Whether they are the militiamen who have been patrolling and standing guard outside all day, or the merchants passing by, or the farmers who have nothing to do during the slack season, they all gather here to have a drink, listen to the lame bard on the stage playing country tunes, and chat about their recent experiences and interesting things.
Since there are no other entertainment activities besides creating humans on weekdays, and the speed of information transmission in the continent of Faerun is very slow, a unique tavern culture has been formed here.
A large number of locals and outsiders habitually exchange information in pubs or hotels, and regard the stories and experiences told by others as a form of entertainment.
Those who are interested will get the information they need from it.
Of course, as an audience, inviting the person who tells the story or provides information to have a drink is also the most basic rule and common sense in the pub.
Right now, Zuo Si was constantly buying wine for an adventurer who claimed to have just come from the northern Waterdeep City, and then listening to this guy's bragging.
"Dear Soth, listen to me, Waterdeep is not as good as the outside world says.
The port area in particular was like a huge garbage dump, filled with the disgusting smell of rotten fish and shrimp.
Moreover, countless gangsters and criminals are hidden in various low and disorderly buildings.
Even the port area of Amn controlled by the Shadow Thieves is many times better than the port area of Waterdeep."
The thirty-year-old man named Imogen raised his head and took a big gulp of liquor, his tone full of naked and undisguised disgust and contempt for the port area of Waterdeep City.
Of course, he didn't feel that way himself.
This was the unanimous evaluation of everyone in the tavern who had been to Waterdeep.
Some even think that the reason why the situation in the dock area got out of control was that those mentally retarded lords of Waterdeep expelled the Shadow Thieves, causing the originally relatively well-behaved underground gangs to become even more violent, bloodthirsty and chaotic.
Although the Waterdeep government has always boasted about how enlightened and advanced its system is, even commoners have the opportunity to become lords and participate in the management of the city.
But in fact, the serious consequences of this kind of "backroom politics" are far more complicated than they seem on the surface.
However, considering that the entire Faerûn is like a huge "social experiment field", it has almost everything from the most primitive tribal system to countries like Amn and Sembia that are close to the mercantilism and capital oligarchy system of the Age of Exploration.
Some places practice slavery, some places practice tyranny, some places are enlightened monarchies, and some places are controlled by spellcasting organizations.
Therefore, Waterdeep's secret lord system didn't seem so difficult to accept.
At least compared to Calishite, which practices slavery, it is definitely much more advanced and civilized.
"If it's really that chaotic, how can merchant ships ensure the safety of their goods?" Zuo Si asked with interest.
Imogen grinned and replied, “Of course, you pay a portion of the protection fee according to the rules of the gang, and then the goods can be safely transported out of the dock, sent to the commercial district or the southern caravan area, and then enter the city's internal logistics network.
In order to save this money, many people would even skip the dock area and use small boats to deliver goods ashore near the south gate, and then rent local caravans to transport them into the city.
Based on my observations over the past two years, the number of ships docked at Deepwater Port has decreased year by year.
If those shitty lords don't do something, it's only a matter of time before the dock area is completely abandoned and turned into a paradise for criminals.
In addition to the dock area, the Underworld and Skull Harbor are also huge hidden dangers.
Just over half a year ago, one night, a large group of monsters suddenly rushed up from below for unknown reasons and attacked hundreds of houses in an instant. It is said that two or three hundred people were killed in their sleep. I was one of the witnesses at that time. "
At this point, Imogen's eyes became obviously filled with fear. She quickly raised the glass and drank all the remaining wine in one gulp. Even her breathing became rapid.
Zuo Si also noticed that his hands were shaking slightly involuntarily, which was obviously a strong stress response.
Fortunately, the man calmed down after a while, pointed to the scar on his cheek near his neck and continued, "Can you believe it? I was lying in the lounge of the Crawling Spider Tavern in Waterdeep City, hugging a cute girl who was wearing a sexy black tights and dressed herself up as a drow elf.
But who would have known that when I opened my eyes, I discovered that the little cutie in my arms had turned into a real dark elf without me noticing!
That sinister and cunning bitch was holding a dagger against my neck, with the tip even going in.
If I hadn't reacted quickly enough and kicked her away, I would probably be lying in the coffin like those unfortunate dead, a rotting, smelly, maggot-filled corpse in the cemetery.
I shudder every time I think about this brush with death."
"So... you don't like the cute little dark elf now?" Zuo Si joked with a smile.
"Hahahaha! That's right! After this incident, I realized that my initial fascination with the dark elf-style waitress at the Crawling Spider Tavern was just out of curiosity and a desire for sensory stimulation. Believe me, if you knew those black-skinned drow, you would never have even the slightest thought in that regard."
Imogen laughed at herself, not at all angry about being teased.
Just the opposite!
Every time he thought back on it, he felt how stupid he was.
"Bartender, give my friend another drink."
Zuo Si casually threw a golden "dragon" towards the bar.
The thin bartender caught it with one hand very skillfully, and after feeling the weight and color, he immediately showed a satisfied expression, picked up a bottle of medium-quality white wine in the store, and immediately filled Imogen's empty glass.
Due to its close proximity to Waterdeep, the currency used in Daggershore is basically the official currency minted by Waterdeep.
Among them, copper coins are called "points", silver coins are called "fragments", silver and gold coins are called "sambar", gold coins are called "dragons", and platinum coins are called "suns".
In addition, Waterdeep also minted two special currencies.
One of them is a brass coin called "Thor" with a round hole in the middle of a square, also known as "Taoer". According to official regulations, its value is two gold coins "dragons".
However, once it leaves Waterdeep's sphere of influence, this credit currency, which is given value by government power, immediately becomes worthless.
In comparison, the palm-sized crescent-shaped platinum coin "Bay Moon" is in slightly better condition.
Maybe because it is a platinum coin, a large proportion of gold and silver are inlaid in the middle and on both sides.
Therefore, the value stipulated by the Waterdeep government is gold coins, but it can be worth two gold coins in other fifty places.
Because he had helped resolve the attack by the Lizardman Tribe, the Daggerford Council gave him three hundred Waterdeep gold coins, so Zuo Si was quite generous with his money.
He even treated everyone in the pub to several glasses of strong dark beer at four copper coins a glass, and he seemed to have become the most popular person here, no doubt about it.
You have to know that for those low-paid militiamen and farmers, they would only drink this "good wine" with a very high alcohol content during festivals.
On weekdays, we usually drink bitter beer at a copper coin a glass.
How about the taste...
Just smelling it made Zuo Si feel a little nauseous.
After taking a sip of the "expensive" white wine worth one silver coin, Imogen asked tentatively in an uncertain tone: "Thoss, if you don't mind, can you tell me why you want to go to Waterdeep? Are you going to the academy there to learn knowledge, magic, and combat skills? Or are you going to visit relatives, or to develop the family business?"
"No, neither. I just want to buy a house in Waterdeep as a place to stay, and by the way, see the famous underground maze with my own eyes." Zuo Si smiled and stated the purpose of his trip.
First buy a house, then set up a coordinate teleportation point in the basement of the house.
In this way, he could travel easily between Waterdeep and Askatla.
In fact, according to the original plan, there will be such a place in Baldur's Gate.
Unfortunately, it was ultimately destroyed by the foolish and arrogant actions of the Dukes of Baldur's Gate.
But it doesn't matter.
He believed that it wouldn't be long before these guys would pay the price for their actions.
"Go to the Underworld? Oh my God! Are you...are you crazy?"
Imogen's mouth opened in disbelief and shock.
Because even he didn't dare to enter the place that Elminster called "the place where adventurers become famous and the largest hero's tomb in Faerun."
Although there have always been many stories circulating in Waterdeep about people who made a fortune after entering the underground maze.
But there are even more nameless adventurers who never come back after entering.
Only those who have the best luck, the strongest strength, and the smartest people who can control their greedy desires have the opportunity to come back alive from the huge maze with priceless loot.
Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly: "Don't worry, I'm not going in to explore deeply. I'm just going to take a look at the shallow layer."
Hearing this, Imogen instantly breathed a sigh of relief, stroking the two small mustaches on her lower lip and said, "It's just wandering around in the shallow layer, so the danger won't be too great.
I recommend you go in through the entrance at the Yawning Gate Inn in Dunan.
Since there are adventurers coming in and out frequently, all the monsters and traps in a large area have been cleared.
But one thing you must remember is never stay in this hotel.
Because every time the monsters from the ground maze rushed to the surface and caused chaos, the first group of unlucky people were always the guests of the Dunan Hotel.
Many people were even killed in their sleep, cruelly and mercilessly. "
"Thank you for your advice. I will be careful."
Zuo Si raised the cup to gesture, then tilted his head back and drank all the goat milk in it.
Yes, he drinks pasteurized milk in the pub instead of alcoholic beverages.
Ever since he accidentally saw how the farmers on Dagger Beach processed various grapes and wheat under the command of the winemaker, Zuo Si vowed never to drink any kind of wine produced on the continent of Faerun.
Because he had confirmed with his own eyes that those who were responsible for trampling the grapes were not "beautiful girls" at all.
They weren't even women! They were just a bunch of men who hadn't even washed their feet and were stinking of sweat.
After all, stepping on grapes is a physical job, and women will become exhausted after a short while.
And a lot of messy things will be mixed in during the trampling process.
For example, all kinds of insect corpses, foot skin, sweat hair, dandruff, cow dung, bird droppings...
Because the brewing technology is primitive and there is no concept of hygiene, the taste of wine in different places is very different.
In addition to the influence of climate, land, water quality and grape varieties, these "additives" are also one of the very important reasons.
After getting the information he wanted, Zuo Si sat at the bar in the lobby on the first floor of the hotel and chatted with Imogen for a while, then he made up an excuse to go back to the guest room upstairs.
As soon as he walked through the door, he saw a stable ball of light in Isadora's hand.
Zero-circle trick [Light Magic]! No doubt!
This means that the girl has crossed that hurdle and has officially become a true mage apprentice through learning.
"Sos! Look! I did it!" Isadora shouted excitedly, holding up the ball of light in her hand.
"Well done! By chance, I have a book that is perfect for you right now."
As he spoke, Zuo Si took out the book "From Apprentice to Master, the Tricks You Should Master" from his bag and handed it over.
It can be said that no other book can compare with this one during the apprenticeship period.
Because by learning a large number of zero-ring spells, apprentices can have a more intuitive and keen understanding of the magic of the eight major factions.
And based on one's own interests in certain specific factions and the deviations in one's perception of the magic network, one will eventually choose the faction that best suits one's specialization when one becomes a formal mage.
"Thanks!"
Isadora held the heavy book in her arms, her eyes revealing excitement and joy.
Of course, what made the girl excited and happy was not the book, or the knowledge and spells recorded in it, but the fact that Zuo Si gave her the "gift" personally.
"You're welcome. I'm looking forward to you becoming a master of both psychic powers and arcane magic one day." Zuo Si encouraged the girl with a smile as he smoothed the hair that hung from her ears.
Isadora solemnly promised: "I swear, it won't be long before I can provide some help in the battle like Davian and Huntington."
Upon hearing this, the Dragonborn Knight couldn't help but smiled and responded, "No, Miss Isadora. With your current abilities, you can also play a significant role in many battles. It's just that the master doesn't want you to be in danger, so he didn't allow you to face those overly powerful enemies."
"That's right! With Miss Isadora's mental interference and control, my arrows can often be shot more accurately." Archer Huntington also added.
Because summoned creatures of the [Soldier] category often have the strongest obedience and are loyal to the Planeswalker.
Therefore, both of them were very fond of this girl who was willing to devote everything to Zuo Si without reservation.
"Thank you for your affirmation! I will work harder in the future!" Isadora blushed with praise.
Through her innate psychic powers, she could clearly feel that Davian and Huntington were not just being polite, but recognized her from the bottom of their hearts.
This made the girl, who had lived in the darkness and malice in the hearts of adults since she was a child, feel a little warmth for the first time.
With joy and satisfaction, Isadora quickly got into bed, closed her eyes and fell asleep.
It was not difficult to tell from the slightly upturned corners of her mouth that she was having a sweet dream, not a horrible nightmare like in the past.
Compared to the girl who was a little sleepy, Zuo Si, who had an adult soul, had always had a very regular sleep schedule of eight hours a day, no more and no less.
Especially after gaining divine power and becoming a chosen one, one will not feel the slightest bit of fatigue even if one does not sleep for a long time.
Therefore, sleep has long become a "ritual" necessary simply to restore spell slots, rather than to meet physiological needs.
What's more, due to the rapid increase in arcane spellcasting levels recently, there are a large number of fourth-ring and fifth-ring magic that require time to learn, and super magic skills - spell enhancement and spell extreme effect also need to be practiced repeatedly.
This inevitably made Zuo Si feel that no matter how much time he had, it would never be enough.
Likewise, he could increasingly understand those mages who transformed themselves into liches.
Compared with the long-term magical learning and research that can easily take weeks, months, or even years, the human lifespan of just a few decades is too short, and the body is too fragile.
Even if you can avoid terrible disasters such as explosions, random teleportation, soul stripping, etc. caused by failed experiments, you will still die suddenly due to excessive fatigue if you are not careful.
In contrast, liches, as undead creatures, have no such worries at all.
And compared with profound knowledge and magical power, human's low-level desires are really not worth mentioning.
No wonder the Entangled Talisman, with just a copy of the "Book of the Dead", could make so many talented wizards voluntarily transform themselves into liches and join the organization as one of its members.
If he had not ignited the spark to become a planeswalker, or if he had not gained divine power to become the chosen one, Zuo Si was not sure whether he would have ended up on the same path.
But now, he has a better choice, so naturally he looks down on the lich, an undead creature with huge flaws.
Using this time before going to bed, Zuo Si learned another fifth-ring magic [Bigbai Protective Palm], and used the mana gained from killing lizardmen during the day to make this magic into a LV3 card.
Its effect is to create an invisible palm about three meters long and wide, which always floats beside the caster to shield it from enemy attacks.
Because it is pure force field protection, it is very similar to [Wall of Force].
Not only can it resist almost all forms of physical attacks, but it can also block magic missiles, the impact of the Ram Ring, and the touch of various incorporeal creatures.
But the difference from [Wall of Force] is that this palm can move freely within a range of dozens of meters according to the needs of the caster.
This means that Zuo Si can completely use the [Bigbai Protective Palm] to hit the enemy's face as a means of surprise attack, and then use the [Force Wall Technique] to attack from the front and back, forcibly locking the opponent in place and making him unable to move.
In addition, the five-ring magic [Weapon of Destruction] is also very practical.
It can allow melee weapons to gain amazing positive energy in a short period of time, instantly destroying those undead creatures that are not strong enough.
Similarly, the five-ring magic [Resurrection of the Dead] also allowed Zuo Si to obtain the first magic that could truly bring the dead back to life.
However, this is limited to those who died recently (one day longer for each level of the spell) and whose bodies are well preserved and have not been desecrated by any evil magic or negative energy.
Moreover, the resurrection process must be agreed by the target soul, otherwise the spell will fail.
If the soul is destroyed or imprisoned, there is no way to resurrect it.
In addition, this spell cannot resurrect undead creatures, constructs, elementals, outsiders, or people who have died of natural causes.
Most importantly, each casting must consume a flawless diamond worth more than five thousand gold coins as a casting material.
The high cost alone means that 99 percent of ordinary people cannot enjoy it.
But no matter what, Zuo Si was still quite interested in this resurrection magic that could bring the dead back to life.
It was around ten o'clock in the evening before he reluctantly closed the spell book and lay down on the bed to rest.
Early the next morning, Zuo Si and his men greeted the "Duke of Dagger Beach" Pyle Howl who was on patrol, and then took a ferry to the north bank of the Deringbir River.
As for the carriages that were not convenient to get onto the ship, they were carried across by giant stone elements ten meters high.
Anyway, for this huge creature weighing dozens or even hundreds of tons, the river water that is only five or six meters deep will just cover the waist and will not cause any major trouble at all.
As soon as they reached the other side, Davian harnessed his horse and galloped north along the road.
Since the area north of Dagger Beach is already Waterdeep's sphere of influence, there are almost no bandits or monsters along the way.
Just when passing through the Adipu Forest, he unexpectedly encountered a magical creature with an owl's head and a bear's body - the Owlbear.
It is said that this creature was originally created by a crazy wizard who used powerful magical powers of transmutation to cross-species hybridize an owl and a bear.
Due to their ferocious, aggressive and violent temperament, encountering them in the wild often means quite dire consequences.
But in Zuo Si's eyes, this is just another "cute" little pet.
He simply had Isadora use her telekinesis to control the owlbear, and then made it into his favorite summoned creature card.
Faeren's "Pokémon Master" collection guide +1.
Including this card, as well as the four-ring and five-ring magic cards made recently, the number of cards Zuo Si owns has reached a staggering 120.
While he was still some distance away from Waterdeep, he directly summoned "Legacy" to check his task bar.
[The total number of cards held reaches 120 (a reward of one card draw opportunity, completed)]
[Make five treasure cards (reward two card draw opportunities, completed)]
[Collect at least five advanced professions and corresponding knowledge related to mages in the current world (reward two card draw opportunities, completed)]
Including the one chance given when the number of cards held reached 100, there are now six more chances to draw cards.
With a little expectation and trepidation, Zuo Si started the card drawing wheel again.
In the blink of an eye, six new cards appeared in his palm.
[Magic Card: Galloping Earth], a LV5 red card, can trigger the eruption of magma at the location designated by the mage, causing a large-scale and indiscriminate fire attack on all creatures around.
When used, you need to pay ten red mana or universal mana.
If an additional six red mana is paid when used, the strength, agility and constitution of all creatures summoned by red cards within the area will be increased by an additional three points.
[Magic Card: Meteorite], a LV6 red card, can summon a burning red meteorite with a radius of fifty meters to fall from the sky and hit the designated location, causing impact damage and fire damage at the same time.
Using this card requires fifteen red magic points, or fifteen general magic points.
[Creature Card: Giant Lava Elemental], LV5 red card, summons a giant elemental creature over ten meters tall, whose entire body is made of boiling and flowing magma, to serve the Planeswalker.
When used, you need to pay ten red mana or universal mana.
[Magic Card: Earth and Stone Armor], a LV4 green card, can cover any designated target with hard stones and vines, temporarily turning it into a half-element, half-construct form, which not only increases its size, but also grants it powerful physical and magical resistance.
It costs seven green mana points or seven universal mana points to use it.
[Creature Card: Plate Crusher], a level 7 green card, summons a Zendikar Plate Crusher of similar size to the original size of the Oranli Hydra to serve the planeswalker.
This is a giant creature with a lizard-like appearance but six legs. Its body is covered with hard scales and barbs. Even the enchanted siege crossbow cannot cause any damage to it.
With the same volume, the Platecrusher weighs twice as much as the Orlanli Hydra.
Using its own weight, it can create small earthquakes by jumping, while trampling any enemies in its path.
Nothing can stop a plate-crushing beast running at full speed. Even city gates and walls will collapse at the moment of impact.
Furthermore, the Plate Crusher is completely immune to all kinds of charms, mental interference, and mind control.
It costs 25 green mana or 25 universal mana to use it.
[Magic Card: Growth], a LV3 green card, can grant the target creature the ability to grow by two size units and age levels, as well as corresponding basic attributes, vitality, and natural weapon enhancements until the creature dies or the summons is canceled.
Using this card costs five green energy, or five universal energy.
"Wow, half are red and half are green. Almost all the cards are from Zendikar. It seems that the owner of the legacy has indeed been to that dangerous world and should have stayed there for a long time." Zuo Si muttered to himself as he stared at the six new cards in his hand.
Especially the Plate Crusher, which is definitely not inferior to the Orlanli Hydra.
Although its growth potential in the late game may not be as good as that of the Oranli Hydra, which can expand infinitely with the increase of land cards, it has definitely reached the level of a "behemoth".
In addition, the three cards [Meteorite from the Sky], [Rolling Earth] and [Giant Lava Element] can be used at the same time to form a combo, and its power is definitely enough to cause devastating damage to a large number of enemies in an instant.
As for [Growth and Strength], it can be used in conjunction with the Oranli Hydra to double its power.
However, compared to these magic cards and creature cards, Zuo Si would rather draw a few "land cards".
Because the world of Zendikar is a typical "supermagic" world.
Its energy and mana are so abundant that they are probably many times stronger than Toril, the planet where the continent of Faerun is located.
At least the floating city of the magic civilization of Netheril still needs the help of legendary alchemical creations such as the "Core of Misera".
But in the world of Zendikar, mountains floating in the sky, sea water falling from the sky, and ancient trees and elemental creatures activated by powerful mana can be seen almost everywhere.
The overflow of magical energy makes it possible to produce high-level legendary land cards above LV7 in any place.
Just as Zuo Si was stroking his chin and imagining how much mana the land cards from Zendikar could provide him, the three tasks at the top of the task bar had been updated.
[The total number of cards held reaches 140 (a reward of one card draw opportunity, the current number of cards held: 126)]
[Explore and enter a new world (rewards two card draw opportunities)]
[Create a unique spell of your own and make it into a card, the level must not be lower than LV5 (reward three card drawing opportunities)]
Without a doubt!
As its power continues to grow, "Legacy" has begun to remind Zuo Si through tasks that he should not always stick to learning other people's knowledge and magic systems, and it is time to create some spells of his own.
But the problem is that LV5 is a bit too high.
Considering that five-ring magic can only reach LV3 or LV4, I am afraid that I will have to create at least a seven-ring magic to barely meet the requirements.
He himself doesn't even know the seventh-ring magic now, so how could he possibly create it?
As for the abilities of the elect, they were all granted directly by the goddess of poison and plague, Talona, through divine power.
Zuo Si was just a simple user and was completely incapable of understanding, let alone making cards.
"Master, we have arrived at Waterdeep."
Davian, who was driving the carriage, suddenly turned around and gave a reminder.
moment!
Through the window, the three people in the carriage saw the spectacular scene of people queuing up for inspection ahead.
The long line stretched from the city gate opposite the bridge to the other side of the bridge on the other side of the river, almost several kilometers long.
Most of them were trucks filled with food and various goods.
In addition, there are endless caravans, business travelers, and adventurers coming out of Waterdeep.
Looking toward the estuary through the solid stone bridge built with magic, one can vaguely see many merchant ships docked at the river bank. Small boats are used to transport the goods to the shore bit by bit, and then hired caravans are used to transport the goods into the city by land.
Everything was exactly as Imogen had described.
Zuo Si quickly put away his "legacy", opened the car window and looked outside, watching this spectacular scene with interest.
You should know that in Askatra, the capital of Amn, due to the extremely developed sea and river transportation, merchants will without exception switch to ships with cheaper transportation costs after arriving in Crimul.
Therefore, although the Chengmen area is also very lively, there are definitely no such long queues.
Several guys who looked like businessmen tried to bribe the guards to let them cut in line, but they were caught by the captain wearing the holy emblem of the God of Justice. Now they had to pay the fine dejectedly and go back to the end of the line to queue up again.
Unlike Amn, where money is omnipotent, Waterdeep at least has laws and justice on the surface.
Therefore, blatant bribery here is basically no different from seeking death.
To be honest, Zuo Si really admired these people who were obviously dressed as Amn merchants. They dared to break the rules and order in front of a believer of Tyr, the god of justice.
Fortunately, for small bribes like this, the law in Deep Water City only requires a small fine.
Otherwise, everyone will have to go to jail for two days.
"Is this the famous Waterdeep City?" Isadora's eyes flashed with strong curiosity.
Zuo Si smiled and nodded: "Yes, this is Waterdeep. What do you think? Which one do you think is better, it or Askatra?"
The girl held her chin in her hand and thought for a few minutes, then quickly replied, "I think Askatla should be better. Because everything here looks messy, like a hodgepodge of all kinds of people from all over the world gathered together."
Upon hearing this comment, Zuo Si couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Hahahaha! Very accurate description.
To some extent, Waterdeep was originally a hodgepodge. There were no so-called Waterdeep people at all. All the settlers migrated from other places.
Although the secret lord system has been established in the last few hundred years, the real power still lies in the hands of the guilds and nobles.
Chaos, contradiction and conflict are the eternal themes of this city.
But at the same time, it is this open and inclusive political attitude that has attracted a large number of talents to Waterdeep.
Especially a large number of high-level spellcasters and the voters of the two magic goddesses.
It is because of them that Waterdeep has the prosperity and stability it has today."
"You mean... Waterdeep's magical power is very strong?"
Isadora was obviously very smart and understood the subtext immediately.
"That's right. Waterdeep is home to one of the most powerful organizations of arcane spellcasters in the world.
The masked wizards of Amn were nothing like them.
That's why I want to buy a house here and build a stable teleportation point.
If you need some rare and precious spellcasting materials, or want to copy and purchase advanced magic scrolls, you can instantly cross the distance in space and save a lot of time."
After saying that, Zuo Si stood up and walked down from the carriage, canceling the summoning of the giant stone element.
He had been sitting in the car for too long and wanted to get off to stretch his legs and breathe some fresh air.
Isadora and Huntington soon followed.
The three of them followed the carriage, stopping and starting, and it took more than an hour before they finally arrived at the city gate entrance for inspection.
Since there was only one carriage and there was nothing on it, the guards took a quick look and waved their hands to let them enter the city.
As soon as I passed through the city gate, I saw that both sides of the road were filled with densely packed warehouses, freight stations, horse-drawn carriages and busy crowds of people.
This is where more than 70 percent of Waterdeep's cargo is transported and transferred.
Therefore, the noise and noise along the way were endless, which gave Zuo Si, who liked quietness, a headache.
Just when he was planning to go to the coastal area or the northern part of the city to find a hotel with a better environment to stay in, a young man wearing a wizard's robe and who looked only fifteen or sixteen years old suddenly blocked his way.
"Good afternoon. Are you Lord Soth, the chosen one of the goddess of poison and disease?" the young man asked cautiously.
"I am."
Zuo Si gave an affirmative answer directly, but at the same time he secretly wondered how he could be recognized so quickly since he had just arrived in Waterdeep.
"Great! My mentor, Lord Khelben, hopes to invite you to visit his wizard tower."
The young man stated his purpose without any hesitation.
"Khelben Blackstaff?"
Zuo Si was stunned for a moment, but soon realized that this was probably related to the card he gave to Elminster last time.
After a brief hesitation, he immediately responded, "No problem, please lead the way, I also want to meet your mentor."
"Please follow me. The Black Staff Tower is a little far from here."
The young man politely gestured for invitation, then walked in front to lead the way.
You have to know that the streets of Waterdeep are not as carefully and detailed planned as those of Ascatla. All kinds of messy alleys and lanes are spread across every corner of the city like a spider web.
Even the locals may be killed if they accidentally enter some dangerous places, not to mention outsiders who come here for the first time.
However, thanks to his photographic memory, Zuo Si still clearly remembered every place he had visited along the way.
When we arrived at the famous "Black Rod Tower", we had almost crossed two-thirds of the city.
Since Khelben arrived in Waterdeep relatively early (1150 DR), the location of his wizard tower was quite good. It was not in the bustling city area, but between the relatively quiet coastal area and the castle area.
Without saying a word, the boy walked forward, pushed open the entrance door, and walked straight into the lobby on the first floor.
Then, he pointed to the stairs leading to the second floor and said, "Sir Soth, you and your followers and companions may have to rest here for a while. Because my mentor only wants to see you."
"Wait for me here for a moment."
Zuo Si winked at Davian.
The latter understood what he meant and immediately pulled the reluctant Isadora to sit on the sofa and began to taste the tea and snacks on the table.
Zuo Si and the boy walked up the stairs together and finally reached a room near the top of the tower.
As soon as he stepped over the threshold, Zuo Si immediately felt that this room was filled with powerful and amazing magical protection. He estimated that magic below the third ring would not be effective at all.
Near the window of the room stood a man with gray hair and a beard.
He looked to be between fifty and sixty years old, but unlike Elminster, he did not give people a very old feeling. Even the loose robe could not hide his strong muscles and physique.
In fact, none of the Magic Goddess's elects have a poor physique.
Even an old Elminster would reveal a body of strong muscles when he took off his clothes.
The two looked at each other for a few seconds, and the young man next to them finally said, "Teacher, I have brought your guest."
"You're doing great. You're not needed here for now, go get busy."
Khelben waved to his apprentice.
As the sound of boots stepping on the stairs gradually faded away, the room fell silent again.
Neither Zuo Si nor Khelbourne showed any intention of speaking.
Just the opposite!
They were all looking at each other's energy fluctuations and the magical items they were carrying.
For mages, this is the first and also the most important step to get to know each other.
Because other things may be covered up with lies, but magic will never lie...
(End of this chapter)
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