The adventurer at the bottom is fantasizing again.

Anya lowered her eyes, her fingertips lightly tracing the cuffs of her robe, taking some time to process this unusual information.

She turned to look at Eileen, while the red-haired mage gaped, his face filled with disbelief.

"I... have never heard of a halfling becoming a barbarian."

Anya carefully chose her words, trying to avoid any offense in her tone, and then gently added, "However, the world is so vast, there are still many things I haven't heard of."

She nodded slightly to Piper, her gaze calm and sincere: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Piper."

The short man paused for a moment, then laughed happily:

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Piper, the polite human priest."

Lorraine had been secretly observing from the sidelines.

Anya's reaction was much milder than he had expected. He had thought that even if the pastor didn't question him directly like Eileen did, he would at least try to smooth things over politely.

For example, she would say things like, "We trust Mr. Nathan's judgment," but she actually accepted this seemingly unreliable statement directly.

This made Lorraine's evaluation of the team even higher.

"So..."

Anya turned her gaze away from Piper and looked back at Lorraine, her tone returning to its usual calm:

"Since you're all willing to participate in the hunt for the rock-dwelling salamanders, we need to discuss the specific division of labor, Eileen?"

The red-haired mage pursed her lips, got up from the windowsill and walked over. She gently placed her staff on the table and unfolded the map that had been sitting on the table.

"You've all probably seen Nathan's investigation report. The Rock Salamander is a purely carnivorous magical beast."

We believe this is because food is scarce in the wild during winter, which is why it risks attacking caravans.

Eileen spoke rapidly, as if she had recited the information many times and could easily utter it.

She pointed to a spot on the map where the Blackwater River was located, and then said:

"Judging from its location, it most likely inhabits this deep pool at a bend in the river."

Ryan went to the site to observe; the north bank of the deep pool is a pebble beach, with an open terrain.

Renn, sitting in the corner, nodded slightly, tapping his metal glove lightly on the edge of the table, as if agreeing with her.

"So...our plan is to ambush it on the gravel beach and lure it out of the water with enough blood and flesh."

Eileen clapped her hands and concluded.

"What kind of flesh and blood?" Lorraine asked.

"Fresh, bloody is best. Livestock blood, pig or sheep offal are all fine, the more pungent the better."

Eileen turned to Nathan, and asked in an authoritative tone, as if giving a command to a subordinate:

"Can your town gather these things?"

Nathan nodded quickly and replied, "Yes, yes, yes, they kill fish at the docks every day, there's plenty of fish offal..."

"That's not enough; fish won't be as appealing to it," Anya added softly. "It needs the internal organs of a warm-blooded animal, preferably a whole sheep or pig."

"Okay, I'll have someone take care of it."

Nathan nodded; these things meant nothing to him.

"Luring it out doesn't seem difficult, but how can we guarantee it won't escape? If it insists on rushing back into the water, I'm not confident I can stop it," Lorraine said.

Anya gave him an approving look.

"Mr. Lorraine is right. The most crucial thing is how to preserve it, and we have been prepared for that question for a long time."

She nodded to the red-haired monk.

Eileen pulled a neatly folded parchment from her mage robes and spread it out on the table. It had a complex pattern drawn on it, like a sketch of some kind of magic circle.

"I will pre-set an ice magic circle on the gravel beach."

She pointed to several nodes on the drawing, a hint of pride in her voice:

"After it comes ashore, I will activate the magic array to create an ice barrier between it and the river."

Rock-dwelling salamanders instinctively avoid the cold ground and dare not flee back from there.

"How long can the magic circle last? Have you tested its effectiveness?" Lorraine asked.

"Are you questioning a fully qualified mage who graduated from the Royal Arcane Academy of Oraster?"

Eileen crossed her arms and looked at him with a displeased expression.

Lorraine calmly met her gaze, then slowly said, "Before the battle begins, any uncertainties should be eliminated. I don't know if your teacher taught you this."

This was the second time he had heard the name of the Royal Arcane Academy. He wondered if she knew the former owner of the Oath of Remains, Eldrick Brandon.

"Hmph, half a quarter of an hour, at most half a quarter of an hour. So we need to finish it within that time," Eileen said unhappily.

Suddenly, Ryan, who was sitting in the corner, reached out and tapped on the map, pointing to a spot far from the riverbank. He said briefly, "Here."

Eileen looked down and nodded in approval:

"Yes, we can force it to the innermost part of the gravel beach, so that even after the frost magic circle ends, it will take time for it to rush back to the water's edge."

As expected of the Duke's subordinate, not only is the equipment luxurious, but the thinking is also very clear... Lorraine nodded.

Eileen looked at the two of them and added softly:

"The three of us will be responsible for containing it head-on and inflicting effective damage. We'll also need you to block its retreat. Just delay it for a few moments when it tries to rush towards the river."

Lorraine raised an eyebrow. Eileen spoke so casually, but maneuvering and restraining it was clearly more difficult and dangerous than directly confronting its charge as it fled.

"A few breaths?" Piper scratched his head. "How big is that thing?"

"This is an adult rock-dwelling salamander, about fifteen feet long."

Eileen glanced at him, a slight upturn at the corner of her mouth, as if waiting for him to back down.

"Fifteen feet..."

Piper tried hard to imagine the scene.

It seems... not even half the size of Sylvia's bear?

"Oh...okay," he replied.

Eileen's expression froze.

She had expected the little man to shrink back in fright, or at least appear to back down.

This way, she could not only give these two unfamiliar adventurers a warning, but also arrange for Renn to be placed in this important position.

After all, it was something arranged by His Excellency the Duke, so even they had to take it seriously and certainly couldn't let it slip away.

Anya, standing to the side, couldn't help but smile slightly, but quickly suppressed it. She then asked the two of them to confirm:

"This part might not be as simple as you think. Beasts can unleash tremendous power in dire situations. Can we trust you?"

Lorraine and Piper exchanged a glance, then both laughed.

He raised his hand and slammed the scabbard onto the long table, saying decisively, "Of course, we will send it on its way."