Chapter 349

Anser dismissed Sakkors and checked the latest state of the Sakkors Mythallar.

After being free of its seal for more than a day, this Artifact that had lain hidden for centuries had finally had its fill, and its associated traits had stabilized.

...

[Magic Item: Sakkors Mythallar]

Category: Wondrous Item

Rarity: Artifact (Attuned)

This magical wonder combines the greatest achievements of Netherese arcana with the ultimate wisdom of a grand arcanist, possessing unimaginable potential and a uniquely distinctive range of applications.

Spirit Net: An alternative Weave constructed through an ingenious fusion of Magic Power and psionic energy.

It can stabilize raw magic, absorb psionic, elemental, ethereal, and other forms of energy, and operate reliably even within dead-magic and wild-magic zones.

Comes with the Spirit Net Mark and currently provides Magic Power Spellcasting, Telepathic Communication, Sending, News...

Once attuned, as long as you remain within one thousand meters of the mythallar, your Magic Power will remain perpetually full until the mythallar itself is depleted, while your Magic Power control and spellcasting speed are doubled.

While within the Spirit Net's range, you can sense nearby flows of Magic Power and magical effects. A short rest restores all of your Magic Power, sorcery points, and psionic energy, while your maximum Magic Power, maximum psionic energy, Magic Power control, and spellcasting speed are increased by 50%.

You are immune to fatigue and exhaustion caused by the expenditure of Magic Power or psionic energy.

Attack Rolls +5, Damage Rolls +5.

In addition, Flight, Recharge Recovery, and Weather Control have all been enhanced to varying degrees.

...

'Now this is worthy of being called an Artifact!' The corners of Anser's mouth lifted.

As long as he remained within the Spirit Net's range, his staying power would increase dramatically. He would hardly have to worry about running out of Magic Power.

His own maximum Magic Power hadn't actually changed. It was still 328 points. The extra portion came from the mythallar, effectively serving as an external Magic Power pool that he could draw from directly without any conversion.

Now, if anything, he was worried that his body and mind wouldn't be able to withstand such a terrifying burst of Magic Power.

Pouring nearly five hundred points of Magic Power into spells all at once was no easy feat.

And in battle, he had another hidden advantage.

If someone else used the Spirit Net to cast spells, he could revoke their access at any time!

Of course, he couldn't pull something like that unless the situation was truly desperate. Besides, there weren't many people worth doing it to.

...

Just as dawn began to break, a messenger bird landed on the attic of the Durlag headquarters, carrying a half-foot-long message tube on its leg.

When the personnel on duty saw the distinctive insignia of Waterdeep on the tube, they immediately grew alert and hurriedly passed it up the chain of command.

The message tube was relayed from hand to hand and soon arrived at Fort Jacqueline.

Anser had just returned to Fort Jacqueline and was about to have breakfast.

The moment he saw the message tube, he could more or less guess what it contained. When he opened it, he found that part of his guess had indeed been correct.

There were two letters inside.

One came from Waterdeep's judicial authorities. It detailed the investigation into House Cassalanter's dealings with devils and the resulting judgment. It even bore official seals and signatures, making it look thoroughly formal.

The compensation differed somewhat from what Liam had told him. Gwyneth and the others were to receive 3,400 gold pieces, along with the villa at 035 Delzorin Street in the North Ward.

The Rose Orchard Winery outside the city, meanwhile, was being awarded to Anser, primarily in recognition of his special contribution to maintaining public order in Waterdeep. The letter requested that he come and take possession of it as soon as possible.

'That makes sense.'

Compensation amounts were strictly prescribed by law, but there was no upper limit on rewards. After all, something like "contribution" was difficult to quantify.

The second letter came from the Lords of Waterdeep, congratulating him on the establishment of the Holrewen Federation and inviting him to Waterdeep to discuss the possibility of the Holrewen Federation joining the Lords' Alliance.

This letter probably hadn't been written by the Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr. Although she was the Open Lord, she had rarely made public appearances in recent years.

'Are they interested in me, or in Bral?' Anser rubbed his chin, unable to figure out Waterdeep's intentions.

The Lords' Alliance itself wasn't a nation, but rather a cooperative network formed by the rulers of cities and towns across the North. Through it, its members pledged to coexist peacefully with one another, share intelligence, and work together against common threats.

Baldur's Gate, Daggerdale, Silverymoon, Neverwinter, and Waterdeep were all members.

But when it came to influence within the alliance, Waterdeep undoubtedly carried more weight.

"Someone's extending us an olive branch." Anser handed the letter to Iris.

Iris skimmed it, arching a brow. "Hah. Is the Lords' Alliance really that reliable? Baldur's Gate suffered such a catastrophic disaster, yet where were the reinforcements?"

"I think Waterdeep did send some support." Anser recalled what he had seen at Silver Scale Bay.

Against tens of thousands of creatures from the Underdark, a handful of ships couldn't have turned the tide. Besides, far too little time had passed between the beginning of the disaster and the fall of the city. Help from afar simply couldn't arrive in time.

"It's been three months already. Grand Duke Ravengard has practically shouted himself hoarse in Paros, so where's this grand army?" Stoll chimed in, curling one hand into a circle around his eye and pretending to peer into the distance.

"Hahaha..."

Anser and Iris burst out laughing.

Stoll's tongue was practically dipped in poison. If the lords of the Lords' Alliance heard that, they'd probably turn green with rage.

Once the laughter subsided, Anser considered it for a moment. "Let's wait and see for now. But I'm definitely collecting that reward."

"I'm not going with you. We need to choose a site for the military camp today, and I have some old friends to call in. I can't let the Federation's military reputation fall apart on my watch." Stoll rubbed his bald head, his eyes gleaming.

Anser knew he was still riding the excitement of becoming commander of the central army. He might work hard for a few days, but once the novelty wore off, he'd probably go right back to slacking.

As long as he could bring in a few powerful helpers, there was nothing wrong with letting him slack off.

"I'm not going either. My Commercial Alliance is the one that's actually busy." Iris rolled her eyes at Anser. "Ever since I met you, I haven't had more than a few peaceful days."

"I'll see if I can poach some talent for you in Waterdeep," Anser said thoughtfully.

"You really dare say that." Iris smiled, pursing her lips.

Everyone took pride in settling in Waterdeep. That sense of superiority was ingrained in its people, and they looked down on impoverished backwaters elsewhere. One could imagine how difficult recruiting people there would be.

Anser wasn't concerned. Whether it could be done depended on the person doing it.

After a simple breakfast, he returned to Holrewen and found Gwyneth, showing her the letter from Waterdeep.

Gwyneth remained silent for a long time before making a choice that genuinely surprised Anser.

She wanted to join the Federal Commercial Alliance and bring the moon elves formerly from Moonshadow Quelin with her to help establish and manage the Waterdeep branch.

She disliked conflict and was proud by nature, unwilling to live in the Black Tower while contributing nothing. Yet there were pitifully few people at headquarters, leaving her little room to put her abilities to use.

Originally, her goal had been Dawn Town, where she could be with her younger brother Kaleno. But now that they had the Spirit Net, she no longer had to worry about being separated from her family.

Waterdeep, with its stable environment, was undoubtedly the better choice.

Anser couldn't have asked for anything better. He didn't press her for details and directly cast 「Teleport」, taking her to Waterdeep to collect the compensation, villa, and winery.

Everything went smoothly. After a simple identity check, the two soon collected the compensation money, deeds, and keys from the government office.

The villa was still fully furnished. Gwyneth had Anser teleport over the dozen or so moon elves, then arranged for them to clean the rooms, replace the locks, and purchase some daily necessities.

Anser, meanwhile, took Gwyneth to the winery outside the city. Members of the Watch and judicial officers were stationed outside, and only after examining their documents did they formally hand the property over.

The winery itself was deserted. The bodies and bloodstains had all been cleaned away, but traces of the battle remained. The battered red-brick building silently testified to how brutal the fighting had been.

"If I'd known, I would've gone a little easier on the place back then." Anser sighed helplessly.

The two looked around. The good news was that all the wine in the cellar was still there, and farmers were still tending the vineyard.

"I'll leave it to you. From now on, this will be the Commercial Alliance's branch headquarters." Anser tossed Gwyneth the keys. "Start by recruiting some people and getting the winery running again."

"Mm." Gwyneth acknowledged him.

Just then, a telepathic message reached him, and Anser's expression shifted slightly.

Through the Spirit Net, Osborn informed him that Evan's friend had located Emmanuel, the Chosen of Bane:

The Emerald Kingdom in southern Laerakond, on Abeir!

Anser had considered many possibilities, but Abeir was the one place that had never crossed his mind. It was a realm ruled by dragons, with a civilization utterly unlike Toril's.

'He went to help the Green Dragon Queen run her kingdom and play at dragon tyranny? It's not like they have any religious conflict...'

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