Monster Siege

Water Trolls were an enormous threat to inland transport ships like theirs. Riverboats were unlike seagoing vessels; conditions on rivers were far gentler than at sea, without even slightly larger winds or waves. Thus, riverboats all had flat bottoms and were structurally less sturdy than seagoing ships. If they encountered Water Trolls, they could easily end up shipwrecked and drowned. Therefore, whenever such monsters appeared in the water, towns along the river would do everything they could to eliminate them.

After all, the towns along the route depended on the river for their livelihoods. Naturally, they could not tolerate monsters smashing their rice bowls. That was precisely why the Athkatla River had always been peaceful. No wonder the shipowner had been so terrified.

Since he could not figure out what exactly had happened here, Solam had no intention of looking into it further. That was something the Amn government should be concerned with; it was not Solam's place to meddle.

"How far are we from Crimmor?" Both the starting point and terminus of shipping along the Athkatla River basin were in Crimmor. Although the Athkatla River was by no means short, farther upstream from Crimmor, it became far less friendly. The river's many monsters dwelled upstream, while the upper reaches also became extremely swift. Continuing upstream against the current was no easy task.

"Not far, not far! We'll be there in another half day!" The shipowner seemed afraid that Solam and the others would disembark now. After encountering those Water Trolls, he had instinctively felt that the once-calm Athkatla River was no longer safe. If he wanted to protect his property, it would be best to keep these people aboard.

Half a day later, Crimmor appeared before Solam and the others. Yet unlike the bustling scene described in past