Chapter 358 Believe me, you will like them (10,000-word chapter, please subscribe)
If you want to control the political power, you must first control the army.
This is the valuable experience and truth summed up by the succession of countless regimes on the earth.
Then gradually control the bureaucracy, win over scholars, manipulate public opinion, endorse their legitimacy and justice, and finally rebuild order to achieve rule over a city or even a country.
However, in the magical world, especially in Faerûn, a place where high-level mages can easily crush and massacre an army, powerful mages and the towers they build are obviously more threatening than the army. Much more.
In fact, a building like the Mage Tower, which has both a fortress and a large-scale magical destruction weapon, is not something that can be built casually in the city.
Normally, if a mage or warlock wants to build a mage tower in a certain town, the first thing he or she needs to do is to apply to the official spellcasting organization established in the town.
For example, in Amn, this organization is the only authorized masked mage guild, in Waterdeep City it is the famous Anmin Mage Guild, and in Neverwinter it is the Starry Cloak.
Of course, if there is no such organization locally, you need to find the lord or municipal council directly.
Generally speaking, most applications from strangers will be rejected without hesitation.
Only a very small number of mages and warlocks who have earned trust or have lived in the town for a long time and have no bad records will be qualified to build a mage tower.
And after the construction of the mage tower is completed, the tower owner must also assume some corresponding obligations.
This includes several apprenticeships, selling a certain amount of potions, scrolls and magic items to the official, providing corresponding spell support when the town is invaded by foreign enemies, etc.
So anyone who can build a mage tower in the city basically has a very close relationship with the local ruler.
However, what is slightly different from most cities in Faerûn is that the situation in Calimport is a little more complicated.
As early as the Xian Empire period, a large number of mage towers were built here, and they swore allegiance directly to the emperor himself.
Later, when Ivicola Sagram destroyed this regime, it also overthrew all the original order and affiliations, resulting in the owners of the Mage Tower being in a state of insecurity for a long time to come. An independent state with no allegiance to anyone.
Following the two to three hundred years of mutual competition between the Entangled Talisman and various careerists, nobles, merchants, and thieves guilds, a weak balance was slowly formed.
The nominal emperor living in the palace is essentially a consensus reached through compromise between all parties, so the rights at hand are very limited.
Even the Imperial Guards and the City Defense Forces, who were superficially loyal to the emperor, had already been infiltrated into a sieve. More than half of the officers were directly or indirectly controlled by the entangled talisman alone.
As the symbol of the highest power of the central government in the feudal dynasty, the emperor lacked actual power, which meant that there was no way to effectively rule.
Not to mention winning the allegiance of the Mage Tower owner, even the thieves guilds and gangs scattered throughout the streets of Calimport may not necessarily take the government seriously.
The corruption and money-power transactions in the bureaucracy are even more shocking, and they do not shy away from anyone at all, and the prices are clearly marked in a semi-public manner.
This means that mages and warlocks can build a mage tower of their own as long as they spend a sum of money to bribe officials and reach an agreement with the thieves guild that controls the area.
In other words, the Mage Tower in Calim Port is actually in a completely unsupervised state and growing wildly at an extremely fast speed.
The only one with the ability to control this situation, the Entangled Talisman, in order to make the game more interesting, had no intention of interfering from the beginning to the end. On the contrary, it secretly added fuel to the flames.
However, this chaotic situation finally came to an end with the return of Shane VII.
More than two-thirds of the Mage Tower owners swore allegiance to him on the spot.
Some of the rest were not at home at all or did not dare to come, and some were subordinates of the Lords of Talisman. Basically, they either died in the fierce spell confrontation just now, or were killed by Zuo Si when he ransacked his house. Well, even if there were any fish that slipped through the net, they would have fled long ago and would not dare to stay and wait for death.
Integrating the arcane magic power of Calim Port, Shane VII immediately sent his most trusted subordinate, Shaud Tarowan, to begin to take over the Praetorian Guards and City Defense Forces in an orderly manner, and ordered They drove into the streets to maintain order.
As the supreme ruler of a huge empire, his political skills were obviously much better than Ser Lalan El Pisakkar.
Coupled with the strong strength as a backing, anyone who dared to show any signs of resistance would be slaughtered without mercy.
In just a few hours, thirty powerful families were exterminated, and more than a dozen chambers of commerce were uprooted.
As for the thieves guilds and gangs that were originally rampant, large-scale suppression began after a large army entered the streets.
Although at the beginning, many leaders of the Thieves Guild tried to use their original methods of bribery or threats, they soon discovered that the tried and tested method actually failed this time.
The officers unceremoniously issued attack orders to the soldiers, and all gang members wandering the streets were taken to jail. Anyone who showed the slightest tendency to resist would be shot with crossbows.
In desperation, the leaders of the Thieves Guild could only choose to swallow their anger and hide in their lairs to carefully observe the changes in the situation.
After one day and one night, the residents of Calimport were surprised to find that this city, which was originally full of chaos, was so orderly for the first time, as if everything had become orderly under the rule of Shane VII. .
There are no longer gang members in the market who collect protection fees indiscriminately, corrupt bureaucrats do not dare to openly ask for bribes like before, and there are no nameless corpses in the streets.
Even the slums that have been ignored have been stationed with a patrol team to maintain basic order.
Most importantly, a notice written in red ink was posted everywhere.
The above content is also very easy to understand. Starting from today, the Xia En Dynasty, which disappeared in the long river of history, is back.
His Majesty the Great Shane VII announced that slavery will be completely abolished in the empire from now on. Slavery is not only no longer protected by law, but is a serious crime.
It must be said that this decree instantly caused an uproar.
Those who are not willing to be enslaved are naturally happy, but there are also many people who have been slaves for more than ten or even decades with blank expressions, not knowing what they should do after losing their masters. What to do and how to make a living.
In contrast, a large number of slave-holding nobles, merchants and slave owners began to resist by all means they could think of.
Including but not limited to boasting that slavery is the cornerstone of the country, and it is Calimshan’s tradition since ancient times. Once abolished, it will inevitably cause social unrest. Calimport’s current administrative capabilities are simply unable to deal with so many people. Resettlement of freed slaves.
In addition, they also tried to unite to organize strikes and parades, and paid large sums of money to the thieves guild, which was also suppressed, and hired assassins to assassinate law enforcement officers, hoping to use this to punish Xia Enqi. Pressure from the world.
Obviously, these guys regard Shane VII as the previous semi-puppet who had no real power at all.
At this moment, this powerful emperor was sitting in his own seat, looking at the information sent by his subordinates with great interest. After a full minute, he couldn't help but laugh and joke: "Interesting! It's so interesting! I didn't expect that after the Entangling Talisman and Ivicola Sagraland were dealt with, these guys who don't know their own abilities would dare to jump out. I'm starting to admire their courage."
"No, this is not a show of courage, but a fierce and subconscious resistance after the most fundamental interests are touched.
Believe me, even under the enlightened feudal monarchy, Cormyr has huge prestige. The royal family dared to announce that it would take back all the noble territories, and those loyal noble lords would immediately launch a rebellion.
After all, no one in this world would willingly give up their power and wealth.
The most important thing is that your previous methods were not tough enough, bloody enough, and cruel enough.
Even if you killed thirty noble families and destroyed more than a dozen chambers of commerce, you still did not let this city go. The city's original vested interests are fearful
You must know that authority is largely based on awe and fear.
What’s more, Calimshan has experienced chaos for too long, and many powerful people are using conspiracies and tricks to climb up and gain more power and wealth.
They don't like to be bound by the law, and they don't like to have an emperor above their heads who can kill them at any time.
So in my opinion, the abolition of slavery was just a trigger.
The real conflict is that the upper-class ruling class that controls the wealth and social resources of Calimport want to keep what they have, and you must take back these to become a powerful monarch who can take life and death. ”
Zuo Si gave his unique insights with a smile on his face.
Because when he promised to abolish slavery to Ilmat, the God of Suffering, he had seriously considered the possible consequences of doing so, he had already anticipated the current seemingly critical situation.
"Oh? Then how do you think it should be solved?" Xia En VII asked with great interest.
Zuo Si touched his chin and thought for a moment before responding immediately: "In fact, it is very simple to deal with, just kill them all and leave no one behind.
No matter what kind of social change it is , are bound to satisfy the demands of another class at the expense of the interests of another class
For the former, no matter what methods are used to win over and appease them, it is impossible to quell their inner resentment, and may even pose a huge threat to their rule.
So my suggestion is, it is better to clear it completely.
In this way, wealth and resources can be redistributed through the confiscation of their property.
For example, distribute land and housing to those slaves who have regained their freedom, operate confiscated workshops to provide them with stable jobs, and ensure that most slaves can be successfully transformed into free people who can engage in production and labor. civil.
The advantage of this is that it can minimize the short-term financial pressure that the abolition of slavery may bring. After all slaves are converted into freedmen, both market prosperity and tax revenue will increase exponentially.
In addition, clearing out the bugs in these countries will also allow those talented people in society to gain access to upward paths, especially the special talents among adventurers and mercenaries.
You can also take this opportunity to cultivate more loyal cronies and transform the existing bureaucracy and military system.
The most important thing is that Calimport is one of the few cities in Faerûn with a large number of spellcasters, craftsmen and scholars.
With such a huge talent pool, you don't have to worry about having no one to help run the country after killing all these guys. "
Hearing these words, Xia En VII couldn't help laughing immediately: "Hahahaha! Well said! Originally, I was worried that you were too young. Although you also controlled places like Nelanthel Islands and Luskan, you had no experience in dealing with such a complex situation. But now it seems that you are not only a powerful spellcaster, but also an excellent ruler. After I restore the glory of the Xia En Empire, I can safely hand it over to you. ”
"Isn't it too early to say this? Don't forget, you haven't even settled Calimport yet, let alone the vast land extending eastward to the Lake of Steam. Even if Calimshan is unified, it will only be a At the beginning, there was Tessel in the north who was in a civil war." Zuo Si shrugged nonchalantly.
To be honest, he was really not interested in the undead emperor's proposal to build a huge empire spanning the entire west coast of Ferenc through marriage.
After all, he owns an entire planet in the floating city and can completely transform it according to his own ideas and will.
But what about Faerun?
No matter what you do, you need to consider the reaction of the gods, as well as the group of monsters that cannot be killed no matter how hard they are killed, as well as the devils from hell and the devils from the abyss.
But Shane VII obviously didn't think so.
His ancestor, the founder of the Shane Dynasty, the old Akaba Shane, finally obtained the crown of the Kingdom of Tethyr through marriage and a series of conspiracy assassinations, and combined the two The country was completely integrated together, creating an empire that was most prosperous in the history of Faerûn.
Because of this, in the eyes of Xia En VII, if a stronger empire can be established through marriage, and the blood of his descendants can flow through the imperial royal family, it will definitely be a good thing for both parties. .
Not only can it deeply bind Zuo Si, a powerful ally, but it can also hand over the Shane Empire to a reliable person to avoid the tragedy of another demise.
You must know that over the long years, he himself has long lost interest in things like power and rule, preferring to study esoteric magical knowledge and explore the endless planes of the universe.
Of course, another very important reason is that among the several descendants found so far, none are suitable to be cultivated as the heirs of the empire.
The only male among them not only has part of the orc blood, but is also infected with lycanthropy. Every full moon night, he will lose control and go berserk. No country will ever let such a person become the supreme ruler. .
His only future development direction is to be trained to become a powerful warrior or army commander.
In contrast, the situation of the five women was slightly better, and one was even trained as a scholar.
But they all lack the most basic quality, which is strong enough personal strength.
Yes!
In Faerûn, a land full of conspiracies, assassinations and all kinds of terrifying monsters, if you want to become the leader of a force or even a country, personal strength is an indispensable part, and even requires Prioritized over other abilities.
Not to mention those devil worshipers and evil god believers who have abnormal brains and are extremely crazy.
For example, in the traditional feudal powerhouse Cormyr, the kings of all dynasties are basically legendary warriors above LV20;
The supreme military leader of Baldur's Gate, Grand Duke Iltan, is also a powerful person. A great legendary warrior;
Needless to say, in Waterdeep City, there are several legendary mages among the many lords. Even the worst lord has a professional level of at least LV10 or above;
Alustriel Silverhand, who rules the Silver Moon Alliance He is also the chosen one of the legendary mage and goddess of magic;
As Aglalon faces the threat of the red-robed wizard of Sere, its current supreme leader "Witch Queen" is the Storm Queen Xinbu;
The lord of Neverwinter, Nasir, has a warrior level of LV12, and he himself knows that he is not strong enough, so he formed the "Nine Guards of Neverwinter" to ensure his safety;
Even in the eyes of outsiders Amn's six-member council, which probably has little personal strength, has an average professional level around LV13 to LV15.
In a world where assassinations, poisoning, and curses through magic are as common as eating and drinking, if the top leader is an ordinary person, he usually may not survive a day, or even an hour.
All it takes is a tiny bit of poison, a small magical curse, or a cold arrow or a dagger thrust out of the shadows to kill it on the spot without even a chance to save it. .
But if you switch to someone with a high enough professional level, the difficulty of the above actions will be greatly increased.
Even a warrior who knows nothing about poisons and magic can use his strong physique and immunity to resist for a while, waiting for the priest to come to treat and detoxify.
Xia En VII himself had been assassinated more than once, so he knew very well the basic qualities needed to rule a huge empire. He subconsciously glanced at the corner standing in the corner with a slightly disappointed look. There were five female descendants wearing long silk skirts who looked a little nervous.
The eldest among them is already twenty-seven or seventy-eight years old, and he always tries to hide his calloused hands from long-term work in his sleeves.
The youngest one is only ten years old. He looks very thin and has very obvious signs of malnutrition.
You don’t need to ask to know that the future princesses of these empires generally have poor backgrounds, and some are even slaves.
It was precisely because they did not know that they were carrying the royal blood of the Shane Dynasty that their ancestors were able to survive the brutal and bloody massacre.
However, among the five people, there was a sixteen-year-old girl with long black hair and a bookish air all over her body, who obviously stood out from the crowd.
She has the typical wheat-colored skin of the Calishites, and her pointed ears indicate that she is of elven descent. She is about 1.6 meters tall. She is far from restless like the other sisters. Instead, she is holding a book and reading with relish.
Shane VII's eyes stayed on the girl's face for a few seconds, and then said in a slightly playful tone: "The Shayne Empire has claims to all the lands of Calimshan and Tethyr. power, and I am the only legitimate emperor of the empire.
So the war of unification will not last as long as you think. As long as we win one or two decisive battles, most towns will surrender. .
If everything goes well, this goal can be accomplished in about two years.
I am more concerned about who will be chosen as the marriage partner than this trivial matter. br>
You must know that only after you make your choice can I make her his heir and conduct a series of necessary related educations. ”
“Let’s talk about this kind of thing when the time comes. I have been very busy in the past two years, so I have no time and energy to take care of this. What's more, marriage is originally a political means. If you haven't changed your mind by then, does it matter who the marriage partner is? "Zuo Si asked indifferently.
"In that case, how about I choose one for you? "Xia En VII tentatively said with a smile.
"Yes, please do as you please. ”
Zuo Si made a very generous gesture of invitation.
"Aisha! From today on, you are the crown prince and first heir of the empire."
Xia En VII announced his decision directly to the half-elf girl who was reading a book.
When the latter heard these words, he froze in place at first, followed by his throat moving up and down and swallowed, and asked in a stammering tone: "First... Ancestor, why me?" ? I can’t manage a country well, let alone become an emperor as decisive as you.”
Xia En VII responded with a smile: “You don’t need to be able to manage a country well, nor can you. You need to become a decisive emperor. Do you see the young man next to me? His name is Soth, and your mission is to marry him and promote the birth of a great empire in the future."
"Ming...understand."
The girl nodded in understanding.
Because she had read a lot of books, she understood that she had no ability to resist the ancestor's decision, or that it would be useless to resist. There are too many spells in magic that can forcibly change a person's memory, thinking and personality.
So instead of making trouble for herself, she chose to lie down directly.
Anyway, the so-called "imperial princess" is a tool for marriage, which has been clearly mentioned in many books.
Compared with marrying those old or middle-aged men, Zuo Si, who looks young and knowledgeable, is obviously much better.
Seeing that the girl was so well-behaved and sensible, Xia En VII immediately showed a satisfied smile, turned his head and said to Zuo Si: "How is it, are you satisfied with this result? You must know that Aisha is all my descendants The most outstanding one among them. She is smart, knows how to be measured, has the tolerance unique to Calishite women, and will never interfere with a man's private life. After some time, I will start to train her to become a qualified mage." br>
"I don't have any reason to object. Everything will be done as you say." Zuo Si agreed simply.
After all, Xia En VII is one of his important allies in Faerûn. Maybe we can carry out some more in-depth cooperation in the future. The marriage is indeed beneficial to both parties.
What's more, the marriage system in the land of Calimshan has never been monogamous, but the standard polygamy.
The number of concubines of some nobles and wealthy businessmen can even reach astonishing three digits, and their races are even more diverse, including frost giants in the far north.
So Calimshan women are often very open-minded in this regard. As long as they can ensure a comfortable life, they don’t care how many concubines their husbands have at home and how many they have outside. lover.
“Very good! Then this matter is settled. And how should we deal with the relationship with Ilmat, the God of Suffering, and the Church of Tyr, the God of Justice? Although they now publicly support Me, but after all I am not the same person as them.”
Xia En VII raised a question that bothered him.
Although he seems to be able to deal with nobles, merchants and thieves guilds with ease, he really has no experience in dealing with the gods.
Because when the Shan Dynasty collapsed, the gods did not interfere with the material world as frequently as they do now, and they did not have to spend too much effort to deal with religious conflicts.
But what about now?
Hostile churches often mingle physically!
Especially the followers of Cyric, the Prince of Lies, who is afraid of chaos in the world. One by one, they are a scourge to society.
Had it not been for the fact that the other party was powerful and had a strong desire for revenge, Xia En VII would have taken advantage of last night to kill all the rubbish without leaving any trace behind.
Obviously, he and Zuo Si had completely the same idea on how to deal with the Cyric Church.
“I think it’s easy to deal with this, that is, give them certain law enforcement powers, but not legislative and executive powers.”
Zuo Si didn’t even think about it. The answer was given directly.
He has already thought carefully about how to use the church power of these good gods to serve himself.
Especially Tyr, the God of Justice, has always placed great emphasis on procedural justice.
In other words, as long as the laws of a city or even a country are slightly biased toward good neutrality, they will choose to comply with them and actively join law enforcement agencies to maintain order.
This means that as long as the church of Tyr, the God of Justice, is used in the right place, it is not a threat to the ruler, but a lubricant that promotes stability and alleviates social conflicts.
After all, in the eyes of the common people at the bottom, Tire represents absolute justice and will not favor anyone when dealing with matters, so they are generally quite convinced of the punishments they make.
Having such a group of people as law enforcers can not only strengthen the government's prestige, but also inhibit the growth of corruption.
The most important thing is that since they have no legislative power, they do not actually hold the highest authority in the country, let alone have any influence on decision-making. They are just a group of simple tool people.
On the Maztec continent, this is how Zuo Si used the paladins of the Knights of the Burning Heart.
In Luskan, he also used the same method to make these kind and lawful people serve him.
In particular, Paladin Kaidong has not only been stationed in Luskan for a long time, but also established a training base to continuously train a large number of professional law enforcement personnel.
Although at first, he simply wanted to train paladin apprentices.
But Zuo Si cleverly crammed in two hundred people in one breath, claiming to provide them with enough students.
As we all know, training a paladin is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive task.
Generally speaking, a paladin can only take up to two or three apprentices at a time.
Just like this, the elimination rate is often as high as more than 70%, not to mention taking hundreds of people at once.
After all, the paladin is not a warrior. As long as he learns fighting skills, he can become a warrior.
The most difficult part of becoming a paladin lies in the training of the mind and will, as well as the dedication to a just cause.
Since this seriously goes against the instinct of living beings, it is not something that most people can do. It must be taught by an older paladin.
Ke Kaidong takes two hundred people at once. He has no time and energy to teach and influence them one by one. He can only teach the apprentices how to wear armor and use various weapons to fight, and then explain law enforcement. With the experience and skills in this field, the results are self-evident.
Not a single paladin was trained. Instead, a large number of low-level law enforcement officers were created who only followed procedures.
Of course, Kaidong is not aware of the problem yet.
When something really happens, he will realize that the students he has trained are actually far from what he imagined.
"That's it! What a perfect idea."
Xia En VII was so smart that he immediately understood the subtext that the other party wanted to express, and a meaningful smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Zuo Si also smiled and added: "Any stable society needs law to maintain the most basic order, but maintaining it often requires paying high costs. The Church of Tire, the God of Justice, can not only It can significantly reduce this cost and at the same time reduce the people's resistance to the rulers. Believe me, you will like them."
As long as Xia En VII. When he was about to say something, a fat figure suddenly walked in from outside, put one hand on his chest and bowed deeply.
"Your Majesty, according to your request, I have investigated how many thieves guilds in Calim Port are involved in this operation."
"Oh? How many are there?" Xia En VII asked calmly.
"Ten...twelve families! Except for the dock area that I control, almost all the thieves guilds have sent out their most elite assassins."
The fat man wiped out the area with very subtle movements. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and face, then raised his head to reveal a pair of eyes full of tension and fear.
He is none other than Apke, the leader of the Thieves Guild who once worked closely with Zuo Si.
It is precisely because of this relationship that his guild power was not suppressed, but instead received a series of benefits and privileges.
However, it is obviously not easy to obtain these benefits. The price is to lose independence and become a subordinate agency under the control of the Undead Emperor, responsible for collecting intelligence and seeking information.
If Shane VII fails in this struggle, what awaits Apke is to be besieged by all the thieves guilds in Calimport.
But if he succeeds, then he will suddenly become the master of the underground world of Calimport, truly one person is inferior to ten thousand people.
In the future, you may have the opportunity to clear your name and go ashore to become a high-ranking official or noble, and establish your own family.
In order to realize his ambition, the fat man decided to risk all his wealth and life after careful consideration.
"All? This is really good news, what do you think?" Xia En VII turned his eyes to Zuo Si.
"It is indeed good news. All the enemies can't help but jump out, and you can kill them all now." Zuo Si agreed with a relaxed look.
Xia En VII nodded slightly: "That's right! It's time to take action. If you don't mind, can you help me deal with these nasty thieves guilds? As the emperor of the empire, I will dig into it. The sewer seems a bit inappropriate.”
“No problem, it’s just a small matter. Davian, please go and walk with Apke.”
Zuo Si said to Yan who was standing behind him. The dragon knight gave the order.
Obviously, he didn't want to go down Calimport's smelly sewers, which were full of rotting corpses and bones.
“As you wish!”
Davian worked hard as always, bowed to his master, got up and followed Epke outside the palace.
There was no communication between the two along the way.
Until he walked out of the palace and returned to the territory under his control, Apke took a long breath, raised his head and asked in a slightly worried tone: "Your Excellency, I want to confirm before taking action. What is your strength? ”
You don't need to ask to know that he didn't recognize the strong man in front of him as the soldier who followed Zuo Si.
After all, it has evolved several times, causing great changes in its appearance.
Not to mention Apke, even the little werewolf living in the mage tower, the half-orc Rhett, and the dwarf berserker Korgan may not be able to recognize it when they see it.
"You just need to tell me who to kill." Davian responded expressionlessly.
"You mean... you are so strong that you can defeat all thieves guilds by yourself?" Apke opened his mouth in shock.
Although he has seen many arrogant people in his life, including the killer who can make the entire Calimport fearful just by mentioning his name - Artemis Entreri.
But he was the first one to be so arrogant.
Just when Apke was about to tell Davian about the strength of each thieves guild, a black shadow suddenly came out of the broken window on the second floor of the house above him, holding a dagger in one hand and a With a long sword emitting a magical halo, he stabbed the fat-headed and big-eared leader of the Thieves Guild at an extremely fast speed.
Because everything happened so suddenly, the surrounding bodyguards had no time to react. They could only watch as the swords and daggers got closer and closer to their boss, and blood would soon spatter on the spot.
At this critical moment!
Davian jumped up faster, took up the red dragon scale shield in his hand and faced him.
The next second...
Bang!
Boom! ! ! !
The man who jumped from the second floor was first hit hard by the front of the shield and flew five or six meters away. Then his whole body was smashed by a wooden board under the huge impact. Nailed walls, slid along the ground and knocked over numerous tables and chairs, scaring the tavern patrons.
Normally speaking, with Davian's exaggerated strength attribute of fifty-five points, most of the "frail" assassins who were hit by this blow would probably have suffered fractures all over their bodies, accompanied by ruptured internal organs and massive bleeding. They should have died when they landed on the ground. .
But not only did this man not die, but after vomiting out a large amount of dark red plasma and blood clots, he took up the dagger in his hand and started killing people in the tavern.
Every time he killed someone, his injuries improved significantly.
After killing all the living people in the entire tavern, the killer had fully recovered and was staring at Davian who had almost killed him just now.
"Ah...Artemis Entreri? Why are you here!"
Epke, who was surviving the disaster, instantly recognized the identity of the person who assassinated him, and couldn't help shouting.
Unfortunately, Entreri obviously did not intend to speak, but raised his left hand high.
Before anyone else could react to the meaning of this action, several drow emerged from the darkness, raised their specially made crossbows, aimed at Apke and pulled the trigger.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Under the refraction of the sun, you can see that the front ends of these sharp crossbow arrows are emitting purple light. They are not only enchanted, but also obviously quenched with poison.
But unfortunately, these people underestimated Davian's reaction speed.
With an agility attribute of up to 30 points, he is an out-and-out superman to a certain extent. He quickly raised his shield in front of Epke.
As expected, all the crossbow arrows were blocked by the strong dragon scale shield.
At this moment, Epke's body was completely soaked with sweat, and even his pants were wet.
Because he is not a fool, he understands that someone must have spent a lot of money to hire Artemis Entreri and those dark elves to kill him.
And if it weren't for Davian, he would have turned into a corpse in the first blow.
Plop!
Plop!
Plop!
Aipke's heart was beating violently, his eyes revealed a strong fear of death, and he subconsciously activated the amulet worn around his neck.
moment!
A ring of magic [Shield Technique] appeared on his body.
But just when the shield just took effect, another dark elf rushed out from the alley behind him.
Because he was wearing a pair of magic boots, he did not make any footsteps at all. He raised the rapier in his hand and wanted to punch Epke through from behind.
At the critical moment, it was Davian's high perception attributes and blind sense from the red dragon bloodline that sensed the danger, pushed Apke to the ground, and used his body to receive the opponent's attack.
When the rapier collided with the red dragon armor, the former was bent at ninety degrees on the spot and failed to penetrate the body at all.
"Damn it! Who are you? I don't remember that there is a master like you in the Thieves Guild in Calimport."
Seeing that the sneak attack failed, the Dark Elf quickly retreated. Drive a safe distance.
From the conspicuous wide-brimmed hat and the large number of rings, jewelry and amulets he wore, it was not difficult to identify him as Jarlaxle, who had just left the Underdark not long ago.
Just when Davian was about to respond, Apke took the lead and asked loudly: "Why did you come to kill me? Are you hired by other thieves guilds?"
"Yes, you guessed it right. You have to know that your life is very valuable now. No matter who can successfully complete the assassination, they can immediately get a bounty of 200,000 gold coins. We just need a lot of money now As starting capital, so..."
Jarlaxle deliberately dragged his voice for a long time, and the implication was self-evident.
"Who issued the reward?"
Apke's eyes flashed with a fierce light, and he asked through gritted teeth.
"Ivo, Kevin, Antoun..., all the thieves guilds in Calimport have united to issue a reward for you, because you are a traitor and have violated the tradition here." Cui Li replied in a tone without any emotion.
"Violating tradition? Traitor? Hahahaha! What a lame excuse, they are just jealous of me."
Apke got up from the ground and laughed sarcastically.
Davian pulled out the red crystal sword hanging from his waist and gave the assurance without looking back: "Don't worry! As long as I am here, no one can kill you."
"Hmph Humph! That’s not necessarily the case.”
Jarlaxle suddenly grabbed the ruby pendant around his neck and used a spell to activate the spell stored inside.
An orange fireball flew out from his fingertips and hit Epke's position.
“Don’t even think about it!”
Davian’s legs suddenly exerted force, and he rushed out like an arrow from the string, directly blocking the path of the fireball.
Boom! ! ! ! ! ! !
With a loud noise, the dazzling fire swallowed him up directly, and then he fell heavily to the ground.
Seeing this scene, Jarlaxle immediately mocked triumphantly: "Idiot! You actually used your body to block the fireball? I really don't know whether to laugh at your stupidity or admire your bravery. But it doesn't matter, now I want to Go get the head worth two hundred thousand gold coins.”
(End of this chapter)