Chapter 56: What It’s Like To Have Someone Write A Song About You
The sun outside the window began to set, the sunlight no longer scorching, and the flow of people on the street gradually increased.
Anse had just awakened from meditation, his stomach growling with hunger, but he was full of vigor and mana.
Many people don’t understand that there is a fundamental difference between sorcerers’ and wizards’ meditation.
Wizards’ meditation is a daily essential practice, requiring extremely high concentration, mainly to review and understand spell models through the Magic Net and spellbook, prepare spells, which is very mentally taxing.
Sorcerers rely on innate magic, needing no spell preparation; even a deep sleep can restore spell slots or mana. So-called meditation just accelerates this process, very easy.
The room had curtains drawn, light dim, Brat and the others not there, a row of muskets in the corner, wiped very clean, faint gunpowder smell in the air.
Anse picked up a musket, wooden stock, long barrel, equipped with a ramrod for loading bullets or cleaning the barrel, bullets were lead, not very uniform-looking.
He wasn’t a antique firearms enthusiast, but vaguely remembered that lead bullets later developed into conical bullets and paper cartridge rounds.
‘This thing isn’t very threatening if the quantity is too small.’
The greatest threat is the uncertainty of bullets, because even the gunner doesn’t know where the bullet will hit.
Anse wasn’t very interested in muskets, casually set it down, got up and knocked on the door across.
The door opened, Finn saw it was him and grinned, revealing a mouth of uneven teeth: “You’re awake.”
“【Conch】 what’s the situation, what about the guards?”
Finn closed the door properly, eyes a bit puzzled: “【Conch】 dropped anchor, guards don’t know where they went, no movement, so didn’t call you.”
Anse frowned, a bit unable to figure out what the guards were afraid of, or were they also participants in the slave trade.
Baldur’s Gate just had an incident, the three Grand Dukes still there, and these people were already rushing to find a new backer?
He walked a few steps to the window, from here could overlook most of Silver Scale Bay.
On the bay, quite a few ships coming and going, that 【Conch】 drifting in a secluded sea area away from the dock area, two or three kilometers from shore, many shadow figures busy on the deck, seemed still repairing the ship.
Anse narrowed his eyes, inexplicably a bit annoyed: “You watch the window for a while, let Greyhawk come back to rest, it’ll have to work hard tonight.”
Finn was stunned: “Okay.”
“How much compensation?” Anse looked down, the garden clean, plants with obvious trimming marks.
Nolnos was carrying Little Clara strolling in the garden, saddle fully equipped, it trotted in small steps, gently rocking, making the little elf giggle nonstop.
Brat and Dara guarded one on each side, the scene very warm.
“No compensation.” Finn shrugged.
“Huh, not bad.” Anse was a bit surprised, “I’m going to eat, call me if something comes up.”
“Mm.”
Anse didn’t disturb Brat and the others, entered the treehouse dining room alone.
Only mid-afternoon, dining room empty, not a single guest, just a few waiters cleaning.
He sat at the bar, ordered elven bread, grilled fish, vegetable stew, and herbal tea from the waiter; hadn’t eaten in half a day, he felt he could eat a whole cow.
Food hadn’t come, but Kalenno heard and rushed over.
“You’re famous now.” He plopped down across from Anse, casually placing a glass of mead in front of him.
“Not bad fame, I hope?” Anse joked.
“Prestigious name!” Kalenno spread his arms, expression exaggerated, “All over Silver Scale Bay, even bards have adapted your story into songs.
Oh right, and titles, Ashen Knight, Scale of Justice, Flame of Sin, Black Knight… how’s that, sounds mighty, right? Ashen Knight was my idea.”
“Thanks a lot.” Anse’s mouth twitched, he didn’t want fame, fame brings trouble.
Besides, these titles too embarrassing, cringeworthy to the extreme. But no way around it, this is one of Faerun’s characteristics, anyone with a bit of fame has a pile of titles or honorifics.
Some professionals shamelessly make up their own titles, each more outrageous than the last.
However, titles represent prestige, and prestige is really useful on Toril.
It itself represents class status and group recognition; high prestige brings many conveniences, like easier to gain some people’s trust, access places others can’t, meet people others can’t…
For example, if you want a custom high-quality magical item, without prestige, afraid you can’t even see the master.
Downsides obvious too, some forces will see him as a mortal enemy!
“You’re welcome.” Kalenno completely missed Anse’s meaning.
“Let me ask you about some news.” Anse suddenly lowered his voice.
“Shoot.” Kalenno immediately perked up.
“That 【Conch】 slave ship… which family’s?”
Kalenno’s face turned serious, lowered his voice: “Heard from my sister, should belong to Nahshival Family, one of Amn’s five great families, many slavers more or less connected to them…”
Lately slave trade rampant, almost out in the open, some desperate people even voluntarily sell themselves into slavery, officials can’t or won’t manage it.
Those refugees are destabilizing factors, not favored by the governor, who’d rather have fewer.
“Heard of them.” Anse drained his wine glass, emotions surging, didn’t expect to run into them again.
No wonder Faerun has a proverb: Where there are people, there are slavers!
‘This way, even more can’t let you off.’
From today’s slavers’ actions, can see what kind of character Nahshival has, they absolutely won’t let it go easily, retreating useless, better strike first, can also get some experience and extra cash.
But 【Conch】 at sea, has guns, cannons, professionals, not easy to handle.
He silently recalled all the spells he knew, finally focusing on one second ring spell: Polymorph!
Boarding problem solved, what about combat, he kept calculating in his mind.
Kalenno beside saw Anse lost in thought, didn’t want to disturb, quietly got up and left.
——
Late night, Anse sorted his gear piece by piece.
Bring Azure Poison Blade, Wand of Fireworks, Bag of Holding, Goodberry Staff, Amulet of Cooperation, Guardian Holy Grail, etc., none of them.
He planned to swim stealthily, not good to carry too much; holy symbol, holy grail not very useful for sea night raid, their holy auras easy to expose him.
Few spellcasters in Amn, plus Magic Net turbulent, no worry about spell damage.
Reason for bringing Wand of Fireworks purely because Goodberry Staff too bulky, wand short, over thirty centimeters, easy to carry, this why spellcasters prefer wands.
“You really going? Isn’t it too dangerous?” Brat’s tone full of worry.
“No danger, I just hide in water, they helpless, initiative with me.” Anse had mentally rehearsed many times, confident.
“If danger, send signal, we’re ready anytime.”
“Mm, don’t put out lights, wear hoods and pace at window, pretend both rooms occupied.”
Before they could voice doubt, Anse chanted spell, flash of light and shadow, his figure and appearance greatly changed.
Size tall and large, muscles burly, bronze skin, dreadlocks tied back, great axe on back, engraved with war god Torm’s flaming sword holy symbol.
