The Wood of Sharp Teeth stretched deep and far. By the time Anser and Iris returned to Durlag's Tower, the sun had already set.
Viewed from high above, scattered lights glowed throughout the city while thin trails of cooking smoke drifted upward. The whole place felt warm, peaceful, and full of life.
The two landed at the headquarters of the Durlag Union. Councilor Graham, who had been busy the entire time, immediately came over with Kaleno and several officials.
Graham kept staring at the dragon wings on Anser's back. He did not ask any questions, but his face was full of smiles.
"Stop grinning like an idiot. Call over the management team you organized. I'm sending them to White Stone Island right now—they're short on manpower over there." Anser retracted his wings and urged him on.
"Mr. President, people have already been sent to gather them. They'll be here in a few minutes," Graham said with a chuckle. "What happened in the Wood of Sharp Teeth? Earlier, one of the guards' scouts said you drove off the wyverns?"
"I killed a few half-dragons instead. A massive crater appeared in the center of the Moonscar Basin, connecting directly to the Underdark..." Anser quickly explained the situation.
The group talked as they walked, soon entering the headquarters basement. The area was fairly spacious. Thick bluestone slabs lined the floor, clean and orderly. Judging by the traces around them, it had only recently been cleared out.
This place would become the teleportation hall, used to transfer supplies and personnel. One year from now, it would house a permanent Teleportation Circle linked together with the teleportation array at Fort Jacqueline, forming a two-way channel.
As Graham listened to Anser's explanation, the smile on his face gradually faded and slowly turned solemn. Even after Anser finished speaking, he remained silent for a long time.
"This probably isn't a good thing," he finally sighed softly. "Mr. President, that death knight is extremely important. As long as he remains there, the creatures of the Underdark won't be able to come out. But if adventurers end up killing him..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but anyone could feel the worry in his voice.
"I know. But we can't openly interfere. All we can do is explain the consequences to the adventurers," Anser said calmly.
A death knight was not invincible. The human world certainly possessed quite a few legendary experts capable of matching him. But people at that level usually possessed exceptional intelligence. None of them would recklessly risk their lives over some vague rumor.
Not unless they were certain there was something inside they truly wanted.
So, at least for the short term, the creatures underground probably would not be able to emerge.
"Still, we need to prepare for the worst." Anser changed tone midway through speaking. "I need you to handle something for me. Tomorrow, go to the Stonemasons' Guild and have them recruit refugees for me. They need to be honest and dependable. Farmers, craftsmen, scholars—we want all of them. It doesn't matter if they bring their families."
"Keep the number around three hundred. Don't let the male-to-female ratio become too unbalanced. The territory is in Holrewen. They already know the place—I recruited a batch there before."
"Understood." Graham had heard about it before and nodded in agreement.
Anser then turned toward Kaleno. "Don't stop the military recruitment. Pick only the best candidates. Make sure the weapons, equipment, and logistics keep up. If you're missing anything, get the treasury officers to release the funds."
"I understand." Kaleno nodded, though his thoughts were still lingering on the Underdark matter, making him seem somewhat distracted.
"What's wrong?" Anser patted his arm, concern visible in his eyes. "Thinking about your sister again?"
"Yeah." A trace of sorrow appeared on Kaleno's handsome face.
"I heard you issued a bounty request. Any results yet?" Anser asked.
Kaleno shook his head slightly without speaking.
Anser felt a bit guilty. If he had not assigned Kaleno all this work, the young man might already have set out in search of his sister.
Regardless of how it ended, at least it would have given his heart something to hold on to. That was far better than waiting here helplessly.
But then again, nowhere was peaceful these days. Kaleno was only a level 4 Psi Warrior. Traveling alone would simply be too dangerous.
"Once I'm done dealing with this busy stretch, we'll take a magic ship north and look for her together." Anser suddenly recalled the girl who always liked staring at him, yet remained as aloof and cool as moonlight itself. His emotions became impossibly complicated.
He had previously tried using Legend Lore, but unfortunately, Gwyneth did not possess enough legendary significance, so the spell had failed to provide any useful feedback.
"Th-this..." Kaleno did not want to owe Anser even more. In these chaotic times, already having someone to rely on and a safe place to stay was no easy thing. Yet after hesitating for a long while, he simply could not bring himself to say the words of refusal.
A slight ripple passed through Iris's gaze. She had heard people mention the girl named Gwyneth before. Ever since Silver Scale Bay had been destroyed, there had been no news of her.
She quietly sighed, her thoughts drifting: If underground creatures invaded and I disappeared... what would Anser do?
The moment the thought surfaced, she immediately threw it out of her mind. Since when had she become so sentimental?
At that moment, chaotic footsteps sounded from outside as a group of people filed into the room.
"Mr. President..."
Everyone bowed toward Anser. The movement was not perfectly synchronized, but the angles were proper and their voices were full of energy.
"Good evening, everyone." Anser nodded in acknowledgment.
He counted them. Seventeen people in total. A few familiar faces were among them, all around their thirties or forties, carrying themselves with calm composure and dressed appropriately.
"Not bad." He nodded slightly. "Councilor Graham should already have explained things clearly to all of you, but I still want to emphasize this again: White Stone Island is not some miserable backwater. The administrative system there is still incomplete, and all of you are elites from Durlag. Every one of you has the opportunity to rise even further."
"Land, wealth, and titles are all waiting for you. Go all out. As long as your attitude is correct, making a few small mistakes is no big deal. I'm not the type to nitpick over every little thing..."
The words themselves sounded ordinary enough, yet when spoken by Anser, they crashed into everyone's hearts like rolling thunder. The crowd's spirits instantly soared. Their lingering nervousness vanished completely, replaced by an overwhelming urge to throw themselves into great accomplishments.
For some reason, hearts that had long since grown stagnant suddenly stirred back to life. Passion erupted within them, and their eyes shone brightly.
"Excellent!"
A smile appeared on Anser's lips. For the first time, he felt as though he might have chosen the wrong path. Spellcasting was brute force too—but perhaps he ought to make use of his extraordinary Charisma and build a massive empire through sheer talking power alone.
Of course, it was only a passing whim.
He quickly steadied his thoughts and cast Teleportation Circle, opening a portal and sending all seventeen officials to White Stone Island.
When the portal closed, a faint ring of magical traces remained on the floor.
"Don't let anyone damage the ground. Guard the teleportation hall carefully," Anser instructed.
From now on, he would cast a teleportation circle here once every day for an entire year. If he was absent, Iris would use the Teleportation Cube in his place until a stable teleportation passage fully formed.
"Don't worry. There's a squad of defense troops stationed both inside and outside, plus guards nearby as well. The place will be watched twenty-four hours a day without interruption," Graham assured him.
"Good. Then all of you should get some rest." Anser waved toward Graham, Kaleno, and the others.
Afterward, he left the headquarters with Iris and returned to Fort Jacqueline.
The butler had already prepared dinner. The two ate a simple meal before returning to their bedroom.
"You should rest early. I'm heading to White Stone Island and the Rock of Bral for a bit." Anser pulled Iris into his arms and kissed her hard.
Iris had not spoken much today, but she had remained fully alert the entire time, acting as backup and support throughout the operation. In truth, it had not been easy for her either.
"Heh, I knew it." Iris gently pushed him away and tapped the tip of his nose with her finger. "Go on, then. Just come back early."
After witnessing Anser's strength with her own eyes, she had finally put her worries to rest. At the same time, however, a faint sense of urgency had begun growing inside her.
She could no longer afford to waste time. She had to calm herself and fully uncover the potential of her innate magic. Otherwise, the gap between the two of them would only continue widening.
Anser watched her figure disappear through the doorway. Immediately afterward, he used Holrewen as a transfer point and teleported to White Stone Island.
After briefly giving Quentin and the others a few instructions, he once again used the island's teleportation array to travel to Rock of Bral.
The moment he stepped out of the basement, a familiar voice came from the dark corner of the room: "You finally came back. The royal family requests your presence."
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> patreon.com/TitoVillar
---