After returning to the Mage Tower in Askatla, Davian finally couldn't help but raise the issue that concerned him most.
In his opinion, if the other party simply wanted to awaken the power and divinity of Baal in his body through more killing, then he could join as a soldier or mercenary.
Noticing the confusion and puzzlement in the eyes of his followers, Zuo Si smiled and explained, "No, you don't understand.
The effects of participating in a war as the highest commander of the army and participating in a war as a soldier are completely different.
If it is the former, then Sarevok will be able to expand the scale of the war as he pleases.
Inciting and condoning his subordinates to commit killings in the most cruel, bloody and violent way.
Even civilians living in the West Heartland area were not spared.
You should know the two most important priesthoods of Baal, the God of Murder, right?"
Davian quickly replied, "Of course! Baal holds the two powerful priesthoods of death and killing. When he was alive, all assassins in the entire continent of Faerun, as well as those who thirsted for blood, regarded him as the supreme ruler."
"You're right. But do you know what the difference is between the death and murder that Baal controls and the other two of the three gods of death?" Zuo Si continued to ask with a smile.
"Uh…he's more violent?"
Davian said with a strong sense of uncertainty in his tone.
Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Absolutely correct.
The death and murder in Baal's portfolio are very different from those of the previous generation god of death Melkor.
The latter kind of death is simply death, which means that the human body loses its functions in a physiological sense, so the soul must go to the City of Judgment and be taken away by the messengers of the gods of their respective beliefs.
But the former focuses on violent, destructive and ritualistic death.
Strictly speaking, Baal's personality and behavior are the most insane and reckless of the three gods of death.
On the eve of the Year of Troubles, he even wanted to hunt down the Earth Mother, Chantia, in the Shadowmoon Islands, the will of the planet Toril beneath our feet.
Such a crazy move is rare in the tens of thousands of years of history of the entire continent of Faerun.
At least I don't know of any other god besides him who has tried to kill Chantia permanently.
Even Baal himself could not control his inner desire for violence and killing after obtaining the above two divinities, not to mention those deliberately created sons of God.
Therefore, if a Son of Bhaal joins the war as a soldier or mercenary, it is easy for him to lose himself in the killing and completely release the power hidden in his soul, turning into an irrational bloodthirsty beast - a killer.
A man as ambitious and capable as Sarevok would never allow himself to become like that.
What he wanted was to create a feast of killing, not to be part of the feast of killing.
This included collaborating with evil forces, allowing bandits to rob and create chaos on Baldur's Gate's trade routes, and using shapeshifters to infiltrate and replace the upper echelons of Baldur's Gate, all in order to achieve the goal of gaining command of the Flaming Fist mercenaries and becoming the Grand Duke.
As for the ambush on Gorion to kill Aberdair, it was simply because they did not want other sons of Bhaal to share the powerful power that could be gained from this feast of killing.
This is also why I asked Fuzzol Chamberlain to launch this large-scale invasion.
For Sarevok, the northern city of Waterdeep was too powerful and he definitely did not dare to provoke it easily.
Amn, whose southern army was relatively weak, was originally a very good target, but because of me, he did not dare to act rashly.
Therefore, the only direction he could launch a war in was the vast West Heartland region in the east, using the residents there as sacrifices on his way to becoming a god.
If Sarevok is allowed to do this, the civilians in this land will probably be slaughtered.
But now the army of Zhentil Keep has already occupied most of the densely populated towns in the area.
According to the consistent style of the Church of Bane, the God of Tyranny, although civilians will suffer a certain degree of oppression, they can still save their lives.
The destination of Sharovok's life that I have set is the Troll Claw Mountain, north of the Chongsa River and south of the Wanting River.
This is where Baal, the god of murder, once fell, and it is a perfect burial place for the son of Baal.
Don’t you think this feels very fatalistic?
Although I can't make Sarevok a god of murder before he dies, I can make him die in the same way as his father. "
When saying this, Zuo Si did not hide his bad taste in certain aspects at all, and felt that only in this way could the tragic fate of the Son of Baal, which was full of absurdity and irony, be reflected.
“You really are…”
The corners of Davian's mouth twitched wildly and uncontrollably, and he had no idea what to say. At the same time, he mourned for Sharevok in his heart for a second.
Because he knew that anyone who was targeted by the master would probably not have a good ending.
Some of the more miserable ones may be played with repeatedly until they suffer a mental breakdown.
"Hahahaha! What, you want to call me a devil?
Don't forget, I already am.
What's more, I am also a human being. It is impossible for me to always be as cold, rational and efficient as a machine.
Occasionally, you need to have some fun in these complex games and confrontations.”
Zuo Si defended himself with a laugh.
The longer he stayed in the continent of Faerun, the more he understood why all intelligent creatures that lived long in this world often had many puzzling quirks.
Many times, these quirks are used to release huge psychological pressure and prevent one's own thoughts and consciousness from becoming completely abnormal.
As the saying goes, you stare into the abyss, and the abyss also stares back at you.
Long-term contact with all kinds of extremely evil, twisted, morbid, and crazy guys will greatly corrupt even the righteous, kind, and determined holy warriors and turn them into the enemies they once hated the most.
Not to mention ordinary people who like to take advantage of small opportunities and often struggle and make choices between good and evil in their hearts.
Just when Davian was about to say something, the succubus loli Atona suddenly came out from the corner and reported in a slightly excited tone: "Master! Miss Vera Salem Quante just sent a message through the channel of the Masked Mage Guild a few hours ago.
She has followed your instructions and successfully removed all the old guys in the Council of Six. She now has complete control over Amn's highest administrative authority.
However, it will take some time to completely control the parliament and occupy an overwhelming number of seats.
As for the large chambers of commerce and monopoly groups that occupied more than half of Askatla's resources, she also took some restrictive and repressive measures.
If nothing unexpected happens, these suppressed families will soon begin to decline and shrink to a medium size, leaving enough market for other small merchants to compete.
Miss Vera now wants to ask you what to do next? Oh, yes.
Under her manipulation, the six-member council has officially announced that it will be expanded to seven members.
In the future, you will become the de facto supreme leader of the Council of Seven as the commander of the army."
"The power to control the army? It seems that Vera did not disappoint me. Can you tell me what she has done during this period of time?" Zuo Si asked with interest.
Whoever controls the military is the real master of the country.
This is an absolute truth no matter in any world or any historical context.
Although Amn's army is a little worse than that of its neighbors, it is still a violent organization.
Especially when cooperating with the masked wizard, they can still win some battles.
However, the only problem is that the army authorized by the Council of Six is actually only the garrison in the capital, Askatla, and not all the armies of the city-states throughout the country.
Because it is a commercial empire, the autonomous systems of the major cities under Amn are very high.
In almost every city, you can find several or even a dozen families that occupy a monopoly position in the local area.
These families are the ones who actually control the city. They not only control politics but also the local garrisons.
These troops ranged from a few hundred to one or two thousand people.
Some are maintained by taxation and finance, while others are simply formed by drawing together a part of the private armies of various families. If there is a conflict between the central government and the regions, it is easy to imagine who they will obey.
However, Zuo Si was obviously not in a hurry to extend his hand to the major cities of Amn, to take back the administrative, military and economic power and start to establish a highly unified country.
Adhering to the strategy of pacifying the country before fighting foreign enemies, he must first deal with the families in the capital Ascatla and its surrounding areas that control huge resources and wealth and have strong political influence one by one.
The succubus shrugged and responded, "Ms. Vera didn't use any brilliant strategies, she just took advantage of her marriage.
You know, since all the direct members of the family died, she is the only heir and head of Salem.
If anyone could become her husband, he would save himself decades of hard work and gain unimaginable wealth and power.
Therefore, many so-called young talents have started to think about this.
It's a pity that they were all used as pawns by Miss Vera to stir up conflicts among the other big families, and she deliberately made the parties fight, envy and resent each other at some banquets and other occasions.
Eventually, these conflicts erupted at a public gathering.
Among them, eight or nine family descendants who had seats on the six-member council lost control of their emotions after drinking some spiked wine, drew their swords and killed each other in a duel.
It is said that the scale of the conflict went from just a few people at the beginning to over a hundred casualties.
Although they finally spent a lot of money to hire a priest to treat and revive him, the seeds of division and hostility had already been planted.
Over the next week, the four families began to win over allies, both overtly and covertly, and became involved in endless fighting.
Miss Vera only needs to lean slightly towards one side at the right time, and then immediately turn back to inflict heavy losses on the other side.
After several operations, the four families and their allies in the six-member council have lost their financial advantage and are gradually being overtaken by the rising families.
In order not to be driven out of the highest authority, they privately reached a political deal with Miss Vera.
That is, the older generation will give up power and withdraw from the political arena, allowing the new generation of the family to take over and continue to obey the leadership of the Salem Quante family as before. "
"So... the leaders of these families realized that the reason for their fight was Vera's deliberate instigation, but they did not break up with each other, but chose to compromise and make a deal?"
Zuo Si stroked his chin with an interested expression.
“That’s right!”
Atona nodded vigorously and said gloatingly, “Because after all the direct descendants of the Quante family in Salem died, these families were the first to break the established rules.
Through various means, he embezzled a lot of wealth and influence that should have belonged to the Salem Quante family.
They even tried to get more through marriage.
Therefore, it was only natural for Miss Vera to fight back with some means after she came to power and stabilized the situation.
Most importantly, she proved that even though she was the only one left in the Salem Quante family, it was still the most powerful and well-established family in all of Amn.
The rest of the powers began to fear her and believed that she would be the undisputed supreme leader of Amn for decades to come.
But these ignorant and short-sighted families simply don't understand that Miss Vera is just one of your subordinates.
There will only be one undisputed master of Amn and even the West Coast in the future, and that is you."
"Take advantage of the situation? Interesting."
Zuo Si smiled meaningfully.
He was originally still wondering how Vera would take down the six-member council.
Will there be a classic remake, using the same method to create chaos within these families, and then completing the bloody purge through physical means?
But who could have thought that this woman was unexpectedly smart and perceptive. She immediately realized what those old foxes wanted to do, and then used the conflict of interest between them to turn the tables.
By the time the other party comes to their senses, it is already too late. They can only choose to give in and compromise to keep their family's political status intact.
Lack of courage to fight to the death when in disadvantageous situations.
This is a common problem among most of Amn's wealthy merchants and nobles.
At the same time, it was also the reason why Zuo Si dared to be ruthless to him and was not worried about causing a big mess.
Because these guys are too afraid of losing everything they have now, whether it is power, wealth, or a superior social status.
The weak side of human nature was fully reflected in them. They were not even as courageous as the slave owners in the South who launched a rebellion and were eventually killed to extinction.
"Ms. Vera also asked me to inform you that if you come back, it would be best to go to the Municipal Building." Succubus Loli continued.
"Okay, I understand."
Without saying a word, Zuo Si stood up and walked out of the gate of the Mage Tower, heading towards the administrative area along the expanded road.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he found that the number of Shadow Thieves Guild members who used to wander the streets, stealing, breaking into houses or engaging in illegal transactions seemed to have decreased.
This feeling became even stronger as we passed through the always chaotic bridge area.
Just as he was feeling very strange about this, he suddenly noticed that in a dark alley on the side, there was a figure covered in a cloak and hood waving at him.
Because of his great skill and courage, Zuo Si did not hesitate at all and walked straight over.
The two men walked one after the other, turning continuously in the complex alley until they reached a dead end with a brick wall in front of them. The masked man then took off his hood, revealing a demonic elf face covered with mysterious patterns and horns on his head.
"Feder?!"
Zuo Si directly called out the other person's name, with a look of intense surprise in his eyes.
This assassin, who was loyal to the nominal supreme leader of the Shadow Thieves, Ailan Linville, had not taken the initiative to contact him since their last separation.
He thought the other party had given up the olive branch he had offered and was planning to stick to the path of a shadow thief until the end.
"Hello, Your Excellency Soth."
The demonic elf assassin placed one hand on his chest and bowed respectfully.
"Are you here on your own behalf this time, or on behalf of Ailan Linville and the shadow thief behind him?" Zuo Si asked calmly.
Fide was silent for a while, and finally replied with a smile that was uglier than crying: "I...I represent myself.
Because Boss Ailang is dead, killed in a sudden and horrible murder.
The man sitting in the headquarters of the Shadow Thieves Guild now is actually just a substitute prepared in advance by Reinol Bloodhead.
As for me, not only had I lost my allegiance, but I was also identified as the murderer.
Yes, you heard it right.
They think I killed Boss Alan Linville myself.
Now I am wanted by the entire Shadow Thieves Guild and have nowhere to go. I hope your promise to take me in is still valid."
"What? Allen Linville is dead? Who did it!?"
Zuo Si raised his eyebrows in surprise.
Although he had known for a long time that this guy was actually a target placed in the open by the Shadow Thief to attract fire, he might die on the spot at any time.
But no one expected it to break out at this time.
The demon elf assassin shook his head slightly: "Sorry, I'm not sure either.
Because when I went to report the mission, his body was already stiff and it was obvious that he had been dead for more than two hours.
The cause of death was being stabbed in the heart with a sharp object from behind.
After completing the assassination, the murderer cut off Boss Ailang's head and took it away, not knowing whether he needed evidence to collect the reward or to prevent him from being resurrected.
I checked and they did it very professionally, without leaving any footprints or blood on the ground.
Boss Ailang did not struggle violently before his death.
This means that it was either done by someone he knows, or the other party was too strong for him to have a chance to resist. "
Zuo Si seemed to understand something from these descriptions, and asked with a playful look on his face, "Were you caught red-handed by someone who broke in while you were investigating the scene?"
"Well, you think I'm terribly unlucky, don't you?"
Fed tightly grasped the dagger and short sword hanging at his waist, his pupils revealing undisguised anger and murderous intent.
You have to know that Ailan Linville is not just a leader of the Thieves Guild who needs her loyalty.
At the same time, he was the benefactor who provided her with a relatively safe environment to grow up in her childhood and trained her to be what she is today.
Now that his benefactor had been inexplicably killed and he had been clearly framed as the murderer, anyone would be angry and eager to catch the mastermind and chop him into pieces.
"This is not just bad luck. If I'm not mistaken, the recent situation within the Shadow Thieves Guild is probably not very peaceful, right?"
Zuo Si suddenly raised his head, with a strange blue light in his eyes.
Obviously, he was using mental magic to directly read the other party's memory and thoughts, and discovered many unusual signals within the Shadow Thief.
In addition, Renoir Bloodhead's actions are also quite suspicious, and it seems that a fierce internal fight is about to break out.
As the earliest criminal organization established in Waterdeep, the Shadow Thieves have been quite united and stable except for a serious internal split and bloody conflict when they were expelled and arrested.
Especially after gaining the support of the Council of Six, the entire organization grew rapidly, covering the entire territory of Amn, and actively expanded to other countries and regions.
Faced with huge interests, only idiots would think about killing this person today, killing that person tomorrow, and then becoming the boss themselves.
Wouldn't it be nice to earn money honestly, and then save enough to retire and enjoy a good and comfortable life?
所以就算有几个野心勃勃的下属公会首领想要搞事情，通常也很快会被手下检举揭发，最终被不留痕迹的清理掉。
但是现在，以雷诺尔·血头为首的高层，明显已经开始有点控制不住下边的公会首领。
其中几个势力最强大的，光手下刺客跟打手就超过了几十乃至上百人。
注意！
这可不是普通的平民，而是最低也有LV1等级的职业盗贼或战士。
所以左思断定，艾朗·林维尔的死只是一个开始，接下来影贼公会内部将会发生更骇人听闻的事情。
“何止是不平静。
在阿斯卡特拉周边地区的下属公会，有超过半数都不知为何突然开始进入到半独立的观望状态，并且停止给总部上缴利润分成。
有几个公会首领更是私下里串通起来，疑似要发动叛乱。
艾朗老大正是察觉到了这一点，才让我去调查他们的情况。
结果我发现他们都取得了一个神秘势力的支持。
尤其是控制码头区的麦瓦，经常会派人在午夜过后进入墓园区的地下通道。
我想要跟踪他们，但每次都会被各种各样的陷阱和不死生物干扰，不得不暂时先撤退……”
魔裔精灵刺客没有掩饰什么，直截了当把自己知道的全部信息说了出来。
因为她从一开始效忠的就是艾朗·林维尔这个人，而不是整个影贼公会。
所以当前者遇害之后，自然也就没有必要继续保守那些秘密。
更何况她现在还正在遭到影贼公会追杀，迫切需要找到一个能庇护自己的强者。
而在阿斯卡特拉能做到无视影贼的只有三股势力。
第一个是六人评议会及其背后的几个大家族联盟； 第二个是与影贼同级别的蒙面法师公会； 第三个自然就是能令前边这些势力都感到敬畏的神祇选民。
前两个菲德都不认识，也没有所谓的“门路”，所以第三条路是唯一的选择。
如果这条路走不通，那她就可以开始考虑要怎样才能活着逃离这座城市了。
“麦瓦？墓园区？”
左思瞬间联想到了一直潜伏在那边的吸血鬼女王和她的手下，觉得这件事情八成跟巴荻脱不了干系。
不过他并没有表现出来，而是突然把话锋一转，直截了当问道：“你想要替艾朗·林维尔复仇？”
菲德毫不犹豫的点了下头：“对！不管是为了报答艾朗老大曾经收留的恩情，还是为了让那些栽赃陷害我的家伙付出代价，幕后黑手都必须死。不管他是麦瓦，还是雷诺尔·血头，又或者其他影贼高层。”
“我喜欢拥有忠诚和知恩图报品格的人。不过我怎么知道你不会在完成复仇之后，就一声不吭的偷偷溜走呢？要知道你可是有前科的。”
左思盯着魔裔精灵脸上那些漂亮的黑色花纹质疑道。
通过读取记忆，他已经知道对方在年幼的时候曾经做过一段时间的奴隶，并且从主人身边成功的逃走了。
再加上其体内流淌着不安分的恶魔血统，难保不会突然心血来潮就放了自己鸽子。
“你可以在我的身上留下一个魔法印记，以确保我无论夺到什么地方都能被立刻发现。以你的魔法水平，应该很容易就能做到这一点，不是吗？”
说着，菲德拉下衣领露出胸口白花花的一片。
由于害怕被魔法追踪，她已经丢弃了那件艾朗·林维尔送给自己的魔法皮甲，眼下身上只穿着从不知道什么地方偷来的破旧麻衣。
不过这并不能掩盖其性感傲人的S型曲线。
菲德的体型无疑与大部分精灵都略显消瘦且贫瘠的身材截然相反。
不出意外的话，其恶魔血统的部分肯定是源自于魅魔或者进阶形态的摄魔。
说不定还能追溯到精灵皇冠战争时期，四个最早与魅魔杂交的日精灵家族。
其中名气最大的莫过于科曼索的德拉加杰斯家族。
眼下整个费伦大陆有超过大概三分之一的魔裔精灵，基本都是这个家族出身，亦或是与他们有血缘关系。
如果该家族愿意的话，甚至能聚集起数千人规模完全由魔裔精灵构成的军队。
当然，作为与恶魔杂交获取力量的家族。
德拉加杰斯不用问也知道肯定不信仰精灵诸神，其行为充满了恶魔式的疯狂与歇斯底里。
对待子嗣的态度也跟真正的恶魔没有区别。
有时候仅仅是为了获得某个强大人物的帮助，又或者想要弄到更多的物资和钱财以发动战争，他们便会把自己的孩子卖掉。
菲德应该就是在很小的时候被卖给了奴隶贩子，然后几经辗转才逃到安姆并在首都阿斯卡特拉定居下来。
想到这，左思嘴角微微上翘意味深长的说道：“你说的那种魔法印记，我的确可以做到，不过太麻烦了，而且也不是很保险。不如这样，让我么来签署一份契约如何？”
“契约？”
魔裔精灵刺客皱起眉头，完全不理解对方这是要干什么。
最重要的是，她可不觉得一纸文书能够对自己产生什么约束力。
“呵呵，是的，一份契约。”
左思抬起右手啪的一声打了个响指，随后一张羊皮纸便凭空出现，并缓缓飘落下来。
出于下意识的反应，菲德立马接住了羊皮纸，然后开始阅读上边的条款。
由于她并没有接受过相关的学习，因此没有认出这是一份可怕的魔鬼契约，更不知道其中出卖灵魂的部分已经被隐藏在文字下边那些像是装饰性的花纹里。
在认真阅读了一遍确认没什么问题后，就直截了当在署名的地方签下了自己的名字。
下一秒……
轰！ 羊皮纸突然冒出一团明亮的火焰迅速燃烧殆尽。
当残留的余烬随风飘散后，魔裔精灵刺客这次开口问：“你确定这样就行了？”
“当然！从现在开始你就是我的人了，不管是肉体还是灵魂。”
在说这句话的时候，左思的眼睛里闪烁着魔鬼独有的阴险与狡诈。
“那我现在要做什么？”
菲德明显松了一口气，就连绷紧的神经都放松了不少。
从这一刻起，她终于不用再担心会被影贼公会派出的其他精锐刺客抓到了。
“先跟我去一趟行政区的市政办公大楼吧，我有些事情需要去处理一下。”
伴随着最后一个字脱口而出，左思直接给魔裔精灵刺客身上加持了可以持续很长时间的隐形魔法，然后转身往小巷外走去。
菲德则一言不发的紧紧跟在后面。
就在两人一前一后走进市政办公大楼的时候，远在北方湾岸公路旁边的树林里，尾随了目标好几天的白熊幼崽——阿蒂奥，终于出现在了阿伯戴尔一行人的视线范围之内。
不是它不想继续隐藏自己，而是被身为德鲁伊的贾西拉发现了。
目前，六个人和一只熊正在尴尬的大眼瞪小眼。
足足过了一分钟，爱蒙才忍不住开口询问道：“它是不是看起来有点眼熟？”
“呃——我觉得除了大小之外，它应该跟我们在友善之臂附近森林里遇到的那头一模一样。尤其是那圆滚滚的脑袋，实在是太具有识别性了。”
阿伯戴尔摸了摸最近两天下巴上才长出来的胡渣发表了自己的观点。
“你的意思是……它从友善之臂一直跟着我们？为什么！”
爱蒙难以置信的瞪大了眼睛，满脸都是震惊的表情。
“也许是因为你偷走了尸体上的那些金币、银币和宝石，所以它才一直跟着？”蒙塔罗脑洞大开的推测道。
“不……不会吧！它可是一头熊，要钱和宝石有什么用？而且我们现在已经把钱花的差不多了，怎么还给它？”
爱蒙迅速变得有些抓狂。
因为她可是亲眼目睹过这头白熊在战斗时所表现出来的狂暴，完全不敢想象如果对方趁着队伍休息的时候发起进攻，结果会是什么样子。
更何况能自由改变体型大小本身就说明了这绝对不是一般的野兽。
“你们待在这里别动，我过去问问。”
眼见队伍里这群歪瓜裂枣没有一个靠谱的，贾西拉只能暗自在内心之中叹了口气，释放出自己德鲁伊的自然之力，小心翼翼靠近并伸出双手表达自己没有武器，更没有任何敌意。
当一人一熊的距离不足三米的时候，她这才停下来想要先确认这头熊究竟是什么品种。
结果当自然之力与阿蒂奥发生碰撞的刹那，这位半精灵德鲁伊立刻便看到一头灵体巨熊从白熊幼崽体内漂浮出来，并张开嘴发出一声只有自己才能听到的咆哮。
Roar!!!! Beast... Beast King?!
Jasira's pupils suddenly dilated, contracted, dilated again, and contracted again.
As nature's messenger and spokesperson, it was impossible for her not to know about this extremely special and powerful guardian spirit of nature.
Similarly, she also saw the collar worn around the white bear's neck, which also exuded wildness and natural power.
Is this the animal companion of an archdruid or legendary druid?
Or was he a lucky person blessed and possessed by the spirit of nature? A series of questions quickly popped up in Jasira's mind.
But in order to avoid angering the white bear cub with terrible power, she immediately used the druid's ability - understanding animals to convey her goodwill to the other party, and then asked very carefully why he followed her group.
Artio quickly turned his gaze towards Imoen and Aberdare, stating in a very direct manner that he was following these two young men.
Because it is less than a year old, its meaning is very vague and confusing.
As a result, Jasira misunderstood that the other party was really here to collect a debt, and he immediately turned around and severely reprimanded Imoen and Aberdare for doing this.
Then he solemnly promised that he would repay the money double after he made money.
As a result, with her operations, Artio not only successfully infiltrated the team, but also became the creditor of the two Sons of Baal.
From now on, in addition to daily expenses, Imoen and Aberdare must use half of their earnings to pay off their debts, and the rest can be used to buy potions and replace better weapons and equipment.
"Oh my god! What sin have I committed? I am being chased by a bear for debt!"
Aberdare wailed with tears in his eyes.
But he wanted to make more money so that when he got to the big towns he could have some in-depth conversations with the pretty girls there and discuss the origin of life.
Imoen also complained with a sad face: "Damn it! I bet this bear must have been a greedy and stingy dragon in his previous life!"
Just when Aberdare was about to say something, Khalid beside him was suddenly stunned, pointed behind him and stammered, "Quick...quick...look...look...behind you!"
It was not known whether it was because he was too nervous or the scene he saw was too horrifying, but Jasira's husband's stuttering was several times more severe than usual.
It took only three or four seconds to write such a short sentence.
When Aberdare reacted, he found that the blade of the two-handed giant sword he was carrying was gone, leaving only the hilt and guard.
As for the missing part, it naturally went into Artio's mouth.
At this moment, it was putting a piece of silvery metal in its mouth and chewing it with a crunching sound. The sound made everyone who saw this scene feel a chill down their spine.
"Who…who the hell can tell me what happened?"
Aberdare asked in a trembling voice.
Gulp!
Imoen swallowed and answered, "I saw it chew your sword like bread, and then swallowed it in two or three bites. It's incredible! This bear actually eats metal!"
“Jasira… Could this be some alien creature that looks a bit like a bear?”
Khalid was obviously frightened and hurried to his druid wife for confirmation.
Jia Xila lowered his head and thought for a moment, then quickly denied it and said, "Probably not.
When I used the Animal Understanding Tool to communicate with it just now, I was very sure that it was a bear.
Maybe something happened to it that ordinary people cannot understand.
We can ask its owner when he comes looking for it."
"It still has an owner?"
Imoen was slightly stunned.
"Of course! Otherwise, do you think that the collar with powerful natural and wild power around its neck was made and worn by it itself?"
Jasira rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"But what about my sword? It's the only weapon I have! How can I fight bandits and wild beasts without it?"
Aberdare's face was full of "embarrassment" and "awkwardness".
As a soldier, he couldn't imagine what he could do without weapons.
"Here, take this for now. Remember to keep an eye on it and don't let it get eaten again. I don't have a second backup weapon."
After saying that, the mage Thrall handed over his dagger for self-defense.
The Son of Baal took the dagger that was only two fingers long and couldn't help but complain in a low voice: "I think this thing is more like a cutlery than a weapon. The power it can exert in battle is probably not much stronger than a fork."
"Be content! If this dagger is also eaten, then you can only swing your fists when fighting. Also, you'd better be careful with the half-body armor you just bought, it might be gone when you wake up."
There was undisguised gloating in Sal's tone.
However, his words immediately aroused the vigilance of everyone in the team.
Anyone who carried metal weapons or wore metal armor would wrap these things, which were closely related to their lives, in a cloak, for fear that they would be seen and bitten by the polar bear.
Less than a few minutes after joining the team, Artio unsurprisingly became the target of everyone's vigilance.
But it itself has not realized the seriousness of the problem. Instead, it tilted its head and acted cute while trying to get more steel products from these people to fill its stomach. It even almost bit the pot used for cooking soup for the picnic in half.
After more than half an hour of hard work, Jasira finally made the bear understand that weapons, armor and soup pots were absolutely not to be eaten.
fortunately!
At the critical moment, a group of human bandits appeared from nowhere and satisfied Artio's desire to fill his stomach with metal.
In a short time, it beat these ignorant guys into meat patties, and gnawed away the metal weapons, arrows, chain mail, mail armor, etc., leaving only soft metals like gold coins and silver coins that had no chewing value.
Looking at the naked bodies of the bandits, Aberdair couldn't help but sigh slightly: "Well, now we can basically confirm that what it likes to eat is metal, and it must be hard metal like steel. In addition, it is not afraid of attacks from non-magical weapons at all. Even if it is hit by an arrow head-on, it will not be injured or bleed."
"I sincerely hope that I can encounter more bandits along the way.
Otherwise, who knows if it will eat all our weapons and armor as snacks when it is hungry.
In addition, we'd better find a way to save money quickly to pay off our debts.
Otherwise, the longer this bear follows our team, the greater the chance that we will be eaten and go bankrupt.”
Imoen added with lingering fear.
From the speed at which Artio gnawed at the metal, she seemed to have seen a bottomless pit of horror that would never be filled.
You know, in the continent of Faerun, the price of steel is not cheap.
Otherwise, a good fully enclosed helmet wouldn't sell for around fifteen gold coins...