"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 appeared 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.
After watching the carriage gradually disappear around the corner of the street, Leila, who had long silver hair, appeared out of thin air beside her husband through teleportation magic and asked softly, "Did you give him the scroll of Netheril?"
"Yes! According to the goddess' instructions, I have handed everything over to Soth."
Kelben answered in the affirmative without hesitation.
"How does he make you feel?" Leila continued to ask with interest.
"Very good. Just as Elminster described, calm, intelligent, knowledgeable, and has his own unique insights into everything.
Especially the magic system from another world has greatly broadened my knowledge and horizons.
The way he thinks and solves problems is completely different from anyone I have ever met.
I think this should be the influence of some special philosophical view.
If nothing unexpected happens, I think I should be able to establish a good friendship with Soth."
Kelben commented without hesitation.
"Friendship? Are you sure?" Lyra raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Elminster said he was difficult to get along with."
Khelben smiled and shook his head. "No, that was just an illusion. I prefer to believe that Elminster's strange temper has flared up again. You know, he is from the Chaos faction, and he often judges people based on his feelings and personal preferences."
"What faction do you think Soth belongs to?"
Leila was clearly interested in the subject.
Because she herself is also chaotically kind, she knows how stubborn and willful she can become when she gets angry.
Often you will hate or like someone for no reason.
"Soth's underlying thinking logic and values are very unique, and it is difficult to determine his specific alignment. It could be any of the following: no alignment, absolute neutral, evil lawful, or evil neutral. The only thing I can be sure of is that he is definitely not from the chaotic camp. Because no one from the chaotic camp can think as carefully as he does and make the most favorable choice for himself in a short period of time."
After a little thought, Kelben gave his own judgment.
Since Zuo Si has the habit of blessing himself with the second-level magic [Hide Camp], it is difficult for others to quickly detect his camp through simple spells.
Therefore, even the legendary wizard and the chosen one of the Goddess of Magic can do nothing about it.
"Evil camp?" Leila frowned subconsciously.
"Yes. I think it has something to do with the frequent use of necromancy, or the summoning, creation, and control of undead creatures." Khelbourne explained patiently. "As far as I know, the mentor who led Soth on the path of magic was a powerful, cold, and cruel necromancer. Under the influence of the latter, he did not realize what it meant to control the bodies and even the souls of the dead, or even if he knew, he did not care."
"He doesn't believe in any gods, and has no reverence for life and death. All he has is an endless desire for magical knowledge and power? Why do I suddenly feel that his behavior patterns are very similar to those of the arcanists of the Netheril era?" Leila analyzed, touching her chin with a puzzled look on her face.
But Khelbourne shook his head and corrected him, "No, that's not right. Soth is not one of those great arcanists who are so arrogant that they think they can be compared with gods. He knows the nature of the power of the gods very well, and even knows the huge impact of priesthood on the thinking and consciousness of gods. He has no desire to become a god at all. There is only one thing he pursues, and that is magic itself."
"According to what you said, isn't he the most ideal chosen one by the Mother of Magic?" Leila widened her eyes in disbelief.
Because in Faerun, there are definitely many legendary arcane spellcasters who want to become gods or replace gods.
But not many people truly understand what kind of existence God is.
The arrogant archmages of the Netheril era were obviously the most representative group among them.
They always believed that gods were just a group of spellcasters who possessed powerful magical powers, and as long as they continued to improve their spellcasting levels, they would be able to stand on equal footing with gods one day.
But what is the reality? Becoming a god means completely abandoning your mortal nature! That is, the joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness you have as a mortal will gradually disappear as you become a god for a longer time.
Instead, there is an emphasis on priesthood and a strong hostility towards other gods whose priesthood conflicts with one's own.
This can be seen from the naked and undisguised hatred of the current magic goddess Midnight towards Cyric when she first became a god, which gradually turned into a more hostile attitude towards the goddess of the night, Shar.
The reason is that Shar controls the "Shadow Weave", which is an infringement on the Midnight Weave and the magical priesthood.
The latter would rather sacrifice his last bit of kindness and become a completely cold and neutral god of magic, and merge the shadow magic network with the authentic magic network at all costs.
Such a drastic change, even a 180-degree turn in thought and subjective consciousness, is basically equivalent to a change of personality.
So to those who truly understand the situation, becoming a god is almost equivalent to chronic suicide.
Only Melkor, Baal and Bane, who had no concept of God at the beginning, and lunatics like Cyric, would think that they could do whatever they want after becoming God with their great power.
As for the third generation magic goddess Midnight, she understood the nature of God under the teachings of Elminster, but she did not have much choice.
If she does not succeed the Goddess of Magic, the magic network will be out of control, and may even cause a horrific disaster that affects the entire Faerun.
As the chosen one of the Goddess of Magic, Khelbourne was of course very clear about the true nature of God, and said to his wife with a smile: “You can understand it this way.
However, Soth's character determined that he was destined to never become a voter in the true sense.
Because he has no faith or fear of God, if God wants him to perform a certain task, he will be rejected mercilessly 100%.
Unless the god is willing to pay enough."
"You mean... he sees becoming one of the chosen people as a transaction between himself and God?!"
Leila was completely stunned.
"Yes! The goddess of poison and disease, Talona, granted power to the Chosen People of Soth without any consultation.
That's why he now ignores Talona's church on earth.
However, in return for gaining the power of voters, he did not pay attention to the behavior of those churches using his name to recruit believers and expand his influence.
How about it, isn’t it interesting? Hahahaha!”
Khelbourne couldn't help laughing happily at the end.
Although there are also some "unbelievers" in Faerun who are completely crazy.
But this was the first time he had met someone like Zuo Si, who clearly knew what God was but still dared to put himself on the same level as God.
After a few seconds of silence, Leila immediately started laughing, saying, "Now that you mention it, Soth is really an interesting person. By the way, I don't know if you have noticed that priests from Talona have begun to appear in the areas around Waterdeep to preach."
"Preaching? A priest of Talona!" Khelbourne's expression suddenly became serious. "When? How big is the scale? Is it dangerous?"
“Hmm…how should I put it?
Unlike those guys who liked to act covertly.
These pastors mostly seemed young and did not spread fear.
Instead, it was about teaching the poor how to identify poisonous plants and reduce the occurrence of diseases and plagues by maintaining good hygiene habits.
I don't feel like a cleric of an evil god at all, but more like a follower of a neutral god."
When saying this, Leila's expression was quite strange, with a hint of relief in her nervousness.
After all, if this change is long-term and large-scale, it means that Talona, the goddess of poison and disease, may be planning to change her camp.
In Faerun, gods influence believers, and believers can also influence gods in return.
If the number of good-minded believers of an evil god exceeds that of evil-minded believers, he may make changes accordingly.
Although similar things don't happen often in Faerun, there are many precedents.
"Change camp? It seems that I have to pay more attention to the whereabouts of these priests of the Church of Talona in the future." Khelbourne muttered to himself while stroking his thick beard.
…
At the same time, far away in the Temple of Talona in Athkatra.
As the chief priest of the Church of Am, Yvette was standing in front of the huge statue, checking the report just sent by her subordinates.
After a few minutes, she asked in a shocked tone, "Are these reports true? The entire church has grown to 60,000 believers in just a few months?"
"Yes, Master Priest." A priest nodded excitedly. "Because those young people who have recently received the grace of the goddess and become priests have been preaching how to maintain hygiene and avoid illness in places where there are many poor people, and they also provide free treatment for them, so they have successfully attracted many people to become believers."
"Master Priest. I have something to say about this group of young new priests."
Another high-ranking priest suddenly stood up.
"What do you want to say?" Yvette glanced at the other person with some displeasure.
But the latter responded excitedly: "It's about doctrine! Those young pastors arbitrarily edited the original doctrine! I think this is outright blasphemy!"
"doctrine?"
Hearing this word, Yvette's face suddenly became extremely ugly.
Because no matter which god's church it is, arbitrarily changing doctrine is a very serious crime.
Just when she wanted to continue asking other people to find out the situation first, the statue of Talona suddenly began to flash a dazzling light.
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)
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