Abyss Domination - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Beside the warm fire,

Aladdin was preparing a snack for the night . It was some sort of sliced meat sprinkled with herbs to roast . The halfling NPCs were carefree characters, and they would risk at least half of the wealth they acquired during adventures to make themselves more comfortable . They also didn’t like to adventure for too long, and they would often choose to retire after earning a good sum . Vivian couldn’t manage to eat anymore . Meanwhile, Gloria had a rare hiccup and then quickly retreated into the carriage with a reddish complexion .

Soran’s appetite was very good . The higher the Constitution the person had, the stronger the digestive ability . As such, his appetite had doubled compared to before .

For example, he now carried dried meat with him so he could eat and avoid cooking when he was in a battle . It would be much better after breaking through the fourth rank, though . By then, his endurance would be greatly strengthened; even if he didn’t eat for seven or eight days straight, he would still be okay .

Soran also knew a thing or two about barbecuing . While the two sat by the fire and ate meat, Soran unexpectedly unlocked the basic cooking skill . Maybe it’s because there’s a gourmet beside him .

Surprisingly there were 20 points in that skill .

There were many kinds of basic skills . Besides those that directly affected someone’s combat ability, other skills included forging, cooking, tailoring, and so on . The impact of these skills wasn’t big . Consequently, few people specialized in them . Weapon forging and armor forging were also quite limited . In order to build a rare grade equipment, one must also incorporate alchemy skills . One of the best examples was the Wizard’s robes . Many high-grade robes needed special materials, like the tough spider silk from the Underdark, which normal tailors couldn’t work with .

As for the Wizards, you can’t expect them to be proficient in sewing when they have so many harder things to learn .

Therefore, the number of high-grade rare items had always been very scarce .

Aladdin leaned against the carriage to smoke his pipe and handed Soran a small bag of tobacco . He smiled and said, “Taste the Derodotus family’s tobacco . It’s the best tobacco in northern Haels . ”

Soran didn’t refuse the offer . He reached over and took a bit . He didn’t drink, but he used tobacco to ease his pain and sometimes to distract his mind from his injuries . Halfling tobaccos were impressively difficult to obtain even if you had money . It’s a favorite among Wizards . After it was lit, it brought a faint fragrance that could freshen up a person’s mind . The effect was similar to the incense that Gloria had lit, and the only difference was that smoking tobacco was a male Wizard’s hobby .

The night was getting late .

The halfling laid out a blanket, rolled it up, and went to sleep . It was hard to tell if he was really asleep . After all, it’s hard for a rogue to fall asleep easily .

A rogue had the most important role in a squad: they had to be alert at all times .

If they were ambushed the rogues would be the first ones questioned . As such, for a long time the rogues liked to walk alone because their task was too difficult . When faced with dangerous terrain, they would walk in front of the squad . They were meant to deal with all the traps . At night, while the Wizards meditated and the warriors slept soundly, the rogues always had to be vigilant and could only take a break when it was safe . Compared to the warriors, it was better if the squad had a high-rank Ranger to do the lookouts from time to time . The warriors were practically useless when tasked to keep watch in safe areas, and they were even worse when an enemy became invisible .

Still, It was even better to be alone . There would be no one to take care of and be responsible for .

Faint howls from wolves were heard in the distance .

Soran rested on the carriage . Vivian pulled at the corner of his coat with her little hands and then Soran smiled and patted her head, letting her know that it was okay . Although the halfling was very friendly, he would not take his own safety lightly, even if there was a magic boundary . He still thought that he had to stay alert just to be sure, otherwise, he wouldn’t sleep well . The air got colder and colder . It seemed that winter might come earlier since it seemed much colder than the previous years .

Aladdin was sleeping soundly . It is what he most likely wanted from joining Soran and the others . Not a ride, but a good night’s sleep .

He probably didn’t dare to sleep this soundly when he was alone in the wild .

Soran sat upright with a blanket covering his body . He occasionally stood up and walked carefully to listen to the distant sounds . It was the wolves who had spotted the campfire, but they knew not to bother the campers . If wolves weren’t hungry they mainly hunted other beasts for food . Attacking travelers would only kill them faster, and it will be very difficult for them to reproduce .

The next morning, Soran was covered with a layer of white frost .

It was extremely cold .

Soran, who had an extraordinary 20 points in Constitution, didn’t seem to care very much, but when Vivian woke up and saw the frost on his eyebrows there was a sad expression on her small face . She brushed the frost off of his body with her small hands . She even opened her mouth to blow away the frost . Then, she held his palm and rubbed it hard: “Brother? Is it cold?”

Soran kissed her on the forehead and smiled, “It’s not cold . This chill is nothing . ”

The weather had definitely changed .

When Gloria got up in the morning and exhaled, there was a white mist visible . Gloria frowned and whispered, “This winter came over a month earlier than before . ”

Soran nodded slightly but said nothing .

After waking up, Aladdin first moved about . Then, he began to find some firewood to cook porridge . He had all kinds of ingredients ready . When the food was ready the group quickly ate it and continued their journey . Maybe it was because the merchants had cleared the way ahead, for the group did not encounter any monsters along the way . The journey lasted for two days, and then on the fifth day of their journey, they finally reached the territory of Autumnfall .

This was the half-elves territory .

Half-elves were very common here . They had slightly pointed ears, a more slender stature than human beings, and handsome and elegant features . However, most of the half-elves had been mixed: the proportion of human ancestry was large, while the proportion of elf descents were reduced . The village was similar to human villages, but there were many more towers and sentinels . Other than that, the area produced more longbow archers than an elven tribe . That’s because humans had more strength compared to elves: elven archers would often tire out after shooting a few rounds .

However, even though humans had enough strength, they did not have enough skill . Thus, compared to crossbow users and ordinary archers, humans needed a longer time to become a longbow archer .

Half-elves, on the other hand, had the advantages of both sides, that is, they had strength while also inheriting the innate talent that elves had for bows .

Almost every village here had longbow archers, and some towns also had teams of longbow guards . Among all the mixed races, the half-elves were doing the best . Other mixed folks, such as the half-orcs, were now either slaves or vagrants . It’s very exclusive here . The half-elves would often exclude creatures that weren’t half-elves . They would often watch outsiders with vigilant eyes because they were once rejected by the human and elven societies .

The so-called racial harmony was just a slogan preached by idealists .

Soran and others didn’t stop . They continued toward the city of Autumnfall . Finally, on the sixth day of their journey, they reached the city of Autumnfall .

“Alright, I’ll be heading to the Iron dwarves . ”

The little halfling jumped out of the carriage . He waved to Vivian, who was almost as tall as him, and then left as he pleased . “Goodbye lovely little girl . Goodbye, your Honourable Witch, and finally goodbye, fellow travelers . ”

“Come visit Hael when you’re free . I’ll treat you guys to some roast sturgeon . ”

The separation was a normal thing .

Even adventures who had been together for a long time would eventually have to part ways .

Vivian’s face had a slight hint of disappointment, but she soon recovered . She smiled and arranged the gifts she had received . Her little face was full of joy again . She liked the halfling very much because he gave her a sense of companionship . This is because, when compared with other children, she was still too smart and mature . Thus, an adult halfling who had a child’s stature but a mature mind made her feel like she had found a good friend .

The city of Autumnfall had a very elven style .

Most of them believed in elven gods, and only a small number devoted themselves to other beliefs . Half-elves also had their own gods, but their gods were comparatively weak . They could not provide any protection because they were only weak gods . The city of Autumnfall was full of Phoenix trees . When autumn came, leaves fell in succession . It was a very romantic scene . They worshiped the legendary immortal bird thus they also liked the Phoenix trees .

The immortal bird also had other names .

The monks called them Phoenix, the priests called them sunbirds, and the Wizards named them the ashes of arcane magic .

These birds soared in the skies in the arcane kingdom period .

After that period, it was almost impossible to see these majestic creatures; they were rarer than gods and more powerful than dragons . They say that the God of fire, with powerful divine powers on the Elemental Plane, handed them olive branches, making these beautiful and deadly creatures leave the world . Legend has it that when they flew, the sky would have a trail of a blaze of fire, and when they landed on the ground, everything around them would turn into ashes . Their flame would only extinguish at the moment of death, and this divine flame could cause hundreds of points of divine flame damage every second .

That was why they were beautiful but unapproachable .

There were two landmarks in Autunmfall . One was the immortal bird sculpture in the central square which is 30 meters high and 20 meters wide . The other was a 300-meter-high dome tower which housed the council of Autumnfall and also the caster’s Council within the half-elves . These, however, were not the most noticeable things . The more eye-catching structure was the iron pillar on the dome tower . It emitted a silver-white light . A light so bright it would cause dizziness if observed for too long .

It was the brilliance of mithril . The iron pillar that seemed like a lightning rod was actually the legendary Crystal Cannon .

From a humans imagination, the Crystal Cannon was just a very heavy cannon mounted on the wall just like the cannon used by dwarfs in stories . Because they had uncreative minds, they couldn’t understand what the Crystal Cannon looked like . People only understood it as something that a Wizard could charge and used spells to trigger it to fire . The Cannon would emit a loud noise and would be able to shoot down a dragon .

Yes .

That’s the feeling, the feeling of power .

But in fact, this wasn’t correct . The cannon wasn’t mounted on the wall, that would only make it decorative, and it didn’t have a parabolic line of attack . Rather the Cannon had a straight line attack . It was built in the period of the Arcane Empire and was used in conjunction with the floating cities . It was especially terrifying when it was set up at a high point and used its maximum attack range of 1,000 kilometers .

That’s right .

The full name of the cannon was called the Super Arcane Crystal Pulse Cannon .

(To be continued…)