After all the wounded had initially had their bones set and their injuries treated, Anser finally cast Extended Spell Aura of Vitality.
A white radiance spread outward from his body as the center, forming an aura with a radius of more than ten meters. He walked slowly through the crowd, and one injured person after another began to glow faintly as their wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
After two consecutive castings of Aura of Vitality, everyone who still had a breath left was pulled back by him.
Wave after wave of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the crowd. Quite a few old soldiers who had been dragged back from death's door could not help covering their faces and weeping. They had seen too many grievously wounded comrades left waiting for death; that kind of despair and helplessness could only be understood by those who had experienced it themselves.
Post-battle treatment had always been the greatest problem testing the bottom line and financial strength of every major organization. Healing potions were so expensive—how could they possibly be used on ordinary people? Even being willing to spend money to take them in already counted as having a conscience.
Most of the time, the severely wounded could only be abandoned.
That was also why parties with a Paladin had always had such high morale. A Paladin's prestige and status had never come out of nowhere.
Quentin quickly came to Anser's side and asked for instructions. "There are over a hundred injured. Most were scratched or bitten by werewolves. How should we handle them?"
A werewolf curse had an incubation period, and the length varied, but the full moon was the crucial point at which the curse erupted.
"Have the guards, civilians, and adventurers remain in the garrison for the time being and not go out, but allow family members to visit. As for the others, let each group handle its own people," Anser said after a moment's thought.
The largest number of injured were civilians and guards. The Knights of Jacqueline, the Flamerule Mercenary Company, and the Emerald Enclave had suffered very few casualties. Their individual strength was greater, and their coordination in small-scale fighting was tighter.
"I'll make the arrangements right away." Quentin nodded. With Anser's prestige, this would not be difficult.
"You and Councilor Graham will have to work hard for a while. First, register the adventurers' contributions. Make sure everything is recorded clearly today and have them sign to confirm it. They can come collect their bounties tomorrow."
"Then make a detailed tally of this battle's casualties and losses, including those among the civilians, and draw up a compensation and bereavement plan. All werewolf corpses are to be managed centrally. No one else is allowed to touch them…" Anser called him back again.
"Don't worry, I've already thought of all that. Just go get some rest. Leave this place to me." Quentin looked at Anser's face and felt deeply gratified.
What people feared most was comparison. The former president, Stoll, had never considered such things.
And after this battle, the prestige of Anser and the Union would reach its peak. Getting things done would be effortless, with no obstacles at all.
"Good." Anser patted him on the shoulder, feeling a weight lift from his heart.
Quentin was fairly reliable in the way he handled things, so Anser did not need to spend too much thought on him.
Looking around, he saw the people of the Emerald Enclave setting up large cauldrons in the garrison square and brewing some kind of herbal medicine. The smell was pungent. After it cooled slightly, they had the guards deliver a bowl to everyone who had been injured.
Judging from those people's expressions, the taste was probably far from pleasant. Quite a few even kept retching after drinking it.
"This is a potion used to suppress the werewolf curse. It's mixed with belladonna, so it's poisonous. You'll feel awful for a whole night after drinking it, but it really is effective…" Karisha came to Anser's side and explained carefully.
And this herb could only help the body resist the curse if it was consumed within three hours of being bitten. Any later, and it would be useless.
"So the efficacy isn't certain. We still need to observe them," Anser said.
"That's right." Karisha sighed.
"You've worked hard. If you need anything, you can speak directly with Quentin. Tomorrow's announcement will include your group as well. You don't mind, do you?" Anser said with a smile.
"Thank you, President Anser." Karisha narrowed her eyes in a smile.
After this battle, the Emerald Enclave's reputation would definitely improve greatly.
On the other side, the Flamerule Mercenary Company was withdrawing. Captain Makaria gave Anser a dashing wave and left. The battle report would not come out until tomorrow; now was not the time to discuss payment.
The Knights of Jacqueline had also finished regrouping and were standing by. Iris sat on the flying carpet, silently watching Anser, clearly waiting for him.
Anser quickly came to her side. Catching sight of the four knightly corpses on the stretcher beside her, he sighed inwardly.
"You should head back first. I'm staying here tonight, just in case something happens."
Iris seemed to have guessed that long ago. She reached out with her index finger and tapped him under the chin, warning him, "That druid is pretty wild. Stay away from her."
"You're overthinking it." Anser smiled helplessly. He truly did not have any strange proclivities.
Iris only smiled without saying a word. With a wave of her hand, she departed with the knightly order, gradually disappearing into the night.
After making a round of inspection and confirming that everything was normal, Anser took Salian, Colin, and Finn back to the president's lounge. The three of them teleported together back to Holrewen.
Giant Tail and Kaleno were still busy. They held formal posts and were temporarily staying in the Union dormitories.
The injuries several of them had suffered were not serious; it was just that the battle process had been quite dangerous, and everyone was exhausted.
The captains and vice-captains of each team bore the greatest pressure. If they could not hold the line, the warriors under them would suffer.
Anser returned alone to the top floor. Lying on the bed, he felt an exceptional sense of ease.
In today's battle, he had struck with preparation against the unprepared. There had been danger, but no real mishap, and the fight had felt exhilarating—especially at the moment that arrogant werewolf leader fell. It had felt refreshing to the core, as though his whole being had been sublimated.
He had not asked the treants for help. Almost by his own strength alone, he had crushed that Challenge Rating 10 werewolf with countless Magic Missiles, and his sense of accomplishment was maxed out.
"Magic Power Control" usually did not feel all that noticeable, but for a spellcaster it was truly too important. It increased both the upper limit of Magic Power and spellcasting stability, while also enhancing spell damage.
Of course, right now he was only bullying monsters that could not fly.
Anser smiled, gathered in his wandering thoughts, closed his eyes, and sank his mind into his consciousness.
Prepare to level up.
The silver d20 floated quietly in place. The seventh symbol was already fully lit, and the eighth symbol was also nearly halfway illuminated.
Double happiness.
Because he had been living too comfortably lately, the speed at which the die's symbols lit up had actually lagged slightly behind his leveling speed, and the two had happened to catch up together.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to first take a look at the new adventure trait. If the new trait had anything to do with the level-up, then at least he would not lose out.
His consciousness touched the d20, and fragments of memory surfaced one after another from his mind: jungle warfare, slaughtering the black dragon, blasting the Mind Flayer to death, the battle against the werewolves…
A moment later, the symbol turned into a mass of shifting, brilliant radiance.
Ding—
[You have gained the adventure trait: Brilliant Soul]
[Brilliant Soul]: The soul is the essential basis of a creature's existence, the core that carries consciousness and energy, determining an individual's uniqueness and upper limit of ability.
When any one of your attributes breaks into the extraordinary, it will trigger a soul-sublimation effect, feeding back into your soul, making it stronger and causing it to bloom with dazzling extraordinary radiance.
Steady Mind: A resilient soul grants you extraordinary resistance, making you immune to the charmed and frightened conditions.
Brilliant Radiance: Attunement is likewise based on the soul's spiritual connection and resonance of traits. With each soul sublimation, the number of magic items you can have Attunement with increases by 1.
Note: A Brilliant Soul may attract the covetous gaze of devils.
...
Anser rubbed his chin and pondered for a long while. The function of the soul shouldn't be limited to just this, should it?
He did not understand souls, but since the soul was the essential basis of a creature's existence, then if the soul was strong, every aspect should also be stronger.
Maybe there are hidden benefits that simply weren't additionally explained.
The effect of Steady Mind was equivalent to that of the second-level enchantment spell of the same name. Immunity to charm and fear was also no small improvement.
Brilliant Radiance increased the soul's load-bearing capacity. Calculated according to the six main attributes, the number of Attunement slots would increase by 6, for a total of 9 items. Wearing every kind of magic item all over his body could be called armed to the teeth, and the improvement to both combat and survival would be enormous.
But maxing out all six attributes was by no means an easy thing.
The effect was excellent, but neither of those two traits had been triggered yet, because he did not have a single extraordinary attribute.
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