Starting from Mingtan Island, the fleet followed the northerly monsoon across the Kolin Islands and arrived at the Whalebone Islands within a few days.

When Zuo Si landed, there were almost no living people on the entire island except the sailors of the Nelanther fleet and a few captives left behind.

Because this was originally a gathering place for pirates, there were no civilians on the island except pirates and illegal businessmen.

Therefore, during the siege, the two liches who were responsible for providing magical support used the Death Cloud and Stink Cloud spells that could cause large-scale casualties without hesitation. Together with hundreds of undead creatures, they easily wiped out the two main strongholds.

Although the pirates also hired several mages and warlocks, their spellcasting levels were too low and they were unable to resist the combination of Death Cloud and undead creatures.

In addition, a few priests of the sea goddess Amberlee were killed in the melee.

In short, under the crushing force of absolute strength, the pirates of the Whalebone Islands were defeated without even causing any trouble.

Looking at the hordes of undead that were resurrected as zombies or skeletons by necromancy magic, Zuo Si suddenly asked without turning his head: "How many low-level undead creatures do you have now?"

"Well... including the ones we saw earlier, there are now more than 100,000 of them. But most of them are used as laborers and are not equipped with enough weapons and armor."

Vanessa lowered her head and thought for a moment, then quickly gave a very vague number.

After all, the task of transforming undead is often carried out simultaneously with the killing of enemies.

For example, the relatively intact bodies of the pirates who attacked the Whalebone Islands today will be transformed into undead after the battle.

By the same token, if anyone in the organization discovers tribes of monsters such as orcs, gnolls, goblins, hobgoblins, bugbears, ogres, trolls, etc. in the wild, they will also notify Vanessa, who is skilled in necromancy magic, to go and harvest them.

Therefore, it is difficult to make an accurate statistics by adding up the scattered data.

In addition, there will be certain losses when used as cannon fodder, so even Vanessa, who controls these undead creatures, is not clear about how many low-level undead she has under her command.

Normally, he would only count those undead that could be transformed into ghouls, demons, mummies, etc. that were slightly more advanced or had a certain degree of intelligence.

Because although the number of the former sounds very large, if they encounter high-level priests or paladins, often just one dispel or positive energy spell is enough to kill a large number of them.

This is also why there has never been a situation like "Undead Scourge" in Faerun.

Even the red-robed wizards who control a large number of undead creatures, their armies are mainly composed of living humans, dwarves, orcs, half-orcs and other humanoid creatures, as well as a few constructs.

It's really that the Undead Scourge is too suppressed in the continent of Faerun where users of divine magic are everywhere.

Only when the other side does not have any decent spellcasters can the huge advantage brought by numbers be brought into play.

"One hundred thousand? It seems you need to control the upper limit of the number a little. You know, controlling so many undead creatures will definitely attract special attention from certain gods and their followers." Zuo Si reminded in a low voice.

"I know this without you telling me. However, most of the low-level undead were arranged to farm on deserted islands with few people, and some were thrown into dark mines, so you don't have to worry too much. Compared to this, I am very interested in the special life bred by the vampire queen named Badi."

As she spoke, Vanessa's eyes sparkled with chilling excitement and curiosity.

You have to know that the fact that an undead creature is pregnant is already incredible, not to mention that it may be related to a saint of God.

If he hadn't been without permission, he would have even wanted to rush into the sewer of the Athkatla Cemetery and cut open Badi's belly to see what secrets were hidden inside.

"Don't worry, let's go back and deal with this matter after we've dealt with Luskan. I think that thing is much more difficult to deal with than the Arcane Brotherhood." Zuo Si responded meaningfully.

"Could it be a demigod or a divine evil?" Vanessa guessed in an uncertain tone.

Zuo Si shook his head slightly. "It shouldn't be. Because I didn't sense the existence of divine power and divine sparks. Of course, it is also possible that the remaining power of the saint is too weak to form a stable core. But one thing is certain, that is, it is at least a legendary creature with powerful strength."

Vanessa agreed and said, "That's exactly what I'm interested in. And I think that this situation can't possibly happen naturally, otherwise it would have happened when Erinikas was torturing the saint. Maybe a god, demon lord, or devil duke is plotting something behind this."

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, what this world lacks the least is always various conspiracies and unexpected enemies. No matter what the mastermind wants to do, now this most important prop is under our control." Zuo Si said with a hint of nonchalance in his tone.

If he were to ask what impressed him most about the continent of Faerun, it would definitely be the layers of conspiracy that were linked together.

Especially when you are commissioned to investigate certain special cases, when you feel that you are very close to the truth, you will suddenly discover that there is a hidden force behind the murderer.

After you have gone through so much trouble to eradicate this force, you discover that they are merely deceived and manipulated, and that there is a mastermind hiding even deeper.

In short, the more important and far-reaching an event is, the more likely it is that there will be more than one participant behind it.

Take the Sons of Bhaal for example. At the beginning, his adoptive father Gorion was raided and killed, followed by an iron mine crisis and a large number of thieves cutting off trade routes. Then it was discovered that the mastermind behind this was the Iron Throne.

After returning to Candlekeep, he discovered that the real culprit was Sarevok, who was also the son of Bhaal.

And this is just the beginning of the legendary adventure! Next, there is a battle of wits and courage between Am and Erinikas to regain his soul and divinity.

After going through the difficult War of the Five, it was not until the end that it was discovered that the real mastermind behind the scenes was Melisandre, who seemed to be helping the Son of Bhaal on the surface, but in fact betrayed the god of murder she served and wanted to seize divinity and power to become a goddess.

It can be said that the Son of Bhaal incident is a microcosm of the entire Faerun continent's serial conspiracy.

By the same token, if they want to completely destroy the Arcane Brotherhood and occupy Luskan, they will have to face not only the enemies in front of them, but also the Zhentarim and Red Wizards who work closely with them, as well as some other forces that are not yet known.

As for the strange life like the one growing in Badi's belly, there may be even more involved.

Therefore, Zuo Si was very patient, knowing that the other party would show up sooner or later, and there was no need to spend so much effort and energy to investigate.

Just as Vanessa was about to say something, a very young apprentice walked over from a distance and reported in a low voice: "Master, new news has just been sent back from Luskan. A rebellion has occurred within the Arcane Brotherhood. The four tower masters united to overthrow the rule of Akerlem Grace, causing him to flee with serious injuries."

"Oh? When did it happen?" The lich's eyes lit up instantly.

If this news is true, then now would be the best time to attack the main tower of the Arcane Brotherhood.

"It happened about two days ago. However, due to an accident during the transmission of the message, it could not be delivered immediately. Currently, this incident has shocked the entire North. It is said that Neverwinter has joined forces with many towns to send troops to confront Luskan's army at the border."

The apprentice's tone clearly revealed an ecstasy that could not be concealed.

Because this means that the entire Luskan is currently in a defenseless state.

"It seems we have to move faster." Vanessa touched her chin with a sinister expression.

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "We really need to move faster. Notify everyone to board the ship immediately. It will take several days to get from the Whalebone Islands to Luskan. I hope our fleet can launch an attack before they can react."

"No, what I mean is that we should go around the back of the Luskan army and cooperate with the Neverwinter coalition to encircle and annihilate their last remaining forces.

Then we would advance from both sides of the water at the same time, causing the city to completely lose its will to resist and surrender.

After all, you said before that Neverwinter and its allies may not play any role in the military, but politically they can provide legitimacy and legality for our occupation of Luskan.

So I think it would be a good idea to allow them to be more involved.”

Vanessa expressed her thoughts with great interest.

“From our perspective, maintaining too close a relationship with Neverwinter, especially asking them to join the attack on Luskan, is not actually a good thing.

You have to understand that the church and paladins of Tyr, the god of justice, are very resolute in their attitude towards undead creatures, and there is almost no possibility of any compromise.

So there is nothing wrong with joining forces to encircle and annihilate Luskan's army, but we must never let them enter the walls of Luskan.

Otherwise it will be very troublesome when we use the undead army to purge the existing vested interest groups."

Zuo Si rejected the lich's proposal without hesitation.

He didn't want anything unexpected to happen when the whole plan was about to succeed.

"Okay, I'll let Eric take charge of contacting Neverwinter and try not to use spells that can transform undead creatures or undead creatures in front of them."

After that, Vanessa quickly began to give orders, asking the sailors who had rested for a day to reboard the ship.

About an hour later, the huge fleet set out from the bay, heading for the final destination of this journey - Luskan, the "City of a Thousand Sails".

Just as the fleet set sail, Akelem Grace finally succeeded in transforming into a lich with the help of the succubus.

Feeling his new body filled with negative energy, without any signs of aging, fatigue or lack of energy, he couldn't help but reveal an expression of great satisfaction.

"This feeling... is simply amazing! It is simply indescribable! No wonder capable mages will do everything they can to transform themselves into a lich. Endless lifespan, an inexhaustible spirit, and the inability to be killed as long as the phylactery exists. The ability to maintain absolute sanity without being troubled by various physical desires, this is exactly the state that mages dream of."

"As long as you like it. Also, I will keep this phylactery for the time being. I believe you don't have any objections, right?"

The succubus gently shook the small box in his hand that exuded the magic aura of necromancy.

Without asking, one could tell that she was reminding the other party that she was the leader of the next series of actions.

"Of course. It is an honor to serve Grand Duke Disbart."

Akelum Grace placed one hand on his chest and bowed deeply. Both his eyes and actions showed utmost obedience. He had no desire to take back the life box that was related to his life and death.

It's not that he doesn't want to, but his cautious nature makes him unwilling to act rashly before figuring out the opponent's strength and trump card.

Because he knew that the real devil was often very different from what was described in books.

Especially for those who are sent to the material world to perform missions, they may have certain professional levels in addition to their own innate abilities.

The succubus in front of him could help him complete the ritual of transformation into a lich, so he must have very high attainments in necromancy magic.

Even if he is not a wizard, he is probably a warlock.

What's more, Akram Grace wanted to use the opponent's power to fight back and kill all the traitors without leaving a single one alive.

The Devil nodded in satisfaction: "Very good, I like your attitude now. Since time is short, let's stop talking nonsense and start taking action directly."

After saying that, she reached out and pushed open the door behind her.

moment!

A group of about twenty guys dressed as adventurers appeared out of nowhere in the yard outside the door.

Since more than half of them have red scales, claws, horns and tails, it is easy to identify that they have infernal blood flowing in their bodies.

Needless to say, these guys were the ones who were sent to Faerun by another Hellfire to collect intelligence about Zuo Si.

But now, they have all been summoned by higher-ranking serpents to assist Akelem Grace in returning to Luskan and regaining control of the Arcane Brotherhood.

"How about it? Are you satisfied with these helpers?" asked the demon with a smile.

"I couldn't be more satisfied. Come on, I just happened to secretly leave a back door in the Mage Tower. It's time to let those damned traitors pay the price for their ungrateful and despicable behavior, the price of blood and death..."

After saying this with gritted teeth, Akelem Grace immediately began to chant a spell, opening the transmission channel between this safe house and the Luskan Mage Tower.

As the founder of the entire Arcane Brotherhood, it was natural for him to have left some backup plans in the Mage Tower.

The teleportation rune used to escape before was like this, and the same is true for this secret teleportation channel.

If after the rebellion ends, the tower masters can quickly elect a leader that everyone can trust, and then sort out the entire Mage Tower from beginning to end, perhaps these hidden dangers can be eliminated.

Unfortunately, none of the four tower masters was willing to submit to the other, and eventually two of them joined forces to form a split and confrontational situation.

Not to mention clearing the hidden dangers inside the Mage Tower, they didn't even dare to approach the area controlled by the opponent and could only barely maintain this delicate balance.

Soon, under the command of the Devil, this team, which obeyed the Lord of the second level of Hell, filed in.

When they passed through the portal, they immediately found themselves in a hidden underground warehouse without any doors or entrances.

The surrounding area is filled with things excavated from various ancient ruins in the north.

Some are statues of gods, demons, and devils that radiate energy, while others are broken magical objects left over from the days of Netheril.

The most eye-catching one is the Miserah Core, which is placed in the middle and protected by a powerful barrier.

"Where did you get this thing?!"

The succubus was obviously frightened by the amazing energy emitted by the Core of Misera.

She had never expected that the Arcane Brotherhood, which was regarded as a third-rate spellcasting organization, actually had such a hidden card.

You have to know that the Core of Misera is a work from the peak period of the Netheril civilization. It can make a floating city as big as a mountain float in the sky and provide energy for simple temporary magic items within a radius of one and a half kilometers.

Even back then, only those who had reached the level of Grand Arcanist were eligible to obtain a Mysera Core and start building their own floating city.

Akelem Grace replied with a hint of pride: "It was found deep in the ruins of a fallen floating city. But I don't know whether it was caused by the goddess of magic changing the rules of the magic network, or whether it was damaged during the fall. In short, it has become very unstable now. Without the protection of the barrier, it is like a super arcane bomb that can explode at any time."

"What about the power? How powerful is it?" The succubus narrowed his eyes and continued to ask.

"I think we can probably raze the entire Luskan, including all the surrounding buildings and roads, to the ground, and form a permanent dead magic area or chaotic magic area." Aklem Grace guessed in an uncertain tone.

Because since the complete demise of the Netherese civilization, many technologies have been lost, and only the remaining great arcanists still master some of them.

Therefore, he also did not know the specific working principle of the Miserable Core, and how much amazing destructive power it could release if used as a bomb.

"Excellent! It looks like we have a trump card against Soth, right?"

The lust demon walked forward with light steps, stretched out his hand and gently stroked the huge crystal and the manic primitive energy inside that was extracted from the magic net. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly to reveal a playful smile.

Especially when she spread her wings to show off her almost perfect golden ratio figure, everyone present immediately felt a kind of corrupt and decadent dark beauty.

Although many people mistakenly regard succubi among demons and succubi among devils as the same kind of creatures, both exist to lure mortals into depravity.

But in fact, there is a huge difference between the two.

Among them, the succubus is the one who uses desire to make mortals unknowingly walk into a carefully set trap until they are completely immersed in it and unable to extricate themselves.

This is best demonstrated by their ability to draw life force and energy from kissing and other intimate acts.

But the succubus, who is equally beautiful and can inspire endless fantasies, does not have even a single similar ability.

The latter is a powerful evil warrior and spellcaster who can quickly enter the battlefield with the help of flying ability and kill all enemies in a very short time.

Although many devil dukes prefer to use the beautiful appearance of these creatures to do some work similar to succubus.

The biggest difference between the two is that succubus are not good at and do not like head-on combat, while horny demons are just the opposite.

"You want to blow up my wizard tower and the entire Luskan?" Akram Grace frowned subconsciously.

The succubus smiled and shook his head: "No, I just plan to use it as a bargaining chip. Don't forget, even if you succeed in taking back everything that belongs to you, the current strength of the Arcane Brotherhood and Luskan is not enough to fight against Soth. So we must find a way to force him back first."

"What if he doesn't buy it? Are you really going to destroy everything I've built over the past ten or twenty years?" Akelum Grace's tone became stern.

You must know that both the Arcane Brotherhood and Luskan are extremely important things in his eyes, and are important tools for realizing his ambitions.

"No! No! I will never allow you to do this. Luskan and the Arcane Brotherhood belong to me. You have no right to dispose of them."

As expected, Akram Grace erupted in strong opposition.

Unfortunately, this strong opposition quickly disappeared without a trace after the demon pointed at the life box.

他这个时候才意识到，原来自己早就不是那个奥术兄弟会说一不二的首领，而是一个受到地狱领主控制的小小巫妖。

很多时候，他根本没有选择的余地，只能服从对方下达的命令。

当然，介于瑟拉之核惊人的威力与不稳定的状态，欲魔并没有急着去动，而是命令两个人留下来负责看守。

至于其他人，则一股脑跟在阿克勒姆·格瑞斯身后，通过隐藏的暗门开始对法师塔内各个区域发动突袭，凡是参与叛乱的家伙都遭到了毫不留情的屠戮。

而那些没有参与又在第一时间跪地投降的，立刻被编入反攻队伍中，作为炮灰冲杀在最前沿以证明自己的忠诚。

凭借着以前积累下来的威望和对法师塔内部结构的熟悉，他没费多少力气就控制了整个下层区域。

由于在战斗开始之前的第一时间就关闭了预警系统，所以上层那些仍旧在为了权力争吵不休的塔主和高阶法师，压根没有意识到自己已经大难临头了。

当阿克勒姆·格瑞斯重新掌控高塔并带着人杀进来的时候，他们每一个人的脸上都流露出震惊、错愕、慌乱和难以置信的表情。

“你……你怎么还敢回来？！”

北塔之主腾地一下从椅子上站了起来。

很显然，在他的认知中，这位奥术兄弟会的创始人就算没有重伤死亡，也应该躲在某个不为人知的角落里默默舔着伤口才对。

可叛乱过去才几天功夫，对方不仅杀回来了，而且还带着一票实力不俗的手下。

“哼！你们没想到我这么快就会回来，对吧？”

阿克勒姆·格瑞斯咧开嘴露出猫戏老鼠般残忍的笑容。

作为一个睚眦必报的人，他此刻无比享受这种即将复仇成功所带来的愉悦。

没有什么比看着仇敌在自己面前表现出惊恐和绝望的丑态，然后在一点一点将其生吞活剥更值得期待的事情了。

“该死！这家伙得到了魔鬼的帮助！”

西塔之主一眼就看到了欲魔和她身后那些拥有炼狱血统的佣兵，大声提醒着房间内的其他人。

从阿克勒姆·格瑞斯出现的那一刻起，他们之前为争权夺利而爆发的矛盾就不复存在。

取而代之的是必须齐心协力来应对这个最大的威胁。

“巫……巫妖！阿克勒姆·格瑞斯已经成功把自己转化成了巫妖！”

另外一名高阶法师似乎通过侦测类魔法察觉到了什么，脸色勃然大变。

毕竟在此之前，整个奥术兄弟会乃至北地各方势力，最不想要看到的就是阿克勒姆·格瑞斯成功将自己转化成巫妖，获得近乎永恒的生命。

但是现在，最令人担心的结果就展现在他们的面前。

“哈哈哈哈！没错！我已经是一个巫妖了！而你们……今天都将在我的滔天怒火下受到最严厉的惩罚。”

伴随着一阵令人毛骨悚然的狂笑，阿克勒姆·格瑞斯的身体里瞬间释放出一股阴冷且令人毛骨悚然的气息。

几名年轻的学徒仿佛看到了什么恐怖的影响，立刻吓的失去抵抗意志掉头想要往外跑。

可还没等他们跑出几步，就被邪恶的死灵魔法击中，变成两具没有生命的尸体。

恐惧灵气，一种最顶尖、最强大不死生物才能获得的能力。

很显然，普通学徒和低级法师在这种力量的面前连抵抗都做不到，瞬间便会被击溃意志跟心灵。

不过四位塔主也不是吃素的，当意识到阿克勒姆·格瑞斯的强大后，其中之一立刻召唤了自己的宠物，两只被精心培养和驯化的翼龙。

另外几个人也都纷纷开始准备法术、激活魔法物品和卷轴，打算与阿克勒姆·格瑞斯来一场正面的法术对抗。

就在一场魔法大战即将爆发的时候，一道传送门突然凭空出现在所有人的面前。

下一秒……

一名身穿鲜艳红色长袍的男人从传送门另外一边走了出来。

他先是巡视了一下四周，然后主动开口说道：“诸位，如果不介意的话，能在开打之前听我说上了两句吗？”

“你是谁？”

阿克勒姆·格瑞斯眼睛里闪过一丝警惕。

尽管他已经从对方的穿戴打扮，以及光头上那个显眼的黑色刺青判断出其大概身份，但还是要确认一下。

“我叫做阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔，相信你们应该听说过才对。”男人意味深长报上了自己的名字。

瞬间！

在场无论是阿克勒姆·格瑞斯。还是另外四位塔主和高阶法师，都纷纷露出或是惊讶、或是诧异的表情。

因为他们实在想不出，一位红袍巫师的首席为何会大老远从费伦大陆另外一端的塞尔，冒着巨大风险来到贫瘠的北地。

之前奥术兄弟会虽然跟红袍巫师有合作，但也级别也仅限于租界这个层面。

或者说，后者的高层根本不太看得起前者。

可阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔却利用这个空档，用一种不紧不慢的语速说道：“事到如今，你们应该都很清楚自己真正要面对的敌人是谁。

没错，就是那个最近两年才突然崛起的年轻人。

眼下，他的舰队正在不断逼近路斯坎，随时都有可能兵临城下。

而这个时候，最应该做的就是暂时放下彼此之间的恩怨，联起手来对付外敌。”

“你想让我放过这些叛徒？”

意识到对方的来意后，阿克勒姆·格瑞斯的目光迅速变得充满敌意。

因为他觉得这家伙既有可能站在自己的对立面。

“不，不是放过，而是暂时放下。至少在对付我们共同的敌人时，需要团结一切可以团结的力量，别忘了，如果路斯坎被占领，那么就算今天你成功复仇也将变得毫无意义。”阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔耐心的解释道。

身为红袍巫师的首席，他无疑是一名强大的传奇法师。

否则也不可能成为议会内部的派系首领，站在与萨扎斯坦对抗的最前沿。

只不过比起使用暴力手段，阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔更喜欢使用语言的艺术来说服对方配合自己的行动。

“你究竟有什么目的？或者说，你想要利用我们做什么？”阿克勒姆·格瑞斯十分警觉的试探道。

“当然是俘获这个年轻的选民，从他的身体里获得剧毒与疾病女神塔洛娜所赐予能够控制一切瘟疫力量神力，还有破解魔法女神给予选民的银火奥秘。而且我承诺在事成之后，不仅允许你们参与研究，而且还可以共享所有的成果。”

阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔不慌不慌说出此行的目的并开出了条件。

其实他冒出这个想法的起因，还是前不久那场席卷整个北地让兽人几近灭绝的瘟疫。

正是通过这场瘟疫，让红袍巫师高层意识到了左思作为一件超级战略武器的价值。

至于魔法女神赐予选民的银火，首席们早就眼馋的不得了。

只可惜，几次针对伊尔明斯特、凯尔本、莱拉和欣布的行动都以惨败告终，久而久之便没有谁再敢打他们的主意。

可左思不同！ 他获得选民能力的时间非常短，在外界看来实力肯定不如那些老牌的选民。

再加上这场战争让一部分红袍巫师的首席看到了机会，所以联合阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔决定插上一脚。

加尼尔的擅自行动，实际上就是获得了他们的默许和支持。

阿克勒姆·格瑞斯明显在犹豫！

因为他非常清楚与红袍巫师比起来，自己的奥术兄弟会就是个微不足道的小组织，而且目前组织内部还有一大堆巴不得自己死的“反骨仔”。

如果答应下来，那么难保那些参与叛乱的塔主和高阶法师会在对方的支持下重新获得与自己对抗的实力。

可要是不答应，光是眼前这位首席就够自己喝上一壶，再算上那些叛徒，哪怕有魔鬼的帮助也很难占到什么便宜。

沉默了良久，最终还是欲魔从后边走出来，面带微笑的说道：“我们同意这次合作。不过有一点，事成之后索斯的灵魂必须归我。”

阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔不加思索的回应道：“没问题。预祝我们合作愉快。如果不介意的话，能告诉我你在为那位地狱公爵服务吗？”

“地狱第二层的领主狄斯巴特大公。”欲魔直截了当报上了自己主人的名字。

因为她知道，光是这块招牌就能让眼前这个阴险狡诈的法师心存忌惮。

“啊！一位令人尊敬且望而生畏的大魔鬼，能够与他的手下合作是我的荣幸。如果不介意的话，我想我们应该找个安静的地方谈谈具体细节，你觉得呢？”阿兹纳尔·斯鲁尔迅速发出邀请。

这位红袍首席已经发现了，眼下奥术兄弟会真正能做主的早已不是阿克勒姆·格瑞斯，而是面前这位拥有惊人美貌的魔鬼。

"Haha, sure. I also happen to have a happy secret to share with you. I believe that as long as we work together, we will be able to take him down."

After saying that, the succubus and Aznar Sruul walked towards the next room together, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere around them.

Because both of them knew that the internal strife within the Arcane Brotherhood could no longer be fought.

At least after losing the support of the devil, Akelem Grace no longer had an absolute advantage, and those tower masters and high-level wizards did not dare to act rashly and could only wait for the result in a stalemate.

It has to be said that the development of things to this point has far exceeded their expectations.

But what these people could not have imagined was that far away in Zhentil Castle, Mansong, who had just listened to Ximamon's report, also made a surprising decision.

Without even notifying anyone, he directly teleported to a wooden house in the woods outside Luskan with a few of his men.

This is a secret base of the Zhentarim, and even the omnipresent Harpers know nothing about it.

“Teacher, are you sure you want to do this? Soth is not an easy person to deal with, and he also has an extremely strong desire for revenge. If he discovers these actions, then Zhentil Castle…”

Before Ximamon finished speaking, Mansong interrupted him and said, "No, you are wrong, my apprentice. Controlling the Dark Intelligence Network for a long time has made you lose your ambition and courage to challenge the strong. Remember, before a threat is put into action, it is just a threat. Never let a threat scare you, and don't let it become a shackle that restricts your actions. It is true that Soth's ability is very terrifying, but so what? Don't we have enough troubles now?"

"What if he really released the plague in the area around Zhentil Keep?" Ximamon asked cautiously.

"It's very simple! Then we can send all the people infected with the plague away, and expand the scope of the plague tenfold or a hundredfold. Then we won't have to do anything, as the self-proclaimed righteous holy warriors and the Church of the Good God will come forward. Since they can threaten us with the plague, why can't we fight back?"

Obviously, Mansong was worthy of being the founder and supreme leader of the Zhentarim, and he found a way to crack it immediately.

He could also use these plagues to weaken his enemies and the countries he wanted to invade, thus inevitably causing them to fall into civil strife.

As a typical evil wizard, he doesn't care about the lives of civilians, but only cares about whether he can achieve his ambitions and goals.

If possible, it would not matter even if the entire population of Zhentil Castle was sacrificed.

"I see!" Ximanmeng suddenly realized that he had been led into a misunderstanding by his opponent. "So, this time we are on the side of the Arcane Brotherhood?"

"Not only the Arcane Brotherhood, but also several chief red wizards. When those concessions attacked our intelligence network, I received some secret letters. So this is an opportunity, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

As he spoke, Mansong's tone revealed a strong desire.

Silver fire!

The most core and original power of the magic network belongs only to the Goddess of Magic.

As long as he could seize this power, he would be able to surpass all arcane spellcasters and even become a demigod.

Zuo Si didn't know yet that he had unknowingly become the so-called "Tang Monk's meat" in this conspiracy, and many people wanted to pounce on him and take a bite.

Similarly, when these evil forces were gathering in the North, Khelben also received urgent intelligence from the Harper Alliance.

In particular, the strange atmosphere between the Red Wizards and the Zhentarim, as well as the large number of suspicious people frequently entering and leaving the tower of the Luskan Arcane Brotherhood, made this powerful Chosen One feel uneasy.

Just when he was hesitating whether to go there in person, Alustriel suddenly teleported over and said in a serious tone: "Something big has happened! According to the intelligence obtained by a spy under my command who is lurking inside the Zhentarim, several chief red wizards have joined forces with Manshoon, and together with the Arcane Brotherhood, they are very likely to target Soth. He is in a very dangerous situation now."

"What's the purpose? What's their purpose in dealing with Soth?" Khelbourne asked with a frown.

Alustriel shook his head: "It's not clear yet. But I think he should be notified immediately to lead the fleet back and stop the plan to attack and occupy Luskan. It is very likely that there is a huge trap there now. By the way, where is Leila? Why isn't she here?"

"Lila went to Halrua, the kingdom of mages, at the behest of the goddess, to try to promote some daily magic. I don't think she'll be able to come back for a while. Besides, I don't think Soth is the type to listen to advice. So we should be prepared to rescue them at any time. No matter what these guys are planning, we must not let them succeed."

Khelbourne quickly made a judgement on the current situation.

As a person who doesn't like to make trouble, he really can't understand why Zuo Si is like a magnet, causing a series of troubles and problems wherever he goes.

"Damn it! I'll contact Simbu and Storm, and you go notify Elminster and Dove. Remember to keep in touch at all times."

After saying this, Alustriel hurriedly cast a teleportation spell and disappeared without a trace.

She remembered very clearly that the last time she contacted so many of the Goddess of Magic's Chosen Ones was when Sammaster attacked her out of jealousy.

But at that time, neither side had the intention to kill each other.

But this time, facing the top forces of the Zhentarim and the Red Wizards, everyone must go all out.

After all, both Manshoon and the chief of the red-robed wizards have fought against the chosen ones of the Goddess of Magic more than once, and both sides are very aware of the powerful strength that the other possesses.

Similarly, after Khelben packed up his belongings, he teleported directly to Elminster's residence in Shadow Valley.

To be honest, he had no confidence that he could convince this old man with an unusual way of thinking to join this operation.

Because Elminster is too willful and stubborn.

As long as this guy has made up his mind, even if the previous generation magic goddess herself comes, it will be useless.

(End of this chapter)