Many seemingly powerful and invincible forces often disappear forever in the long river of history because of a defeat.

So when the Nelanther fleet appeared at the dock, all the residents of Baldur's Gate believed that they were doomed.

Many smart people even wanted to take their valuables with them and escape to other cities by land in a horse-drawn carriage.

As for the emergency recruitment order issued by Duke Berthe and Grand Duchess Lila Jennas, not many people responded. Everyone was busy escaping.

After all, there must be a prerequisite for the compulsory conscription of young and middle-aged men, that is, there must be an army under his command that can serve as a deterrent and force to maintain order.

But now, there are only a few people guarding the Flaming Fist Fortress left in the entire Baldur's Gate, and the rest have all been taken away by Duke Iltan.

There was a team of soldiers stationed outside the city, but the problem was that too many people wanted to escape, and as a result, all kinds of carriages and trucks blocked the only road leading to the city gate.

People inside can't go out, and people outside can't come in.

Many chambers of commerce that hired guards even fought for the escape route, fully demonstrating the selfish nature of businessmen.

Of course, ordinary people are not much better off and are also scrambling to escape.

The situation was heading towards uncontrollable chaos from the very beginning.

Fortunately, everything finally calmed down after a few hours as the Nelanther Islands fleet showed no intention of landing.

Immediately afterwards, Silver Shield and Duke Iltan, under the influence of psychic powers, "self-destructed" in public, instantly causing an uproar among the people of Baldur's Gate.

You know, they have always believed that Duke Iltan is an upright and selfless man. For many years, he has diligently commanded the Flame Fist Mercenaries to eliminate threats and provide protection for the city.

But who could have imagined that such a person would collude with the Duke of Silver Shield and use his power to embezzle countless taxes.

As for Anta Silver Shield, who controlled the maritime trade, he used various means of coercion and inducement to drive away competitors, allowing his family and allies to control the most profitable trade routes.

So in a very short period of time, the people of Baldur's Gate went from initial panic to anger, and they gathered in the port area and roared that they wanted to hang or burn the two criminals.

If they hadn't been stopped by the sailors led by the hobgoblins, they would probably have been beaten to death.

However, as the influence of the psychic power disappeared, when Irtan and Anta Silver Shield realized what they had just done, they felt as if they had fallen into an extremely cold ice cave. They couldn't help but tremble slightly all over, and were filled with panic and fear.

The latter, in particular, tried to explain to the onlookers that he had just been affected by magical power.

But unfortunately, no matter how he explained, no one believed him.

In contrast, Iltan quickly realized the enemy's intention in doing so, which was to undermine the huge personal prestige he had built up in Baldur's Gate over the years.

He did not try to defend himself like his allies did, but simply watched it all with indifference.

Because he knew that as long as he still controlled the Flaming Fist Mercenaries, no one could remove him from the position of Grand Duke.

As for the angry people and businessmen, they are nothing but a mob in front of the powerful army of violence machines.

When the time comes, just suppress it a little bit and kill a few of the ringleaders, and everything will return to normal.

The most urgent task at the moment is to negotiate with the fleet of the Nalanther Islands behind him and demand that the other party release himself and all the captured Flame Fist mercenaries. This is the most important thing.

But Iltan did not realize that his thoughts had deviated from the lawful neutral camp and were getting closer and closer to lawful evil.

And because his memory was modified, he completely forgot what happened before. The only thing on his mind was to keep the power in his hands at all costs so that no one could take it away from him.

Compared to the two dukes who were captured, the other two fell into ecstasy after a brief panic.

Duke Belt, who controls the guilds and land merchants, and Grand Duchess Lila Jennas, who was almost sidelined by Anta Silver Shield, suddenly found that this defeat was not a bad thing.

At least the power I lost is back.

Especially after the "self-destruction", Iltan and Anta Silver Shield seemed to be completely finished.

So without any hesitation, they quickly sent envoys to negotiate with the fleet of the Nalanther Islands, striving to quickly conclude an armistice agreement that would satisfy both sides, even if it cost a little more.

As for the responsibility and blame for the defeat...

Of course, all the blame was put on Anta Silver Shield and Irtan, and the two were completely nailed to the pillar of shame in history, never to be able to turn over.

If possible, it would be best to liquidate all the families and allies behind them.

However, the families and allies behind Anta Silver Shield and Irtan were not fools either. They also sent envoys to try to redeem the two.

Under Vanessa's manipulation, a drama that was originally about a foreign invasion gradually evolved into an internal struggle between the four dukes of Baldur's Gate and two political forces.

"My old friend, your manipulation of power and human hearts is as frightening as ever."

Looking at the two groups of messengers who were deliberately arranged together not far away, Jeffrey couldn't help but sigh.

Obviously, the nature of the negotiations changed completely after the two groups met and understood each other's intentions.

Duke Bert and Grand Duchess Lila Jennas, who had just regained power, would never allow Anta Silver Shield and Iltan to come back at this time, so they would do everything they could to prevent them from regaining their freedom by paying the ransom.

At least not until his family, allies and political power are liquidated.

On the other hand, the latter’s family, allies and political forces are no fools and are aware of the huge crisis they are facing.

If Iltan and Anta Silver Shield cannot be redeemed, the other two dukes will surely put themselves to death after completely stabilizing the situation and taking over power.

The end result was that both sides could only gain the support of the Nalanther Islands fleet, which was supposed to be their enemy, by constantly raising the price.

It is such a magical scene that most people probably wouldn’t believe it if they didn’t see it with their own eyes.

Vanessa smiled meaningfully and responded, “No, it’s not that my methods are so brilliant, but that the enemy is too stupid.

To be honest, I really can't imagine how Baldur's Gate can survive crisis after crisis with idiots like Iltan and Antar Silvershield ruling the city.

If I were the mastermind behind this, I would have turned them all into puppets to be controlled.

Moreover, there is no decent magical power in Baldur's Gate. The person with the highest spellcasting level should be the owner of the witchcraft grocery store - Habaser Derin.

If I remember correctly, his spellcasting level should be between LV13 and LV15."

"I've heard of Habaser Delin. He has a good level of alchemy and is very good at exploiting apprentices to make various low-level magic items. He should have monopolized almost 50% of the arcane magic resources in the surrounding area. Only Tyrantyr who lives in the High Fence Castle west of Belgost can barely compete with him."

Jeffrey stroked his chin and told the story of the only two high-level spellcasters near Baldur's Gate.

In fact, when they were making their plan, the liches had already regarded the two high-level wizards as potential threats.

Not only did he collect a large amount of intelligence about them, but he also used prophecy magic to conduct a series of explorations on their spell lists.

This is also the reason why Vanessa gathered so many core members within the organization.

Although mages of the level of Tyrantil and Habaser Derin are basically unlikely to be employed by the Duke of Baldur's Gate.

But he still prepared for the worst.

However, judging from the current situation, the two do not seem to be involved in these messy things.

“Don’t worry, my friend.

According to Lord Soth, now is not the best time to reach into Baldur's Gate.

All we have to do is weaken it and then develop it into a trade node subordinate to the Nelanther Islands.

Only when the city's upper rulers and chambers of commerce engaged in maritime trade have completely become vassals will it be the time to truly bring it under control.

As for Habaser Delin and Tailantyr, I will find an opportunity to invite them out for a talk when the time is right.

I believe they will not refuse to cooperate with us.

Of course, if these two guys don't know what's good for them, I don't mind letting them know what the consequences of being our enemy are."

As she said this, a fierce light flashed in Vanessa's eyes.

由于他原本就是死灵系专精法师的关系，所以比组织内另外几名成员都要更快适应自己的巫妖身份，对于毁灭、破坏、杀戮这种事情完全没有半点心理障碍。

根本不会因为对方是跟自己一样的法师就手下留情。

杰弗里显然非常清楚自己这位老朋友是什么样的人，不由得苦笑着摇了摇头：“别做的太过火。别忘了索斯阁下不止一次强调过，我们的原则是人不犯我、我不犯人。除非对方主动招惹，否则最好不要使用武力手段。”

瓦内萨轻笑着回应道：“不用担心，我有分寸。而且眼下的目标是让博德之门的公爵公开承认自己战败，然后跟我们签订一份条约。”

“呵呵，我想外面那两拨使者应该比你更着急才对。”杰弗里忍不住开了句玩笑。

事实证明他说的一点都没错。

才双方从见面到现在一共不到十分钟，就已经开始争先恐后向埃里克做出各种各样的许诺，甚至不惜大肆出卖博德之门的利益，只为换取这位海盗头子站在自己一边。

尤其是安塔·银盾和伊尔坦背后的家族，几乎到了不惜倾家荡产也要先把人赎回来的程度。

因为他们非常清楚，贝尔特公爵和莉拉·珍娜斯女大公长期受到家族领导者的排挤跟打压，肯定早就积累了一肚子的怨恨。

如果真的夺回所有权力成为这座城市的统治者，那么自己必然会死无葬身之地。

到时候无论是财富、土地、还是其他什么东西，统统都会被毫不留情的夺走。

更何况，眼下整个博德之门的市民也都开始对伊尔坦与安塔·银盾充满了愤怒。

甚至都不需要通过法律手段进行宣判，只要稍微挑动一下那些“刁民”的情绪，他们就会像疯了一样成群结队冲进自己家里，然后杀光所有男人、强暴一切有姿色的女人，最终带着财富和战利品扬长而去。

类似的事情在费伦大陆早已不是第一次发生。

别说是博德之门这样的商业城市，就是由正义之神提尔信徒统治的无冬城都不止一次发生过市民暴动的情况。

所以在恐惧的支配下，两个家族几乎是没有任何底线。

贝尔特公爵和莉拉·珍娜斯女大公的使者每开出一个新的条件，他们立刻就会毫不犹豫选择跟进。

现金不够就用货物抵押，货物不够就用房产和土地抵押，再不够就把自己控制的贸易线路也抵押出去……

如此疯狂的举动，连前来谈判的使者都傻眼了。

他完全无法想象，在失去了这一切之后，就算成功把人赎回去又能怎么样？ 其家族势力百分之百会选入衰落乃至崩溃的边缘！ 最终，在瓦内萨的示意下，埃里克接受了两个家族开出的条件，允许他们在支付赎金之后把安塔·银盾和伊尔坦放了回去。

看着两名俘虏极其家族成员被市民狂仍臭鸡蛋、烂菜叶子的壮观场面，杰弗里忍不住笑着调侃道：“他们俩苦心经营的名声算是彻底完蛋了呢。刨除仍旧掌管着焰拳佣兵的伊尔坦，安塔·银盾恐怕会不可避免的为战败负责。”

“安塔·银盾的死活跟我们没有任何关系。不出意外的话，接下来伊尔坦应该会不惜一切代价，把我们手上俘虏的焰拳佣兵和大量武器装备都赎回去。因为只有如此，他才能保证另外两名公爵不敢轻易发动清算。”

瓦内萨明显早已安排好了一切，整个计划一环扣一环，压根不给对手任何选择的余地。

大概不到一个小时的功夫，重新回到焰拳佣兵总部城堡的伊尔坦，第一时间就派出了自己的亲信副官史卡偷偷送来了一份投降书和相应的协议。

由于他本人依然是博德之门的大公爵，有代表城市签署任何协议的权力。

而协议的内容，正是瓦内萨想要通过这次行动得到的。

所以他毫不犹豫让埃里克在上边签字，然后当场释放所有俘虏，并向博德之门全体市民发出宣告。

得知这个消息，贝尔特公爵和莉拉·珍娜斯女大公又惊又怒。

惊的是耐兰瑟尔群岛的舰队竟然真的把这两个“祸害”放了回来，让自己之前的一切动作就像小丑一样可笑。

怒的则是战败被俘，而且名声已经臭大街的伊尔坦和安塔·银盾，居然有脸继续以公爵的身份代表博德之门，签下了一系列充满耻辱的赔偿条款。

更可气的是他们还必须得承认。

不然要是敢撕毁，刚刚离开的强大舰队随时都有可能会再次掉头。

除此之外，得到保证以后费用会一视同仁的商人们，也不会支持任何有可能导致战争，让自己利益再次受损的提议。

无奈之下，贝尔特公爵和莉拉·珍娜斯女大公只能尝试着去煽动市民的愤怒情绪，打算以此来作为要挟的筹码，防止仍旧掌握着军权的伊尔坦狗急跳墙。

一时之间，整个博德之门都陷入了既紧张又安静的诡异氛围中。

没有人知道接下来会发生什么，也没有人知道已经撕破脸的公爵们下一步会采取怎样的行动。

总之，瓦内萨已经达成所有预定目标，并且第一时间进行了汇报。

“直接激化矛盾迫使博德之门的公爵们分成两派彼此敌视吗？我只能说干得真是漂亮！如果这种状态能维持到巴尔之子开始觉醒，那到时候情况就会变得相当有意思了。沙洛佛克，我可是帮了你一个大忙呢，伱可要记得感恩呀……”

左思脸上挂着玩味的笑容看完了巫妖送来的报告，随手将其点燃并丢进旁边的垃圾桶。

不用问也知道，对于这个结果他是相当的满意。

因为在整个事件中，瓦内萨非常好的把握住了分寸，没有给深水城、无冬城、银月城这样的北地领主联盟重要成员留下任何口实和把柄。

而且通过让安塔·银盾和伊尔坦当众自爆，证明了之前发动的经济制裁完全是“正义”的。

博德之门就是由几个贪婪邪恶的寡头商人统治的城邦，高层为了自己的利益几乎什么事情都做得出来。

既然敌人是邪恶的。那么耐兰瑟尔群岛的舰队自然做什么都不应该受到指责。

“沙洛佛克是谁？”维尔梅斯十分疑惑的问。

左思笑着回应道：“一个在烛堡认识的年轻人。他的养父是铁王座商会的领袖瑞塔，亲生父亲则是被希瑞克干掉的谋杀之神巴尔。”

“一个巴尔之子？”

维尔梅斯惊讶的挑起了眉毛。

没办法，巴尔之子实在是太有名了。

要知道在这位神大批量制造子嗣之前，费伦大陆的神之子数量其实非常稀少且罕见，每一个都被相应神祇的教会视作宝贝。

可经历了动荡之年后，所有人都震惊的发现，巴尔干了一件令众神和凡人都瞠目结舌的事情，那就是大批量的制造了成千上万蕴含着自己神性的子女。

更离谱的是除了智慧生物之外，甚至还有各种各样的动物。

这直接导致原本在凡人心目中高高在上的神明形象，一下子被拉低了不少。

某些生殖崇拜的小团体，还把死去谋杀之神视作自己的偶像。

“没错！但他不是普通的巴尔之子，而是那种注定会察觉到体内神性，然后掀起一阵腥风血雨的野心家。”

左思一边说着，一边将刚刚抄录完大量法术的《博卡布祝福书》合上。

为了方便查找和记忆，他稍微花费了一点时间，把自己目前掌握的法术都全部记录在这一本书里，并且按照等级跟派系做了分类。

当然，代价就是这本足足有一千多页的法术书被塞得满满当当，几乎没有多少空白页面可以用来抄录八环法术了。

不过左思已经联系上刚刚获得晋升的卡林港魔法物品商人——艾莎，并与其达成了一系列的合作意向，同时委托对方再高价收购一本《博卡布祝福书》。

按照他的计算，想要把整个费伦大陆所有的法术都记载下来，自己至少需要八到十本《博卡布祝福书》才勉强够用。

“所以你打算利用他来达成某些不可告人的目的？”维尔梅斯用不是很确定的语气试探道。

“是的。不过不是现在，而是不久的将来。对了，你最近都在忙什么？”

左思显然并不像跟红龙谈太多关于这方面的事情，主动岔开了话题。

维尔梅斯翘起嘴角回答道：“当然是在帮助艾什泰兰瑟受孕。事实上就在几天前，她已经成功进入产蛋期，用不了多久便会产下至少两到三枚龙蛋。最多一年半之后，我就能利用这些龙蛋让自己的体型和能力达到足以媲美老年红龙的水准。”

"Wow! It's scary that they're so cruel even to their own kind."

Zuo Si patted his chest in an exaggerated manner, pretending to be frightened.

"Stop pretending to be innocent! Didn't you teach me this method?"

Wilmes rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Humph! Whatever you say, you will definitely have a part to play in this matter.

In addition, as you requested, I have begun large-scale hybrid experiments on various animals and dragons in the basement of the Mage Tower.

Soon a large number of companion dragon creatures of various shapes will be born, so you'd better be mentally prepared.

You should know that the descendants of red dragons are usually not very obedient and are very aggressive. "

Wilmes reminded solemnly.

Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Don't worry. Why do you think I provide Qiwu with so many goblin brains as food every day? With the strength of its psychic power now, it can easily be attacked by a group of half-dragon animals with low IQs, even if a grown dragon comes."

"Damn it! You always think of everything in advance no matter what you do."

When Wilmes thought about what was in his mind, he felt a pain in his stomach.

If she had known that this would happen, she would have chosen to sign the magic contract and actively cooperate instead of refusing a toast and then drinking a forfeit.

Now, as the power of the strange object becomes stronger and stronger, even if she becomes a recognized dragon king like Balagos "Flying Flame" one day, she will still be controlled by others.

Although this kind of control did not make her very disgusted most of the time.

"Thank you for the compliment. Being a spellcaster who is always prepared at all times is always my goal. If there is nothing else, you can return to the Mage Tower and keep an eye on the captives."

After saying that, Zuo Si no longer paid attention to the red dragon, took out the second chapter of the Netheril scroll, and began to read it attentively.

As a "time management master", he fills his daily schedule from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed.

Apart from eating, there is almost no rest and entertainment.

To be precise, entertainment activities in the continent of Faerun are still in a very primitive stage.

Whether it is stage plays, bards' singing and playing, or various circuses and clown performances, to an earthling from the information age, they all seem dull and boring.

Especially the former, which is so embarrassing that one can dig out a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment with one's toes.

As for those entertainment activities that are restricted to adults only, Zuo Si is temporarily unable to participate in them.

Therefore, the only thing left to do is to study, research, experiment and make various magical items, equipment and props.

Occasionally, he would go through the portal to the wizard towers of other liches in the organization to extract energy to make cards.

The days passed one by one, and when the time agreed with Erinikas came, Zuo Si put down all the things at hand and met Rain again at the sewer entrance of the Woking shopping mall area.

Without further ado, the latter directly presented the book containing the legendary magic - Mummy's Dust.

"A legendary spell book? Shangela gave it to you!"

Zuo Si opened it and flipped through it. He immediately recognized with the Eye of Knowledge that this magic was the easiest to learn among the many legendary spells.

Rain nodded without hesitation: "Yes, he gave it to me. And I can feel that he is very obsessed with the contents of the notebook. He should start trying it soon."

"Haha, great. I can't wait to see his reaction when he finds out that he has completely lost his ability to cast spells after obtaining the first-level creator profession."

There was a chilling light in Zuo Si's eyes.

You know, this is how he was led into this ditch by the Archnecromancer Asta.

If it weren't for the trump card of the Planeswalker, I would have wanted to die.

Now, it's time to let others have a taste of that, too.

After all, good things should be kept for yourself, but pain and disaster must be shared with your enemies.

"Believe me, if this situation really happens, Shangela will summon me back immediately. Then..."

Rain pursed her lips and a sinister smile appeared.

"Then we will charge at his doorstep and give him a big surprise. By the way, we will also let the Lords of the Symbols, including Lagon, understand that I am someone they cannot afford to offend. Your mission is to confirm the location of Shangela's hidden phylactery as soon as possible."

Zuo Si directly filled in the unspoken part of the second half of the sentence.

Nothing can deter the Entanglement Symbols more than killing a Symbol Master.

Rain quickly placed one hand on her chest and bowed deeply: "Please rest assured, I have probably guessed where the mentor will hide his life box, I just need to confirm it a little bit."

"Okay, let's stop here with the matter of the Entanglement Talisman. Let's go meet Erinikas together."

As he spoke, Zuo Si took the lead and walked towards the depths of the sewer.

Since he had been here last time, he had memorized all the forks in the road with his amazing memory.

After about ten minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the opponent's secret base.

But what’s interesting is that the clay golem that was guarding the door last time has disappeared, replaced by more advanced and powerful stone golems and iron golems.

And without exception, they are all new products that have been manufactured recently.

As for Erinikas himself, it took him less than half a minute to come out.

"It seems that your exploration is not going very smoothly, right?" Zuo Si asked meaningfully.

He could guess with just a little thought that the powerful elven wizard in front of him must have suffered a great loss at the hands of the Eye Demon.

"Did you know that there is a large group of beholders gathering near the temple?" A hint of anger flashed in Erinikas' eyes.

"Of course! Otherwise, why do you think I revealed so much important information so easily? And gave you two whole weeks?"

Zuo Si raised the corner of his mouth and gave a straightforward affirmative answer, his expression seeming to reveal naked and undisguised mockery.

Fortunately, Erinikas was a calm and composed person who never expressed his emotions. He quickly adjusted his mood and said in a slightly cold tone: "I used you, and you also schemed against me. This time we are even. Let's put aside the unpleasant experience and sit down to talk about cooperation."

"Even? Are you kidding? I was sincere last time, but you betrayed me. Unless you give me enough compensation, I don't plan to cooperate with you again."

Zuo Si started to take advantage of the situation again, hoping to gain some extra benefits first.

He knew very well that the other party had a lot of good things in his hands.

How can I justify myself if I don't take the opportunity to blackmail someone?

"What compensation do you want?"

Erinikas obviously didn't want to dwell on this issue any longer and decisively chose to compromise.

After all, he was in the wrong first, so it is not unacceptable for him to pay a small price in exchange for further cooperation.

Moreover, Erinikas' ultimate goal has always been to find out what the essence of God is.

As for other things like money, material, magical knowledge and skills, it doesn't matter if they are all given away.

Zuo Si stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then slowly extended two fingers: "First, I want a powerful enough magic item as compensation. Second, I need some gray dwarf blacksmiths. You should have quite a few here, right?"

"Can!"

Erinikas agreed without even thinking about it.

In fact, he had created quite a few magical items since settling in Athkatla, so he could just pick one out.

As for the gray dwarves, without exception, they are all cheap slaves, and even skilled blacksmiths are not scarce.

Soon, the elven wizard turned around and went back to the base. After a while, he reappeared at the door with eight gray dwarves and an activated magic shield that could float around the holder's body and automatically block enemy attacks.

"Here, this is a +4 [Active Guardian Shield], which has a certain degree of resistance to fire, strong acid, frost, and lightning. It also has the property of reflecting all ranged weapon attacks. I think it should be enough as compensation. In addition, these gray dwarf blacksmith slaves are now yours."

"Thank you. Now we are even."

Zuo Si immediately used the special ability of the land card that was in effect, paid mana to open a portal to the wizard tower, and sent all the gray dwarf blacksmiths back first.

The Active Shield is directly activated, causing it to automatically float around the body.

After finishing all this, he smiled and said, "Now, we can finally talk about cooperation."

"How much do you know about those beholders? For example, why did they appear in the sewers of Athkatla? And why did they block the road and not let anyone get close? Even the teleportation magic has been completely blocked."

Erinikas asked several questions that were bothering him at once.

You have to know that creatures like Eye Demons usually don't appear in groups.

Especially for beholders of different types and appearances, let alone living together, even meeting each other may immediately lead to a life-and-death fight.

After all, in the Eye Demon's cognition and thinking, he is the most perfect offspring of the Eye Demon's creator, the Great Mistress, and other Eye Demons that look different from him are all inferior imitations and have no right to survive.

Therefore, when two eye demons with obviously different appearances meet, they will immediately notice the subtle differences between each other and themselves, and then they will feel uncontrollable anger, and finally fight until one of them dies completely.

Not to mention monsters like the Gaussian Eye Demon that are obviously smaller in size, which are not even considered as their own kind by normal Eye Demons.

But that day, Erinikas saw the Beholders, Gauss Beholders, and Elder Eyes gathered together and worked together, which was even more incredible than seeing the kind-hearted dark elves.

Zuo Si stroked his chin and pretended to think for a few minutes before he said meaningfully, "As far as I know, the reason why this group of eye demons gathered here is actually to look for something, a powerful artifact stored in the temple of the ancient sun god Amaunator."

"Artifact? What artifact?"

A gleam of surprise flashed in Erinikas' eyes.

"Sorry, I'm not sure about this, but what is certain is that its power is so amazing that even the Eye Demon has a strong interest in it."

This time, Zuo Si did not cheat or lie.

Because the description of the artifact is so vague that it is impossible to determine from those few words who made the artifact, what its uses and effects are.

The only thing he knew was that this artifact was a scepter that could release amazing energy shocks.

Erinikas had a thoughtful expression on his face. He touched his hands and muttered to himself, "A sacred artifact? A temple of the ancient sun god Amaunator hidden deep underground? A saint who is still alive even though his true body is completely dead? It seems that things are getting complicated..."

"What? Do you want to give up?" Zuo Si asked with a chuckle.

"Humph! How is that possible! Let's not talk about the artifact and the Saint of Amanata for now, let's first discuss how to deal with these beholders.

According to my last observation, there is an Elder Eye among them with a very high level of arcane spellcasting.

If this big problem is not solved, it will be impossible to pass it on quietly."

While saying this, Erinikas showed strong fear.

He would never forget that it was the anti-magic force field of the Elder's Eye that suppressed almost all of his magical protection in an instant.

But Zuo Si shook his head disapprovingly: "No. I think it would be better to make everything clear at the beginning to avoid the problem of unclear ownership later. Since your target is the Saint, then the artifact naturally belongs to me. In addition, you have to take out the various knowledge, books and notes that you promised last time."

"Don't you think you've gotten too much?" Erinikas asked expressionlessly.

"Perhaps. But I will personally eliminate all other beholders except the Elder Eye, as well as the slaves they control. Is this enough for you?"

Zuo Si calmly put forward the conditions.

Swarms of beholders are a horrific nightmare for anyone, even legendary wizards.

But in his opinion, as long as they are not constructs, elements, or undead, then beholders, devils, demons, and other creatures from other planes are actually not much different from ordinary people and animals.

It only takes a few viruses, bacteria and toxins to easily kill them all.

However, high-level eye demons like the Elder Eye that possess powerful spellcasting abilities may possess some powerful magic or abilities that can prevent themselves from being poisoned or killed by disease like ordinary eye demons.

"Oh? What are you going to do?" Erinikas' eyes lit up slightly.

After all, this is a good opportunity to observe the power of the Chosen Ones of the Goddess of Poison and Disease up close.

"So you agree?" Zuo Si confirmed again.

"Yes, I agree. I'll follow your distribution plan."

Erinikas did not dwell on the issue.

Although the divine weapon is good, for him who aspires to become a god, it is far less attractive than a saint.

Zuo Si showed a satisfied expression after hearing this: "Great. Actually, my method is very simple.

That is to prepare dozens of cannon fodder, first let them be infected with viruses, bacteria and toxins, and then throw them near the Eye Demon's lair, so that these guys can be controlled, captured, or even become food for the Eye Demon.

In this way, a terrible plague will spread throughout the beholder's lair.

All we have to do is block the only two entrances and exits and kill anyone who comes out."

"Poison and plague? That's a brilliant idea."

Erinikas was generous with his praise.

Nothing can better demonstrate a mage's wisdom and power than solving the enemy's problems in the easiest way.

It’s a pity that he himself is not good at these.

To be exact, the elven city of Thordanisla prohibits all magical research related to the undead faction.

Lian Badi's vampire transformation ritual was the result of the two of them secretly researching it.

Just like that, after getting the books and notes promised by the other party, Zuo Si quickly began to search for the most terrifying, deadly and contagious viruses, bacteria and toxins in his body, extracted them and injected them into the bodies of dozens of goblins.

After doing all this, Erinikas immediately threw them near the Eye Demon's lair.

As expected, all the goblins were hit by countless rays of domination the moment they appeared and turned into slaves controlled by charm.

A few hungry beholders even tore the captured goblins into pieces on the spot and ate them alive.

With the help of these hosts, the plague in its incubation period began to spread rapidly within the nest.

Be it the Eye Demon or the controlled slaves, all of them were infected in less than half an hour.

When the first goblin began to lie on the ground, madly spewing blood plasma and rotten internal organs from his mouth, the horrible disaster finally arrived.

In less than ten minutes, the slaves with the worst physical conditions died at an alarming rate.

The next to be affected was the smaller Gauss Eye Demon.

They kept shooting magic rays in all directions like crazy, creating huge chaos in an instant.

At first, the Eye of the Elder thought it was just a minor disturbance and immediately ordered other Eye Demons to suppress it.

But soon, it saw with its own eyes that the genuine Eye Demons it had sent out also went crazy.

Colorful energy rays kept flashing in the nest, and even some eye demons began to bleed profusely from their eyes, and it couldn't be stopped no matter what.

Others' bodies began to swell continuously, and finally exploded with a bang, with large amounts of blood plasma, minced meat, and internal organs splattering everywhere.

Since he had no idea what was going on, Elder Eye, as the supreme leader of the entire Eye Demon community, immediately thought of leaving this evil place.

So, it immediately took the remaining eye demons that were still alive and rushed to the entrance leading to the outside.

I didn't realize that the door was already filled with all kinds of traps and ambushes...

(End of this chapter)