Anser slowly woke up, feeling in excellent condition—his magic power was full, and his mind was sharp and refreshed.
The room was dim, but it didn't affect his vision.
With a click, he opened his pocket watch. The hands had just passed three in the morning. It was still pitch black outside.
'Feels like my mana recovery speed is faster than in Faerûn.'
He knew this wasn't just an illusion. His meditation time had already proven it—it was just unclear what the reason was.
Probably something to do with the magical environment. The Rock of Bral was located in the starry void, and the concentration of magic was indeed higher.
He glanced around. Maeve was lying by the bedside, fast asleep, with the Book of Castella pressed under her body.
"Maeve, get up. Time for business," he called through telepathy.
Maeve opened one eye, glanced at him, ignored him, then hugged her head with both paws and continued sleeping.
"Do you want to take a trip through Wildspace on a magic ship?" Anser poked her little paw with his finger.
"Meow, where's the magic ship?" Maeve instantly flipped over and sprang up, swatting his finger away.
Anser took out the Teleportation Cube and pointed at one of its faces. "The people chasing us today were star pirates. This teleportation item recorded three coordinates, and one of them is marked as a base."
If the warlock's arcane-powered ship was at the dock, Osborn should be able to find it. If it was at the base, then even better for him—either way, it wouldn't escape.
"Meow, what if it's a trap? Some bad people still try to scheme against others even after they're dead," Maeve said suspiciously.
"That's possible. But I can send elemental creatures ahead to scout." Anser had already planned for this. With Mind Partitioning, he was even more confident.
In theory, a star pirate base shouldn't have anyone stronger than that warlock. People in evil factions don't trust each other—one misstep and your allies loot you from behind.
If it wasn't a base but a trap, then the elemental creature would likely be severely injured and return to the Elemental Plane before dying.
That way, Anser could easily determine the situation on the other side based on its condition.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Maeve controlled the spellbook to float up, ears perked, clearly excited.
She didn't like overly dangerous fights, but if it was a risk-free raid, that felt fresh and exciting.
Anser smiled and brought Maeve to the spacious eleventh floor, casting the spell directly inside the tower.
"તત્વજાદુ"
Conjure Elemental—Air Elemental!
In the next moment, wind began to stir in the room, growing stronger and stronger. The howling intensified as it converged toward the center, forming a vortex.
After a minute, a massive storm cloud over four meters tall appeared within the vortex, swirling violently.
Anser showed a trace of disappointment. This air elemental was stronger, but it wasn't the same one that had responded to his initial summon.
'Hello, my name is Anser. I'd like to ask for your help.'
The cloud around the elemental paused slightly, as if surprised that the summoner would negotiate with it. A human face formed on its surface and silently nodded.
'Here's the situation…'
Anser explained the scouting objectives and potential dangers in detail.
After arriving, the elemental's first task was to determine what kind of place it was. There were only three possibilities: a star pirate base, a dangerous trap, or an unrelated location.
If it was a star pirate base, the elemental needed to engage in combat on its own, dealing as much damage as possible while protecting the magic ship and other assets.
If it was an unknown location, it should avoid fighting and simply hold out until the summoning duration ended before returning to the Elemental Plane…
The air elemental did not refuse.
Anser immediately placed the Teleportation Cube with the base-marked face pressed against the black stone floor. Complex rune sequences unfolded into multicolored lines, spreading across the ground.
A minute passed quickly. A teleportation circle three meters in diameter quietly formed on the floor, hovering slightly above the black stone, glowing with faint magical light.
After Anser stepped out of the circle with the cube, the air elemental entered it voluntarily, shrinking its form to avoid extending beyond the boundary.
This was precisely why Anser had chosen an air elemental—it was easy to transport and difficult to restrain once on the other side. As long as there was a gap, it could pass through.
'Get ready.'
Seeing the elemental nod, Anser immediately activated the circle.
With a flash of light, the air elemental disappeared, and the teleportation circle dissolved into a cluster of fading magical radiance. Only a faint trace remained.
This trace would completely dissipate after a day. If Anser created a teleportation circle to the star pirate base here every day, then after a year, it would become a permanent circle, with its destination fixed: the star pirate base.
That was one of the inherent properties of teleportation circles.
Anser didn't have time to dwell on that. He focused on maintaining the summoning spell, but no matter what he did, he couldn't sense the elemental's condition—the distance was too great.
However, the spell hadn't been interrupted, which meant the elemental was still alive. That alone was valuable information.
A few minutes later, a message flashed in Anser's mind:
[Target slain. Gained 112 experience points]
'It's fighting!'
After all, summoned creatures were extensions of his own power—distance didn't affect the dice mechanics.
He immediately checked the combat log. The slain target was labeled: Star Pirate Elite!
"Haha, got it!"
He nodded to Maeve, then quickly picked up the Teleportation Cube and pressed its seal face against the ground, maintaining concentration for one minute to generate a return circle.
During that time, multiple combat notifications sounded—all star pirates.
He immediately created another teleportation circle leading to the base and stepped into it with Maeve.
Then he slapped himself with a series of buffs—Fly, Fire Shield, Mage Armor, False Life, Detect Evil and Good…
The next instant, a flash of light—and both man and cat vanished from the black tower.
Anser's vision blurred. In the blink of an eye, he found himself inside a spacious stone chamber. Beneath his feet was a platform engraved with a teleportation circle. The door stood open, and beside it lay a human male corpse—skin bluish-purple, blood seeping from his orifices.
He wore steel armor, carried a sword and shield, and his cloak bore the emblem of a demon—likely a Balor.
Shouts, screams, and thunder echoed from outside, chaotic and deafening.
Anser shot forward, passing through a corridor littered with corpses, entering a grand hall.
The place was already in chaos. The air elemental swung two whip-like streams of cloud, relentlessly pursuing fleeing enemies. Thunder roared wherever it passed—no one could stand against it.
Dozens of star pirates fled in panic, not even daring to fight back.
Judging by the battle traces, they had tried to organize a counterattack once—but the result was obvious.
'Overestimated you.'
Anser flew straight out of the hall and rapidly ascended, using the moonlight to survey the base below.
It appeared to be a small island, surrounded by a vast blue ocean. Several fishing villages were scattered across it, though their scale was unclear in the darkness.
Beneath him stood a small castle—large in footprint but only three stories tall.
And on the flat rooftop of the main keep, there was something massive.
It resembled a dragonfly.
Two pairs of wings extended parallel to each other, slightly angled upward. Its blue metallic surface shimmered faintly with starlight. Slender legs supported its body as it rested silently atop the roof. In the darkness, it looked almost like a real dragonfly.
'Dragonfly Ship!'
A small arcane-powered vessel shaped like a dragonfly—fast and durable. It couldn't float on water, but it could land safely on solid ground.
Dragonfly ships were commonly used as courier vessels, armed transports, and command ships. They were highly favored by explorers, pirates, and military leaders.
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