After leaving the district administrative, Fed, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask a question.
As a "little follower" who entered the council for the first time and watched the whole process, she couldn't believe that she would hear such explosive news.
He even saw with his own eyes the person representing the top brass of Shadow Thieves being suffocated and then kicked out like a stray dog.
At this moment, the demon elf assassin finally understood how strong this young human who always had a gentle smile on his face was in his bones.
Especially when he releases that terrifying aura, he is simply an absolute tyrant who will never allow anyone to disobey his will, otherwise they will immediately suffer a catastrophic disaster.
"Why not?"
Zuo Si casually threw a copper coin to a street vendor, then took a few oranges from him and gave half of them to the demon elf behind him. He continued to stroll in the bustling market and asked without turning his head: "What do you think of this gold coin city under our feet now?"
"Uh...I think it's pretty good.
At least it's much better than when I first arrived and there were ragged children everywhere.
Nowadays most of the poor and common people can find jobs and fill their stomachs.
Especially in the past two years, the City Hall has ordered the renovation of slums and dock areas.
Many residents who used to sleep on the streets or live in dilapidated shanties now have houses that can shelter them from the wind and rain, as well as relatively clean drinking water.
I believe that many ordinary people, like me, can feel that Askatla is getting better and better. "
When saying this, there was a hint of emotion in Fed's tone.
At least of all the large towns she had seen as a slave escaper as a child, none had been comparable to the present-day Askatla.
Even the poor people at the bottom of society have the light of "hope" in their eyes, instead of being cold and numb like those in other cities, as if they had long lost their souls like the walking dead.
It is precisely because of this that this Demonic Elf Assassin did not choose to leave even after being wanted by the Shadow Thieves Guild, but wanted to live here forever until the end of his life.
"Then do you know where these policies and the current economic prosperity came from?"
Zuo Si peeled an orange, put one segment into his mouth, savoring the sweet and sour taste, and continued to ask questions with a smile on his face.
Fide was stunned for a moment, then asked tentatively in an uncertain tone: "Because of you?"
Zuo Si nodded without hesitation: "Yes, it's because of me.
Otherwise, do you think that those powerful families who control Athkatla will suddenly become so kind overnight? It is me who continuously provides more, better and cheaper goods to this city.
It was also me who stabilized the relationship with the local indigenous people of the Maztec continent, avoiding possible contradictions and conflicts between the two sides, and increasing the trade volume between the two sides year by year.
This indirectly led to a large number of workshops springing up like mushrooms after a rain, which began to absorb a large number of laborers and provide job opportunities for people at the bottom of society to support their families.
Most importantly, the goblin slaves I raised did all the dirty, tiring and extremely dangerous work at a very low price.
This also means that the original exploitation of civilians and the poor by the nobles and wealthy businessmen has been diverted to a certain extent.
After all, exploiting humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings and other races that are generally considered to be highly intelligent creatures requires bearing pressure from many aspects, including public opinion.
But goblins are different.
Even in academia, many scholars believe that they should not be classified as intelligent creatures, and are not as smart and social as magical creatures such as winter wolves and wargs.
So as long as they are not deliberately abused, tortured, or starved of food, no one will care about their life or death.
In addition, I strictly control the goblin slaves and do not allow them to enter the fields of agriculture, handicrafts and services. I deliberately create the current environment of labor shortage, forcing merchants to increase their wages and benefits.
That's why you see all this.
Why do you think the Council spent a lot of tax money to transform the slums, docks, bridges and other places where poor people gathered, building spacious and bright buildings for them, and even introducing clean drinking water? This is because the prosperous trade attracted a large number of merchants from other places, causing the price of land in the city to soar, so that even the dirty and messy areas that they looked down on before began to become profitable, and the profits were amazing.
And I just happen to be able to provide a kind of cheap building materials, which can be used to construct buildings with several or even more than ten floors, and accommodate a large number of civilians with a small amount of land.
Guess who got the freed-up land and the money from selling it after the transformation was completed?
Compared with the few families that control the Council, I have the ability, power, and desire to make this city and the entire country a better place.
In that case, why can't I be the King of Amn?
You don't think ordinary people really care who is ruling the country and what kind of political system is adopted, do you? "
Feder shook his head quickly. "No, of course they don't care. As far as I know, most ordinary people only care about how much money they can make and whether there are more or less bread, butter, cheese, eggs and sausages on the table."
"Hahahaha! See, that's the problem.
Most people do not care about politics and do not have the ability to participate in politics.
Therefore, the legitimacy of rule does not come from family, bloodline and inheritance as many traditional land aristocrats claim.
Rather, it comes from whether the rulers or the ruling class can provide the people with a fair and stable social environment, a good life, and protection against all kinds of monsters and foreign invasions.
As far as I know, in many villages near remote mountainous areas and wastelands, local residents would rather swear allegiance to the dragons that build nests nearby than to the human nobles.
"Do you know why?"
When asking this question, Zuo Si had a playful smile on his face and threw the orange peel in his hand into a trash can not far away.
"Why?"
The demon elf assassin asked back with a puzzled look.
Zuo Si replied meaningfully: “Because compared to the dragons who are only interested in gold, silver and gems, and occasionally ask for some labor, the greedy noble lords will even take away the food they depend on for survival.
In addition, after swearing allegiance to the dragon, your safety is guaranteed and you don't have to worry too much about being invaded by monsters and wild beasts.
Especially under the rule of dragons that are not so evil, cruel and tyrannical, the villagers in many villages live quite wealthy and stable lives.
This also proves my point about the legitimacy of rule.
Since people don't mind letting a dragon with devastating destructive power rule them, why would they take the so-called noble bloodline seriously?
What's more, I am playing this game of thrones according to the rules.
Through Vera's efforts, I have gained vital military power.
The next thing to do is to rebuild a strong army and watch Baldur's Gate be completely defeated and fall, with the entire Sword Coast shrouded in the shadow of Zhentil Keep's army.
When everyone is filled with fear and despair, I will stand up as a savior to shatter this huge shadow and become the hero who turns the tide in everyone's mind.
He was finally crowned king amid the cheers and support of the people, ruling all the lands south of Baldur's Gate to the border of Amn.
Following public opinion is the most correct way to gain power in the process of human beings moving from barbarism to civilization. "
"What about the nobles and wealthy merchants in Amn who monopolize wealth and power? What will happen to them in the future?"
There was a strong curiosity in Fed's eyes.
"If they are smart enough and honestly comply with the new laws and regulations, then at most they will only face a certain degree of suppression and restrictions.
I won't do anything too extreme.
After all, a prosperous country needs businessmen and more importantly, capital accumulation.
But if someone is so ignorant as to challenge my political skills...
I also don't mind letting them completely exit the stage of history first, and in a way that is despised and infamous by everyone.
By the way, why don't you eat oranges?
Is it because you don't like it?"
Zuo Si stopped and glanced with interest at the fruit that the demon elf assassin had been holding in his arms for a long time without touching.
Feder smiled and shrugged his shoulders and explained, “It's not that I don't like it, but I'm not used to eating in places with so many people.
On the one hand, this will interfere with my reaction and judgment;
On the other hand, the smell of peeled orange peel is too strong, and it is easy to leave the smell on the body, which is not conducive to sneaking and escaping.
On the contrary, you seem to be very relaxed no matter what you do, which is really a bit strange.
As far as I know, you should have quite a few enemies, right?
Why can people shop and eat so casually on the street, as if they have no fear of being attacked suddenly? "
Zuo Si answered nonchalantly, "Because all my enemies know very well that ordinary attacks and assassinations have no effect on me.
Not to mention how low the success rate is and the serious consequences it may cause.
Even if the assassination succeeds by chance, do you think I don't have some means to transfer fatal damage and resurrect? Moreover, have you seen legendary spellcasters like Elminster, Khelben, Simb, Elastro, and Les Zastan being attacked frequently? High-level spellcasters are not warriors, thieves, and other professions that do not master magic power. It is not an easy task to really kill them.
So I never worried about being attacked or assassinated.
Because my enemies would never do such a stupid thing.
If anyone does that, he is not worthy to be my enemy."
"Why do I feel a naked discrimination against warriors, thieves, assassins and other professions from your words?"
Feder's head suddenly looked up, his face full of suspicion.
"You are too sensitive. I am just stating the facts. It is far from discrimination." Zuo Si responded with a sneer.
If he really wanted to engage in occupational discrimination, he could tell a dozen different jokes in a row to describe the miserable conditions of professions such as warriors, thieves, and assassins.
Leaving aside other things, just the ability to fly is enough to widen the gap between spellcasters and non-casters.
Take the famous "Tarasco" as an example.
For ordinary melee professions to defeat this monster that has a huge body, a solid shell, a terrifying regeneration ability, a vitality comparable to that of the legendary Dragon King, a large number of immune characteristics, and can only be killed by making wishes or miracles, they must have at least a very high professional level or even cross the legendary threshold to do so.
But for a spellcaster who has the ability to fly, he just needs to stand outside the attack range above its head and then carry out spell bombardment without restraint.
After all, the tarrasque can't fly.
Apart from passively taking the beating and helplessly raging, there was no other means of fighting back.
It is said that arcanists of the Netheril era would often seek out this giant beast, bomb it into a half-dead coma, and then calmly descend to rip open its stomach to take out the spellcasting materials they needed.
Later, after the spells of wishing and miracles were invented, high-level wizards reached a private agreement that no one would be allowed to kill the tarrasque.
They even set up a secret supervisory and protection organization in private.
Prevent this "treasure" that can provide unlimited amounts of precious spellcasting materials from being killed by ignorant fools.
For a long time, the Tarrasque was basically a living material extraction machine, which was simply too miserable.
And because it has the properties of immortality and infinite regeneration, no matter how many kidneys, hearts, stomachs, and eyeballs are removed, no matter how many times its skin is peeled off, and how many times its bones are disassembled, it will eventually recover to its original state.
Fortunately, its intelligence is only three points, and it is basically a giant magical beast that moves on instinct.
Otherwise, we must launch a "Beast Lives Matter" movement to severely denounce those greedy and evil wizards for their inhumane crimes against us.
High-level elven magic archers who also have the ability to fly can use the kite-flying tactic to kill the tarrasque.
Zuo Si had a lot of precious materials on hand, which he stripped from the magical beast by having his follower, Storm Shooter Lantis, attack every now and then.
So far, we have collected nearly a hundred complete skeleton structures.
In particular, the mechanical tarrasque made from these skeletons, flesh, internal organs and oil is simply a real war machine.
Although its size is not as terrifying as that of the fully-formed Earthshaker, its combat power is not weak at all.
In terms of flexibility, speed and nearly unlimited regeneration ability, it is incomparable to the Earth-shaking Elephant.
Now, Storm Shooter Lantis is following behind the Tarrasque.
As soon as it recovers from its near-death coma, the former will immediately appear and pin it to the ground and beat it up, then pull out its tendons, peel off its skin, and suck its marrow from its bones, over and over again until it has gathered a large army of mechanical behemoths.
Of course, Zuo Si didn't care at all about the miserable situation of the tarrasque.
All he was thinking about at the moment was how to make use of the Chaos Hound, Kozef, which had been disassembled into parts and sealed in a container.
Obviously, it is unrealistic to complete it relying solely on Shuoyou's current capabilities.
Maybe he could try it after the Shining Oil in Zariel's body, which is a fusion of divine power and divine blood, has evolved.
In this way, the two walked one after the other along the bustling streets and markets of Askatla and arrived at the dock area.
Since this is the headquarters of the Shadow Thieves Guild and also the place with the most bizarre and dangerous situation, Fed immediately became cautious and alert after arriving. He was even reluctant to speak, for fear of being recognized by the thieves who were everywhere in the streets and alleys.
After passing the tall building of the Shadow Thieves Guild headquarters, she finally couldn't help but ask, "Where are you taking me?"
"A place where you can know the truth. Don't ask so many questions, just follow me."
Zuo Si blinked mysteriously and walked straight towards the building opposite the "Gift of the Sea" tavern.
He didn't know if it was some kind of bad taste that was kicking in, but he found that he seemed to like being a "riddler" more and more.
Often only say half of what you want to say, or reveal a small amount of seemingly plausible information, and then let the other party guess for themselves.
It's really interesting to see others getting so anxious that they can't do anything about it.
Zuo Si also felt that with his current bad personality, if he lost all his abilities and returned to his original world to become an ordinary person, he would be beaten to death in a matter of minutes.
fortunately!
Fed grew up in the Shadow Thieves Guild and knew how to control his curiosity to avoid getting himself killed.
She did not ask any further questions, but followed the other party silently to the door of a mansion.
Zuo Si walked up to the door and said something to a man who looked like a guard. The latter's eyes widened instantly, and an expression of shock and disbelief suddenly appeared on his face uncontrollably.
As an observant assassin, Fed could clearly notice that in an instant, this guy's hand was on the hilt of the sword, as if he wanted to make an attack.
But in less than a second, he stopped all movements and stood there with a dull look in his eyes.
"Come on, we can go in now."
Zuo Si turned around and waved as if nothing had happened.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be seen as an intruder as soon as I walk in."
Feder finally realized that the poor security guard had been bewitched and controlled by some kind of mental magic.
"Don't worry, even if I'm treated as an intruder, I can easily handle everything. Besides, we're not here to cause trouble this time, but to make a deal."
After saying that, Zuo Si pushed open the tightly closed door and walked in.
The demon elf assassin obviously hesitated for a moment, but still followed closely behind.
However, she did not close the door. Instead, she pulled the latch to the back so that she could rush out of the house as soon as possible when she turned around and ran away.
It turned out that Fed's caution was necessary.
As soon as they entered the spacious hall of the building, several fully armed men emerged from the darkness. Some held swords, some drew bowstrings, and some had halos of arcane magic flashing on their fingertips. It was obvious that they did not welcome the two intruders.
The leading man asked in a very stern tone: "Who are you? Why did you break into our territory? What organization or force instructed you? And what happened to the people guarding the door?"
Facing this menacing appearance, Zuo Si immediately made a calming gesture and responded directly: "Don't worry about the harpist at the door, he is just temporarily controlled by magic.
As for who I am and what my purpose is, you are not worthy of knowing.
If I'm not mistaken, Elminster should be in this base now, right?
Go and tell him to come out to see me."
"Damn it! This guy is coming for Elminster!"
An elf holding a bow and arrow suddenly changed his expression and shot the arrow in his hand without hesitation.
Whoosh! With the sound of breaking through the air, the sharp enchanted arrow flew straight towards Zuo Si's face.
From the fleeting green light, it is not difficult to tell that this is either a strong acid arrow or a poison arrow.
Just the opposite!
Even the lowest-ranking Harper carries at least one or two magical items worth thousands of gold pieces.
This is why they can always defeat the strong with the weak and the majority with the few.
But unfortunately, the threat posed by arrows to Zuo Si can be said to be negligible.
He didn't even use any magic, but simply relied on the reaction speed brought by his super high agility attribute to grab the arrow in his hand.
At this moment, the sharp tip of the arrow was less than one centimeter away from the right eyeball.
If he had been just a little bit slower, the arrow might have gone straight into his brain through his eye socket.
From this point alone, it is not difficult to see that the archer's professional level will definitely not be lower than LV14, and the bow he uses is at least a high-end product with an enchantment level of +3.
Otherwise, it won’t even be able to penetrate the deflected force field surrounding the body.
Zuo Si threw the enchanted arrow to the ground like trash and glanced at the guys wearing the Harp Master badges with cold eyes.
"For Elminster's sake, I forgive your offense this time. But if it happens again, I guarantee that everyone who does it will die miserably."
"Are you threatening us?"
A human male wearing enchanted armor suddenly became very angry and showed unusual aggressiveness.
Another half-elf woman beside him grabbed his arm and reminded him, "Calm down! Gaffrey! He seems to know Elminster! And didn't you see him catch the arrow shot by Orvis with his bare hands?"
"So what? We are the Harpers! We represent justice! If you are afraid, just stay here and don't move! I am not afraid of anything! Because justice will prevail!"
As he spoke, the man called "Gaffrey" drew his sword and charged forward like an enraged bull.
His action forced the other harpists to take an attacking stance.
But just as the two mages began to chant the spell, they suddenly felt that the energy they had gathered with great difficulty became extremely chaotic and unstable under the control of some invisible force.
Before they could react to what was happening, the terrible explosion came as expected.
Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Along with the dazzling blue flames, terrifying energy gushed out from the magic net, quickly sweeping over an area of more than ten to twenty meters in radius.
Although the power was not great, it caused several people to be seriously injured instantly. They flew two or three meters sideways, hit the wall or ceiling, and then spurted out black and red blood plasma from their mouths with a "wow" sound.
Some unlucky ones even had large, horrifying black patches of skin on their faces and hands.
As for Gaffrey who rushed forward, he was first knocked to the ground by a Bigby tripping palm, and then a foot stepped hard on his right hand, making a sound of broken bones.
“Ah ...
The man couldn't help but scream in pain, and he could no longer keep his grip.
"Do you know what kind of people I hate the most?"
Zuo Si pulled the brainless idiot up from the ground by the collar and swung up the arm wearing the "Iron Fist of the Tyrant".
"You...you can't kill me! Otherwise, Elminster will not let you go!"
Faced with the threat of death, Gabriel, who had been so brave just now, finally revealed his cowardly side.
"Haha, you seem to have made a mistake. Between me and Elminster, I am not the weak one. And I hate fools who overestimate their own abilities the most."
As he spoke, the muscles in Zuo Si's entire arm began to tense. Magical energy and oxygen quickly flowed into his cells, and in the blink of an eye he had accumulated terrifying power.
Perhaps the sound of the magic explosion just now alarmed the people on the second floor, and Elminster and several others finally appeared at the stairs.
Seeing the mess around him, he immediately shouted at the top of his voice: "Wait! Stop and listen to me! This is a misunderstanding! They didn't recognize you..."
Before the other party could finish his words, Zuo Si threw a punch.
moment!
A shadow that was almost impossible to capture with the naked eye flashed by.
Immediately afterwards, Guyfrey flew backwards like a cannonball, and his head in mid-air seemed like a watermelon squeezed by external force, and exploded with a bang.
Pink plasma and white brains splattered everywhere, and a lot of it even splashed on Elminster's body and face.
Finally, the headless corpse passed by him and crashed into the white marble wall with a bang, turning into a pool of meat paste that was impossible to distinguish as a human shape.
There is no doubt that there is no skill involved in this attack; it is purest and most brutal violence.
With Zuo Si's current strength attribute, coupled with the "Iron Fist of the Tyrant", all attacks automatically reach the maximum limit.
Not to mention a mere human being, even if a giant came and got hit by one punch he would probably die on the spot.
Likewise, he also understood why Bane, the god of tyranny, loved to beat people with his iron fist.
Unlike using magic to kill the target or cutting the opponent into pieces with a sword, this method of attack can better arouse the subconscious desire and catharsis for violence.
To put it simply, it is more enjoyable and can bring stronger sensory stimulation.
After casting a cleaning spell to clean the blood and flesh from the gloves, Zuo Si pretended to be embarrassed and responded, "Sorry, it's too late.
And I have already issued a clear warning before, but some idiot still wants to get himself killed, so there is nothing I can do.
Besides, it might be a good thing for the Harper Alliance if a guy like this who couldn't tell the situation from the right one died early.
Otherwise, if they mess with the wrong people, all the harpists in this secret base will probably be buried with them.
After all, there are not many people in the world who are as reasonable and clear about gratitude and resentment as I am.
Finally, I would like to remind you that you'd better make more portraits of me and my important subordinates, and clearly tell everyone in the Harper Alliance who I am, so as to prevent similar situations from happening again."
“You…you…”
Elminster was shaking with anger, but he didn't know what to say.
After all, it was the Harpist who initiated the conflict, and the opponent was "forced" to fight back in self-defense.
Especially Gavrey who was beaten into a pulp. He could feel that there was something wrong with this guy's mentality and behavior from the first day he met him.
But considering that the other party had worked hard in Am for so many years, even if he had no credit, he had worked hard, so he did not point it out immediately.
But who could have thought that in the blink of an eye, Guyfrey was killed by his arrogance, conceit, and his character of always thinking that he represented justice.
What makes Elminster even more anxious is that people like Gaffrey are not exceptions in the Harper Alliance, but a common phenomenon.
Maybe there won't be much of a problem when dealing with the Zhentarim. The other party isn't a good person anyway, so it's okay to use more drastic measures.
But now when dealing with Zuo Si, these reckless and impulsive members are obviously more like unstable bombs.
Not only would it fail to pose a threat to the other side, but it would also likely make the Harpists, who already had a bad reputation in Amn, Tethyr, and Calimshan, even more unpopular among the people.
You have to know that the most important reason why the Harpers are so successful in the North is that they are recognized by the general public, who think they are an organization that represents kindness and justice.
When they encounter difficulties, many civilians are willing to help them.
"Elminster! Who is he?"
The elf archer named Ovis struggled to get up from the ground, his face full of horror.
It was the first time he had seen someone ruthlessly beat a Harp Master into a pulp with his fists in front of the Great Sage of Shadow Valley.
The terrifying power displayed at that moment even made him feel that the intruder must be a dragon or some other giant magical creature.
"He is Soth, the only chosen one of the new generation of Magic Goddess, and also the new enemy I mentioned to you before." Elminster replied with a gloomy face.
"What? He's Soth!"
Ovis' pupils suddenly dilated, and then he suddenly remembered something and continued to ask, "How did he know about our secret base in Askatla?"
"I think you should ask him this question directly."
Having said that, Elminster turned his gaze to Zuo Si.
The latter smiled calmly and asked back: "You don't really think this place is secret, do you?
To tell you the truth, I have full knowledge of all the Harpers' bases and related members along the entire west coast.
Even a lot of the Harpers are my people.
It's just that for the goddess's sake, no action was taken before.
Not only you, but also the dark intelligence network of the Zhentarim is the same."
"This is impossible! Every Harpist has to go through repeated tests! They have the strongest will and will never betray. Even if they are temporarily controlled by magic, they will be discovered quickly." Orvis roared excitedly.
But Zuo Si ignored the elf at all, and stared at Elminster with a smile.
Elminster was silent for a moment with a livid face, then quickly said, "No, as a planeswalker, he does have this ability."
As these words came out of his mouth, all the surviving harpists present opened their mouths wide, a little bit unable to believe what they heard.
As an organization that is completely united by lofty ideals, they simply cannot believe that any of their companions could be spies planted by the enemy.
You should know that being a harpist won't bring you any benefits. Instead, you have to frequently perform various dangerous tasks, and you might even have to pay for it yourself.
If it is from the perspective of profit, no one would be willing to become a harpist.
So when the beautiful bubble of ideals is burst, everyone inevitably develops a fear of the collapse of faith.
Elminster was clearly aware of the mental state of the Harpers around him, and sighed helplessly: "Ah - Thors, let's make a deal. What should I do so that you can withdraw all the spies planted in the Harper Alliance?"
"If I'm not mistaken, you should be actively planning to repel the army of Fu Zuoer Chamberlain before I send out my troops, so that I have no legitimate excuse to annex this area, right?" Zuo Si asked, staring into the other person's eyes.
He knew very well that the old man in front of him was too smart to adopt a strategy of direct confrontation, but would instead find ways to deprive him of the legitimacy of his expansion.
As long as this is achieved, the other party will be considered the winner in this political game.
In particular, defeating the seemingly powerful army of Zhentil Keep is actually not as difficult as outsiders imagine.
Because in this magical land of Faerun, good and evil, order and chaos always maintain a dynamic balance.
This means that there are as many forces of good as there are forces of evil.
For example, there is a small village standing in a remote mountain area that has never been invaded by monsters and beasts. Maybe there is a kind metal dragon nearby that is silently guarding it in secret.
Any evil forces that want to get their hands on it must first find a way to kill this metal dragon.
In some small towns, there might be a retired adventurer with a professional level of LV13 or above living there.
On weekdays, they live and work like ordinary people, and there is nothing strange about them.
But once the town is invaded by outsiders, the invaders will soon find that they have provoked the wrong people.
Even the most ordinary warrior, when the profession level exceeds LV13, can single-handedly slaughter an entire tribe of gnolls or orcs, not to mention those professions with spellcasting abilities.
Therefore, it can be predicted that after occupying so many towns and villages, Fuzor Chamberlain must have secretly gathered a large number of enemies, among which there may be several metal dragons of the good camp alone.
What is lacking now is probably someone with enough prestige to bring them together.
Elminster, the founder of the Harper League and a man with countless allies, happens to be such a perfect candidate.
As long as he stood up and raised his arm, he could immediately gather enough people and drive Fuzol Chamberlain into the sea without even waiting for Baldur's Gate to send troops.
"You want me to stop this action in exchange?" Elminster narrowed his eyes and tested cautiously.
He was not at all surprised that Zuo Si could sense his intentions. He just felt heartbroken that such a good plan had ultimately gone to waste.
Zuo Si smiled and nodded. "Yes, you guessed it right. As long as you and the Harper Alliance don't do anything tricky in this incident, I will withdraw all the spies planted in the Harper after I complete the integration of this area."
"How do we know you'll keep your promise afterward?"
Another woman wearing the Harpist Master pin looked up and questioned.
"We can sign a contract as a guarantee. I believe you have all heard of the devil's contract?"
Zuo Si raised his hand and snapped his fingers, instantly creating out of thin air a parchment scroll that smelled of sulfur and was covered in tiny handwriting.
But before the human woman could reach out her hand to take the scroll, Elminster stepped forward and interrupted, "No need to sign the contract. I believe you will fulfill your promise."
"So you agree?"
Zuo Si smiled like a winner.
Because no matter what choice the other party makes, he will definitely win this game.
If the original plan had been carried out, the idealism that had sustained the Harpers would have slowly faded, and they would have eventually evolved into an organization filled with internal chaos and a constant struggle for power.
If he chose to give up, Zuo Si would be able to get rid of the interference of the Harpist Alliance and advance his plan in an orderly manner.
"Ah! I agree. I can't believe you would force me to make a choice in this way."
Elminster took out his pipe, stuffed a large amount of tobacco into it, then lit it and took a deep puff, trying to use this method to calm the violent fluctuations in his heart.
Zuo Si shrugged and replied, "Because I know you too well.
As an idealist and perfectionist, when ideals conflict with reality, you will always choose to save the former.
Because in your cognition and values, ideals, beliefs and the like are far more important than life.
I am the exact opposite of you.
I believe that reality is more important than ideals. Things in the future are too far away and not worth spending too much time and energy on. The most important thing is to grasp the present.
As for ideals and beliefs, although they are great and can provide people with spiritual guidance, they are far less important to most ordinary people than the bread and sausages on the plate. "
"So you despise ideals?"
Elminster frowned subconsciously.
Zuo Si shook his head gently and corrected him, "No, I respect ideals, but I don't want them to drift too high or too far and become an unrealistic fantasy.
In addition, in my opinion, most idealists have flaws in character and thinking, and these flaws are very huge.
And this defect itself is the most fatal weakness.
Only a very small number of mature idealists who understand the importance of reality are qualified to change the world.
The choice you made just now, and the reactions of senior members of the Harper Alliance, just prove that you are immature and even a little naive.
The reason why you were able to achieve successive victories against organizations such as the Zhentarim and the Cult of the Dragon in the past was mainly because the enemies you faced were too low-level.
But from now on, I guarantee that you will constantly be forced to choose between ideals and reality.
I do not intend to destroy your bodies, because that would be too easy and too boring.
Of course, the premise is that you don't seek death.
What I want to destroy is the spirit, ideals and beliefs, and make every harpist believe from the bottom of their hearts that what they did before was wrong.
You represent neither kindness nor justice. As for the so-called theory of maintaining balance through interference, it is ridiculous to the extreme.
Perhaps the Harpers had good intentions, but the cruelest thing in this world is that many self-righteous good intentions will eventually turn into a disaster.
The Dawn Blight, brought about by the Morninglord Lathander, is a vivid example of this."
There is no doubt that these words deeply hurt every Harper ally present, even Elminster's most sensitive nerve.
Many people showed angry or horrified expressions.
Because for idealists, death is not scary. What is scary is that their ideals and everything they believe in are destroyed by reality...
(End of this chapter)
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