If Anser wanted to develop Holrewen, it would be impossible to hide it from those who were paying attention.
With large numbers of personnel and materials moving around, it could not be concealed even if one tried.
Because of choking on food, one should not refuse to eat; Anser believed he had enough strength to protect all of this.
Moreover, this was a multiverse world. Extraspaces and dimensional spaces were countless, and the value of the Spatial Paradise was not as high as one might imagine.
After thinking for a moment, Salian's expression became strange. He tentatively asked in a low voice, "You didn't… marry into Fort Jacqueline, did you?"
At the side, Darla's expression stiffened. She fixed her gaze on Anser, her eyes complex and difficult to read.
"You know Fort Jacqueline?" Anser asked curiously.
"Quite famous. It is said that every generation's head of the house is female, and all of them are high-level spellcasters," Salian said meaningfully.
He was a wood elf and already advanced in age, with broad experience. He was not someone a young man like Anser—who had never left home—could compare with.
"I am indeed temporarily staying at Fort Jacqueline, but I did not marry into it," Anser said with a serious face. He had not eaten the meat yet and had already gotten the smell all over himself—this was something he absolutely could not admit.
"The territory I mentioned has nothing to do with Jacqueline. It is in an extraplannar space. The Great Reader of Candlekeep gave it to me as a gift to thank me," he added, conveniently pulling out the banner of Candlekeep.
"Candlekeep?" Salian fell silent for a moment, his expression turning somewhat melancholy. "I wonder whether Candlekeep can withstand it."
"I think your worry is somewhat unnecessary," Anser said with a light laugh, somewhat dismissively.
Candlekeep's defenses were extremely strict. It had many powerful individuals, and it was also guarded by the soul of an ancient silver dragon that could resurrect endlessly. Even the green dragon queen might not necessarily be able to leave if she went there.
"Exactly, exactly," Darla echoed from the side, a few traces of a smile blooming on her face. "It's getting dark. Let's hurry to your territory—everyone is tired and hungry."
Nearby, Kaleno looked at Darla and chuckled.
To be honest, along the way they had been quite worried about Anser and the few others who stayed behind to cover the rear, and they had felt somewhat guilty. They had not expected that after separating, the other side had actually been living better—he had even become a lord.
"Have everyone gather around. We'll change places to rest," Anser said, not daring to shout loudly for fear of waking Claira.
Salian called everyone over, and they gathered around Anser together.
Anser cast Detect Evil and Good, scanning each person one by one. Only after confirming that no one had any abnormalities did he quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Holding Claira in one arm, he activated the Rod of Security with the other, teleporting everyone to Holrewen.
In the square, the treant was still leading the Kobolds in their work. In the distance, quite a few people were watching, but no one approached.
Salian and the others widened their eyes, looking up at the towering black tower, their expressions full of shock.
After a long while, Salian finally spoke quietly: "Anser, have you ever investigated your own origins?"
Certainly, a Sorcerer did not necessarily rely on bloodline; an accident or a coincidence could also turn someone into a Sorcerer, but those grassroots Sorcerers could not possibly have the chance to "inherit" a Wizard Tower this powerful.
He had already devised, in his mind, a scene where the family bloodline had fallen into the outside world, and guardians secretly provided help behind the scenes.
"You're overthinking it. Come with me." Anser smiled helplessly, holding Claira—who was looking around in confusion—as he entered the black tower.
The moment Kaleno stepped inside, he was startled by the construct Shield Guardian in the corner. He cried out, "What is this?"
"A construct," Anser replied. He handed Claira to Darla, who had followed them in. "I'm going out to pick up Bratt and the supplies. You can look around on your own. I'll be back in a while."
"Don't worry. I'm here." Salian responded mechanically, his palm stroking the black wall as he looked it over—yet the more he looked, the more extraordinary it seemed.
At the Stonemasons' Guild, Anser appeared out of thin air, startling the handlebar-mustached halfling so badly that he sprang up from his seat.
Anser smiled and waved at him, went out, mounted his horse, headed west along the long street for a while, then turned onto another street and continued south.
Using the Rod of Security, he could vaguely sense the general direction of the Spatial Paradise mark, which made it more convenient to find people.
Night fell. Most of the shops along the street had already closed, and only a few taverns and restaurants still had lights on, casting the hurried shadows of a few people.
Two figures suddenly stopped, then ran toward Anser at a quick pace. Judging by their attire, they were guards. "Mr. Anser?"
"It's me." Anser felt they looked somewhat familiar—they were probably people he had seen during the day.
"Is Mr. Bratt your subordinate?"
"Yes. What's wrong?" Anser felt something was off.
"Something happened!" one of the guards said urgently. "A lot of refugees came from the west today. They can't afford grain, and they blocked Mr. Bratt's goods."
Anser frowned slightly. It did not feel quite right. "If they can't buy grain, then go hunting. Even if they want to make trouble, shouldn't they be going after the grain merchants?"
Durlag had just suffered dragon disaster and war disaster. Trade was obstructed, so it was normal for grain to be a bit expensive, but meat was very cheap—there was always a way to fill one's belly.
"Um, they…" The guard spoke haltingly, lowering his head slightly and not daring to look at Anser. "They said Mr. Anser sent people to buy up all the grain on the market, hoarding it to reap huge profits, leaving no way for commoners to live…"
"Hehe… Looks like you believe it too." Anser laughed in anger. It was such an obvious piece of incitement, yet even the guards had wavered.
"No, no…" The two guards hurriedly waved their hands to deny it.
Once suspicion arises, the charge has already been established!
The vast majority of ordinary people had very narrow information channels. They also lacked the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood and to think independently, and they firmly believed in conspiracy theories, always feeling that nobles and officials were thinking up ways to exploit them.
This rumor sounded crude, but its effect was extremely good. Not to mention in Faerûn—even in his previous life, Anser would inevitably have been unable to escape an online mob.
Moreover, purchasing grain was a fact. The common people did not care what the purpose was; in any case, to them, grain worth a thousand gold coins was simply an astronomical figure.
"I'll go take a look." Anser lightly patted the horse's back, and Nornoth immediately began to trot.
Seeing this, the two guards split up—one continued to report to his superior, while the other hurriedly followed behind Anser.
After advancing several hundred meters, waves of noise and angry shouting reached his ears.
Turning a street corner, a dense crowd and torchlight came into view. There were at least several hundred people, blocking the entire street so tightly that not even water could pass through.
At the edge of the crowd stood a four-story wooden building. Large quantities of goods were piled up in front of the entrance. Bratt and the others stood around the goods, confronting the crowd.
Giant Tail bared his teeth, banging his shield with clangs. If Bratt had not held him back, he probably would not have been able to stop himself from taking action.
Anser first cast Detect Evil and Good, and then cast a Light spell on the gem at the head of the Rod of Security. Bright light spread outward, drawing the attention of many people.
Nornoth let out a neigh and stepped forward. Wherever he passed, the crowd parted to open a path.
As he advanced, Anser observed the crowd.
These people certainly did not come from Bluewater City; they were civilians who had left the bay earlier. Bluewater City had only recently fallen, and ordinary people could not possibly have reached Durlag so quickly.
'Who could it be?'
The other party most likely wanted to force him to leave. Who would benefit from that?
Nornoth passed through the crowd and arrived at the inner circle.
Anser took out the Dragon Gold Slashing Swords. With a flash of light, brilliant platinum radiance attached itself to the blade. He raised the longsword and pointed it toward the crowd.
Nornoth stepped forward accordingly, strolling along the inner ring of the crowd. Wherever he passed, radiance and cold gleams intertwined, forcing everyone to retreat in panic; many people fell to the ground.
"A Paladin!"
Someone shouted in alarm, exposing Anser's identity and throwing the crowd into turmoil.
Quite a few people who had been planning to fish in troubled waters became extremely annoyed. They suddenly felt they had been deceived. Hadn't they said it was some unscrupulous noble? How could it possibly be a Paladin? That was too absurd.
By the time Anser circled around the goods once, the crowd had already been forced back several meters. They looked miserable but did not dare say anything more.
The scene fell into an unusual silence.
Bratt immediately felt a sense of relief. Just now, these people had been unbelievably arrogant. Relying on their numbers, they had recklessly vented resentment that had accumulated for who knew how long.
These people were the foolish ones most easily incited. They were tools for those with ulterior motives, and sometimes they were also the most dangerous people.
Anser flicked his hand. The longsword imbued with Divine Smite turned into a streak of white light and plunged straight into the ground several meters away, frightening the crowd into retreating a few more steps.
He had done it deliberately just now, taking the opportunity to use spells and dice to detect the situation within the crowd, but he had not discovered any traces of Intellect Devourers or Mind Flayers.
This was normal. Intellect Devourers were very intelligent. Even if they had incited the crowd, they would not possibly remain behind waiting to be captured.
There were no Intellect Devourers, but there was an unexpected gain.
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