Modifying the Viheral Ring would require help from the Magic Research Society. Sakkors could only offer advice; he had no way to carry out the work himself.
Until then, the Viheral Ring could only be used as a destination teleportation circle.
Anser copied the Viheral Ring's rune sequence into his spellbook, then teleported back to Fort Jacqueline with Stoll and Iris.
Underground, there was no way to see the changing sky.
By now, it was already late at night outside.
There was obviously no point in calling the soldiers together at this hour. It wasn't particularly urgent, so why put them through the trouble?
Nothing could be accomplished overnight. As long as they planned things properly and proceeded step by step, everything would be fine.
The drow, however, were night owls. They weren't accustomed to the sunlight on the surface and were used to being active at night.
Anser cast "Sending." Delira replied almost immediately, saying that everything had already been packed and they were ready to move at any time.
He couldn't very well leave them waiting, so he used "Teleport" to travel to the drow's temporary settlement.
The Wood of Sharp Teeth was pitch-black at night, but that suited the drow perfectly.
Hardly any of them were asleep. They had gathered in small groups of two or three, chatting about Twin City, the city now being planned.
Normally, this was the best time for them to head out and stir up trouble. But because of Anser's summons, no one had gone out tonight, so everyone was present.
Anser appeared out of thin air in the settlement and was quickly spotted by the drow. Before long, Delira and her sister arrived together.
"You certainly work fast." Valera looked relaxed. For a while, she had been worried that Anser might change his mind.
After all, the Battle of the Rock of Bral had hardly been difficult, and the drow had yet to demonstrate enough value.
Anser looked around. He hadn't seen them for a while, and their numbers had clearly grown again. There were now more than two hundred drow, most of them male.
There were also three or four hundred enslaved Underdark creatures, including goblins, kobolds, and duergar.
"Can you guarantee their loyalty? Don't let Lolth's people infiltrate your ranks." His gaze returned to Delira and Valera.
"Don't worry. I'm confident I can." Valera's expression was self-assured, her pearl-like skin faintly luminous.
Anser's expression turned peculiar. Lowering his voice, he asked, "I'm more curious about how you win other drow over. Do you strip naked and dance under the moonlight?"
"It's not winning them over. It's redemption," Valera corrected him. Her expression immediately turned serious. "Dancing is part of the moonlight ritual. It has nothing to do with sex. It represents casting off your disguises and embracing your true self..."
Many of Eilistraee's religious rites did indeed involve dancing without clothes. Most didn't require complete nudity, but rituals such as the "High Hunt" and the "Last Dance" had to be performed entirely naked.
It symbolized the drow breaking free from Lolth's shackles and enslavement, casting aside their "disguises" and "chains," and embracing freedom once more—being completely honest with the goddess, their community, and themselves, with no need to remain guarded.
Under the moonlight, all things revealed their true selves.
Of course, this kind of nude dancing was limited to private religious occasions. They weren't going to dance naked in front of random people.
Anser composed himself. Such a serious religious matter shouldn't be subjected to criticism or mockery.
He didn't understand it, but he respected it!
In truth, he didn't believe nude dancing could possibly have nothing to do with sex. People had desires and emotions, and every believer had a different degree of devotion. There was no way they could all be free of selfish desires and distracting thoughts. Not even gods could manage that.
Besides, wasn't being "true to yourself" about following what was in your heart?
Didn't Eilistraee also encourage her followers to love freely and embrace the good things in life?
That was what Anser thought, but he didn't let it show.
"So that's what you care about." Valera stared at him resentfully and made the seemingly out-of-nowhere remark.
"You're reading too much into it." Anser didn't care at all.
But if Iris dared to dance naked for someone else, no matter the reason, he definitely wouldn't be able to accept it.
"Get everything ready and gather everyone. We're leaving right away." He waved his hand, decisively changing the subject.
Valera simply stared at Anser without saying anything, clearly still bothered by it.
Delira chuckled and pulled her younger sister away.
Anser shrugged. His rejection of Eilistraee last time had absolutely nothing to do with dancing naked.
Before long, Valera gathered the drow and their slaves together and arranged them into two lines.
Anser repeatedly cast "Teleportation Circle," sending them to the Viheral Ring in batches.
Several hundred people made the castle extraordinarily crowded, turning the place into a chaotic mess.
Delira sent all the slaves and most of the drow out of the castle and had them begin clearing the surrounding ruins through the night.
Ancient buildings that were still habitable were to be cleaned up and used as housing. Those that weren't had to be marked, and roads needed to be cleared.
The Viheral dungeon wasn't small. It was four or five kilometers across, easily enough to house tens of thousands of people.
After the passage of countless ages, most of the buildings on the surface could no longer be used. Some, however, had been sturdily constructed to begin with and were also protected by magic, leaving them remarkably intact even now.
With just a little renovation, the dungeon could be made habitable.
The biggest problem was the lack of a water source.
But Delira and Valera were already extremely satisfied. Having a castle to live in as soon as they arrived was an excellent start.
Besides, building their own home with their own hands was a wonderful thing in itself.
Anser explained the situation in the surrounding area to them, including the Myconids and the adventurers, so they could avoid any conflicts.
When the sisters heard about the mushroom forest, their eyes immediately lit up.
Myconids and a mushroom forest meant water and food, two things of enormous importance in the Underdark.
Many subterranean races kept Myconids around and cultivated edible mushrooms on a large scale.
In truth, food wasn't scarce here. Following the underground passage outside led directly to Moonscar Basin. Located in the heart of the forest and rarely visited by people, the area was extraordinarily rich in natural resources.
There were plenty of wild berries, medicinal herbs, and animals. It was somewhat dangerous, but no one was going to starve.
Anser decided to act as their guide and led the two sisters through the underground passage and the mushroom forest, all the way to Moonscar Basin.
By then, the sky was already bright, revealing the surrounding landscape in full.
More than a hundred tents were scattered around the crater, all belonging to fairly capable adventuring parties.
Taking the opportunity, Anser felled a massive tree more than three meters in diameter. He took its trunk, split it apart, charred the wood with fire, then planted the pieces side by side on the high ground north of the crater.
He then used magic to leave inscriptions on them: one read "Twin City," and the other "Holrewen Federation"!
Once Graham's administrative team and Stoll's soldiers arrived, they could use this spot as the center from which to establish a garrison and build the city.
The crater itself would be incorporated into the city, with a large adventurers' lodge constructed over it. It would provide adventurers with essential services while also making them easier to manage.
The Upper City would be named "Moonscar" and would be predominantly human.
The Lower City would be named "Moonlight," while its castle would be called Moonlight Castle. It would be handed over to the drow for self-government, with harmony and inclusivity as the guiding principle.
As for the name "Moonlight," it could represent Eilistraee or Sehanine Moonbow. That way, neither goddess was left out. It wasn't as though the two of them were going to fight over it.
Once Anser had arranged everything and entrusted the relevant matters to Graham and Delira, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
'I hope the two halves of Twin City can live together in harmony. Don't let this turn into some Battle of the Twin Cities years from now.'
For some reason, he suddenly felt a little worried.
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