Looking at Griffith's corpse that had turned back into a human form, and the bloody head in his hand, Guts felt that the mysterious power that had just been bestowed on him had completely faded away, and a large amount of strengthening magic had also disappeared without a trace.
Now he has turned from an omnipotent god of war into a mortal, and even the dragon-slaying sword in his hand seems exceptionally heavy.
Oh, no, not all the power is gone.
There was still a little soul energy left in the Chosen One, which had not been consumed in the all-out attack just now.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
Because for Guts, from the moment he chopped off Griffith's head, all his previous anger, hatred, and pain were released in an instant, as if those emotions that had troubled him and almost drove him crazy no longer existed, and he would not have any regrets even if he died immediately.
Is this the emptiness after revenge? Or is it the effect of some mysterious power? Guts didn't know what was going on with him. He sat slumped beside the huge corpse, looking around with lifeless eyes, not wanting to talk or move.
Just when he was acting as if he was going to stay here forever, Zuo Si's voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"You really did not disappoint me and successfully defeated the God of the Abyss. As a reward, I can now help you realize one wish."
"Wishes? Can any wish come true?"
Guts's originally dilated pupils began to focus again, and he turned his head to look at the demon who helped him complete his revenge.
Zuo Si smiled and nodded: "That's right. Even if it means resurrecting a dead person, or becoming the emperor who rules this continent and holds the highest power."
Hearing this, Gus's expressionless face finally showed excitement. He stood up suddenly and asked, "Then can you return the poor child to me? It was my fault that I failed to protect him. Now I hope I can have a chance to make up for this debt."
"sure.
But are you sure you want to waste this precious opportunity just to get that kid back?
Don't you desire things like power, wealth, strength, and immortality?
You know, I rarely allow others to make random wishes and turn them into reality. "
Zuo Si looked into the other person's eyes, wanting to confirm whether this child of destiny would be corrupted by desire after losing the favor of fate.
But Guts, being Guts, answered without even a moment's hesitation: "No, it's not necessary.
I just want my child back.
Because I owe him this, and I must spend my whole life to make it up to him.
As for power, wealth, strength and immortality, they have never been what I pursued.
I just want a home, a place to belong."
"In that case, I will grant your wish."
As the last word came out of his mouth, Zuo Si raised his hand and began to release the energy of life. In just a few seconds, the shadow of a twisted baby appeared out of thin air.
Immediately afterwards, the baby began to become normal under the influence of huge vitality, and turned from a phantom into a solid entity.
Finally, it suddenly let out a loud cry, and its hands and feet moved restlessly, looking unusually healthy.
“Aaaaaaaaaaah!!!!”
Casca seemed to sense something, and she quickly rushed over from a distance, hugged the little baby in her arms, kissed him and cried.
Guts threw away the dragon-slaying sword and the bloody head in his hand, stretched out his trembling hand and gently touched the baby's forehead, feeling the warmth emanating from the little guy, and hope for future life rekindled in his eyes.
There is no doubt that his reaction fully demonstrates how much influence family and offspring have on a person.
If Guts were alone and without any ties, he would most likely be Devoured by the beast of revenge that was bred within his heart.
If he didn't have this child, he would most likely become confused and decadent after completing his revenge, lose his life goals and desire to live, and live his days in a daze until one day he dies alone.
But at this moment, after seeing his child come back to life, he almost instantly took on the role of a father and began to plan how to give this little guy a happy and fulfilling childhood.
Because Gus did not feel much family love and warmth when he was young, out of a compensatory mentality he longed for his children to have all of this.
To this end, he could endure hard work day and night and the exploitation and oppression of the ruling class.
As the saying goes, the family is the smallest unit of society. As long as this unit remains stable and the people have enough food to eat, in theory there will be no large-scale social unrest.
But once this smallest unit begins to break, and society begins to be based on fragmented individuals as the smallest unit, many fatal problems will emerge one after another.
There will also be a surge in all kinds of horrific violent crimes.
After all, people are often in the most dangerous state when they have no worries. It is even possible that a few quarrels and arguments can develop into a criminal case causing serious injury or even death.
Seeing the warm scene of Gus's family of three, Hansel finally couldn't help but lower his voice and asked, "Father, how did you revive a newborn baby? He should not have developed consciousness and self-awareness yet, right?
Such a life form would at most produce a small fragment of soul, which would then quickly dissipate.
Theoretically, it is impossible to revive through normal means."
"Resurrection? Haha, who told you that was resurrection? I just used their genes to create a new baby.
After all, Gus' wish was to get the child back, and I fulfilled it according to my own understanding.
Look, isn't his current reaction very satisfying?"
A playful smile appeared on Zuo Si's face.
Obviously, the child of Guts and Casca had already been treated as a disposable consumable and sacrificed when the God of the Abyss was disintegrated from within. There was no possibility of resurrection.
Everything that happened just now was just an illusion he deliberately created to make the two people believe that the resurrected demon baby was the dead demon baby.
After all, this genetic and blood connection is real.
"So... you misinterpreted his wishes?"
Hansel was taken aback.
"Misinterpretation? No, it's only misinterpretation if it's discovered. If it's not discovered, it's the perfect fulfillment of his wish.
Remember, there are no real lies and deception in this world.
It just depends on whether your little trick is discovered.
If not, then that's the hard fact."
After saying that, Zuo Si ignored Hansel's reaction and walked straight towards the several Hands of God who were standing there motionless like fools.
The reason for this situation is that the God of the Abyss has disappeared, and the most important spiritual essence that constitutes their life form has also disappeared. Therefore, now everyone can basically be called a fool with incomplete souls.
Although he still has some consciousness and memory, he is very close to being a vegetative state.
In fact, it is not just them, the apostles are the same.
The more power an apostle accepts from the abyss and the closer he is to evil thoughts, the more serious his numbness and dullness will be.
On the contrary, apostles like Zod and Gulen Berdo, who were less affected by the power of the abyss, rarely killed civilians at will, and had relatively intact self-awareness, managed to survive.
After they sensed that the God of the Abyss had disappeared, they immediately turned around and fled. Now they had no idea where they were hiding.
But it doesn't matter anymore.
Without the support of the power of the abyss, they can no longer transform into apostles, but instead linger on as useless people with damaged souls and spirits.
Zuo Si briefly confirmed the status of the Hand of God, and then absorbed it to establish a connection and transform it into an extension of his own power.
In other words, he recruited these God's Hands as his minions.
In just a few seconds, the four God's Hands except Griffith all surrendered to their new masters without any resistance or struggle.
At this point, Zuo Si finally completed all his set goals, leaving an avatar on the spot, then activated the Planeswalker Spark and disappeared on the spot.
The next second...
He appeared in the huge cyberpunk city on the ninth level of Baator Hell.
Although he did not deliberately display his power, the devils, who were always very sensitive, were the first to detect the pure evil aura emanating from their lord, and they all raised their heads and saluted.
Especially the lord's secretary, Gramir, who was very close to him, came up to him almost immediately, put his hands close to his chest and took a deep breath, then exclaimed with an intoxicated expression: "Ah! This incomparable fragrance is so pleasant.
Congratulations, my dear master.
You have taken another crucial step towards your evil end.
Perhaps in terms of evil, you are already on par with Asmodeus, the Lord of Hell."
"Haha, you are really getting better and better at talking."
Zuo Si reached out his hand and gently stroked the beautiful cheek of the Pleasure Demon, but soon pushed it away and walked straight to the throne that belonged to him.
After sitting down, he asked with interest: "During the time I was away, has the rebellion started in my name completely ended?"
Gramir nodded without hesitation: "Of course! According to what the Lord of Hell announced to the outside world, he and you just had a minor misunderstanding, and now they have reconciled.
Moreover, all the lords who participated in the civil strife received little punishment, and everything returned to peace.
There are even rumors that you are now on equal footing with Asmodeus, and that Baator is officially entering an era of dual rule."
“Hahahahaha!
Dual politics?
The guy who can say such things really knows nothing about the order represented by the Hell Plane.
In the second largest plane of order after the Mechanical Realm, everything must be clearly hierarchical.
Even if certain compromises are made for evil occasionally, such compromises must never threaten the dominance of order.
So before I decided to integrate into the will of the Baator Hell Plane, Asmodeus' position was unshakable.
What's more, this incident was originally launched at his request."
Zuo Si expressed his attitude towards these unfounded rumors with a laugh.
"I think so too. But the problem is that many of your devils have begun to believe this rumor and are eager to help you go further."
Gramiel shrugged helplessly.
After all, the devils are recognized to have the strongest ambition, and they also like to compete with each other crazily.
In their eyes, if the Lord does not make progress, how can they make progress themselves?
So it doesn't matter whether Zuo Si himself wants it or not. What matters is that he has such power and influence.
"It doesn't matter, let them do whatever they want.
But if anyone dares to cross the red line, they will be sent directly to the bloody front and let Zariel deal with it.
If there is nothing else, I will go to Nessus now to meet the Lord of Hell.
Because he still owes me an answer."
As the last word came out of his mouth, Zuo Si's figure began to gradually become transparent, until it finally disappeared completely.
Answer?
A look of doubt appeared on Gramiel's face.
Although she knew that the civil war in Baator Hell was actually a play performed by the Lord of Hell and her own lord, she did not understand the deeper meaning contained therein.
In particular, why did Asmodeus start this civil war to deplete his own strength, and what kind of conspiracy and intention did he have?
You have to know that the devil is naturally very sensitive to conspiracy and politics.
Especially for a pleasure demon like Gramir who is of noble birth and grew up in the palace of the fourth level, he has witnessed too many incredible conspiracies and it is impossible to know who is the real mastermind until the last moment.
So when she realized that this might involve the biggest secret of Baator, she became very excited. Even when she walked, the amplitude of her waist twisted more than usual, and she looked very seductive.
Because it means that she has stood at the top of the devil's power pyramid and knows even more than the lords at other levels.
…
At the same time, far away in the Malshem Castle on the last layer of hell, Asmodeus was pouring a bottle of wine into two cups, and then handed one of the cups to Zuo Si who was nearby.
“Here, try it, this is the most extreme evil taste.
Thanks to you for collecting a large number of high-quality evil souls from another universe.
Otherwise it would be impossible to brew soul wine of this quality.
And I think you can taste the beauty of it now, right?"
While he was saying this, the being in hell was looking at Zuo Si with a meaningful look, as if he had seen through his body to the evil heart hidden in his soul.
It is the crystallization of evil condensed by mortals, and it is also the most extensive, representative and universal definition of evil.
Moreover, Zuo Si abstracted it into a concept and combined it with his own power.
With such a powerful force, even the Lord of Hell, who was blessed by the will of the plane, couldn't help but felt threatened.
Because if Zuo Si wanted, he could separate the powerful ninth level from Baator at any time to form an independent outer plane.
In other words, he went from being dependent on Hell to being a truly equal partner.
Even Asmodeus must be spoken to in a negotiating tone rather than a commanding tone.
"Thank you very much."
Zuo Si raised his glass with a smile, then tilted his head back and drank it all.
When the evil thoughts, memories and pain entered his body along with the wine, he immediately felt an unprecedented beauty, as if a beautiful piece of music was playing in his mind.
At this moment he finally understood why both demons and devils liked to use sinful souls to brew fine wine.
Only when one completely integrates into and understands evil can one taste the flavor that contains the essence of evil.
Asmodeus also drank it all in one gulp, then put down the empty cup and said with a slightly emotional tone: "My young friend, your growth rate is really far beyond my expectations. Although I have long known that this day will come sooner or later, I never thought that this day would come so soon."
"Don't worry, I have no intention of leaving Baator, at least not yet. So our cooperation can still continue. And you still owe me an answer, don't you?"
Zuo Si asked a meaningful question.
"Hahahaha! That's right, I still owe you an answer. Come on, let's reveal the answer in time."
Asmodeus laughed and raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Bang! With a crisp sound, the scenery in front of the two people changed instantly, and they went directly from the interior of Malshem Castle to the sky above a huge and bottomless canyon.
Looking down, one can clearly see countless demons flying around the cliffs of the deep pit. The number of Hell Demons alone is many times more than the total number of all other levels of Baator Hell combined.
As for the other demons, they were surging like a tide, as if they were constantly cleaning up the black and filthy blood that emerged from the depths of the canyon.
Every once in a while, a large number of demons are born from this filthy blood, as if they are merciless and endless.
There is no doubt that judging from the number of demons gathered here and the speed at which they are born, the military strength of Baator Hell is not much less than that of the Abyss.
The reason why the previous bloody battles were constantly suppressed by the demons was not because the demons could not defeat them, but because the Lord of Hell hid more than 80% of his troops and deliberately showed weakness to the enemy.
In this way, in order to prevent the eternal war between chaos and lawful camps from ending with the victory of the abyss demons, other lawful camps must help the demons at all costs at critical moments.
By then, fewer demons will die, and more lawful neutral and lawful good will naturally die.
Internally and externally, Asmodeus weakened the strength of his enemies on both the chaos and good sides.
His shrewdness and foresight make him worthy of being hailed as the only king-level master of political strategy in the universe.
"Is this the legendary coiled giant snake? The forbidden area within the forbidden area of Baator Hell?" Zuo Si asked with interest, staring at the horrifying scene below.
"That's right! This is the giant snake coil that has countless legends. Well, I think with your intelligence you should already know what I want to do, right?"
Asmodeus had a half-smile on his face.
Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Yes, I think I have some ideas. Your goal is to reverse the eternal bloody battle between order and chaos and turn it into a war between evil and good, right?"
"Smart! You are indeed the person who gets along best with me, no doubt about it.
It's a pity that the demons' chaotic nature makes it impossible for them to control themselves, let alone reach a long-term ceasefire agreement.
So I can only maintain this war in the minimum way possible.
As for these troops, they were all prepared to launch an expedition to the upper planes.
Because once I reach a temporary agreement with those Abyss Lords, we will join forces to attack the lair of the good camp, including the Seventh Heaven Mountain.
At that time they will have to be involved in this war whether they like it or not.
At that time, the bloody battles that represent the conflict between chaos and order will naturally end, and the eternal war that represents the conflict between good and evil will begin. "
Asmodeus concealed nothing and stated his ultimate plan directly.
It was not difficult to tell from those eyes emitting a red glow how angry and upset he was about the devil having been tricked.
Because he, who was the best at conspiring and scheming, was actually schemed against by those kind-hearted gods whom he despised the most.
What a shame!
How ridiculous! Although the gods who participated in it chose to keep it secret, no one knew that the origin of the bloody battle was actually a carefully designed trap.
But for the Lord of Hell this is still a naked humiliation.
Whenever he saw reports from the bloody front lines, he would feel a strong rage and desire for revenge.
It’s a pity that he couldn’t find any opportunity to break the impasse before.
Because the bloody battle lasted too long and was too large in scale.
Anyone who has studied classical mechanics knows that the greater the mass of an object, the more tremendous the inertia it will generate when it moves.
The same thing applies to bloody battles.
During the long war, the devils even formed a complete chain of interests centered on this. Other planes and camps were unwilling to see the war end, allowing the devils and demons to invade other planes.
So even if Asmodeus wanted to end the bloody battle, he couldn't fight against such terrible resistance.
But the emergence of Zuo Si changed this situation.
Especially on the bloody battle front, the balance of power between the devils and the demons has changed, causing the demons who were originally very interested in the bloody battle to begin to get tired of this eternal war.
Because they could no longer rely on overwhelming numerical superiority to defeat their well-disciplined enemies as they had done before.
This also means that the time has come to reach a ceasefire agreement with the Lord of the Abyss.
We can even join forces with them to attack the lairs of those kind-hearted camps, and make them pay the price in blood for their preference of sitting on the sidelines and watching tigers fight.
“Okay, I think I see what you mean.
But what does this have to do with me?
You should know that I am not strictly a person who is full of hatred and hostility towards the good camp.
I don't think they should be completely eliminated.
This is your war, your plan, I will not interfere too much, but I will not join in it either."
After thinking for a moment, Zuo Si quickly expressed his attitude.
Because in his view, whether it is the bloody battle between order and chaos or the eternal war between good and evil, there is no essential difference, and it is even more impossible to reach any results.
As long as the inner planes that maintain neutrality and balance still exist, once the outer planes are out of balance, it will inevitably cause interference from the elemental planes.
By then, no matter whether it is the demons from the abyss or the devils from hell, they will have to retreat to their nests in disgrace to lick their wounds.
This was already proven when the Abyss started a war that engulfed the entire universe.
Asmodeus smiled and shook his head, explaining, “No, you misunderstood me.
I'm not inviting you, but telling you what I'm going to do next so that you can be mentally prepared in advance.
Because when I go out in full force, I hope you can stay behind to avoid being ambushed by enemies from other planes."
"Sit in the rear? That's no problem.
Because I will declare the Ninth Plane neutral after the war breaks out.
If there are any fools who want to invade Hell, I don't mind sending an army to teach them a lesson. "
Zuo Si agreed very readily.
He knew that the Lord of Hell wanted him to guard the entrance to the last floor from the ninth floor to ensure that no one could get close to the giant snake coil.
Because in that bottomless pit, there hides a huge monster with terrifying vitality and great evil.
If nothing unexpected happens, this is the true identity of Asmodeus.
As for what its true form is, it is still unknown.
Zuo Si couldn't ask or pry into the matter, as that would cause him to completely fall out with the other party.
“That’s enough! I wish us a happy cooperation!
The moment the demon army of Baator Hell attacks the Seventh Heaven Mountain, the entire universe will tremble.
Evil beings like you and me will also receive great gifts from the plane's will and the evil force.
And this is an opportunity, and even more so a revenge.
I will make those former enemies cry out in pain and despair."
As he spoke, Asmodeus' eyes flashed with creepy malice.
Obviously, compared to his archenemy, the demon, with whom he had fought bloody battles for countless years, he hated the gods of the good camp on the Seventh Heaven Mountain more.
However, whether this was due to the nature of the evil camp or something that had happened between him and those gods and celestial beings before was unknown.
"So when do you plan to start?" Zuo Si asked calmly.
Asmodeus pursed his lips and replied meaningfully, "Soon! Because I have been waiting for this day for too long.
As soon as those pit lords sign the armistice and turn their attacks, I will unleash the true power of Baator upon the universe.
Besides that, I'm a little curious. Given your personality, you wouldn't just sit there and do nothing, right?"
Zuo Si smiled and shook his head: "No, I am about to start a spark war in another time and space to decide my own fate. I don't have much time and energy to worry about other things for the time being."
"Oh? Are you ready?"
Asmodeus stared at the spot on the other's chest where the Planeswalker's Spark was stored.
He obviously knew something about the plan.
"Well, yes. I now have almost all the keys to victory, only the last few pieces of the puzzle are missing."
As he spoke, Zuo Si's body began to change rapidly, until he completely transformed himself into a multi-headed dragon.
However, unlike the slightly incongruous image before, he has now completely merged the heads of several different colors into one. There is no longer any color distinction, but they all reflect the black and red light that symbolizes evil.
When the viewing angle changes, the scales on the body will also change color.
This means that the enemy can no longer judge the shape and power of the spray by the color and size of the dragon's head.
Not only that!
The Evil Heart also perfectly and harmoniously unifies all forces and quasi-divine powers, presenting a state of harmony and perfection.
"Ah! It is so beautiful! My young friend, if you were a raw gem when I first saw you, now you are a jewel emitting a dazzling brilliance."
The Lord of Hell exclaimed in praise with his eyes shining.
"Thank you for the compliment. If you don't mind, I'll take my leave now. The less I know about what's going to happen next, the better."
After saying this, Zuo Si returned to his human form, put one hand on his chest and bowed slightly, then activated the planeswalker spark and left this forbidden place in Baator Hell.
Looking at the place where he disappeared, Asmodeus chuckled for a long time before whispering, "You chose to remain neutral? What a cunning young man. If only Gracia had such a brain, I wouldn't have to work so hard to balance the conflicts among lords at all levels."
"Master, are you sure you want to let Lord Soth go like this?"
Martinot, the steward of the Lord of Hell, appeared out of nowhere in an instant, his tone clearly revealing strong reluctance and anger.
Because in his opinion, Zuo Si had clearly crossed the line, and no longer had the proper respect he had before. Instead, he seemed to be talking to his master on an equal footing.
In the eyes of the devil, this is sheer treason and obvious rebellion.
“What else can we do?
You have to understand that he has now escaped the shackles of Baator and ascended to another level, a position that is almost equal to me.
Especially that evil heart, which has almost endless potential.
Combined with the abilities of planeswalkers, even the vast multiverse can be incorporated into it.
It is unwise to make enemies with such people.
Besides, didn't he promise to help me guard Hell? This way, we can all come out to wage this war between good and evil.
Remember, my steward, never easily offend those friends who are powerful and friendly to us.
Because doing so will not achieve any benefit other than creating a terrifying and troublesome enemy.
Okay, now let's make final preparations for this war.
This time I want to see the entire Seventh Heaven Mountain littered with corpses and rivers of blood!"
As the last word came out of his mouth, Asmodeus suddenly opened his arms and made a grasping gesture with his hands.
"As you wish, Supreme Lord of Hell."
Martinot bowed his head deeply to show his most humble side.
But if you look closely, you will find that his eyes are shining with excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm.
…
On the other hand, in the Sel Empire in the east of the continent of Faerun, the war between the chief red-robed wizards has completely entered a white-hot stage.
Although Zuo Si himself did not interfere too much in this mortal war, he simply allowed the important officials of the West Coast Empire to do as they pleased, and threw all the talisman masters who were entangled with the talismans over as spies.
But the situation has developed to an uncontrollable point in a very short period of time.
Especially Sazastan, which was originally full of confidence, found out in the battle that it had no way to win an overwhelming advantage, but was instead caught in an endless tug-of-war and tough battle.
He purchased weapons from the West Coast Empire, and other factions in the parliament were equally eager to spend money and make purchases.
As a result, the civil war that was supposed to last for a hundred years ended with devastation in just a few years.
More than half of the people in Sel rushed to flee their homes, either by boat or by regular airships, and all of them rushed to the territory of the West Coast Empire to settle down.
This undoubtedly greatly alleviated the population shortage of the new empire with a vast territory.
In particular, a large number of wizards and sorcerers who were tired of the constant fighting and killing were quickly absorbed into the empire's magic system and became part of it. Many of the original red robe wizards' unique secrets also spread.
As for the large number of slaves that originally existed in Cyre, they were also packaged and sold to the West Coast Empire in exchange for more useful undead, constructs, and wands and scrolls that could summon creatures from other worlds.
Because the slaves' fighting power is so poor, and they even need to "eat" and "rest" which is so troublesome. If they are slightly missing an limb, they will lie on the ground wailing. At the same time, they are also very prone to periodic collapse and death. They are no match for the undead, constructs, and armies of alien creatures.
It has to be said that when it comes to being inhumane and unkind, the top red robe wizards never disappoint.
In this way, Sel, which was originally the most popular country in the East, had almost no living people in the entire country in just a few years.
In their place were countless undead purchased and raised from the grave, as well as constructs that were constantly tinkering with.
In order to meet the requirements of these high-quality customers for cheap, large quantities, obedience and easy control, the Arcane Order has set up a special research team to help the red robe wizards develop better soldiers and war machines.
As a result, an extremely strange and insane situation appeared on the battlefield of Sel.
That is, both the Sazastan and Parliamentary armies can only purchase and use soldiers, weapons and equipment provided by the West Coast Empire.
Because all their strength and resources were used in the war, they had no extra time and energy to study other things.
If you don't buy it, you will be crushed by the advanced weapons and equipment, new constructs and undead soldiers purchased by the other side.
But the problem is that even if you buy it, the West Coast Empire will upgrade and eliminate it and innovate every once in a while.
So in order to avoid being suppressed on the battlefield, you have to continue buying.
Over the years, the entire nation of Sel had almost emptied its assets, and all major mines and agricultural areas were operating at full capacity just to earn more money to continue purchasing things provided by the West Coast Empire.
In order to increase production capacity, they even used the undead and construct creatures that had been specially modified by the West Coast Empire for mining and farming.
Agricultural and mineral outputs have even reached efficiencies that are unmatched even in the era of large-scale industrialization on Earth.
Many forests have been completely cut down, and many forests and mountains have turned into bare loess and shown signs of desertification.
It is obvious that the damage caused to the environment by magic wars is not much less than that caused by wars with thermal weapons. On the contrary, it is even greater.
Many natural gods even look for believers to go to Sel to launch a holy war to protect the forests and animals.
But unfortunately, in front of the iron fist of the red-robed wizard, not a single one of these most radical environmentalists who were capable of causing trouble survived.
Basically, they were either killed on the spot or transformed into the undead form they hated the most, and forced to work for the evil red-robed wizard.
"Oh my God! Is this... is this really the wealthy Cyre?"
A businessman who had just stepped off an airship stared in amazement at the devastated city filled with collapsed houses, ruins and undead creatures. He was completely stunned.
Another fat businessman who was traveling with him asked with a smile: "This is your first time here since the war started, right?"
The former nodded vigorously and said, "Yes, the last time I came here was ten years ago. The streets here were very prosperous. You could often see dignitaries with a large number of servants and slaves appearing in the market."
"No wonder.
The Searle you remembered is long gone, and may never be restored.
Because there are not many living people left in this country.
I heard that in order to gain population, the red-robed wizards are planning to open the door to another dimension to go to other continents or planes to plunder people.
Moreover, they are very dependent on us, and have even become our vassal economic.
See those guys with those flattering smiles? When have you ever seen an arrogant red wizard treat us merchants so well before? "
As he said this, a hint of pride and honor appeared on the fat businessman's face.
He understood that the reason why the other party valued him so much was entirely because this merchant group was labeled as the "West Coast Empire".
When it comes to asking for help, even a red-robed wizard has to lower his proud head.
Not only Sel, but other regions of the entire Faerun continent have basically submitted to the economic hegemony of the empire.
There is no need to start a war, let alone deploy a single soldier.
Most of the time, as long as a trade embargo and economic sanctions are imposed on a disobedient region, the people living in that area will spontaneously riot.
Without this giant trade network that covered the continent of Faerun and even extended to several other continents, not only were they unable to buy many necessities of life, but their own products would also be piled up and unsold.
This kind of dimensionality reduction double blow is simply not something that city-states and regions that don't even have a country can stand.
So they had no choice but to surrender.
Under this economic hegemony, merchants from the West Coast Empire will be respected and treated favorably wherever they go.
After all, offending them means very serious consequences.
Although Zuo Si had been attacking and dismantling the big merchant families, the merchants were the group that most supported and loved the emperor of the empire.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
