In the early morning, as the sun slowly rises from the sea in the east, Candle Castle welcomes a new day.

However, unlike the lively debate yesterday, many people today left the largest library on the West Coast with satisfaction, riding in horse-drawn carriages and being bid farewell by the rising sun.

In order to express his gratitude and respect to the scholars, priests and wizards who were invited, "The Guardian of the Scroll" Ullant personally came to the door to see them off.

Especially when he came in front of Zuo Si, this man who usually maintained a serious and arrogant attitude even showed a very rare "kind" smile.

The terrifying power of this smile even made the other monks and priests who served Oghma around them feel as if they had seen a ghost.

Because in their impression, Ulant had never smiled like this at anyone.

If he wasn't the "Tome Guardian", it would be impossible for him to be charmed or controlled by any means, and someone would definitely try to use [Remove Magic] on him.

fortunately!

Finally, this kind of mistake did not happen.

Ullant handed over a large black-covered book with both hands, and said with a slightly emotional tone: "Mr. Sos. In order to thank you for your novel ideas and arguments at the debate, I will give you this precious "The Origin of All Things" as a gift.

Although there is no record of any spells in this book.

However, it does describe in detail the evolution of magic from the witches to the elves, and then to the Netheril and Imaskar Empires.

And every civilization has a different understanding of magic.

It is said that the person who wrote this book had read the famous [Scroll of Netheril].

Therefore, he explained the essence of magic in the most understandable way.

I believe this will be of great help to you in learning magic knowledge in the future, or even in creating your own spells."

"It's a great book. Please express my gratitude to the God of Knowledge for me." Zuo Si responded with a smile.

He took it and flipped through just two pages, and immediately realized that this book should have been written by Oghma himself and given to him by the "Guardian of the Book".

After all, in the entire Faerun, the only creatures that have truly read the [Scroll of Netherese] and survived to this day, apart from their original creator, the Sarrukh, are probably the only ones left, the chosen people of the Goddess of Magic, and a few great arcanists who turned into liches after the destruction of the Netherese civilization.

However, it is absolutely impossible for these people to share the most precious memories and knowledge in their minds with others.

So Oghma, the god of knowledge, became the only god who had the ability and motivation to do so.

"You know?!" Ulant was obviously surprised.

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Of course. Because this book is not something that can be written from the perspective of a mortal. It even explains at the beginning how to use the original and uncontrollable magical energy to create spells after getting rid of the magic network. Do you think a mortal would think of this?"

Ullant smiled bitterly and replied: "I'm sorry, I haven't read this book. Because it is a gift from the great god of knowledge. In addition, from now on, Candlekeep will open its doors to you at any time."

"Thank you. But I think I won't come to Candlekeep again for a long time."

After saying this, Zuo Si gave the other party a standard wizard salute, then turned and walked onto the carriage to signal the Dragonborn Knight Davidian that they could set off.

Although he didn't have much money left, he decided to go to Waterdeep in the north to take a look and go to the Underworld to make a land card.

You should know that it was originally the site of the ancient capital of the elven kingdom - Alinetada.

However, when the elves left, they released an extremely powerful spell, completely erasing the entire city and all traces of its existence.

But this spell has an unknown side effect, which is that it will leave an eternal and indestructible magic network node in the original place.

All the surrounding magical energy will inevitably flow to this node, thus forming an extremely powerful core.

The reason why the Underworld City can build a large-scale magic barrier like the "Maze Lock" is because of the amazing energy support emitted by this magic network node.

Most importantly, this node is invisible, intangible, and unbreakable, and it drives mortals who live nearby for too long into madness.

Especially arcane spellcasters who are closely connected to the magic network, such as wizards, warlocks, and bards.

They will subconsciously develop a desire for the magic network nodes, wanting to stay near the nodes forever and not wanting to leave.

It is said that the madness of the "Mad Mage" Halaster Blackrob was most likely caused by the influence of this magic network node.

This also explains why his madness is only manifested in the "Underground City", and once he leaves and returns to the surface, he will immediately return to a rational and polite state.

Such magic network nodes are an excellent choice for making high-level land cards.

As the number of cards at hand increased, Zuo Si felt that he should add a little more land cards.

At least make sure that if the land cards you have in effect are destroyed or stripped away by the enemy's powerful spells, you have at least one or two on hand to immediately replenish and replace them.

Otherwise, if you leave Faerun and go to other worlds, once the land cards connected to them disappear, professions such as mages, priests, and mystics will instantly lose their ability to cast spells.

In addition, any magic items on you that have not been made into cards will also become ineffective.

Simply put, land cards are the channel connecting the mage to the world.

As long as the corresponding land card is there, the planeswalker can use this channel to draw energy from another world, cast spells and use various magic items according to the magic rules of that world.

But if this connection is interrupted, you can only rely on the cards in your hand or the new magic rules of the current world to fight.

As the main source of spells at the moment, Zuo Si certainly needs to ensure that there are no problems with his connection with Furen.

Therefore, preparing more land cards becomes an inevitable choice.

In his plan, he would make at least four or five land cards exclusive to Faerun, and they would all be located at places like magic network nodes or places where magical energy was highly concentrated.

Just like that, under the protection of the two summoned creatures, the carriage quickly drove away from Candle Castle along the narrow goat path, and within a few hours it entered the "Coast Avenue (also called Bay Coast Highway)".

Since this road is a trade route connecting important trade nodes such as Nashikai, Belgost, and the Friendly Arm, and its end point is the port city of Baldur's Gate located at the mouth of the Chongsa River, it looks quite lively.

About every half an hour or so, you can meet passing business travelers and passers-by.

Apart from the occasional human bandits, goblins, gnolls, or hungry wolves, bears, and ogres who block the road to robbery, there are basically no major security issues.

This is Faerun after all, and it is normal to encounter these monsters and beasts in the wild.

Generally speaking, you can easily deal with the dangers you may encounter along the way by hiring a few adventurers and a small team of mercenaries.

Zuo Si didn't even take action himself against this group of guys who no longer posed any substantial threat. He just let Isadora try to use her power as a psychic, and she easily dealt with them.

There are even a few upgraded [Large Fierce Bear] and [Fierce Wolf Pack] summoning cards.

As for the goblins, gnolls, and human bandits, these hazardous wastes that were not even worth being cannon fodder, all of them, without exception, became nutrients for the nearby soil.

Due to their great skill and courage, the carriage did not even stop in any village or inn along the way, not even the famous "Friendly Arms".

It only took the four of them a few days to cross the Cloak Forest filled with spiders, Itters and pterosaurs.

Just as Zuo Si was about to enter Baldur's Gate to appreciate this natural harbor sandwiched between Waterdeep and Ascatla, he was suddenly informed by the guards at the gate that the dukes had just announced that the belief in Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, was illegal in Baldur's Gate.

Therefore, all priests serving the goddess were forbidden to enter, and he, the chosen one, was no exception.

Obviously, this was a retaliatory move by the ruling class of Baldur's Gate after the negotiations at Candlekeep.

On the one hand, expelling Talona's priests and churches could give an explanation to the merchants who had suffered huge losses, letting them understand that the Duke of Silver Shield made concessions because he was threatened.

On the other hand, doing so can effectively prevent Am from continuing to use the same method to intimidate us in future trade disputes.

I have to say, the dukes of Baldur's Gate are really screwed.

No wonder they were played around by Sarevok a few years later. Their judgment and reactions at critical moments were no different from those of pigs.

The stupidity is simply suffocating.

No! Maybe pigs are smarter than them.

At least Pigs don't become arrogant and think that everything is under their control.

It is estimated that those dukes may feel that they have signed a treaty with the Council of Six of Amn, so even if they expel the priests and the church of Talona, ​​Zuo Si, the elect, is unlikely to take any drastic actions.

But they didn't know that Zuo Si was just a tool in this negotiation.

Although he gave Sir Crispian many ideas, he was not a direct beneficiary of the treaty.

At least not yet.

And the other party obviously overestimated his control over the Church of Talona.

If nothing unexpected happens, it won't be long before those expelled priests will use various means to make these arrogant dukes taste the bitter fruit of their own making.

After all, revenge is the consistent style of the believers of the goddess of poison and disease.

"Master, what should we do now?"

Davian stood on the bridge, staring at the city gate not far away, and asked in an uncertain tone.

His dragon-like vertical pupils and the faint dragon power that he exuded inadvertently made the guards at the door feel very nervous.

In addition, the title of Talona voter also caused him considerable psychological pressure.

After all, as the news of Mylatma defeating the monster army and accomplishing the feat of slaying the dragon in the south gradually spread to the north through many merchants and adventurers.

So even in Baldur's Gate, rumors began to spread that the Goddess of Poison and Plague had a very powerful and formidable chosen one.

"What else can we do? We can only continue to travel by land." Zuo Si shrugged indifferently.

It just takes a little more time anyway.

He was not idle while traveling in the carriage. He was learning many four-ring magics and practicing new super magic skills. His days were quite fulfilling.

Anyway, it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

He has plenty of ways to make the Duke of Baldur's Gate, who has humiliated him, pay a heavy price.

"Thoss, I can control those guards." Isadora whispered in his ear.

But Zuo Si smiled and shook his head, gently stroked the girl's hair and explained: "Forget it, don't make things difficult for these ordinary soldiers who obey orders. Don't worry, I'm not angry. Because it won't be long before the dukes of Baldur's Gate come to me and kneel down to beg me to let them go."

When he said this, he did not avoid the soldiers guarding the city gate at all, but let these people hear it clearly.

moment!

The captain's face changed.

But before he could do anything, he saw Zuo Si and his party driving away in a carriage.

When I came to my senses, the carriage had disappeared on the distant horizon.

"Damn it! Go report to Duke Iltan quickly, we might be in big trouble this time." The captain shouted at one of his soldiers.

The latter did not dare to delay at all and quickly rode his horse towards the fortress of the Flame Fist Mercenary Headquarters.

Unfortunately, it's too late...

After running for more than ten kilometers in one breath, when they were about to reach the "Land of Death", Zuo Si finally ordered the carriage to stop, and then summoned Vanessa without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, the lich who received the magic message cast a teleportation spell and appeared next to the carriage.

He first glanced around very cautiously, and after confirming that there was no danger, he placed one hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

"Excuse me, why are you summoning me at this time? Is there anything important that you need me to do?"

"How is the plan to integrate the pirate forces of the Nalansel Islands going?" Zuo Si asked straight to the point.

When this matter was mentioned, Vanessa suddenly became excited and hurriedly reported: "Not long ago, I just controlled a pirate leader named Eric and started a rebellion against Captain Bloody Hand.

This operation not only successfully took over the latter's forces, but also exchanged Hallet's head for a large bounty in Amn.

After that, I sent out several of my apprentices to assist the pirate in launching several naval battles. They have almost wiped out six large pirate gangs and more than twenty small pirate gangs.

Using the bodies of those dead, I converted a large number of low-level undead to serve as cannon fodder in the battle.

With the help of the spells recorded in the Book of the Dead, he successfully created several intelligent high-level undead as commanders.

Now we have almost taken control of several of the largest and most habitable islands in the Nelanther Archipelago.

Even those mysterious ocean towers were occupied one by one by me and several other core members. We transformed them into simple wizard towers and built permanent portals.

Four of the ogre mages were captured alive and are currently imprisoned in the dungeon.

It should take about a month or two to wipe out all the pirates and start building cities and villages."

"So fast?" Zuo Si was obviously surprised.

He originally thought that an operation of this scale would take at least a year and a half to complete, even with the help of several liches.

"Of course. The Nelanther Islands originally had no decent forces. The reason why pirates are rampant is entirely because many organizations want to use these guys to do some shady things. But now with our intervention, this island will finally end the chaos and usher in the dawn of order. By the way, haven't you always been not very interested in this matter?"

Vanessa asked in great surprise.

Zuo Si laughed and said self-deprecatingly: "I suddenly realized that if you don't have any power behind you, others will treat you as a soft persimmon and will find ways to humiliate you."

"Shame! Who? Who dares to treat you like this? Please tell me! I promise to kill his entire family and turn them into undead creatures, making them live in pain, despair and curse forever."

The cold light in Vanessa's eyes suddenly increased, and her tone became even colder and full of murderous intent.

"The Dukes of Baldur's Gate.

They issued a decree that I, the chosen one of Talona, ​​the woman of poison and disease, was forbidden to enter the city.

To be honest, I still don’t understand where they get the courage from, or the underlying logic behind their behavior.

But there's no need to make it so bloody and cruel.

My revenge is simple. I will strike at the city's commerce in the most extreme way possible and completely cut off Baldur's Gate's maritime trade."

Zuo Si expressed his thoughts in a casual tone.

He is not a good guy, nor is he like those guys who claim to be kind and righteous, who swallow their anger and dare not retaliate when being publicly humiliated.

What's more, as a commercial port city, Baldur's Gate was built on trade.

Therefore, any attack on trade would be equivalent to undermining the foundation of Baldur's Gate's survival.

When the businessmen began to realize that these so-called "dukes" could no longer provide them with protection or bring them benefits, but instead became a stumbling block to making money, their fate was naturally self-evident.

Zuo Si doesn't even need to do it himself. He just needs to spread a little news and naturally countless people will do everything they can to kill these dukes.

"Crack down on trade? Do you mean to let the pirate fleet blockade the port?" Vanessa touched her chin and smiled playfully.

You have to know that unlike the Amn Empire which has a huge navy, Baldur's Gate is just a city-state, so it doesn't have enough money to build a strong navy.

Many times when dealing with maritime threats, they often temporarily requisitioned some merchant ships, and then relied on catapults and crossbows in the ports and on the shore to launch defensive counterattacks.

This means that the city’s maritime defenses are very weak.

As long as the pirates of the Nelanther Islands are gathered together, it is entirely possible to completely cut off the sea trade routes of Baldur's Gate.

Zuo Si waved his hand with a half-smile: "No, don't block the port, let alone rob merchant ships. That would be too conspicuous and easily attract intervention from the Northern Lords Alliance.

All we have to do is collect protection fees from all passing ships.

If it is a merchant ship heading to Amn, Calimshan, Tethyr, Waterdeep, Neverwinter, or Luskan, a 10% tax will be levied on the total value of all goods.

But for merchant ships sailing to Baldur's Gate, a tax of 20 to 30 percent will be imposed.

And a flag was issued to all ships that had collected protection fees.

Any merchant ship flying this flag will no longer be plundered by pirates from the Sea of ​​Swords to the Sea of ​​Glory.

If a plunder occurs, we will not only avenge it, but also compensate the ship and cargo at their original price.

In this way, we get money, merchants are guaranteed security, and the surrounding sea trade routes will become prosperous.

At the same time, this approach will not infringe on the bottom line of the Northern Lords Alliance, the Harpist Alliance, and the Church of the Good-aligned Gods.

After all, order is better than chaos.

Once this became a practice, all merchants traveling by sea discovered that the cost of doing business in Baldur's Gate was much higher than in other cities.

Guess what they will choose?

They would abandon Baldur's Gate, a natural harbor, without hesitation.

The dukes who rule this city will then pay the price for their arrogance and stupidity, and even kneel down and beg for my forgiveness.

In addition, compared to a quick death, I personally prefer to let my enemies suffer enough pain before they die, or even let them watch helplessly as they lose what they cherish most bit by bit.

For the dukes of Baldur's Gate, the prosperity and wealth of Baldur's Gate are what they value most.

And I...

We must slowly take these two things away from them."

Hearing these words, Vanessa seemed to have seen the future of Baldur's Gate's decline and the fearful and desperate reactions of the dukes. She was instantly sublimated and bowed deeply with one hand on her chest with an unprecedented gesture of respect.

“您的智慧和复仇手段令我望尘莫及。另外，我也明白了真正的报复不应该只是让自己感到痛快，而是要尽可能的让仇敌品尝痛苦，但同时又无可奈何。请您放心，我会立刻通知所有人配合办好这件事情。”

“记住，管理好那些海盗，让他们明白未来的耐兰瑟尔群岛将是一个秩序、开放和包容的国度。以前那些陋习统统给我丢掉，从现在开始学着做一个文明人。”左思意味深长的叮嘱道。

瓦内萨顿时心领神会，忍不住发出一阵大笑：“哈哈哈哈！这个不用您说我也已经在做了。不过耐兰瑟尔群岛上千个岛屿中，一共只有半数左右有淡水资源。您看要怎么来进行开发呢？”

“先挑选几个大岛种植粮食、饲养家禽家畜，确保岛上的食物来源不会受制于人。

其余有淡水的岛屿就种甘蔗，没淡水的岛屿就晒盐。

前者是价值不菲的奢侈品，后者则是所有人日常生活中不可或缺的东西，基本都不用为销路发愁。

除此之外，捕鱼、晾晒咸鱼干，在浅海一带养殖珍珠，都可以成为不错的发展方向。

尤其椰子的纤维，非常适合用来制作绳索、渔网、刷子、垫子，椰肉也能够晾干后作为商品出售。

有了商品，自然就会吸引商人前来进行买卖。

不过当下要解决的还是岛上劳动力稀缺的问题。

我觉得可以在正处于内战中的泰瑟尔王国做些文章，吸引一部分饱受战乱之苦的平民或者难民前来定居。

承诺凡是愿意来开荒的，就给他们免费分发土地、种子和工具。

再就是花钱从卡林杉一带购买奴隶……”

左思连想都没想，直接便脱口而出给了一大堆非常有用的建议。

作为一个来自信息大爆炸时代的人，他在这方面有着天然的优势。

尤其是费伦大陆的生产力发展水平这么低，还不到半公斤的食盐，零售价竟然可以卖到五个金币的离谱价格。

这么多的钱，差不多可以买到四百五十公斤小麦，或者两百二十五公斤面粉，再或者两百多只鲜嫩可口的鸡。

至于原因也非常简单。

那就是大多数城市根本不掌握“盐”这种生存必需品的的提炼技术。

尤其是从海水中提炼的粗盐，由于掺杂太多有害杂质的关系，根本不能直接食用。

还需要通过一系列复杂的工艺将杂质过滤出来，最终得到的才是真正能吃的食盐。

而这些工艺往往都被一些商会跟贵族所垄断，并将其视作核心机密绝不外传。

于是乎，费伦西海岸众多港口城市明明紧邻大海，可是却依旧要从外面进口食盐的奇怪景象就出现了。

“听起来您似乎已经有了全面的规划。

劳动力的问题不用担心，实在不行就先用不死生物代替。

不过这些产业所需要的技术从哪搞？

如果是使用魔法的话，那么成本将会变得无限高。”

瓦内萨明显有些犯难。

身为法师，他遇到麻烦第一时间想到的就是魔法。

这也是为什么费伦大陆自然科学发展如此缓慢的原因。

因为魔法实在是太方便了，以至于几乎无所不能。

比如说有了火球术和闪电术，谁还会去考虑制造和使用那些既危险、威力又不怎么样的原始火炮呢？ 所以科学在这里压根就没有生存和发展的土壤。

在耐瑟瑞尔魔法文明兴盛的时代，大奥术师们不仅拥有改变自然环境和气候的力量，甚至组建了一支能够深入太空的舰队，探索晶壁内其他星球并尝试建立殖民地。

相比之下，看似技术十分发达的地球科学体系，目前最远也不过是让人类短暂登上月球而已。

综上所述，费伦几乎所有的聪明人都会选择成为一名法师，而不是浪费时间和精力，去研究那些可能要自己死后几十年乃至几百年，才能被后人发现用途的科学。

毕竟耐瑟瑞尔和伊马斯卡两个古代魔法帝国，都已经展示过魔法可以达到怎样的高度，可是却从没有人展示过科学的未来。

再加上成为法师后获得的可是切切实实的法术力量，甚至可以让自己逃避死亡获得永生，但凡不是傻瓜都知道该怎样选择。

不过魔法的缺点也非常明显，那就是根本无法惠及底层民众。

刚好相反！

它需要不断压榨下层平民来获得研究魔法所必须的资源跟财富。

这也是为何，几乎所有强盛一时的魔法文明都无一例外采取了奴隶制。

左思有时候觉得自己非常幸运，先后接受了科学和魔法两种教育，因此不像大多数法师那样容易陷入思维的局限性。

看着瓦内萨一副为难的样子，他立刻笑着说道：“放心，我会负责提供全套的产业技术。你要做的就是监督和执行。”

“如果是这样，那就没有问题了。说实话，我原本还有些迷茫，究竟要把耐兰瑟尔群岛建设成一个什么样的地方。不过现在，好像突然之间都有了方向。”

瓦内萨眼神中闪烁着钦佩的光芒。

因为越是深入了解，他就越觉得左思的脑袋里装满了各种各样的知识跟奇思妙想。

而这些知识跟奇思妙想正是自己所欠缺的。

除此之外，来自《死者之书》和死灵大法师阿斯塔的笔记，也让身为死灵系专精法师的瓦内萨感到受益匪浅。

其实就在不久之前，他刚刚完成了对最深层魔网的触碰，正式获得了梦寐以求的九环法术位。

所有这一切开始朝着好的方向转变，都是从遇到左思开始的。

所以瓦内萨觉得，眼前这个看上去仅有十岁左右的男孩，就是自己命运中那个值得效忠和追随的对象。

两人稍微聊了一会儿关于魔法方面的经验和心得后，他便带着左思从烛堡图书馆中抄录的关于如何进阶【大法师】的笔记，欢天喜地启动传送魔法返回了自己的法师塔。

目送巫妖的身影彻底消失，戴维安才主动开口请示道：“主人，前边就是死亡之地了。我们是就在这里扎营休息，还是直接进去找个农庄借宿一晚？”

“死亡之地？那里边有很多不死生物吗？”伊莎多拉十分好奇的问。

“当然。这里在五百多年前曾经爆发过一场安姆与剑湾诸国的惨烈战争。

据说死掉的人甚至让这片土地的负能量高出其他地方十几倍。

很长一段时间都是僵尸、食尸鬼、骷髅、幽灵和其他不死生物的乐园。

不过随着时间的流逝，大部分亡灵生物都被善良神祇的牧师和圣武士清理干净。

最近几十年又重新建立起大片的农庄，只剩下为数不多的骷髅和僵尸还在四处游荡。”

左思耐心给这个对外界一无所知的金发少女进行了一番介绍。

由于从出生到现在，压根就没有离开过阿斯卡特拉的行政区，所以伊莎多拉根本不了解外面的世界是什么样子，充其量只是读了几本书。

“不死生物很难对付吗？”女孩小心翼翼的问。

左思一脸认真的回答道：“对于身为心灵术士的你来说，不死生物和构装体，是这个世界上最危险的两类敌人。

因为他们都没有心灵，所以你无法读取它们的思想，更无法控制它们的意志。

记住，如果遇到了亡灵，最好的办法就是用你所掌握的直接伤害类心灵异能去攻击，亦或是召唤护符里的那个盾卫者。”

少女赶忙用力点了点头：“嗯！我记住了。”

“走吧，让我们去找个农庄借宿一晚。在车厢里对付着睡了这么多天，我开始有点怀念躺在床上的感觉了。”左思冲龙裔骑士笑着说道。

“如您所愿。”

戴维安一如既往将主人的要求视作最高命令，迅速甩了一个漂亮的鞭花，驾驶马车沿着一望无际的平原奔驰。

仅仅过了十几分钟，就依稀能看到在旁边田野周围的栅栏外面，零零散散游荡着一些身披破旧且生锈铠甲的骷髅，还有身上腐烂到已经没有多少肉的僵尸。

它们不仅动作缓慢，而且反应也非常迟钝。

难怪那些胆大包天的农民竟然敢进入死亡之地开荒。

感觉就算没有武器，拿着一根粗点的木棒也能将这些虚弱的不死生物轻松干掉。

就在大家欣赏着骷髅、僵尸与成片金色农田凑在一起构成的诡异景色时，一栋建立在道路西侧不远处的三层木质小屋吸引了所有人的注意。

戴维安更是以极其熟练的动作，让两匹奔跑的马开始减速，然后稳稳停靠在木屋的门口。

正当他准备去敲门的时候，突然闻到了一股刺鼻的血腥味。

出于下意识的第一反应，戴维安立马拔出腰间的火焰长剑，同时举起背在身后的盾牌进入了警戒状态。

With his height advantage, the two-meter-high fence outside was completely useless to him, and he soon saw a large pool of blood near the main gate in the yard.

Moreover, the door of the wooden house was not closed but was ajar.

"What's going on?"

Zuo Si opened the door and walked out of the car.

"Master, please be careful. There is something wrong with this house. I found bloodstains at the door of the house, and the door was not closed."

Without even turning his head, Davian told what he had seen.

"Go in and take a look. Huntington, you stand guard at the door. If you see any unidentified guy approaching, no matter who he is, shoot him with an arrow as a warning."

Zuo Si gave instructions calmly.

Because a wooden house like this located in a rural area with no defense capabilities is too vulnerable to attacks by various monsters, robbers and wild beasts.

So no matter what happened in the house, he would not be surprised.

This is why, whether rich or poor, as long as conditions permit, they will do their best to squeeze into cities or towns with certain defensive capabilities.

Even if they cannot enter the town, they will choose to join a lord who owns a castle.

Only in this way can the safety of their lives and property be guaranteed to a certain extent.

With a bang, Davian kicked open the wooden door of the yard and was the first to walk in.

Zuo Si followed closely behind, holding Isadora's hand.

Passing through the yard planted with various onions, radishes, cabbages, garlic and onions, the three men came to the half-open entrance of the wooden house and saw a large pool of sticky blood that had not yet dried on the ground.

"This is human blood!"

Davian put a little on his finger, put it in front of his nose, sniffed it, and immediately gave his own judgment.

As a dragonborn, his sense of smell is extremely sensitive, even far exceeding that of most canines.

This is also the reason why you can smell the blood from such a long distance.

"It seems that the owner of the house has been murdered. Come on, let's go inside and find out what happened."

As he spoke, Zuo Si raised his hand and cast a spell at an extremely fast speed, granting [Mage Armor] to himself and Isadora respectively.

But before he could reach out to the half-open door, he heard footsteps from inside, and then a middle-aged woman dressed as a peasant came out and asked with a vigilant look on her face: "Who are you? Why did you break into my home?"

"You are...the owner of this house?"

The expression on Zuo Si's face suddenly became very strange.

Davidian was the first to stand between the two of them.

Isadora also seemed to have read the other party's memory through her psychic ability. She hugged Zuo Si's arm tightly with one hand and held the amulet around her neck that could summon a shield guardian with the other hand.

"That's right! This is the house where my husband and I live. No matter who you are, please leave immediately. Otherwise, we will sound the alarm and call the surrounding militia." The peasant woman shouted a warning.

Unfortunately, her warning didn't scare anyone.

Zuo Si pointed at the blood on the ground and asked bluntly: "If you don't mind, can you tell me what this pool of blood is about?"

The peasant woman's face changed slightly, and she waved her arms impatiently and roared, "That's the blood I shed when I killed the chicken just now. It's none of your business! Get out of here!"

"Ah - are all shapeshifters' acting skills as bad as yours? We have just confirmed that the blood on the ground is human blood and not the blood of other poultry or livestock. In addition, I don't know if you have noticed that when you are nervous or excited, your eyes will flash a silver light."

Zuo Si directly exposed the other party's identity.

Yes!

The fellow dressed as a peasant woman in front of me is actually a shapeshifter in disguise.

With the help of the constant [True Seeing] on the magic ring upgraded by the God of Knowledge Oghma, he could see the original appearance of the shapeshifter the moment it appeared.

“Damn it!”

Realizing that he was exposed, the shapeshifter didn't hesitate for a second. He turned around and tried to get into the house, then jumped out of the back window to escape.

But before he could run a few steps, he suddenly seemed to be under a spell and stood there stupidly without moving.

"You controlled it?" Zuo Si turned around and asked Isadora.

The girl shook her head slightly. "No. I just tried to invade its mind to control it, but failed. This kind of monster seems to be immune to all charm spells. But then I used [Energy Shock] and it became what it is now. I think its ability to transform should be very useful to you."

"That's right. Shapeshifters are natural spies and infiltrators. If used well, they can cause much more damage from the inside than a dragon."

Zuo Si casually took out a blank card and sealed the shapeshifting monster in front of him.

But just as the icon and text appeared on the card, a dark shadow suddenly jumped down from the second floor.

Just as it tried to run over the fence, an arrow whizzed through its thigh.

The severe pain turned the humanoid creature into a rolling gourd on the spot, and he opened his mouth and let out a heart-wrenching scream.

At this moment, Isadora and Davian saw the true face of the black shadow.

It has grayish-white skin, long and thin limbs, octopus-like eyes, a round and slightly fat head, and almost no expression on its face, even when it is in pain.

This is undoubtedly a typical shapeshifter.

With their innate ability to shapeshift and detect thoughts, they can disguise themselves as almost anyone, or even directly replace the latter's identity and status in society.

These two guys must have made an agreement to come and kill the original owner of the house, and then disguise themselves as them to infiltrate the nearby farms and even the small town little by little.

Unfortunately, they were unlucky and happened to run into Zuo Si and his group who were looking for a place to stay overnight, and were caught red-handed on the spot.

Without any hesitation!

Zuo Si first asked Isadora to release [Energy Shock] again, making the deformed monster that was hit by the arrow lose its ability to resist, and then made it into a summoning creature card.

After finishing all this, he began to search the entire cabin carefully, and finally found the bodies of two victims in the cellar.

(End of this chapter)