The little devil stared at his hands in amazement, as if he couldn't believe that what had just happened was real.
After all, absolute obedience to orders from superiors has long been ingrained into the soul of every devil.
Although "the lower class rebelling against the upper class" sometimes happens, it must be within the scope permitted by the laws and rules of hell.
If an assassination like this is carried out in public, the person will be sentenced to death in no time if caught.
"How does it feel to kill the bastard who used to bully you?"
Zuo Si asked with an interested smile.
The little devil's eyes sparkled slightly, and he licked his lips with his tongue. "Feelings? Seems pretty good! I like Aigris's impotent rage and roar before returning to Hell. I bet that this failure will make him lose face, and he might even be demoted as a punishment. You know, Grand Duke Disbart is not a merciful master."
As the name suggests, demotion is a punishment for those devils who fail.
Generally speaking, once the highest-level demon form like the Hell Fiend is downgraded, it will at least degenerate into a snake demon, an assassination demon, a horned demon, or even a weaker ice demon or a spike demon.
If the mistakes made are unforgivable, then there is a possibility that one will be directly demoted to the lowest and most abominable form of demon.
Zuo Si had read some books about the social and political ecology of Hell, and understood what demotion meant to a devil. He said in a playful tone, "Whether it is a demon or a devil, once killed in the material plane, it will take at least ninety-nine years to return to its homeland and be reborn. After rebirth, its power will be much weaker than before. And this time, what Aegris lost was not just a little bit of power."
Needless to say, when those demons were sent back to Baator Hell, Zuo Si took the opportunity to use the power of the Planeswalker Spark to frantically absorb the magical energy transfer generated when the soul channel was opened.
In other words, more than 60 to 70 percent of the energy that was supposed to return to hell as the devil's rebirth was converted by him into red and general mana. Not only did it replenish the part consumed by using cards in battle, but it also raised the [Mystic] profession level from LV4 to LV5.
In addition, the strength attribute increased a little again, reaching sixteen points, which is enough to make many warriors envious.
If it is a high-level devil, it would be better. No matter how weakened it is, at least its consciousness and sanity can be preserved after rebirth.
Those low-level demons are doomed.
Especially for the lowest level ones like inferior demons and little devils, once the energy loss exceeds a certain threshold, they may not even be able to condense the most basic form.
Of course, Zuo Si didn't care about the life or death of these demons.
What really gave him a headache was how to deal with the summoned Orlanli multi-headed dragon and giant stone elemental.
Cancel the summon directly?
Given the levels of these two creature cards, the former would have to stay in the graveyard for half a month, and the latter would be slightly better, but would have to stay there for about a week.
If he encounters an enemy that is not easy to deal with again, Zuo Si, who lacks powerful summoned creatures, can only open the portal to the Mage Tower and summon the Iron Golem, the Mutated Hound and Wilmes.
Or you could send a signal to the liches of the Arcane Mystic Society and ask them to use teleportation magic to come over for support.
As for the Emerald Society controlled by Rain, in order not to arouse the suspicion of the Lord of Symbols Shangela, it cannot be used for the time being.
But the problem is, it would be too eye-catching to take these two big guys on the road.
The large stone elemental is not so bad, after all, there are many arcane spellcasters in Faerun who have the ability to summon and control elemental creatures.
But the Oranli Hydra is a creature unique to Zendikar.
In addition, its size is so huge, God knows how many forces' attention it will attract when walking on the road.
And unlike the giant dragons in the world of Faerun, the Oranli hydra has only the intelligence of a beast, and has no transformation or spell-like abilities.
Its only characteristic is that it can continue to grow without limit.
This means that only the simplest commands can be given to it, and once it is stimulated by external factors, it can easily lose control.
"Alas - I didn't expect that summoning creatures that are too big would be such a big problem."
Zuo Si gently patted the hard scales of the Olanli multi-headed dragon and couldn't help but sigh.
Just as he was about to cancel the summons, a man dressed in merchant clothes and covered in blood rushed out from a tavern in the distance, shouting as he ran: "Your Excellency! Your Excellency the Elector!"
"Um?"
Zuo Si subconsciously stopped what he was doing, turned around and stared at the other person.
After a while, the man in his forties ran up to them breathlessly, glanced at the Orlanli multi-headed dragon and the giant stone elemental with eyes full of fear and awe, and then said carefully: "Sir, first of all, please allow me to express my gratitude to you on behalf of all the survivors of Dragonspear Castle. Because if it weren't for you, we would all be killed tonight, and maybe even our souls would be plundered by the devil..."
"Stop the boring pleasantries and get down to business." Zuo Si interrupted with a wave of his hand impatiently.
After all, being targeted by a lord from the hell level was already annoying enough for him, so he had no mood to listen to these meaningless nonsense.
"Uh... I mean, Dragonspear Castle has been basically completely destroyed. Even the temple of the god of war Tempus has become a ruin. It is simply unable to resist the demons pouring out from under the castle and the hordes of monsters in the High Wasteland. Can you stay here to protect it for a while? Or just become the lord of Dragonspear Castle and the surrounding land?"
The man went around in circles for a long time and finally spoke out his true thoughts.
You know, it is not easy to defend such a large fortress relying solely on these surviving adventurers and merchants.
Moreover, without the leadership of the Church of the God of War, most adventurers and mercenaries were like a group of scattered sand. It would be a blessing if they did not fight among themselves, let alone unite to deal with foreign invasions.
When Zuo Si heard this request, he immediately rejected it mercilessly: "Sorry, my time is precious and I don't have time to waste it in such a meaningless place. If you are afraid of being attacked by monsters, you can bring your valuables with me to the north to Waterdeep. I will be responsible for clearing all threats along the way."
"Thank you for your kindness. But this tavern is all my hard work and property. If I abandon it, I will really have nothing."
There was a hint of bitterness and helplessness in the man's tone.
Although he felt very lucky not to have died at the hands of the devil, the harsh survival challenges he faced after surviving the disaster made many survivors feel despair.
Those adventurers are fine. At worst they can just pack up and leave, and still be able to make a living somewhere else.
But for those who have permanent property and businesses in Dragonspear Castle, it is an absolute nightmare.
Seeing the other party's expression about to cry, Zuo Si suddenly thought of an idea. He pointed at the huge Orlanli multi-headed dragon beside him and said, "How about this. I allow you to use my name to manage and rule Dragonspear Castle, and I will lend this guy to you as a guard for a period of time. The deadline is three months. Whether you can survive the crisis depends entirely on your ability."
"real?!"
The man's originally dim eyes suddenly flashed with light.
He had just witnessed with his own eyes the amazing fighting power of the Orlanli multi-headed dragon.
With such a powerful monster as its guardian, no matter whether it is the monsters rushing out from the depths of the underground or the orcs, goblins, trolls, ogres and werewolves in the High Wasteland, they can't expect to get close to Dragonspear Castle.
"Of course! Remember, my name is Soth, the Chosen One of Talona, the Goddess of Poison and Disease. If you need to negotiate with other forces, just report this."
Zuo Si was very generous and gave the other party the right to use his name.
Because of the vigorous propaganda of the Church of Talona, his reputation on the west coast of Faerun is almost synonymous with "weapons of mass destruction."
Anyway, nicknames like "Son of Plague", "Man of Disaster", "World Destroyer", and "Mobile Scourge" have spread.
Otherwise, if he had only shown up briefly during the negotiations at Candlekeep, Baldur's Gate wouldn't have reacted so strongly.
I guess just having a name on it can have a considerable deterrent effect.
"You mean... I can declare to the public that you are the lord of Dragonspear Castle?" The man clenched his fists subconsciously in excitement.
Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Yes. But don't expect me to fulfill my responsibilities and obligations as a lord. At most, after learning about the massacre here, I will take action to avenge you."
"That's enough! With you as the nominal lord, I believe that even the monsters in the High Wasteland will not dare to approach easily. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to introduce myself. My name is Marshall, and from now on I will be the steward appointed by you."
After saying this, the man's eyes revealed a strong sense of confidence.
In three months, he felt that with his own abilities, he could restore Dragonspear Castle to its previous state, or even make it more prosperous than before.
It doesn't matter if the Church of the God of War is gone. We can use Zuo Si's identity as a chosen one to directly bring over the church of Talona, the goddess of poison and disease.
Anyway, most adventurers just want a place that provides medical services, so it doesn’t matter what kind of god it is.
"Come on, Marshall. I hope that in three months, I won't hear about the capture of Dragonspear Castle or your death."
After simply handing over the control of the Orlanli multi-headed dragon to the other party, Zuo Si led his men back to the guest room on the second floor of the hotel to continue sleeping, planning to set off again tomorrow morning.
However, just because he could sleep, it didn't mean that the other survivors could also sleep.
Marshall, who proclaimed himself the "steward", quickly used the prestige he had accumulated to gather more than a hundred survivors in his own tavern.
Without any nonsense, he went straight to the point and stated his overall plan.
When they learned that the huge Orlanli multi-headed dragon in the open space outside would stay nearby to protect Dragonspear Castle for three months, many people immediately gave up the idea of evacuating.
Just the opposite!
There was a gleam of ambition and desire in their eyes.
After a while, the survivors came up with a daring plan.
That is to use the powerful combat force of the Orlanli Hydra to sweep the monster strongholds in the surrounding Supreme Wasteland, capture all the goblins, orcs, and orcs and use them as slaves or sell them, in order to obtain the labor and funds necessary for development and construction.
After all, offense is the best defense.
Once there is enough money and labor, we can naturally hire enough people to protect the safety of the castle and rebuild the destroyed buildings.
With security guaranteed, scattered villages and farmers in the surrounding areas will be attracted to settle down.
Whether it is cultivating fields to plant crops or grazing cattle, sheep and horses, it can provide a stable source of food.
If everything goes well, a new town can be built between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep with Dragonspear Castle as the center.
At that time, these original "shareholders" will not only be able to take the opportunity to make a fortune, but may also be able to transform themselves into respected officials and nobles.
Obviously, in Faerun, a land full of dangers, almost all merchants and adventurers are out-and-out opportunists.
They will use all available resources at hand to gain more benefits for themselves.
Not to mention being able to control an Oranli hydra that's powerful enough to easily crush any monster horde.
Zuo Si obviously didn't care at all about Marshall's ambitious expansion plans.
After resting for more than eight hours, he faced the rising sun and rode in the carriage he had built himself. Under the escort of giant stone elements, he continued to head north along the road.
…
At the same time, in Dis, the second layer of Baator.
This is a huge, endless city of burning steel.
The flames and high temperatures from the depths of hell made the ambient temperature of the entire layer extremely high. Both the sky and the earth appeared a chilling red. A large amount of thick smoke and black fog formed a shield over the city.
Apart from the demons who are immune to fire damage, there are hardly any living people who can survive in such an extremely harsh environment.
Especially those city walls made of steel, which are always red and hot. If ordinary people accidentally touch them, they will be seriously burned in minutes.
What’s even more outrageous is that the steel-paved ground underfoot is in a similar condition.
Some visitors from other dimensions, because they did not wear boots that could protect them from fire damage, would let out heart-wrenching screams as soon as they landed on the ground, and their entire bodies would quickly turn into burning torches, and eventually be burned alive into a pile of ashes.
Obviously, if we were to ask which level of the entire Baator Hell best fits the image of hell in the minds of mortals, it would definitely be the second level "Dis".
As the supreme ruler and lord of this level, Grand Duke Disbart is currently sitting in the room on the top floor of the "Iron Tower", listening to the report from one of his subordinates, a Hellfire.
If you ignore the pair of protruding horns on his forehead, this powerful lord of hell looks like a tall human male with long black hair and wearing a luxurious suit.
"Grand Duke, Aigris has failed. Just a few hours ago, he and his men, without exception, all returned to Hell as souls to begin rebirth. Not only that, I also noticed that the energy they used to reconstruct their bodies was at least half as weak as before. Those inferior demons and imps couldn't even condense into a stable form."
"Oh? What's the reason? What was the reason for his failure?" Grand Duke Disparte asked expressionlessly.
He didn't seem to be angry at all about his men's failure, as if it was just a trivial matter.
But the kneeling Pit Devil was clearly aware that the more the lord he was loyal to was in this state, the more dangerous he was, so he lowered his head and replied, "According to Aegris, the mortal named Soth is now the chosen one of the goddess of poison and disease, Talona.
And he was given a considerable amount of divine power and chosen abilities.
In particular, he masters a powerful summoning magic that can instantly summon huge dragons and elemental creatures to his side.
In addition, the opponent can also release a black energy flame containing divine power.
Any target that is hit will inevitably become sick or poisoned, even us devils are no exception.
Finally, he mentioned that this chosen one seldom chanted spells when using magic, and most of his spells were cast instantly. At the same time, he could constantly interfere with and disrupt the spellcasting of other people around him.
However, it cannot be ruled out that these contents are lies deliberately fabricated by Aegris in order to avoid punishment for failure.
In short, I think that no matter what the reason is, failure is failure, and any loser must be punished. "
It was obvious that this hell demon was taking the opportunity to put pressure on his rival, hoping to completely crush Aegris by adding insult to injury.
This power struggle in the society of Baator is a perfectly normal operation.
Otherwise, the devils going out on missions wouldn't be so afraid of failure.
Because once you fail, you will not only face suppression from your superiors, but also the "backstab" from your colleagues and subordinates.
The intense sense of shame that comes with relegation is enough to drive any devil crazy.
"The Chosen Ones of Talona? As expected, even the gods noticed it... But why was it not Ilmater, the Goddess of Suffering who was the first to notice it, who took action, but the Goddess of Poison and Disease? The situation is really becoming more and more interesting..."
Grand Duke Disbart stroked his chin with an interested expression, automatically ignoring the parts involving the personal grudges between his two subordinates.
Obviously, Zuo Si had not yet become the Chosen One when he sent Aegris through the portal to the material world.
In addition, although the forces of Hell have planted countless spies in the continent of Faerun and even developed a cult that worships the devil, their intelligence gathering capabilities are far less powerful than outsiders imagine.
What's more, these spies and sects belong to various complex forces at all levels, and the cooperation between them is very limited.
It is often the case that one lord knows information that another lord is completely unaware of.
Seeing that the lord he was loyal to had no intention of punishing Aegris, the Hell Devil immediately asked in a pretentious manner: "Your Excellency, how should we deal with those demons that cannot condense into a stable form for rebirth? Should we squeeze them all into energy?"
Grand Duke Dispart waved his hand dismissively and said, "You can handle it as you wish. As for Aegris, I think he has received enough punishment from his failure. Even if he is reborn, his form will be downgraded by at least two levels, so there is no need to downgrade him further. From now on, he will be temporarily assigned to your command. In addition, go to the Iron City to select a few capable and intelligent mortals, and then send them to the material world to gather all the information related to Soth."
"As you wish."
A glimmer of joy flashed in the eyes of the Hell Demon, and he quickly stood up and left the iron tower located in the center of the burning steel city.
In just a few days, a team of spies consisting of more than a dozen humans, tieflings, demon orcs, and demon elves were sent to every corner of the continent of Faerun through inter-dimensional teleportation magic.
Relying on the cunning and slyness they had acquired in the cruel environment of hell, they quickly managed to enter the nearby town through lies and deception. They carefully avoided the holy warriors and the Church of the Good God while trying their best to find out all the information about Zuo Si.
Zuo Si was completely unaware of the devils' little tricks.
Of course, even if I knew, I wouldn’t care too much.
Because a cautious lord of hell like Grand Duke Disbart would never venture into the material world.
At best, they would send hundreds or even thousands of demons into the material world to do some shady things.
As long as you don't seek death and go to hell on your own initiative, it doesn't matter how you go about it.
After all, Zuo Si now has two backers behind him, one is Oghma, the powerful god of knowledge, and the other is Talona, the goddess of poison and disease who grants the chosen people identity and power.
Therefore, the top priority at the moment is to continuously improve your strength and transform the knowledge gained from Candle Castle into power.
…
After leaving Dragonspear Castle, Zuo Si's carriage headed north along the trade route.
After about five or six days, we saw Dagger Beach standing at the ferry on the south bank of the Deringbil River.
This is a fairly large village with about eight or nine hundred civilians living here. It not only has a "city wall" surrounded by wooden fences, but also a considerable number of simple arrow towers to guard against and resist the Lizardmen in the swamp to the west.
The place is now ruled by an institution called the Town Council.
They mimic the secret lord system of Waterdeep, and all members wear masks when attending meetings.
However, these counterfeit and shoddy imitation masks have no magical effects at all and cannot conceal the identity of the wearer.
In addition, the size of the village is not large, so it is basically clear at a glance who the members of the parliament are.
So the mask is basically worn for nothing, it is a typical example of trying to draw a tiger but end up drawing a dog instead.
In addition, Dagger Beach's current militia is led by a man named Pyle Howl, and there are probably only thirty to fifty people in total.
But even so, this guy still shamelessly gave himself the title of "Duke of Dagger Beach".
Yes!
You read that right!
A level 5 warrior who hasn't even become the "village chief" yet dares to call himself a "Duke".
It can even be said that the existence of Dagger Beach itself is like a huge black humor.
Because it is too close to Waterdeep, it has been shrouded in the shadow of Waterdeep since the moment it was born.
Generally speaking, only those who have experienced a tragic failure in Waterdeep will choose to go south to settle in Daggerford.
But I have to say that unlike the hustle and bustle of those big cities, Dagger Beach is indeed a very beautiful and quiet place.
Whether it is the carefully cultivated farmlands or the small stone buildings and castles in the central area, they all have a sense of paradise.
When the carriage arrived at the gate, the militia guarding there immediately raised their hands to signal to stop, and stared at the giant stone element following the carriage with a slightly nervous and fearful look.
As a village with almost no magical power, the people of Dagger Beach had never seen such a scene.
Especially the sound and vibration made by the giant stone element when it runs, which can be clearly felt even from a distance of one or two hundred meters.
Gulp!
A young man who looked to be about 23 or 24 years old swallowed his saliva subconsciously, mustered up his courage and said in a trembling voice: "So...all those who enter the wall must get off the car for inspection according to convention. In addition, any beasts, constructs, and other miscellaneous non-human creatures that are over one meter tall and long are also prohibited from entering."
"knew."
Davian did not embarrass the other party. He jumped down from the driving seat, walked to the side of the car and opened the right door.
In the blink of an eye, Zuo Si came out with Isadora and Huntington.
Feeling the cool breeze blowing from the river bank, Zuo Si finally realized why the scope of the "Northland" was divided by Waterdeep.
Although it is already the end of September, the temperature in the Baldur's Gate area can still be maintained at around 26 degrees Celsius.
Even in Dragonspear Castle located in the High Wastes, the temperature is at least 20 degrees during the day.
But right now on Dagger Beach, the temperature has dropped sharply to 16 or 17 degrees Celsius, and in Deepwater, further north, it is only 11 or 12 degrees Celsius at best.
When October officially arrives, Waterdeep will inevitably experience sub-zero temperatures, and the thaw will not occur until March or April of the following year.
There are six months of winter in a year, which is why the geographical concept of "Northland" was formed.
Compared to the warm and humid Amn, Tethyr, and Calimshan in the south, the most typical feature of the North is its extremely low agricultural output, with only one crop of food being grown a year at most.
In some places, like Luskan, the City of Sails, there is only three or four months of thaw period a year, and only a little cold-resistant barley can be grown.
This is probably why Luskan developed into a pirate city.
If he didn't go out to rob and trade, he wouldn't even be able to support himself with that pitiful output.
This is similar to the situation in Earth's history when the Vikings plundered all of Europe.
Moreover, before the emergence of the Arcane Brotherhood, Luskan was already a well-known pirate city.
Just as Zuo Si habitually fell into divergent thoughts, the four militiamen guarding the door saw two children, a boy and a girl, getting off the carriage, and they visibly relaxed a lot.
Because in their opinion, this should be a nobleman traveling to Waterdeep.
That huge stone elemental and the two warriors who look tough, should be the guards who ensure your safety along the way.
In fact, every year many nobles and wealthy businessmen send their children to the academy in Waterdeep for further studies.
Some of them went to learn the arts of arcane magic; some went to learn the use of weapons and corresponding combat skills; some went to learn professional knowledge in the fields of politics, military affairs, business, etc.; and some went to learn painting, sculpture, literature, philosophy and other aspects.
In short, Waterdeep is one of the only two cities on the west coast of Faerun that has a large comprehensive educational institution.
As for the other one, it is naturally the Port of Kalin in the south.
Although other cities have similar places, they are far inferior to the first two in terms of scale and teaching level.
"Good afternoon, young sir and lady. I am going to inspect your carriage now."
The leading militiaman took two steps forward and greeted them politely, without looking down on Zuo Si and Isadora because of their young age.
"Please."
Zuo Si turned sideways and made a gesture of invitation.
Because he knew that if a strict entry and exit management system was not implemented in a small village like Dagger Beach that was seriously lacking in defense, as long as thirty or forty people with bad intentions and weapons sneaked in and launched a surprise attack under the cover of night, they could easily defeat these militiamen who did not even have a professional level, and then complete the occupation of the entire village.
After getting permission, the young man in leather armor quickly walked into the carriage and flipped over the seats. He then got under the carriage and took a look to confirm that there were no weapons or armor hidden inside. He then forced a smile and said, "I've checked it. There's no problem. You, this beautiful lady, and two bodyguards can enter the wall. But this big guy made of rock can only stay outside."
"I understand. I don't plan to let it in either." Zuo Si agreed directly.
Letting a giant stone elemental that was ten meters tall and weighed tens or even hundreds of tons enter a densely populated village or town? As long as he was not crazy, he would definitely not do such a dangerous thing.
You have to know that elemental creatures have no concept of caution.
There were at least a dozen rabbits, foxes, wolves, and wild boars that the giant stone element accidentally stepped on and killed while running wildly.
Not to mention the trees that were broken in the process.
If this guy enters a densely populated area, he might trample a passerby into a meat patty if he is not careful, or turn a building into ruins with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Go through the gate and walk along the main road. You will see a wandering artist inn after three intersections. Not only is the food delicious, but there are also bard performances at night. It is very suitable for people of status and position to stay overnight. Finally, I wish you and this beautiful lady can leave a good memory in Dagger Beach."
After saying that, the militiaman placed one hand on his chest and bowed.
Judging from their skillful movements, these guys have definitely received relevant training.
Perhaps it was to increase the popularity of Dagger Beach, or perhaps it was simply to attract customers to this inn called "The Wandering Artist".
In short, although these militiamen are not very strong and well-equipped, their service attitude is absolutely first-class. It would be a pity if they did not work as waiters and salesmen.
Just when Zuo Si was about to respond with a "thank you", he suddenly saw Davian, who was standing next to the carriage in the previous second, raising his shield and rushing to his side in the next second.
Immediately afterwards, a whooshing sound came from the sky above.
About two or three seconds later, a sparse number of black dots fell from the sky and hit the surface of the dragon scale shield like raindrops.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! A closer look revealed that they were arrows made of rough iron and bone.
Before Zuo Si could react to what was happening, the militiamen immediately shouted in panic: "Damn it! It's the Lizardmen! Quick! Come in! We are closing the city gates!"
Along with shouts, a group of humanoid creatures, about two meters tall, covered with gray scales all over their bodies, and with tails more than one meter long dragging behind their buttocks, finally rushed out from the bushes near the swamp not far away.
They had heads like lizards and snakes, and there were about 150 of them. Some of them were holding bows and arrows, and some were holding spears, scimitars and wooden shields. They swarmed towards the city gate.
The guy in the lead was riding a huge fried lizard and was running forward at a very fast speed.
"Lizardman?"
Zuo Si was slightly stunned for a moment, and then he gave an order to the summoned creatures around him: "Kill all these annoying guys."
Before he finished speaking!
The giant stone element rushed out with a bang, swung its terrifying fist, and smashed the leader who was rushing in the front and his mount on the spot, turning them into a blood mist that splashed all over the sky.
BANG!!! Such a bloody and violent scene not only stunned the militiamen who were originally planning to withdraw to the wall to seal the gate for defense, but also the lizardmen who followed their leader to charge.
They simply could not believe that their strong and brave tribal leader had died so easily, and in such a tragic way.
"Lord of the Dawn! I... my eyes are not hallucinating, right?" A young militiaman asked his companion with his mouth wide open.
The latter licked his lips nervously and responded, "No! Of course not! Unless we both had hallucinations at the same time! What an incredible power! I bet that the lizardman leader who died just now probably died without even feeling any pain."
"I agree! This earth elemental creature is so powerful!"
"It seems we don't have to close the city gates."
Just as the militiamen were whispering, the Dragonborn Knights Davian and Huntington also joined the battle.
Since the Lizardmen were already frightened by the giant stone element in front of them, the two of them used the magic effect of [Acceleration] to go around the enemy from the left and right, ruthlessly blocking the enemy's retreat.
What followed was an utter massacre.
How could the primitive tribe of lizardmen, who didn't even have any decent equipment, be a match for these two powerful warriors?
Davian's [Clave] was used more frequently when dealing with these not-so-powerful monsters. In the blink of an eye, he killed dozens of lizardmen who were recklessly rushing up to launch a siege.
Huntington was equally good, showing off his [rapid shooting] skills.
With pleasing and smooth movements, he quickly shot out one enchanted arrow after another.
[Strongarm Bow] adds amazing initial kinetic energy to the arrow, which can often penetrate a Lizardman who is not wearing any armor with one arrow, and then pierce into the body of the Lizardman behind it.
Since the battle broke out at the gate of Dagger Beach City, Zuo Si did not let the Shadow Legion participate.
But even so, in less than six or seven minutes, all 150 or so lizardmen were killed.
More than half of them were hammered into meat paste by giant stone elements. They were so bloody that even a complete corpse could not be pieced together.
The pungent smell of blood makes people want to vomit even from dozens of meters away.
As for Zuo Si, who was watching the whole show, he also absorbed a little mana from the dead lizardman.
Although it's not much, a mosquito leg is still meat no matter how small it is.
When the giant stone element returned to the door, its entire body was stained with dark red blood, with bits and pieces like intestines, minced meat, and internal organs hanging from some of the cracks, almost scaring the militiamen at the door to pee their pants.
Just as the leading young man was about to say something like thanks or compliments, a bearded man with more than thirty militiamen finally ran over from the other side of the street.
When he saw the giant stone elemental covered in blood and the battlefield in the distance that looked like a slaughterhouse, he immediately shuddered and asked impatiently, "What's going on? What happened? Did you send out a warning signal just now?"
"Captain Pyle! You're here just in time! We were just attacked by a tribe of lizardmen, there were about 150 of them. Fortunately, this young gentleman asked their guards to take action, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous." The leading young militiaman hurriedly reported.
"Lizardman tribe? Damn it! These bastards want to rush into Dagger Beach to cause trouble as soon as winter approaches."
After learning that the attacker was a lizardman, the man called Pyle immediately couldn't help but spit on the ground, his tone revealing strong disgust.
Because the biggest threat to Dagger Beach is the Lizardman tribe living in the nearby swamp.
Not only will they try every means to rob passing caravans and travelers, but they will also seize opportunities to attack Dagger Beach from time to time, killing all human farmers they meet along the way.
This is a war between two races for living space, so there is no logic at all.
Human adventurers do much the same thing when they enter a swamp and discover a tribe of lizardmen.
Both sides aim to reduce the other's population size. They kill everyone they meet, regardless of gender, age or status, without mercy and never take even a single prisoner.
"Are the lizardmen's attacks frequent?" Zuo Si asked curiously.
Pyle replied with a wry smile: “It happens quite frequently in the spring and fall.
Because there is not enough food in the spring swamp, the Lizardmen who don't want to starve to death have to come out to rob.
In autumn, we have just completed the harvest, and the barns are full of grain and dried bacon. They can obtain the necessary food to survive the winter by looting.
In contrast, in the summer when food is plentiful in the swamp, there are very few lizardmen.
In winter, the cold causes the Lizardmen to move slowly, making them no match for humans.
At this time of year, we all have to be careful, as any carelessness can result in heavy losses.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to introduce myself.
My name is Pyle Howl, and I'm the captain of the Daggerford militia.
Thank you very much for your guard and this elemental summoned creature's help.
To express my gratitude, I will apply to the parliament for some money as a thank you gift later."
"Forget about the thank you gift or anything like that."
Zuo Si smiled and waved his hand.
He had long since stopped caring about such "small money" which amounted to no more than one or two hundred gold coins.
However, this "Duke of Dagger Beach", who has a bad reputation in rumors, gives a generally good first impression.
There was neither disgusting pretense nor an aristocratic air of superiority; instead, he behaved quite competently.
Moreover, when he discovered the enemy invasion, he brought his men over immediately without any delay. No wonder he won the respect and trust of all the militiamen.
"No, no, no, we must give a thank you gift. After all, that's a fairly large tribe of lizardmen. Even if we rely on the wall for defense, we will probably lose more than a dozen militiamen. The people of Dagger Beach will repay a favor. This is the principle and creed that has allowed us to stand for hundreds of years."
Finally, at Pyle's insistence, Zuo Si had no choice but to follow him to the small "village" council.
After a brief discussion and confirmation by several members of parliament, a "huge sum" of three hundred gold coins was finally approved.
Obviously, these people did not recognize Zuo Si's identity as the Chosen One of the Goddess of Poison and Plague, but simply regarded him as a nobleman passing by.
An old man who looked to be in his early fifties also tried to inquire about his background, what businesses his family ran, whether he was interested in investing in Dagger Beach, etc.
(End of this chapter)
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