With a full harvest, Zuo Si returned to the Mage Tower with Wilmes.

Because with Erinikas's escape, the secret base in the Woking Mall area has been basically completely abandoned, and it is estimated that it will never be restarted in the future.

Even the portals and passages connecting the demiplanes were completely destroyed in the previous battle, leaving no trace.

However, just when he had just returned and was about to calm down and study the interesting magical creation [Mask of Erinikas] and the special skills hidden inside it, he was suddenly informed by the tower consciousness that a person marked as "important" was waiting for him in the reception room.

Needless to say, this person is none other than King Shane VII who came to look for allies and partners.

And it was different from before when she always had the body of a moon elf woman.

No one knew whether this powerful demilich used some kind of transformation spell or some special magic like wishing.

In short, he appears as an elderly Calishite man.

Obviously, this is the appearance of the Undead Emperor Shane VII before he transformed into a lich.

Especially the crown on his head, which was obviously the exclusive item of the emperor of the Shane Dynasty, a huge empire that almost unified the entire west coast of the Faerun continent.

After being continuously strengthened by emperors of successive generations, its dazzling arcane aura is almost indistinguishable from that of a divine weapon.

You must know that after Ivyklathasagran "Sharp Tooth" destroyed the Shane Dynasty, he would scrape the ground to find this treasure which is not only priceless but also highly symbolic.

But unfortunately, she only found a fake in the end.

Although this fake also has a very high enchantment level and collection value, it is still several levels lower than the original.

As for the crown currently preserved in the royal palace of Calim Port, it is a fake of a fake.

To be precise, after the collapse of the Shane Dynasty, the descendants of Shane VII quickly lost control of the entire country and even the capital, Calimport, in chaos and turmoil.

Ultimately, in one conspiracy and massacre after another, his direct bloodline had long been cut off, leaving only a few illegitimate sons and daughters who were looked down upon by the society at that time. They survived in hiding, and were not even nobles, so they could only struggle to survive as commoners or slaves.

Therefore, all the ambitious people and usurpers who came later were unaware that the crown was a fake among fakes.

I thought that what was preserved in the palace was the true symbol of the rule of the Shan Dynasty that had been passed down for thousands of years. Anyone who wore it would be equivalent to obtaining the "legal" inheritance rights and land claim rights of the ancient empire.

Zuo Si has always been very interested in the lost civilizations and empires in Faerun's history, as well as the history and secrets hidden in them. Therefore, he knew a little about the legendary story of this crown. So the first thing he asked when they met was a half-joking tone: "Are you going to take back the rule of Calimshan and announce to the outside world that the emperor of the great Shan Dynasty has returned?"

"No, I just hope that when I meet my most powerful enemy, she can recognize who I am at first sight."

As he said this, Shane VII's eyes flashed with naked and undisguised anger and hatred.

"You are going to hunt Ivyklathasagran 'Sharptooth'?" Zuo Si raised his eyebrows in surprise.

You know, although Shane VII has an arcane spellcasting level as high as LV36, and a large number of spellcasting skills that ordinary mages can't even imagine, it is still a long way to go to kill the blue dragon queen that looms over the southern sky of the continent of Faerun.

This can be seen from the results of several encounters between the two sides in history.

Among them, Ivykola Sagran "Sharp Teeth" was only injured to a certain extent, which was far from being fatal.

But Shane VII was seriously injured more than once. Finally, he realized the seriousness of the problem. He chose to fake his death and spent three years transforming into a lich and hiding.

Moreover, after more than a thousand years, Sharptooth has actually incorporated the three countries of Calimshan, Tethyr, and Amn into its own territory.

Yes!

You heard it right!

This powerful evil dragon controlled three entire countries and openly levied a fixed tithe on the supreme rulers of each country, as well as some other miscellaneous additional taxes.

Neither the Council of Six of Amn, nor the nominal emperor of Calimshan, nor the nobles of Tethyr who were in the midst of a civil war dared to refuse any of his demands.

Even the churches of the good gods and the holy knights who claim to be righteous have chosen to remain silent on this matter.

It’s not that they don’t want to eliminate this huge threat, but they really can’t defeat it.

Most importantly, Ivyklathasagran "Sharptooth" is not only a legendary dragon king with seventeen age levels (the ancient age is the twelfth age level, and the effective age level of Sharptooth is five levels higher than this), but also has the spellcasting ability of a LV27 legendary warlock, and even masters several legendary spells.

It can be said that she has almost reached the physiological limit of the dragon race. She only needs one more advancement to "Deified Dragon" to gain immortality and become a demigod.

Xia En VII undoubtedly noticed Zuo Si's reaction, nodded slightly and explained: "You guessed it right, I am indeed going to hunt down the culprit who ruined the Xia En Dynasty.

Because there is accurate information that Sharptooth will leave his hiding place in a few days and go to the palace in Port Calin alone to collect taxes from the past few decades.

I think this is a great opportunity.

And you are the ally I need.

As long as we join forces, this guy won't even have a chance to escape.

And I promise that after the deed is done, Sharptooth's body and all her treasures will be yours."

"Attack in Calim Port? Have you ever thought about how terrible the damage and casualties would be to buildings and civilians if you unleash all kinds of powerful high-level or even legendary spells in the city?

Also, what about the Entanglement Talisman? I don't think they will just watch two enemies fight each other to the point of losing and not come out to take advantage.

In addition, Calimshan is the place with the largest number of believers of Ilmater, the god of suffering.

If the fighting affected too many innocent civilians, especially children, and a large number of believers begged this god for help, how do you think he would react?

My dear sire, times have changed.

Today's Faerun is no longer the same as it used to be. The gods rarely interfere directly with the activities of mortals.

Just the opposite!

Whether it is the gods, the devils from Baator, or the demons from the Abyss, they are all trying to expand their influence as much as possible.

Add to that the fact that Io, the God of Gods, permanently changed the rules of the game between the gods after the Time of Troubles, and I suggest you think twice before you act."

Zuo Si very keenly pointed out the core issue.

Obviously, in his opinion, going to the palace of Calimport to ambush Ivyklathasagran "Sharptooth" was an idea that could not be worse. There were too many external forces that might interfere in the whole process.

"You mean... we should change to a more concealed and less noticeable ambush location?" Sean VII frowned subconsciously.

Zuo Si sneered and shook his head: "No, no, no, I think you misunderstood.

This is not a problem that can be solved by simply changing the ambush location. You must first confirm the attitude of Ilmater, the god of suffering, towards the return of you, the ancient emperor.

As long as he doesn't object, then Tyr, the god of justice who also has a huge church in Calimshan, will naturally not object.

In this way, there is basically no need to worry about intervention from God.

The next problem to be solved is the Lords of the Symbols entrenched in Calimshan.

I believe you should be very clear that under the leadership of Ragon, the power of the Entanglement Talisman has become like a huge spider web, connecting most of the nobles, merchants and thieves guilds in Calimshan and even the Kingdom of Tethyr.

It was simply a fantasy to want to avoid their eyes and ears and quietly end the battle with a dragon king like Ivyklathasagran "Sharptooth".

Compared to this, I think we can consider stealing the huge amount of tax first.

When Sharptooth found out that the money that should have belonged to her was stolen, guess how she would react given her temper? "

King Shane VII stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then he smiled sinisterly: "Given Sharptooth's temper, she will definitely launch a large-scale attack on Port Calim, venting her anger with blood, destruction, and death. In that case, it will no longer be us who will have to face her, but the Entanglement Symbol."

"That's right! First we start a war between our enemies, and then we hide in the dark and wait for our chance to strike.

If Sharptooth wins, then we can work together to destroy the Entangled Talisman first.

It just so happens that my people have recently collected a lot of information about the Lord of Symbols.

Even if we can't really wipe out the root of the problem, we can at least severely damage the entire organization, or at least get rid of the leader, Lagun."

Zuo Si said meaningfully.

Ever since he developed a grudge against the Entangled Symbol, he has been trying hard to eradicate this evil organization controlled by undead spellcasters.

To this end, he transformed Rein into an undead lich and offered her the life box in exchange for Ragon's trust.

It was because of this action that the former gained the trust of other Symbol Lords, quickly integrated into the core decision-making circle, and even formed an alliance with Xie Leisha.

As long as Ragon dies, Rain will be able to incite this legendary vampire to rebel in minutes.

"What if Sharp Tooth was seriously injured?" Sean VII asked calmly.

Zuo Si smiled and responded, "If it's the second case, then we can only ask this legendary dragon king to leave in advance. But I have an additional condition, that is, Sharp Tooth can only die in my hands."

"She has to die in your hands? Why? If I remember correctly, there should be no grudge between you and her." Xia En VII showed a puzzled expression.

"There is really no grudge between us. I just want to seize all the power of this legendary dragon."

After saying that, Zuo Si raised his right hand and suddenly activated his transformation ability.

The next second...

An extremely thick blue dragon claw appeared out of thin air, replacing the original human arm and palm.

When Sean VII saw this scene, his expression changed slightly, and he immediately asked in an uncertain tone: "Have you mastered the forbidden evil dragon magic that can strengthen your own power and even prolong your life by devouring other dragons?"

"Yes, that's right. The reason why I was able to master this magic is thanks to the Lord of the Symbol, Saphrak, who is also the only dragon lich in the entangled symbol.

It was he who made a magical equipment called the Dragon Gloves, and sealed an injured old blue dragon inside it.

Every time I use it, I have to fight against the blue dragon's strong desire to survive.

If they fail, they will permanently lose their physical attributes until their physical condition becomes worse and worse, and they are forced to transform themselves into a lich.

Unfortunately, the divine power bestowed by the goddess of poison and disease, Talona, ​​completely ruined this guy's sinister plan.

Not only did I devour all the power of the old blue dragon in the glove, but I also mastered this forbidden magical knowledge.

Also, I suspect Sharptooth also possesses this forbidden magical power.

Because her favorite thing to do is to kill other dragons and eat their corpses and those defenseless dragonets, young dragons and dragon eggs.

This also explains why this guy is much larger than most ancient dragons and has crossed the legendary threshold at around 300 years old."

The more he learned about the famous dragons of Faerûn, the more he felt that there were actually quite a few dragons who knew this forbidden knowledge.

Every evil five-colored dragon that likes to feed on its own kind should know this to some extent.

After all, dragon meat, even if carefully prepared by top chefs, has a poor taste and texture, so it should not be in the dragon's taste at all.

It’s just like the reason why humans actively eat some unpalatable things is either to cure diseases or for so-called nutrition and health.

By the same token, dragons usually eat each other not because they are extremely hungry, but because they can quickly improve their own strength through this method.

The only question is, how did they know this?

Obviously, the reason why taboo knowledge is taboo is that it is extremely secretive and almost impossible to obtain through learning and trading.

So it is very likely that he accidentally tore off the flesh and blood of his own kind and swallowed it during a battle, and later discovered that his strength had actually increased slightly, and eventually embarked on this bloodthirsty and cruel path. In the process of continuous swallowing, he summed up his experience and mastered the tricks bit by bit.

After Zuo Si's reminder, Shane VII instantly realized the unusual growth rate of Ivyklathasagran's "Sharp Teeth".

According to historians, this blue dragon was born in the year 145 of the Reclamation of the Vale of Faerûn.

It was only 322 years later when the man and the dragon fought for the first time.

At that time, Sharp Chi was less than 180 years old, which meant he was merely an adult dragon, and he had not even entered his prime.

But what is the result?

Shane VII, who possessed a very high level of arcane spellcasting and controlled a vast empire, was unable to cause any harm to an adult blue dragon that was less than 180 years old.

But the aftermath of the battle between the two sides resulted in four villages being razed to the ground, leaving no ruins behind.

Forty-four years later, in a fierce battle that resulted in the deaths of more than 75,000 slaves, Sharp Tooth, who was just over 200 years old, actually defeated Shane VII, who had a legendary spellcasting level. The latter almost lost his left arm and right leg.

If it were an ordinary blue dragon, at this age, it would not only fail to defeat a legendary wizard, but would also be manipulated by the opponent in a matter of minutes.

As for whether to accept it as a dog or mount, or directly slaughter it and turn it into spellcasting material, it all depends on the mood of the legendary wizard.

After pondering for a long time, Sean VII finally raised his head and said seriously, "You are right! Ivyklathasagran "Sharptooth" must have mastered this forbidden knowledge, otherwise she would not have been able to fight me back then. Here, here is some information I compiled about her. Some of it may be outdated, but it still has some reference value."

Zuo Si took it and glanced at it, and immediately showed a look of disbelief: "She has a ten-ring spell slot? She can cast four to five legendary spells every day?

Super magic skills include spell maximization, spell range extension, and spell instant casting.

In addition, you also need to pay special attention to the straight spit and split spit.

The known legendary spells include [Massive Destruction], [Legendary Spell Counter] and [Legendary Spell Armor].

The nine-ring spells include [Meteor Explosion], [Energy Absorption] and [Deafening Spray].

The seventh ring also has [Energy Immunity] and [Advanced Recovery].

In addition, there is the sixth-ring [Healing], the fifth-ring [Advanced Demonic Fang], the fourth-ring [Anti-Death Barrier], [Dimension Anchor], and [Dispersion Spray], the third-ring [Displacement] and [Gaseous Form], and the first-ring [Preemptive Strike].

All this magic, it's like it was tailor-made for it.

As a dragon that casts spells based on race and bloodline power, isn't Sharptooth's list of known spells a little too outrageous?

Has she been kissed by the goddess of luck?

Moreover, she also has at least two artifacts, four legendary magic items, and more than twenty high-level magic items.

In particular, [Control of Omar V] can summon a fire giant and provide it with three wishes every day.

Oh, and there's also the lost Scepter of Shane.

If I remember correctly, it should also be a very difficult legendary magic item..."

There is no doubt that a direct battle with Ivyklathagra "Sharptooth" would be no easier than fighting a demigod.

Just look at the list of known spells. This guy can fight, resist, heal, and run. He has almost no obvious shortcomings and his abilities are very balanced.

What’s even more terrifying is that Sharp Tooth is a rich dragon king, extremely, extremely rich.

Over the past thousand years, God knows how many scrolls and magic storage wands she has collected.

This means that Ivykola Sagran's "Sharp Teeth" can also perfectly replicate the tactics that Zuo Si used to use to kill people with money.

After all, it is common knowledge in Faerun that wealthy and powerful arcane spellcasters are the most difficult to deal with.

Add to that the terrifying vitality accumulated over seventeen years of age, and if converted into specific values, it would probably be over a thousand points.

What is the concept of this?

The vitality of most gods and evil spirits does not reach half of this value. Even Atropal, who was sealed in the scroll, has less than 800 points at most.

As for a legendary wizard and chosen one like Elminster, his score is only a little over 200.

It goes without saying that if a war really breaks out with Ivyklathasagran "Sharp Teeth", it will inevitably be a protracted war and a war of attrition.

After realizing this, Zuo Si slowly raised his head and said to the Undead Emperor in front of him: "I will go to the Temple of Ilmater later to talk to the God of Suffering. But the condition is that if you become the ruler of Calimshan again, you must publicly abolish slavery. Also, after this cooperation is over, no matter what the final result is, I will no longer owe you any favors."

"Deal! Thank you very much. I promise that your efforts will be rewarded with the most generous returns." Sean VII solemnly gave the guarantee.

"Oh? What's the reward? Can you tell us?" Zuo Si asked with interest.

Shane VII responded meaningfully: “Of course it’s the entire Amn and the Guild of Masked Mages.

When I leave, a simulacrum will remain to continue operating publicly as Zelanora, and it will obey your orders completely.

Beyond that, I planted a seed within the Salem Quante family.

Soon, a woman named Vera Salem Quanta will stir up a storm, a storm that is enough to destroy this family.

By that time, you can use some simple means to turn the entire Salem family into a pawn in your hands and control the Council of Six.

As for the Shadow Thief, if I'm not mistaken, you should have made preparations a long time ago, right?

With Amn under your control, you have successfully established a vast empire stretching as far west as the Maztec Continent and as far north as Luskan, the City of Sails.

When the time is right, they will use those sea merchants to swallow up the declining Baldur's Gate in one gulp, and then annex the vast territory of the entire West Heartland region to the west.

Finally, in the south, you supported Count Vix Target in the city of Myratmar in the kingdom of Tethyr, which was caught in civil war.

He is like a nail and a pair of eyes, helping you monitor the movements of other noble lords in the Kingdom of Tethyr and ready to launch a war of unification at any time.

To be honest, I can hardly believe that you had quietly started to arrange all this a few years ago when you were still very weak.

Compared to you, those self-proclaimed ruthless conspirators and ambitious people are simply a joke.

What’s even more interesting is that, as a member of the evil camp, you can actually maintain good cooperative relations with many paladins of the Church of the Good God and the Knights of the Burning Heart.

They even approve of your way of ruling and are willing to play their part within the system and rules you set.

You know, I'm really curious to see how these people will react when you build a massive empire that stretches across the western coast of Faerun."

"Empire? You seem to have misunderstood something. I have no ambition to establish an empire. Whether it is the Nelanther Islands or Luskan, the supreme ruler is His Majesty King Eric." Zuo Si pursed his lips and denied it flatly.

Upon hearing this, Sean VII couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! Are you deceiving yourself? Or do you think that everyone in this world is a fool and can't see that the pirate guy is just a puppet, a pawn pushed to the front? Come on, your way of covering your ears and stealing the bell can only deceive those ignorant people at the bottom.

In fact, I have plans for further cooperation after we retake Calimshan."

"In-depth cooperation plan?" Zuo Si's eyes flashed with curiosity.

Because up to now, he has not figured out what the Undead Emperor will do next after he takes back his own country.

Shane VII nodded slightly, "Yes, let's deepen our cooperation. If your plan succeeds, there will be no decent forces north of the Vortex Mountains except the Silver Moon Alliance and Waterdeep City.

I will integrate Calimshan's power, use the Shan Dynasty's claim to Tethyr to win over some nobles and suppress others, and reunite it into a country.

Then, through marriage, we completely transformed nearly one-fifth of the land of Faerun into an unprecedented empire.

At that time, I will choose to abdicate and you will be the supreme ruler.

The only condition is that if you get tired of it one day, your successor must have some of the blood of the Shan dynasty flowing in his veins."

"Excuse me for being blunt, but can you still find your descendants with rare bloodlines?" Zuo Si raised his eyebrows and asked evasively.

"Well! Actually I have found six, one of them is a boy and the other five are girls.

They are currently living in a house in Port Calin, receiving professional training from a tutor.

I promise that these five girls will definitely satisfy you in terms of appearance, figure and manners.

Of course, this is just a suggestion before you get rid of the Sharp Teeth and the Entangled Symbol, and you have plenty of time to consider it.

After all, after so many years, I no longer care about power. I hope to explore the endless universe and collect unknown mysterious knowledge after completing my revenge. "

As he said this, an unusual red light flashed in Shane VII's eyes.

And this point was accurately captured by Zuo Si.

He was sure almost instantly that the person standing in front of him was not the Moon Elf Mage, Zelanora, whose body was occupied, but the real body of the demilich.

Especially the fleeting and terrifying soul-capturing ability, which is not something that other high-level undead creatures can easily do.

"When do you plan to start?" Zuo Si raised his head and asked.

King Shane VII answered without hesitation: "Three days later! When Sharptooth leaves the lair, I will personally transfer all the taxes in the treasury of the Kalin Port Palace. You'd better make more preparations in advance. I will send you a magic message."

"Got it. Finally, I wish our plan goes smoothly. It would be best if we can eradicate the Sharp Teeth and the Entangled Symbols all at once."

After saying this, Zuo Si stood up and sent this necromancer, who might be the strongest mage in the continent of Faerun, out of the Mage Tower.

He himself was not idle either. He immediately set out to go to the Temple of Ilmater first, and then to the Temple of Talona to talk to these two gods with whom he had a good relationship.

(End of this chapter)