Staying in a relatively closed space for several hours with a group of animals that emit strange odors and occasionally urinate and defecate everywhere is definitely not a comfortable experience.
What's more, the other members of the team must always keep an eye on Aberdale, who may go crazy, lose control, and transform into a killer to slaughter all the people and animals in the car.
The only thing that made them feel that the ticket price was worth it was that they could hardly feel any strong bumps when sitting in this huge carriage.
And at noon, the driver also provided each human passenger with a piece of hard bread for free as lunch.
If it were in the past when they had money, even Jaheira, the druid who was the least picky about food, would never chew on something like this with a lot of bran and a little bit of dried seaweed sprinkled with salt on the surface.
But the problem is that the team currently has only a dozen gold coins, and a portion must be deducted to pay the city entry tax, as well as some left for hotel expenses in case they cannot see Zuo Si in person.
In addition, after experiencing the fierce battle in the Tower of Durlag, the armor and weapons of everyone also need to be repaired, maintained and repaired.
All of this requires money.
Therefore, as the person in charge of accounting for the team, Imon would rather spend every penny in half.
So no one dared to complain about the free bread provided in the carriage, and everyone lowered their heads and nibbled on the small piece that belonged to them.
Minsk even broke off a piece of his own bread and gave it to his animal companion, the hamster Bubu.
In contrast, the farmers and farm women who came prepared had much more to eat.
They ate free bread as their staple food, and then took out small pieces of cured meat, sausage, cheese, fruits, vegetables and homemade wine from their own pockets to eat.
The driver opened a small metal can and took out a bowl of still warm clam and bean soup.
Judging from the rich taste, it is likely that a little spice such as pepper and ginger has been added.
It can be said that except for the Aberdare group who were teleported to the countryside out of thin air, the food for everyone else in the car was pretty good.
Thanks to Athkatla's increasingly prosperous, developed handicrafts and trade, the farmers living in the surrounding villages can clearly feel that their lives are getting better and better.
Some farmers have even become acutely aware of the huge demand for meat, eggs, milk, wine and the like in big cities, so they no longer simply sell grain, but instead switch to more profitable, higher value-added breeding.
Their monthly income is already tens of blocks higher than that of farmers in relatively backward areas in the north.
This can be seen from the clothes people wear, the shoes they wear, and the food they eat during their journey.
Generally speaking, farmers in poor and backward areas may only wear one or two sets of worn-out linen clothes all year round.
When eating, let alone adding spices, meat, eggs and milk, people didn't even dare to sprinkle too much salt on bread or flatbread.
But what about these farmers in front of us?
Not only could they afford meat, eggs and milk, but they could even add a little bit of spices to certain dishes that were previously only available to the rich.
As for the clothes on their bodies, they were generally clean and had no, except for the strong smell patches caused by the large number of livestock in the carriage.
Unfortunately, this change was not noticed by anyone in the team.
Because guys like Aberdare and Minsk, who act faster than they think, naturally won't pay attention to such changes in people's livelihood.
Ai Meng was wondering whether the little money he had on hand would last until he could meet Zuo Si.
Sancho's mind was full of thoughts about being imprisoned in the Tower of Durrag, trying to figure out what Erinikas wanted to do and who the dark elf Viconia was who finally let him out.
Only Jaheira, the harpist, had such sensitivity, but she was completely immersed in the grief of the death of her husband Khalid.
In this way, the magic carriage finally drove through the long country dirt road and stepped onto the "highway" that had been recently built near Askatla, listening to the noise of livestock and poultry in the car in silence.
This is a dedicated three-lane road connecting nearby villages and small towns. It is twelve meters wide and made entirely of asphalt.
Even measured by modern society's standards, there is no problem.
As for the asphalt, it all comes from a natural asphalt lake in the Cherimba Swamp at the source of the Shewei River.
Since it is a typical no-man's land, all you need to do is send airships to transport and process it continuously.
Almost all roads under construction now use this kind of asphalt road, which is basically the same as that in modern society.
On the one hand, the cost of natural asphalt mining and transportation is very low. On the other hand, it is easy to build and does not require waiting for several hours to dry and harden like cement, which can save a lot of time.
You know, in Faerun, there are a lot of wild animals after leaving the town.
Therefore, in the hours of waiting for the cement to dry, it is entirely possible that it will be trampled into potholes by a group of animals running out of the woods and bushes.
Looking at the wide and smooth asphalt road outside the window, as well as the extremely busy horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts coming and going, the curious Imon couldn't help but stick his head out of the window, staring with wide eyes and asking without turning his head: "Hey! Sancho, has the transportation in Am always been so developed? My God, this is simply unbelievable! It must cost a lot of money to build a road that is so long, so wide, and so hard and smooth.
Look, there is a big house on the side of the road ahead, where passers-by can eat, rest, and feed livestock. "
Imoen exclaimed as he pointed at a public rest stop not far away.
Compared with Amn today, Baldur's Gate, which was once a representative of a prosperous big city in her eyes, is like a backward rural place.
Especially the horse-drawn carriages that came and went in a hurry, almost one after another.
The flow of people was so great that it was beyond the girl's imagination.
The prosperity that was visible to the naked eye and transcended the times made her feel as if she was in a dream.
To be precise, the entire Sword Coast, including Waterdeep, would not have enough money to carry out such luxurious large-scale infrastructure construction.
Sancho glanced at the scenery outside the window, smiled bitterly and shook his head: "No, I think these changes should come from the time we were arrested and detained.
At least when I left Askatla, I hadn't seen this kind of black hard roads and public facilities.
If nothing unexpected happens, this should be related to a series of policies after the establishment of the West Coast Empire.
After all, the teacher has said more than once that the things he hates most are ignorance, dirtiness, backwardness and poverty. "
“Are you sure?
The total time we were arrested was only a few months.
How could so much work be accomplished in just a few months?
If this is true, then everything is too incredible.
You know, in Baldur's Gate or other northern cities, it would take at least a few years to build such a long, high-quality highway."
Imoen's tone was full of doubt.
In fact, this cannot be blamed on her, because without the large-scale use of magic, the speed of infrastructure construction in the continent of Faerun is so slow.
Coupled with the lack of a mature and efficient bureaucratic system caused by the feudal aristocracy system, any infrastructure construction involving a slightly larger scale usually has construction time calculated in years.
After suffering devastating damage from various disasters, many cities generally cannot recover for more than ten to twenty years.
Some of them could not be repaired and simply turned into ruins.
But this time, before Sancho could answer, the driver boasted proudly, "Little girl, what you are talking about is somewhere else.
Our West Coast Empire is different! Under the rule of the great Emperor Soth, everyone from the cabinet to the grassroots bureaucrats has always been keen on pursuing efficiency.
Whether it's the priests serving the gods in the temple or the high-ranking wizards, when the empire needs them, they must put aside other things at hand and serve a certain project.
Do you see this carriage under our buttocks that is used to transport farmers, livestock and food? It was made by those mages.
What might take years to accomplish elsewhere, we can do in a few weeks or even a month or two.
You will understand this once you enter Athkatla."
Another young farmer nearby immediately smiled and nodded in agreement, “That’s right.
Once you enter Athkatla, you will redefine the words city and prosperity.
Because it is ten or even dozens of times larger than any city you have ever seen before.
And if you haven't been there for two or three weeks, you'll probably get lost, let alone several months."
There is no doubt that the team members were deeply impressed by the proud and proud tone of the driver and the farmer.
Because they feel that in an emerging country like the West Coast Empire that was forcibly integrated, most of the people would identify more with their previous identities, such as the Amnians, Calimshans, Tethyrs, and so on.
But the actual situation is exactly the opposite of what we imagined.
Compared with their previous identity, civilians seem to be more willing to accept the new identity of "imperial subjects".
With strong doubts and puzzlement, the carriage moved quickly along the asphalt road and successfully stopped at a station a few hundred meters away from the city circle near dusk.
The farmers drove their livestock skillfully towards a nearby agricultural product market that was specially designated for trading.
After negotiating prices with purchasing staff from restaurants, hotels, taverns and butchers and completing transactions, livestock and poultry will be killed and cleaned by professional butchers, and then transported into the city in raw meat for citizens to enjoy.
Grains, vegetables, dairy products and the like are sold to agencies run by the municipal government, which then wholesale them to the next level of retailers.
The main purpose of doing this is to prevent someone from tampering with food, suddenly hoarding goods and forcibly raising food prices, earning the difference by buying low and selling high, and thus causing drastic fluctuations in food prices in a short period of time.
In short, after Athkatla expanded outward for several rounds in a row, all members of the entire team were stunned. They could not believe that there was such a huge city of such a large scale in the world.
The part of the Gold Coin City that was originally enclosed by the city walls currently accounts for less than one-tenth of the city's overall size.
The roads that continue to expand outward from this center are already densely packed with various buildings of four floors or more.
Some of them are used as commercial shops, but more are centralized residential buildings.
In addition to the asphalt road in the middle for vehicles and horses to pass, there are brick and stone pedestrian streets on both sides specially prepared for pedestrians, as well as street lights and green belts equipped with perpetual flame torches.
There is no doubt that this port city chosen as the capital of the West Coast Empire is already very close to the standards of modern cities on Earth.
Those roads and buildings, which were obviously planned in detail and looked very symmetrical and neat, fully demonstrated Zuo Si's obsessive-compulsive disorder and perfectionist tendencies.
If viewed from the air, even the squares, high-rise buildings and green belts appear to be in perfect symmetry.
All buildings that are asymmetrical or out of tune with the surrounding area will be labeled for demolition by the municipal reconstruction department without exception, and even temples are not spared.
Although many churches in the temple area strongly protested against this.
But after seeing the renovation design drawings provided by the government and the magnificent, huge and spectacular paintings of the new temple after reconstruction, they all said that it was not impossible to negotiate.
As for the historical and cultural relics value that needs to be considered in the process of modern urban transformation, Zuo Si, who is from the lawful evil camp, doesn't care so much.
What he wants is to leave a deep mark of his own in this world.
It would be best if all the history left by previous countries and city-states disappeared from the empire.
Not to mention cities like Askatla, which originally lacked history, even the Port of Calin in the south, which has thousands of years of history, was not spared, and many ancient buildings were demolished.
It can even be said that the prosperity of Askatra and the entire Amn is the most direct manifestation of the terrifying execution power of the centralized empire.
As long as the emperor, the supreme ruler, gives an order, nothing is impossible.
Looking at the strange city standing in front of him, which was completely different from the previous one, Sancho felt dumbfounded and complained in a very low voice: "I have to admit that you are really a complete lunatic, dear teacher.
A city like Athkatla was demolished and rebuilt in a matter of months...
You are the only one in the entire continent of Faerun who can do this."
Jaheira, who was standing nearby, had obviously heard the boy's muttering and sighed slightly, "It's more than crazy!
It also requires unparalleled talent, dominance, and enormous wealth.
Although from the druid's perspective, all cities are ugly scars left on Mother Nature's body.
But I think this scar is obviously bigger and more magnificent.
Let's go, let's get into the city before it gets dark.
The situation in Aberdare in particular must be addressed immediately.
Otherwise, if he suddenly turns into a killer again, each of us will be in danger."
"I agree! Last time he transformed during a break, he nearly broke my neck."
As he said this, an expression of lingering fear emerged on Aimon's face, and he touched the huge purple handprint on his fair neck.
If she had not awakened the power of the Son of Bhaal earlier than the original plot, she might have been strangled to death.
Seeing the reaction of his childhood playmate, Aberdare quickly explained with a wry smile: "I'm so sorry, I don't know what happened to me.
Ever since that damn wizard completed a certain magical ritual, I haven't felt right with my physical and mental state.
Maybe he stole something from me that was unnoticeable.
Anyway, I can’t use those awakened magics now.”
"Don't worry, I'm not blaming you, I just don't want you to become a monster. But Soth will definitely have a solution, after all, he is now the great emperor of the West Coast Empire."
In order to ease the awkward atmosphere between them, Aimon made a playful joke.
"Emperor of the Empire..."
Jaheira repeated the name in a voice that only he could hear, his eyes revealing a very complicated emotion.
As the first person to know Zuo Si, she would never forget what happened to him on the night he became the chosen one of the goddess of poison and disease, Talona.
We will never forget that Zuo Si at that time showed a frightening factional tendency.
So many years had passed, and as the other party's fame grew, his social status became higher, and his power became more terrifying, Jaheira felt that he might never have any contact with him in this life.
But who could have imagined that with the death of his old friend Gorion, everything would take a sharp turn for the worse.
I thought the situation would calm down after ending Sarevok's ambitions.
But not long after, Khalid and Danahei also died.
The Son of Bhaal seems to be a terrible curse, and any mortal who is involved in it is doomed to die a miserable death.
The most important thing is that Jaheira always has a feeling that Zuo Si seems to know a lot of secrets, and maybe he is one of the masterminds behind the whole incident.
She wanted to use this meeting to clarify all the doubts that had been accumulating in her mind.
In this way, the adventure team quickly passed the guards' inspection and entered the city with intricate roads.
Although at the beginning, Sancho wanted to go straight to Zuo Si's wizard tower.
But after wandering around the streets and alleys for two rounds, he suddenly found, to his disbelief, that he was actually lost...
After all, after the boy was brought to Askatla, he lived in the Mage Tower most of the time and seldom went out. He could only roughly remember a few landmark buildings around the Mage Tower.
As a result, the entire city is now undergoing expansion and renovation, and the landmark buildings have long been completely unrecognizable.
Moreover, with the abolition of the "Magic Ban", many arcane spellcasters, including masked wizards, built wizard towers of similar height in the city.
In addition, the sky had completely darkened, so Sancho didn't even know where he was.
Since the Mage Tower is blessed with many protective spells, it is definitely impossible to locate or track someone using prophecy magic.
There is no response at all when using [Communication]. It is probably because of some interference or the target is not within the range of the spell.
As for asking passers-by, they didn't know either.
After all, urban expansion brings with it a large number of new immigrants.
At best, they are aware of the conditions around where they live and work.
In the end, the group could only find a cheap hotel to stay in and plan to figure out a solution the next morning.
But the price was the already empty wallet, which was completely depleted after two guest rooms and a fairly sumptuous meal.
Listening to the sound of the last few coins colliding in his pocket, Imon took a vicious bite of the cheapest roast chicken in the store and said without looking up, "Guys! I must remind you of one thing, that is, if we can't see Soth as soon as possible, or find a job to make money, we will be sleeping on the streets and become beggars in a few days."
"Don't worry, I will definitely find the location of the Mage Tower after daybreak."
Sancho gave a solemn promise.
But the problem was that after being lost for more than two hours, several other members of the team no longer believed him.
Minsk, who was honest by nature, rolled his eyes in annoyance, touched the hamster on his shoulder that was chewing peanuts and said, "You just took us walking on the street for such a long time, Bubu has lost confidence in you. I think it's better for us to find a job as soon as possible."
Aberdell nodded in agreement, "I agree! Athkatra is so prosperous, there must be many places that need adventurers. With our skills, it shouldn't be a problem to earn a few hundred gold coins first."
But Jaheira couldn't help but remind him, "Don't forget your own situation.
This is not a matter of making money or sleeping on the streets, it's that your mental state is seriously unstable.
According to the laws of Amn, you would surely be sentenced to death after killing so many people.
So we need to find Sos first and ask him to help solve this hidden danger."
"So what do you think we should do?"
Aberdare wiped the grease from his mouth and sighed helplessly.
As a victim, how could he not know how dangerous his condition was.
Especially after falling asleep at night, I often have some strange, eerie and terrifying dreams.
Sometimes he would meet Sarevok, whom he killed with his own hands, in his dreams; sometimes he would dream of his adoptive father Gorion; and sometimes he would dream of his father, Baal, the god of murder.
Whenever these people, whether familiar or unfamiliar, appeared, Aberdare could not suppress the urge to kill in his heart, and instantly turned into a killer, rushing forward and tearing the other party into pieces.
And when you suddenly wake up, you will sometimes see that half of your body has taken on the appearance of a killer.
In this state, he even developed sleep anxiety, and would often take a short nap only when he was too sleepy to open his eyes. He could only get proper relief by killing enemies and monsters.
This is also the reason why he is eager to find something to do.
"We can ask the guards. Even if they don't know, we can ask about the locations of the city hall and the court, and then ask the officials and judges..."
Before Jaheira could finish his words, there was a commotion outside the inn.
Before the adventure team could react to what was happening, they saw the guests who had been eating and drinking a second ago suddenly rush out and follow the crowd on the street towards a huge circular building not far away.
Driven by curiosity, Ai Meng couldn't help but ask the boss who was lying on the bar: "What are they going to do?"
"Is this your first time in Askatla in the last few months?"
The dwarf boss grinned with a slightly excited smile.
"Yes, we are indeed here for the first time in recent months."
Imoen answered in the affirmative without hesitation.
Because she was eager to find out the situation, she stood up and sat at the empty bar to face the other party.
The dwarf boss wiped the table and explained calmly: "See that circular building? It's called the Colosseum. There are three of them in this city.
Every once in a while, people would fight and duel inside.
Some of them are between people, and some are between people and monsters.
The winner not only gets a huge prize, but also gains great fame and is favored by wealthy people.
The last gladiatorial champion became the lover of the charming Mrs. Lesven, and it is said that he maintained a lover relationship with her for quite a long time.
The guys outside are so active just to watch the game tonight.
If I didn't have to visit the store, I would buy a ticket.
What's more, during the game, you can also bet on your favorite players, which is the most exciting and fascinating entertainment in Askatra.
It is said that the rules of this competition came from Ximen, and many wealthy and powerful people along the coast of Falling Star Sea like to watch it."
"You mean... slave fighting?"
Jaheira, the harpist, frowned subconsciously.
The dwarf boss immediately shook his head and corrected: "No, they are not slaves, all the gladiators participated voluntarily.
They have their own dedicated agent.
Some of the most famous ones can even get paid thousands of gold coins for a fight, allowing you to enjoy a life of debauchery.
Although some churches of good gods and druid sects want to boycott this bloody and cruel competition, there are obviously more gods willing to support it.
Including the god of war Tempus, the goddess of beasts Mara, the god of tyranny Bane, the goddess of wealth Waukin, the god of storms Talos and so on.
Occasionally, you can see exciting magic duels between mages and warlocks.
Believe me, any competitor who steps into a big arena to compete knows exactly what they are getting into.
It is said that some people have even seen Tempus personally descending on the VIP seats to admire the brave fighting performances of the participants.
So strictly speaking, this is an event similar to a celebration.
It's just a little bit bloody and cruel.
In addition, if you perform well enough, even if you are defeated and killed, the priests of the Church of the God of War will resurrect you afterwards."
"It sounds like a good place."
Aberdare's eyes sparkled slightly, and he subconsciously licked his lips with his tongue, with a belligerent and bloodthirsty light flashing in his pupils.
Minsk, a warrior from Sleiman, also nodded and agreed, “You are right.
There is nothing shameful in a fair fight where one's life is staked.
If given the chance, the great Minsk and Bubu will sign up and prove themselves in battle."
Hearing the words of the two reckless men in the team, Jahira immediately covered his face and felt exhausted.
Although she is also a warrior, she does not agree with the war god Tempus's ideas. She always thinks that those guys who pursue the honor of battle are simply mentally ill.
Just as a few people were discussing with the dwarf boss how exciting the game would be, Sancho suddenly stood up from the stool: "Damn! I almost forgot! Atona will definitely not be able to resist participating in something like this!
As long as we can find her, we can go directly to the mentor's wizard tower."
"You mean we should try our luck? Then what are you waiting for? Go buy your tickets."
Aberdare was obviously in high spirits. He raised his head, drank the wine in the glass in one breath, and slowly stood up.
Looking at his terrifying height of more than 2.1 meters and the strong muscles formed by long-term exercise, the dwarf boss took a breath and couldn't help but exclaimed: "Oh my God! You are so tall! Maybe you don't need to buy a ticket, but sign up for tonight's game.
I'm sure the organizers would be very happy to see a fighter as tall as you appear in the arena.
"Oh? Really?"
When Edmon's eyes lit up when he heard that it didn't cost any money.
"Of course it's true. If you don't believe me, you can go and try it. But remember, this kind of competition has a high casualty rate, so if you don't have confidence in your skills, it's better to give up as soon as possible.
After saying this, the dwarf boss stopped paying attention to the few people and started to clean up the leftovers on the table with his employees.
After a brief discussion, the team members finally decided to go into the arena to find out what was going on, with the minority following the majority.
With Aberdare's fame in the Sword Coast and his identity as the Son of Bhaal, he easily gained the approval of the organizers.
The other party even promised to provide a good appearance order during the period.
As long as you keep winning, you can get a bounty of 8,000 gold coins.
As for the other people in the team, not only can they get free tickets, they can even sit in the front row of the relatives' seats.
Just like that, Aberdare took off his cheap mail armor, followed the staff to the backstage with his upper body naked.
The others entered the arena through another passage.
As soon as they came out of the dark tunnel, they heard thunderous cheers.
In the center of the huge competition venue, a man wearing only simple armor, revealing large areas of strong muscles, was jumping high with the help of the wall, waving the dagger in his hand with a posture full of power and beauty, and directly stabbing it into the left rib of a troll, using the acceleration of gravity to tear a wound deep enough to see the bone.
Poof! Dazzling blood splashed everywhere! The injured troll was obviously enraged, and let out a terrifying roar, turning around to grab the man's ankle.
It goes without saying that once the latter is caught, there is a high probability that he will be torn to pieces and eaten alive by the trolls.
After all, in this big arena, many contestants were eaten by monsters.
But at this critical moment, the warrior relied on the powerful waist and shoulder strength to make a 360-degree rotation out of thin air without any external force.
Not only did he not let the troll grab his ankle, but he also chopped off several of the enemy's fingers with his backhand.
“Ah…
The intense pain made the troll scream heart-wrenchingly, and also made the audience in the stands scream with excitement, completely igniting their inner desire for violence and blood.
At this moment, Zuo Si, the instigator, was standing in the corner of the VIP seats, admiring the bloody match he had created with great interest. He smiled and asked without turning his head, "How is it, are you two satisfied with this match?"
"Of course I am satisfied! I couldn't be more satisfied!
This is simply the testing ground that all warriors dream of, the perfect stage for them to pursue their own glory, power and fame.
If possible, I would like my church to host these competitions.”
The God of War Tempus spoke with undisguised joy in his tone.
How could he not like something like this that could spread his ideas to all mortals?
In particular, the bravery, strength and indomitable spirit displayed by the warriors when they collided and fought with each other made every pore of the god extremely excited.
But the goddess of wealth, Wakin, couldn't help but interrupt, "No, great god of war, I think it's better to let my church take charge of this matter.
This is because only by continuously making profits and offering higher bounties can this kind of competition attract more and stronger fighters to participate.
By the same token, only if the participating fighters are strong enough will the audience not get bored of it.
So it would be better if my church took over.”
Obviously, although the God of War and the Goddess of Wealth are both beneficiaries of the gladiatorial games, their focus and interests are completely different.
Tempus values the spread of fighting spirit mortal amongs, while Waukeen values the huge economic benefits brought by ticket sales, advertising and betting.
Especially with the official endorsement of the West Coast Empire, this kind of competition is bound to become popular in the western part of the Faerun continent and even have a certain impact on the surrounding neighboring countries.
It doesn't take much, as long as the audience prays to the two gods while watching the game, they can both gain tremendous power of faith from it.
“As for who will take over the competition, I think professionals should do professional things.
The Church of the Goddess of Wealth can take over the daily operations, while the Church of the God of War can be responsible for selecting contestants, providing them with more professional training, etc.
In short, I hope that you two can put aside unnecessary prejudices and work together.
After all, you now have common interests.
And they are destined to be members of a powerful divine force, and there is no obvious conflict in doctrine, right?"
Zuo Si offered his suggestions to the two incarnations of gods with a smile on his face.
There is no doubt that he hopes to form an alliance between Tempus and Woking in this way, and then build an interest group composed of powerful and medium-level divine powers around him.
The Goddess of Wealth, in particular, has tasted unprecedented benefits from this cooperation.
Not to mention the cooperation in the ninth layer of hell, just the influence brought by the expansion of the trade alliance allowed her to stabilize at the level of medium divine power and steadily advance towards powerful divine power.
Nowadays, the activities of the Church of the Goddess of Wealth can be seen everywhere on the entire west coast, including the north, and almost half of the Falling Star Sea.
Because with the rapid development of commerce, trade, manufacturing and agriculture, it is an inevitable and normal phenomenon that people's desire for wealth and material things has greatly increased.
This means that Waukeen's influence will continue to increase as the economic prospers.
All gods understood that it was almost certain that she would become a powerful deity.
In addition, after its camp changed from absolute neutrality to lawful evil, the number of believers has also increased exponentially, and it seems like it is about to take off.
Tempus glanced at the goddess of wealth beside him, stroked his chin and pondered for a moment, then nodded slightly: "What you said makes sense. Then let our churches each be responsible for a part of it."
Zuo Si put one hand on his chest and bowed slightly: "Thank you very much for your understanding. As I have repeatedly emphasized before, under the current situation, as long as we continue to deepen cooperation, I guarantee that all gods who are willing to join this alliance will get what they want."
"What if some gods don't intend to cooperate with you?" Tempus asked with a smile.
Zuo Si replied meaningfully: "I think the fate of the Prince of Lies and the extinction of the Oak Father's faith in the empire are enough to prove my attitude."
Upon hearing this, Tempus immediately couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Hahahaha! What a great answer! It also suits my taste very well!
There is no doubt that there is a certain warlike and combative blood flowing in your veins.
If you hadn't chosen the path of magic, I think you would have become the most feared warrior.
But I don't quite understand why you are so hostile to the Oakfather? As far as I know, he and his druid sect have never provoked you, right?"
“No, it has nothing to do with provoking, I just simply hate his theory of natural balance.
In my opinion, the so-called protection of nature and animals is nothing but some kind of cheap self-satisfaction.
It's just as disgusting as those who like cats and dogs and claim that they are man's best friends, but expect these so-called friends to obey them 100% and give them the emotional feedback they need at any time.
Isn't the principle of getting along between friends mutual respect?
But the question is, does anyone really respect a cat or dog? Not to mention breeding and selecting cats and dogs for extremely selfish reasons, just to get the appearance and personality they expect and like.
I have always believed that nature does not need to be protected, especially animals.
In this world, species go extinct every once in a while, but new species are also born.
Even if the existing food chain is destroyed, a new food chain will soon be born through dynamic adjustments.
Given enough time, climate change can turn a desert into a rainforest, and a rainforest into a desert.
So many times, protecting nature and animals is just a way for intelligent creatures to protect themselves if they are afraid that their living environment will be destroyed.
What is even more ridiculous is that those extreme Druid sects clearly claim that survival of the fittest is the law of nature, but they contradict themselves by interfering with this law and protecting those so-called endangered rare species.
If they really follow the law of survival of the fittest, then they should just sit there and watch all the animals and plants that cannot adapt to the new environment die.
Most importantly, there is a huge contradiction between the ideas of the Oak Father and the rise of civilization itself.
This opposition is irreconcilable, so he is destined to be my enemy."
Zuo Si stated his views directly without any concealment.
Because this kind of opposition is not only about interests, but also a fundamental conflict of ideas. There is no need to cover it up, and there is no way to cover it up.
"So your plan is to attack those gods whose philosophies conflict with yours, and win over gods like me who can find common interests? I have to say, you are definitely the most rational lunatic I have ever seen.
Being rational means that you always know who your enemy is; being crazy means that you dare to declare war directly on a powerful divine power.
But as the Lord of War, there is no reason for me not to support you, an envoy who brings war and killing wherever you go."
After saying that, Tempus raised the glass in his hand to signal, then tilted his head back and drank it all.
There is no doubt that this is a very obvious statement, indicating that Zuo Si has gained another powerful divine ally.
The goddess of wealth, Woking, was radiant and smoothed her long golden hair.
Just as she was about to stand up and say something, the commentator outside began to shout excitedly through the magic loudspeaker.
“Ladies!
Gentlemen! Guests from afar!
Now please welcome new challengers! Heroes from Candlekeep and Baldur's Gate, spawn of Bhaal!
His name is Aberdare Adris!
Now cheer as loud as you can! The spawn of the God of Murder is about to give us the most exciting, bloody, and violent show of the night!"
moment!
In the entire VIP room, whether it was Zuo Si, Woking, or Tempus who was tasting fine wine, all cast their eyes towards the large arena below.
In the blink of an eye, Aberdare, shirtless and without any protective gear, walked out of the dark passage holding a two-handed sword.
His opponent is the champion of the previous competition, a war troll from Dragonspear Castle, with a total occupation level of LV15.
With the current level of Aberdare's fighters, it is almost impossible to defeat such an opponent just looking at the data on paper.
(End of this chapter)
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