As the law enforcement agency with the greatest influence and the widest coverage in the entire Amn region, it is generally regarded by the people as the most honest and fair.
Although the number of the Knights of the Burning Heart is small, with less than 150 official members and the rest are basically apprentice knights or squires, they have extremely high execution and efficiency.
As long as they find something that may pose a huge threat to the people, they can gather a dozen holy knights and thirty trainee members in a short period of time, and then cooperate with a small number of priests to launch an expedition against it.
In order to fulfill their oath to protect the weak and destroy evil, many paladins spend 90% of their time throughout the year in highly stressful work and fighting, and often do not have the chance to go home to visit their children, wives or husbands for several months at a time.
Compared with the terrifying work intensity and the attendant dangers of modern society, the 996 and 007 work shifts are simply nothing.
After all, modern people can at least return to their homes after getting off work, have a hot meal, and then have a comfortable sleep on a soft bed.
However, these holy warriors often camp in forests where wild beasts and monsters frequently appear. Those with less luck may even have to take a short rest in ruins and ancient dungeons, risking the possibility of sudden death at any time.
It is precisely because of these people's selfless dedication and efforts that Athkatla and its surrounding areas have been able to successfully survive major crises time and time again and continue to this day in this world full of terrible monsters and supernatural forces.
This can be seen from the stone tablets in the Knights' Hall that are engraved with the names of heroes and victims.
From the moment they took the oath of joining, many paladins were mentally prepared that their names might be engraved on the stone tablet at any time.
In fact, to date, not a single official member of the Order has lived to retire and died of natural causes.
Basically, they either died heroically in battle or their faith was shaken during the long-term mission, eventually leading to their evil and degeneration.
When Zuo Si first arrived in Askatla, he immediately gained a comprehensive understanding of the Knights of the Burning Heart.
Therefore, after he came to power, instead of suppressing or weakening the power of this group of paladins, he increased funding and entrusted them with important tasks, giving them the authority to review and arrest the bureaucracy.
Even in many cases, the Knights often stand on the opposite side of politics and sing the opposite tune.
Because the Knights of the Burning Heart are an important force in maintaining order, easing social conflicts, improving the overall moral level and even curbing corruption.
The most important thing is that they practice what they preach and will never engage in any collision or political conspiracy in private.
Although Zuo Si had some differences with these holy warriors in terms of values and faction inclinations, the two sides were still able to maintain a close cooperative relationship in the general direction.
In particular, the authority to investigate and arrest officials was apparently simply impossible to obtain during the rule of the six-member council.
Because during the rule of the Council of Six, Amn took a typical route of combining politics and business, and once developed in the direction of capitalization.
Anyone who understands something about the combination of politics and business and capitalization knows that money-for-power transactions and corruption are bound to exist and must exist in this system.
After all, both business and capital need to gain political influence to ensure the safety of their persons and property and to safeguard further monopoly expansion.
If power cannot be bought with money, then capital will not be able to gain a sense of security and may even be targeted by the bureaucratic system that holds power and eventually become a fat pig to be slaughtered.
Therefore, when the Council of Six was in power, the Knights of the Burning Heart had no power to enforce the law when it came to nobles and wealthy businessmen, but had to report to the court or even the parliament for handling.
Not to mention the nobles, they don't even have any good way to deal with the open criminal organization Shadow Thieves.
But now, the Knights of the Burning Heart not only have the power to investigate and arrest officials, but can also arrest and try those criminal shadow thieves without mercy.
This is undoubtedly a huge step forward in judicial justice.
It not only greatly improved the social security environment, but also made it impossible for the rich and powerful to escape legal sanctions after committing crimes.
Moreover, with the promulgation of the Religious Management Law, the situation in which the originally hostile churches in the city fought each other endlessly, often leading to bloody conflicts and assassinations, was greatly curbed.
Under the deterrence of this set of laws, those evil god believers and priests who like to stir up trouble no longer dare to easily carry out assassinations or incite riots, otherwise they may be expelled or even encircled and suppressed by the army.
No god would be willing to give up this excellent missionary location that is increasingly poised to become the largest city in Faerun and may attract hundreds of thousands or even millions of people in the future.
Therefore, even though they knew that Emperor Zuo Si was an out-and-out tyrant, the Knights still recognized the legitimacy of his rule and felt that he was an excellent monarch and politician with a long-term vision.
Even though Grand Commander Weatherland had just been reprimanded in person, he did not become passive or slack because of it.
Just the opposite!
After learning that there was an ancient evil lich hidden in the sewers of Athkatla, he immediately gathered twelve experienced official members together with his old friend Sir Kaidong, and sent a request for help to the temple of Tyr, the god of justice.
After receiving the detailed information, the latter immediately sent out four high-level priests without further ado.
In this way, the punitive team was formed in less than an hour and a half.
Unlike the relatively loose and chaotic rule during the period of the Six-Man Council, the West Coast Empire pursues ultimate order, so even the smelly sewers that no one usually goes to have a complete map.
The original part of the old city was explored by the Guild of Masked Mages through detection magic and barriers, while the new city area was directly drawn up before construction and then built accordingly.
Therefore, the expedition team no longer had to grope their way forward in the dark sewers as before. Instead, they could go directly to the municipal department to get a backup map of the temple area, and easily found the location of the sarcophagus.
Looking at the eerie decorations and furnishings around him, as well as the spiral staircase leading deeper underground, a middle-aged paladin couldn't help but complain, "Damn it! I've lived in this city for nearly forty years, and this is the first time I know that there are so many unknown places hidden in the sewers. Where do you think those stairs lead to?"
"I don't know. Maybe after we resolve the crisis here, we can consider going down and take a look."
Sir Kaidong smiled bitterly and shook his head.
He had always thought that the number of caves, ruins, and tombs around Luskan in the north was outrageous enough.
But now it seems that the sewers in my hometown of Athkatla are no less bad.
"Don't say those useless things, detect the coffin first."
Weatherland turned and glanced at the priest behind him.
The latter understood what he meant and immediately raised the holy emblem in his hand and began to chant hymns in praise of God.
After a while, a golden light shot out from the holy emblem and shone directly on the lid of the sarcophagus.
Before anyone else could react, a thick fog emitting a black and cold aura gushed out, instantly covering everything within a dozen meters around.
The priest's face suddenly changed, and he immediately shouted, "It's the lich! He has been alarmed by the magic! Everyone prepare for battle!"
moment!
The paladins and other priests who were on guard the previous second began to cast various enhancement and protective spells the next second.
Especially the holy warriors of high enough level, all of them blessed the weapons in their hands with the famous [Holy Sword Technique].
This is a fourth-ring divine spell that only a holy warrior can master.
Although the level is not high, it can allow their weapons to instantly gain a +5 enchantment level and cause extremely high additional damage to creatures in the evil camp.
In other words, as long as the [Holy Sword Technique] is added, even an ordinary steel weapon can instantly gain the lethality of a legendary or even divine weapon.
Moreover, the weapons blessed by this spell will emit golden light, and look extremely cool.
As for those who are not at a high enough level and have not yet obtained the fourth-ring divine power position, they can only make do with the first-ring [Blessed Weapon].
Just as everyone was making intensive preparations, wrapped in the dark, cold fog, an undead whose entire body had rotted and withered until only a skeleton remained slowly pushed open the lid and crawled out of the sarcophagus.
He had obviously been sleeping for at least hundreds of years. When he saw the group of holy warriors and priests of the good camp, he immediately frowned and asked in a very ancient and awkward language: "Why do you want to disturb my sleep? Are you trying to seize the golden skeleton and release Kongos?"
But unfortunately, no one present could understand this long-lost language, not even the high-ranking priests.
On the contrary, Sancho, who was hiding under the spiral staircase and observing the situation secretly, had learned some ancient languages and understood what the lich was saying. He immediately lowered his voice and translated for his teammates behind him without turning his head.
"What on earth did this Kangus do? How could he be sealed away by two other liches?"
Imoen asked with wide eyes and a curious look on her face.
The boy shrugged and answered, “Um… I don’t really know what he did specifically, the teacher didn’t say it clearly.
According to the results of prophetic magic detection, it seems that a very ancient spellcasting organization is involved.
Maybe it's revenge, maybe it's internal strife, but no matter what, it doesn't prevent us from defeating him.
Another thing that is almost certain is that this guy is extremely evil and dangerous.”
"You are right. It doesn't matter what Kangus did. What matters is that the master wants him dead."
While saying this, a red light flashed in the succubus loli's eyes, and the tail behind her butt kept shaking slightly from side to side.
Since there were no outsiders present, she had long since removed the disguise of the transformation magic, revealing her true appearance that had been transformed by divine power, divinity, the demonic frost-forged dragon bloodline, and the power of purgatory.
Imoen quickly shook her head and corrected him, "No, no, no, you don't understand what I mean. I'm not saying that this half-lich shouldn't die. I'm just interested in the story behind it. Don't you all like interesting stories?"
"Haha, after you kill these liches and get their life boxes, you can let them tell you in person what happened that year."
After saying that, Viconia breathed into the pink-haired girl's ear mischievously.
This action of hers made Imoen shudder instantly. He rubbed his ears desperately and took two steps to the side in fear.
Perhaps due to the innate keen perception of the Son of God, Imoen always felt that there was something wrong with the way the elf priest looked at him this month, and he would often suddenly do some overly intimate actions.
Just when the four-man team was ready to launch a surprise attack at any time, the two sides who had been in a tense standoff for half a day finally started fighting because of the language barrier.
The first to take action was the lich.
Because he felt that these guys in front of him were too rude and had not responded to him for such a long time, he unceremoniously started with an eight-ring enchantment spell [Command: Shock].
I saw a huge mysterious symbol suddenly appear out of nowhere, and then it exploded with a bang.
All the holy warriors and priests present who were not high enough in level and vitality were shocked by the invisible magical force in an instant, and they fell into a state of stagnation, unable to move or think.
The only thing they could do was stand there motionless, with their pupils dilated to the extreme without exception.
"Stop him! Don't let him chant any more spells!"
Sir Kaidong roared and rushed forward, swinging his two-handed sword shining with golden light to interrupt the opponent's spell.
But the lich was obviously prepared. He instantly triggered the [Door of Anywhere] through [Accidental Spell] and was directly teleported to an unknown place on the spot.
While others were trying to locate the enemy through the sounds of chanting spells, the lich had already completed the fourth ring of [Advanced Invisibility] and simultaneously released phantom sound magic to confuse everyone's hearing.
Obviously, it is not difficult to tell from the smooth casting of the spell that he has very rich combat experience and is not the kind of academic wizard who stays in a high tower or secret base all day doing research.
Under normal circumstances, when encountering a legendary spellcaster of this level, the Paladin basically has no good solution.
But there were not only paladins present, there were also two high-level priests who were not affected by [Law: Deterrence].
One of them did not dare to hesitate at all and quickly released the eighth-ring magic [Sense Location], while the other priest completed the anti-magic force field, which was also an eighth-ring magic, at an extremely fast speed.
The former immediately locked onto the lich's location the moment the spell took effect, pointed at a dark corner not far away and shouted, "He's right there!"
“Leave it to me!”
The latter swung the mace and rushed forward with a quick step.
Due to the effect of the anti-magic force field, when he approached the lich, the opponent's [Advanced Invisibility] suddenly became ineffective. He was hit hard, and his hard skull made a cracking sound, and cracks like spider webs appeared on it.
Obviously, if the anti-magic field had not eliminated the strengthening and enhancement spells bestowed by the priest, the lich would have been half-crippled by this blow.
But it doesn't matter.
After all, he can still fight in close combat without the blessing of divine power, but if the lich cannot cast spells, he is basically useless.
Although a lich can also create considerable negative energy damage and paralysis effects through touch, any fool knows that the lich's touch radius is the length of its arm, which is much shorter than that of a person holding a weapon.
You may get hit several times before you even touch the other person.
Similarly, as the priest rushed forward, several paladins who were still able to move quickly followed and surrounded the lich from all directions.
Seeing victory in sight, the members of the expeditionary team showed their undisguised joy.
For them, being able to capture an extremely powerful lich without any casualties is definitely a rare honor in their career.
But at the last moment, the lich suddenly opened his mouth and uttered a syllable.
The next second...
Boom!!! The sarcophagus exploded without any warning, and countless broken stone slabs and sharp stones flew in all directions.
Four or five paladins and priests who were stunned and unable to dodge were almost smashed to death or disabled on the spot.
Some had their entire heads smashed open, with their brains and eyeballs mixed together and spilling all over the floor; others died from having sharp pieces of stone pierced into their eyes or their throats cut.
Especially the priest who had no protection at all in the anti-magic field. He was pierced into the calf from behind by the sharp stone pillar flying sideways, and fell to his knees on the ground, losing the ability to move.
In short, the scene looks extremely bloody and violent.
The rest of the people were also injured to varying degrees.
This sudden change not only made the members of the expedition team, who were originally confident of victory, look in disbelief, but also made Sancho, who was hiding in the dark, secretly thankful that he did not rashly go up and fight head-on.
With magical explosions and traps of this scale, he and Imoen's small bodies would have no chance of survival and would be killed instantly.
While all the enemies were stunned by the damage caused by the sudden explosion of the sarcophagus, the lich stretched out his bony hand without hesitation, grabbed the priest's neck, and released negative energy to kill him.
moment!
The anti-magic field that had contained his spellcasting disappeared.
"not good!"
Sir Kaidong, who witnessed the death of his own high-ranking priest, suddenly changed his expression. He endured the pain caused by being hit and pierced by stones, swung his sword and wanted to rush forward to interrupt the chanting of the spell.
But unfortunately it's all too late.
Just as the two-handed giant sword in his hand, which was flashing with dazzling golden light, was about to chop the opponent's bones, the lich completed the nine-ring magic [Time Stop].
In a flash, the colorful world around me turned gray.
The lich used the two dim lights in his eye sockets to survey the positions of the enemies around him, then walked calmly to one of them and began to chant a spell.
When the spell was completed, a burst of energy instantly burst out from the body, forming a ring visible to the naked eye in the air.
However, due to the effect of time stopping, the magic ring did not continue to spread outward, but only remained in the state of being just activated.
[Mordencan Great Disintegration]! The lich obviously intended to use this "Great Bankruptcy" that terrified countless people to directly eliminate the remaining strengthening and protection spells on the paladins and priests, as well as the dangerous weapons and equipment in their hands.
After completing a nine-ring spell, he apparently still had some time left, and quickly released another nine-ring spell [Rainbow Rain].
The moment this spell takes effect, time stops.
First, the energy ring formed by the great rift spread out instantly, directly stripping away all the enhancement and protective spells on the surrounding holy warriors and priests who were still able to move.
There were also some people whose magic equipment in their hands and on their bodies completely lost their effectiveness.
The most typical example is that when Sir Kaidong's sword hit the lich, it made a crisp sound like metal and then bounced off on the spot, without even leaving a white mark.
Obviously, without the [Holy Sword Technique] and the enchantment level of the magic weapon, he could not pose even the slightest threat to the powerful undead spellcaster in front of him.
What's even more terrible is that when [Rainbow Rain] takes effect, the entire surrounding large area is shrouded in the effect of the rainbow spell.
You have to know that the different magic effects produced by color alone are already quite scary for a team without a mage.
However, [Rainbow Rain] is different from other rainbow spells that become fixed once they take effect. It will also constantly change color and affected area.
This means that even if you stand still, you may be enveloped by rainbow light of various colors in constant change, which will then produce a series of effects with different energy attributes, such as damage, immobilization, blindness, petrification, etc.
The lich can rely on its immunity to undead creatures and some spells to protect against energy damage to easily move around in this rainbow light, and even use short-distance teleportation to increase the distance and play with the punitive team at will.
Not only can he throw damaging magic such as fireballs, lightning, magic missiles, death clouds, negative energy rays from a long distance, he can also use movement-restricting magic such as Grease, Spider Web, Black Tentacles, and Immobilization to immobilize his opponent.
Anyway, you can play however you want and won't be given any chance to get close to me.
Although those high-level priests all possess powerful divine arts such as [Sunfire Blast] and [Weapon of Destruction] that can instantly destroy undead creatures, the paladin's [Holy amazing Sword] can also cause damage.
However, he relied on the flexibility and versatility of arcane magic to prevent his opponents from playing to their strengths and forcing them to be led by the nose.
Wait until the time is right to reverse the disadvantage by detonating the sarcophagus, and finally win the victory by using the sufficient casting time gained by [Time Stop].
It can be said that the entire battle process is linked together, bringing the mage's unique precision calculations and predictions to the extreme.
Sancho and Imoen, who were hiding under the stairs and watching the whole show from beginning to end, felt their eyes were opened. They didn't know that arcane magic could be played like this.
As more and more members of the expedition team fell into coma, shock and suspended animation due to serious injuries, Sancho realized that it was their turn to take action.
He first exchanged glances with the other three teammates, and then immediately used the super magic skill - silent spell casting, to cast several protective spells on himself, and then kicked off the raid with an extremely effective three-ring spell [Advanced Strike against Undead].
Because the Lich was busy finishing off the dying expedition team, he didn't expect that there would be another wave of enemies hiding under the spiral staircase at the back.
As a result, he was hit by positive energy on the spot, and half of his body was shattered with a snap.
You should know that although the level of [Advanced Strike against Undead] is only three rings, the damage effect will continue to increase with the increase of the casting level (each casting level causes 1D8 damage).
Sancho also used a super magic technique - spell extreme effect, which means that the spell will automatically reach the theoretical damage limit.
With his current spellcasting level, as long as the undead creature has no magic resistance, absorption, or rebound magic, even a legendary lich will lose half of his life in an instant.
"Use magic missiles! Don't give him any chance to concentrate on casting spells!"
Sancho, who had succeeded in the sneak attack, shouted at the girl behind him without even turning his head.
"clear!"
Imoen had cooperated with this "little brother" more than once in previous adventures, and was already familiar with it. He completed the release of a ring of magic missiles with rapid movements.
In the blink of an eye, several force field missiles with faint light shot out from the fingertips, hitting the lich, destroying his attempt to cast a protective spell on himself.
Obviously, since the enemies just now were all paladins and priests, the lich did not cast any protective magic such as shield, spell absorption and rebound, and suffered a great loss in the moment of confrontation.
Just when he was about to teach the two little guys in front of him a lesson, he suddenly found that he couldn't make a single sound when he opened his mouth, let alone chant any spells.
Just a fraction of a second later, Viconia left the protection of the invisibility magic, jumped out of the darkness, swung the +4 skull-crushing mace and delivered a critical hit.
The lich's skull shattered on the spot, and half of it flew out directly.
But what is incredible is that such violent hammering did not produce even the slightest sound from beginning to end.
Second-level magic [Silence]? The lich, who had extremely rich combat experience, understood what happened in an instant.
This insidious and cunning priest first cast [Silence] on himself, then approached him under the cover of [Invisibility] cast by his teammates, and finally jumped out to launch a surprise attack.
Since [Silence] can be released on a person as a target and affect a six-meter radius around him, its effect can naturally move with the person's movement.
After figuring out the cause and effect, the lich immediately used the super magic skill of instant spell casting, directly creating the five-ring [Protective Palm] from the Bigbai series, and forcibly pushed it more than ten meters away, moving the silence range away from himself.
Just when he was about to turn around and continue to deal with Sancho and Imoen, the succubus Loli who had been hiding for half a day finally launched the fatal sneak attack that she had been planning for a long time.
Martial arts - ability increase! Martial arts - water acceleration! Martial arts - swift wind break! Martial arts - instant reflection! Martial arts - four-light continuous slash! The lich was thinking about how to carry out the next spell duel. He didn't expect that there were two mages and a priest on the scene, but the most deadly attack was left to a melee fighter.
In addition, the succubus loli's speed was so fast that she completed the sprint in just 0.01 seconds, leaving no time for reaction at all.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! As the air flashed with several cold lights caused by the high-speed swinging of the beheading giant sword, the lich's body suddenly shattered with a bang without any warning, turning into bone fragments of varying sizes that flew everywhere.
But even so, the legendary lich was still not dead. Eerie red dots were still flashing in the eye sockets of the half-broken skull that fell to the ground.
But just one second later, Atona used her martial arts skill - instant reflex to recover from the imbalance caused by the sprint and continuous slashing, and raised her foot and stepped down without hesitation.
Snap!
The broken skull shattered on the spot, and the lich was declared temporarily dead.
"Well done!"
Sancho excitedly gave the succubus Loli a thumbs up.
But the latter obviously didn't want to pay attention to him and simply rolled his eyes to express his disdain.
As the combat leader of this four-member team, Atona often conducts actual combat training with opponents of the level of Flame Dragon Knight Davian and Nature Goddess Nimidona. Her vision is already many levels higher than that of others. She does not think there is anything to be happy about after defeating a lich after using so many conspiracies and tricks.
However, Sancho obviously didn't care about the reaction of the succubus Loli. He ran excitedly to the exploded coffin and found part of Kongos' golden skeleton under a stone slab.
Although the previous explosion was so powerful, the skeleton was protected by powerful magic and did not have even a scratch.
"Wow! Really... it's really made of gold? So much gold should be worth a lot of money, right?"
Imoen came closer and stared at the golden skeleton with shining eyes.
The embarrassment of having no money when she escaped from the Tower of Durlag made her completely become a little money-grubber. Now that she suddenly saw so much gold, it was inevitable that she would have some greedy thoughts.
You should know that if all the bones in an adult's body were replaced with gold, the weight of the gold would be more than 200 kilograms.
A standard gold coin usually weighs between nine and ten grams, of which gold may only account for 70% to 60% of the total weight.
This shows how valuable Kangus's golden skeleton is.
Even if it was just sold as precious metals, it would be a huge fortune that would make countless people jealous.
Sancho didn't even have enough strength to pick it up from the ground. He could only smile bitterly and said, "It's more than valuable.
If we complete the task assigned by the teacher, we can buy many high-level magic items and equipment just by selling this thing.
Don't just stand there, come and help me get the golden skeleton into the dimensional bag."
"Hehe! No problem!"
When Edmon heard that he could make a fortune, he immediately became excited.
The two of them used all their strength and finally moved the golden skeleton into a large dimensional bag.
After finishing all this, the girl sat down on the ground, glanced at the dead or dying paladins and priests, and asked breathlessly: "What should we do with them? Are we still going to leave them here?"
Sancho obviously hesitated for a moment, then quickly replied: “They have done us a great favor, so let's give them some treatment.
Viconia, cast a healing spell on each of the surviving priests and paladins.
As for the dead, when the injured wake up, they will naturally take the bodies back for resurrection."
As a dark elf and evil-aligned cleric, Viconia undoubtedly did not get along well with these paladins and clerics of good gods.
But due to the influence of Zuo Si's lawful evil, she is no longer as cynical as before. After complaining a few words, she still chooses to treat the wounded.
Finally, before the expedition team woke up, Sancho led the team back to the Mage Tower, intending to study the golden skeleton first.
As soon as they left through the sewer, Zuo Si appeared out of nowhere at the scene of the battle. He carefully dug out a gem emitting a deep blue glow from the inside of a sarcophagus and sighed, "Alas - I am still too young and inexperienced.
They didn't even search the sarcophagus fragments carefully and missed the lich's life box.
As a lich who has been sleeping for hundreds of years to guard the sealed items, how could he place the phylactery too far away from himself? I will just help you out a little.
Otherwise, once this lich is resurrected, he will definitely launch revenge at all costs."
Needless to say, Zuo Si had been watching the previous battle, but he did not interfere.
But when he saw that his disciple actually missed the Lich's life box that was so close to him, he couldn't help but run over to clean up the mess.
In the next few minutes, he also resurrected the paladins and priests killed by the lich one by one.
The Grand Master of the Knights of the Burning Heart, Weatheran, had no idea that he was being used by a boy. He thought that it was the Emperor of the Empire who came personally to deal with the terrible evil lich and save all the members of the expedition team. He immediately bent down to express his heartfelt gratitude.
Zuo Si was too lazy to explain anything to these stubborn guys, so he just said some polite words to fool them.
…
At the same time, as the three giant military airships and dragon riders passed through more and more towns and villages in the sky and were seen by countless people, this heavy news was quickly spread through magic by other forces, spies and intelligence personnel hidden in the empire.
In just an hour or two, the various city-states in the north that had close cooperative relations with the Harper Alliance, as well as the neighboring countries of Tumis and Cormyr, all received accurate news.
The red-robed wizards who had been paying close attention to the developments of the West Coast Empire immediately held a chief meeting chaired by Sazastan.
No one would be naive enough to believe that these terrifying war machines and the dragon knight legions soaring in the sky left Athkatla and headed east simply to show off their military power.
In addition, some of the masterminds behind the scenes were very clear about what they had done, so for a while, the independent city-states and countries along the coast of the Falling Star Sea fell into an extremely tense state.
The Tyrant of the Moon Sea, Fuzor Chamberlain, who had just returned to Zhentil Keep, keenly sensed that this was an opportunity and immediately launched a war of conquest against the lands surrounding the Moon Sea.
The reason was very simple! Under the terrifying military threat of the West Coast Empire and Emperor Zuo Si, no force dared to give up defending their homeland and send troops to interfere with his military operations at this time.
Even if those in power wanted to, the local people would not agree.
Tumis, which bordered the empire on the eastern land, responded almost immediately. It urgently formed and mobilized troops for defense and sent envoys to inquire what was going on.
Similarly, the Kingdom of Cormyr, which was only separated from the Empire by the Dragon Lake Bay, was also shocked.
Fortunately, Cormier was a member of the Trade Alliance, so he quickly found out the truth through intelligence channels.
At this moment, King Yasan IV was sitting on the throne, looking at the news sent by the chief royal wizard, with a bitter smile on his face: "Install cannons on the airship to make it an aerial warship, and then equip it with dragon knights for escort and combat?
This is truly a wild imagination and creativity.
What a big deal! I guess only Soth could do this in the whole of Faerun.
This time, the red-robed wizards of Sel and the rulers of the Mulhorand Empire have hit a wall.
It is foreseeable that they will pay a heavy price for their provocations beyond their capacity.
It would be nice if we in Cormyr could have an airship for military use.
That way, I don't have to chase after monsters that are running around and wreaking havoc."
"So... the purpose of the West Coast Empire this time is to punish Sel and Mulhorand for spreading rumors and inciting rebellion in their own territory?" Princess Tenalasta asked softly.
Yasan IV nodded slightly and said, "Yes, at least this is the reason we use to the outside world.
And it's not just the blockade.
They also planned to issue a notice to all city-states, ship owners, pirates and even dragons in the Falling Star Sea.
During the blockade, anyone can legally plunder ships from these two countries and then bring the spoils to the Imperial Port on the Dragon Coast to sell.
I have to say that being an enemy of Soth is indeed a very scary thing.
Because through this decree, he directly lured a large number of originally neutral forces to his side, and joined them in robbing the two countries of Sel and Mulhorand.
Just wait and see, a great show is about to begin in the Falling Star Sea."
Tainalasta thought for a moment, then immediately exclaimed in agreement, "Yes, it is indeed terrible.
I have read about the experiences of the young Emperor of the Empire after his arrival in Faerun.
It was discovered that he rarely faced the enemy alone.
Instead, he will always win over a large number of allies to act with him.
This is true even if he already has an overwhelming advantage. "
Yasan IV stroked his beard and said in an uncertain tone, "Maybe this is the difference in the way warriors and mages think.
In my opinion, Soth is often too cautious, even timid.
But fortunately, we are now in a full alliance with him.
Maybe we will become closer in the future because of your sister Yalusail."
"Speaking of this matter, I haven't had the chance to ask yet.
Are you sure that Yalusail is really in love with him? You know, I have never seen her show any affection to any man since I was a child.
Those suitors who were beaten black and blue are the best examples.
To be honest, I can't imagine what she would be like in love.
Would she still wear armor or men's clothes all day because she dislikes the trouble and inconvenience of movement?"
There was a gleam of curiosity in Tenalasta's eyes.
“Have you ever seen Yalusail wearing makeup, a pretty dress and high heels to get close to a man?
Have you seen her blushing, nervous and shy?
I saw it all the last time I went to the Coronation.
There is no doubt that she has found a man who makes her heart beat and is willing to give everything for him.
And I have to admit that Soth does have some unique charm that is different from others.
Especially when he expounds on a certain point of view, his logic is always so clear and rigorous that people can't help but feel a sense of identity.
So I think it might not be a bad thing to let Yalusel stay in a foreign country.
At least it can avoid all kinds of conspiracies and backstabbings in the Kingdom of Cormyr."
Yasan IV did not hide anything and told everyone about the changes that had taken place in his little daughter.
Tainarasta opened her mouth in shock. It took her several minutes to digest all this information. She couldn't help but exclaim, "Unbelievable! I thought the man who could subdue Yalusel in the future would be a strong man over two meters tall, with strong muscles all over his body, who could defeat her in battle."
“Hahahahaha!
Surprising, isn't it?
I almost dropped my jaw at that time.
Well, that's enough about her.
Now tell me how much money is available in the treasury.
This time I will send troops to kill all those damn monsters without leaving a single one alive!"
As the last word came out of his mouth, a terrifying aura emanated from the legendary king.
"Excluding the cost of pacifying the people and helping them through the winter, including the loan from the Trade Alliance, we now have nearly 600,000 gold coins available for use at any time."
Tenalasta quickly gave an exact number.
It has to be said that the low-interest loan from the Trade Alliance greatly alleviated the urgent needs of the Kingdom of Cormyr.
Otherwise, just resettling those civilians who suffered from the unprovoked disaster would be enough to give Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess a headache.
"Great! With this money, I can mobilize the army with confidence."
A look of satisfaction appeared on Yasan IV's face.
He had no idea that the turmoil in Cormier was not just a monster invasion, but that there were two behind-the-scenes people doing things in secret...
(End of this chapter)
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