This is where Cyric's famous battle in the Year of Troubles took place, and it is also the place where he killed Baal, the God of Murder, with the help of the God-Slaying Sword transformed from Mask, the God of Thieves.

It is precisely because of this that the clear river water originally flowing down from the upper reaches turns black and turbid from here onwards, emitting a disgusting smell. It only becomes slightly lighter as it passes through the mudflats near the Troll's Claw to the south, showing a brown-red color like dried blood.

The locals affectionately call it "Water of Baal".

Although the water is no longer poisonous if moved some distance from the Barriskel Bridge, it still curses those who drink it for a day.

Some wizards and scholars believe that this phenomenon may mean that after the saint of Baal was killed, part of his evil and filthy divinity and power was left in the river forever, which led to this terrible scene.

But some wizards and scholars believe that the polluted river water is simply a side effect of the divine blood blending into the river water.

Otherwise, if there were divine power and divinity, any mortal would be instantly reduced to ashes after taking a sip.

In short, there are many different speculations about the strange water in the Winding River near the Balriskael Bridge, but no one has any real evidence to prove their speculation.

What's even more outrageous is that some people who worship Baal as the god of fertility even believe that this polluted river water has aphrodisiac effects.

Therefore, they travel thousands of miles from other places just to drink a mouthful of the sewage that tastes so bad that it makes people vomit their overnight meals, so that they can go back and regain their strength...

It turns out that there is basically no big difference between men in this regard, whether on Earth or in another world.

And I don’t know if it’s really useful or just a psychological effect, but according to the feedback from users, the effect is actually quite good.

Of course, these are not the issues that Zuo Si cares about.

At this moment, he was standing under the Barriskel Bridge, looking at the river water that had almost become completely clear, and said in a slightly playful tone: “The essence of Baal’s power that remained here has completely disappeared.

I have to admit that this move of diverting attention was a brilliant one.

He used the commotion created by the other Sons of Bhaal, including the Five, to successfully attract our attention, and then secretly found another way to create an avatar of himself.

This means that the God of Murder has already chosen a vessel for his resurrection, and it is a son of Baal who has never entered our sight."

"You mean... the place where the Saint of Baal fell under the Winding River Bridge really contains the essence of Baal as many people have speculated?"

An expression of shock and disbelief appeared on Balthazar's face.

"Hehe, why, do you find it weird?

The Saint of the Years of Troubles is no ordinary saint, but one who possesses the entire divine essence of a god.

Therefore, they will truly die only when they suffer devastating damage in their saint form.

The Winding River has always been one of the most direct means of resurrection that Baal could use.

But I always think that he should choose Aberdare or other five races as a carrier, draw strength from the water of this river, and finally achieve his own resurrection.

But this God of Murder took a different approach and secretly hid a Son of Bhaal as his final trump card.

Perhaps he has now successfully resurrected in the body of his offspring, but has not yet returned to the Blood Throne to reclaim all of his power."

After saying that, Zuo Si bent down and scooped up a pool of water from the river, which had become almost completely clear, and felt the evil power that had almost completely dissipated.

He was not too surprised that there were still Sons of Bhaal left in this world.

After all, Melisand did her best to run around the continent of Faerun, gathering together a large number of confirmed Sons of Bhaal, and then created a brutal massacre to collect divine power and divinity.

But given the quantity and breadth of seeds sown by Bal that year, it is almost impossible to catch them all in one fell swoop.

Not to mention her, even after more than a hundred years when the three gods of death were successfully resurrected, there were still some that slipped through the net.

As long as there is a son of Bhaal alive in the world, there is a possibility that the God of Murder will make a comeback.

"So what are you going to do next?"

Balthazar frowned, obviously quite anxious about this situation.

He was very afraid that his father Baal would be fully resurrected and use the evil and filthy power in his body to affect him.

Zuo Si pursed his lips and replied in a slightly playful tone: "Whatever the God of Murder is planning, the empty Blood Throne is there.

What I have to do is to directly trigger the final battle and attract all those who are eyeing the throne of God to show up.

There are countless lies, deceptions, and illusions in this world that can confuse a person and cause him to make wrong judgments.

But there is one thing that can never be faked, and that is visible and tangible strength.

So please convey a message to the last five descendants for me. Let us put an end to this farce in front of the Blood Throne of the Kingdom of Baal in ten days."

Hearing this, Balthazar's expression changed slightly, and he raised his eyebrows and asked tentatively: "Are you going to declare war on them?"

Zuo Si shook his head meaningfully: "No, not just them, but all the sons of Baal who want to become the new god. I will destroy them mercilessly in this war of gods, and then take what I want."

"Are you crazy? Those two guys are now absolute demigods, and my father is hiding in the dark, watching us eagerly."

Balthazar obviously didn't quite understand this sudden change in attitude and strategy.

In his opinion, how to deal with Abazig and Melissan requires long-term planning, and it would be safer to at least separate the two and defeat them one by one.

"It doesn't matter. They are just demigods with weak divine power. Even if they unite, how much of a threat can they pose? Don't you think so?"

As he spoke, Zuo Si turned his gaze to the Sun Knight Davian who was following him.

The latter immediately understood what he meant and quickly put his hand on his chest and bowed deeply.

"Please rest assured that I will demonstrate all my strength in this battle of gods to prove myself."

Seeing that Zuo Si and Davidian showed such strong confidence, Balthazar naturally didn't say anything more. He could only nod and agree, then turned and left.

However, he did not completely trust this ally, but prepared himself for the final battle.

This determined legendary monk had no fear of death at all.

Because as early as when he learned about his life experience and lineage, he made up his mind to sacrifice himself when necessary in exchange for the world no longer being threatened by the evil god of murder.

Moreover, Balthazar had secretly prepared a special move that could severely injure or even kill the demigod in an instant.

Just like that, with Zuo Si's return, the decisive battle for the Blood Throne finally began and entered the final countdown.

The gods of Toril also cast their eyes over, wanting to see who would have the last laugh.

Since the God Above Gods sent out his own Seraphim servants, they have given up the idea of ​​further meddling and intervention.

After all, the turbulent years had not been over for long, and Io's dissatisfaction with the gods' frequent interference in mortal affairs was still ringing in his ears. No one dared to cause trouble blatantly at this time.

Just as Balthazar left and Zuo Si was about to teleport back to the Mage Tower, he suddenly saw a sturdy man with a thick beard appear out of nowhere.

He was wearing slightly worn armor, his eyes were covered with a white cloth, his right arm had no palm, only the wrist was wrapped with the same white bandage, there was a very bright and dazzling halo on his forehead, and his whole body exuded a strong light of goodness.

Tyr, the god of justice?

Zuo Si recognized the identity of the person in an instant, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

Because in his opinion, he and the god of justice had nothing in common, and all previous cooperation was carried out through Ilmater, the god of suffering.

He really couldn't figure out why the other party came to incarnate at this time.

"Hello, young man, would you mind taking a moment to chat with me?"

Tyr took the initiative to extend the invitation.

It is not difficult to tell from the not-so-obvious fluctuations of divine power on his body that this is not a combat incarnation, but an ordinary incarnation of the lowest level and most inconspicuous type, the kind that can even be captured and imprisoned by mortals.

"Of course, it's my pleasure."

Zuo Si agreed very readily, and gestured to his followers to go back first, and then followed him directly.

The two men continued southeast along the road connected to the Balishkel Bridge until they saw the city walls of Soba, as well as merchants coming in and out to trade and soldiers patrolling on horseback. Only then did they finally stop.

Til stared at the direction of the city with his eyes covered by a cloth. After a full minute, he asked without turning his head, "Your goal is to build a prosperous and powerful magic empire in this world, right?"

Obviously, although his eyes were completely poked out and there was nothing in the eye sockets under the cloth, just two black holes, it did not affect his vision.

Because gods are different from mortals.

They do not rely on any organs to perceive their surroundings.

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Yes, I have never hidden my ambitions and ideas about this. Because I want to show a possibility, a social structure and ruling method that has never appeared in the continent of Faerun."

“I’ve begun to feel this gradually.

You created an unprecedentedly large and complex bureaucratic system, allowing them to manage and collect taxes instead of traditional aristocrats; at the same time, you also used the power of the church to build a judicial system of checks and balances to restrain and deter bureaucrats in power and minimize the occurrence of corruption and money-for-power transactions.

In addition, a large number of new technologies and magic have been applied to daily life, bringing unprecedented convenience and benefits to millions of civilians.

The public schools and examination selection systems that were built with huge investments have given the poor at the bottom hope of achieving class mobility.

To be honest, I still find it hard to believe that all this was done by a big devil who tends to be lawful evil.

What’s even more interesting is that you don’t suppress kindness and fairness, but instead encourage my paladins and priests to teach people to be good.

If you don't mind, could you tell me what the ultimate purpose of all this is?"

As he spoke, Tyr's tone revealed a strong curiosity.

Because he had been observing the West Coast Empire for a long time, and had even witnessed the judicial trials and the overall operation of society in this huge emerging country more than once.

It can even be said that the overall situation of the West Coast Empire is much better than that of Neverwinter, whose main belief is the God of Justice.

You have to know that Neverwinter has a large number of nobles who control a lot of wealth, land, and power.

Even Lord Nasir couldn't do anything good about them.

After all, the privileges of the nobility had long been written into the city's legal code.

After several generations, many noble families had already lost their ancestors' precious qualities such as bravery, fearlessness, responsibility, and dedication, and became selfish and self-interested, like a rotten sore that continued to expand in the shadow of Neverwinter's bright and beautiful appearance.

This is why, when the plague broke out in Neverwinter, the entire city fell almost instantly, and many areas fell into anarchic riots, even with the leadership of the Church of the God of Justice.

Because more than half of the city's upper ruling class had long been rotten to the core.

If it were in the past, even Tyr wouldn't have had any good solution for this.

After all, noble lords are the foundation for maintaining rule and order in this world.

Without them, the ignorant civilians would have no idea how to organize production, build armies, and defend against threats from the wilderness, other dimensions, and evil forces.

But now, with the establishment of a large-scale bureaucratic and supervisory system in the West Coast Empire, everyone, even the gods, have seen another possibility.

Everyone suddenly realized that noble lords were not necessary.

Moreover, compared with the primitive and backward feudal system, parliamentary system, and governor system, the huge professional bureaucratic system can maintain the smooth operation of an extremely large empire.

The ability to mobilize terrorist organizations and allocate resources brought about by this strong centralized power is far superior to the former.

Especially the large-scale infrastructure and water conservancy construction that is currently underway. Apart from the two magical powers, Sel and Halua, there is no third country in the entire continent of Faerun that can do it.

But the infrastructure construction and water conservancy projects in Cyre and Halrua mainly rely on a large group of spellcasters, and Cyre may also have to add countless slaves and undead creatures.

But the West Coast Empire uses real people.

Although some of them are undead laborers and constructs, the proportion of living people far exceeds 50%.

During the entire process, there was no resistance or rebellion, and every worker received a generous salary.

From the outside, it seemed that if the West Coast Empire could organize hundreds of thousands of people to work collectively, then it could naturally organize the same or even larger number of people into a disciplined army.

What does it mean for hundreds of thousands or even millions of well-trained troops in the continent of Faerun? Just open the map and you will know.

It is even larger than the total population of many regions combined.

As the saying goes, the layman watches the excitement while the expert watches the details.

The empire's neighbors, especially countries like Tumis which were completely surrounded on land, had already begun to tremble in fear for any major movement on the border, and the ruling class was like a frightened bird.

There is no way. This is the sadness of being a small country surrounded by a big country. There is no sense of security at all.

As for the economic erosion, it is even more severe.

The dumping of various cheap goods has almost completely destroyed the small handicraft workshops in the country, and social conflicts caused by unemployment and poverty are endless.

As the emperor of the empire and the founder of the trade alliance, Zuo Si knew everything about the situation in his own country and its neighboring countries. He immediately responded with a smile, "I don't actually have any clear purpose.

I just want to put some of my own ideas and concepts into practice.

You can think of this as a social experiment on the development of civilization.

I wanted to prove that the success story in my hometown could be replicated in a world with magic and gods.

And I love the satisfaction that comes from building, growing, and prospering.

In my opinion, most of the world is too backward.

Although they have powerful magical powers and convenient technology, they are still unable to be applied to daily life to bring about a leap in productivity.

Since no one else can do it, I have no choice but to do it myself.

Judging from the current situation, I seem to be doing well. "

“A social experiment…”

Tyr keenly grasped a key word.

“Yeah, a social experiment.

Otherwise, what do you think it is? Don't forget, the first line of the Imperial Supreme Code states that as the emperor, I have the power to override all laws, to add or delete any law, and to pardon even the most heinous criminals.

Therefore, no matter how fair and just the other clauses in this code may seem, they are essentially tools for exercising rule.

It's just that I rarely use this power to interfere with the entire judicial system, so some people think it represents fairness and justice.

I am a dictator and a tyrant, and that has never changed."

After saying that, Zuo Si revealed his identity by showing the tyrant glove worn on the devil's hand.

He is the chosen one of Bane, the god of tyranny. He believes in the highly centralized ruling philosophy of "I am the state" and believes that strongman politics is the foundation for promoting national progress and development.

After all, it has been proven more than once in the history of the earth that only under the leadership of political strongmen can backward countries complete reforms in a short period of time and become powerful countries.

This was true in ancient times, and it is also true in modern times.

Even the so-called freest and most democratic beacon of humanity actually emerged from the Great Depression and won the Second World War under the iron-fisted rule of a political strongman, laying the foundation for becoming the world's number one power in the future.

It can even be said that without those political strongmen, many countries would never have reached their later heights.

Zuo Si smiled and nodded. "That's right. I told the Dark Lord that as long as there are classes, there will inevitably be oppression and exploitation. Where there is order and hierarchical relationships, there will inevitably be tyranny. This view is interesting, isn't it? Because it fundamentally denies the existence of lawful goodness."

"You hate the lawful good camp?"

Tyr turned around and stared at the young planeswalker who was so close to him with his empty eyes covered with cloth.

"Hate it? No, I just think it's very unreasonable.

Because if a person is lawful, he cannot be completely good, and if a person is extremely good, he cannot be completely lawful.

The two are in conflict with each other.

I once read a very interesting book called Brave New World, and the story in the book illustrates this point very well.

I also really like the picture in the book of a world without worries, troubles or burdens, where everyone’s desires and happiness can be satisfied in a cheap and quick way.”

As he spoke, Zuo Si raised his hand and used his ability to create the book out of thin air, and handed it directly to the God of Justice.

Tyr took it subconsciously, released his divine power and instantly read the entire book. His expression immediately became very strange, and he asked in an uncertain tone: "Is this the world you are from?"

“No, it’s just a fantasy creation based on my hometown.

In this world, people no longer have birth, old age, sickness and death, and there is no distinction between beauty and ugliness.

因为通过基因调整技术，所有的人类都拥有最符合当时审美观的完美身材和容貌，并且一生都不会衰老、几乎不会生病。

当寿命耗尽的时候会毫无痛苦的迅速死去。

他们不需要组建家庭、承担责任、进行生育和繁衍，因为这一切都已经被人工授精和基因调整所取代。

唯一需要做的就是完成自己每天的工作，随后便可以去尽情享受从肉体到精神上的满足，甚至可以做到没有任何负担的每天更换伴侣。

一旦产生愤怒、仇恨、焦虑等情绪，还可以通过服用药物来缓解并获取愉悦感。

人与人之间根本没有任何矛盾，彼此之间秉承着人人为我、我为人人的精神。

从某种程度来说，这个美丽的新世界不就是许多守序善良神祇所追求的完美社会形态吗？”

在说这番话的时候，左思脸上挂着充满讽刺的笑容。

因为他口中的这个所谓“美丽新世界”，其实一点都不美丽，反而是一个阶级极度固化，所有人从一出生就被决定了命运的恐怖世界。

通过基因调整，该世界的人从受精卵开始就被分为了四个等级。

最高等级的作为最上层的统治阶级进行培养，而次一等的则作为精英阶级培养，再次一等的作为普通民众培养，而最低级的则作为从事重体力劳动、不需要学习太多知识的方向培养。

更可怕的是，这种培养不光是基因调整，而且还有在婴儿时期的一些驯化手段。

比如说后两个底层阶级，在婴儿时期会被送到一个摆放着各种书籍和色彩鲜艳玩具的房间里。

一旦他们对书本和鲜艳的玩具产生兴趣并向所在位置爬去的时候，立刻就会遭到轻微的电击。

疼痛和不适会瞬间让婴儿感受到痛苦并淘淘大哭。

反复几次之后，婴儿就会在潜意识中把书本、好奇心与痛苦联系到一起，并且会在长大后本能的排斥学习和探索未知，最终成长为他们被设计好的阶级范围内。

而前两个阶级同样也会在婴儿时期被灌输大量的潜移默化的教育，让他们认为自己天生就应该高人一等，天生就应该去管理和指使另外两个比自己等级低的人。

最后再配合所有欲望和快乐都能够以及其廉价的方式得到满足，一个阶级完全固化且无比稳定的社会就这样诞生了。

每个阶层都认为自己是幸福快乐的，并且能从工作中获得满足感与成就感。

很显然，如果用这个美丽新世界与天堂山做个对照，你会发现两者惊人的相似。

可能唯一不同的就是，天堂山好歹还有点阶级流动性，天使们可以通过不断积累善行而获得晋升。

不过这也恰好证明了天堂山还不够守序！ 因为绝对的秩序本身就意味着绝对的阶级固化，在这方面美丽新世界才是最完美的，就如同机械境一样完美。

毫无疑问，左思送上的这本《美丽新世界》瞬间把正义之神提尔给干沉默了。

他不断拿起来翻阅着里边的内容，用心感受着这个用文字描绘出来的幻想世界，以及书中主人公对于美丽新世界所有人的评价——“一群没有灵魂的行尸走肉”，过了好半天才苦笑着感叹道：“真是一部相当优秀的作品。

它给了我很大的启发。

我很好奇，在你的眼中是如何看待这位主人公的。

他呐喊着要保留自己选择不快乐的权力离开美丽新世界，来到海边独自过着隐居贫苦的生活，最终却在其他人不理解和嘲笑的围观下最终绝望自杀。”

左思摸着下巴思索了片刻，很快轻轻摇了下头：“抱歉，可能要让您失望了，我对于这位主人公没有任何观点。

因为这原本就是一个极度痛苦矛盾的人。

他的母亲是一个在美丽新世界诞生的第二等级精英，却因为一场意外而怀孕生下了他，并且在价值观、伦理道德方面都截然不同的保留地长期生活。

保留地的价值观和伦理道德与我们的现实世界比较接近，尤其是性这方面相对保守。

可主人公的母亲却早已习惯了我为人人、人人为我的理念，从不拒绝任何一个提出想要与之发生关系的男人。

这也就意味着，这位母亲在保留地的居民眼中是一个能够免费白嫖的妓女。

无数的男人都会想要去占便宜，亦或是将其视作发泄欲望的廉价工具。

所以在这种歧视、嘲笑和鄙夷环境下长大的主人公，内心之中必然是蕴含着强烈的愤怒。

而这种愤怒和来自保留地的价值观，在进入美丽新世界之后很快便产生了一系列的反弹。

尤其是在发现自己心爱的女神，其实跟母亲一样也是个只要有男人提出要求就会立刻与之发生关系的婊子，整个人终于再也无法忍受彻底爆发了。

从某种程度上来说，这位主人公就像是一颗混乱的种子，被扔进了绝对守序的美丽新世界。

我不确定他最终的决定是否是因为受到强烈刺激做出的冲动选择。

但可以肯定的是，这个人并没有超凡的意志力，也没有足以承受各种嘲笑、侮辱而坦然面对的心境。

他只是个普通的凡人，一个从诞生就是彻头彻尾悲剧的可怜虫。”

“好吧，我现在终于知道你的某些思想和理念究竟源自于何处了。

谢谢你赠送的这本书，以及里边那个非常接近于守序善良理想状态的社会。

美丽新世界？ 或许对于那些承受了太多苦难想要获得解脱的凡人来说，它的确是个理想中的国度。

至少生活在这个世界的人，无论等级高低、从事的工作如何，他们在精神上都是快乐和满足的。

但同样的，他们从未经历过任何过任何痛苦，也没有在苦难中磨砺自己，心和灵魂又是如此的空虚。

希望你建立的帝国最后不会变成这个样子。”

说罢，提尔脸上浮现出淡淡的笑容，随后带着手中的书化作一道光消失的无影无踪。

很显然，透过书中描绘的美丽新世界，他已经大概明白了左思想要建立的理想国家是一副怎样的景象。

至少在物质方面要非常的富有，并且能够以廉价方式满足大部分人在欲望和快乐方面的需求。

左思站在原地目送正义之神离开，然后才轻笑着说道：“这算是一种试探吗？

还是说想要从我这里汲取一些灵感？ 希望美丽新世界这本书所描绘的社会千万别刺激到正义之神。

不然要是他自己连带着三圣同盟中的另外两位从守序善良跳到中立善良，那可就太有意思了。”

很显然，左思拿出美丽新世界这本书从一开始就是别有用心。

或者说他是在做一个实验，想要试试能不能通过施加影响力来让一个神的阵营产生偏斜。

如果在提尔身上的实验获得成功，那么接下来就可以尝试对另外几个神动点手脚了。

……

另外一边，远在北方原耐瑟瑞尔帝国遗迹的埃诺奥克沙漠中央。

一座巨大的浮空城刚刚离开阴影位面，眼下正矗立在上千米的高空，居高临下俯视着这片已经完全被沙化的土地。

不用问也知道，它就是经过充足准备之后终于返回物质世界的阴魂城。

尽管此时此刻正午的太阳十分毒辣，悬挂在大沙漠的上空炙烤着地面上的一切。

可阴魂城却始终笼罩在一片黑色的阴影与负能量之中。

无论多么明亮的光照射下去，都会被弥漫在周围的黑色浓雾所吸收，根本无法穿透并照射到浮空城的建筑上。

毕竟在阴影位面待了那么多年，许多浮空城的居民，尤其是奥术和神术施法者，早就把自己转化成为半幽影生物以延长寿命。

这要是被充斥着强大正能量的阳光照射到那还得了。

虽说不至于像低级吸血鬼那样分分钟灰飞烟灭，但遭到重创几乎是肯定的。

所以阴魂城早就准备好了相应的大范围魔法，透过阴影魔网汲取能量制造了一个超范围的结界。

只要躲在结界中就不用担心会受到阳光的伤害。

身为至高城主，泰拉曼特·坦舒尔此刻正站在法师塔的顶端，盯着这片曾经富庶的土地现如今贫瘠落后的景象，眼睛里充满了惋惜与愤怒。

尤其是那些在下方呼啸而过的沙漠游牧民族，根本没有一丁点耐瑟瑞尔遗民该有的睿智与骄傲，如同野蛮人一样相互厮杀，抢夺着极度稀缺的水源和绿洲，丝毫没有察觉到头顶不知何时多出了一个巨大的城市。

“父亲，需要我带人下去解决这些蛮族，顺手把这块绿洲占领下来吗？”

Yada Tanshul asked cautiously.

As a ghost prince, from the moment he returned to the material world, his ambition began to expand uncontrollably. He was eager to conquer more lands with the recruited people and then build his own kingdom.

This group of simple-minded, strong-limbed nomads happens to be the perfect target for conscription.

As long as you can defeat and control the enemy, you can immediately obtain a cannon fodder force of thousands of people.

But Telramant Tanshuer refused very straightforwardly: “No, it’s not necessary.

We return to the land of Netheril not to these tiny oases, but to restore it to its former glory.

This barren land is simply not worth conquering and occupying again.

Now let's go to the place we have chosen in advance and use the power of magic to create an area that can be barely settled.

Once the forging is completed, we will turn around and conquer the barbarians living in the Anauroch Desert as soldiers."

As he spoke, the great arcanist began to control the floating city to move southward, and soon it arrived near the Scimitar Peak Mountains.

Looking at the lakes and basins below that had almost completely dried up, Telramant Tanshul gave orders to the mage corps of Ghost City without saying a word.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of mages, led by him, left the floating city and landed on the ground.

Using the knowledge preserved from the Netheril era, they quickly carved a large number of symbols and patterns related to conjuration magic around the basin.

After all this was done, everyone quickly and orderly entered the designated positions and began chanting spells and guiding the energy in the shadow magic web.

When the critical point was reached, all the symbols and lines on the ground began to glow, followed by the faint sound of water crashing like a tsunami.

Boom! The next second...

A huge wave that was hundreds of meters high emerged directly from the center of the magic circle and began to spread to the surrounding areas.

Upon seeing this, the mages immediately stopped casting spells and cast the flying spell on themselves to fly high into the sky.

It can be clearly seen from above that these pure water streams from the water elemental plane are gushing out rapidly and spreading around.

In about ten minutes, more than half of the basin was flooded, and the original taste of the salt lake became increasingly diluted, until finally no saltiness could be tasted at all.

Eventually, the entire U-shaped basin formed by the Scimitar Peak Range was filled with water, leaving only a small amount of land near the foot of the mountain for future planting and grazing.

This lake that emerged out of nowhere in the dry desert was named the Shadow Sea by Telramant Tanshul himself.

Soon after, the City of Ghosts descended from the sky and landed in the north of the Sea of ​​Shadows, using poor materials to begin building the capital of the new Netherese Empire.

The tribes that originally lived here and relied on extracting salt from the lake that was about to dry up completely have now all been buried under the water without exception.

The roaring waves did not leave them any warning or time to escape.

Fortunately, their bodies were not wasted after their death. Instead, they were pulled up by the necromancy magic of the Ghost City wizard and became free laborers.

Obviously, building a capital from scratch would still require a lot of labor, even with the help of magic.

So the slave-hunting team, led by several ghost princes, quickly attacked from all sides to capture the nomads living in the desert.

Even the half-scorpions and Formy ants hiding under the sand dunes could not escape.

The Formi ants, in particular, were renowned for their excellent labor force; one could replace several human slaves, even the undead who did not need to rest could not compare to them.

The Ghost City only needs to capture and control the queen ant to make the entire colony obey them.

However, while these guys were engaged in massive construction, they had no idea that far away on the edge of the southern desert, there was someone closely watching their every move.

"Talamante Tanshul, you are back after all?"

Staring at the busy scene in the crystal ball, the undead Ovo slightly raised the corners of his mouth and revealed an expression of contempt, disdain and mockery.

It was not difficult to tell from his pale, swollen and fat face that he looked down on this guy who had degenerated into a lackey of the Night Goddess Shar from the bottom of his heart.

However, considering that the floating city he currently controls is far from completed, Ovo is not in a hurry to take action, but instead plans to see what the other party wants to do.

Just as he was considering whether to go over and say hello, a lich suddenly walked in quickly from outside and handed him a piece of transparent crystal with both hands.

"What's this?"

Ovo picked it up and asked casually.

"It's a list of materials that Lord Soth has allocated to us, as well as a video of various weapons being tested in actual combat. From what I know, he seems to have used another floating city to start a war, and tested a large number of weapons in the battle."

As the lich spoke, he cast a spell at the crystal.

moment!

The crystal projected the spectacular scene of various weapons being tested in the Plantia floating city.

The strange explosions, energy releases, and force field impacts immediately aroused Ovo's curiosity.

Without even looking up, he asked, "Are these weapons also on the list of materials to be transferred?"

"Yes, Master. Although the number is small, I think it should be enough to support us in fighting a war."

The lich answered in the affirmative without hesitation.

Hearing this, Ovo immediately laughed happily: "Hahahaha! I knew that Soth would not disappoint us. In this case, let's plan carefully and give Ghost City and Telramant Tanshur a big surprise..."