Those About to Leave and Those About to Arrive

Although Solam could not point to any concrete evidence, the more he reflected on what he had seen and heard in Athkatla these past few days, the stronger his premonition became. Resentful citizens, Shadow Thieves bent on stirring up trouble, useless councilors drawing their salaries for nothing, a society steeped in corruption, major factions scheming against one another, the impending arrival of the evil god's minions, and the previous sealing incident—all of it, now...

looked more and more like a city on the verge of collapse!

Solam had no particular attachment to this city. He was merely a passerby, and he was no righteous hero who loved meddling in other people's affairs, so naturally he would not let himself get dragged into trouble. In fact, even if the matter of the Eye of Fear had never arisen, Solam had not planned to stay much longer.

He considered his business in Athkatla finished anyway. Solam had already arranged the trade between Ocasuan and Athkatla. From now on, countless slaves, daily necessities, and agricultural products would be continuously shipped to Ocasuan through the fleet. Solam could be said to have fulfilled his promise to Eilistraee.

To ensure that this trade proceeded smoothly, Solam had even spent several million to build a stronghold in Athkatla—the very mansion he was currently living in. Though he claimed it was meant to use those magic traps to screw over the Arcane Brotherhood, Solam knew perfectly well that as long as those people from the Arcane Brotherhood were not idiots, they would never try to storm the mansion.

With this mansion, even if Athkatla descended into complete chaos, Sallis, Nazel, and the others left behind would never be affected. As long as they were protected, Ocasuan's foreign trade would not face any problems.

Now that everything had