Chapter 270 The Nature of Spell Sequencers (10,000-word chapter, please subscribe)
With all the red robe wizards retreating and the Zhentarim completely collapsing due to the murder of Manson, Luskan finally fell into Zuo Si's control.
To be exact, it is controlled by the core members of the organization - the lichs.
Because he himself has never been interested in business and management, he often just sets a basic policy and leaves the rest to his own initiative.
Especially Vanessa, who has become the de facto second-in-command, is for some reason very keen to take charge of such things, and never tires of it.
Using the large population and immigrants brought from Mintan Island, he easily defused the attempts of the local residents of Luskan to resist the new rulers through non-violent non-cooperation.
After all, the original permanent residents of Luskan were only about 15,000 people.
Counting those who died in battle, those who were transformed into undead creatures, and those who were thrown into quarries and mines for hard labor, there were almost a few thousand young adults in total.
Therefore, most of the remaining residents in the city are women, children, the elderly, the weak, the sick, and the few merchants, guards, and members of the Thieves Guild.
So when the Thieves Guild members and the Ratmen in the sewers were cleared away, the entire city had actually lost the capital to resist.
If they do not choose to cooperate, they will soon be completely replaced by immigrants and become the lowest level of society.
As for the unscrupulous businessmen, in less than two or three days, they were arrested one after another and all their property was confiscated.
Then use these wealth and materials to hire people to renovate houses, repair roads, and restore the ruined battlefield to its original state.
When people have money, they can naturally buy daily necessities such as food and clothing, thus revitalizing economic activities that have completely stalled.
Not only that!
Xinbu, who had always hated slavery, personally took Storm Silverhand with him outside the city to liberate those farms that relied on squeezing slaves to operate, and gave slaves the status of freedmen.
Under Zuo Si's instruction, if the freed slaves are willing to stay and continue doing this job, they will not only receive generous rewards, but also promise to ensure safety.
The reason why he did not distribute land to these people was that Luskan was located too close to the mountains at the Spine of the World, and various monsters and barbarian invasions emerged one after another.
Human beings must unite together to build fortresses and fortress-like manors in order to barely resist threats from the outside and ensure that their lives and property will not be violated.
If you take it for granted that land is distributed to independent families one after another on a household basis, you may find that after a few weeks or even months, all of these families will most likely die.
As the saying goes, the most suitable one is the best.
If you just mechanically copy other people's successful experiences without understanding the actual situation, it is basically no different from murder.
Although the confiscation of the properties of unscrupulous merchants caused Luskan to temporarily lose the ability to conduct maritime trade, with the arrival of dozens of large ships from Amn, Waterdeep, and the Nelanthel Islands loaded with various goods , this dead city is once again full of vitality.
A large number of special products from the Far North transported from Icewind Valley were purchased by southern merchants at high prices. As a result, hunters, middlemen, adventurers and loggers also made huge incomes.
Standing on the top of the recently repaired Arcane Brotherhood tower, Xinbu watched with great interest the drastic changes that Luskan had undergone in a short period of time. He smiled and praised: "I have to admit, You are indeed an excellent ruler in this regard, because you always understand what people of all walks of life need and are able to give them what they want.”
"No, you are wrong. It is not me who is excellent, but the efficient bureaucracy established by Vanessa. If there are no grassroots executors who can implement the policy, then no matter how good the policy is, it will be misinterpreted and used, and become An excuse for exploiting the people at the bottom and corruption," Zuo Si replied casually.
As a modern person, he may be the one in the entire Faerûn continent who can clearly understand how important an efficient and well-organized bureaucracy is to a city and even a country.
And when it comes to dealing with corruption and abuse of power, the lichs won’t talk to you about laws, human rights, evidence or anything like that.
Once they find a suspect, they often directly choose to use prophecy magic to confirm it, or use veritaserum, lie detection and other medicines and spells.
Anyway, as long as this guy really does it, it is absolutely impossible to escape.
Therefore, from its establishment to the present, the bureaucracy of the Nelanser Islands has maintained an efficiency and integrity that is unimaginable to the outside world.
Even those who have transformed from businessmen to mayors and officials know that there is a pair of eyes in the dark that they cannot detect watching everything.
If anyone dares to cross the line, he will surely suffer the severest punishment.
As for escaping, don’t even think about it.
"Vanessa? That lich?" A trace of curiosity flashed in Xinbu's eyes.
She had always believed that lichs, like red robed mages, were a group of extremely cold, selfish and cruel bastards.
Otherwise, I would not have made a bet with others to see who could kill a hundred lichs first.
But the lichs of the Arcane Society are obviously very different.
Although many of them still give people a very selfish and evil feeling, they have been doing things according to the rules and rarely affect the lives of ordinary people.
Zuo Si smiled and nodded: "That's right. Vanessa is a very good executor and is always able to perfectly implement my intentions and orders. Without him, I think Nelanthe The Seal Islands will not be as prosperous as they are now, and Luskan’s transformation plan will not be so smooth.”
"Got it. You're using these powerful undead spellcasters to intimidate those bureaucrats, ensuring that no worms will ever appear among them."
As Queen of Aglalon, Xinbu has a deep understanding of politics and power. Although the control is not as good as Alustriel's, he is not an idiot, and he immediately understood the position occupied by the lich in the ruling structure.
Many times, they are not managers, and do not even directly participate in the processing of daily affairs. They only exist as a role to convey orders and supervision.
Only when some people try to launch a rebellion, or when there is a lot of corruption in the bureaucracy, will the lich come forward to carry out a ruthless cleanup.
In this way, with such a Sword of Damocles hanging above their heads, officials will naturally maintain a sense of awe and will think twice before accepting bribes.
In fact, the fundamental reason why graft, corruption, and bribery occur on a large scale is that there are serious problems in the supervision and judicial systems, causing bureaucrats to lose their most basic respect.
Coupled with a sense of luck that the law does not punish the public, it is difficult to restrain it once it spreads.
But as undead lichs are different, they will not ignore the law and not blame others, and they will not be merciful just because there are too many people who have made mistakes.
So the deterrent effect is directly maximized.
"Yes. In fact, I originally wanted to enter the justice and trial system of the Church of Tire, the God of Justice. However, due to the large use of undead as labor, this idea had to be abandoned." Zuo Si shrugged and replied road.
Out of curiosity, when he went to Neverwinter, he visited a judicial trial hosted by the Church of Tyr, the God of Justice.
The whole process, whether it is the submission of evidence, defense, appeal, or the final verdict, has a touch of the modern social court.
And because the presiding officers are all pastors and believers of the God of Justice, both the legal provisions and the sentencing are very appropriate and beneficial. They are neither too harsh nor have loopholes that allow criminals to There are loopholes to exploit.
If possible, Zuo Si really hopes to bring this judicial system into his own sphere of influence.
Unfortunately, it is impossible for both parties to reach an agreement on the use of undead creatures.
In contrast, the Church of the Goddess of Magic and its voters have a high level of tolerance in this regard.
At least Kelben, Ximbu, Alustriel, Storm Silverhand, Dove Silverhand and others did not react when they saw a large number of undead being sent to work in farms and mines outside the city. Showing too obvious disgust.
"Hahahaha! Many people say I am a madman! But in my opinion, you are the real madman. Like you, you have recruited so many lichs as your subordinates, and you have also transformed them on a large scale. Undead, you are still trying to cooperate with the church of Tyr, the God of Justice? I really want to pry open your mind to see what weird ideas are inside."
Xinbu laughed so hard that he couldn't breathe. Take a breath.
She suddenly found that the young man in front of her was very interesting, and his personality and ideas were unexpectedly compatible with hers.
Especially in their attitude towards the enemy, they all advocate killing them all without leaving any consequences.
This is completely different from Elminster's view that he always likes to be merciful, while Kelben prefers to maintain a balance.
In fact, the Storm Queen is the most alternative among the many voters of the Goddess of Magic.
The reason why the outside world thinks she is crazy all day long is actually because most people cannot keep up with her thinking speed.
“Don’t laugh, I’m serious.”
Zuo Si shrugged helplessly.
“In my opinion, killing and turning those pirates, bandits, orcs, goblins, gnolls and the like who only know destruction rather than production and creation into undead can alleviate the situation in Faerûn to the greatest extent. The mainland has a common problem of labor shortage.
And with these immortal workers who are free and do not need to eat, drink or rest, it is possible to produce an astonishing amount of food, steel, stone, wood and other necessary materials in a short period of time. , thus ensuring the continued stability of prices.
There will be no famine and price increases caused by natural disasters or other reasons.
The most important thing is that the undead can be transformed into humans when needed. An army deployed to resist invasion by external forces
Taking Luskan as an example, I arranged two hundred undead laborers in each farm to provide a certain degree of protection for those farmers when monsters or wild beasts invaded.
If it were a human being, not to mention how much it would cost to recruit and train so many soldiers, the daily food consumption alone would be a staggering amount, and would also bring a heavy burden to the farm itself.
Sometimes I really can’t figure out why a kind god like Tyr, the God of Justice, who advocates establishing order and hopes that people can live a good life, would use undead labor, which is both economical and can bring prosperity. are excluded from the options.
Are the so-called definitions of good and evil so important?
Watch, with the non-stop production of these undead workers day and night, the barns in Nelanthel Islands and Luskan will soon be filled with food and various strategic materials.
With a stable and cheap food supply, fertility can be encouraged by providing welfare, and the population will grow explosively in the next two to three decades.
I will prove to the whole world that the undead themselves are not some scourge, nor are they the most dangerous enemies of all living things as people imagine.
Just the opposite!
As long as they are used properly, they can become the cornerstone of the prosperity of a city or even a country. "
Xinbu nodded with deep understanding: "Judging from the current development trend, it is very likely that this goal will be achieved.
If the artificers of the Imasca Empire had thought of this, they would not have brought gods from other worlds over by opening interdimensional portals to plunder slaves, which would eventually lead to their own destruction.
But you'd better be careful, low-level undead are very easy to control.
If someone uses them to create terrorist attacks, then people will inevitably fear or even resist the presence of the undead around them. ”
“Please don’t worry about this. Don't forget, in addition to being the chosen one of the goddess of magic, I am also the chosen one of the goddess of poison and disease. If anyone dares to engage in this indiscriminate attack with me, then I won't mind poisoning and spreading plague within their sphere of influence. I believe Mansong should have a deep understanding of it now. ”
While saying these words, Zuo Si’s corners of his mouth raised slightly, showing a chilling expression.
He would not forget to seek vengeance against Manshoon and the Zhentarim.
In fact, on the day after the battle, a large number of soldiers and bureaucrats began to be poisoned in major strongholds, including Dark Castle and Zhentil Castle.
It is estimated that it has completely spread now, and the number of people dead and permanently disabled must be at least several thousand.
You must know that these people are not civilians, but the military and officials used to maintain the foundation of the dictatorship.
With such a high price, Mansong is probably completely exhausted right now.
After all, Zhentil Castle basically lost its elite army that it was proud of.
Let alone launching a war of foreign aggression, even self-protection has become a big problem.
Obviously, Zuo Si knew that if he used plague, Mansong would definitely take the opportunity to spread it to the surrounding areas, so he very smartly changed his strategy, which was to poison.
Although there are magic spells such as [slowing the onset of poison] and [neutralizing toxin] that can be used for treatment, you can even use the reserved antidote to deal with it.
However, since the toxin released this time has a very severe effect and will cause permanent disability in a very short period of time, it is meaningless even if it is cured. Instead, it is a headache how to deal with these disabled soldiers.
Unless Manshon is willing to spend a huge price to repeatedly use the wish spell, it is almost inevitable that the armies of Zhentil Keep and Darkhold will be greatly reduced.
And this kind of attrition will cause the sphere of influence he controls to become extremely unstable, and may even be robbed by hostile forces.
“Every revenge must be retaliated, and this is what I like most about you. Elminster, Kelben, Lyra, and Alustriel are all too weak in dealing with their enemies, and they have no intention of dealing with the enemy at all. The Tallinn Society and evil organizations such as the Red Robe Masters formed a deterrent, which directly led to the latter becoming more and more unscrupulous in planning conspiracies."
Xinbu's tone clearly revealed his dissatisfaction with several other voters. mood.
On this matter, she had a fierce quarrel with Elminster, the leader of the electorate, long ago.
After all, judging from the map, Aglalon is located on the peninsula to the west of Ser. It has always been a country that the red-robed mages want to occupy and annex.
So as the queen, Xinbu can feel the threat most personally, so her attitude and reaction are naturally more radical than other voters.
“I completely agree with your point of view. When dealing with those guys who push their limits, it is most important to form an effective deterrent to make the other party feel wary. Otherwise, if every failure is insignificant, it will only encourage them. Arrogance. In this regard, I have a natural advantage, because poisoning and releasing plague are always the most damaging and cheapest ways to the entire social structure. Maybe we can form an alliance to deal with the red robes led by Sazastan. We.”
Zuo Si took the initiative to invite us to cooperate.
Of course, he doesn't care much about Agolalon itself, a country full of half-elves. He just hopes to establish a good alliance with Xinbu.
"Are you sure? You must know that the war between Ser and Aglalon has been going on for many years. If you form an alliance, it means that you may be involved in this protracted battle at any time." Xinbu challenged in surprise. Raise your eyebrows.
Zuo Si responded with a smile: "I have never been afraid of challenges. Fighting against one of the most powerful spellcasting organizations in the entire Faerun continent can provide good experience. What's more, it's not like you are here Is the Storm Queen who is frightened by the red robed mages here?"
"Hahahaha! You are good at talking. No wonder Alustriel is so interested in my exclusive sequence. It is inevitable to get the magic weapon." A playful smile appeared on Xinbu's beautiful face.
It has to be said that every one of the seven sisters in the North is a standard beauty with elven blood.
Even the sloppiest-looking Storm Queen can instantly attract the attention of others as long as she takes a shower and combs her hair.
It's a pity that she never cares about this. Sometimes she can smell a strange sour smell when she gets close.
"Exploring and learning unknown magical knowledge is my highest pursuit in life. As long as I can achieve this goal, I don't care what price I have to pay for it."
Zuo Si did not hide it. What, openly admitting his desire for the secrets of the magic of the sequencer.
Although the planeswalker card system can also achieve this to a certain extent, as the saying goes, if you have too many skills, you will not be overwhelmed. Who would think that you have too many trump cards in your hand.
Xinbu nodded with satisfaction: "I like your straightforwardness. Since you have shared with me the secret of being a planeswalker, and are willing to help the red-robed mage at the appropriate time. With a spy inside, I'll tell you the secret of the sequencer's magic, but you have to promise not to spread it."
"Please rest assured. Except for myself and the lich who are completely under my control, absolutely no outsiders will know the secret of the sequencer." Zuo Si assured without hesitation.
When Xinbu heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and showed a very strange expression.
Because the guarantee she originally wanted was not to teach it to any outsiders.
But Zuo Si did better and directly expanded the scope to the lichs of the Arcane Society.
But considering that the planeswalkers are powerful enough to rival the power of gods, these lichs can never escape their control, so it doesn't seem to be a big problem.
In the end, Xinbu did not raise any objections, but explained the principles of sequencer magic in very concise language.
Contrary to what Zuo Si thought, sequencer magic is not about compressing and storing several magics in the ordinary sense, and triggering them with a gesture when needed. Just the opposite!
It's more like "borrowing" spells from somewhere else.
The word "borrow" is used because the spells when the sequencer is triggered often come from two sources.
One of them is naturally that the caster himself sets up a secret spell storage location in advance, and when necessary, connects the sequencer itself to the magic network over a long distance to release the stored spells in sequence.
Since the stored spells themselves will remain for a very long period of time, it is equivalent to adding a series of powerful additional continuous spell bombardments on top of the daily spell slots.
As for the other kind, it is to "borrow" from the spells remembered by others by establishing a stable connection.
For example, Zuo Si can establish a stable connection with his lichs through sequencer magic.
When the sequencer needs to be released, the Liches will be notified in advance and complete the spell casting preparations as quickly as possible.
All he has to do is guide these spells through the magic network, and then pour them onto the enemy's head.
To sum up simply, the essence of the sequencer is a magic storage technology and a spell slot borrowing technology.
I am afraid that except for the chosen goddess of magic for silver fire and the real legendary mages, it is almost difficult for ordinary spellcasters to complete this ultra-long distance transmission of magical energy.
"How about it, do you feel disappointed? The famous sequencer is actually not fundamentally different from items such as magic storage rings and magic wands."
Xinbu picked up the cup Taking a sip of hot cocoa, a look of great enjoyment appeared on his face.
A woman's natural tendency to love chocolate and sweets was perfectly reflected in her at this moment.
Ever since she tasted it for the first time a few days ago, the Queen has completely fallen in love with this specialty product from the Maztec continent, and is planning to carry several hundred kilograms with her in a dimensional bag when she goes back. .
Because Aglalon is in the east of Faerûn, close to Ser where the red robe mages rule.
The New World trade that emerged from the west coast has not yet been passed on by merchants.
So there are no cocoa beans, cocoa powder and finished chocolate for sale there.
Zuo Si shook his head slightly: "How is that possible? In my opinion, the ultra-long-distance magic energy transmission provided by the sequencer magic is a genius initiative, not to mention the genius of building a spell storage chamber. A pioneering work. As a warlock, you have reached a level that many mages cannot reach."
"Why does this sentence sound like it is discriminating against warlocks?" Xinbu put down the cup in his hand.
"Don't worry, it's just because a certain pyromancer showed his hips, which inevitably makes me have a little prejudice against the profession of warlock." Zuo Si explained with a smile.
There is no doubt that most of his knowledge of warlocks comes from his "entourage" Alena, and Elsa, a magic item merchant in Calimport.
Because the relationship with the latter is purely business, it has never been in the state of fighting.
This also means that Zuo Si's knowledge of human warlocks all comes from Alena, who often gets into trouble. It's strange that his senses are better.
Since being summoned, this woman, who is as passionate and fiery as a flame, has personally participated in at least twenty tavern fights. She is a typical example of incorrigible, and even has Ascatra as the "Nightclub Queen" title.
Some ruffians and gangsters also worship it as an idol.
In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and losses, several hotels and pubs have directly put up signs prohibiting entry, which is simply a scourge.
“What are your plans next?”
Xinbu obviously did not want to delve into this issue, but decisively changed the subject.
Because she has met Alena and understands how dangerous this red-haired sorceress who is suspected of having fire element blood is, especially to her companions around her.
Those large-scale fire spells are as terrifying as natural disasters in towns and villages filled with wooden houses.
"No special plans. Now that Luskan has settled down, I plan to return to Athkatra to deal with some personal matters, and then hunt a red dragon named Felkrag."
Zuo Si quickly revealed his final plan before the end of the summer vacation.
Whether it was transforming the dragonborn knight into a higher-level follower, or figuring out what kind of life was pregnant in the belly of Vampire Queen Badi, this was something he had to do as soon as possible.
Otherwise, everything will become very troublesome when Irenekas comes back from the fire elemental plane.
“Hunting the red dragon?”
Xinbu’s eyes shone slightly and he suddenly became interested.
You must know that among the many voters, except for Elminster, she has killed the largest number of evil dragons.
"That's right. Why, are you interested in coming together?" Zuo Si suggested with interest.
Xinbu was obviously moved, but in the end he regretfully refused: "I'm sorry, although I really want to participate in this hunt, but considering the threat of Ser, I must rush back to Aglalon as soon as possible. After this defeat, Aznar Sruel and his allies will most likely lose power. If Sazastan gains supreme power, the Red Mage will undoubtedly become more difficult to deal with than before."
"No matter what happens, I will always provide as much help as I can as an ally. If necessary, I will even personally participate in the war." Zuo Si expressed his position clearly.
"Thank you. Time will test whether our friendship is strong. In addition, you are welcome to come to my country as a guest at any time."
Xinbu pursed his lips with a faint smile, and then opened The portal disappeared without a trace.
Not long after she left, Kelben and Alustriel walked in from outside.
When the latter saw the empty teacups placed on the table, he immediately asked in surprise: "Alaslan has gone back?"
"Yes. As the queen of Aglalon As a witch queen, the pressure she faces to survive in the country she rules is much greater than that of Silvermoon City and Waterdeep City," Zuo Si replied casually.
Kelben couldn't help but sigh slightly: "There is nothing we can do about it. Aglalon is too close to Sel, and too far from the west coast and Northland. We can't help at all. . By the way, how was your chat? "
"Not bad. We have formed an alliance to help each other when we need it, and we will face the threat of the red robed mages together. Swallowing all their concessions and strongholds on the west coast and willingly admitting defeat is not the style of these guys.”
Zuo Si could even predict how much the faction chief headed by Aznar Srul would hate him after he returned, and began to plan a new conspiracy.
That's why he started looking for more allies.
Especially the voters of the Goddess of Magic, they are naturally suitable candidates to become allies.
If nothing else, the best proof that Kelben and Alustriel came directly to help without any hesitation this time.
Except for Elminster, of course.
The great sage and first elector of the Valley of Shadows obviously had very big ideological differences with Zuo Si, so the several meetings and conversations between the two were not pleasant.
"So, you got the secret of the sequencer magic from her?" Alustriel probed in an uncertain tone.
Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Yes, I got it. In exchange, I also shared some of my secrets and special methods of making magic items."
"I'm very happy for you two. There was no conflict between them. You must know that Elaslan's temper is not easy to get along with everyone." Kelben said very pleased.
Alustriel also echoed with lingering fear: "That's right. I will never forget that Sammaster and Xinbu almost fought when they first met, and I was a little worried about the relationship between you. A similar situation will occur.”
"Don't worry, we unexpectedly have a lot in common, and we have reached many unanimous views when it comes to dealing with the Red Mage and the Zhentarim. By the way, with the collapse of the Arcane Brotherhood, Luskan is undergoing transformation, and North Does the Land Lords Alliance still have the foundation and necessity to exist? "
Zuo Si suddenly raised a very sharp question.
Because the local lords alliance, a loose organization, was actually a large alliance that recognized the legitimacy of each other's rule at the beginning.
Its main responsibilities are only two, one is to fight against Luskan, who has a strong tendency to expand, and the other is to deal with monsters like the Zhentarim, the Dragon Cult, and the monster armies that form from time to time.
Since all towns that join it must allocate part of their fiscal revenue to support the professional soldiers provided by Waterdeep City, Neverwinter City, and Silvermoon City, it has long caused a lot of dissatisfaction.
It's just that there was an external threat like Luskan in the past, so everyone chose to swallow their anger and not dare to explode.
But now that the threat of Luskan no longer exists, internal conflicts will inevitably erupt as the external threat disappears.
It is foreseeable that the Alliance of Lords will experience an unprecedented severe test.
"Well - this is indeed a trouble. After I go back, I will raise it with the lords of Waterdeep City to see what their opinions are." Kelben touched the thick beard on his chin and revealed A thoughtful expression.
“I think it is better to retain the Northland Lords Alliance. At least this can effectively prevent bloody conflicts in towns due to interests.”
Alustriel quickly made his point.
Although she herself was troubled by the frequent quarrels when this organization got together.
But it is better to quarrel than to start a war.
What's more, without the huge threats from the Arcane Brotherhood and Luskan, the lord of Silvermoon City is planning to flex his muscles and recreate the harmonious coexistence of various races in Myth Drannor.
Unfortunately, Alustriel did not understand that the fall of Myth Drannor itself was due to the over-complexity of the race, which eventually collapsed under the intensification of serious internal strife and contradictions.
As for the dark army composed of dark elves, orcs, jackals, giants, goblins and demons, it only served to accelerate the collapse.
It is precisely due to serious internal racial problems that the final stage of Myth Drannor has actually formed the severe situation faced by some multi-ethnic coexistence without any dominant nation-state on the earth, that is, it is impossible to achieve the so-called "Social consensus" means that every politician is fighting for the interests of his own race and does not care about the life or death of other races.
At the final stage, there were even cases where each other sent out assassins to assassinate each other's leaders and launch a civil war.
In this case, the dark army finally seized the opportunity, frantically harassed the villages around the city, and held evil and cruel human sacrifices to summon powerful demons to increase their strength.
At the beginning, the authorities of Myth Drannor did not take these monsters and the harassment of enemies at all.
With powerful magical power and mythical locks, they believe that as long as they deal with the internal enemies and successfully take power, it will be easy to clear out these barbarian monsters.
But who knew that by the time they realized something was wrong, there would already be many powerful demons in the dark army that could compete with high-level mages and even legendary mages.
As a result, with the overwhelming advantage in numbers, Myth Drannor's army and the mage regiment were retreating steadily, and in the end they had no choice but to abandon their hometown and flee in all directions.
So in Zuo Si's eyes, Alustriel is a typical idealist, always naively believing that he can suppress the dark side of human nature through his strong personal charm.
If it weren’t for his own strength and the gathering of a group of followers who share the same philosophy, he would have died countless times.
Moreover, the situation in Faerûn is much more complicated than on Earth, and the intervention of gods and beliefs must also be taken into account.
Just as the three of them were once again discussing the situation in the North, far away near the mouth of the Tes River into the Moon Sea, Zhentil Fort was enduring the most terrifying crisis since its establishment.
As a local lord, Mansung, who had just been resurrected through a clone, was standing on the top floor of the tower with a gloomy expression, looking at the large number of corpses being burned outside, with monstrous anger bursting out of his eyes. .
He never expected that Zuo Si, a crazy elector of Talona, would be so dissatisfied after killing himself once that he actually went to Zhentil Castle to carry out revenge.
And instead of spreading the plague as he expected, it was actually a more insidious and cunning way of poisoning.
In just a few days, more than two thousand orc troops who had undergone rigorous training were killed and injured due to the ravages of poison.
As for the human army, it is not much better, with inexplicable deaths happening every day.
Food, water, clothing, and even the air may contain deadly toxins.
So far, Mansong has not even figured out how the other party is poisoning, and how to circumvent the magic alarm he set.
After several minutes, he asked his most trusted apprentice without looking back: "Xi Manmeng, how is the situation over there in the Dark Castle?"
"They are all dead, teacher. I can only transform them into zombies through the necromantic magic ritual first, otherwise I won't even be able to stop the surrounding monsters from invading." Xi Manmeng replied with a bitter look on his face.
"What? All of them are dead!" Mansong turned around suddenly. "Why are they all dead? Didn't I have someone send you some antidote?"
"Because the Dark Fortress is located deep in the Sunset Mountains, there is no need to worry about it spreading to the outside, so just ask Not only did Si use poison, but he also released a terrible plague. Even I was accidentally infected and almost lost my life. What's more, Fuzor Chambery was already in Zhentarim. Many inner circle members have begun to challenge you and try to seize the top leadership position. Many inner circle members also believe that your recklessness and stupidity have provoked a terrible enemy that the organization should not provoke."
Speaking of this. As he spoke, Xi Manmeng carefully used the corner of his eye to pay attention to his mentor's reaction.
I don’t know why, but since he witnessed Mansong being instantly killed by Zuo Si’s thunder shaped by silver fire, he slowly lost his original awe and began to re-examine this ambition from another angle. The horny old man.
You must know that more than one hundred years old is very close to the upper limit of the theoretical life span of the human race.
Although Manson used many life-extending methods, he still looked like a man in his forties or fifties.
But Ximanmeng knew that Mansong was actually secretly planning to transform into a lich or other forms that would allow him to live longer.
Especially the blow caused by this tragic defeat made him begin to wonder if there were any problems or mistakes in his magic path.
Otherwise, why would he be easily defeated by such a young junior?
Although the power of the chosen ones given by the goddess of magic played a very important role in this process, whether it was the immunity time stop or the silver fire burst mode, it was not something that ordinary spellcasters or even legendary mages could easily handle.
But this kind of self-doubt is causing Manson to lose his previous self-confidence and become hesitant at the same time.
This is simply a fatal weakness within the Zhentarim, where the "lower than above" phenomenon is very common.
Otherwise, Fuzoer Chamberry would not have jumped out to seize power during this sensitive period.
“Damn bastard!”
Manthon immediately looked furious upon hearing that Fozul Chamberlain was once again trying to usurp the leadership of the Zhentarim.
As a voter of Bane, the "Tyrant of the Moon Sea" who also has extremely high appeal and leadership ability, Fuzor Chamberry is almost equal to him in terms of status.
Even his prestige among Bane's followers far exceeds that of the leader of the mage organization.
But soon, Manson forced himself to calm down and asked with a serious expression: "How many people have clearly expressed their support for Fu Zouer Chambery?"
"A lot. The number of members in the inner ring alone is over half. Moreover, after this failure, our intelligence network in the North suffered heavy losses, and the intelligence collection capabilities were cut off in some places. Coupled with the large number of deaths in the Zhentil Fort army, Your rule has begun to falter.”
Xi Manmeng did not hide anything and directly described the worst situation at the moment.
I don’t know why, but his face looks paler than usual, and after speaking a few words, he will cover his mouth and cough twice, and he is careful to keep a certain distance from the sunlight coming in from the window. .
Unfortunately, Mansong, who was having a headache about how to keep his power, did not notice these suspicious things and quickly made arrangements after thinking for a moment.
On the one hand, he asked Xi Manmeng to bring out the black information on the inner circle members that he had collected before and threaten the other party, forcing him to give up supporting Fuzuoer Chamberry.
On the other hand, he decisively ordered to stop burning the bodies of dead soldiers, and instead turned them into zombies or skeletons to continue to contribute to Zhentil Castle.
(End of this chapter)