Chapter 78: Deinonychus
Abel is also called Eber. Due to language and pronunciation issues, both pronunciations refer to that world born together with Toril.
Anse does not know Abel, or rather, few people know Abel.
It is said that Abel originated from the ancient and untraceable Dawn War, where those primal and powerful beings “Primal” that appeared from the beginning of the universe, also known as “Wild Gods,” erupted into an unprecedented war of the gods with the gods who created the Material Plane.
In the end, the gods won the victory in the Dawn War. The Lord of Gods Ao separated the originally unified world into Abel and Toril. Toril was given to the gods and their followers, while Abel was given to the surviving Primal to rule.
According to descriptions from Dragonborn from Abel, the Primal were betrayed by Dragonkind, either dying, falling into dormancy, or being sealed. Dragons ruled the entire world.
In other words, the previous Abel was dominated by Dragon forces, with additional forces of revived Primal and Mortals, but after so many years, no one knows the current situation.
But the one thing Anse can be sure of is that Abel has no Magic Net!
The gods of Toril need the Magic Net to build a faith network, but the Primal and Dragons are different. They do not need faith; their power comes from the world’s own Primal Mana.
“Abel?” Salian looked bewildered. He seemed to have heard this term before, but had no impression of it.
“The Dragonborn’s homeland.” Anse explained.
“Ah?”
Everyone turned to look at the only Dragonborn crew member at the same time.
That Green Dragonborn stared with a pair of big eyes, completely unaware of what was happening.
Dragonborn have multiplied in Toril for hundreds of years and established the Dragonborn nation “Tymanther.” Except for the elites among Dragonborn, ordinary Dragonborn wouldn’t know about those past events.
Even if they knew, these Dragonborn definitely wouldn’t want to go home.
In Abel, Dragonborn are slaves of Dragons. They struggled and resisted for an unknown number of years to establish the Dragonborn kingdom, but still live under the shadow of Dragons. One can imagine their living conditions.
“What do we do now?” Salian looked at Anse, expecting this knowledgeable Spellcaster to provide some guidance.
“I don’t know.” Anse spread his hands. “But staying in place is probably not a good idea.”
【Quesser】 is located in this “lake” with a diameter of only one or two kilometers. The water depth is unknown, and the west side was originally the vast Sword Sea, now surrounded by land.
Northwest is savanna, southwest is dense forest, and many areas connect with the Cloak Forest on land, indistinguishable from each other.
Salian’s expression was grave. He picked up the telescope and carefully observed the surrounding environment, discovering reflections at the junction of the forests on the north and south sides with the original coastline, with half the trees submerged in water.
Compared to the trees elsewhere that were tens or even hundreds of meters tall, the trees here were half as tall. He speculated that the water depth along the shore should be sufficient for navigation, though somewhat narrow.
“It feels like it’s pieced together. Do you think we should go through or dock and head to land?” Salian looked at Anse again.
Before Anse could speak, ripples appeared on the water surface. He quickly scanned around and saw the woodland trees north of the fishing village shaking violently, followed by five or six dinosaurs about eight or nine meters long bursting out and charging toward the fishing village.
“This is… Allosaurus!” Anse was startled.
He didn’t know many dinosaurs, but Allosaurus was the most classic dinosaur image and the most widespread predator. Although not as massive as Tyrannosaurus Rex, Allosaurus had a more balanced body proportion, developed forelimbs, and was extremely agile.
The villagers fled in panic, but where could they escape? They were caught by Allosaurus not far away. They opened their big mouths and could swallow a person in a few bites. Some villagers were targeted by two Allosaurus at once; they were just picked up and torn in half in mid-air.
Salian’s face looked grim, but he also knew they had no ability to save people: “We can’t go north or to land.”
These dinosaurs could run from the savanna to land, indicating a connection between the two or very shallow water, and open areas are not conducive to escape and hiding.
“Then go south, quick—” Anse urged.
【Quesser】 staying in this lake was too conspicuous. If targeted, it would be trouble.
The forest is convenient for hiding, with tall trees. Most importantly, the giant dinosaurs in the forest are mainly herbivorous dinosaurs. Massive carnivorous predators like Tyrannosaurus Rex, due to inconvenient movement, generally stay in plains or Forest Edge.
Of course, this is not absolute. Abel’s dinosaurs were created by the Primal Utao, and their habits are not quite like those on Earth.
“Weigh anchor. First Mate takes the helm. Others load the cannons and prepare for combat.”
“Aye…”
【Quesser】 turned its bow and slowly sailed south along the coastline.
At this time, that gray line in the sky quietly passed directly overhead.
The mana in Anse’s body suddenly boiled, like a group of naughty children rolling and frolicking, becoming very disobedient. He immediately sat on the ground, focused on meditation, and only after a good while did he regain control of the mana.
However, the mana seemed more active, and the degree of control was not as good as before.
He opened his eyes and met Salian’s gaze of surprise and doubt.
“The Magic Net is acting up again?” Just now, he felt like his spell slots had been stripped away, completely imperceptible.
Anse shook his head slightly: “There… is no Magic Net here at all!”
“Ah…” The others looked incredulous.
In the perception of most Professionals, the Magic Net is ubiquitous like air. No Magic Net is hard to comprehend.
“Can you still cast spells?” Salian asked quickly.
“Yes.” Anse glanced at Nolnos and saw that the West Wind Horseshoes had not failed, then breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s good.” Salian’s expression eased slightly.
He is a hunter and does not rely on that bit of casting ability. As long as Anse, the full Spellcaster, can still cast spells, it has little impact.
【Quesser】 gently parted the calm water surface and quietly approached the Forest Edge. There was indeed a waterway ahead, sandwiched between towering ancient trees.
Fortunately, the Elf Ship is slender and easily slipped between the trees, agile in posture.
The Allosaurus on the riverbank roared twice toward this side but did not enter the water to chase, perhaps wary of this massive object floating on the water.
Once inside the forest, the light immediately dimmed. Looking up, sunlight was blocked by the tall trees, and even the deck had few light spots.
“What kind of trees are these? So thick, perfect for shipbuilding.” Salian held his bow in his left hand, constantly eyeing these towering giant trees.
“Don’t know, maybe some kind of cedar?” Anse had no expertise in this, only remembering that cedars grow quite tall.
“Very impressive.”
Brat leaned on his longsword, looking up in awe, as if he had entered a land of giants. The ancient trees around him, with diameters of over ten meters and heights of a hundred meters, were countless.
Anse’s gaze focused on those never-before-seen animals, but they were generally very alert and hid as soon as they saw the Elf Ship from afar.
“If this is the area swap you mentioned, there shouldn’t be dinosaurs in the water.” Salian speculated.
“Hard to say.” Anse replied.
So far, it seems a small piece of Abel’s continent appeared out of nowhere in the Sword Sea. The exact size and creature forms are hard to say.
“Splash…”
A strange wading sound came. Anse immediately searched in that direction but only glimpsed a feathered tail disappearing behind a tree.
“Seems like a big bird?” Salian wasn’t sure.
As soon as he spoke, the water sounds around grew louder and more frequent. A group of long-tailed dinosaurs resembling large birds trailed far behind the sailing ship on the right side.
They were about three meters long, with light builds. Their forelimbs looked like a pair of wings, but when extended, revealed sickle-like claws.
“Everyone be careful—” Salian looked vigilant.
He hadn’t seen this creature before, but one could tell predators from herbivores by appearance.
Seeing these dinosaurs, Anse inexplicably thought of velociraptors from movies, but velociraptors didn’t have feathers.
The dice spun rapidly and soon popped up their information:
【Deinonychus, Medium Beast, Challenge Rating 1】
