle. The Kuo-Toa usually trained them to serve as mounts.

Finn had brought only a few crab legs, some crab meat, and the shell, around thirty or forty pounds' worth. With a little polishing, the shell could serve as a shield. It was light and hard, better than an ordinary shield.

After a hearty meal, Anse leaned against his backpack and quietly opened his Character Sheet.

The Silver Die's third symbol was almost fully lit, and he couldn't help feeling expectant.

His experience had reached 2067/2700. He'd gained nearly a thousand experience from one battle, despite barely casting any spells. The whole thing had been practically effortless and completely safe.

"Paladins really are the perfect hired hands."

A magic item called "Amulet of Cooperation" had appeared in his equipment slot, glowing with a gentle white light.

"The Amulet Land gave me."

Understanding dawned. He gently touched the amulet with his mind, and the die immediately displayed its detailed description.

[Magic Item: Amulet of Cooperation]

"Category": Wondrous Item

"Rarity": Rare

This platinum amulet is the holy symbol of Tyr, God of Justice. It was once worn and used close to the body by a Paladin. Creatures of evil alignment cannot use it.

"Evil Warning": When a creature of evil alignment approaches you or watches you from nearby, the amulet warns you.

"Planar Mount": You summon an entity from another plane to serve as your loyal mount and forge a soul pact with it, fighting and adventuring together.

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