With all the red wizards retreating and the Zhentarim society completely collapsed due to the killing of Manshoon, Luskan finally fell completely under Zuo Si's control.

To be precise, it is controlled by the core members of the organization - the liches.

Because he himself has never had interest in business and management, most of the time he would just roughly set a basic policy and leave the rest to his hands to exercise their subjective initiative.

In particular, Vanessa, who has become the de facto second-in-command, is somehow very keen to take the lead in such matters and never gets tired of it.

Using the large population and immigrants brought in from Mindan Island, he easily neutralized the local residents of Luskan who tried to resist the new rulers through non-violent non-cooperation.

After all, Luskan's original permanent population was only about 15,000 people.

Including those who died in battle, those who were transformed into undead creatures, and those who were thrown into quarries and mines to do hard labor, there were almost several thousand young and middle-aged people in total.

Therefore, most of the remaining residents in the city are women, children, the elderly, the sick and the disabled, as well as a few merchants, guards and members of the Thieves Guild.

So when the Thieves Guild members and the ratmen in the sewers were cleared out, the entire city had actually lost the capital to resist.

If they do not choose to cooperate, they will soon be completely replaced by immigrants and become the bottom of society.

As for the illegal businessmen, they were arrested one after another and all their properties were confiscated within less than two or three days.

Then, they would use these wealth and materials to hire people to rebuild houses, repair roads, and restore the ruined battlefield to its original state.

When people have money, they can naturally buy necessities such as food and clothing, thereby revitalizing economic activities that have completely stagnated.

Not only that!

Xinbu, who had always hated slavery, personally took Storm Silverhand with him to the outside of the city to liberate those farms that relied on the exploitation of slaves to operate, and granted the slaves the status of free people.

At Zuo Si's instruction, if the freed slaves were willing to stay and continue doing this job, they would not only receive generous rewards, but also be promised guaranteed safety.

The reason why he did not distribute land to these people was that Luskan was located too close to the mountains of the Spine of the World, and all kinds of monsters and barbarian invasions were endless.

Human beings must unite together to build fortresses and fortress-like estates in order to barely resist external threats and protect their lives and property from being violated.

If we assume that the land is distributed to individual families one by one, then we may find after a few weeks or even months that most of these families will be wiped out.

As the saying goes, what suits you is the best.

If you just mechanically copy other people's successful experiences without understanding the actual situation, it is basically no different from murder.

Although the confiscation of property of illegal merchants temporarily deprived Luskan of the ability to conduct maritime trade, with dozens of large ships loaded with various goods from Amn, Waterdeep, and the Nelanther Islands, this dead city was once again full of vitality.

A large amount of specialties shipped from the Far North from Icewind Dale were purchased at high prices by merchants in the south, and hunters, middlemen, adventurers and lumberjacks also earned generous incomes as a result.

Standing on the top floor of the recently repaired Arcane Brotherhood tower, Simbu watched with interest the dramatic changes that had taken place in Luskan in a short period of time. He smiled and exclaimed, "I have to admit that you are indeed an excellent ruler in this regard. Because you always understand what people from all walks of life need and are able to give them what they want."

"No, you are wrong. It is not me who is excellent, but the efficient bureaucratic system formed by Vanessa. If there are no grassroots executors who can implement the policies, then even the best policies will be misinterpreted and exploited, and thus become an excuse for exploiting the grassroots people and engaging in corruption." Zuo Si answered casually.

As a modern man, he may be the one who most clearly understands in the entire continent of Faerun how important an efficient and well-organized bureaucratic system is to a city or even a country.

And when it comes to dealing with corruption and abuse of power, the liches won't talk to you about laws, human rights, evidence, and the like.

Once they find a suspect, they often choose to use prophecy magic to confirm it, or use truth serum, lie detection and other potions and spells.

Anyway, as long as this guy really did it, there is absolutely no way he can escape.

Therefore, the bureaucratic system of the Nalanther Islands has maintained a level of efficiency and integrity that is simply unimaginable to the outside world since its establishment.

Even those who have transformed themselves from businessmen into mayors and officials know that there are a pair of eyes in the dark that they cannot detect watching everything.

If anyone dares to cross the line, he will inevitably suffer the most severe punishment.

As for escaping, don't even think about it.

"Vanessa? That lich?" A hint of curiosity flashed in Xinbu's eyes.

She had always believed that liches, like red wizards, were a group of extremely cold-blooded, selfish, and cruel bastards.

Otherwise, I wouldn't have made a bet with others to see who could kill a hundred liches first.

But the liches of the Arcane Mystic Society are obviously very different.

Although many of them still give people a very selfish and evil feeling, they have always been following the rules and rarely affect the lives of ordinary people.

Zuo Si smiled and nodded: "That's right. Vanessa is a very good executor and can always perfectly implement my intentions and orders. Without him, I think the Nelanther Islands would not be as prosperous as they are now, and Luskan's transformation plan would not be so smooth."

"I see. You are using these powerful undead spellcasters to intimidate those bureaucrats and ensure that there will never be any termites among them."

As the queen of Agrallon, although Simbu's control over politics and power was far inferior to that of Alustriel, she was no idiot and immediately understood the position of the liches in the ruling structure.

Many times, they are not managers, and they do not even directly participate in the handling of daily affairs. They only exist as a role to convey orders and supervise.

Only when certain people attempt to launch a rebellion, or when there is widespread corruption in the bureaucracy, will the liches come forward to carry out a ruthless purge.

In this way, with such a sword of Damocles hanging over their heads, officials will naturally maintain a sense of awe and will think twice before accepting bribes.

In fact, the fundamental reason why corruption, bribery and embezzlement occur on a large scale is that there are serious problems in the supervision and judicial systems, causing bureaucrats to lose the most basic awe.

Coupled with the mentality of taking chances that the law will not punish the masses, once it spreads, it will be difficult to curb it.

But as undead liches, they are different. They don't care about the law that does not punish everyone, and they will not be lenient just because many people make mistakes.

Therefore, the deterrent effect is maximized.

"That's right. Actually, I originally wanted to enter the judicial and trial system of the Church of Tyr, the God of Justice. But due to the large-scale use of undead as laborers, this idea had to be abandoned." Zuo Si shrugged and replied.

Out of curiosity, he once visited a judicial trial presided over by the Church of Tyr, the God of Justice, when he went to Neverwinter.

The entire process, whether it is submitting evidence, defense, appeal, or the final verdict, has some of the meaning of a modern court.

And because the presiding officers are all priests and believers of the God of Justice, both the legal provisions and sentencing are very appropriate, neither too harsh nor leaving loopholes for criminals to exploit.

If possible, Zuo Si really hopes to incorporate this judicial system into his sphere of influence.

Unfortunately, there was no way the two sides could reach an agreement on the use of undead creatures.

In contrast, the Church and voters of the Goddess of Magic have a high tolerance in this regard.

At least Khelben, Simb, Alustriel, Storm Silverhand, Dov Silverhand and others did not show too obvious disgust when they saw a large number of undead being sent to work in farms and mines outside the city.

"Hahaha! Many people say that I'm a lunatic! But in my opinion, you are the real lunatic. You have recruited so many liches as your subordinates, and you have also converted undead on a large scale. You even want to cooperate with the church of Tyr, the god of justice? I really want to pry open your brain and see what weird ideas are in it."

Xinbu laughed so hard that he was out of breath.

She suddenly found that the young man in front of her was very interesting, and his personality and ideas were surprisingly similar to hers.

Especially when it comes to attitude towards enemies, they all advocate killing them all without leaving any future troubles.

This is completely different from Elminster's view that he always likes to show mercy, while Khelben prefers to maintain a balance.

In fact, the Storm Queen is the most unusual one among the many voters of the Goddess of Magic.

The reason why outsiders think she is crazy all day long is that ordinary people cannot keep up with her thinking speed.

"Don't laugh, I'm serious."

Zuo Si shrugged helplessly.

“In my opinion, killing pirates, bandits, orcs, goblins, gnolls and other guys who only know how to destroy but not engage in production and creation and turning them into undead can alleviate the widespread problem of labor shortage in the entire Faerun continent to the greatest extent.

Moreover, with these free undead laborers who do not need to eat, drink or rest, it is possible to produce an astonishing amount of food, steel, stone, wood and other necessities of life in a short period of time, thus ensuring the continued stability of prices.

There will be no famine or price hikes due to natural disasters or other reasons.

Most importantly, the undead can be transformed into an army to resist the invasion of external forces when necessary.

Taking Luskan as an example, I arranged two hundred undead laborers in each farm, which can provide a certain degree of protection for the farmers when monsters or wild beasts invade.

If it were humans, not to mention how much money it would cost to recruit and train so many soldiers, the daily food consumption alone would be an astonishing figure, and would also bring a heavy burden to the farm itself.

Sometimes I really can't understand why a kind god like Tyr, the god of justice, who advocates establishing order and hopes that people can live a good life, would exclude undead labor, which is both economical and can bring prosperity, from the options.

Is the definition of good and evil so important?

Just watch, with these undead workers working day and night, the granaries in the Nelanther Islands and Luskan will soon be filled with food and various strategic materials.

With a stable and cheap food supply, fertility can be encouraged by welfare providing, and the population will grow explosively in the next two or three decades.

I will prove to the whole world that the undead themselves are not some terrible monster, nor are they the most dangerous enemy of all living things as people imagine.

Just the opposite!

As long as they are used properly, they can become the cornerstone of the prosperity of a city or even a country."

Xinbu nodded in agreement: "Judging from the current development trend, this goal is very likely to be achieved.

If the artificers of the Imaskar Empire had thought of this, they would not have opened an inter-dimensional portal to plunder slaves and brought in gods from other worlds, ultimately leading to their own destruction.

But you'd better be careful, low-level undead are very easy to control.

If someone uses them to carry out terrorist attacks, then people will inevitably fear and even resist the appearance of the dead around them. "

"Please don't worry about this. Don't forget that in addition to being the chosen one of the Goddess of Magic, I am also the chosen one of the Goddess of Poison and Disease. If anyone dares to attack me indiscriminately, I don't mind poisoning and spreading plague in their sphere of influence. I believe Mansong should have a deep understanding of this now."

As he said this, Zuo Si's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a chilling expression.

He will not forget to take revenge on Manshoon and the Zhentarim.

In fact, on the second day after the battle, a large number of soldiers and bureaucrats began to be poisoned in major strongholds including Dark Fort and Zhentil Keep.

It is estimated that the disease has now completely spread, and the number of deaths and permanent disabilities is at least several thousand.

You have to know that these people are not civilians, but soldiers and officials who are used to maintain the foundation of dictatorship.

With such a high price to pay, Mansong must be completely overwhelmed now.

After all, this basically caused Zhentil Castle to lose its elite army that it was proud of.

Not to mention launching a war of foreign aggression, even self-preservation has become a big problem.

Obviously, Zuo Si knew that if he used the plague, Mansong would definitely take the opportunity to spread it to the surrounding areas, so he very cleverly changed his strategy, which was to poison.

Although there are divine spells such as [Slow Down the Onset of Poison] and [Neutralize Toxin] that can be used for treatment, you can even use the stored antidote potions to deal with it.

However, since the toxin released this time is very powerful and will cause permanent disability in a very short period of time, it would be meaningless even if it is cured. Instead, there would be a headache of how to deal with these disabled soldiers.

Unless Manshoon is willing to spend a huge price to repeatedly use the wishing spell, it is almost inevitable that the armies of Zhentil Keep and Darkhold will suffer heavy casualties.

This reduction in personnel will cause the sphere of influence under his control to become extremely unstable, and may even be taken advantage of by hostile forces.

"You will take revenge if you have a grudge. This is what I like most about you. Elminster, Khelben, Lyra, and Alustriel were too soft on their enemies. They did not pose a threat to the evil organizations like the Zhentarim and the Red Wizards. This directly led to the latter becoming more and more unscrupulous in planning their conspiracies."

Simbu's tone clearly revealed his dissatisfaction with several other voters.

She had long ago had a fierce argument with Elminster, the head of the electors, over this matter.

After all, looking at the map, Agrallon is located on the peninsula west of Sel, and it has always been a country that the red robe wizards wanted to occupy and annex.

Therefore, as the queen, Simbu can feel the threat most personally, so her attitude and reaction will naturally be more radical than other voters.

"I completely agree with your point of view. When dealing with those guys who are pushing their limits, it is most important to form an effective deterrent to make them feel fearful. Otherwise, if every failure is insignificant, it will only encourage their arrogance. In this regard, I have a natural advantage. Because poisoning and releasing plagues are always the most destructive and cheapest ways to the entire social structure. Maybe we can form an alliance and deal with the red robes headed by Sazastan together."

Zuo Si took the initiative to invite for cooperation.

Of course, he didn't care much about Agrallon, a country full of half-elves. He just wanted to establish a good alliance with Xinbu.

"Are you sure? You know, the war between Sel and Agrallon has been going on for many years. If you form an alliance, it means that you may have to participate in this protracted battle at any time." Xinbu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

Zuo Si smiled and responded, "I've never been afraid of a challenge. Fighting against one of the most powerful spellcasting organizations in the entire Faerun continent can provide a lot of experience. What's more, don't you, the Storm Queen who scares the red robe wizards, sit in charge?"

"Haha! You are good at talking, no wonder Elastre is so interested in you. It seems that you are determined to obtain my exclusive sequencer magic." A playful smile appeared on Xinbu's beautiful face.

It has to be said that every one of the Seven Sisters of the North is a standard beauty with elven blood.

Even the Storm Queen who looks the shabbiest can instantly attract other people's attention as long as she takes a shower and combs her hair a little.

It's a pity that she never cared about this. Sometimes you could even smell a strange sour smell when you got close to her.

"Exploring and learning unknown magical knowledge is the highest pursuit of my life. As long as I can achieve this goal, I don't care what price I have to pay for it."

Zuo Si did not hide anything and openly admitted his desire for the magical secrets of the sequencer.

Although the card system of the Planeswalker can do this to some extent, as the saying goes, "too many skills are always a burden", who would complain about having too many cards in their hand?

Xinbu nodded in satisfaction. "I like your straightforwardness. Since you have already shared with me the secret that you are a planeswalker and are willing to help plant spies within the Red Mage at the right time, I will tell you the secret of sequencer magic. But you have to promise not to spread it."

"Please rest assured. Apart from myself and the lich who is completely under my control, no outsider will be able to know the secret of the sequencer." Zuo Si gave the guarantee without hesitation.

When Xinbu heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and showed a very strange expression.

Because she originally wanted the guarantee that it would not be passed on to any outsiders.

But Zuo Si directly expanded the scope to include the liches of the Arcane Mystic Society.

But considering that the planeswalkers are powerful enough to rival the power of gods, these liches will never be able to escape their control, so it doesn't seem to be a big problem.

In the end, Xinbu did not raise any objections, but explained the principles of sequencer magic in very concise language.

Contrary to what Zuo Si believed, sequencer magic was not about compressing and storing several magics in the ordinary sense, and then triggering them with a gesture when needed.

It's more like "borrowing" spells from somewhere else.

The word "borrow" is used because the spells triggered by the sequencer often have two sources.

One of them, of course, is for the spellcaster to set up a secret spell storage location in advance, and when needed, use the sequencer itself to establish an ultra-long-distance connection with the magic network to release the stored spells in sequence.

Since the stored spells themselves will be maintained for a very long time, it is equivalent to adding a series of powerful additional continuous spell bombardments on top of the spell slots available daily.

As for the other method, it is to "borrow" spells from other people's memories by establishing a stable connection.

For example, Zuo Si can establish a stable connection with his liches through sequencer magic.

When the sequencer needs to be released, the liches will be notified in advance and complete the spellcasting preparations as quickly as possible.

All he had to do was guide these spells through the magic web and pour them all over the enemy's head.

To sum it up simply, the essence of a sequencer is a magic storage technology and a spell slot borrowing technique.

I'm afraid that except for the Magic Goddess's Chosen Ones for Silver Fire and true legendary wizards, it is almost impossible for ordinary spellcasters to complete this ultra-long-distance transmission of magic energy.

"How is it? Are you disappointed? The famous sequencer is actually no different from items like magic storage rings and magic wands."

Xinbu picked up the cup and took a sip of hot cocoa, an expression of great enjoyment appearing on his face.

A woman's nature of liking chocolate and sweets was perfectly reflected in her at this moment.

Ever since she tasted it for the first time a few days ago, the Queen has completely fallen in love with this specialty from the Maztec continent, and plans to bring several hundred kilograms of it back in a dimensional bag.

Because Agralon is to the east of Faerun, close to There where the red wizards rule.

The New World trade that emerged from the West Coast had not yet been extended to the New World through the transmission of merchants.

So there are no cocoa beans, cocoa powder and finished chocolate for sale there.

Zuo Si shook his head slightly. "How is that possible? The ultra-long-distance magic energy transmission provided by the sequencer magic alone is a genius creation in my opinion, not to mention the genius creation of building a spell storage chamber. As a warlock, you have reached a height that many mages cannot reach."

"Why does this sentence sound like it is discriminating against warlocks?" Xinbu put down the cup in his hand and questioned.

"Don't mind it. It's just because a certain pyromancer performed so poorly that I inevitably have a little prejudice against the warlock profession." Zuo Si explained with a smile.

No doubt, most of what he knew about warlocks came from his "follower" Alena, and Aisha, the magic item merchant far away in Calimport.

Since the dealings with the latter were purely business, they had never entered into a combat situation.

This means that Zuo Si's knowledge of human warlocks all comes from Alena, who often gets into trouble. It would be strange if his senses could be improved.

Since being summoned, this woman with a personality as passionate and irritable as fire has personally participated in at least twenty tavern fights. She is a typical example of someone who refuses to change despite repeated warnings, and has even earned the title of "Queen of Nightclubs" in Askatra.

Some ruffians and hooligans even worship him as an idol.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and loss, several hotels and taverns simply put up signs prohibiting them from entering. They are simply an absolute scourge.

"What are your plans next?"

Xinbu obviously didn't want to delve into this issue, and decisively changed the subject.

Because she had seen Alena, she understood how dangerous this red-haired sorceress who was suspected to have fire elemental blood was, especially to her companions.

Those large-scale fire spells were as terrible as natural disasters in towns and villages full of wooden houses.

"Nothing in particular is planned. Now that Luskan has been settled, I plan to return to Athkatla to take care of some personal matters and then go hunt a red dragon named Felcrag."

Zuo Si quickly told about his final plan before the end of summer vacation.

Whether it is transforming the Dragon Knight into a higher-level follower, or figuring out what kind of life is nurtured in the belly of the Vampire Queen Badi, these are things he must do as soon as possible.

Otherwise, when Erinikas rushes back from the Fire Elemental Plane, everything will become very troublesome.

"Hunting red dragons?"

Xinbu's eyes lit up slightly and he instantly became interested.

You know, among all the voters, except Elminster, she killed the most evil dragons.

"That's right. Why, are you interested in coming along?" Zuo Si suggested with interest.

Xinbu was obviously tempted, but finally declined with regret: "Sorry, although I would like to participate in this hunt, considering the threat from Sel, I must return to Agrallon as soon as possible. After this failure, Aznar Sruul and his allies are likely to lose power. If Sazastan holds the highest power, then the Red Mage will undoubtedly become more difficult to deal with than before."

"No matter what happens, I will always provide all the help I can as an ally. If necessary, I will even join the battle myself." Zuo Si expressed his position clearly.

"Thank you. Time will tell whether our friendship is strong. Besides, you are always welcome to visit my country."

Xinbu pursed his lips into a faint smile, then opened the portal and disappeared without a trace.

Not long after she left, Khelben and Alustriel walked in from outside.

When the latter saw the empty teacup on the table, he immediately asked in surprise: "Is Elaslan back?"

"Yes. As the queen and witch of Agoralon, the survival pressure she faces in ruling the country is much greater than that of Silvermoon City and Waterdeep City." Zuo Si answered casually.

Khelbourne couldn't help but sigh slightly and said, "There's nothing we can do about it. Agrallon is too close to Cyre, and too far from the west coast and the North. We can't help at all. By the way, how was your chat?"

"Not bad. We have signed an alliance to provide assistance to each other when needed and to face the threat of the red robe wizards together. After all, I have swallowed up all their concessions and strongholds on the west coast this time. It is not the style of these guys to willingly admit defeat."

Zuo Si could even foresee how much the faction leaders led by Aznar Sruol would hate him after he returned, and how much they would start planning a new conspiracy.

That's why he began looking for more allies.

Especially the voters of the Magic Goddess are naturally suitable candidates to become allies.

Apart from anything else, the fact that Khelben and Alustriel came to help without any hesitation is the best proof.

Except for Elminster, of course.

This great sage and first chosen person of Shadow Valley obviously had very big differences in ideas with Zuo Si, so the several meetings and conversations between the two were not pleasant.

"So, you got the secret of sequencer magic from her?" Elastro asked tentatively in an uncertain tone.

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Yes, I got it. In exchange, I also shared some of my secrets and special methods of making magic items."

"I'm glad that there was no conflict between you two. You know, Elaslan's temper makes it difficult for everyone to get along with her." Kelben said with great relief.

Alustriel also echoed with lingering fear: "That's right. I will never forget that Sammaster and Xinbu almost fought when they first met. I am a little worried that a similar situation will happen between you."

"Don't worry. We surprisingly have a lot in common, and we have reached a lot of consensus on how to deal with the Red Wizards and the Zhentarim. By the way, with the collapse of the Arcane Brotherhood and Luskan undergoing transformation, does the Northern Lords' Alliance still have a basis and necessity to exist?"

Zuo Si suddenly raised a very sharp question.

Because the loose organization of the local lords' alliance was actually originally a large alliance that recognized the legitimacy of each other's rule.

It has only two main responsibilities. One is to fight against Luskan, which has a strong tendency to expand. The other is to deal with the Zhentarim, the Cult of the Dragon, and the monster armies that form from time to time.

Since all the towns that joined had to use a portion of their fiscal revenue to support the professional soldiers provided by Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and Silvermoon, this had long caused a lot of dissatisfaction.

It’s just that in the past there was the external threat of Luskan, so everyone chose to swallow their anger and not dare to attack.

But now that the threat from Luskan no longer exists, internal conflicts will inevitably erupt as the external threat disappears.

It can be predicted that the Lords Alliance will experience an unprecedented severe test.

"Well - this is indeed a problem. When I return, I will raise this issue with the lords of Waterdeep and see what opinions they have." Khelben stroked his thick beard with a thoughtful expression.

"I think it's better to keep the Northern Lords' Alliance. At least it can effectively prevent bloody conflicts from breaking out in towns due to conflicts of interest."

Alustriel quickly made his point.

Although she herself was also annoyed by the fact that this group often quarreled when they got together.

But quarreling is better than starting a war.

What's more, without the huge threats from the Arcane Brotherhood and Luskan, the lord of Silvermoon City is planning to make a big move and recreate the scene of harmonious coexistence of various races in Myth Drannor.

Unfortunately, Alustriel did not understand that the fall of Myth Drannor was due to the complexity of the races, which eventually collapsed due to serious internal strife and intensified conflicts.

As for the dark army composed of dark elves, orcs, gnolls, giants, goblins and demons, it merely accelerated the collapse.

It is precisely because of the serious internal racial problems that at the end of Myth Drannor, a severe situation had actually formed where multiple ethnic groups coexisted on Earth without any dominant ethnic state. That is, it was impossible to reach a so-called "social consensus". Every politician was fighting for the interests of his own race and did not care about the lives of other races at all.

In the final stage, there were even cases where each side sent troops to assassinate the other's leaders and started a civil war.

Under such circumstances, the dark army finally seized the opportunity, frantically harassing the villages around the city, and holding evil and cruel sacrifices of living people to summon powerful demons to increase their strength.

At first, the rulers of Myth Drannor did not take the harassment from these monsters and enemies seriously.

Possessing powerful magical powers and puzzles, they believed that as long as they dealt with their internal enemies and successfully took power, it would be easy to wipe out these barbarian monsters.

But who knew that by the time they realized something was wrong, there were already many powerful demons in the dark army who were able to compete with high-level wizards and even legendary wizards.

As a result, with their overwhelming numerical advantage, Myth Drannor's army and mage corps were defeated step by step, and finally had to abandon their homeland and flee in all directions.

So in Zuo Si's eyes, Alustriel is a typical idealist who naively believes that he can suppress the dark side of human nature through his strong personal charm.

If he wasn't so powerful and hadn't been surrounded by a group of followers who shared the same ideals, he would have died countless times.

Moreover, the situation in Faerun is much more complicated than on Earth, and the intervention of gods and faith must also be taken into account.

Just as the three were once again discussing the situation in the North, far away near the mouth of the Teith River where it flows into the Moon Sea, Zhentil Keep was facing the most terrible crisis since its establishment.

As the local lord, Mansong, who had just been resurrected through cloning, was standing on the top floor of the tower with a gloomy expression, looking at the large number of corpses burning outside, with raging anger bursting from his eyes.

He never expected that Zuo Si, the crazy Chosen One of Talona, was not satisfied after killing him once and actually ran to Zhentil Castle to carry out revenge.

Moreover, it was not the spread of plague as he had expected, but rather the more insidious and cunning poisoning.

In just a few days, more than two thousand strictly trained orc troops were killed or wounded by the poison.

As for the human army, the situation was not much better, with large numbers of people dying inexplicably every day.

The food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes we wear, and even the air we breathe can contain deadly toxins.

So far, Mansong hasn't even figured out how the other party poisoned him or how they bypassed the magic alarm he set.

After several minutes, he turned around and asked his most trusted apprentice: "Ximanmeng, what's the situation at the Dark Castle?"

"They are all dead, teacher. I can only transform them into zombies through the necromancy ritual, otherwise I won't be able to stop the invasion of monsters around me." Ximanmeng replied with a bitter face.

"What? They're all dead!" Mansong turned around. "How could they all be dead? Didn't I have someone send you some antidote?"

"Because the Dark Castle is located deep in the Sunset Mountains, there is no need to worry about the disease spreading to the outside world. So Soth not only used poison, but also released a terrible plague. Even I was accidentally infected and almost lost my life. What's more terrible is that Fuzor Chamberlain has begun to challenge you within the Zhentarim and tried to seize the supreme leadership. Many members of the inner circle also believe that it is your recklessness and stupidity that has provoked a terrible enemy that the organization should not have provoked."

While saying this, Ximanmeng carefully watched his mentor's reaction out of the corner of his eye.

He didn't know why, but ever since he witnessed Mansong being killed instantly by the thunder created by Zuo Si with silver fire, he slowly lost his original awe and began to re-examine this ambitious old man from another perspective.

You have to know that over a hundred years old is very close to the upper limit of the theoretical lifespan of the human race.

Although Mansoon used many methods to extend his lifespan, he still looked like a man in his forties or fifties.

But Ximamon knew that Manshun was actually secretly planning to transform into a lich or some other form that would allow him to live longer.

Especially the blow brought by this disastrous defeat made him begin to doubt whether there was something wrong with his magical path.

Otherwise, why would he be easily defeated by such a young junior?

Although the power of the Chosen Ones bestowed by the Goddess of Magic played a very important role in this process, whether it was immunity to time stop or silver fire burst mode, it was not something that ordinary spellcasters or even legendary wizards could easily deal with.

But this self-doubt is making Mansong lose his previous confidence and become hesitant.

This is a fatal weakness within the Zhentarim, where the phenomenon of "inferior rebellion" is very common.

Otherwise, Fuzzol Chamberlain would not have jumped out to seize power at this sensitive time.

"Damn bastard!"

Upon hearing that Fuzor Chamberlain was once again trying to seize leadership of the Zhentarim, Manshoon immediately looked furious.

As a chosen one of Bane's people and the "Tyrant of the Moon Sea" who also possesses great appeal and leadership, Fuzol Chamberlain is almost as good as him in status.

His prestige among Bane's followers even far exceeds that of him as the leader of a mage organization.

But soon, Mansong forced himself to calm down and asked seriously, "How many people have clearly expressed their support for Fuzol Chamberlain?"

"A lot. More than half of the Inner Circle members alone. And after this failure, our intelligence network in the North suffered heavy losses, and some places even lost their intelligence gathering capabilities. Coupled with the large number of deaths in the Zhentil Keep army, your rule has begun to become shaky."

Ximanmeng did not hide anything and directly described the worst situation at the moment.

For some unknown reason, his face looked paleer than usual, and he would cover his mouth and cough after speaking a few words. He was also careful to keep a certain distance from the sunlight coming in from the window.

Unfortunately, Mansong, who was worried about how to keep his power, did not notice these suspicious things. After thinking for a moment, he quickly made arrangements.

On the one hand, he asked Ximanmeng to take out the negative information he had collected about the inner circle members and go to their homes to threaten them, forcing them to give up supporting Fu Zuoer Chamberlain.

On the other hand, he decisively ordered to stop burning the bodies of dead soldiers, and instead transform them into zombies or skeletons to continue to contribute to Zhentil Castle.

(End of this chapter)