Although Fuzor Chamberlain and his church of Bane, the god of tyranny, have strong organizational capabilities and have always pursued strong rule, they rarely engage in large-scale looting, massacres, and destruction like barbaric monsters such as orcs.
All towns under its control tend to have very good order.
As long as they do not resist, even the property and safety of civilians can be protected to a certain extent.
But for the noble lords, the ruling class and the vested interest groups who could have bullied the people, this was a horrific disaster that could not be described in words.
Because with the strong character and behavior of the Moon Sea Tyrant, he would definitely not keep these trash and waste food.
Instead, all their property would be confiscated and they would be demoted to the lowest level of slaves, or their entire family would be secretly executed to eliminate future troubles.
In fact, this is exactly what Fuzzol Chamberlain did when he captured several port cities along the shores of Lake Long.
As the chosen one of Bane, the god of tyranny, he was well aware that Zuo Si's intention was to use himself and Zhentil Keep to destroy the original ruling structure of this land, so that he could shape a new ruling and management model as he pleased after taking over.
This is also what the Bane Church often does after supporting a tyrant to conquer a certain area or overthrow the local regime.
But Zuo Si's cleverness lies in his successful shifting of conflicts, making Zhentil Castle the invader and villain in the eyes of the locals, while portraying himself as a savior and hero, and firmly grasping power amid gratitude and cheers.
In this way, according to the traditional cognition of the continent of Faerun, no one can question the legitimacy of its rule.
Of course, if it was just a simple performance, Fu Zuoer Chamberlain would not have been too awed and fearful of Zuo Si.
What really terrified him was that the other party took advantage of the complicated situation in the region, especially the ambition of Sarevok, the son of Bhaal, and let Baldur's Gate be the first to take action. After Baldur's Gate was defeated, they would appear as the savior to turn the tide, using the failure of others to deepen and strengthen ordinary people's admiration and gratitude towards themselves.
After the task is accomplished, the severely weakened Baldur's Gate, West Heartland region and Dragon Coast will be swallowed up in one go.
In addition, there is the ongoing dumping of grain in Sembia, and the severe impact it has caused on the social stability of the Kingdom of Cormyr, as well as the massive amount of weapons, armor, and food that were secretly obtained from somewhere without the knowledge of any forces...
Thanks to the Zhentarim, a huge intelligence network throughout the continent of Faerun, Fuzor Chamberlain knows much more than anyone else.
The more he knew, the more he felt that this young man, who was infinitely favored by the God of Tyranny, was far superior to himself in terms of ambition, appetite, vision, pattern, and even those horrifying methods.
While the top leaders of Zhentil Keep and the Zhentarim were still racking their brains to infiltrate and occupy one or two towns, the other side had already begun to swallow up more than one-fifth of the land on the west coast of the entire continent.
If this plan is ultimately successful, a huge empire with a population of 10 to 20 million and an unprecedentedly vast ruling area will be born on the continent of Faerun.
For an ambitious and power-hungry tyrant, nothing could be more exciting than this.
The only regret for Fuzzol Chamberlain was that he was not the one who was about to achieve this grand goal.
Of course, what gave him even more of a headache was the increasingly excessive and blatant abnormal sexual orientation of Manshoon's last clone.
Although at first, Fuzzol Chamberlain was happy that his former most powerful rival was willing to obey him.
But as time went by, he suddenly discovered that the softening and change in Mansong's attitude was not due to his awe of power and authority, but came from another strong emotion - love.
If it had been someone else, Fuzzol Chamberlain, feeling disgusted and disgusted, would have smashed him to death with a hammer.
But as for Mansong, he really couldn't bring himself to do it, or rather, he was reluctant to do it.
After all, when Mansong abandoned his original ambition and desire for power, he was simply a super-enhanced version of Ximamon, the current controller of the dark intelligence network.
And that twisted love can always keep him extremely loyal.
So Fuzzol Chamberlain's heart is now very complicated, and it can even be described as painful and happy.
On the one hand, he enjoyed the sense of accomplishment that came from dominating and controlling Manshoon's last clone, but on the other hand, his normal sexual orientation produced a strong physical rejection of this kind of love from the same sex.
Sometimes the Tyrant of the Moon Sea even felt that the reason why Manshoon's clone became like this was probably because Zuo Si deliberately created it to torture himself, but he could not find any concrete evidence.
Just like that, while suppressing his nausea and discomfort, Fuzzol Chamberlain finally sent out Manson's clone to lead the army to advance quickly by assigning him a new task.
He hoped to advance the front line to the green fields on the other side of the river before Baldur's Gate had time to react.
He also arranged the battlefield there to break the enemy's delusion of driving him into the sea, and at the same time crush the ambition of Sarevok, son of Baal.
However, just as the Zhentil Keep army was frantically attacking the city as if it were an empty land, Baldur's Gate, which received the news, also responded quickly.
Although the previous defeat caused the conflicts among the various forces to erupt completely and become hostile to each other, and even almost caused a civil war twice, it was finally the mediation of the Nalanther Islands that stabilized the situation.
But in the face of a powerful foreign invasion, Duke Iltan, Duke Silver Shield, Duke Belt and Grand Duchess Lila Jennas sat together again to discuss countermeasures.
After more than three hours of mutual accusations, quarrels and insults, they finally reached a fragile truth.
Not only that, these people also sent out requests for help to Waterdeep and Neverwinter on the grounds that Baldur's Gate was a member of the Lord's Alliance, hoping that the other party would send reinforcements to help because they had fought side by side in the past.
Almost at the same time, a special envoy was sent south, intending to first go to the Nelanther Islands for help, and then go to the Amn Empire in the south to see if he could borrow some reinforcements.
Even if there is no reinforcement, getting some assistance in terms of weapons, armor, food, and money, or attracting some adventurers and mercenaries to participate can also allow Baldur's Gate, which is facing a serious situation, to breathe a sigh of relief.
However, these dukes obviously did not expect that before their envoys could go far, they were ambushed and killed by the bandit gang under Sarevok.
At this moment, this strong man wearing heavy armor and with a strong hairstyle (bald head) was stepping on the corpses of the Baldur's Gate envoys, feeling the boiling killing divinity in his body, grinning and whispering in a voice that only he could hear: "That's right! That's it!
Violence, killing, and death will make me stronger and stronger until I surpass all mortals and inherit the Bloody Throne of Bhaal.
No matter how many descendants my father left in the mortal world, I am the only one who can embark on the path to become a god.
I am the chosen one in the prophecy, and I will surely win the fear and awe of all mortals..."
"Master, what should we do with these corpses?"
A human warrior with blood-stained armor walked over from a distance and asked.
"Just throw it into the woods.
The beasts and trolls will help us clean up the bodies.
Remember to wipe up the blood at the scene, and then drive the vehicles and horses to the junction of the High Wasteland and the Troll's Roaring Woods.
It's best not to leave any traces that can be traced.
At least before I get rid of those dukes who control the army in Baldur's Gate, I must not let anyone know that the envoys were attacked."
There was a cold and cruel light in Sarevok's eyes.
There is no doubt that the divinity and bloodline of the God of Murder have already caused serious and irreversible impacts on him.
In other words, all the Sons of Baal who have awakened their divinity will inevitably become what they are now.
The human warrior nodded quickly. "Understood! Please rest assured, I will find a way to block the news and ensure that Baldur's Gate will not be aware that their envoys have been attacked for at least a month."
"very good!
Don't forget to urge those shapeshifters to infiltrate faster.
You have to know that we don't have much time left.
If we fail to send troops before Fort Zaintil completely occupies the West Heartland area, then everything will be meaningless.
And keep an eye on those octopus heads, I don't trust them."
Sarevok warned in a serious tone.
"The Mind Flayers have established a secret base in the sewers of Baldur's Gate.
They think they are unnoticed.
But in fact, I had already locked on to that location.
No matter what their purpose is, as long as they do something suspicious, we can launch a surprise attack and kill them all."
While saying this, an abnormal red light flashed in the human warrior's eyes.
As the first mortal to follow and accept Sarevok as a god, he has gained special powers from the powerful son of Bhaal.
Through this energy which is neither divine power nor divine magic, he can not only ignore the mind control of the mind flayer, but also release some spell-like abilities, which makes him much more powerful than ordinary warriors.
Many powerful creatures who want to develop faiths and sects but do not have the ability to grant divine powers actually use this method to gain the loyalty of some core members of the sect, and then use this as a basis to expand the number of believers and ultimately achieve the goal of becoming a great god.
If the master they serve is successfully deified, then these backbones will have the opportunity to become the gods' representatives on earth - the elect.
Apparently, Sarevok had read related content from some books in Candlekeep, so he also gathered a group of subordinates who were willing to regard him as gods, and used them as the backbone of the church to develop faith after he was deified in the future.
Of course, nowadays these people are just thugs who have been given special powers.
Through the connection between spirit and faith, Sharevok can intuitively feel the thoughts and inner world of believers.
Therefore, compared with some other partners, he trusted these subordinates who were completely loyal to him more, and a look of satisfaction quickly appeared on his face.
"very good.
I promise that when I become the God of Slaughter, you and everyone else will receive unimaginable rewards.
By the way, how is Gorion’s adopted son, my half-brother, doing now?
Hasn't he shown up yet?"
The human warrior shook his head slightly: "No, not yet.
I have bounty hunters laying a dragnet in Friendly Arms and Belgost.
No matter whether he went north or south, he would eventually die.
Of course, if you are unlucky, you might have become food for the wild beasts in the forest.
In addition, there seems to be a very powerful white bear appearing near Friendly Arms.
Tazok's bandits lost dozens of men there, so they dared not approach the area, fearing that they would stray into the territory of this powerful beast and be attacked."
"A white bear? How could such polar creatures as white bears appear south of Baldur's Gate?"
Sarevok was slightly stunned, but soon responded nonchalantly: "Don't worry about it, it's just a beast acting on instinct, it doesn't pose any threat to us.
The priority right now is to kill my brother.
His death will allow the divinity and power in his body to converge into the body of the nearest Son of Baal, making me stronger.
Once my divinity and power exceed a certain critical point, it will be enough to fight against Fuzor Chambray, the chosen one of the God of Tyranny, Bane, and even kill him in battle."
"Do we really not need to worry about Waterdeep? As far as I know, given the style of those masked lords, they will definitely not sit idly by when the envoys are attacked. Instead, they will send adventurers or entrust the Harper Alliance to investigate."
There was a hint of worry in the human warrior's tone.
"Hmph! Don't worry. Waterdeep City has a more troublesome crisis to deal with right now, so we can't take care of these things."
When saying this, Sarevok did not hide his gloating at all.
Just as he described, at this moment the masked lords of Waterdeep were gathering together to hold an important meeting in which no member was absent for the first time since the establishment of this political system.
Even those nobles who were granted a few privileges sent representatives to participate, listen and express their opinions and views, and guild leaders who held great power were also invited to attend the castle palace.
Because everyone present knew very well that this was related to whether this miraculous city under their feet could continue its current glory and prosperity in the future.
As the few people whose identities among the Masked Lords have been 100% confirmed, Khelbourne and Leila were also present.
Although as the chosen ones of the Goddess of Magic and legendary wizards, they did not need to resort to such boring means to hide their identities, and did not have to worry about being attacked by the enemy, they still wore helmets to cover their faces, robes that symbolized their identities, and amulets engraved with the seal of Waterdeep.
Pirgalen, the only lord who showed his public identity, was holding the trade alliance agreement sent by the Church of the Goddess of Wealth and reading the terms loudly to everyone present.
Almost every time an item is read out, it will immediately spark heated arguments and discussions.
Since Waterdeep's political structure is a special ruling structure based on various industry guilds, whenever an industry guild finds that its interests are damaged, it will inevitably jump out to express fierce opposition.
This also means that Waterdeep is not like the Silvermoon Federation and Neverwinter, which have a relatively centralized central government that can make decisions directly.
"Quiet! Please keep quiet and listen to me!
I must warn you! This trade alliance is different from any organization we have joined before!
It not only has a strong binding force on the franchisee! After joining, any breach of contract will inevitably lead to a very painful price!
Moreover, the last few clauses also have a certain military alliance nature!
In other words, you can’t just join or leave casually, you have to be extra cautious.”
Pierre Gallen stood on the podium in the middle of the hall and stressed the importance of the matter to everyone present at the top of his voice.
Since taking over the throne of public lord from Byron's daughter, Lesden, also known as the "Masked Lady", in 1311 DR, he has led the city through many crises.
It even includes the successful prevention of a huge extra-dimensional passage that suddenly opened above Waterdeep on the eve of the Year of Troubles, and the potential severe damage to the city caused by the large number of gargoyles and tengu that flew out of it.
In addition, they also have to deal with terrible monsters such as dark elves, beholders, mind flayers, etc. that rush out from the Underworld from time to time, as well as the illegal transactions they engage in in Skull Port, especially the slave trade.
But in Pirgalen's eyes, the above crises are far less terrible than the current trade alliance treaty.
In particular, the emergence of the revolutionary aerial transportation tool, airship, directly destroyed the land transportation system originally composed of horse-drawn carriages and rivers.
No matter how hard the latter tries, it will never be able to compete with the former.
This means that as long as we do not join the trade alliance, fixed trade routes will not be opened between other cities and Waterdeep.
Merchants have no choice but to continue to adopt primitive, backward and costly transportation methods and participate in this fundamentally unfair competition.
Perhaps maritime trade will not be affected too much for the time being, but land trade will be quickly taken over by other towns, thereby losing a large market share.
What's more serious is that Waterdeep is not a country, but merely a relatively large port city. It has no legal and actual ruling power over the villages and towns within its surrounding radiation range.
The latter were originally willing to follow Waterdeep because they could get a share of the spoils by following it.
However, if an airship route is not opened directly to Waterdeep, there is no guarantee that these villages and towns will not turn against the alliance and join the trade alliance as an independent entity.
If this situation really happens, then Waterdeep's influence will shrink significantly, and many internal conflicts caused by unemployment and lack of money will quickly erupt.
"Don't we have the Tower of Order? And we also have an aerial dock that can dock magic spaceships. Can't we build our own aerial transportation system?" A guild leader stood up and asked loudly.
The mage representative of the Tower of Order immediately rolled his eyes at this idiot who had no idea about magic, and asked with a sneer, "What do you think magic is? A few skewers of barbecue at a roadside stall for a copper coin?
Or a cart of cabbage for one gold coin? Anything related to magic can never be cheap!
The cost of building a magic ship could be as high as tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of gold coins just for the materials!
Not to mention the eight-ring, nine-ring and even legendary magic that may be used.
Its price and scarcity mean that it cannot be mass-produced.
Even if it is manufactured, it is definitely not affordable for ordinary people.
In addition, as far as I know, the carrying capacity of most magic ships is less than one-fiftieth of that of a large airship.
So don't let your imagination run wild! I've ridden that kind of airship before, and I can tell you responsibly that with the knowledge, magic, and technology currently at the disposal of the Tower of Order, it's simply a daydream to want to replicate it."
"Damn it! So according to you, we have no room for bargaining except signing the agreement?" Another guild leader asked unwillingly.
“I’m sorry, but I hate to dampen your confidence, but this is the reality.
We must join a trade alliance to ensure that trade overland does not continue to shrink.
Otherwise, Amn in the south, the restored Shane Empire, and our traditional allies Neverwinter and Silvermoon Alliance will all be happy to encroach on the markets that originally belonged to us.
Because the cost they now need to pay to transport the goods to a designated location may be only a fraction or even a few tenths of our land transportation cost.
In fact, since the opening of airship routes in large numbers, our trade volume and tax revenue have been decreasing rapidly, and are now only two-thirds of the original amount.
It is estimated that in another month, all markets will be lost except for those places that are no more than three days away from Deepwater City.
By then, we will face thousands of unemployed people and a rapidly deteriorating social security environment."
The heads of trade associations have come forward to clearly state the severe challenges they are currently facing.
Especially when those seemingly glaring statistics were released, many of the guys who were still clamoring to persevere to the end fell silent.
Seeing this, Leila immediately lowered her voice and asked her husband beside her: "Does the new type of transportation developed by Soth really have such a big impact on traditional transportation?"
Khelbourne nodded slightly and explained at a leisurely pace, "It's much bigger than you think.
He built an air transportation network covering the entire West Coast, with those large towns as centers.
In other words, carriages would only need to transport goods from these towns to nearby villages, without having to risk crossing trade roads filled with monsters and dangerous beasts.
Due to its high speed, low price and extra safety, many large merchants who only do wholesale business have abandoned traditional animal-powered vehicles.
I think if nothing unexpected happens, the rickshaw pull industry will slowly shrink in the next few years.
But the good thing is that the prices of many luxury goods that were once expensive are now falling at an unimaginable rate.
Fresh fruits, vegetables and meat, which could not be transported to distant areas for sale in the past, can now be transported and sold on a large scale as commodities.
Wherever the airship routes are covered, the living standards of civilians have been greatly improved, and there are also more opportunities to make money.
In particular, the Silver Moon Alliance, which was previously geographically isolated from the outside world, achieved an economic leap in a very short period of time.
Now, Elastro only needs to sit in the palace to deal with daily civil disputes, and then he can happily count money every day until his hands cramp.
It is said that she also plans to expand the academy to accommodate the large number of people who come from the south by airship to learn magic and other knowledge and skills.
After all, when it comes to education, Silvermoon City is one of the very few cities in the North that can stand on equal footing with Waterdeep.
This is also the second point I want to make.
Airships broke the geographical isolation of people and made cultural exchanges between them become particularly frequent.
Some historians have even begun to claim that this marks the beginning of a new era.”
"With so many benefits, why are these guild leaders still opposed?"
Leila frowned subconsciously.
"Because of power and interests!
If they join the trade alliance, many of these people will lose their current rights and influence.
Most importantly, Waterdeep will completely lose the right to independently mint coins and collect taxes.
This will undoubtedly greatly weaken the independence of the entire city.
It might even be eroded bit by bit, and eventually become a vassal or even a puppet of the trade alliance like other towns.
And Soth, who truly controls this organization behind the scenes, will be above everyone else and become the emperor of the entire North and even the West Coast.
Alustriel had obviously noticed this.
But as long as the people of the Silver Moon Alliance can live a better life, she obviously doesn't mind that she may lose her existing rights in the future.
But not every ruler is as open-minded as she is.
You have to understand that ordinary people have almost no resistance to the temptation of power."
When he said this, Kelben's tone contained a hint of undisguised contempt.
Needless to say, the targets of his contempt were precisely those short-sighted guild leaders, as well as the nobles and masked lords who were also fiercely opposed.
Leila raised an eyebrow in surprise, "So...what Elminster said when he visited yesterday was true?"
Khelbourne nodded slightly: "Yes. Actually, this is no longer a secret.
Did you know?
Just yesterday, during my conversation with Elminster, I officially announced my withdrawal from the Harpers, intending to create an organization that is more in line with my own ideals.
Most importantly, I met with the Tyrant of the Moon Sea, Fuzor Chamberlain, and reached a secret agreement with him.
From today on, I have completely parted ways with Elminster."
"What! Are you serious? Does this matter have anything to do with Soth?"
Leila's pupils suddenly dilated, and she seemed a little bit unable to believe that these words came from her husband's mouth.
After all, almost all the voters of the Goddess of Magic will join the Harper Alliance to varying degrees, even Sammaster, the founder of the Cult of the Dragon, is no exception.
"It's related, but not very relevant.
Mainly, I'm tired of the self-righteous behavior of Elminster and the Harpers.
What's more, this time, I am on Soth's side.
In my opinion, his integration of the originally loose and chaotic North in the most bloodless way possible is definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the civilians.
Anyone who tries to sabotage or stop it is an outright sinner."
Kelben had no intention of concealing his position and stated it openly.
In fact, he had already had very serious differences with Elminster in terms of thoughts, ideas and faction tendencies.
It's just that due to the fact that some of Sammaster's voters have directly defected to the enemy, the Black Staff has always been very restrained in this regard.
But the unpleasant ending of this conversation made Khelbourne completely determined to stick to his own ideas instead of continuing to compromise with the First Voter.
"Damn it! Could this be the beginning of division or even hostility within us?"
Leila instantly showed strong concern.
Elminster is a stubborn old man who never changes his mind.
Likewise, Khelbourne is a very principled man.
The worst thing is that Zuo Si never shows mercy to his enemies.
Leila couldn't imagine what the scene would be like if these three people fought.
But Khelbourne smiled and comforted him, “Relax, things are not as bad as you think.
I had contacted Soth just before coming to the meeting.
He expressed his welcome to Elminster's rivalry, and promised that he would never see it as anything more than a game of confrontation.
Even for the sake of the Magic Goddess, I will never kill him."
After seeing this answer, Leila didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She could only lower her head and sigh helplessly. She decided to talk to her other six sisters later.
At least in this matter, they must remain strictly neutral and must not get involved and make the situation worse.
However, what the voters didn't know was that at this moment in the Friendly Arms Inn, Zuo Si and Elminster were sitting at the most inconspicuous table in the corner, chatting as if nothing had happened.
There was no sense at all that the two were about to become enemies, but rather it was like old friends reminiscing about the past after not seeing each other for a long time.
"Were you the one behind the massive invasion of Fuzor Chamberlain and Zhentil Keep?"
Elminster asked tentatively in an uncertain tone while smoking his pipe.
"Haha, don't you already have the answer in your mind?"
Zuo Si neither admitted nor denied it, but gave the other party a meaningful look.
Elminster couldn't help laughing, and as he did so he sighed, "Well, maybe Storm is right.
She warned me that if I was the one doing this, I would never leave any evidence behind.
Now it seems that even if I knew the truth and told it loudly to everyone, I am afraid no one would believe it.
But I am a little curious, what on earth do you have to make someone like Fuzzol Chamberlain obey you? As far as I know, he is not the kind of guy who will easily bow to anyone. "
Zuo Si answered very straightforwardly: "It's actually very simple.
As a chosen one and a priest, all of Fuzzol Chamberlain's power and authority comes from the God behind him.
As long as I can deal with the god of tyranny behind the scenes, then he, as a servant, will have no choice but to obey.
I clearly know what Bane wants better than the Tyrant of the Moon Sea."
"So you are now also a chosen one of the Dark Lord?"
An expression of shock that was difficult to conceal appeared on Elminster's old face.
"Sorry, I can't answer this question directly."
Zuo Si cunningly chose to avoid it.
Because when he explained his new definition of tyranny and tyrants to Bane, there was no other person or god present except the Chosen One, Fuzzol Chamberlain.
Therefore, the outside world does not yet know his true relationship with the God of Tyranny and his church.
But Elminster had obviously confirmed this in his heart. He took a deep breath and continued to test: "I don't understand why you are going to such great lengths. Can't you just conquer, occupy and suppress? You are not the kind of person who would be merciful."
Zuo Si explained with a smile: "This involves the issue of ruling costs.
You must know that occupying an area as an invader and conqueror is bound to cause fierce conflicts with the local people.
If strong suppression is adopted, it may trigger hatred that will last for at least one or two generations.
To rule such a place, one not only needs a large number of stationed troops, but also needs to repeatedly encircle and eliminate those rebels who are like weeds and can never be killed.
In addition, overly harsh laws and an unstable social environment will cause the region to fall into a long-term economic downturn.
When the fiscal situation reaches a point where revenue is not enough to cover expenditure, occupying areas by force will become a huge burden, continuously draining blood from the central government's finances.
It may take several generations, or even a hundred or two hundred years, for hatred to subside and for the locals to accept their new identity.
In the meantime, whether you and your Harpist allies or my enemies, you can continue to incite riots and carry out various acts of destruction in this area, turning it into a bleeding wound.
So in my opinion, the direct and brutal use of force to conquer is the lowest and stupidest option.
Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is best not to ruin your reputation as completely as the case of Zhentil Keep.
A wise ruler should present himself as a messenger of justice, at least on the surface.
If one day I have to use force to invade and occupy an area, I will choose to either kill all the residents of the area or relocate them all and forcibly disperse and settle them in other places for assimilation. "
"Just like when you forcibly relocated the residents of Mingtan Island?" Elminster asked with narrowed eyes.
"Yes. That is actually a very gentle method.
I could go even further if I wanted to.
So I advise you and the Harpists who follow you not to challenge my bottom line in this regard.
Because if you dare to do this, I will use the most extreme means to make those who you incited shed rivers of blood.
Likewise, I will put all the blame on you through propaganda, and you will become the rats crossing the street that everyone will shout and beat, and those civilians who have managed to survive will hate you from the bottom of their hearts, and even join the ranks of hunting you down.
I believe you should remember the tragedy that happened to Drizzt? When he was participating in the dark elf surface commando, he tried to save the life of an innocent moon elf child.
But when the child grew up, he mistook him for the enemy who slaughtered his village, and vowed to kill the evil drow to avenge his dead relatives.
Finally in a battle, Drizzt had to kill the child he had saved with his own hands.
Do you know what that feels like?
Do you know how painful and desperate this feeling is, and how it can even make people want to embark on the path of self-destruction?
Maybe for you idealists, death is not scary.
But I can give you a revenge ten thousand times more terrible than death."
When saying this, Zuo Si's tone was full of threats and warnings, and he did not conceal his cold and evil side at all.
In his opinion, the best way to deal with these chaotic and kind-hearted people who do whatever they want and think they are righteous is to draw a clear red line.
No matter who it is, if he dares to cross the line, he will immediately experience a fate worse than death.
Don't you claim to be righteous and like to do things according to your own values and moral standards?
Then I will turn all those people you have saved into avengers blinded by hatred, and let you choose between killing the people you saved and being killed, thereby destroying their spirit and will.
Elminster undoubtedly sensed this naked malice, took a deep breath and said: "I understand what you mean. Don't worry, our confrontation will never involve innocent civilians."
Hearing the guarantee he wanted, Zuo Si immediately showed satisfaction: "Very good!
As long as you can control those Harpists who are used to doing whatever they want, I can also assure you that as long as they have not committed assassinations, poisonings, or disrupted social stability, they will not be executed even if they are caught.
At most, he would be thrown into prison for a few years or sentenced to hard labor.
As long as you have the ability, you can organize a rescue operation at any time.
But the prerequisite is that you can't kill any guards."
"make a deal!"
Elminster took the initiative to stretch out his right hand and held Zuo Si's hand tightly.
But soon, he suddenly changed the subject and asked with interest: "Why do you want to integrate the entire west coast of Faerun into a huge empire? From what I know, you didn't seem to be someone who was particularly interested in power before."
Zuo Si smiled and shrugged: "No special reason.
If I have to find a cause, I think it started when King Shane VII asked me to marry his descendant and then inherit the Shane Empire.
I was thinking, since we are going to integrate Calimshan, Tethyr, Amn and other regions together, why not expand it to include the entire North?
After all, there is a basic common sense in my hometown, that is, only by establishing a country with a vast land area, a high degree of political and economic unity, and a stable regime can civilians have the possibility of living a good life.
Moreover, I am a person who likes to engage in management and construction. Whenever I see backward and poor towns becoming more and more prosperous, the technology becoming more and more advanced, and the living standards of the people getting higher and higher, I can get an incomparable sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Besides, I think you should also admit that I am better than all the rulers in this world, right?"
"Hahahaha! I don't deny this.
But you are a dictator, a despotic tyrant favored by the Dark Lord.
No one knows what path you will lead everyone on once you become the ruler of a vast empire.
Considering how much you value magic and the terrible disaster that occurred at the end of the Netherese civilization, I don't think it would be a good idea to let you complete your intended goal smoothly.
In fact, you are like many people who are too smart. You are always arrogant and think that the choices you make are correct.
In this respect, we have many similarities.
Because I am also a very conceited person, and I insist that maintaining the status quo of Faerun is the most ideal state. "
Elminster laughed at himself.
It has to be said that despite his different positions and ideas, he is indeed not like many hypocrites who claim to be righteous and kind on the one hand while playing double standards. He very frankly admits his arrogance and limitations.
"Fear comes from the unknown.
I can understand the resistance and fear of overly drastic social changes that an old man like you, who was born more than a thousand years ago when the human race had just struggled to survive and had spent most of his life wandering around Faerun, might have.
But please don't forget that outside this world, there are countless time, space and universes.
You have never seen steel and concrete jungles that are hundreds of meters high, with tens of thousands of people living in each building, which is even more than the total population of some small cities in the world, and huge urban agglomerations with tens of millions of people;
I have never even experienced the public transportation trains that can run at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour on tracks; nor have I witnessed the large aircraft that can cross the entire continent of Faerun in just a few hours.
This is the gap in vision and pattern, and it is also where you will never be able to surpass me.
So I forgive your ignorance and I also forgive you for making the choice to be my enemy out of fear.
Because in my opinion, you, who are known as the Great Sage of Shadow Valley, are now just an old man who is about to be eliminated by the times.
I feel sorry for you, and I also feel sorry for those harp players who are full of ideals in their hearts, eager to change and save the world, but ultimately achieve nothing.
After all, arbitrary chaos cannot bring about the elements that are truly sufficient for social progress and civilization development.
But order is different! Whether it is a neutral order or an evil order, as long as it is given enough time to develop, it will ultimately have a profound impact on reshaping people's cognition and expectations.
As to why it's not lawful good.
Because lawful goodness seriously lacks the means to respond, and the courage to save more people by sacrificing the interests of some people in times of crisis.
Especially for the supreme ruler, kindness is not a plus point, but a minus point.
It would be a terrible disaster to let a kind and good person become the leader of a country."
Zuo Si used a condescending attitude to let the chosen one of the magic goddess experience what it felt like to be despised by others. For the first time, an angry expression appeared on his wrinkled old face...
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