Ashen Dragon

The Elf Forest was filled with wails and screams, the smell of blood and the pungent scent of venom permeated everywhere, as if the apocalypse had arrived and this place was about to turn into a demon realm.

"The Magic Web is sealed, we can't get out."

There was a hint of despair in Emerson's voice, "The entire area's Magic Web has been replaced by the Spider Demon Realm. Soon... that Evil God will become the master here, wielding powers in the Elf Forest akin to those of the Goddess of Magic."

"At that point, we'll have no chance at all. Even the Gods may not necessarily be able to stop her expansion," Melisandre sighed.

Surveying the tragic scene around him, the Ancient Gold Dragon looked grim and summarized in a deep voice, "Our immediate priority is one—awaken Her Majesty Catherine. Only she can save the Elf Forest."

Melisandre glanced at the Elf Queen surrounded by a black aura in the distance, hesitated, "But she has already been taken by that Evil God..."

Yet Rhea, who had been silent for a long time, extended her only remaining arm, ignoring her own injuries, and said firmly, "I agree with Lord Titus' viewpoint. The Silver Moon Goddess is elusive and hard for mortals to perceive. Only Her Majesty Catherine has the ability to communicate with Her."

"Therefore, I must awaken Her Majesty Catherine, even if it costs me my life."

The half-elf's tone was firm, and the faint light in those silver eyes revealed an unprecedented determination.

Seeing Rhea's resolve, Melisandre could not stop her and could only nod silently.

Zeen, on the other hand, was filled with battle intent; he just wanted to follow in his father's footsteps, save Serinia, rebuild the Holy Alliance, and become a true Dwarf Hero.

Not far from the Sword Bay region, there are several renowned cities such as Waterdeep, Elturel, and Neverwinter. Waterdeep was established on the former capital of the Elf Empire Ilfaen—Erin Vier. It houses many deities' temples; the Miracle Temple is the most grandiose temple of the Goddess of Magic in the game, with a magnificent tower, adorned with artworks and magical decorations, exuding luxurious Baroque style, whereas Neverwinter leans more towards Gothic architecture. The main city of the story, Bod Gate, is the largest and most prosperous trade city-state in the Sword Bay region, a melting pot of nobles and commoner thieves, known to adventurers as a "hotbed of conspirators." The name Bod Gate is derived from a hero, an adventurer from Gray Harbor named Bodlan, who explored territories beyond the Sword Sea, returned to Gray Harbor with wealth, and led a team to build the city. Based on residents' status, Bod Gate is divided into the Upper City for nobles and the Lower City for commoners, with an Outer City scattered around Chenyi Mountain. The gate separating the Upper and Lower City is called Bod Gate, and the entire city is named after it, serving also as a monument to the city's founder, Bodlan. Currently, Bod Gate is governed by a council of four Grand Dukes, with one as the council leader. In case of a tie vote, Grand Duke Elder Ravenclaw makes the decision. Security in the Upper City is handled by an elite official police force called the Watch, while other areas are patrolled by a mercenary corps known as the Flaming Fist. Grand Duke Elder Ravenclaw is also the top leader of this mercenary group, whose headquarters at the Bodlan Sea Tower is the most formidable fortress against sea invasions, encircling Bod Gate's economic lifeline—Gray Harbor, which sees hundreds of merchant ships daily, bringing gold coins and also greed and sin. The Upper City sits at a higher elevation, consisting of Castle District, Temple District, Manoburn District, and Wide Alley District, with numerous religious buildings, Miracle Hall, and Supreme Miracle House, both centers for the Church of Gund, the God of Craft, in Bod Gate. Miracle Hall showcases Gund's great inventions, while Supreme Miracle House also functions as a workshop. The Lower City's buildings are mostly stone, containing six districts: Sea Tower District, Blonrich District, Steep District, Crowded Side District, East Road District, and Branpton District. The middle class usually resides in Blonrich District near the affluent Upper City, while the more mixed East Road District connects to the Outer City via Stone Lizard Gate, housing many bustling taverns and budget inns. Sea Tower District hosts the Flaming Fist mercenary group, with their headquarters at Bodlan Sea Tower on a large rocky offshore island nearby. Branpton District and Steep District are relatively rundown, home to sailors and laborers. The Outer City stretches along the Chongsar River, a hodgepodge of temporary buildings and shantytowns. A stone bridge crossing the Chongsar River, known as Flying Dragon Crossroad, is a landmark, bustling with vendors and even expanded with planks holding numerous structures, where law and order virtually don't exist. Even the Flaming Fist's protection here is very limited, with the destitute or criminals who cannot settle in the city often gathering here. The vaulted ceilings of the sewers shimmer with green under dim phosphorescent lights, murky sewage swirling past boot bottoms, while each step stirs up a viscous gurgling sound. Purple-black slime seeps from cracks in the walls, converging like veins into drainage outlets—a unique neuro-corrosive substance from the Spirit Sucking Monster Nest, causing hallucinations when inhaled by ordinary people, as if countless tiny tendrils were wriggling in one's ear canal. Suddenly, a "clack" like dislocated bones echoed from behind a broken cast iron pipe, as if something was squeezing through the narrow space. A Spirit Sucking Monster erupted from the water, its pale humanoid body encrusted with decomposing matter, and the high-frequency vibrating tendrils on its octopus-like head emitted a collective subsonic scream, completely drowning out the booming misfires of the second rifleman's gun. These Spirit Sucking Monsters were clearly tactics-trained. Two decoy individuals were slapping the water with their tendrils, raising fog veils laced with corrosive liquid to obscure vision; a third one dangled from the ceiling, using bone blades at its knuckles to slit open a fallen guard's chest cavity, stuffing a warm liver into its oral apparatus, pale yellow digestive fluid dripping from its jaw and etching the floor. Meanwhile, the fourth Spirit Sucking Monster, from the neck wound of a spasming fallen guard, a semi-transparent larval tentacle emerged, and his pupils diffused into a cloudy white. He stumbled back, seized a dagger, and stabbed towards a former comrade, forcing out an inhuman synthesized voice from his throat: "Skull... for the master brain...". But the creature was not entirely dead. The residual corpse of the guard he was in began to writhe, and from the gash in his neck, a transparent Spirit Sucking Monster larva's tendrils emerged, as if hundreds of small tendrils wriggling in the ear canal. Tricks: Scratch Technique, Dread Tremors, Mage's Hand, Secondary Illusion, Act Before the Enemy, Magic Tricks, Text Transmission Spell, Witchcraft Arrow, Fire Arrow, Blazing Ray Class Spell Ability, Suggestion Spell, Shape-shifting Spell, Spirit Sucking Monster Nest, Spirit Flayer.

Cassius transformed into a human form through a High-level Transformation Technique, often presenting himself in this form in space-constrained venues like the Imperial Senate Hall and the Imperial Court, seldom engaging in slaughter in this form. Consequently, people admired him far more than they feared him, with some even calling him the "Merciful Lord," the "Noble Ruler," and the one with "Divine Attitude."

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