"You are indeed as special as Elminster described!"

About two or three minutes later, Khelbourne finally broke the silence first, and changed his serious expression to reveal a smile.

"special?"

Zuo Si blinked in confusion.

He really couldn't imagine what kind of language and words the great sage of Shadow Valley, the first chosen one of the Goddess of Magic, would use to describe himself.

At least during those days in Candlekeep, the relationship between the two was far from pleasant.

Whether in world view, values, or attitude towards gods and magic, they don't have even the slightest bit of common language.

In addition, Zuo Si himself showed extreme disgust and impatience towards the Harper Alliance, which must have made Elminster, the founder of the organization, quite uncomfortable.

Khelbourne obviously knew all about this and nodded slightly. "That's right. He said you are calm, smart, knowledgeable, have your own unique views on everything, have a strong desire for revenge, and are the kind of person who is both good and evil. He also said that if he wants to contact you, it's best to prepare a valuable gift."

"Oh? So I have a gift for you? As the chosen one of the Goddess of Magic, the Lord of Waterdeep, and one of the famous legendary wizards in the North, your gift shouldn't be too shabby, right?" Zuo Si immediately tested him in a half-joking tone.

"Haha, of course. Here, I think this should be able to satisfy your strong desire for magical knowledge and items."

As he spoke, Khelbourne took out a stack of golden scrolls, approximately 25 centimeters long, from a sealed box.

His movements were extremely careful and gentle, as if he was afraid of causing even the slightest damage to it.

There are ten scrolls in total, and the surging arcane light gives people a strong shock that cannot be described in words.

"What's this?"

Zuo Si asked in an uncertain tone.

He had never seen such a powerful magical item. It was as if its existence itself was part of the root of magic in the entire world. Even the sub-artifact [Staff of the Archmage] seemed insignificant in comparison.

Khelben spread out one of the scrolls, felt the magical power flowing inside it, and answered meaningfully: "The witch who created it called it the skin of the cosmic serpent, and the Netherese named it the Scroll of Netheril.

These scrolls are the starting point of modern magical civilization, and are also the observation and understanding of primitive magical energy.

In fact, I, Elminster, and some other voters have read its contents, but only out of curiosity.

I must solemnly remind you that this knowledge is dangerous, very, very dangerous.

Some people, after reading the contents of the scroll, had their brains and minds destroyed by the vast knowledge and fell completely into endless madness.

Others were tempted by the powerful force of raw magical energy and abandoned the existing magic network spellcasting system, trying to follow the footsteps of the Netherese arcanists.

But in the end, he found that his talent was simply unable to control the violent raw magical energy, and he was eventually torn into pieces by the terrifying energy storm.

Now, at the request of the Mother of Magic, I pass them on to you.

I hope this forbidden knowledge can broaden your horizons, give you enough inspiration, and go further on the path of magic."

"Scroll of Netheril? Give it to me!"

Zuo Si was stunned for a moment.

Because he never dreamed that the "Black Rod" would actually give him such a precious thing.

After all, for all the arcane magic users in the entire continent of Faerun, these golden scrolls are still priceless treasures and cannot be measured by money at all.

It is said that no matter who it is, as long as he finishes reading a page of knowledge recorded in the scroll of Netheril, the level of his arcane-related profession will be permanently increased by one level.

Even if a scroll of Netheril appeared in the world, it would trigger a fierce competition and fighting.

Whether it's the Red Wizards, the Zhentarim, or other spellcasting organizations, or even the high-level wizards of Waterdeep, they will fight to get it at all costs.

But now, these precious treasures were quietly placed in front of him, giving Zuo Si a strong sense of unreality.

“Yes. Also, the goddess asked me to pass this on to you.

If you experience tingling in your brain or hallucinations while reading the scroll, you can seek her help.

Don't force yourself. There is no shame in asking the Mother of Magic for help when necessary.

Even Elminster and I were only able to finish reading a Netherese scroll with the company of the goddess.

Believe me, the knowledge contained in these scrolls is too vast for any mortal brain to handle.

To date, no mortal has ever lived to read the entire scroll.

Even the most famous archmages in Netheril, and the creator of the scroll, the witch itself.

Ninety-nine percent of them will have their heads explode or go crazy after reading more than three."

While speaking, Khelbourne stuffed an unusually exquisite holy emblem into Zuo Si's hand.

This is an emblem made of mithril, with seven bluish-white gems forming a circle and a flowing red crystal in the middle.

Including the holy emblem of the magic goddess Midnight, Zuo Si now has the holy emblems of three gods on hand.

Among them, the holy emblem of Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, was something he picked up randomly on the battlefield. It was inevitably used when he cast divine spells and when the priest controlled the undead power.

The holy emblem of Oghma, the god of knowledge, was directly embedded in the magic ring when it was modified.

As long as you show it in front of the priests and believers of this god, you will get their unconditional and full help.

Looking at the scroll in front of him and the holy emblem in his hand, Zuo Si was silent for a long time before he couldn't help asking, "Why? Why would the great goddess of magic give me such a precious gift? After all, I'm not her believer, and I've never prayed to her."

When Khelbourne heard this, he couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Hahahaha! Not only have you never prayed to the Mother of Magic, you haven't prayed to any god at all.

Even Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease who gave you your power and your chosen status, is no exception.

To be honest, I really don't understand the reason behind your rejection and vigilance towards gods.

But it doesn’t matter, the magic goddess doesn’t care about this.

Because your love, pursuit and research of magic are what the goddess is happy to see.

What's more, your arrival also brought a lot of magical knowledge and skills from another world.

Of course, in addition to the above reasons, there is one most important point.

That means the goddess sees you as someone worthy of help and investment, and is very optimistic about the amazing potential you possess.”

"Investment? I see! I think I understand what the Mother of Magic means."

A glimmer of understanding flashed across Zuo Si's eyes.

Since he had met the God of Knowledge before, he understood how much these gods of Faerun valued the things within the scope of their ministry.

Just as Oghma wants knowledge, ideas, and inventions from other worlds.

The magic goddess Midnight must also want to obtain more magical knowledge, skills and everything else related to magic.

Not only would this increase his power as a deity, but it would also expand his influence by spreading this knowledge across Faerûn.

"It would be best if you could understand. You know, since the end of the Year of Troubles, I have never seen the goddess take such a fancy to any mortal spellcaster. If you don't mind, would you be willing to spare a little time to discuss the secrets of magic with me?"

Khelbourne invited in an expectant tone.

"Of course, it's my pleasure."

Zuo Si agreed without hesitation.

Compared to Elminster, who is already very old and has long lost interest in magic research, he is obviously more willing to communicate with "young (only more than 900 years old)" voters like "Black Staff".

Moreover, the latter's actions were more like those of a wizard, and he never stopped teaching apprentices throughout his long life, regarding it as a responsibility and obligation.

Even the most powerful legendary magic will be imparted to the disciple without hesitation after the disciple meets the requirements.

In addition, Khelben is slightly different from other voters of the Magic Goddess in that he is not very keen on politics and has no interest in changing other people's minds.

He would only take action if Waterdeep was seriously threatened or if other chosen ones of the Magic Goddess asked him for help.

The rest of the time he basically stayed in the Black Rod Tower, doing research that interested him, or teaching those selected apprentices.

Just like that, the two of them quickly left the room on the top floor of the Mage Tower and went to another place that looked like a study room, where they began to have an in-depth face-to-face communication, explaining to each other their understanding of magic.

Khelbourne explains the existing magic system in Faerun, as well as the principles and essences behind many spells, in the most understandable language.

Even his original [Black Staff Technique] and [Whip of Protection] were not concealed at all.

Zuo Si returned the favor by sharing the knowledge he had collected and learned in the floating city tower, and also demonstrated several abilities of his creator.

The [Spell and Barrier Destruction] in it even made this powerful legendary wizard feel astonished.

Because even for him, it is difficult to maintain the stability of the spell structure after the energy is extracted.

Even if it is lucky enough to be successfully released, the power of the spell will be greatly reduced due to lack of sufficient energy.

According to Khelbourne's speculation, if Zuo Si was given one to two seconds to carry out "destruction", then even if a spell was successfully released, its power would be reduced by one level.

If it is three to five seconds, the spell's effect will be reduced by three levels or more.

If it exceeds five seconds, it will definitely fail unless it is a spell of sixth level or above.

In addition, the three abilities of [Refining], [Shaping] and [Transformation], with their unparalleled advantages in making magic items, also opened Khelbourne's eyes.

For the first time, he realized that abandoning the magic network that provided convenience to countless spellcasters was not a bad thing in some ways.

Just the opposite!

Direct contact with the raw and violent magical energy allows the spellcaster to gain more power and inspiration, and constantly discover new knowledge and create all kinds of incredible spells.

Of course, direct contact with raw, violent magical energy is bound to be extremely dangerous.

And it requires higher qualities of the caster (mainly intelligence attributes).

If you are in an environment with a magic network, as long as your average intelligence level is slightly higher than that of ordinary people, you can become a lowest-level magician.

So in a world without the magic network, if you want to become a wizard, you must be an absolute genius.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to understand and control the complex, changeable and potentially out-of-control raw energy.

This can be seen from the harsh requirements of becoming an arcanist in the era of Netheril.

Just like that, out of interest in the huge differences in each other's understanding of magic, the two elects got together and talked for more than a hundred hours.

There was no pause or rest in between.

If it weren't for the divine power that gave them the ability to never get tired, normal people would have probably died of sudden death by now.

But these two people were not only in high spirits, but also became more and more excited and got along better and better as they talked, as if they had met each other too late.

It turns out that the gap between spellcasters and spellcasters is sometimes even greater than the gap between gods and mortals.

When the last topic routine was over, Khelbourne showed a very satisfied expression on his face, and he smiled and exclaimed: "It's incredible! I can't remember the last time I was so excited. Can you tell me, how did you integrate such a diverse and complex magic system together?"

"It's simple. I will eventually transform all these different systems of magic into part of my own power, which are the cards you have studied before." Zuo Si gave a straightforward answer.

"Cards..."

Khelbourne's mind instantly flashed back to the scene where all the chosen people gathered together and were helpless against the small card. He asked in a puzzled tone, "How exactly was that card made? It seems to be able to withstand all forms of attack. Even the Nine Rings Great Disintegration cannot cause even the slightest damage to it?"

Zuo Si shook his head slightly and replied, "Sorry. This is the only secret I won't share with anyone. If you really want to know, you can try to ask the Goddess of Magic. If nothing unexpected happens, she should have gotten the answer from the God of Knowledge."

From the moment he got the scroll of Netheril, he was basically certain that the goddess of magic must know his identity as a planeswalker.

After all, Oghma, the God of Knowledge, and successive goddesses of magic have always been very close allies.

It is completely reasonable for the two gods to exchange information.

"That's a shame. Well, I respect your privacy. Besides, this exchange was very pleasant and we both gained a lot. If it's convenient, I hope we can keep in touch in the future."

Khelbourne took the initiative to stand up and end the discussion that had lasted for several days.

Similarly, he also realized that this young man in front of him, who looked like a ten-year-old boy, must be hiding a huge secret.

Otherwise, the Magic Goddess would never deliberately hide the real secret behind the magic card when she gave the oracle.

fortunately!

As a legendary wizard of the lawful neutral camp, Khelbourne was extremely curious about this, but he had no intention of pursuing it.

In his opinion, as long as he continued to maintain a good personal friendship and spent decades or even hundreds of years slowly winning Zuo Si's trust, the other party would sooner or later tell him the truth.

"With great pleasure. It's my honor. It's just right. I also plan to buy a mansion in Waterdeep and set up a stable teleportation point. Then you can visit my Mage Tower at any time through this teleportation point."

Zuo Si agreed without hesitation.

You can ask a legendary wizard for advice at any time on various problems encountered in the process of learning magic. Only a fool would refuse such a good thing.

"Build a magic teleportation point? So you want to join the Peaceful Mage Association?"

Khelbourne showed a rather surprised expression.

You know, although Waterdeep is not as strict as Amn in guarding against the power of arcane magic, it will not allow those crazy wizards to conduct overly dangerous research in the city.

In order to ensure this, all mages and warlocks must pay forty gold coins at one time and then be forced to join the semi-guild "Anmin Mage" organization.

In this way, the Waterdeep officials would be able to know the approximate number of wizards in the city, their spellcasting levels, and whether they had committed heinous crimes elsewhere or conducted dangerous magical experiments that caused great damage.

Of course, "Master Anmin" is much more conscientious than the "Masked Mage Guild".

After paying forty gold coins to become a member, not only will the qualification be valid permanently, but it will also provide a platform for arcane spellcasters to communicate and trade.

Not only can wizards and warlocks consign their own magic items, potions, and scrolls here, they can also buy many rare and precious magic materials.

Therefore, as long as they are not on the wanted list or have ulterior motives, they will basically not be opposed to joining the "Anmin Mage".

Zuo Si already knew the rules of Waterdeep, so he nodded without hesitation and said, "Yes. I plan to go to the Tower of Order to register after I buy the house. If nothing unexpected happens, I will visit Waterdeep often in the future."

"Welcome! But you don't need to go to the Tower of Order to register in person, as that would cause unnecessary tension and commotion. After all, the title of the Chosen One of the Goddess of Poison and Magic is still quite scary in the eyes of many people. I will find someone to help you get this done later."

Khelbourne took the initiative to take over this matter.

Even though he knew that Zuo Si did not believe in any god, and would not do something terrible like spreading the plague just because of his status as an elected person.

But people who don’t know the truth certainly won’t think so.

The fear of the Plague Goddess has long been deeply engraved in the souls of all cities and countries on the continent of Faerun.

Not to mention the civilized world, even the brainless orcs, goblins, and jackals in the wilderness couldn't help but tremble in fear when they heard the name of Talona.

There was once an orc army of more than 100,000 people, but due to the ravages of a terrible plague, more than two-thirds of their soldiers were killed or injured in just one month.

The rest also completely lost their combat effectiveness and could no longer continue to attack and plunder human cities.

"Thank you for your help." Zuo Si thanked him politely.

If someone was willing to help him arrange for the "Anmin Master Association", he would naturally be happy to save the tedious registration process and a lot of personal information that needed to be filled in.

As for whether Kelben would use an alias or even a fake identity, he didn't care at all.

After finalizing the matter, the two quickly walked down the stairs to the lobby on the first floor.

Isadora, who had been waiting for many days, saw Zuo Si appear and immediately pounced on him and hugged him tightly, with a pitiful look like a puppy abandoned by its owner.

"I'm sorry. I was having such a great time chatting with Lord Kelben that I accidentally forgot the time and made you wait here for so many days." Zuo Si gently touched the girl's hair to comfort her.

After hearing this explanation, Isadora's originally nervous and agitated mood quickly calmed down.

Davian shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "It's okay, Master. Anyway, there's food and drink here, and you can read books and take a hot bath. It's not a big problem even if you stay for a month. Just take it as a rest and relaxation."

It was not difficult to tell from the tea, food and books on the table that the three people had indeed been treated quite well in the past few days.

Whether it is the floor space or the various magical protections, they are all top-level configurations of the traditional wizard tower in Faerun.

In addition, there are many assistants and apprentices, so the living security is very good.

There is even an intelligent golem that is responsible for cooking.

It is a special construct with independent personality and thinking ability.

After simply packing his luggage, Zuo Si formally said goodbye to Khelbourne and took a carriage to the guild in Waterdeep City that specialized in real estate brokerage business.

目送马车渐渐消失在街道的拐角，留着一头银色长发的莱拉这才通过传送魔法凭空出现在丈夫身边，轻声问道：“你把耐瑟瑞尔卷轴交给他了？”

“嗯！按照女神的吩咐，我已经全部交到索斯的手上了。”

凯尔本不加思索的给出肯定答复。

“他给你的感觉如何？”莱拉饶有兴致的继续追问。

“非常不错。就像伊尔明斯特描述的那样，冷静、聪明、博学，对万事万物都有自己独到的见解。

尤其是来自另外一个世界的魔法体系，极大拓宽了我的知识层面和眼界。

他思考跟解决问题的角度方式，跟我见过的所有人都完全不一样。

我想这应该是某种特殊哲学观的影响。

不出意外的话，我想我应该能跟索斯建立起不错的友谊。”

凯尔本不加思索的评价道。

“友谊？你确定？”莱拉吃惊的挑起眉毛。“伊尔明斯特可是说他很难相处。”

凯尔本笑着摇了摇头：“不，那只是一种假象跟错觉，我更愿意相信是伊尔明斯特的怪脾气又发作了。你知道的，他是混乱阵营，看人经常全凭感觉和个人喜好。”

“你觉得索斯是什么阵营？”

莱拉明显对这个话题很感兴趣。

因为她本人也是混乱善良，明白在脾气上来的时候，自己会变得有多么顽固、任性。

经常会没有任何理由的讨厌或者喜欢一个人。

“索斯底层思维逻辑和价值观非常独特，很难判断他的具体阵营倾向。可能是无阵营、绝对中立、邪恶守序和邪恶中立的任何一个。我唯一可以肯定的是，他绝对不属于混乱阵营。因为没有混乱阵营可以像他那样缜密的思考，并在短时间内做出对自己最有利的选择。”

凯尔本稍加琢磨后给出了自己的判断。

由于左思有给自己加持二环神术【隐匿阵营】的习惯，因此别人很难通过简单的法术来迅速侦测其阵营。

所以即便是传奇法师兼魔法女神的选民对此也无能为力。

“邪恶阵营？”莱拉下意识皱起眉头。

“嗯。我想这应该跟经常使用死灵系魔法，亦或是召唤、制造和控制不死生物有关。”凯尔本耐心的解释道。“据我所知，当初引导索斯走上魔法道路的导师，就是一名强大、冷酷且残忍的死灵法师。在后者的影响下，他并没有意识到操控死者的尸体乃至灵魂意味着什么，或者就算知道了也不在乎。”

“不信奉任何以为神祇，对生命和死亡也没有半点敬畏，有的只是对于魔法知识跟力量无穷无尽的渴望？我怎么突然觉得，他的行为模式跟耐瑟瑞尔时代的奥术师们非常相似。”莱拉摸着下巴，一脸疑惑的分析道。

可凯尔本却摇了摇头纠正道：“不，不对，索斯可不是那些狂妄到自认为可以比肩神明的大奥术师。他对于诸神力量的本质非常了解，甚至知道神职对于神思维和意识的巨大影响，丝毫没有半点渴望想要成为神明的念头。他所追求的东西只有一样，那就是魔法本身。”

“照你这么说，那他岂不就是魔法之母最理想的选民吗？”莱拉难以置信的瞪大了眼睛。

因为在费伦，想要成为神，亦或是取代神的传奇奥术施法者绝对不在少数。

但真正了解神是一种怎样存在的人却并不多。

耐瑟瑞尔时代傲慢的大奥术师们显然就是其中最具有代表性的一批。

他们始终认为神只是一群掌握强大魔法力量的施法者，自己只要不断提升施法等级，总有一天可以与神明比肩。

可实际上呢？ 成为神意味着要彻底抛弃凡性！ 也就是在凡人时的喜怒哀乐，都会随着成为神的时间越来越长而渐渐消失。

取而代之的是对神职的重视，以及对于自身神职相冲的其他神明的强烈敌意。

这一点从现任魔法女神午夜刚成神时对希瑞克赤裸裸毫不掩饰的憎恨，慢慢转变成更加敌视夜之女神莎尔就能略窥一二。

原因在于莎尔掌握着“阴影魔网”，属于对午夜魔网和魔法神职的侵犯。

后者宁愿牺牲掉自己最后的善良本性，变成一个彻头彻尾冷酷中立的魔法之神，也无论如何都要把阴影魔网与正牌魔网进行合并。

如此剧烈的变化，甚至是思想和主观意识的一百八十度大转弯，基本就相当于是更换了一个人格。

所以在真正了解内情的人看来，成为神就差不多约等于慢性自杀。

只有当初对神根本没有什么概念的米尔寇、巴尔和班恩，还有像希瑞克这样的神经病，才会以为成神之后可以凭借强大的力量为所欲为。

至于第三代魔法女神午夜，倒是在伊尔明斯特的教导下理解了神的本质，但却并没有太多选择的余地。

如果她不继任魔法女神，那么魔法网络就会处于一种失控状态，搞不好会引发一场波及整个费伦的恐怖灾难。

身为魔法女神的选民，凯尔本当然非常清楚神的本质究竟是什么，笑着对自己的妻子说道：“你可以这样理解。

不过索斯的性格决定了，他注定不可能成为真正意义上的选民。

因为他对于神没有半点信仰和敬畏，如果神想要让他去执行某项任务，百分之百会遭到毫不留情的拒绝。

除非这位神愿意支付足够的报酬。”

“你的意思是……他将成为选民这件事情看成是一种自己与神之间的交易？！”

莱拉整个人都惊呆了。

“是的！剧毒与疾病女神塔洛娜就是在没有经过商量的情况下，擅自赐予了索斯选民的力量。

所以才导致他现在对塔洛娜在凡间的教会不闻不问。

不过作为获得选民力量的回报，他也没有去理会那些教会用自己名号来招揽信徒、扩大影响力的行为。

怎么样，很有趣不是吗？哈哈哈哈！”

凯尔本说到最后忍不住开心的大笑起来。

尽管在费伦也不是没有那种彻头彻尾像疯子一样的“无信者”。

但像左思这样明明知道神是什么，但却仍旧敢把自己放在与神同等地位的人，他迄今为止还是第一次遇到。

沉默了几秒钟之后，莱拉马上也跟着大笑不止，一边笑还一边说道：“听你这么一说，索斯还真是个相当有意思的人。对了，不知道你察觉到没有，最近深水城周边地区开始出现塔洛娜的牧师在传教。”

“传教？塔洛娜的牧师！”凯尔本脸色瞬间变得严肃起来。“什么时候？规模有多大？危险吗？”

“嗯……怎么说呢？

与之前那些喜欢隐蔽行动的家伙不同。

这些牧师看上去基本都是年轻人，而且并没有散播恐惧。

反倒是在教那些穷人如何识别有毒的植物，通过保持良好的卫生习惯来减少疾病和瘟疫的发生。

感觉完全不像是邪神的牧师，反倒像是中立神祇的追随者。”

在说这番话的时候，莱拉的表情相当怪异，紧张中带着一丝欣慰。

毕竟如果这种变化是长期且大范围，那就意味着剧毒与疾病女神塔洛娜可能正在谋划着转变自身阵营。

在费伦，神影响着信徒，同样信徒也能反过来影响神。

如果当一名邪神的善良阵营信徒超过邪恶阵营信徒，那他有有可能为此而做出改变。

类似的事情在费伦虽然发生的不多，但也有不少的先例。

“转化阵营吗？看来以后要多注意点这些塔洛娜教会牧师的行踪才行。”凯尔本摸着下巴上浓密的胡子喃喃自语道。

……

与此同时，远在阿斯卡特拉的塔洛娜神殿内。

身为安姆教会的主祭，伊薇特正站在巨大的神像前，查看手下刚刚送来的报告。

大概几分钟过后，她马上用充满震惊的语气问：“这些报告都是真的？整个教会在短短几个月时间就发展了六万名信徒？”

“是的，主祭大人。”一名牧师兴奋不已的点了点头。“由于那些最新得到女神恩惠成为牧师的年轻人，一直在穷人比较多的地方宣扬如何保持卫生避免生病，同时还免费为其治疗，因此成功吸引了许多人成为信徒。”

“主祭大人。关于这群年轻的新牧师，我有话要说。”

另外一名高阶牧师突然站了出来。

“你想说什么？”伊维特有些不悦的瞥了对方一眼。

可后者却语气激动的回应道：“是关于教义！那些年轻的牧师擅自编改了原本的教义！我认为这是彻头彻尾的渎神！”

“教义？”

听到这个词，伊维特脸色顿时变得异常难看。

因为无论在任何神祇的教会，擅自编改教义都是非常严重的罪行。

就在她想要继续询问其他人，先搞清楚情况的时候，塔洛娜的神像突然开始闪烁刺眼的光芒。

After a while, the parchment that reported the increase in the number of believers slowly floated up, and was then sucked away by divine power and disappeared from everyone's sight.

moment!

The entire temple fell silent.

Especially the guy who just accused the young priests of blasphemy. His forehead began to sweat uncontrollably and his whole body was shaking slightly uncontrollably.

Anyone who is not a fool can see that the Goddess of Poison and Disease's move is a disguised approval of the young priests' actions to tamper with doctrine.

This means that the entire Church of Amn must make a choice.

Should they continue to follow the old, unpopular missionary methods, or adopt this new doctrine that can quickly expand the number of believers.

For a moment, the eyes of all the high-ranking priests present were cast on Yvette, the chief priest.

After hesitating for a moment, the latter immediately said, "Regarding this matter, it would be better for us to consult the Goddess's Chosen One, Lord Soth. Because these changes only occurred after his arrival. And the Goddess once clearly stated that the Son of Plague can represent her will."

"voter?"

"Ah! I think I understand something."

"Could it be..."

"Shut up! Don't say that!"

"That's right! This matter must be kept strictly confidential!"

After the high-ranking priests present exchanged glances with each other, their mental states became extremely excited.

Not long after, they quickly disbanded on the spot and returned to the cities they were responsible for, intending to vigorously promote those young priests who were recognized by Talona.

Zuo Si was completely unaware of the changes that had taken place in the Church of the Goddess of Poison and Disease in Amn.

At this moment, he was following an eloquent dwarf lady to visit a two-story stone building with a yard and garden in the northern part of the city.

“This house was originally planned and built by a wealthy businessman sixty years ago, who paid a large sum of money to the most famous designer of the time.

The main material is large blocks of rock that are hard and not easily weathered or corroded, while the interior decoration is entirely made of marble.

Whether it is stairs, guardrails, pillars, or walls, they all present a pure and gorgeous white color.

The hall on the first floor is very spacious and can be used by the host to hold various banquets.

The kitchen can accommodate up to eight chefs working together, so there is no need to worry about food supply problems even if there are many guests.

As for the yard and garden, they look a little messy now because no one has taken care of them for a long time.

But please believe me, if you just spend a little money to hire a gardener and plant some beautiful flowers, you can definitely give visitors a refreshing feeling.

As for the second floor, there are ten rooms in total.

One of them is the master bedroom for the owner to rest, with a spacious semi-enclosed balcony.

In your spare time, you can sit on the balcony, sip tea and enjoy the distant scenery.

In addition, there is a study room with many books and bookshelves.

As long as the full amount can be paid in one lump sum, the books will become free gifts.

In addition, the cellar is very spacious and can not only be used to store food and wine, but also has a hidden secret room.

If you encounter danger, you can just hide inside and seal the only entrance.

Finally, the best benefit.

If you buy this house now, we will provide you with a professional butler, two maids, three butlers, a cook, a gardener, a dog trainer plus five loyal and ferocious hounds, and a fully armed guard for free.

And these people will be paid two months' salary in advance.

How about it, are you interested?"

Seeing the dwarf lady winking at him, Zuo Si's mouth twitched slightly, and he pretended to be embarrassed and said, "But seven thousand gold coins is too expensive. You know, a similar house just a few streets away only costs one or two thousand gold coins."

“A few streets away?

That's near Serdus Street! How can it compare to here! I'm afraid you don't know yet?

Decades ago, there was a notorious and crazy pharmacist on that street.

He poisoned countless people along this street and buried the bodies beneath the paving stones.

I heard that the guards at that time dug out a total of eighty corpses from those stone slabs.

No poor person with any status or social position would live in such a dangerous place."

The dwarf disparaged the security situation around Seldus Street with a look of disdain.

Of course, she was right to some extent.

This road can be said to be the narrowest and longest alley in Waterdeep.

Because there are towering walls on both sides, there is almost no light at night, which is very suitable for committing crimes.

Seeing that his roundabout bargaining was unsuccessful, Zuo Si immediately changed his mind and asked tentatively: "If I pay the full price for this house now, how much can you reduce the price to?"

"Six thousand five! The most I can reduce the price for you is five hundred gold coins. This is already the limit! If you reduce it any further, I won't be able to get even a penny of commission from this transaction."

Miss Dwarf gnashed her teeth and acted like she was having a tearful sale.

However, Zuo Si, who possessed the ability of a voter, recognized that the other party was definitely lying almost immediately, so he raised a finger without hesitation: "Five hundred is too little, at least one thousand should be reduced. If you agree to this price, we can sign the contract now, and then pay the bill immediately to complete the transaction. If you don't agree, then forget it. Anyway, there are plenty of empty houses in Deep Water City, and I can always find a more suitable one."

The dwarf stared into Zuo Si's eyes, as if trying to confirm whether this was some kind of threat or a real ultimatum.

After about three to five seconds, she finally sighed with frustration like a defeated rooster. "Well - well, you're awesome. Six thousand gold coins is six thousand gold coins. Now, let's go to the city notary office to sign the contract and go through the land deed and house transfer procedures."

Soon, under the guidance of the dwarf lady, Zuo Si completed all the procedures for purchasing the property in accordance with the laws of Waterdeep City.

It has to be said that the tediousness and complexity of the process is even more troublesome than buying and transferring ownership of a house on Earth.

If there wasn't someone who was familiar with the process to guide me, I might not be able to finish it even after a whole day of hard work.

It seems that even in the magical world, bureaucracy and formalism still exist.

(End of this chapter)