Shadowdale is a city that stands on the border of the Dale and Cormanthor, beside a broad, fast-flowing river.
Unlike other typical towns in Faerun, in addition to being home to several voters of the goddess of magic, including Elminster, this city is also not protected by high walls and adopts a true one-person-one-vote election system.
The political system here is very interesting, a bit like a combination of democratic elections and feudalism.
Commoners who own land, property and freedom will elect a lord, and then swear allegiance to the lord through a ceremony. The lord will manage and lead the daily operations of the entire city, as well as resist monsters such as dark elves, goblins, orcs, etc. that may invade from the Cormanthor region.
Of course, Shadowdale dared not build city walls even though it was so close to the dangerous Cormanthor, mainly because the souls of Elminster, Storm Silverhand and Hiron were there to guard it. When necessary, they could also summon the other chosen ones of the goddess of magic to help.
Otherwise, with its own militia quality and defense capabilities, it would have been occupied and destroyed countless times.
The reason why Xiren died and existed in the form of a soul was that he sacrificed in the battle to protect Shadow Valley.
More than 70 percent of the reason why this city can exist and stand firm is due to the powerful magical power of the "Great Sage of Shadow Valley".
Therefore, no matter how bad the outside world's evaluation of Elminster is, the people here always support and love him.
They can even tolerate some of the old wizard's weird quirks and habits, and allow strange visitors who are obviously dangerous to enter the city.
In the eyes of the people of Shadowdale, no matter how dangerous the visitors are or whether they have bad intentions, the invincible Elminster can always handle everything.
But today, when a bald wizard appeared on the street, Elminster, who had never been friendly to anyone, actually opened the door of his house and stood outside to greet him together with Storm Queen Xinbu.
Without asking, one would know that this bald wizard was Mordenkainen who had just visited Zuo Si.
As soon as the two sides met, Xinbu asked impatiently: "How is it, have you met him?"
Mordenkainen nodded slightly: "Yes, I have seen him. Thank you for the letter of introduction you wrote to me. Otherwise, it would not be easy to enter his Mage Tower. Did you know? I actually saw a Seraph Servant in there."
"What? Are you sure your eyes are not blurry and you mistakenly took the alien god servant for the Seraph god servant?" Xinbu raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Do you think I would make such a stupid mistake? He is just a Seraphic Servant, but for some reason his body is filled with amazing natural energy. Also, are you sure you want to talk about this here?"
As he spoke, Mordenkainen glanced at the ordinary people around him who had curious expressions on their faces, and the implication of his words was self-evident.
"Please come in. I baked some delicious cherry pies at home, and there is also a hot cocoa drink with a rich flavor from the Maztec continent. We can eat and talk at the same time."
Elminster took the initiative to make a gesture of invitation.
With the sound of the door closing, the three people disappeared into this seemingly inconspicuous little house.
A few minutes later, they sat in front of the fireplace, enjoying cherry pie baked by the Great Sage of Shadow Valley and drinking hot cocoa with a rich aroma.
A scholar once said that time and aging are mankind's greatest enemies, but for Elminster it is just the opposite.
After all, no matter who you are, as long as you are a normal person with similar intelligence, you can accumulate knowledge, skills and experience that ordinary people cannot even reach after living for more than a thousand years.
Not to mention that Elminster himself is a genius in the field of magic, otherwise he would not have been chosen by the second generation magic goddess.
Especially his cooking skills, which are quite good, probably because he always had to go on adventures and sleep outdoors when he was young, and even cooked and ate special ingredients like dragon meat.
Even Mordenkainen, who was very picky about the taste and texture of food, ate it with gusto.
After finishing a piece of cherry pie, he picked up the cup and took a sip of the hot cocoa, patiently waiting for the other party to ask questions.
Obviously, in addition to Mordenkainen's own wish, visiting Zuo Si also included a transaction between him and the two chosen ones of the magic goddess.
In other words, these spellcasters who stand at the top of their respective worlds are not only concerned with their own little piece of land.
Instead, they maintain close contact with each other and occasionally gather together for secret meetings.
Sometimes it is to communicate and share magical knowledge and new discoveries, sometimes it is to exchange information and intelligence, and occasionally they will ask the other party to do a small favor that they are not convenient to do.
In short, Elminster, Mordenkainen, and Xinbu are all frequent visitors to this secret gathering.
In the world of Krynn where the story of Dragonlance takes place, Dalamar, a disciple of the most powerful and famous archmage Raistlin, was once treated as a clown and teased by three big guys at the gathering.
Although he was the strongest black-robed wizard in the world after Raistlin's death, he was still far behind the real strong ones.
Of course, this does not rule out the possibility that it is related to the relative scarcity of magical resources and the extremely small number of mages in the Klein world itself.
But at least when Raistlin was alive, he was absolutely qualified to communicate on an equal footing with Mordenkainen, Elminster and others.
"Do you know what Soth is doing lately?"
After a while, Elminster was the first to speak and break the silence.
"Which aspect do you mean? In the outer planes or this world, or other time and space he has visited?" Mordenkainen asked calmly.
Elminster answered without hesitation: "Of course it is the continent of Faerun under our feet.
From what I've heard, he's recently joined forces with the churches of Bane, the god of tyranny, and Waukeen, the goddess of wealth, and seems to be doing something big.
Whether it's the airship, a means of transportation that could bring about dramatic changes to the world, or the West Coast Trade Alliance, which has already invited many countries and city-states to join, both make me feel very uneasy.
Most importantly, the prophecy of the wise Alando is coming true. The descendants of Baal, the god of murder, are awakening in large numbers and beginning to fight for the Blood Throne.
I'm not sure what South's position on this matter is."
Mordenkainen immediately showed a look of disgust when he heard these questions, and said with a slightly contemptuous tone: "You are still the same as before, always like to meddle in such trivial matters that have no practical significance. Tell me, Elminster, do you have the confidence that you can defeat a Seraphim with a divine weapon in a battle?"
"No mortal would dare to make such a guarantee, and I am no exception."
Elminster gave a very straightforward and direct negative answer.
Although in the turbulent years, he once faced the gods who came in the form of saints and fought fiercely with them.
Anyone with a little religious knowledge knows that a god in the form of a saint is not a real god at all, otherwise the second-generation magic goddess would not be easily killed by Heim, who was responsible for guarding the gate.
The Seraphic Servant can be regarded as a special demigod to a certain extent.
Therefore, Elminster was not sure whether he could gain any advantage from the Seraph God's servants by relying on the silver fire in his body and other special means.
The most likely result would be that you would be pinned to the ground and rubbed repeatedly without any ability to fight back.
Not to mention dealing with the Seraphim, he might not even be able to deal with the great demons in Hell who were exiled by Asmodeus.
“Since you know you are no match for them, why do you still want to intervene?
No matter what Soth wants to do, he is fully prepared, and it is definitely not something you and those Harpers who think they are saving the world can stop.
Look at what happened to that mad god Cyric. Don't you understand that he is completely different from anyone you've ever met?
Soth's unique character determines that he rarely uses force rashly, especially using naked violence to force others to obey him, and then achieves rule through cruel means that may provoke strong resistance.
On the contrary, this interesting young man is very proficient in human weaknesses and good at grasping other people's psychology. He can use the knowledge and resources at hand to create huge benefits, thereby winning the support of the majority.
After gaining the support of the majority, we will use the power of the majority to attack the minority enemies.
I have summarized some of the things that Soth has done since he came to Toril, and found that he almost never fights alone. No matter what he does, he is always surrounded by a large group of allies.
And keep at least one or two backup plans that can reduce losses and reverse the unfavorable situation after failure.
Most importantly, his soul may exude a strong evil aura, but it is not chaotic or brutal.
The lower classes within his control live even better than those in so-called areas that tend to be kind.
So I really don't understand what you are worried about.
In my opinion, letting Soth rule the west coast of this continent is not a bad thing, but a good thing.
At least from a macro perspective, it can make business more prosperous and allow ordinary people to live in a relatively safe and orderly social environment.
This will also promote the development of civilization and improve the quality of the population.
Perhaps decades or even hundreds of years later, a magical civilization as powerful as Netheril or Imaskar will be born on this land again.
As for the minor destruction and sacrifice in the process of achieving this goal, they are just the birth pains for realizing a more grand vision.
Even without Soth, do you think those civilians can live a stable life?
No! Whether it is the numerous monsters and beasts, or the heavy taxes collected by the greedy lords under various pretexts, they are all huge challenges they face in their survival.
As the saying goes, a short pain is worse than a long pain.
Only by establishing a strong and unified regime can all these problems be eliminated at the root.
As for the Sons of Bhaal, Thors had never concealed his intentions.
He wants to seize the priesthood of death, which originally belonged to the god of murder, for the goddess Talona, who first gave him power and the status of the chosen one. "
When saying this, Mordenkainen's tone clearly showed admiration for Zuo Si.
As a person of absolute neutrality, he has never liked, or even looked down upon, Elminster's petty style of doing things.
On the contrary, I strongly agree with Zuo Si's idea of showing the evil side of human nature without concealing it, but knowing when to stop and never easily breaking the balance between good and evil.
The only thing that made Mordenkain feel a little regretful was that Zuo Si was too inclined towards lawfulness, so that he had a certain "narrow prejudice" against the demons from the Abyss.
Otherwise, the two should be able to reach a consensus on maintaining the great "balance" of the universe.
You should know that he formed an army of his own in the Greyhawk world, and then jumped back and forth between the camps of justice and evil, and even helped the devil fight more than once, just to prevent one side of good from gaining an absolute upper hand.
"So... he is really planning to unify the entire west coast of Faerun and establish an empire?"
Elminster grasped the key point keenly, put down the cup in his hand and showed a solemn expression.
Mordenkainen shook his head slightly and said, "I'm sorry, you shouldn't ask me this question, but should ask Soth directly.
After all, you are all the chosen ones of the Magic Goddess, aren't you?
All I know is that he has the strength, ability and means to achieve this goal.
In the south, King Shane VII, who is about to unify Calimshan and Tethyr, has made a young girl his crown prince. I believe you should know what he wants to do.
Additionally, Amn has seen some dramatic political changes recently.
According to the results of my investigation, after a brief struggle, the six-member council has gradually been controlled by a woman named Vera Salem Quanta.
Guess who she is loyal to now? The powerful wizards in the Masked Wizard Guild dare not disobey Soth's orders.
They even merged with the Emerald Society, which they had been besieging and hunting for many years.
As for Baldur's Gate, its backbone was broken in the naval battle a few years ago.
All merchants engaged in maritime trade must rely on the fleet of the Nelanther Islands to continue their business.
I think one word from Soth would be more effective than a hundred words from the dukes who are caught up in a fierce internal struggle.
If we add the trade alliance initiated by the Church of the Goddess of Wealth, the power wielded by Soth has become unrivaled.
Perhaps in your rigid traditional thinking, you would think that kind-hearted city-states and countries such as Waterdeep, Neverwinter, and Silvermoon Alliance would stand up and fiercely oppose it.
But the actual situation was that Alustriel was the first to sign his name on the agreement on behalf of the Silvermoon Federation, and Lord Nasir did not hesitate to announce that Neverwinter would join.
In comparison, Waterdeep, which is still hesitating and discussing fiercely, will not be able to hold on for much longer.
The emergence of airships has greatly reduced transportation costs, which originally accounted for the largest proportion of land trade.
If the lords of Waterdeep choose not to join, then their merchants and the various goods they produce will quickly lose their price competitiveness and become unsalable, ultimately leading to a series of serious adverse consequences.
If things go wrong, the whole city might decline and perish.
unless……
You can step up and offer a means of transportation that is more convenient, cheaper, faster, and safer than an airship.
For example, a permanent portal connecting two cities."
"You actually took the time to do a detailed investigation on the West Coast?"
Xinbu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Of course! I've even been to the ninth level of Baator before, and witnessed with my own eyes that wonderful city that can be called a great miracle.
Believe me, if you go there, you will be amazed by Soth's vision, thoughts and creativity.
Not only did he break the devils' original strict hierarchy and extremely repressive atmosphere, he also completely reversed the mortals' perception that lawful evil is equivalent to pain, torture, tyranny, oppression and slavery, and made countless people feel unprecedented happiness from it.
More than 90% of the mortals who have been there feel that living in this super-large and prosperous city is ten thousand times better than the best city in their hometown.
Even if the end result is signing a contract to sell their souls and becoming completely depraved, they will not feel the slightest regret.
This crystal ball records the scenes I saw in the ninth level of hell. If you are interested, you can take a look at it.
After reading this, I would like you to answer a question.
If evil is no longer something that causes pain to people, but something that they can derive pleasure from, how can you stop them from choosing to be part of evil?"
As the last word came out of his mouth, Mordenkainen took out a palm-sized magic crystal ball from his pocket, and then recited the command from his mouth to activate the image stored inside.
moment!
A place filled with high-rise buildings, colorful neon lights, various advanced means of transportation powered by gasoline or electricity, and a constant stream of people enjoying delicious food, fine wine, beautiful women, electronic games and various entertainment services.
If they had not just received some information from Mordenkainen and had not seen a large number of different kinds of demons coming in and out, Elminster and Simb would not have believed that such a city would be a level of the hell in Battor.
Because at first glance there is nothing to do with pain, torture, oppression and slavery, but instead it is filled with unrestrained indulgence and freedom.
It was easy to tell from the expressions of excitement, enjoyment, or extreme pleasure on the faces of the mortals and petitioners that they were simply loving this place to death.
As we all know, the Chaos Camp is the group that most loves to pursue freedom without any constraints.
Coincidentally, the two people in front of me are both from the Chaos Camp.
Elminster is chaotic good, while Simb is chaotic neutral.
So they were immediately attracted by the huge cyberpunk world and began to look for the parts that interested them in the pictures shown in the crystal ball.
Among them, Elminster is obviously more interested in electronic products and perfect succubi engaged in special service industries, while Xinbu prefers vehicles with cool shapes and engines that make loud noises when driving, especially two-wheeled heavy motorcycles that are as fast as lightning.
Whenever she saw a creature riding one of these vehicles speeding past on the road, the Storm Queen would feel her heart beat faster and her adrenaline surge.
Time passes by every second.
After the two of them finished watching all the images recorded in the crystal ball, Elminster sighed and said, "Okay, I think I'm beginning to understand what you want to say.
Soth was truly different from anyone I had ever met.
He is a planeswalker who possesses countless knowledge, perspectives and unique insights from other time and space and even the universe, so he cannot be measured by common sense.
I should not and do not need to stop Soth from integrating the countries and towns on the west coast.
Because he has never been a destroyer or a slayer, but rather a very brilliant creator and builder who can bring many very positive impacts to the world.
This is why many gods like to cooperate with him.
But I still stick to my original idea that he must be restricted and constrained to a certain extent."
Elminster shrugged his shoulders. "We'll have to try to know. Don't underestimate the power of the Harper Alliance. They have crushed the plots of enemies who are many times more powerful than themselves more than once."
Seeing that this stubborn old man was not listening to him at all, Mordenkainen immediately turned his gaze to Xinbu: "Storm Queen, you are not going crazy with him this time, are you?"
"No, of course not. I'm still waiting for Soth to expand his influence to the coast of the Falling Star Sea, and then establish trade relations with Agrallon, which I rule, to make the whole country rich and powerful." Xinbu responded with a smile.
“A wise choice.
Despite rumors from the outside world, you are always known as a reckless person whose hot temper easily consumes your rationality.
But in my opinion, you are much smarter and calmer than Elminster in many cases.
Okay, that's enough for this conversation.
I hope that the next time we meet, I won't hear that Elminster has been killed."
After saying this, Mordenkainen stood up and prepared to cast interdimensional teleportation magic to return to his lair.
Just as he took out the expensive spellcasting materials, Elminster suddenly smiled and said, "Don't worry, I won't die that easily.
What's more, I am very sure that even if I have a head-on conflict with Soth, he will at most just beat me up, and will not choose to kill me.
Just like if I won this fight I wouldn't kill.
Because the conflict between us is more like a difference in thoughts, ideas and values, rather than a life-and-death fight. "
"Then I hope he breaks a few more of your ribs in the fight, and burns off your beard and hair that you are so proud of."
Mordenkainen rolled his eyes in annoyance, then quickly chanted a spell and completed the complicated casting action, and the whole person disappeared without a trace in an instant.
After confirming that the Mage King of the Grey Eagle World had completely left, Xinbu asked with a slightly concerned tone: "Are you sure you want to be an enemy of Soth?"
"No, not as an enemy, but just to stop some of his plans and intentions. The Son of Bhaal incident is a good starting point. Let me test the quality of this planeswalker, the Chosen One of the Gods, and the Lord of the Ninth Layer of Baator."
As he spoke, Elminster grabbed the wooden cane beside him and stood up, a strange light flashing in his eyes.
Obviously, he did not make this decision on impulse, but after careful consideration.
Because when the two met for the first time, Zuo Si's power was far less powerful than it is now, and his influence was limited to the area around Askatla, the capital of Amn, and he could not have any profound impact on the continent under his feet.
But with the rapid expansion of his strength and power, Zuo Si is now able to influence almost one-fifth or even more of the area of the continent of Faerun, and is making drastic changes to it according to his own ideas and concepts.
This rapid change, with no way of predicting whether the future would be good or bad, made Elminster full of worries, fearing that there would be another horrible disaster like the one at the end of the Netheril era.
So he wants to delay the pace of change in his own way, disrupt some more radical plans, and it would be best to maintain the current status quo.
Of course, Zuo Si didn't know yet that the Magic Goddess's first chosen man, the Great Sage of Shadow Valley, had already set his sights on him.
But even if I knew, I would just laugh it off and not take it too seriously.
In his eyes, Elminster's behavior was tantamount to that of an old stubborn man who possessed great power but could not keep up with the pace of the times, and who tried to slow down the development of the entire civilization by himself.
When a head-on collision occurs, Elminster will find that he is not up against a small group of people as he imagined, but a vested interest group that continues to grow like a snowball.
There are not only nobles and merchants here, but also farmers, guards, craftsmen, and practitioners providing various services who can also benefit from it.
Even if it was a god, if he dared to stand in the way of this train, he would be smashed to pieces in an instant.
You have to know that the faith of most mortals is not that devout. Almost every one of them is just a general believer, and you never know when they will change their patron saint.
When a god seriously harms their interests, the belief in this god will naturally be despised and resisted.
In fact, when Elminster met Mordenkainen, a land transportation network built by giant airships had already appeared above many cities.
The farthest place even reached the Dragon Coast adjacent to the Falling Star Sea.
Even coastal cities like Simon, Pros, and Irip have expressed their desire to become part of the trade alliance after witnessing the airship's terrifying carrying capacity and transportation efficiency.
After all, it is not possible to travel from the Falling Star Sea in the center of the continent to the west coast by boat alone. One must change to a carriage and take the land route to the Steam Lake, and then cross the Sea of Light and the Sea of Swords from the Steam Lake to finally reach the Sword Bay.
But airships can easily cross mountains thousands of meters high, take the shortest straight air route, and reach their destination in just two or three days.
This saves a lot of time and effort compared to going through a long detour, and the cost is also quite cheap. As long as you join the "group purchase" organized by the Church of the Goddess of Wealth, it will even be cheaper than sea shipping.
As for safety...
Ever since learning that a fixed route connecting Silvermoon City and Askatla had been opened, no merchant would doubt it anymore.
After all, if one can cross such a large and dangerous area safely, there is naturally no risk of falling in a relatively safe plain like this one.
What's more, the fate of the evil dragons and monster tribes that attacked the airship is enough to serve as a warning to others.
There are nine dragons of different colors and more than eight thousand bloody heads, hanging on the landing platform of Athkatla for public display.
The strong visual impact was enough to make most people believe that Zuo Si had the ability and willingness to kill any arrogant person who dared to rob an airship, no matter if the other party was a monster or a terrifying dragon.
At this moment, he was sitting in the conference room of the headquarters of the Masked Mage Guild, with his hands crossed on his chest, scanning the faces that were fidgeting and nervous with a scrutinizing gaze.
It goes without saying that these people are all the great wizards above LV13 of the Masked Wizard Guild, and they are also the real rulers within the organization.
The reason why they behaved like this was that behind each of them stood at least five liches who mastered the nine-ring magic.
In addition, there was a dragon lich crawling on the ground nearby, motionless like a well-behaved pet.
"I believe that after this cordial and friendly visit and consultation, you all should already know why I am here, right?" Zuo Si asked slowly.
"Of course... From today on, you are the master and supreme leader of the Masked Mage Guild. We will obey every order you give, and we will not object at all."
A dwarf mage who specialized in illusion and whose spellcasting level was as high as LV18 stood up hurriedly and responded while wiping the sweat off his face.
It was not difficult to tell from the fear in his eyes that he was very scared.
Anyone who is sleeping in a room in a wizard's tower and thinks they are safe, but is suddenly pulled out of bed and forcibly taken away by five liches, will not perform well.
It's so fucking horrible!
Until now, the dwarf wizard still hasn't figured out what means the other party used that didn't alert the guards and magical protections in the wizard tower.
This means that if the other party wants to kill him, he won't even have the chance to call for help or escape.
"That's right! We are willing to submit to you!"
"I am willing to hand over all the power and resources in my hands and wait for your disposal."
"Here is a small gift, please accept it."
"Lord Soth, I have a very talented, young and beautiful half-elf granddaughter. Why don't you give her to you as an apprentice?"
In an instant, the top leaders of these Masked Mage Guilds turned into bootlickers.
You have to lick it! Ever since the lich came to visit, it’s not like no one has thought about escaping.
But no matter where they run, these liches can always find them the first time they are needed.
After realizing the terrifying power in Zuo Si's hands, the great wizards present completely resigned themselves to their fate.
After all, the number of liches that master the nine-ring magic on their side is several times greater than ours. How can we fight them? We might as well raise the white flag and surrender as soon as possible.
Anyway, high-level mages are a scarce resource, so unless there is some deep hatred, they are usually not killed. At worst, they will be treated like dogs.
Moreover, the fact that there are so many liches in one organization just proves that the other party has mastered the technology and methods to completely transform liches? If we can get these, wouldn't we be able to escape death and gain eternal life? Admiring the servile appearance of these usually self-righteous great wizards, Zuo Si nodded with satisfaction: "Very good! I like people who know the times.
Don't worry, I won't change your positions in the short term, nor will I deprive you of your power within the guild.
But there is one thing! From now on, you must turn a blind eye to my law enforcement.
Unless there is too much trouble, ignore the acts of casting arcane magic on the streets, as well as the merchants and adventurers who sell magic scrolls, potions and items. "
"You mean... gradually relaxing the ban and control on arcane magic?"
A human female who looked very old cautiously explored.
"Yes. In my opinion, there is no law in Amn more stupid than the one that forbids the use and study of arcane magic.
This not only undermines the country's development potential, but also harms the interests of all users of arcane magic.
To be honest, you are very lucky to be alive until now without being killed by some spellcasting organization or powerful legendary wizard.
Remember, I will not only lift the ban, but also give wizards a higher social status in the form of laws, and encourage research in magic-related fields."
Zuo Si stated his intentions openly without any concealment.
Although he had already obtained a license to cast spells freely in Askatla, he had always disliked this magic ban and wanted to abolish it.
"But how do we explain this to the six-member council?"
Another great wizard looked embarrassed.
Zuo Si waved his hand dismissively: "Don't worry about the Council of Six. My people will make sure they are busy with their own affairs and have no time or energy to deal with the enforcement of the Masked Mages Guild."
"Understood."
The great wizard quickly lowered his head and exchanged a glance with his companions at the next table in a very obscure manner.
As smart people whose intelligence attributes are all above 19 or even 20, they can already tell from this sentence that even the six-member council, the highest authority, has been infiltrated and even controlled.
This means that it won't be long before this young man in front of him will become the true King of Am.
Zuo Si ignored these little movements and continued to ask, "Regarding the merger plan with the Jade Society, how is it going?"
“Everything went very smoothly.
Except for a very small number of guys who are strongly hostile to the Masked Mage Guild, more than 60% of them have been absorbed into it.
But the problem is that many of these mages are self-taught and need to undergo systematic training before they can be assigned tasks.
A small number of them were hired and bribed by local nobles, and simply ignored the orders issued by Lord Barisriatt."
Having said that, the human wizard turned his gaze to the gigantic dragon lich not far away.
The latter raised his huge head and explained in a very helpless tone: "Master, this is not my fault.
The Emerald Society was originally a loose alliance that existed to fight against the Guild of Masked Mages.
Many of these mages are simply there to put their names on the organization, using the organization's channels to purchase the materials and magic items they need.
Although after several years of infiltration, I have already controlled most of them.
But there are still a group of undisciplined guys.
Of course, if you allow me, I would be happy to kill them."
Zuo Si stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said, "Forget it, let them be. Amn will soon completely lift the ban on arcane magic anyway. If there is nothing else, you can go and do what you need to do."
moment!
The top leaders of the Masked Mage Guild immediately felt relieved and activated teleportation magic to escape.
The liches bowed to the leader of the organization and returned to their own wizard towers, even the dragon lich Barisrat was no exception.
After everyone had left, Sean VII, who had been hiding in a dark corner, came out and commented with a tone of approval, "You are very quick, much faster than I thought.
In particular, letting his liches directly visit the top leaders of the Masked Mage Guild had a good deterrent effect.
I estimate that in about a month at most, you should be able to hold Am in your hands."
“Taking Amn is not difficult.
Because from its establishment till now, it has always lacked a truly strong person to take charge, which is completely different from Waterdeep.
Compared to Amn, I am more concerned about how you plan to deal with the sons of Bhaal who are causing trouble in the Border Mountains?
You must know that as the killing continues, the divinity of some of them will continue to increase, and they may even gain the blessing of divine power."
Zuo Si asked with interest.
"Damn it! Stop talking about them."
King Shane VII showed a rare expression of annoyance and regret on his face, and then he complained in a low voice: "These guys have messed up the northern part of Kalinshan, and I dare not send too many troops to suppress them, otherwise it would be like adding fuel to the fire.
The only thing left to do now was to send a fleet and attack Memnon from the sea.
After retaking Mannon, use it as a base to attack the Kingdom of Tethyr, trying to avoid the mountain ranges.
By the way, remember to say hello to the fleet operating in this area. I don't want any misunderstandings to happen."
Zuo Si smiled and replied, "Don't worry. I have already informed you that your fleet can freely operate south of the Xingxuan Mountains and can even go to the Nelanser Islands for supplies."
"Great! In this way, I can use ships to capture several coastal port cities first, and then advance inland. By the way, do you have any plans regarding the Son of Baal?"
Shane VII suddenly asked.
"I don't have any special plan. Let's take it one step at a time. Because I'm not sure how many people or gods will be involved." Zuo Si shrugged and replied.
Shane VII nodded thoughtfully, "That's true.
After all, this concerns the ownership of the Blood Throne.
Whether a son of Baal inherits everything from his father and becomes a god from a mortal, or the God of Murder returns with the help of his own offspring, it is a big event for the whole world.
I believe there will be many gods watching from the outer planes, and no one knows what will happen.
To some extent, you are now also considered as one of the chess players and can no longer play on the field yourself.
Otherwise it would be like breaking the rules of the game.”
"Yes! I found that when the power is too strong, it will be subject to invisible restrictions everywhere.
But it doesn't matter, I actually made my move before everyone else.
All we have to do now is wait patiently for that chess piece to start working.”
While saying this, Zuo Si's gaze had already fallen on Atio across the long distance.
Through the eyes of the white bear cub, he could clearly see the groups of hobgoblins, orcs and human bandits hiding in the forest.
There was no doubt that these guys were all Sarevok's men, and they were robbing along the road from Baldur's Gate to Belgost, almost completely cutting off the land trade routes.
Their purpose is very simple, which is to artificially create panic and shortage of daily necessities in order to make the situation in the region tense and sensitive.
After several days of waiting, Artio had killed more than thirty bandits in the area and ate all the metal weapons they carried as snacks.
At the moment, this guy was lying on a stone with his eyes closed in a very lazy posture, basking in the sun. He didn't notice at all that a petite figure had sneaked up to him, carefully rummaging through the pockets of the corpses thrown around, and took out blood-stained gold and silver coins from them...
(End of this chapter)
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