Sir Crispian suppressed his inner fear of the huge monster in front of him, trying to appear calm, and also tried to create a light-hearted and humorous atmosphere with his words.
Of course, the effect would have been better if his legs and the arms hidden in the wide sleeves didn't shake so much.
There is no way! Even low-level professionals cannot be immune to the dragon's might, not to mention ordinary people who don't even have a professional level.
It takes considerable courage to stand before a full-grown green dragon and not immediately turn and flee.
Anyway, Sir Crispian had seen the white dragon's sudden attack and the centipede's charge in the Misty Mountain Area, so he did have some courage.
Zuo Si smiled and patted the green dragon's head, signaling it to go into the woods to avoid human sight. Then he walked closer and explained with a smile: "I had no choice. You know, it would take at least two days to get here from Askatra, even if I ride a horse. And I have never been here before, so I can't use teleportation magic, so I had to choose to ride a dragon and fly here."
"Hahahaha! Well, it seems that I didn't think it through. I should have sent a carriage to the castle to pick you up in advance."
As the green dragon disappeared into the night, Sir Crispian finally recovered completely and took the responsibility for this small disturbance on his own initiative.
Obviously, he overlooked the very different ways of thinking between spellcasters and ordinary nobles.
The biggest difference between the two is that the latter usually cares about "dignity" and "pomp", while the former cares about efficiency.
You have to know that in just a few minutes when the dragon landed, many horses in the nearby barn began to run around because they were frightened, and the servants in charge of taking care of the horses chased them desperately.
After all, many of these horses are valuable stallions used by guests attending the banquet to pull carriages, and the price of each one will not be less than one thousand gold coins.
If you lose something and pay for it, that's a small matter; but making the owner lose face is a big matter.
After a brief greeting at the door, Sir Crispian immediately took Zuo Si into the living room of the manor villa.
As soon as they entered the room, the guests who were originally whispering stopped everything they did and all turned their eyes towards the door.
To be precise, it was cast towards Zuo Si, the chosen one of the goddess of poison and disease.
Although he had not been in Athkatla for long, he had already done many things that left these top dignitaries dumbfounded.
In particular, he took advantage of the attack on the diplomatic mission to suppress Baldur's Gate and forced it to make huge concessions, thus successfully winning the approval of many great nobles and chambers of commerce.
The reason for holding the banquet today, in addition to asking him how to suppress competitors without starting a war, is also to accept his idea of officially entering the upper ruling class circle of Amn.
Out of basic courtesy and responsibility as a host, Sir Crispian first introduced Zuo Si's identity to all the guests. Then he directly blocked all the guys who tried to approach him and quickly went to the study on the second floor.
Twenty or so middle-aged and elderly men and women, who looked to be between 40 and 60 years old, had been waiting here for a long time.
Needless to say, they are the real rulers of the country and the leaders of all the major families.
In addition, there should be six other review members hidden among them.
Sir Crispian took the trouble to introduce Zuo Si to one person after another.
This whole process alone lasted more than ten minutes.
But no one present showed any impatience, but waited patiently with a smile on their faces.
When everything was over, an old man who looked to be in his early sixties spoke first: "Everyone, we are all the most powerful and prestigious families in Amn, and many of our families can even trace their history back to the end of the Calimshan Shan Dynasty.
I believe you all understand why we are gathered here today.
In the recent negotiations with Baldur's Gate, the Chosen One of the Goddess of Poison and Disease, Talona, the Honorable Lord Soth, taught us all a lesson with his great wisdom and political skills.
He got at the negotiating table something we hadn't gotten on the battlefield: significant concessions from Baldur's Gate on trade and tariffs.
There is no doubt that this time, both the diplomatic operations and the economic blows have caused our competitors to suffer heavy losses.
In particular, the cooperation with chambers of commerce in other cities and regions to raise the prices of daily necessities completely divided and disintegrated the relationship between the lower-class people and the merchant class in Baldur's Gate gave us a new idea and successfully intensified the conflict between the city and the farmers in the surrounding areas.
It is for this reason that the foolish and greedy dukes of Baldur's Gate had to choose to retreat.
Because the foundations of their rule have been shaken.
Through this example, we can summarize many useful experiences and then apply them to other competitors.
After all, starting a war is the stupidest thing to do.
Not only is the cost of investment too high, but even if you win you may not necessarily get what you want.”
"I totally agree." Another 40-year-old bearded man nodded slightly. "For us, gaining control over trade in a certain region will always bring us more profits than actually occupying and managing it. This is a truth that has been proven long ago. And in the economic field, apart from the oligarchs in Sembia, no country or city-state can rival Amn."
"That's right! This is why we invited Lord Soth to visit us today. He comes from another world and possesses many insights and valuable knowledge that we don't understand." The female noble who was about fifty years old also echoed.
"Then Mr. Soth, could you please explain to us how you were able to make such an accurate judgment under such a complicated situation?" The leading old man asked politely with a smile on his face.
Zuo Si nodded gently: "Of course. In fact, it is not as complicated as you imagine.
There are only a few options for putting pressure on an independent political entity.
The first is military pressure, which is known to everyone. That is, using powerful violence to make the other side feel the threat of destruction and death, and eventually force them to retreat out of fear.
Of course, as the gentleman said, the cost of waging war is too high and the risks are also very great.
It is so big that few countries and city-states can afford one or two painful defeats.
Not to mention the loss of food, armor, weapons and various supplies, the pensions and the death and capture of so many young and middle-aged laborers alone would deal a huge blow to the government's prestige and even shake the foundation of its rule.
In addition, maintaining a large and well-trained army for a long time will also put tremendous pressure on finances.
Therefore, war is always the last resort option.
In comparison, the second point of diplomatic pressure is much easier.
When doing this kind of thing, you must first have a sufficient and unquestionable legitimate reason, and then put yourself on the side of justice, portray the other party as an evil villain, and criticize from a moral high ground.
The second is to create and manipulate public opinion, let as many people as possible know about the matter, and then mobilize the people's empathy and let them join in condemning a certain country or city-state.
Finally, and most importantly, do everything you can to win over other surrounding forces, especially those churches and organizations in the good camp, and force them to express their stance through various means.
When the above three elements are present, the country or city-state will inevitably fall into diplomatic isolation and absolute moral disadvantage.
At this time, the second step can be launched, which is economic sanctions, while dividing and disintegrating the enemy's various social classes and provoking and intensifying internal conflicts.
Not only will they be unable to unite and overcome difficulties, but they will also blame and be hostile to each other.
As we all know, in the eyes of most lower-class civilians, bad guys have no human rights and are not worthy of sympathy.
After successfully creating an evil country and city-state, we can unite merchants from other surrounding areas to launch various attacks on them.
For example, suddenly restricting the inflow of some daily necessities such as food, salt, cloth, steel, etc., and then taking this opportunity to sharply raise prices, causing an increase in people's cost of living, which in turn leads to social unrest and accumulation of dissatisfaction.
When this turbulent and dissatisfied mood accumulates to a certain extent, the contradiction will be like a volcano about to erupt, containing unimaginable destructive power.
By that time, all it would take is a little instigation from the local Shadow Thieves Guild to trigger a horrific riot.
If things go wrong, it could turn into a brutal civil war that violently overthrows the current government.
In addition, when carrying out this step, you can also consider winning over and supporting a group of local businessmen as internal supporters by promising benefits, constantly inciting confrontation between the poor and the rich, civilians and nobles, and creating strong hostility between each other.
In short, remember one thing: the strongest fortress is always breached from the inside.
As long as you pay more attention to the hidden dangers within your competitors, and then find ways to intensify these conflicts and cause unrest and chaos, you can easily defeat them completely.
This is true of Baldur's Gate, and it is also true of Sembia, which practices serfdom.
Even the seemingly enlightened Waterdeep City actually contains a huge crisis..."
With a voice that was neither hurried nor slow, Zuo Si used clear logic and coherent language to explain some of the simplest and most basic "fool-proof" operating methods to these Amn executives.
After all, the other party paid expensive "tuition fees", so he was very generous and taught a lot of "little tricks".
In fact, in the continent of Faerun, due to the conflicts between the camps of good and evil, order and chaos, the class consciousness of the people here is weak, or even non-existent.
But now, when Zuo Si clearly put forward this concept and gave a series of practical suggestions, all the Amn dignitaries present showed either solemn or thoughtful expressions.
Because they realize that this set of rules is a "double-edged sword" that can be used against enemies as well as against themselves.
After a long period of silence, the old man who spoke first finally let out a long sigh and exclaimed with a slightly emotional tone: "What amazing wisdom. It seems that as long as these are mastered, Amn will soon enter a period of strong expansion. But what I want to know now is, what do you think of the situation in this country?"
"In what aspect?" Zuo Si asked with a smile.
"Of course it's an internal conflict. Or to put it another way, what can we do to ease the relationship between the merchants and nobles and the lower-class commoners and ensure that similar situations will not happen in Athkatla?"
The old man directly raised the problem that was bothering him.
As the top dignitary of this business empire, he possesses extraordinary vision and understanding, and is well aware of the crisis hidden beneath Am's prosperous appearance.
For example, there is the huge slum in the city, and those gangsters who can't find a decent job and wander around all day.
In addition to the city, there were also many traditional nobles outside the city who used various means to seize the land of self-cultivating farmers, or converted farmland into grassland to raise horses and cattle and sheep that could make more money, and fired and drove away all the tenant farmers, leaving them to fend for themselves.
If someone uses similar means against Amn one day, the latter's collapse and self-destruction will definitely not be much slower than Baldur's Gate.
Zuo Si replied meaningfully: “To ensure the smooth operation of a country and regime, it is nothing more than satisfying two basic prerequisites.
That is, people's need for security and basic material needs for life and survival.
Simply put, it is to maintain a good law and order environment while allowing as many people as possible to have a job to support themselves.
If that cannot be met, then find a way to transfer the crisis externally.
You should have considered this a long time ago, right?
For example, the law of pioneering and the law of the sea.”
"Oh? What do you think of these two codes?"
The old man suddenly became interested, and his eyes sparkled with a deep light.
"By encouraging exploration and opening up overseas colonies, those farmers who have lost their land and citizens who can't find jobs can be sent to other places. This is one of the ways Amn is currently using to transfer its own crisis. In addition to this, there is another financial means."
Having said that, Zuo Si took out a "Dante" gold coin from his pocket and gently placed it on the table.
“I have done tests. A gold coin like this made by Am contains only about 40% precious metals, and the rest are cheap metals such as lead, tin, and iron.
This is true not only for gold coins, but also for other silver coins, silver-gold coins and platinum coins.
And it explains why Amn has always been so interested in controlling trade routes rather than conquering more land.
Because actually occupying a piece of land means taking on the responsibility of protecting the residents on that land.
But you don't want to take on that responsibility, and the cost of fulfilling that obligation.
Just the opposite!
You have adopted a smarter and more cunning way of colonization, which is economic colonization.
By occupying trade routes and monopolizing a region's commerce, local residents will gradually accept and recognize the value of Amn's currency.
As a result, the region will need a lot of currency to support its daily transactions and various economic activities.
Both businessmen and civilians will try every means to hoard.
This hoarding is equivalent to indirectly increasing the credit and demand of the currency, and bringing unimaginable wealth to the coin minters.
I call this way of gaining wealth through coinage [seigniorage].”
Before he finished speaking!
Everyone present stood up and applauded at the same time.
The old man in the lead exclaimed loudly: "What incredible wisdom and insight! I didn't expect you to notice even this. I originally thought that this secret could be kept secret for a long time."
But Zuo Si smiled and shook his head: "No, you are wrong. I believe that many people in the continent of Faerun have noticed the ratio of precious metal content in Amn gold coins.
It’s just that the value of currency does not actually depend on itself, but on two other things, called credit and anchor.
The latter determines what the currency can buy.
The former determines how many people are willing to use it.
The two complement each other.
Today, merchants from Amn can be found in every corner of Faerun, offering nearly every type of merchandise.
Therefore, the currency minted by Amn would naturally be accepted by almost everyone.
But if one day Amn's finances and trade run into problems and it can no longer provide so many goods, then these currencies will naturally and inevitably depreciate.
The only way to avoid similar crises is to maintain and expand our trade advantages.”
"That's right! This is exactly the policy that Amn has always pursued. It seems that you have a unique and profound understanding of politics, diplomacy, economy and trade. Excuse me, are you interested in accepting the title of special adviser to the Council of Six?" The old man narrowed his eyes and tested cautiously.
"What are the benefits?" Zuo Si asked calmly.
"The advantage is that from the moment you accept this title, you will be the top ruler of this country just like us. You can enjoy all kinds of unknown hidden privileges, and even participate in elections when there is a vacancy in the six-member council." The old man smiled and revealed his trump card.
Zuo Si stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then nodded gently: "Okay, I accept. But there is an additional condition."
"Oh? What are the additional conditions?" The old man showed a curious expression on his face.
"Bernard and I are planning to sponsor an expedition team. If nothing goes wrong, they should discover an unfamiliar continent on the other side of the Traceless Sea. I hope that when the news comes back, everyone here can ensure that the benefits we deserve will not be lost."
Zuo Si made his request directly.
Because he knew that such heavy news could not be concealed, so he simply took the opportunity today to confront the other party.
"What? A continent! On the other side of the Traceless Sea?"
"Really?"
"Goddess of Fortune, bless you! How much trade and wealth can a completely unfamiliar continent bring?"
"Oh my God! Doesn't that mean..."
For a moment, the dignitaries who had been very calm originally showed reactions of shock, greed, or excitement.
You should know that Snowfall Port in the Shadowmoon Islands and Nanzalu Port in the southern Chult Jungle have brought Amn unimaginable and amazing profits.
It even allowed two previously unknown families to take off on the spot and gradually enter the ranks of top prestigious families.
"Quiet! Mind your manners!"
Seeing that the scene was a bit chaotic, the old man in the lead couldn't help but slammed the table hard.
Under his strong suppression, order was quickly restored in the study.
But this order is only superficial.
Secretly, everyone started to make their own plans.
After all, the benefits of a continent are so huge that no one will back down easily.
The old man obviously sensed this, frowned, and asked in an uncertain tone: "How do you know there is a continent across the Traceless Sea? Where did this news come from?"
Zuo Si shrugged and responded, “Sorry, I have no comment on this.
However, the expedition team should return with news and new routes by October or November next year at the latest.
By then, you will be able to distinguish the true from the false.
And I don’t want much, just a 50% share will be enough.
As for the rest, you can discuss how to distribute it among yourselves.
The old man pondered for a long time, discussed in a low voice with others around him for a moment, and finally nodded.
"No problem! On behalf of everyone present, I agree with your terms in principle. However, the specific details will have to wait until the news comes back before we discuss them. Finally, you are welcome to join us and become one of us."
“谢谢。我也很荣幸能够加入安姆这个大家庭。”
说完这句话，左思举起酒杯向在场所有人示意，然后做了个假喝的动作。
其他人也纷纷举起酒杯做出回应，仰起头一饮而尽。
至此，今天这场宴会最核心的部分已经算是完事了。
而宴会的举办者——克里斯皮安爵士，全程都站在门口的位置旁观，连说句话的资格都没有。
因为书房里的这二十几个人背后的家族，随便挑出一个来都能轻松把他按在地上反复摩擦。
不过相比起外面那些花钱买了入场券，但是却连旁听资格都没有的家伙比起来，克里斯皮安爵士其实还算是幸运的。
至少他知道了许多只有高层才知晓的秘密。
比如说如何使用经济、外交和舆论的方式搞垮一个城邦乃至国家； 再比如说安姆铸造货币，贵重金属含量只有区区四成，六人评议会利用这些货币光明正大的疯狂了敛财；
最后还有来自无痕之外西边另外一块大陆的消息。
等书房里的“大人物”们分批离开，重新回到外面一楼客厅参加宴会后，这位野心勃勃的贵族才终于回过神来，用十分复杂且充满羡慕的语气说道：“恭喜您，索斯阁下。您已经是这个国家主人中的一员了。”
“只不过是个顾问而已，没什么大不了的。而且我也没有太多时间浪费在各种没完没了的琐事上。我的真正身份是一名施法者，并不是什么政客或者家族领导人。”
左思满不在乎将手里装着葡萄酒的杯子随手往角落里一扔。
自从在匕首滩见过费伦大陆的酿酒工艺后，他就下定决心永远也不会去碰任何酒精类饮料。
“正因为如此才更令人感到嫉妒。毕竟您随随便便就达到了其他人可能努力一辈子都无法触及的高度。要知道从安姆成立至今，被接纳进真正统治核心圈子的家族和个人，加在一起都不超过四十个。”
在说这番话的时候，克里斯皮安爵士狠狠灌了一口烈酒，站在二楼的护栏附近，居高临下俯视着下边大厅内正在交谈和跳舞的宾客，内心之中仿佛有一团火在剧烈燃烧。
因为他明白，自己今天被获准旁听，实际上就是一个机会，一个进入最顶层权贵的机会。
如果足够努力，并且在接下来的一系列对外行动中取得巨大成功。
那么在十年、二十年之后，他和他的家族或许就有可能跨越那道无形的壁垒。
就在左思还想要说点什么的时候，一名穿着华丽礼服的中年男人从楼下走了上来，用十分夸张的动作冲两人鞠了一躬。
“晚上好，克里斯皮安爵士。还有您，伟大剧毒与疾病女神塔洛娜的选民——索斯爵士。”
“这位是……”
左思眼睛里闪过一丝疑惑。
他搜索了自己大脑的记忆区，可以百分之百肯定之前绝对没有见过对方。
“他就是法辛顿·罗诺尔公爵。我之前跟您提到过的。”
克里斯皮安爵士迅速收起脸上所有的情绪，以一个宴会举办者的身份做了个简单介绍。
法辛顿·罗诺尔？
伊塞亚·罗诺尔的父亲？ 左思眼睛里瞬间闪过一丝不易被察觉到的戏谑，立刻笑着说道：“原来是罗诺尔公爵，很荣幸认识你。”
“不！应该说荣幸的是我才对。”
法辛顿赶忙谦虚的单手抚胸再次鞠了一躬。
别看他平日里对平民一副趾高气昂的模样，但在这个国家真正的权贵面前，则会换上另外一幅面孔，不惜一切代价讨好对方。
所谓“欺下媚上”不外乎如此。
根据左思的调查，眼前这个家伙通过收买的方式，成功跟一些法官和卫兵队长建立了合作关系。
不仅在阿斯卡特拉有大量的走私生意，并且还跟给铜冠旅店提供角斗奴隶的捕奴队有密切联系，偷偷将各种人类、半身人和精灵贩卖到卡林杉。
其中有不少都是尚未成年就遭到拐带的儿童。
就在他暗中考虑要如何炮制这个家伙的时候，法辛顿立刻凑到近前，压低声音故作神秘的小声说道：“索斯爵士，我来的时候特地为您准备了一件礼物，就放在外面的马车里。”
“礼物？你该不会是……”
克里斯皮安爵士似乎猜到了什么，脸色顿时变得有些难看。
因为这可是在他的庄园里！ 真要爆出点什么丑闻，整个家族都会跟着蒙羞。
“别担心。我非常小心，并没有被任何人看到。”
说罢，法辛顿便带头走在前边引路。
没过一会儿功夫，三人就来到位于庄园别墅后方的空地上。
在不起眼的角落里，赫然停着一辆黑色的全封闭马车，就连窗户也从外面给遮蔽起来。
两名全副武装的卫兵站在旁边，警惕的观察着四周。
法辛顿没有发出任何声音，仅仅是挥了挥手便把卫兵驱赶到远处，自己亲手打开紧锁的车门。
瞬间！
一名手脚绑着绳子、嘴里塞着布条的精灵少女出现在视线范围之内。
她的皮肤呈深棕色，拥有一头乌黑靓丽的长发，身高大约在一米六左右，看起来相当的消瘦，体重可定不会超过六十公斤，全身上下的衣物非常少，上半身只有一件简易的自制皮甲，下半身则是一条仅能覆盖住大腿的皮质短裙。
至于年龄根本没办法通过外表分辨出来。
毫无疑问！
这就是一个典型的野精灵。
与那些高贵、优雅、掌握着大量知识、技术和魔法力量的表亲不同，他们就像是精灵中的荒野蛮族，生活在与世隔绝的荒原与森林中。
一些金精灵和月精灵甚至认为这些放弃了传统并蛮族化的同类，早就已经不能够被称之为精灵了。
事实上，野精灵的出现和历史要追溯到一万年前的三次皇冠战争，也就是精灵们自己的内战。
先后几个精灵王国、数不清的城市和村庄在这场浩劫中被摧毁。
其中有一部分无家可归的难民，就这样隐没在人迹罕至的山林中，慢慢成为最早的野精灵。
由于数量不多而且与世隔绝，因此他们渐渐抛弃了那些繁文缛节，主动选择拥抱自然与蛮荒，最终演变成现在的样子。
不过居住在安姆的野精灵数量并不多，只有极少数的小部落。
“如何，您对这份礼物还满意吗？要知道为了抓住她，我可是损失了好几个精明强悍的猎手。”法辛顿洋洋得意的询问道。
至于这位女性精灵，显然是被喂了什么昏睡、麻醉类的药物，眼下正陷入深度昏厥，对外界的一切都没有任何反应。
“满意！当然满意！”
左思露出了十分危险的笑容。
因为就在刚才，他突然灵光一闪想到了要怎么让眼前这个“人渣”得到应有的报应。
法辛顿还没有意识到正在讨好的目标已经对自己起了杀心，开始滔滔不绝讲述寻找和狩猎野精灵部落的过程，以及这些尖耳朵的家伙可以在卡林杉卖出怎样的高价。
而且还刻意强调，眼前这个野精灵少女是一名低级德鲁伊，其价值远比其他奴隶要高得多。
左思全程面带微笑听着这位罗诺尔公爵的自吹自擂，偶尔还会出声附和一下，实际在内心之中已经判了对方死刑。
在他的伪装与欺骗下，法辛顿自认为成功结交了一名实力强大的朋友。
两人就这样有说有笑的返回宴会现场，仿佛多年不见的老朋友一般。
只有身为主人的克里斯皮安爵士察觉到了情况似乎有点不对劲。
因为在他的印象中，左思似乎从未对任何第一次见面的人就表现得如此亲近。
更何况，法辛顿·罗诺尔和他背后的家族也不是什么重要角色。
不过颇有城府的克里斯皮安爵士没有表现出任何异样，反倒是饶有兴致想要看看左思打算要对罗诺尔家族做些什么。
……
就在庄园里的宴会继续召开时，远在阿斯卡特拉城内神殿区的下水道里，一场激烈的战斗正在进行中。
交战双方一个是正在寻找远古太阳神阿曼纳塔神庙的艾瑞尼卡斯，另外一个则是盘踞在这附近的眼魔群落。
才一个照面，艾瑞尼卡斯带着的那些地精、灰矮人和吸血鬼仆从就全军覆没。
因为这些家伙根本顶不住眼魔那恐怖的射线扫射。
尤其是不吃控制的吸血鬼，无一例外被绿色的解离射线变成了一堆毫无价值的尘埃。
就连艾瑞尼卡斯本人和他的姐妹巴荻也被打中了好几下，在皮肤表面留下了狰狞恐怖的伤疤。
Especially the huge Elder's Eye hiding in the back, which can not only release various rays and anti-magic force fields, but is also a warlock with a spellcasting level as high as LV17.
In addition, there are more than a dozen beholders and a large number of smaller Gauss beholders around. As soon as you show your head, you will be besieged by countless rays.
In addition, the slaves who are controlled by charm are also a big trouble.
"Damn it! Where did these beholders come from?"
Badi covered his chest which was torn by energy and couldn't help but cursed under his breath while gritting his teeth.
You don't need to ask to know that she was just hit by a dissociation ray.
Fortunately, its vitality is strong enough, otherwise it would have turned into a pool of powder like those descendants.
"I don't know! But I have a hunch that these beholders must know something, otherwise they would never block the passage." Erinikas responded with a gloomy face.
He had just added a lot of protective magic to himself, but he was suppressed by the opponent's anti-magic field as soon as he met the opponent, and almost died.
fortunately!
In addition to cannon fodder, this exploration also brought two clay golems, which blocked most of the attacks at critical moments.
However, the two loyal golems were quickly destroyed by the spell cast by the Eye of the Elder.
"We can't go on like this! We must retreat immediately! Otherwise, if we are blocked, these beholders will tear us to pieces."
Badi glanced at the monster searching in the distance and gave his advice.
You have to know that vampires are not liches, and there is no way they can be reborn after their bodies are completely destroyed.
What's more, she was not sure whether the Elder's Eye could cast a terrifying positive energy spell.
Erinikas lowered his head and thought for a moment, then nodded immediately: "Okay, let's retreat."
As the last word came out of his mouth, he quickly chanted the spell, summoning a large number of various alien creatures at once, and they all rushed towards the location of the Eye Demon.
Since each beholder has a large number of eye stalks, they can observe the surrounding environment at a 360-degree angle without blind spots.
When a large number of enemies were discovered, they immediately changed direction and started the ray bombing mode.
In the blink of an eye, colorful lights flashed in the air, looking like lasers from a distance.
It was as if the world of fantasy suddenly turned into the world of science fiction.
However, the Eye Demon's rays do more than just damage, they can also cause effects such as charm, control, dissociation, petrification, sleep, instant death, slowness, fear, etc.
So in the blink of an eye, this large group of summoned creatures were either controlled by charm, turned into stone statues, ran around screaming, fell to the ground and fell asleep, or turned into a pile of dust.
Others seemed to be in slow motion, with every move becoming extremely slow.
After just ten seconds, all the summoned alien creatures were wiped out, while the eye demons were unharmed.
But Erinikas and Badi had already used this time to cast teleportation magic and leave.
Under the command of the Eye of the Elder, the Eye Demons conducted a careful search of the surrounding passages. After confirming that the enemy had really left, they quickly returned to their nests.
Only a few beholders, gauss beholders and a large number of slave guards were left nearby.
Erinikas, who had successfully returned to the sewer base in the shopping mall area, was now standing in front of a huge portal, stroking his chin and lost in thought.
After three to five minutes, he sneered and said, "I understand!"
"Understand what?"
Badi casually threw away the body of the slave whose blood had just been sucked dry.
With the replenishment of fresh blood, the wounds on her body were healing at an incredible speed.
"I understand why Soth gave out so much important information so easily. He knows that it is impossible for us to defeat so many beholders and reach the temple with our strength alone. So he is waiting, waiting for us to take the initiative to seek cooperation, and then take the opportunity to put forward more conditions and requirements." Erinikas analyzed meaningfully.
Badi immediately showed a disdainful expression when he heard this: "Humph! Can't we slowly accumulate strength, you produce constructs and golems in large quantities, I convert more vampire descendants, and then use the advantage of numbers to directly flatten that beholder nest?"
Erinikas shook his head slightly: "In theory, it is possible. But the problem is that you have ignored the most important time.
Whether it is to create constructs and golems, or to transform more vampire descendants, it takes a considerable amount of time.
But Thors obviously won't give us that long.
So the only option now is to cooperate after paying a certain price.
It seems that the chosen ones of Talona, the goddess of poison and disease, are more difficult to deal with than expected.
And I think those beholders are lingering nearby because there is something hidden in the temple that interests them.
Maybe this is exactly what Soth wants."
"Do you need me to contact the woman named Rain?" Badi asked in an uncertain tone.
"No, there's no rush. Since we agreed to meet in two weeks, let's wait a little longer. I just need to use this time to observe the actions of those beholders so that I can have more bargaining chips in the next negotiation."
After saying this, Erinikas quickly cast a spell, transferring his own injuries to the slave next to him, and then walked straight to the room full of clones of the Elf Queen Alistar.
It goes without saying that he was going to vent all the boiling anger and desire in his heart in this way.
As for Badi, he stood aside with great interest as he watched his brother torture and abuse the clones, his eyes revealing a strong sense of pleasure.
After all, it was the Elf Queen Alistar herself who ordered the deprivation of the two's elven identities and life essences and their exile.
Therefore, Badi had a hatred for her that could not be described in words, and in his heart he extremely longed to one day strangle Alixing's neck with his own hands, suck her blood bit by bit, and then transform himself into a vampire derivative.
Unfortunately, this idea cannot be put into practice.
Badi knew very well that the Elf Queen Alixing belonged to Erinikas.
If you dare to cross the line, you will immediately be subjected to the latter's terrifying wrath.
But fortunately, as her life form changed from the living to the undead, her personality and behavioral habits were also undergoing drastic changes.
He even began to become addicted to the extreme pleasure brought by drinking blood and indulging in various desires.
Especially the newly transformed dark elf vampire, who can provide a lot of interesting and wonderful experiences in bed...
(End of this chapter)