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.

“Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!”

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 feel 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 idea. 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.

届时无论他们愿意与否都必须卷入这场战争。

到那个时候代表着混乱与秩序冲突的血战自然会结束，而象征着善良与邪恶冲突的永恒战争将会开启。”

阿斯摩蒂尔斯没有任何隐瞒，直截了当说出了自己的终极计划。

从那双散发着红色幽光的眼睛不难看出，他对于魔鬼当年被算计究竟有多么的愤怒和懊恼。

因为作为最擅长阴谋诡计的他，居然被那些最瞧不起的善良神祇给反过来算计了。

这是何等的耻辱！

何等的可笑！ 尽管当初参与其中的神祇都选择了对外保密，以至于压根没人知道血战的起源其实是一次精心设计好的陷阱。

可对于地狱之主而言这仍旧是一种赤裸裸的羞辱。

每当看到血战前线送来的报告，他内心之中都会有产生强烈的怒火和渴望报复的念头。

只可惜，以前他根本找不到什么破局的机会。

因为血战延续的时间实在是太长了，而且规模也太过于巨大。

学过经典力学的人都知道，一个东西的质量越大，当他动起来以后所形成的惯性也就越惊人。

同样的道理也适用于血战。

在长期的战争中，魔鬼们甚至以此为中心形成了一套完整的利益链条，其他位面和阵营也不愿意看到这场战争结束，让魔鬼和恶魔们倒出手来可以入侵其他位面。

所以即便阿斯摩蒂尔斯想要结束血战，也没办法与如此恐怖的阻力对抗。

但左思的出现却改变了这一格局。

尤其是血战前线魔鬼和恶魔的力量对比发生变化，使得原本对血战十分感兴趣的恶魔们也开始厌倦了这场永恒的战争。

因为他们再也无法像以前那样，靠着压倒性的数量优势来击败纪律森严的宿敌。

这也就意味着，与深渊领主达成停战协议的契机成熟了。

甚至可以与其联手一起攻入那些善良阵营的老巢，让喜欢坐山观虎斗的他们付出血的代价。

“好吧，我想我明白您的意思了。

不过这跟我又有什么关系呢？

您应该知道，我严格来说并不是一个对善良阵营充满憎恨和敌意的人。

也不从觉得应该将他们彻底消灭。

这是您的战争、您的计划，我不会做过多的干涉，但同样也不会加入其中。”

左思在思考了片刻之后迅速表明自己的态度。

因为在他看来，不管是秩序与混乱的血战，还是善良与邪恶的永恒战争，本质上都没有任何区别，更不可能得出什么结果。

只要作为维持中立与平衡的内层位面还在，外层位面一旦失衡必然会引发来自元素位面的干涉。

到时候无论是深渊恶魔也好，还是地狱魔鬼也罢，都得灰溜溜的撤回老巢舔伤口。

这一点在深渊掀起席卷整个宇宙的战争时就已经被证实过了。

阿斯摩蒂尔斯笑着摇了摇头解释道：“不，你误会了我的意思了。

我这并不是在向你发出邀请，而是告诉你我接下来要做什么，让你提前有个心理准备。

因为当我倾巢出动的时候，希望你能坐镇后方避免被来自其他位面的敌人偷袭。”

“坐镇后方？ 这个倒是没什么问题。

因为我会在战争爆发之后宣告第九层面保持中立。

如果有哪个不开眼的家伙想要攻入地狱，我也不介意派出军队给他们点颜色瞧瞧。”

左思非常干脆的答应下来。

他知道，地狱之主的意思是让自己扼守住第九层通往最后一层的入口，确保任何人都无法接近巨蛇盘卷。

因为在那个深不见底的巨坑之中，隐藏着一个拥有恐怖生命力且无比邪恶的庞然大物。

不出意外的话，这就是阿斯摩蒂尔斯的真身。

至于真实形态究竟是什么暂时还不得而知。

左思不能问，也不能去窥探，那会导致他跟对方彻底翻脸。

“这样就足够了！ 预祝我们合作愉快！

当巴托地狱的魔鬼大军攻入七重天堂山的那一刻，整个宇宙都会为之颤抖。

像你我这样的邪恶存在也会得到位面意志与邪恶原力的巨大馈赠。

而且这是一个机会，更是一次复仇。

我会让那些昔日的仇敌发出痛苦绝望的悲鸣。”

说着，阿斯摩蒂尔斯的眼睛里闪烁着令人毛骨悚然的恶意。

很显然，相比起打了不知道多少年血战的宿敌恶魔，他更痛恨七重天堂山上的那些善良阵营的神祇。

不过这究竟源自于邪恶阵营的天性，还是他之前跟那些神明、天界生物发生过什么就不知道了。

“那您打算什么时候动手呢？”左思不动声色的试探道。

阿斯摩蒂尔斯抿起嘴角意味深长的回答道：“很快！ 因为我已经等这一天太久了。

只要那些深渊领主在停战协议上签字并掉转矛头发动进攻，我就会向整个宇宙释放巴托地狱真正的力量。

除此之外我有点好奇，以你的性格应该不会老老实实的待着什么都不做吧？”

左思笑着摇了摇头：“不，我马上就要在另外一个时空打响一场决定自己命运的火花之战，暂时没有太多的时间和精力顾忌其他。”

“哦？你已经做好准备了？”

阿斯摩蒂尔斯盯着对方胸口那个保存着旅法师火花的位置。

他显然是多少知道一点这个计划。

“嗯，是的。我现在差不多拿到了所有的通往胜利的钥匙，只差最后几块拼图了。”

说着，左思的身体开始急剧变化，直至彻底把自己变化成多头巨龙的样子。

只不过与之前那种略显违和感的形象不同，眼下的他已经把几个不同颜色的脑袋彻底融为一体，不再有任何颜色之分，而是清一色折射出出象征邪恶的黑红色光芒。

当观察角度发生变化的时候，身上的鳞片也会随之变色。

这也就意味着，敌人再也无法通过龙头的颜色和大小来判断喷吐的形态与威力。

不仅如此！

邪恶之心还将所有力量和类神力完美和谐的统一到一起，呈现出一种和谐完美的状态。

“啊！这可真是美极了！我年轻的朋友，如果说当初第一次见到你的时候，你还是一颗未经雕琢的原始宝石，那现在就是一颗散发着璀璨夺目光辉的珠宝。”

地狱之主两眼放光的发出赞叹。

“感谢您的夸奖。如果不介意的话，我就先行告退了。因为接下来的事情我还是知道的越少越好。”

说完这句话，左思便恢复人类形态单手抚胸略微欠了欠身，随后启动旅法师火花离开了这个巴托地狱的禁忌之地。

看着他消失的地方，阿斯摩蒂尔斯过了好一会儿才轻笑着低语道：“居然选择中立吗？真是个狡猾的年轻人呢。要是格莱西雅有这样的脑子该有多好，我就不需要为了平衡各个层面领主的矛盾费尽心机。”

“主人，您确定就这样放任索斯阁下吗？”

地狱之主的总管马蒂诺特瞬间凭空出现，语气中明显透露出强烈的不甘与愤怒。

因为在他看来，左思明显已经越界了，而且再也没有之前那种应有的恭敬，反而像是在以一种平等的态度跟自己的主人对话。

这在魔鬼的眼中简直就是大逆不道、反心昭然若揭。

“不然还能怎么办呢？

你要明白，他现在已经脱离巴托地狱的束缚，上升到了另外一个层次，一个几乎能跟我平起平坐的位置。

尤其是那颗邪恶之心，几乎拥有无穷无尽的潜力。

再配合旅法师的能力，甚至可以把更加广阔的多元宇宙纳入其中。

与这样的人交恶是不明智的。

更何况他不是答应了会帮我镇守地狱吗？ 如此一来我们就能倾巢而出发动这场善恶之战。

记住，我的总管，永远不要去轻易得罪那些有实力且对我们友善的朋友。

因为这样做除了制造一个恐怖且麻烦的敌人之外并不会得到任何好处。

好了，现在去为这场战争做最后的准备吧。

这一次我要看到整个七重天堂山尸横遍野、血流成河！”

伴随着最后一个字脱口而出，阿斯摩蒂尔斯猛然间张开双臂，两只手做了一个抓握的动作。

“如您所愿，至高无上的地狱之主。”

马蒂诺特深深地低下头将自己最谦卑的一面展示出来。

但只要仔细观察就会发现，他的眼睛里闪烁着兴奋、期待和狂热的光芒。

……

另外一边，在费伦大陆东方的塞尔帝国内，红袍法师首席们之间的战争也彻底进入白热化。

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 infighting 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 populous 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 economically.

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 withstand.

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.