Just as Zuo Si's clone in Mirrodin obtained Melira and began to use her innate abilities to attack the essence of the sparkling oil, a food war without gunpowder had quietly begun in Sembia, a commercial powerhouse in the "Fallen Star Sea" in the central area of the continent of Faerun.
Sergant, an important trade hub and port city standing in the northwest of the Falling Star Sea, has a permanent population of tens of thousands.
Although it is not the capital of Sambia, it is the richest and most powerful place in the country, and it is also the place where the power struggles among big businessmen are most intense.
The reason why the Council of Six of Amn chose this place as the dumping site for grain was that they saw the complexity of the commercial and political factions within Serganth.
As long as there are enough benefits, the arrogant ruling class of this city doesn't care about the lives of other parts of Sambia, especially those "country bumpkins" who make a living from land and planting.
Although they own the most fertile land and the largest irrigated area in the country, only a small part of it is used to grow food.
The vast majority of the rest are cash crops, such as cotton, flax, rapeseed, sesame, olives, etc. used for textiles and oil extraction.
In addition, the well-connected transportation network is also one of the reasons for being selected.
After all, to the west of Sergant are the cities of Darren and Uraspil, which are adjacent to Cormyr, which is probably the most powerful feudal state in the continent of Faerun.
Sambian merchants bought large tracts of contiguous land here, owning countless manors, vineyards, orchards and hunting grounds, and even maintaining private armies. They secretly retained the notorious slavery system, and it was also one of the most important grain producing areas.
If the price of food in Sergan is driven down by dumping, this region will be the first to be affected and react quickly.
To the northeast of Sergant is the inland capital of Sambia, Ordulin.
This is the most densely populated region in the country. It is not self-sufficient in food and has long relied on deliveries from the southwest.
As we all know, the cost of long-distance transportation over land will definitely not be low, so the price of food around Odulin has always been high.
If food prices in Serganth plummeted, the first reaction of Sambia's supreme rulers would certainly not be alarm, but uncontrollable ecstasy.
This means that they only need to spend very little money to feed the large population in their core ruling area.
Anyway, once the landowners realize that growing crops is not profitable, they will immediately switch to growing other high-value-added crops such as sugarcane and beets.
As for the lives of ordinary farmers, these guys don't care.
Bankruptcy is even better! We can also take advantage of this opportunity to buy their land at a low price and sell their entire family into slavery to obtain even cheaper labor.
If all else fails, they can be sold to merchants or red-robed wizards in Sel as slaves.
If anyone were to ask what the difference is between the commercial empire of Amn and Sembia, it is that the former at least has some shame, maintaining its appearance through various charitable donations and allowing paladin organizations such as the Knights of the Burning Heart to enforce the law and uphold so-called "justice" within its borders.
But the latter are too lazy to even cover up. The major business tycoons and the families behind them are completely above the law and basically have the final say in their own territory.
And although slavery was prohibited by law, in practice it existed everywhere.
Especially the farmers working in the manors, more than 50% of them were serfs without personal freedom, and even their life and death were in the hands of their masters.
Those in power also collude with the dark elves active in the northern region of Cormanthor, and often make deals with evil forces such as the Red Wizard and Zhentil Keep. The Harper Alliance has long regarded Sembia as a threat like Cyre.
However, Bernard didn't care at all about the miserable lives of the lower-class people in Sambia.
He came this time with a mission assigned by the Council of Six, which was to destroy Sembia, a powerful competitor, in one fell swoop through legal business activities and ensure Amn's undisputed dominance in the trade activities of the continent of Faerun.
And the ambitious businessman also understood that such an important operation was a test in itself.
If he could successfully complete this series of operations, he would be treated like a hero after returning to Athkatla, and he might even be able to be included in the candidate list for the Six-Man Council with this merit.
Many families are eager to become the person in charge of this operation.
The reason why he was able to stand out was not because of his outstanding strength, but because he had an extremely powerful backer behind him, Zuo Si, who also provided the most important food for this operation.
Thinking of this, Bernard couldn't help but secretly congratulate himself for making the right choice. He then raised his head and asked his assistant who was sorting out the intelligence: "How much food have we dumped at a low price? What is the price of food in Sergante today?"
“170,000 tons, we have dumped a full 170,000 tons of all kinds of grain.
According to information provided by the Shadow Thieves Guild, all the granaries in the towns surrounding Sergant have been filled to capacity.
As for food prices, they have fallen to only one-fifth of their original normal prices, far below the cost of planting.
Almost all grain-growing estates and farmers are worried about how to quickly sell the grain in their hands to recover their costs.
After all, with the granaries in the surrounding areas full, they have no place to store the grain, and it is definitely too late to build barns now.
In addition, as the weather begins to turn cold, the Falling Star Sea area will soon experience frequent autumn rains.
If the food is not processed before the rainy season arrives, all the food piled outdoors will be soaked by the rain and become moldy and rotten.
Therefore, it is foreseeable that these people will eventually reluctantly sell off the food in their hands at prices far below cost, further triggering panic selling until food prices fall to a complete low.
By this time next year, all landowners will no longer be choosing to grow food.”
Another Am merchant in his forties reported excitedly.
Because through the operations and dumping over the past few days, he was basically certain that Sambia was 100% doomed this time.
After several rounds of large-scale dumping, the confidence of agricultural producers in food prices in the surrounding areas of Sergan has been completely destroyed.
And with the subsequent panic selling, it will quickly spread to other places and even to other cities in the Kingdom of Cormyr and the Fallen Star Sea.
After this painful lesson, no estate or farmer in Sambia would risk growing food again.
This means that when it is no longer possible to temporarily change crop planting in March or April next year, we can start to close the net and change from dumping at low prices to purchasing at high prices.
At the beginning, raising the grain purchase price would even make the Sambian merchant class and rulers, whose granaries were overflowing, smile with joy, thinking that they had taken the opportunity to make a huge profit from the price difference, and they sold it unscrupulously.
Since Sambia was originally a country united by merchant oligarchs, all major cities basically maintained autonomy, and it was even more impossible for them to have a modern national statistical system. Therefore, they had no idea that there was no land left in the country to grow crops, and they thought that the gap could be made up by the time of the autumn harvest.
The result was that when the grain in the warehouse was almost sold out, it was discovered that there was not a single grain left in the country during the autumn harvest.
By then, there would be no need for Amn to take action. The selfish local merchant groups in Sembia would start hoarding grains on their own and continue to raise grain prices to reap the wealth of the lower-class people.
When people can no longer survive, a terrible riot will break out.
At this moment, it has become impossible for the rulers to purchase food from other neighboring countries to quell the civil unrest.
After all, other countries are not fools.
With Sambia as a negative example, they will naturally be more vigilant and prioritize protecting their own food reserves.
What's more, there are millions of people in Sambia, and the food consumption cannot be met by the surplus food of one or two regions or even the country.
Coupled with the negative impact of previous low-price dumping, grain production around the Falling Star Sea will definitely decrease to varying degrees.
This means that for at least a year, Sembia will not be able to obtain sufficient food supplies, and can only watch the lower-class people who can't survive rise up in rebellion, and the whole country will inevitably fall into division and civil war.
"Only 170,000 tons? Too little! Keep increasing the quantity! We need to dump at least 600,000 tons of grain in the next two months."
Bernard narrowed his eyes and gave quick instructions.
In his opinion, a mere 170,000 tons of surplus grain was not enough to cause a devastating impact on Sambia's agriculture.
The assistant nodded vigorously and said, "Understood! I will arrange for people to disguise themselves as merchants from Celtic as soon as possible and transport more food to major port cities. Anyway, we have that treasure, so we only need to leave the port and travel around the coast to fill up all the empty warehouses."
“让我们的人都谨慎点，记得每次离港都要更换船帆、标记和水手，千万不要被识破了。”伯纳德表情严肃的叮嘱道。
“关于这一点请您放心。蒙面法师公会给我们提供了足够的魔法面具，只要戴上立刻就能变成另外一幅面孔。到目前为止，还没有任何人被怀疑过。”助手信誓旦旦的给出保证。
再怎么说，这也是受到六人评议会关注的重要行动，安姆各方势力都提供了力所能及的帮助，无论是在物资还是人手方面。
听到这番话，伯纳德终于露出满意的表情：“非常好。这对我来说是一次非常重要的机会，对你也同样如此。所以我不希望出任何差错，知道吗？对了，索斯阁下派出的那位仆人乌瑟亚呢？”
“他？他最近好像一直都在频繁参加上流社会举办的晚宴，甚至成为了安达司·伊嘉玛尔的座上宾。”
助手稍加思索后很快便把自己知道的情况说了出来。
“已经混入了上流社会吗？真不愧是……”
伯纳德话说到一半戛然而止。
因为别人或许不知道乌瑟亚是谁，但他却知道对方根本不是人类，而是一个从小魔鬼变成强大到令人恐惧的深狱炼魔，同时也是左思的仆人跟魔宠。
平日里跟法师塔进行联系，基本都是通过乌瑟亚完成的。
就在助手还想要说点什么的时候，一个熟悉的身影便推开门从外面走了进来。
“我刚才好像听到有人提到了我的名字？”
乌瑟亚迈着优雅的步伐，直接无视了守在门口的护卫和躲在不起眼角落里的影贼，缓缓从外面走了进来。
尽管眼下的时间才刚过中午，距离晚上至少还有四个小时以上，可他却浑身上下散发着酒气，从额头到脸颊、再到脖子、胸口，密密麻麻至少有二十几个唇印，明显刚刚参加完一场作风颇为“狂野”的私人宴会，脸上更是洋溢着无比满足的笑容。
当然，这个“满足”指的并不是那些凡人内心之中对于美色、放纵和酒精的欲望，而是看到了桑比亚完美符合地狱魔鬼价值观的行事作风。
首先，这里的人们遵守契约，并且擅长从契约中挖掘漏洞钻空子，而这些正是魔鬼们的拿手好戏。
其次，几乎所有的桑比亚人都喜欢在规则允许的范围内不择手段往上爬，热衷于玩弄阴谋诡计和背叛的戏码，并且社会内部充满了因为利益关系而构成的各种秘密结社，简直就是地狱政治的翻版。
最后是该国的商人阶级对于金钱和财富永不满足的渴求，同样跟地狱魔鬼们对于灵魂的渴求一模一样。
毫无疑问，乌瑟亚喜欢这个地方，更喜欢这里的人。
如果不是已经切断了跟巴托地狱的联系，他甚至会忍不住掏出几张羊皮纸，跟那些灵魂中散发着邪恶光辉的人类签一份契约，然后等对方死后将其灵魂转化成自己的得力手下。
唯一遗憾的是，桑比亚缺乏一个像地狱之主阿斯摩蒂尔斯那样掌握着绝对权力、拥有无与伦比远见跟智慧的领导者。
现任大统领欧都斯·雅马斯特每天光是忙着跟其他势力勾心斗角就已经耗尽了全部精力，根本无法像安姆六人评议会那样把整个国家的权力集中起来。
伯纳德给助手使了个眼色，后者立马心领神会，迅速转身离开房间并顺手带上了门。
当房间里只剩下两个人的时候，他这才忍不住开口询问道：“如何？统治塞尔刚特的那些富商家族们，是不是对最近粮食价格暴跌已经开始有所警惕？”
乌瑟亚一屁股做到椅子上，用略带轻蔑的语气回应道：“警惕？ 别傻了！ 各大家族和商会正在忙着借此机会吞噬那些破产自耕农和小庄园主的土地、财产。
他们感谢我们还来不及，怎么会产生警惕。
凡人都是短视的，尤其唯利是图的商人。
眼下几乎整个上层统治者都在兴高采烈谈论自己家族放了多少高利贷、增加了多少土地、明年打算种些什么更赚钱的作物。
甚至还嘲笑那些傻乎乎只知道种粮的乡巴佬，认为粮价暴跌导致他们破产完全是活该。”
“所以……我们的备用计划可能要用不上了？”
伯纳德眼睛里闪过一丝毫不掩饰的喜色。
“就目前的局势来看，的确已经用不上了。不过那些武器装备倒是可以收拾一下，准备在下个阶段卖给起义军。哦，对了，我还帮你物色了几个适合的人，你可以考虑派人跟他们接触一下。”
说着，乌瑟亚从口袋里掏出了一份足有七八页纸的名单。
每一个名字下面，都有其生平、经历、喜好、善恶倾向。
在这些人当中有的是盗贼公会野心勃勃的首领；
有的是看穿了桑比亚统治阶级贪婪、无耻、永不满足的嘴脸，从内心深处渴望将其推翻的反抗者； 还有的是在商人剥削下家破人，眼睁睁看着爱人、朋友、父母和子女一个一个离自己而去，最终出离愤怒只想要毁灭一切、破坏一切的复仇者。
尽管他们彼此之间乍一看好像没什么必然的联系。
但却都有一个共同点，那就是对桑比亚现如今的局势极度不满，同时还拥有一定的人格魅力和领导才能。
这也就意味着，当粮食开始短缺、饥荒席卷整个国家之后，只要得到适当的资助，每个人都能迅速拉起一支队伍，拉开埋葬整个桑比亚现有政权这出大戏的序幕。
伯纳德将名单接过来反复查看，紧跟着拿起笔在其中几个名字上圈了一下，意味深长的说道：“这下连最后一块拼图都凑齐了。接下来要做的就是耐心等待，等待种下去的种子开始生根发芽。”
“是啊！从现在到明年三月份有足足半年时间呢，我可以跟那些有趣的凡人好好玩玩。虽然主人不允许我插手伱们的事情，但却并没说不许我找点乐子，不是吗？”
在说这番话的时候，乌瑟亚咧开嘴露出了魔鬼般的笑容。
虽然他眼下借助魔法道具维持着人类形态，可伯纳德还是不由自主感觉全身上下的汗毛瞬间竖起。
对于一名深狱炼魔来说，所谓的“玩玩”可不是字面意义上那么简单。
搞不好整个桑比亚上层都会出现剧烈的动荡和内乱，甚至一些现在看起来很强的家族被灭门都不足为奇。
毕竟这个国家不管是政治结构、社会环境，还是人们的思维方式，都让魔鬼可以完美的融入其中，甚至不会引起任何人的怀疑。
足足过了一分钟，伯纳德才从恐惧中挣脱出来，苦笑着提醒道：“你最好小心点，索斯阁下可不喜欢出现太多的意外，更不希望原本顺利的计划闹出什么岔子。”
可乌瑟亚却不以为的耸了耸肩膀：“放心，我有分寸。
更何况，主人现在要忙的事情可多着呢，根本没精力来管桑比亚这边。
别的不说，光是在路斯坎举行的北地领主联盟会议，以及随着外部威胁消失后，各城镇之间爆发的内部利益冲突，就够他头疼的了。
除此之外还有银月城那位艾拉斯卓女士……”
不得不说，作为跟随左思时间比较长，而且拥有魔力连结、情感连结的魔宠，乌瑟亚对于自己主人还是比较了解的。
尽管他习惯性的谄媚跟马屁经常拍在马腿上。
此时此刻，远在费伦大陆西海岸最北端的城市路斯坎，来自无冬城、深水城、银月城、米拉巴、秘银厅、长鞍镇、红松镇、雅塔、艾尔沃德等城镇的代表已然齐聚在巨大的会议室内。
连龙矛城堡的总管——马绍尔也大老远跑过来凑了个热闹。
除此之外，还有很多支配着一两个城堡与数个小村长的贵族领主也抵达了现场。
毕竟北地领主联盟是一个半开放性质的组织，只要能证明自己的身份和对控制下土地的合法占有权，便能申请加入并成为其中的一员。
事实上，像这些拥有一两座城堡和几个村落的男爵、子爵、伯爵和公爵才是领主联盟内数量最多的加盟成员。
不过与艾拉斯卓和纳西尔领主预料中“和谐友爱”的场面不同，会议才刚开始不久，秘银厅国王布鲁诺就率先发难，跟米拉巴的代表吵了起来。
由于双方的主要经济结构都是依靠采矿、金属冶炼和武器铠甲的锻造，因此米拉巴为了打击竞争对手，暗中采取了一系列见不得光的卑鄙手段。
一般来说，像这种争斗稍微成熟点的领导者都不会拿到台面上来说，以防撕破脸之后没办法收场。
可布鲁诺·战锤是谁？
The legendary dwarf blacksmith who created the powerful magic hammer - Aegis-fang! He once successfully crushed the war started by the evil artifact, the Shard of Demonic Shard, in Icewind Dale!
He also went on adventures to find his former hometown, Mithril Hall, and personally killed the evil dragon named Shimmering Shadow!
He then abandoned his throne as king and drove the flaming chariot given by Alustriel across half of the continent of Faerun, just to support his good friend!
Later, when facing the dark elf army roaring towards Menzoberranzan, he fearlessly led his people to resist bravely, and used his sharp axe to split the head of the old matron of the Baenre family! Would such a dwarf leader sit down and follow the unspoken rules to play those dirty political games? Don't be ridiculous!
He was quite calm and restrained as he didn't just pick up the axe and chop the man down first.
With Bruno taking the lead, the remaining town representatives simply stopped pretending and started exposing each other's secrets.
After all, among those who have been able to gain a foothold and survive to this day in the North, a place full of dangers, monsters and bandits, how many of them have truly clean bottoms?
As a result, the quarrel soon gave way to rude insults and personal attacks, and the meeting room was ten thousand times noisier than an open-air market.
Seeing that the situation was beginning to get out of control, Alustriel immediately exchanged glances with Lord Nasir, and they both reached out their feet from under the table and gently kicked Eric.
The latter suddenly woke up from his dozing state, and then showed an innocent expression, as if saying, what's the point of kicking me, I'm just a puppet without any real power, the only thing I want to do is to stay in my current position and enjoy life.
Besides, if these guys fight, it won't have anything to do with Luskan and the Nelanthel Islands. Helplessly, Alustriel lowered his voice and explained, "Your Majesty Eric, if you don't stop them, the verbal abuse will soon turn into violence and bloodshed.
I believe that Soth would not want to see casualties in the Northern Lords Alliance meeting held on his own territory, right?
If it really happened, it would be quite embarrassing.”
moment!
Eric finally came to his senses, stood up suddenly, and slammed his fist on the table.
Bang! With vibrations and noises, the conference room, which was as noisy as a vegetable market in the last second, suddenly became quiet in the next second.
Everyone turned to stare at the titular king.
Eric, who was born as a pirate, was not afraid of the stage. Instead, he deliberately put on a serious face and scolded in a pretentious manner: "Look at what you look like now! What kind of words are you talking about!
If the people of the North knew that you, who they had placed high hopes on, were now arguing, accusing, and swearing at each other like street thugs, what would they think? So please be rational! At least sit down and have a serious talk about how to solve the problem, instead of letting the conflict escalate into hatred. "
"That's right! Everyone, don't get so excited. After all, compared to the harsh living environment in the past, we at least don't have to worry about the conspiracy and invasion of the Arcane Brotherhood. Even the orcs who pose the greatest threat have disappeared. What's left are just some insignificant troubles that can be solved through negotiation."
Lord Nasir of Neverwinter quickly chimed in.
He couldn't understand why the external environment had improved, but the situation within the entire alliance had deteriorated.
Alustriel also suggested: "I think it would be better if we take a break for two days to give everyone some time to calm down and think. Otherwise, everyone will be angry and it will be impossible for them to sit down and seriously resolve the conflict."
"agree!"
"I agree!"
"Let's take a rest for two days. Maybe we are all too tired, so our tempers have become bad."
…
Soon, the proposal to temporarily adjourn was passed unanimously.
The representatives of various towns and castle lords also realized the possible consequences of a complete break-up, and they all stood up and left with flickering eyes.
However, cracks have already appeared, and it is basically impossible to return to the previous state.
Just the opposite!
This rift will only grow larger as external threats disappear and conflicts of interest and frictions between each other increase.
After everyone left, Alustriel sighed slightly and asked Eric directly: "Where is Soth? Why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"I'm sorry, ma'am, you've asked the wrong person this question. What makes you think that I'm qualified to know the whereabouts of Lord Soth?" Eric asked back in a slightly self-deprecating tone.
You have to know that so far, he has only met Zuo Si twice.
One was to pay the ransom at Calim Port, and the other was at the meeting to decide on establishing a regime after occupying Luskan.
The rest of the time, the liches in the organization are responsible for issuing various notifications and orders.
It is also because of this that Eric knows better than anyone else the huge power hidden in the darkness, and he has never had any improper thoughts just because he has become king.
Because he knew that if he had any inappropriate thoughts, he would lose everything he had now.
"Then what about this Northern Lords Alliance meeting? Doesn't Soth want to step up and become the leader of the entire North?" Elastro frowned and continued to ask.
Hearing this, Eric couldn't help but laugh, and he joked while laughing: "I don't think Lord Soth would be interested in such boring things."
"boring?!"
Alustriel showed a look of astonishment.
"Yes! Lord Soth scoffs at both the Northern Lords' Alliance and the Silver Moon Alliance led by you. Because these two organizations are too loose, and they do not give their leaders enough power, let alone integrate them to form a true rule and country." Eric commented incisively.
Although he was born a pirate and had never received a decent education, he has read a lot of books related to politics and power struggles in the past two years.
In addition, by observing how the bureaucratic systems of Luskan and Nelanther Islands work, his insights are higher and broader than most rulers of this world.
Alustriel obviously did not expect that the puppet in front of him could actually say such a thing. He raised his eyebrows in shock, and after half a minute he asked, "Let's not talk about the Northern Lords' Alliance for now. Why do you think that the Silver Moon Alliance cannot unite to form a country?"
“Because of power!”
Eric gave the answer without hesitation, and explained to himself: "In the concept of Lord Soth, building a country requires many prerequisites.
For example, unimpeded legislative and law enforcement powers, a strong central administrative power that can completely control the local areas, corresponding financial powers such as economy, trade, taxation, etc., and absolute control over the military.
Only when all these powers are concentrated can a truly unified country be formed.
Let me ask you, in the Silver Moon Alliance, which of the above rights do you have?
The answer is obviously none.
The laws you make only cover Silvermoon City and its surrounding areas. The various towns have long been in an independent and autonomous state politically, and each has its own financial affairs. You even need to pay several tolls to pass through the territory of the Silvermoon Alliance. Finally, each town has its own army that only obeys its own orders.
Without violating the existing framework of the Silver Moon Alliance, the best you can do is to glue them together with your strong personal strength and charm.
And this took hundreds of years.
It is impossible for ordinary people to live such a long life.
If one day you unfortunately pass away, or step down from the position of Queen of the Silver Moon Alliance, will there be another person who can continue to maintain this situation?
Unless you change your current style and attitude, suppress local forces through various means, and forcibly seize judicial, administrative and military power bit by bit.
Otherwise, the Silver Moon Alliance will never become a country."
There is no doubt that Eric's remarks impressed Elastro, Lord Nasir, and the Golden Dragon Queens Veramalandace and Erebeth who followed behind them.
They originally thought that this pirate guy was just a puppet who was greedy for beauty, enjoyed pleasure and loved vanity, but they never expected that he had such profound and unique insights.
At least there aren't any obvious holes in the logic.
Eric noticed the change in their looks and immediately said in a half-joking tone, “Don’t look at me like that.
These truths are not something I have realized on my own, but come from some books given to me by Lord Soth.
He also said that even if I am a puppet with no real power like me, since I sit in this position, I must have the most basic political knowledge and awareness.
Otherwise, it is easy to be exploited by people with ulterior motives and eventually become a tragic victim.”
"You are too modest, Your Majesty Eric. In my opinion, you are far superior to most rulers in this world. Even if you hold real power, you can still become a wise monarch." Alustriel praised generously.
But Eric shook his head indifferently: “No, you are wrong, ma’am.
A guy like me who is lustful, lazy, and only wants to enjoy himself without taking any responsibility can never become a qualified ruler.
Even though I understand the theory, it is very difficult to stay sober and rational when it comes to the actual operation.
Whether it is the flattery from subordinates or the intoxicating feeling brought by holding huge power and wealth, it will continue to corrode a person's heart.
This is also what I admire most about Mr. Soth.
He will never be confused by these things and always know what he really wants.
Moreover, he understood human hearts and human nature very well. He knew what each of his subordinates desired and would satisfy them when they performed well.
Take me for example. The life I have now, which has both status and position, but does not require any responsibilities and has plenty of money to spend and enjoy, is what I have always longed for.
If I were really made a king with real power, I would not feel happy. I would only think it was a heavy burden.
So my advice to you is, don't think that the rulers of the towns in the Northern Lords' Alliance and the Silver Moon Alliance are as kind and noble as yourself, and that they have lofty ideals and ambitions.
Most of them are probably like me, simply wanting to acquire more wealth so that they and their entire family can become part of the privileged class.”
After saying this, Eric stood up and bowed slightly to the four people present. Then he hugged the hot and scantily clad female secretary who was waiting outside the door, turned around and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
After a long silence, Lord Nasir let out a long sigh and said with emotion: "It seems that we have all underestimated His Majesty the King. He is not stupid at all, but a rare and truly smart man."
"You're right. I can't believe that a pirate who has never received systematic education would have such insight." Eribes agreed with deep conviction.
But Alustriel shook his head disapprovingly: "No, this has nothing to do with Eric himself, but the result of Soth's training. Not only him, but also the entire Luskan's clean and efficient bureaucracy that far exceeds that of other cities is worthy of our learning."
The Golden Dragon Queen Valamaradace responded helplessly: “We can’t learn it.
Because South maintains this system not by law, but by another set of violence and terror methods independent of the judicial system.
If it were simply a matter of judicial procedures, I think the bureaucrats would not be as awed as they are now, but would do their best to find loopholes in the law to defend themselves.
It has been proven countless times that it is difficult to curb corruption and money-for-power transactions by relying solely on laws.
Just when Eribes was about to say something, a tall man covered in crimson armor suddenly walked in from outside the door. It was the Flame Dragon Knight Davian.
He first looked around, then bowed with one hand on his chest to the only four people left in the meeting room.
"Ms. Alustriel, Queen Veramalandes, Lord Nasir, and Ms. Eribes, the host has prepared sumptuous food and fine wine and is waiting outside for your arrival."
"It's you?!"
Veramaradace's pupils suddenly dilated, contracted, and then dilated again. The muscles all over her body tensed rapidly, as if she could transform into an ancient golden dragon at any time.
Needless to say, she knew through the smell and the amazing fire energy that the sturdy man in front of her was the fiery red dragon that had caused panic among the people not long ago.
"Hmm? Have we met before?"
Davian blinked in confusion.
He didn't remember having any interactions with this golden dragon that maintained a human appearance.
Willamalandais obviously noticed that there was no hostility in the eyes of the Flame Dragon Knight. She immediately relaxed a little and replied with a smile: "Uh - you really don't know me, but I know that you have been killing evil colorful dragons and monster tribes in the North some time ago."
moment!
Davian suddenly realized what was going on, and immediately showed an apologetic expression: "Ah, so it's that matter. I'm very sorry that my hunting has caused you trouble. But don't worry, there is no other meaning, I am just simply clearing out possible threats in the wilderness."
"You don't have to apologize, because after the cleanup, the security situation in the Silver Moon Alliance has improved significantly. By the way, are you a red dragon?" Veramalandais asked cautiously.
"No, I'm not a red dragon, but a knight who can transform into a flaming red dragon. In the beginning, I was just a human, and later I gained the power I have today with the generosity of my master."
Davian did not hide anything and stated his identity openly.
Because ever since the battle with Sharptooth, his identity and abilities are no longer a secret.
"Ah! I remember now! You are Davian! One of Soth's most powerful warriors!"
Alustriel remembered something and suddenly let out a cry of surprise.
Davian smiled and nodded: "Yes, I have always been the most reliable servant beside the master. Well, let's stop talking about me here. Everyone, please follow me."
After saying that, he turned around and walked out of the building.
The other four looked at each other, then immediately stood up and followed behind.
When they arrived at the door, Elastre, Veramalandais, Lord Nasir and the Holy Knight Aribeth were surprised to find that what was docked here was not a carriage, but a "ship" that they had never seen before.
When everyone boarded with curiosity and confusion, the "ship" suddenly flew up into the air and flew directly over the largest market in Luskan, attracting the attention and screams of countless people below.
You don't need to ask to know that this is a small airship that has just been built in the floating city.
And the hydrogen inside has been replaced by safer helium.
Zuo Si himself stood in the middle of the hall filled with sumptuous banquets, opened his arms and smiled to the four guests, saying: "Welcome! First of all, please allow me to apologize. Due to some unexpected troubles, I was unable to catch up with the meeting of the Northern Lords Alliance. How about this dining place I specially arranged, isn't it good?"
"It's more than good! Eating above the sea and in the sky is exciting just thinking about it."
Lord Nasir stood beside the glass window, looking at the magnificent scenery thousands of meters above the sky and exclaiming in admiration.
After all, he was a warrior. Although he had gone on adventures when he was young, he had never experienced what it was like to fly in his life.
Now that I can experience it through this airship, it would be strange if I wasn’t excited.
Of course, the reaction of the Holy Knight Eribes at the side was not much better. His eyes kept flashing with strange looks, and his joy was beyond words.
In comparison, Alustriel and the ancient golden dragon Veramalandes, who possessed powerful magical powers, were much calmer. They were simply very interested in this device that could carry people flying and wanted to find out how it worked.
Especially the former, who was chosen by the Goddess of Magic, soon noticed that on a table not far away, there was a ghost ship in a glass bottle.
Through the transparent bottle wall, you can even see ghosts and evil spirits floating inside, constantly emitting piercing screams...
(End of this chapter)