Hill watched the bargaining scene between the person and the dragon on the giant screen.
Their conversation was clear for anyone to understand: the White Dragon Queen didn’t mind carrying Edna while flying, but she did care that the dragon saddle made by the elves wasn’t glamorous enough... Although the saddle woven using magical plants wasn’t cheap, it lacked embedded jewels and gold or silver threads, solely offering comfort.
This kind of arrangement, which only benefited Edna herself, was something Elvia would never agree to.
So, even though it was well-known that the relationship between the Haber Family and Agleya City was definitely not as good as people outside claimed... the Clan Leader of Haber had only sent Hill a few gifts, and rumors in the North quickly spread that the Lord of Agleya wanted to claim the stretch of land from the Hidden Forest to Agleya City for himself.
Sending gifts with ulterior motives, it’s no wonder Hill straightforwardly refused the Haber’s request to send some Mage Apprentices to the Agleya Mage Academy.
However, besides making the Lord of Agleya upset, these rumors didn’t have much other impact, as anyone who knew Hill even a little would understand that the mysterious bloodline Nature Mage never competed with others for territory.
If he truly had any ambitions, Deepwater City would be one thing, but Neverwinter wouldn’t even survive; don’t be fooled by the fact that the Temple of Heim was willing to offend the Lord of Agleya for the benefits offered by Neverwinter, that definitely didn’t include engaging in combat with him.
As for Luskan, the Toril people wouldn’t consider this city’s former rulers as an independent force... Even if pirates had ruled the city for hundreds of years, no country would acknowledge their sovereignty.
Becoming a king and then turning into a bandit, versus a bandit wanting to become a king, are two different matters.
Seeing this, Hill helplessly pressed his forehead, Edna certainly had skills, was she going to show off right in the enemy’s stronghold deliberately?
The Haber Family certainly wouldn’t sit back without doing anything... letting her leave happily like that was impossible.
They probably made the same judgment as most well-informed upper echelons of Toril: this descendant of the Deity of Mages would become the right-hand of the soon-to-emerge Goddess of Magic, as predicted by the deeper laws of the Weave for the reconciliation between Azuth and Mystra.
Unless some dispute arose between the two ladies... but that’s very unlikely, after all, who would steal the limelight from the deities?
The Haber Family definitely had to target Edna.
They wouldn’t be foolish enough to believe that when Edna relied on the power of the Goddess of Magic to investigate why her father was unlucky, Kelben, who would inevitably be found, wouldn’t expose them.
As a once highly trusted aide of Mystra, Kelben could still manage, claiming he relieved the worries of his Main God rather than received any benefits from the Haber Family.
But for the Haber Family, mostly filled with Necromancers and with undeniable ties to demons, there’s absolutely no way out... they genuinely wanted to deal with the descendant of Azuth.
Who knew someone would impersonate their child? The out-of-context information source fooled the Haber Family badly, making them truly believe this Mage was a descendant over a few hundred years old... until that guy used spatial jumping to escape.
Mystra wouldn’t even need to do much... simply severing the connection between the Haber’s bloodline and the Weave would render the family, which could no longer produce Mages, meaningless.
Hill silently gazed at the confident little girl... wondering when she would realize she’d plunged deep into enemy territory.
Edna cheerfully waved at her slowly approaching teammates.
Although aware there might be some troubles in Long Saddle Town, Edna wasn’t frightened... even if there’s a dimwit in the Haber Family that’s causing trouble for their team, would they dare to be lethal?
As long as the price of the dragon saddle doesn’t rise, she could care less about the snide remarks~
The only person with a bit of understanding of the relationship between Long Saddle Town and Agleya was Edna, and she was completely nonchalant about the disputes between the two... as long as they didn’t want to declare war on Agleya, the Haber Family would absolutely not make a move against the student of the Hidden Town’s Mayor or the brother of Agleya’s Municipal Officer.
The little girl happily decided on the first stop of the adventure party.
And the Junior Mage from Quel Senta was, of course, very eager to visit the famous Mage Town.
As for Leonard, he had no opinions at all, instead, his Fairy Dragon was muttering about wanting to head straight to Agleya to visit the little fairies.
But was soon subdued by Elvia, who had already begun her fancy of having lots of gold and silver jewelry on her back.
"Then~ let’s go around the outskirts of the Neverwinter Forest!" Edna said with a grin, "There are a lot of Gnoll People inside, Devis, did you often fight when you were at Quel Senta?
I’ve always been out hunting monsters with the Teraxil Elves, so my hands are pretty steady. I just don’t know how you guys are?"
Devis’s eyes narrowed slightly, he had always assumed Edna lived a pampered life, even though she was astute and capable, it didn’t mean she would remain formidable after leaving her protective circle.
For most novice Mages, killing was a hurdle to overcome.
Although the four of them had undergone slaughter training before setting out, killing quite a few monsters, most of it was on training grounds, so their real-world combat experience was relatively limited.
After pondering for a few seconds, he said, "Then we’ll lead a part of the attendants to clear the way upfront! Although we’ve got blood on our hands, the situation in Quel Senta might not be the same as here."
Devis wasn’t sure if what Miss Edna said was true or false, but let’s assume she was telling the truth... If the young girl was bragging, the less action taken now, the worse it will reflect on her later.
If she avoids battle now, she will gradually get used to shirking responsibilities.
By then, even if they are still the most capable in the team, so what? Will she rely entirely on that dragon during her travels?
Although Devis didn’t know what the White Dragon Queen hoped to gain from Edna, he absolutely did not believe that she came to be a doting mother because she found Edna cute and pretty.
If Elvia Tulais doesn’t get what she wants, she’ll eventually leave.
Devis turned to discuss with a few others about how to arrange their followers... if one wishes to hone their abilities, they can’t let those nearly transcendent warriors stay too close.
But they can’t be too far away either; they came here for training, but not to seek death.
Devis had no intention of scheming against Miss Edna; he didn’t have the skill for that. But that doesn’t mean he won’t seize every opportunity.
Being the team leader is irrelevant as long as he can wield real power. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on noᴠelfire.net
If the opportunity presents itself, only a fool would refuse it!
Edna didn’t care what her team members were thinking... She was truly sick of killing gnolls and goblins.
The ’Old Age Striking King’ had always treated her well but was also very strict, often assigning her missions of independently killing a certain number of monsters.
Even being beaten black and blue by gnolls, with her head bleeding, was no reason to end the task early; it would just take a Healing Spell in the end anyway.
Edna knew full well that the Undead were following her, but it wasn’t necessarily a good thing for her. After all, besides Sanda King Sister, others would often take pictures of her bruised state for everyone to see.
She could only work harder until she reached a point where most of her spells, including her strange objects, could hit the target accurately and she had time to play.
Edna understood Sanda King Sister’s anxiety; she was different from those Undead Mages who would recklessly engage in close combat, treating themselves as human bombs... Once dead, she would truly be gone.
Sister Cunlü always said that Sanda King Sister treated Edna this way to practice for her future child.
But Edna was already very satisfied... The ’Old Age Striking King’ was willing to sacrifice her own time, staying with her for days in the dark, ruined forest, enduring the stench. What more could she ask for?
What her biological mother couldn’t do, her friend accomplished!
Edna was already very satisfied.
Edna was well aware that nobody in the world would be especially good to her for no reason! All those who suddenly showed her kindness either had ulterior motives or wanted something bigger.
She turned her head to glance at the familiar Neverwinter Forest and loudly instructed those blatant folks from Quel Senta to be cautious, either raise a shield or wield one.
If you think the monsters in a new place are the same as elsewhere... then there’s no arguing if you end up punished.
But she had experienced all this, and she could understand what novices were going through... No matter how much practice at home, issues would arise in real battles.
So even when she saw the Junior Mages hundreds of meters ahead being embarrassed by gnolls shooting arrows from hidden spots in the trees, Edna didn’t laugh at them. She simply directed them on how to counterattack based on her experience.
The monsters that managed to survive in the Neverwinter Forest, occasionally raided by the Undead, might not be very powerful, but they were skilled at steering clear of danger.
Especially the skill to hide and ambush by climbing trees... The first time Edna saw a gnoll capable of such strategy, she almost suffered serious injuries.
If it weren’t for Sanda King Sister securing a Divine Shield on her in time, despite the Weapon Deflection Spell on her, she would have been turned into a sieve.
Who could have guessed that the gnolls in Neverwinter Forest had been driven by the Undead to form tribes, each requiring at least a dozen intelligent shamans capable of crafting Magic Arrows!
The gnoll tribes, once numbering only tens of members, had long been abandoned. In this forest, one thousand members is the basic number for forming a tribe.
And don’t even mention the goblins; they lived in clusters in the central forest... a super-tribe with hundreds of thousands of goblins.
No wonder the old saying goes, as long as you live long enough, you will see it all.
Since then, Edna has always hoped to become the kind of powerful person who could remain calm even if Cyric and Mask danced a close quarters dance right in front of her!
The day she can see that scene is the day she would have lived a very long life.