Faerun: The arcane mage is still too imprisoned.

The group of seven walked southeast.

This road is the main passage to several nearby villages, and it is relatively smooth.

Old oak trees lined the roadside, and occasionally a few birds would fly overhead, chirping away.

Drak moved closer to Lance, looking up at him. "Lord Lance, where are we going first?"

"The abandoned mine," Lance said. "That's where we'll first take down the kobolds."

"Oh, kobolds!" Durak stroked his beard. "Those little things are weak, but there are many of them, making them quite annoying to fight. Plus, there are a few of them who are not bad."

Lance said with great distress, "Yes, the thought of these monsters lurking near Rield City, constantly threatening the safety of the people, keeps me up at night!"

Logan chuckled and said, "Can't sleep? That means you have insomnia!"

Lance looked up.

Durac glared at him: "What nonsense are you talking about! Lord Lance was upholding justice!"

Logan scoffed: "Yes, yes, right, uphold justice."

Seeing his expression, Dulac angrily said, "Deducting twenty gold coins from your pay will save Lord Lance some money!"

"Ah? No! Lord Lance, please help me..."

Logan wailed.

"Alright, Drak, it's nothing, I don't care," Lance said magnanimously.

"No need to deduct Logan's gold coins."

"Wow!" Logan's eyes lit up.

"Lord Lance is so much better, unlike that wretched guy Durak, who only ever deducts money from my account..."

Drak stared at Logan: "Hurry up and thank Lord Lance!"

"Thank you, Lord Lance!"

Finn walked at the very back, silent, his eyes fixed on the surrounding woods.

Cielsa noticed his movement and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Finn, is something wrong?"

Finn shook his head: "No, it's just a habit."

"That's just how he is," Logan said, turning around. "He's always like a thief wherever he goes. I've been on his team for five years, and I've never seen him relax."

"But he is still very reliable."

Finn ignored him.

After walking for about an hour, the sun gradually rose higher.

Drumstick's forehead began to sweat. He shifted his backpack position, muttering, "Why is it so hot today..."

"How can you, a dwarf, be so intolerant of heat?" Logan asked.

"Being heat-resistant doesn't mean you can't feel the heat!" Durak glared at him. "I'm not a fire dwarf!"

Lance glanced at the sky, then at the surrounding terrain, and pointed to a clearing in the woods ahead: "Let's rest for a while, have something to eat, and then continue."

"Alright!" Drak's eyes lit up, and he rushed over in three strides, throwing his backpack on the ground. "Finally, I can rest for a bit!"

Greta found a flat rock to sit on, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes to rest.

Finn didn't sit down, but leaned against a tree next to him, scanning his surroundings.

Logan pulled some dry rations from his bundle, took a bite, and frowned: "This again..."

"We're lucky to have anything to eat at all." Dulak rummaged through his backpack. "Here, I brought some good stuff!"

He pulled out a small iron pot, along with a few pieces of cured meat, a handful of dried mushrooms, a bag of flour, a salt shaker, and an oil bottle.

Logan's eyes widened. "Captain, what... why did you bring all this stuff with you this time?"

"What do you know!" Drak stroked his beard smugly. "When you're out and about, you need to eat well to have the energy!"

"Besides, it doesn't matter if we eat worse, but Lord Lance is a mage, how can he eat the same as us?"

"Greta, gather firewood and start a fire!"

Greta opened her eyes, glanced at him expressionlessly, but still got up to gather firewood.

Logan leaned closer to Lance and whispered, "Lord Lance, please don't mind him, that's just how the captain is. His greatest hobby in life is eating, and his second greatest hobby is cooking."

"That's good." Lance nodded. "It'll be good for me to try Durak's cooking."

Sissa chuckled to herself.

Soon, the fire was lit. Dulac set up the pot, poured in water, threw in diced cured meat, added dried mushrooms, and started cooking.

"Let's make a soup first," he said enthusiastically.

"Let's fry some more pancakes later, and eat them with the soup—it'll be delicious!"

Little Black jumped off Lance's shoulder, approached the pot, and twitched its nose.

"Hey, this little guy has a really good nose." Drak chuckled, tearing off a small strip of jerky and handing it over. "Here, have a taste!"

Xiao Hei sniffed it, then turned and walked away.

Drucker was stunned: "Why...why isn't it eating?"

"It only eats what Lord Lance feeds it," Cielsa said.

"...There are cats like this?" Durak scratched his head, looking puzzled.

The soup quickly came to a boil, and its aroma filled the air. The salty and savory flavor of the cured meat mingled with the umami of the mushrooms, swirling in the air and making one's mouth water just by smelling it.

Logan sniffed. "Captain, it has to be you!"

Drucker gave a smug hum and began kneading the dough.

Just then, Finn suddenly spoke up: "Something's coming."

Everyone stopped what they were doing.

Lance looked at him; Finn was staring at the sky to the southwest, his eyes narrowed.

"What?" Greta asked.

"Birds," Finn said. "Very big."

As soon as he finished speaking, a black dot appeared on the horizon.

The black spot rapidly expanded—it was a giant eagle with a wingspan of four or five meters, grayish-brown feathers, and a tuft of blood-red crest feathers on its head.

It circled twice in the air before swooping down, its target clear—the pot of steaming broth.

[Target: Level 3 Bloodfeathered Eagle]

Finn quickly drew his bow and nocked an arrow.

"Bloodfeathered Eagle!" Durak's expression changed. "Quickly, protect Lan—"

Before he could finish speaking, Lance had already moved.

【Magic Stone Technique!】

【Magic Stone Spell: You touch one to three small stones and infuse them with magical power, which lasts for up to one minute.】

You or someone else can launch a ranged spell attack by throwing one of the small stones with your bare hands or using a sling.

If thrown unarmed, its range is 120 meters. If someone other than you attacks with a small stone, the attacker's attack roll is adjusted by your spellcasting modifier, not theirs. If it hits, the target takes blunt damage equal to 6 + your spellcasting modifier points.

Whether the spell hits or not, the spell on that rock will end.

Lance picked up three small pebbles from the ground, and a pale yellow light emanated from his hand.

He flicked his finger lightly—

"call out!"

The first pebble flew through the air, slower than the arrow Finn shot.

Sensing danger, the Bloodfeathered Eagle suddenly turned to the side, with pebbles and Finn's arrows grazing its wings and knocking down a few feathers.

"call out!"

The second pebble followed immediately.

This time it couldn't dodge.

The pebble struck the base of its left wing with a muffled "thud," its feathers burst open, and its bones shattered.

The Bloodfeathered Eagle let out a sharp scream, lost its balance, and tumbled through the air.

Seeing this, Finn felt he shouldn't steal his employer's thunder and silently put down his bow.