It was the Month of Highsummer, when the days were long and the nights were short.
After Anser and the others woke up, it was already past six o'clock. The sky was still bright. They packed their valuables and weapons, preparing to go sample moon elf cuisine and, incidentally, gather some information.
"When there are people around, don't call me by my name. Call me captain," Anser said as he put on his cloak, wary of attracting the attention of the Order of Blue Fire.
"Alright…" Bratt and the other understood immediately.
The treehouse and the mushroom house were separated by several dozen meters. The treehouse covered a larger area, but its interior colors were quite different. The treehouse was dominated by deep green tones, paired with an arched dome and moon-gate doorways, giving it a strong natural charm.
The first floor was the dining hall, filled with round and square tables. One side had a long bar counter, resembling a blend of tavern and restaurant.
At this hour, it was dinner time. The spacious dining hall was already more than half full, mostly with guests from the mushroom house.
The servers were almost all moon elves, with pointed ears and pale skin. Their hair was primarily silver-white or light blue. There were both men and women, and most of them were quite good-looking.
Anser plopped down onto a tall round stool by the bar, quietly observing the diners.
These people were all well dressed, mainly adventurers, merchants, and nobles. Almost no one was shouting or making a racket. It was relatively quiet.
"What would the three gentlemen like to order?" A handsome male elf with an easy, graceful demeanor waved off the other servers and approached.
Anser picked up the menu from the bar and found that the prices were noticeably higher than those of ordinary restaurants, but far more reasonable compared to the room rates.
"Elven nut bread, grilled mushrooms, grilled mackerel, and herbal tea."
These were the cheapest items. Things like bacon-and-green-spear rolls, vegetable stew, and seafood rice were all increasingly expensive.
Bratt took the menu and ordered nearly the same as Anser, except he replaced the herbal tea with ale.
Finn looked at the especially light fare and ordered only a portion of grilled fish and a serving of smoked venison. Although he had wood elf blood, he was extremely fond of meat.
"Please wait a moment." The male elf finished writing the order and handed it to a nearby server.
He then poured three glasses of wine from a glass decanter and set them down in front of Anser and the others, one by one.
"Our shop's signature Moondew Wine. It's on me." He sat down across the bar from Anser.
"Hm?" Anser immediately became alert. A glass of Moondew Wine cost two silver coins—more expensive than venison.
No one offers courtesy without a reason.
"Don't be nervous. My name is Kaleno. I'm one of the owners of Moonshadow Quelin." The male elf waved his hand and quickly explained. "I've admired adventurers since I was young, but my family wouldn't allow it."
"If you can tell me about what you've seen on the road these past few days, tonight's dinner is on me."
"These past few days?" Anser's heart skipped a beat. "Can you tell me how you could tell?"
"You just checked in. You're covered in road dust mixed with the smell of blood. Is there really any need to guess?" The corner of Kaleno's mouth lifted, his eyes full of confidence.
There was indeed no need to guess—because when Anser and the others went to the docks to watch the commotion, Kaleno had already spotted them from the rooftop.
Anser looked at him calmly. Very soon, the dice popped up Kaleno's information:
[Kaleno, Moon Elf, Level 4 Fighter (Psi Warrior)]
"We just arrived and aren't very familiar with the situation here. Would you be willing to tell us about it?" He turned the tables. If the other party was willing to share, he didn't mind revealing a little as well.
"Of course." Kaleno did not hesitate. "Then I'll start by telling you about the latest news. A few days ago…"
After the incident at Baldur's Gate, Silver Scale Bay quickly received word. At first, the news circulated only among the upper circles, and ordinary people once thought it was just a rumor.
It wasn't until large numbers of merchant ships sailed away from the River Chionthar that the news truly exploded. After that, large numbers of refugees poured in every day, and the dire state of Baldur's Gate became known to more and more people.
Today, a Cormyrian royal merchant caravan, escorted by a warship of the Dragon Lake Fleet, attempted to pass through Wyrm's Crossing. It was attacked by a large number of Kuo-toa. Although it barely managed to escape back, the losses were severe.
The Dragon Lake Fleet was a recently established fleet of the Kingdom of Cormyr, created specifically for escort duties. Its firepower was respectable, but when faced with attacks launched directly from underwater, it was still difficult to guard against.
The busiest places of all were the various adventurers' guilds. There were so many missions that they could not be counted, most of them involving trips to Baldur's Gate to rescue family members or friends, yet very few adventurers dared to accept them.
"Are there any passenger ships heading to Daggerford or Waterdeep?" Anser was more concerned about this.
"There are, but ticket prices have gone up, and you probably can't buy any now." Kaleno poured himself a glass of wine and drained it in one gulp. "I'd advise you not to take the smaller boats. Kuo-toa are running rampant in the Sea of Swords. It's quite dangerous."
There were simply too many people trying to leave, so failing to get a ticket was normal. This situation might only ease after a week.
But who knew what things would be like a week later?
Kuo-toa that had lived long-term in dark, filthy underground waters, once they reached surface waters, it was no different from arriving in paradise. There was no way they would leave, even if beaten to death.
However, Anser was not in a hurry either. Aside from being a bit expensive, Silver Scale Bay was generally quite safe—far from the center of the disaster, yet not so "peaceful" as to be dull—perfectly in line with his expectations.
After all, he needed combat to level up. A bland, tranquil life was not what he wanted.
As they were chatting, their dishes were brought over.
Anser gave Bratt a look. Bratt understood and began vividly recounting what they had seen over the past few days.
This time, however, the main character became the Paladin. They themselves were merely observers with no real presence. The undead from last night were the same—they and the Stonemasons' Guild had only happened to witness it and had done nothing.
There was nothing worth hiding in any of this, because too many people had seen it.
These dramatic, perilous experiences thrilled Kaleno immensely. He kept pouring wine for Bratt, and before long had already downed several glasses.
It was obvious that he truly loved adventure. His face was full of longing, and whenever the story reached an exciting part, his eyes shone brightly, as if he himself were the protagonist of the tale.
By the time Bratt finished speaking, the area around the bar was already packed with people, and quite a few servers were listening in as well.
Anser had already quietly moved to a corner, wearing his cloak. No one paid him any attention. Unfortunately, even after waiting for quite a while, he still did not see those members of the Order of Blue Fire come out.
"Are you waiting for someone?" A magnetic voice suddenly sounded by his ear.
Anser's muscles tightened as he turned his head. A female elf with a graceful figure stepped toward him. She wore an elaborate moon-white robe and held a glass of wine in her hand, smiling warmly at him.
"Who are you?" The holy symbol in his chest did not give any warning, and he relaxed slightly.
"I'm one of the owners here—Gwyneth. Didn't Kaleno tell you?" Gwyneth's skin seemed to glow with moonlight, giving her an unreal, almost illusory aura.
"He didn't," Anser said, staring into her blue eyes. "What can I do for you, Lady Gwyneth?"
Gwyneth leaned in closer to Anser. "A follower of Tyr—little Dara forgot to remind you. Fighting is not allowed at Moonshadow Quelin, and killing is strictly forbidden."
"You're overthinking it." Anser looked completely unconcerned.
"Hehe…" Gwyneth lightly tapped her wineglass against his teacup, then turned and left.
The crisp sound of her footsteps faded away. Anser watched her slender waist as she departed. The dice spun for a long time, finally detecting her class information just before her figure disappeared.
[Gwyneth, Moon Elf, Level 6 Sorcerer (Lunar Sorcery), Level 1 Cleric]
'A seventh-level professional running an inn in a small town? Toril really is full of formidable people everywhere.'
Anser drained his herbal tea in one gulp, letting the cool mint mingle with the fragrance in the air as it lingered in his nose.
He had never intended to make a move in the inn anyway, and being mistaken for a follower of Tyr was not necessarily a bad thing.
"Lunar Sorcery." Another extremely rare sorcerer bloodline.
At that moment, Finn suddenly walked over quickly and leaned in beside him, whispering, "They've gone out."
Anser stood up and walked out of the dining hall. Under the setting sun, several blue-robed figures disappeared at the entrance to the garden path.
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