Chapter 429

Anser raised his head slightly and met a pair of watery eyes. Beneath them were a delicate, well-defined nose and red lips pressed tightly together.

She appeared composed, but with their bodies pressed so closely together, Anser could feel her growing softer and hotter, waves of heat passing from her body into his.

She was nervous too.

Anser remained motionless, keeping his hands off her. “My lady…”

Adrie suddenly threw herself into his arms. With one hand, she pulled open the front of her dress, revealing a generous expanse of creamy white skin. With the other, she wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him on the lips. Her warm breath, mingled with a faint fragrance, filled his nostrils.

Inexperienced, but passionate.

With a woman going this far, Anser naturally had no intention of refusing.

He reached out, lifted her, and settled her onto his lap.

At the same time, with a thought, a halo expanded outward from him, forming a small hemispherical hut that shut out everything beyond it.

…

Near noon, Grand Duke Ravengard knocked lightly on the door. When no one answered after some time, he assumed the two had finished their discussion and gone out.

But when he opened the door and saw Leomund’s Tiny Hut, he froze for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. He quietly withdrew, locking the door behind him.

“If only it weren’t today.”

Adrie suddenly made this seemingly random remark. She raised her hands to tie up her damp hair, struggled to her feet, and began getting dressed.

Anser chuckled softly. He understood what she meant.

Adrie wanted a child, but today happened to be the wrong day.

At her professional level, she understood her own body extremely well. At the very least, she could accurately track her menstrual cycle and ovulation.

“Adrie, how old are you?” he asked, sitting casually on the sofa and looking her over.

“What? Think I’m too old for you?” Adrie gave him a sidelong glance. Her expression remained cool, but her eyes darted away almost as soon as they met his.

Her body was covered in reddish and purplish marks, leaving her looking somewhat worse for wear.

“You’re an elf. I’m worried I won’t live as long as you.” Anser stood and drew her into his arms.

The energy of Lay on Hands slowly flowed into her body, restoring her skin to its flawless smoothness in just a few seconds.

Anser had no sadistic tendencies, but his physical abilities were simply too extraordinary for him to maintain perfect control in the heat of passion.

“Then you don’t understand yourself well enough.” Adrie pushed him away and continued dressing.

The two had spent far too long together, and the councilors of the Independent Council were still waiting for news from her.

Anser said nothing more. He quickly dressed and cast Prestidigitation to clean the furniture.

Adrie changed into a white leather dress, put away her black dress and undergarments, and stood quietly to one side, waiting with a magical contract in her hand.

Once Anser finished tidying up, he reached out and took the contract from her.

How could someone like Adrie, a powerful leader with both strength and political acumen, be so hopelessly blinded by love that she would simply give herself away for nothing?

Anser had understood that from the beginning, and he could appreciate Adrie’s circumstances.

Baldur’s Gate had fallen, the Lords’ Alliance couldn’t be relied upon, and the orc threat was looming. She really didn’t have many options left.

With a wave of his hand, he dismissed Leomund’s Tiny Hut, opened the windows to let in some fresh air, then sat on the sofa and read through the magical contract himself.

The terms were fairly standard. Paros would join the Holrewen Federation, retain political autonomy, relinquish military authority, and receive military protection from the Federation.

Adrie Silverleaf would join the Federal Council as a full councilor, taking responsibility for establishing and leading Paros’s local government.

In addition, the Federation would establish a dedicated slave liberation force to combat slave traders and rescue slaves, just as the Paros military was currently doing.

“Do you have any other demands?”

Anser thought these terms were remarkably lenient. He had previously assumed Adrie harbored much greater ambitions.

Even if Adrie hadn’t thrown herself into his arms, he wouldn’t have refused. After all, slavery was already prohibited in the Federation.

Adrie remained silent. She stood with her back to the window, the setting sun streaming through the glass and outlining her graceful curves in gold.

Before coming here, she had ordered a subordinate who had joined the Spirit Net to gather every piece of information available about Anser. Based on that information, she had carefully considered many possible approaches.

Her plan had been to use herself and Paros as bargaining chips to bind Anser to her cause, securing a future for the city and its anti-slavery policies.

But after their passionate encounter, her feelings had become somewhat tangled.

After a moment of silence, she spoke softly. “I want a child.”

Previously, she had believed that someone like Anser would undoubtedly be dependable. Now, however, she felt she probably lacked the ability to hold on to him. Having a child seemed far more practical.

“Haha, that’s something I can’t guarantee.” Anser laughed and shook his head.

He promptly signed the magical contract, left his magical mark on it, and handed it back to Adrie.

Adrie smiled with her lips pressed together, put away the contract, and took his hand to lead him outside, introducing him to the situation in Paros.

The two happened to stop by the Independent Council “on their way” and met with the councilors waiting there.

Anser didn’t take issue with Adrie’s little schemes. He simply sent someone to summon Quentin and Stoll, who had both been busy all day, and instructed them to coordinate the relevant matters with Paros so the city could integrate into the Federation as quickly as possible.

The Federation had plenty of capable personnel, and with its experience handling the Rock of Bral, the process was already familiar territory.

During this time, Grand Duke Ravengard approached the two of them. His gaze was meaningful, but he pretended nothing had happened and merely discussed some work developments with Anser.

As evening approached, Paros issued an official announcement declaring that it had joined the Holrewen Federation while retaining political autonomy. The former Paros military would be reorganized into the Dawn Legion.

It was worth mentioning that the original Paros military consisted primarily of naval forces, with more than a dozen warships of various types and over a thousand marines.

Its land forces, by contrast, numbered fewer than five hundred.

The Federation had issued its own announcement slightly earlier, publishing it first on the Spirit Net, where it caused an enormous stir.

People weren’t surprised by Paros’s decision, but rather by its timing.

When Baldur’s Gate joined the Federation, Paros had made no move. Now that the drow had arrived, the Independent Council had immediately thrown itself into the Federation’s arms. Wasn’t that a little too opportunistic?

Some even suspected that Paros was using moral pressure to force Anser’s hand. Anyone else might well have refused to take on such a mess.

A few quick-witted minor nobles were already entertaining ideas of their own. If orcs or Underdark creatures came knocking at their gates, would there still be time to rush over and acknowledge the Federation as their new protector?

By this point, Anser had already settled into Adrie’s Seaview Manor, and dinner was attended by just the two of them.

She had quietly sent Grand Duke Ravengard’s butler packing.

Anser paid little attention to such details. After spending half a day with her, he had already developed a preliminary understanding of this woman.

Adrie had inherited her father’s dying wish and had devoted herself to rescuing slaves, particularly elves.

Anser could tell she wasn’t putting on an act. She was genuinely committed to the cause.

Both her parents had once been slaves, and she had been exposed to the realities of slavery since childhood. Growing up surrounded by such experiences, she understood their suffering firsthand. At least several hundred slave traders had died at her hands.

On the surface, she appeared cold and aloof, difficult to approach, and rather uncompromising in her dealings with others. In reality, however, she was quite mature in her thinking and exceptionally pragmatic in her actions.