Iris murmured, "The Astral Plane… the Traveler's Rest…"
Just moments ago, the two of them had still been tangled up in the trivial mess before them. Yet a single Traveler's Badge had suddenly pulled their perspective to the distant, mysterious Astral Plane. The sheer leap in scale was so vast it evoked a sense of humility—making the conflict in front of them seem, all at once, not even worth worrying about.
"Have you been there?" Anser asked, puzzled.
"No. But I want to." Iris's gaze drifted far away. "Ever since I started studying planar knowledge with my mother, I've always wanted to take a planar journey. She said it's not difficult—Candlekeep, Waterdeep, the Wizards' Guild all have planar teleportation arrays."
"But ensuring your safety during planar travel isn't easy. The planes are filled with all kinds of unknown dangers. Even legendary figures aren't guaranteed to return unharmed."
"Yeah. You might have the ability to go—but not necessarily to come back," Anser agreed.
Take the Astral Plane between the Outer Planes and the Material Plane. It looks like a boundless, silent silver void, but in reality it's full of danger. Travelers might encounter astral creatures, astral pirates, the corpses of gods, astral color pools, dead space, psychic storms…
Movement in the Astral Plane is driven by thought. A traveler can fly at a speed equal to five times their Intelligence score and can hover freely.
With a single thought, one can perceive the most direct path to their destination. However, the traveler cannot know how long the journey will take or what dangers lie ahead—only the direction.
Because of this, astral travel is generally done aboard magical ships, much like spacecraft.
"When are you going?" Iris was sharp—she immediately guessed Anser's intention. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a small bracer on her wrist with a pouch attached.
"After we repel the Amnians," Anser said. He had already planned it out.
Given the current situation, it wasn't suitable to leave for too long. If he came back to find the castle fallen, that would be a regret beyond fixing.
"Fair enough." Iris pulled a ring on the pouch—and unexpectedly opened a black hole about a foot in diameter. She aimed it at the bed sheet, and a torrent of gemstones poured out like a stream, glittering in all colors.
After a few seconds, she stopped. The bed was already piled high with gemstones—at least a thousand—dazzling under the light.
Anser's eyes widened. There wasn't a single low-quality gem among them. The worst were still red gold amber and amethyst, casually heaped together without even a box.
This pile was worth at least one hundred thousand gold coins!
Iris then took out a silver box. After opening it, she placed it on top of the pile. Inside were three pale-blue polyhedral crystals—one large, two small—with galaxy-like streams of light flowing within.
"These are star diamonds—also called astral gems or astral crystals. Very rare. Even the small ones are worth ten thousand gold coins. If ordinary gems aren't equivalent in value, you can use these for trade."
As she spoke, she reached out and touched Anser's cheek. She frowned slightly, putting on a pained expression. "You're not going to make me lose money, are you? This is all I have."
"Old noble families really are rich, huh." Anser grabbed her and kissed her hard. "I'll try my best. If I lose money, I'll compensate with my body."
"Heh. Just remember me for a few more years." Iris's tone turned wistful. She always felt like this man was like a bubble she couldn't grasp—like he might disappear from her world at any moment.
She stood up to leave. "Don't run around. Get some rest."
That money—she didn't care how Anser spent it. In fact, it would be better if he lost it all.
"Hey, you're not staying to rest with me?"
"Hehe…"
Bang.
The door shut firmly.
Anser shook his head helplessly. He still hadn't figured out this sorceress's temperament.
He put all the gems into his Avaricious Dragonhide Pouch and immediately felt much more secure.
Even if the Traveler's Rest was a top-tier establishment, the spending couldn't be that outrageous. This money should be enough to bring back some specialties from other planes.
...
As golden sunlight poured over the wilderness, six Amnian camps had already packed up their tents. Soldiers formed into square formations and advanced along the slope toward Fort Jacqueline.
The castle guards immediately sounded the alarm. Everyone went on high alert.
Thump, thump, thump—the ground trembled slightly, and the surrounding fruit trees rustled.
More than a dozen strange-looking constructs crawled or ran ahead of the formations, charging toward the castle gate. Their movements were swift, leaving deep tracks behind.
Dozens of professionals followed behind them in small squads, though their eyes remained fixed on the top of the walls.
At the rear, Derrick raised a hand, combing his messy hair back before putting on his iron helmet. In a muffled voice, he said, "Are these guys reliable? They look pretty weak."
Bahamond glanced at him coldly. "Whether they're reliable or not, we're only fighting this one battle. If we breach the city, we launch a full assault. If not, we withdraw."
"Withdraw?" Derrick grinned, revealing sharp canine teeth. "Our mission is to take Durlag's Tower within two weeks. We've gathered so many high-level professionals—if we run after getting pelted with a few stones, how do we explain that when we return?"
"Headquarters sent word. The plan has changed."
"What happened?"
"That's not for you to ask."
Derrick's expression turned ugly, but he didn't dare act out. If it was classified information, asking carelessly could violate military law.
"Prepare for battle. It's time for you to serve the kingdom," Bahamond said, waving his hand, his voice cold.
"Yes…" No one dared delay. They rushed toward the city gate.
At Fort Jacqueline, Anser hurried to the top of the wall. Looking at the incoming mechanical constructs below, his gaze sharpened.
Iris descended beside him on a flying carpet, her hair slightly disheveled. "Are these the arcane cannons you mentioned?"
"They should be," Anser replied.
The constructs looked bizarre—some resembled animals, others humans. Pure biomimicry—but most of them had cannon barrels.
"Why aren't they launching a night raid? Why choose a daytime assault?" Iris asked, puzzled.
"Who knows? Maybe they're afraid of nighttime catapults and tar barrels," Anser said thoughtfully.
Armies are easier to control during the day. If they suffered another air raid at night, Amnian soldiers—unable to understand the enemy or communicate with superiors—might collapse and flee on the spot.
Soon, the arcane cannons advanced to within two to three hundred meters.
The die spun slightly, revealing information on the first cannon:
[Force Ballista, Construct, Level 10 Arcane Cannon]
'This thing has levels too? Does it upgrade like a Mecha?' His understanding of artificers wasn't that deep.
But since arcane cannons were "manufactured," they couldn't be as rigid as spells. There must be a magical crafting process—and likely room for upgrades and iteration.
"They really are arcane cannons. Their destructive power shouldn't be weak," he quickly told Iris.
"What about their range?" Iris immediately went straight to the key point.
The outer wall of Fort Jacqueline was twenty-three meters high. There was no moat in front of the gate—only a slope. If the enemy's range was long enough, they'd be forced to take the hits.
"The base range should be about 36 meters. In practice, it'll be a bit farther—but nowhere near artillery," Anser estimated.
Arcane cannons were essentially magical items. They fired spells, and the artificer had to control them within a few dozen meters. Others couldn't use them.
"Then that's—"
BOOM—!
A thunderous explosion cut her off. A particularly large eight-legged construct fired from two hundred meters away. A solid iron ball streaked through the air and slammed into the metal gate with a loud crash, leaving a deep dent.
"A solid iron ball? No smoke or flame?" Anser was shocked.
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