Forget it. The player decisively gave up.
Since the side quest would not budge, it was time to explore a new map.
Aside from Blood Moon Manor at the bottom of the valley, there were two routes the player had yet to take. One led northwest to Caria Manor.
Riding Torrent, the player headed west along Liurnia's northern shore.
Before long, the player understood why it was called a "manor." Beyond the estates belonging to the Moon Nobles, gray walls in the distance towered into the clouds, densely packed with arrow towers and ballistae.
Security around this manor was exceptionally tight.
Even from far away, the player could see enormous Troll Knights roaming about. These "colossi" wore standard Carian helmets and cloaks, yet their bodies were bizarrely bare.
Wielding colossal swords, they patrolled back and forth across the open ground outside the walls. Their footsteps made the ground tremble slightly; even at a distance, the player could feel what "size advantage" meant.
But once the player got close, these fellows turned out to be nothing but pigs squealing for slaughter. There was no need even to ride back and forth trimming their toenails; they went down easily. That was what happened when attack patterns were too simple.
Venturing deeper meant facing large numbers of soldiers head-on. The Carian soldiers here were better trained than any enemies encountered before-mainly, there were lots of them, with suppressive crossbow fire to boot.
That alone showed just how wealthy Caria was. After all, the poor relied on tactical maneuvers, while the rich blanketed everything with firepower.
Many sorcerers were also firing spells from above. Glintstone Pebbles rained down overhead, forcing the player to watch the sky while dodging attacks on the ground. Some nobles could even turn invisible, appearing suddenly to catch the player