Zuo Si raised his head and looked with interest at this guy who had been avoiding him since the beginning of school.
The crushing battle in the Slytherin common room left a huge shadow in Malfoy's heart, so much so that he would subconsciously turn around and run away whenever they met on weekdays.
He was very curious about what this guy wanted to say today that suddenly mustered up the courage to run up to him.
"I want to talk to you, alone." Malfoy glanced at Hermione and said solemnly.
"I'm going outside to get some fresh air."
The girl stood up and walked out of the car without saying a word and chose to avoid it.
In her opinion, this should be a conversation within the Slytherin house, so she, a member of the Gryffindor house, should not get involved.
After Hermione was completely gone, Malfoy gestured to his two followers to guard the door. He then walked in like a little adult, took out an envelope from his arms and placed it on the table.
"What is this?" Zuo Si asked calmly.
"My father, Lucius Malfoy, asked me to pass it to you. He said you will understand after reading it." Malfoy replied very stiffly.
It can be seen that this spoiled young master actually does not want to get close to the "dangerous person" in front of him, but he dare not disobey the task assigned by his father, so his mental state is very nervous and fearful.
Now this pretended calmness is completely fake.
Realizing that Draco was just a messenger, Zuo Si immediately turned his attention to the envelope on the table. He picked it up, opened it, glanced at it, and immediately showed a playful smile on his face. He asked meaningfully, "Do you know the content of this letter?"
"I don't know." Malfoy shook his head slightly.
"It's best not to know. Because the content of this letter will overturn your understanding of your father. If there is nothing else, you can leave with the two followers outside."
After saying this, Zuo Si stuffed the letter back into the envelope and made a gesture to drive the person away.
Because Draco is still a child who knows nothing, and his mind is full of thoughts about how to take revenge on Harry Potter for making him look bad in public.
It takes four or five years for the two to truly realize how childish and ridiculous their previous behavior was after they have loved and hated each other.
There is no way around it. This is the stage that humans must go through in their growth and no one can escape it.
"What did my father say to you in the letter?" Malfoy asked curiously.
Zuo Si shrugged and replied, "It's nothing special, just the way of survival that some pure-blood families have passed on to this day. Believe me, it's too early for you to learn these things. You should continue to look for Harry Potter to release the twisted and morbid love in your heart. Don't worry, I won't discriminate against you. After all, in the UK, this kind of thing has long been commonplace."
"You...what nonsense are you talking about! I...Potter and I are not in the kind of relationship you said." Malfoy's face turned red in shock and anger.
He simply couldn't imagine how bad his reputation in school would become if these words got out.
"Okay, okay, whatever you say is what it is. Anyway, you can fool others but not your own heart."
Zuo Si's mouth corners slightly raised as he admired the other person's frustrated look.
"Did you do this on purpose?!"
Malfoy seemed to realize something and his expression suddenly turned very ugly.
At this moment, he regretted for the first time his impulsive behavior at the beginning of the school year.
At the same time, I finally understood that this peer who looked about the same age as me was simply a living devil who played with people's hearts.
"Haha, guess what?"
Zuo Si deliberately cast his gaze towards the door of the carriage.
Only then did Malfoy realize that Crabbe and Goyle were staring at him with horrified eyes, obviously having heard what had just been said.
“Damn it!”
He couldn't help but curse under his breath, and without bothering to argue with Zuo Si, he walked out and took his two followers with him and disappeared into the carriage at the end of the corridor outside.
If nothing unexpected happens, he won't have to do anything else during this trip, and his time will probably be wasted on explaining his and Harry Potter's "innocence".
A few minutes after the three of them left, Hermione leisurely returned the same way and asked with a forced smile: "What did you say to Malfoy just now? He seemed to be in a bit of a bad mood."
"Nothing, just a brief mention of the ill-fated relationship between him and Harry." Zuo Si teased in a half-joking tone.
"Bad fate?!"
When Hermione heard this word, her eyes lit up slightly, and the fire of gossip burned fiercely in her heart.
Zuo Si explained with a smile: "That's right. This is a story of love turning into hate, and also a story of an extremely twisted and morbid heart. Can you guess why Malfoy always likes to make trouble for Harry?"
"Uh...is it because of the conflict at the door on the first night of school?" Hermione asked back in an uncertain tone.
"Yes and no. I believe that with your intelligence, you should be able to see that Malfoy originally wanted to make friends with Harry, right?" Zuo Si induced step by step.
Hermione lowered her head and recalled for a moment, then quickly nodded: "Yes, that's right. But is there any necessary connection between this and Malfoy's trouble with Harry later?"
"Of course it does matter! Have you heard of the phrase 'love turns to hate'? In fact, our proud Master Malfoy has always loved Harry deeply in his heart.
It's just that he felt embarrassed when he was rejected for the first time when he confessed his feelings in public, so he frantically tried to attract Harry's attention by making trouble.
Malfoy was also jealous of Ron and Harry's overly close relationship.
So under the influence of various negative emotions, this kind of love is gradually distorted and eventually becomes what we see.”
Zuo Si analyzed it seriously and carefully.
Although he knew that he was just playing a prank out of boredom, the girl's young mind was greatly stimulated, and her pupils quickly dilated, contracted, and then dilated again uncontrollably, showing the owner's drastic emotional fluctuations.
About two or three minutes later, Hermione suddenly came back to her senses, covering her mouth and exclaiming, "Oh my God! This... This is simply unbelievable! No wonder I always felt that Malfoy looked at Harry and Ron in a weird way. But I heard that the wizarding world is very conservative, isn't it? How... How could an outlier like Malfoy appear?"
"Conservative?" Zuo Si sneered. "Believe me, the openness of the wizarding world in this regard is far beyond your imagination. Do you know that our headmaster Dumbledore always likes to wear a conspicuous witch hat? Do you know why he is so old and has neither married nor had children?"
"Why?!"
Hermione's curiosity was completely aroused.
"Because Dumbledore's lover was the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald, whom he defeated personally. They met and fell in love when they were very young, and even made a blood pact to never hurt each other." Zuo Si bluntly revealed the secret hidden in the heart of his headmaster.
"Ah?! Is this true?"
Hermione's eyes widened with an expression of disbelief.
Although she has read a lot of books, none of them records the inside information that only the parties involved know.
Zuo Si smiled and nodded: "Of course it's true. Our headmaster, Dumbledore, who is known as the greatest wizard of our time, is actually a very pathetic person.
When he was young, his biological sister was accidentally seen using magic by several Muggle children, and was then violently bullied and abused. As a result, his father completely exploded and retaliated, and was eventually imprisoned in Azkaban until his death.
After graduating from school, he met Gellert Grindelwald.
The two hit it off at first sight, and since they had very similar ideals and desires, they quickly fell in love.
At one point they even wanted to overturn the Statute of Secrecy and build a world dominated by wizards.
Well, doesn't it sound incredible?
The great white wizard was actually an out-and-out black wizard at the very beginning.
I can assure you that Voldemort, who must not be named, is nothing compared to Dumbledore's achievements in the Dark Arts.
However, due to an accidental incident, Dumbledore had a quarrel with his brother Aberforth, and later Grindelwald joined in, which eventually led to a melee between the three.
No one knew who it was, but suddenly a terrible spell was released, which accidentally hit the younger sister Ariana and killed her on the spot.
From that day on, Dumbledore lost everything, including family and love.
The only surviving biological brother never forgave him for the death of his sister.
He himself didn't know whether it was because of guilt or some other reason, but he gradually embarked on a path that went against Grindelwald and thus lost his love.
So don't be fooled by the fancy words and hype in books.
The real Albus Dumbledore was not great from the beginning, but many accidents and coincidences shaped the image he has in people's eyes today.
He is just a mortal, with the same joys and sorrows as you and me, his favorite food and drink, and most importantly, he makes mistakes. "
There is no doubt that Dumbledore's rough life experience was definitely a big shock to Hermione.
The girl even sat there with a dull look in her eyes for a long time. After finally digesting all this information, she raised her head and asked in a shocked tone: "How do you know this?"
"Don't forget, I know Nicolas Flamel. As a man over 600 years old, he knows a lot of secrets. And I also got a thick book on alchemy from him." Zuo Si raised the heavy book in his hand and shook it.
This was a gift left by Nicolas Flamel before he left Hogwarts, in the hope that he could successfully create a second Philosopher's Stone, rather than letting this precious skill be completely lost.
"Nicholas Flamel's Alchemical Notes?!"
Hermione stared at the black cover and felt her mouth go dry. She immediately realized its inestimable value.
"Yes, including the complete manufacturing process of the Philosopher's Stone. To be honest, if you don't see it with your own eyes, outsiders will probably never know how something like the Philosopher's Stone is made."
After saying that, Zuo Si casually closed the entire notebook, with no intention of showing it to the girl.
Because the contents of this notebook, which includes a lot of parts on making black magic items, are not suitable for a little girl of eleven or twelve years old to read.
It turns out that all wizards know a little bit of the so-called dark arts.
The older and longer a wizard lives, the more in-depth his research in this area.
In Nicolas Flamel's notebooks, it was nothing to chop off the hand of a hanged man to make the "Hand of Glory".
There are many heavy-tasting things among them, which are not much worse than the necromancy magic of Faerun.
Especially in his exploration of life and death, this alchemist went deeper and further than most wizards.
"So... you are now a disciple of the greatest alchemist, Nicolas Flamel?" Hermione's tone revealed strong envy.
Zuo Si smiled and shook his head. "No, my relationship with Nicolas Flamel is not what you imagined. It is more like exchanging experiences in alchemy and making magic items. He gave me this notebook mainly because he didn't want his research to be lost after his death. Well, don't stare at this notebook all the time. It is not something you can touch now."
"When can we do it?" Hermione asked impatiently.
"At least third grade or above. It depends on your growth rate. After all, alchemy is very dangerous, and it is much more difficult to learn than spells or potions."
After a little thought, Zuo Si gave a deadline.
Because starting from the third grade, the teaching materials at Hogwarts began to clearly shift from elementary to advanced.
Some spells and potions that even adult wizards may not be able to master are taught at this stage.
Of course, teaching is one thing, but it is unknown how many people can actually learn it.
Anyway, the results of OWLs exams will not lie.
In fact, out of a bad taste, Zuo Si even planned to wait a year or two to sell an exercise book called "Three Years of Owls and Five Years of Newts" to the Hogwarts students, so that these young wizards could feel the tragic internal competition of the students from the Muggle world.
In this relaxed chat, the Hogwarts Express arrived at its destination unknowingly.
When they walked out of Platform Nine and Three Quarters, Mr. and Mrs. Granger immediately hugged their daughter and asked her about her well-being, and kept asking about the differences between the wizarding world and the ordinary world.
After Hermione answered all the questions and turned around to look for Zuo Si, she was shocked to find that he had already disappeared in the crowd.
"Hermione, what are you looking at?" Mr. Granger asked curiously.
“I’m looking for a classmate to come back with me.
His name is Soth, and like me, he comes from a Muggle family.
However, he has achieved amazing results in just a few months of exposure to the magical world.
He also pioneered the spell storage technology.
Many wizarding newspapers and media even claimed that he would become a great wizard who would lead an era in the future.
Did you know that he could even read a book in just a few minutes and recite the entire book by heart?..."
As soon as Zuo Si was mentioned, the girl immediately began to talk incessantly, her eyes revealing her undisguised admiration.
Seeing their daughter's look, Mr. and Mrs. Granger immediately exchanged a look and then burst out laughing.
Hermione asked in astonishment, "What are you laughing at?"
"No, nothing. We just didn't expect that you, who have always been smart, proud, conceited and stubborn, would admire other people. Tell me, is this boy named South handsome?" Mrs. Granger said with a hint of teasing in her tone.
She also thought that with her daughter's personality, she might not be able to make friends if she suddenly changed her environment.
But now it seems that I was completely worrying too much.
"Oh! What are you talking about! We are just classmates and friends. It's not what you think. As for what he looks like, here is a copy of the Daily Prophet. You will know after reading it."
As she spoke, Hermione blushed and quickly took out a copy of the Daily Prophet from her collection from the box and handed it to her parents.
As out-and-out Muggles, Mr. and Mrs. Granger were obviously seeing a moving photo for the first time, and they immediately made sounds of amazement.
However, in order not to attract the attention of other people around them, they quickly left the station, got into their own car, and began to read this influential newspaper in the wizarding world in the cab.
When Mr. Granger read Rita Skeeter's disgusting flattering report, he was completely stunned. Without even turning his head, he asked, "Hermione, can your classmate really finish a book in a few minutes and recite it word for word backwards?"
The girl responded without hesitation: "Of course! I have tested it myself.
I think that even if Soth didn't become a wizard, he would at least become a great scientist.
Because from childhood to adulthood, I have never seen anyone as smart as him.
It seems that no matter what kind of knowledge it is, you can learn it immediately just by reading it once.
Half of the spells I know now were taught to me by him.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you.
When I was in school, I made a lot of gold galleons by working as an assistant to Zuo Si."
As she spoke, Hermione quickly took out a homemade leather bag from her suitcase and poured it all over the car seat.
moment!
A small mountain of glittering gold was piled up on top of this.
"Oh my God! How...how much is this?" Mrs. Granger exclaimed in surprise.
"Maybe four thousand, maybe five thousand, I haven't counted it exactly. But it should be enough to pay for next semester." Hermione gave a rough figure.
Unlike the Wesleya twin brothers who joined later, since she had been helping Zuo Si from the very beginning, she naturally received a lot of bonuses.
Especially for those ancient families from Britain, France, and Germany, custom-made "staff rings" with reliefs and emblems, they could often make a profit of three to four thousand, or even five thousand gold galleons for each one.
"What is the main job of an assistant?" Mr. Granger looked puzzled.
As a dentist, he was originally a high-income earner in society, so he had no idea how he could make so much money in a short period of time.
What's more, they are two students from a magic school.
According to the exchange rate given by Gringotts, one Galleon is equal to five pounds.
Five thousand Galleons is approximately equivalent to twenty-five thousand pounds.
Hermione obviously noticed her father's reaction and explained with a smile, "Thoth invented a device that can be put on a wand and store a spell.
This device can give wizards a certain advantage in duels and when defending against enemy attacks.
Therefore, many wealthy and powerful ancient European families came to him to order custom products.
On average, Soth makes a very generous profit for each one he makes.
My job is to help process the materials and use the magic of deformation to shape the metal into the patterns and shapes required by the customers.
Professor McGonagall also praised me, saying that my Transfiguration magic has reached at least the level of a fourth-year student."
"My little Hermione is so great! Mom is proud of you! It seems that you have really made good friends at school." Mrs. Granger excitedly hugged her daughter in her arms.
Mr. Granger also nodded with a gratified smile: "This boy named Soth is really good. Why don't you invite him to spend Christmas with you?"
"I have invited him. But he has a lot of things to do during the holidays, and he also has to buy a lot of things, so he has no time to celebrate Christmas at all." Hermione spread her hands helplessly.
"Haha! Don't be discouraged! You can also invite him to your home during the holidays after the semester ends. I also want to see what it's like to have a peer who can convince you."
After saying this, Mr. Granger glanced at the photo of Zuo Si's activities in the Daily Prophet out of the corner of his eye, then quickly started the car and drove away.
毕竟十二月份的伦敦天气又湿又冷，除了无家可归的流浪汉，没有多少正常人会愿意在户外待太长时间。
……
与此同时，左思也使用幻影移形回到了自己在伦敦购买的房子里。
尽管魔法部会对所有未成年的小巫师进行监控，但对于他而言，想要避开简直比吃饭喝水还要容易。
既可以使用预言系魔法对追踪进行屏蔽，也可以使用自己制造的第二根魔杖。
是的！
早就在开学之后没多久，左思就偷偷在禁林边缘找到了一节可以用来制作魔杖的木材，并且给自己制造一根备用的魔杖以备不时之需。
当他推开门走进客厅的时候，留守在这里的幽影刺客叶利尼娅立刻现身，单手抚胸深深鞠了一躬。
“主人，您回来了。”
“我不在的这段时间，没有发生什么事情吧？”
左思一边问，一边挥舞魔杖施展清洁咒把地上、桌子和床上的灰尘清理干净。
“没有，一切都十分安静。这个世界非常的安全。”叶利尼娅赶忙给出肯定答复。
“既然如此，那我们就回去吧。”
说着，左思从手中掏出了一张自己进入禁林深处制作的卡牌。
【地牌：传奇地——霍格沃茨禁林】
【LV8绿色卡牌（可升级）】
【卡牌品质：唯一】
【效果：当该卡牌生效时，可以每天提供三十点通用法力值，四十点绿色法力值。
并且使用所有绿色卡牌的召唤生物，其力量、敏捷和体质等基础属性都会额外获得加成，并且随机获得一项额外的特殊能力。
该能力与生物自身有着密切联系，并且只能在地牌影响范围内生效】
【使用该卡牌不需要消耗法力值】
【该卡牌效果如果被其他魔法力量破坏或是摧毁，会自动进入墓地等待重生，时间为八十天】
毫无疑问，这张LV8的地牌是一张典型用来强化绿色召唤生物的。
由于霍格沃茨的禁林与城堡一样，都存在着某些强大的魔法力量，所以非常容易吸引各种神奇动物聚集于此。
光是目前左思知道的就有人马部落、狼人部落、独角兽、八眼蜘蛛、夜骐、嗅嗅、鹰头马身有翼兽、护树罗锅，以及好几种带有魔法能力的蛇跟大量被海格放养在里边的乱七八糟东西。
除此之外，在高级魔药中会用到的珍稀植物数量也相当多，光是能够用来制造飞行扫帚和魔杖的就树木有超过上百颗。
按照原本的计划，左思是打算要制作一张霍格沃茨的地牌。
只可惜，邓布利多一直没有给他这样的机会，所以唯有先弄一张禁林的先凑合一下。
没有任何犹豫！
在开启传送门之前，左思直接使用了这张地牌，然后才发动火花的力量撕裂空间。
眨眼功夫，他就从魔法地球回到了属于自己的法师塔。
高塔意识立刻把这个消息传递给了所有人。
还不到两分钟，伊莎多拉就第一个快步冲过来一把将左思抱住，贪婪嗅着他身上的熟悉的味道，同时激动不已的说道：“你终于回来了！”
“是啊，我回来了。怎么样，我不在的这段时间你有没有好好锻炼自己的心灵异能和魔法能力？”左思轻轻抚摸着少女的长发询问。
也不知道是不是身体开始发育的关系，当两人零距离接触的时候，他竟然开始有了那么一丝不同寻常的感觉。
“当然！前几天瓦内萨还夸奖过我，说我是他这辈子见过最聪明的学徒。看，我已经有了属于自己的法术书。”
伊莎多拉拍了拍挂在要带上，包裹着黑色鳞片的一本大部头书籍。
身为制造魔法物品和奇物方面的专家，左思一眼就看出这玩意是用黑龙皮制作的，其价值最少在六千金币以上，绝对不是普通学徒能用得起的东西。
就在他想开口说点什么的时候，身后传送之间摆放的另外几座传送门纷纷开始闪烁刺眼的奥术灵光。
没过一会儿功夫，组织里的巫妖们便一个接一个的凭空出现。
不用问也知道，他们是来打探关于另外一个世界魔法知识和技艺的。
毕竟瓦内萨和杰弗里等人都去过一次，而且还跟邓布利多交过手，对于那种只要挥舞魔杖就能施展出各种法术的技巧非常感兴趣。
“你们还真是连喘口气的时间都不给我留呢。”左思微微叹了口气。
“您知道的，我们都是巫妖，是不死生物，所以从来不会考虑喘气这种事情。”杰弗里十分幽默的开了句玩笑。
“好吧，好吧，那我们就来开个会讨论一下关于那个世界魔法知识和技术的价值，正好我也想要知道组织的近况，以及费伦大陆西海岸一带发生的事情。”
眼见巫妖们一个个都用充满期待的眼神盯着自己，左思也只好从挎包内掏出大量自己平日里翻译成通用语的笔记。
前者如获至宝，纷纷拿着前往位于地下的会议室，准备对这些知识和技术进行一系列的评估跟测试。
瓦内萨则留下来，开始向组织的首领进行工作汇报。
尤其是耐兰瑟尔群岛的发展情况，以及对于博德之门的渗透、控制。
自从上次签署了战败条约之后，博德之门的四位公爵彻底撕破脸皮，拉拢城内的各个阶层形成了两大利益集团进行对峙。
其中以伊尔坦公爵为首的利益集团，虽然失去了大部分市民和商人阶层的支持，但是却仍旧牢牢把持着焰拳佣兵这张王牌，导致其政敌根本不敢过分逼迫，生怕这家伙狗急跳墙发动大清洗。
而为此次战败负责的银盾公爵，也并没有像许多人预料中那样黯然下台。
反倒是通过将港口的一部分让给红袍巫师们作为租界，获得了来自塞尔的支持，以及稳定的粮食跟低级魔法物品供应。
虽说其势力远不如全盛其那么惊人，但也成功稳住阵脚获得了东山再起的机会。
相比之下，贝尔特公爵和莉拉·珍娜斯女大公则通过扇动民众情绪赢得了大部分市民的支持，同时庇护行商联盟竭尽所能抢占市场份额，希望通过这样的手段来控制博德之门的经济命脉。
至于那些海商则一股脑全部倒向了耐兰瑟尔群岛。
因为只有如此，他们的航行安全才有保障，才能获得跟其他国家和城邦一样的待遇。
其中位于冲萨河入海口几座岛屿上建立起要塞、箭塔，眼下已经装备大量投石器跟弩炮，就如同强壮有力的大手，死死掐住了博德之门通往大海的唯一出口。
这也就意味着，博德之门彻底失去了争霸海上的能力，日后除了老老实实当耐兰瑟尔群岛的附庸之外，根本没有第二个选择。
只不过由于海商们抛弃了银盾公爵，所以他们眼下在复杂的政治局势中属于中间派，完全没有掺和到内斗中的打算。
不出意外的话，这样的局势还会维持相当长一段时间。
“有趣！也就是说，博德之门现在从双方对持变成了三方博弈。我们也是其中的一员？”左思摸着下巴露出玩味的表情。
“不，我们不是其中的一员，而是更接近于裁判。只要我们下场，那么随时都可以帮助其中一派摧毁另外一派。”瓦内萨意味深长的纠正道。
“那就继续保持现在的状态吧。既不要让局势恶化，也不要让那些公爵们有机会讲和。另外，利用博德之门眼下动荡的局势，尽可能多吸引一些工匠和技术人员前往耐兰瑟尔群岛定居，发展属于我们自己的基地。”左思很快做出了指示。
“如您所愿！”瓦内萨毫不犹豫的答应下来。“另外还有一件事情，您可能会比较感兴趣。”
“哦？是什么？”左思饶有兴致的问。
“就在前不久，您和伯纳德联手资助的探险队平安归来了。
他们不仅发现了大海对面的马兹特克大陆，同时还开辟出一条安全的新航线。
不过问题是，随行的水手有人站出来指责探险队的队长科德尔，还有他手下的黄金佣兵团，打着安姆跟守卫之神海姆的旗号，在上岸之后对那些本地居民进行了大肆杀戮和掠夺。
甚至还故意将疾病跟瘟疫传染给没有任何抵抗能力的土著。
另外，在战利品和利益分配方面，双方也出现了非常大的分歧，目前整个阿斯卡特拉都因此乱成了一锅粥。”
瓦内萨没有任何隐瞒，直截了当把自己收集到的情报全部说了出来。
因为他知道，左思本人就是安姆最顶级权贵中的一员，并且还是主要资助人之一，有着切身的利益关系。
“打着安姆跟守卫之神海姆的旗号对土著居民进行大肆杀戮和掠夺？这个叫做科德尔的家伙疯了吗？他难道就不怕被守卫之神的教会追杀？”左思难以置信的挑起眉毛。
The lich immediately shook his head and explained, "Of course Cordel is not afraid. Because he and his Golden Mercenary Group are part of a branch of the Heim Church.
And according to him, more than half of the money was intended to be donated to the church.
As this incident continued to ferment, many people in all the surrounding countries and regions, including Amn, began to spurn the Church of Helm, and a large number of believers changed their beliefs.
It is foreseeable that within a few years the influence of the Guardian God will be greatly weakened on the West Coast."
Good boy! Hearing this explosive news, Zuo Si felt that the guardian god Heim must be eager to send down his incarnation and smash this bastard believer who ruined his reputation to death with a hammer.
Can the money and material things of this world be compared with faith and influence? Is there something seriously wrong with this person's brain?
Other churches are desperately using the wealth and resources at hand to recruit believers and expand their influence in the material world.
But Cordell did the exact opposite.
From this point, it is not difficult to see how much damage a mentally retarded and brainless believer can cause to a god's church on earth.
You have to know that the residents of Faerun are not the Europeans who generally did not regard the indigenous people as human beings during the Age of Exploration on Earth, but they have a very high moral level.
Acts like rushing into people's homes to burn, kill and loot should definitely be defined as extremely evil acts.
Especially in city-states and countries that tend to be kind, such as Waterdeep, Silvermoon, Neverwinter, and Cormyr, even if what you do can bring huge benefits to the entire country, you will be immediately arrested and tried.
But this is not necessarily the case in areas such as Amn, Baldur's Gate, and Sembia, which are ruled by merchants and oligarchs.
However, Zuo Si didn't care at all about the plummeting influence of the Guardian God Heim, but continued to ask: "What about Bernard and his father-in-law? How did they deal with this matter?"
"They are all very smart. They did not let me intervene directly, but invited the holy knights of the Knights of the Burning Heart to arbitrate. Now they are in a lawsuit. But I think the reason why the six-member council has been slow to express its position is that they are afraid that dealing with Cordel and his Golden Mercenaries may dampen people's enthusiasm for exploration. Of course, it is also possible that they are waiting for you to express your opinion." Vanessa guessed, touching her chin.
"Wait for me to express my opinion? I see. Then I will reluctantly stand up and uphold justice for once."
As he said this, there was a chilling light in Zuo Si's eyes.
"To uphold justice?" The lich was stunned for a moment.
"Yes, justice."
With a dangerous smile on his face, Zuo Si quickly left the Mage Tower and came to Bernard's family mansion.
As soon as he entered the main hall, he saw the young businessman sitting with his father-in-law, Sir Kelvin, discussing something in a low voice.
There was a man and a woman sitting next to them.
Needless to say, the male was Babette, the heir of the Nasiva family.
The woman was his sister, Edith, who had recently become Bernard's legal wife.
The little giant Myuka, who served as a guard, stood far away and teased a cow cat with black and white all over its body.
When he saw Zuo Si coming in, the young businessman immediately stood up from the sofa and asked in a surprised tone: "Sir Soth! You are back? When?"
"Just now. I heard that the expedition team we sponsored encountered some minor trouble, so I rushed over immediately to deal with it." Zuo Si responded with a smile.
"Great! I feel more confident now that you are back. The benefits of discovering the New World are so huge that I couldn't sleep for several nights."
Bernard pointed at the dark circles under his eyes and began to complain.
It can be seen that he has been quite nervous recently and looks both excited and anxious.
There is no way, the interests involved are too staggering.
Many top families have begun to eye the market, wanting to grab a piece of the fat meat.
"Hello, distinguished elect. It's a pleasure to be your partner." Sir Kelvin politely took the initiative to greet him.
Zuo Si immediately responded, "I am also very happy to cooperate with you, sir. I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to get the biggest share from this feast."
"I never doubted it. But the trouble now is that Cordel seems to have the support of the Church of Heim, the guardian god, so we dare not act rashly." Sir Kelvin said with some embarrassment.
But Zuo Si smiled nonchalantly: "Don't worry, just leave this matter to me. Not only will I make Cordel and his Golden Mercenary Group infamous for eternity, but I will also turn them all into blasphemers and heinous criminals, and send them all to the execution ground to be burned alive."
"Do you have any good ideas?" Bernard's eyes widened instantly.
"It's actually very simple! First, cut off Kodel's connection with the Guardian God Church.
To be honest, his actions were absolutely against Heim's teachings.
So I will initiate divine judgment against both the Council of Six and the Church of the Guardian God.
I believe Heim would be very happy to personally kill the guy who ruined his reputation, so as to wash away the dirty water thrown on him.
As for the second step, it is to let the judge try all members of the Golden Mercenary Group according to their crimes and sentence them all to death one by one.
Once these guys are gone, all the interests of the New World will be in our hands, at least according to legal procedures.
The third step is to use these interests to trade with the Council of Six, giving up almost 50 percent of the shares in exchange for their support for building ports and cities.
Most importantly, we must not allow this expedition to be labeled evil.
Otherwise, there is a high possibility of being hostile to many kind gods, churches and organizations.
In addition, we will give up all the property we have obtained from this expedition in order to prove to the world that we are not in the same group as Cordell."
Zuo Si calmly told his plan.
He did not want Amn's overseas trade expansion and colonization to eventually evolve into the massacre and plunder of the indigenous people. Instead, he wanted to use a more gentle approach, such as trade.
(End of this chapter)