"This information is quite valuable," Jiandar said, a thoughtful look appearing in his eyes.
Any Chosen of a greater deity was worth paying attention to. Their movements would directly influence how the overall situation developed.
"The Magic Research Society... is going to pick a side?" Anser asked hesitantly.
"No one can remain uninvolved." Jiandar's tone carried deeper meaning. "This situation is different from anything before. The gods have not descended in the form of avatars. They have only issued divine revelations and bestowed blessings. There must be secrets at work that we don't yet understand."
"We need to take the initiative and push events in a direction favorable to us."
Anser nodded silently.
Strictly speaking, even evil gods were true gods, recognized by the Overgod just like the others.
If he had to choose a side, then righteous deities such as Tyr and Lathander would undoubtedly be the best choice.
'Which side should I choose?' Anser frowned.
He believed that reaching the legendary rank would not be the end of his journey, but what path lay beyond that?
Should he seek the Overgod's recognition and become a member of the pantheon, or follow in the footsteps of the great archmages of Netheril?
The question seemed far off, but the appearance of the Chosen forced him to think about it ahead of time. What if a decision he made angered a deity and cut off his future path?
After pondering for a long time without finding an answer, he decided to focus on maximizing the value of the dice and raising his level to its limit first.
After all, beings like Tiamat and Bahamut were officially only lesser deities, yet their actual combat power was absurdly powerful.
That proved that a creature's upper limit could rival that of the gods.
Once he made up his mind, he looked up and noticed Jiandar busily writing notes. Seeing this, Anser chose not to disturb him further and got up to leave.
Carrying a fortune of ten thousand pounds of gold, he left the trading hall and returned to the free market on the first floor.
After making some inquiries, he learned that wheat prices had already surged to 5–7 gold pieces per hundred pounds, several times higher than they were during Faerûn's more stable periods. Part of that price likely reflected the transportation costs of bringing grain to Traveler's Rest.
Whether in his previous life or on Toril, wheat was the most heavily consumed staple crop. Fluctuations in its price directly affected social stability and economic conditions across entire regions.
Fortunately, Traveler's Rest was connected to countless Wildspace systems, many of them rich in resources. Food was not actually scarce, so prices were unlikely to continue climbing much higher.
Anser tested it and discovered that the trading market was protected by a specialized Antimagic Field. Teleportation into extradimensional spaces was impossible, but he could still access his Avaricious Dragonhide Pouch and Party Storage without issue.
After some thought, he spent one thousand pounds of gold to purchase more than 830,000 pounds of wheat. Under the shopkeeper's astonished gaze, he tossed sack after sack of grain into Party Storage.
Eight hundred thirty thousand pounds sounded like an enormous amount, but it was only a little over 370 metric tons when converted, occupying roughly 450 cubic meters. Even so, it took up only about one-third of Party Storage's capacity.
Assuming each person consumed 200 kilograms of wheat per year, that stockpile would be enough to feed more than 1,800 people for an entire year.
'Consider it an emergency reserve,' he told himself.
At current prices, the grain was far too expensive to resell on the market anyway. Nobody would buy it.
After finishing that, he headed alone to an official shop. Using card number 43960, he successfully collected the gold earned by the previous owner from selling the Deck of Many Things.
The total came to 4,080 pounds of gold.
After a 720-pound handling fee was deducted, however, his heart ached.
'Well, it was free money to begin with.'
Looking at it from that angle immediately made him feel much better.
After buying a few potions, Anser returned once more to Room 27 of the Magic Research Society, intending to say goodbye to Jiandar.
They had only exchanged a few words when someone suddenly knocked on the door.
Anser glanced at Jiandar before getting up and opening it.
Standing outside was a female elf with skin as lustrous as pearl. She had silver hair, silver eyes, and wore a black leather skirt and leather boots. Embroidered on her chest was the image of a young maiden dancing with a sword.
'Eilistraee?' Anser froze for a moment.
She was one of the few benevolent deities in the drow pantheon, Lolth's sworn enemy, known as the Goddess of Song and Moonlight.
"Who are you looking for?" he asked in confusion.
"You, Mr. Drizzt." The young woman pressed her lips together, her expression slightly awkward. Perhaps the name itself didn't strike her as particularly serious.
"I don't believe we've met." Anser frowned slightly. He considered himself fairly cautious, so how had he been singled out again?
"I'm Delira's younger sister. My name is Valera. My sister told me to wait for you here." The young woman looked past him toward Wizard Jiandar inside the room. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"
Jiandar noticed the holy symbol on her chest, and something flickered in his eyes.
"Drizzt, let her in. And close the door."
Anser stepped aside and let her enter, studying Valera from head to toe.
She did resemble Delira in several ways, but the difference in skin color was so extreme that it was difficult to believe they were sisters.
Then again, mutations occasionally appeared among the drow. Unusual skin colors weren't entirely unheard of.
Valera walked straight over and sat in the chair Anser had occupied earlier. A trace of melancholy lingered between her brows.
"I'm one of Eilistraee's Chosen. I believe we can work together."
Anser sat down on the sofa diagonally across from her and looked toward Jiandar. If he remembered correctly, Jiandar and Delira knew each other well.
"Why come to us?" Jiandar asked, stroking his beard with interest.
"Because..." Valera tugged at the corner of her mouth. Despite her harmless appearance, there was a strangely tragic beauty about her expression. "I have no other choice. We don't have any other friends. My sister told me to find you."
"Where is your sister?" Anser asked.
"She disappeared. We got separated while she was drawing away a powerful enemy for my sake. Before we parted, she gave me the conduit." Valera turned toward Anser, her eyes filled with pleading. "Brother-in-law, you won't just stand by and do nothing, will you?"
Jiandar turned to look at Anser, his expression oddly subtle, though he didn't seem particularly surprised. A Sorcerer getting involved with a drow hardly counted as shocking news.
"Uh, you've got the wrong idea. I've only met Delira once," Anser hurriedly explained.
"If you don't want to help, that's fine. There's no need to make excuses." One of Valera's brows arched slightly, and a trace of grievance appeared in her eyes.
Anser let out a helpless sigh.
He couldn't even prove his innocence.
Still, he was fairly certain that this pitiful act was just that—an act. There was no way a drow elf could really be some naïve innocent.
At that moment, the dice spun slightly and displayed the target's information:
[Eilistraee's Chosen — Valera]
Drow Elf
Level 11 Cleric (Light Domain)
Level 5 Wizard (Bladesinger)
...
'Just as I thought.'
Jiandar tapped the table.
"How exactly do you want to cooperate?"
"Lolth's Chosen have come to the surface world. They're behind the plan to launch a surprise attack on Baldur's Gate, and now they intend to swallow up the entire Sword Coast as well..."
"Our faction is the only group of drow still resisting them. If you can help rescue my sister..."
Valera's explanation was disorganized. Perhaps she hadn't fully thought through the details of any alliance yet. She seemed to be desperately searching for an enemy of her enemies.
Anser and Jiandar exchanged a glance.
Both could see the interest in the other's eyes.