Chapter 527: The Prelude to the Battle of the North (a 10,000-word chapter, please subscribe)
The true believer Oketa, who represents white mana and has a cat head;
Represents blue mana and has a bird head. Kefane, the mind god;
Batu, the glory god with a dog's head representing black mana;
Hazoret, the fanatical god with a jackal head representing red mana;
Rhonas, the fearless god with the head of a snake, represents green mana.
The above five are the beast-headed gods who have appeared publicly in Amonkhet's time and space and are active in the mortal world.
In addition to them, there are three insect-headed gods hiding in the darkness. They will only appear when the moment of glory arrives and complete their mission, which is to kill all the animal-headed gods.
This is the script Nicol Bolas wrote after he invaded the world and transformed it to his will.
For a long time, Zuo Si felt that the reason why the old dragon was able to do this easily was entirely because Amonkhet's god was too weak and could not compete with those incarnations in the universe where Toril's planet was located. Certain philosophies, ideas and beliefs are on par with the true God.
After all, even the weakest demigod of the latter has the ability to "explode stars", which is roughly equivalent to the Titan in the pantheon of the Azeroth universe next door.
The gods of Amonkhet's time and space obviously do not have such power, they are just some special life forms supported by powerful mana and part of the power of faith.
But after witnessing the cat-headed god Oketa with his own eyes, Zuo Si found that he had made a mistake, that is, he did not know enough about the diversity of special creatures like gods.
And the beast-headed god was far from being as weak as he imagined, and was actually quite dangerous.
Almost every god is directly connected to the mana core of the world. At the same time, he can also obtain abilities similar to extraordinary divine power that mortals cannot resist through the faith of mortals.
The simplest example is the divine venom created by the fearless god Rhonas, which can definitely pose a huge threat to the gods of Faerûn.
So the beast-headed god is not weak, but is slightly different in the form of existence and expression of divine power.
They do not pursue the destructive power of the gods in the universe where Toril lives, but integrate it into some kind of rules that they control.
But unfortunately, since these gods are bound to the entire Amonkhet mana core, they are inevitable when Nicol Bolas directly attacks the mana core. Everything fell, without even the slightest chance of resistance.
After figuring this out, Zuo Si felt more and more that his decision to never become a god was probably the wisest choice he had ever made in his life.
Because no matter what kind of god he is, even the Titan God who is known as the most unrestrained, his essence is still integrated with certain operating rules of the corresponding world and even the universe.
Although you can gain great power and immortal life, you also have to fulfill your obligations within the scope of your duties, and you are bound here and can never escape.
On the contrary, only by firmly continuing along the path of the planeswalker can we gain freedom in the true sense.
In this way, with the preliminary research on the beast-headed god of Amonkhet's time and space, and the artifact staff given to him by the old dragon, Zuo Si quickly returned to Faerun through the transfer of soul and consciousness. Within the clone.
The moment he woke up and took the staff out of the box, a human woman with long black hair and supple and smooth skin suddenly appeared in front of him out of thin air.
You don't need to ask to know that this is the incarnation of the third-generation magic goddess Midnight.
Fortunately, Zuo Si moved quickly enough and had all the card-shaped clothes and equipment neatly dressed in an instant, avoiding the embarrassment of seeing each other naked. At the same time, he sighed slightly and complained: "Please come next time Can you say hello in advance or go through the main entrance? I'm afraid I'm going to get some mental illness sooner or later if I'm attacked suddenly like this."
"Ah! A powerful magical artifact entered Toril, so I couldn't help but rush over to see what it was."
Midnight couldn't help but pursed her lips with a playful smile.
As the actual controller of the Magic Network and the goddess of magic who stands at the apex of all powerful divine powers, it is of course impossible for her not to be unaware of the operation of her youngest chosen one to transfer souls and consciousness between different clones.
Moreover, with the god's keen perception, he could clearly see everything that should be seen and what should not be seen the moment he came.
It's just that Midnight has been there for a long time, so he doesn't care about it. Instead, he finds the other party's slightly annoyed reaction very interesting, and even a little cute.
“Forget it, just be more careful next time.”
Zuo Si shook his head helplessly, and then handed over the inconspicuous staff.
Because he understands that being interested in everything related to magic is the innate nature of the goddess of magic, and it will inevitably be affected from the moment she obtains the priesthood.
It's as if the other party is clearly leaning toward good neutrality, but has to tolerate the existence of many evil forces such as the Dragon Cult, the Red Robe Mage, and the "Doomsday Reptile" Dogothos, and even has to restrain good camps such as Elminster. voters do not take the initiative to cause trouble for the other party.
The reason is very simple.
It is the evil and cruel magic experiments conducted by these organizations or individuals that are beneficial to the overall concept of "magic".
So whenever Zuo Si brings back some new magical knowledge, technology and artifacts from other worlds, the goddess of magic and the god of knowledge will soon come to visit.
He was already used to this.
And this kind of mutual communication can also help them understand and master this magical knowledge faster.
Midnight picked up the artifact once used by Karona, the Mother of Magic, with great interest, and felt the powerful power contained in it. After a full minute, she asked in an uncertain tone: "It Was it the weapon of a god of magic?"
Zuo Si nodded without hesitation: "Yes.
It was the mother of magic in another time and space. A weapon used by a man-made god.
However, as the god was destroyed by its creator, most of the power of the staff itself was lost.
But what's interesting is that this artifact seems to have the ability to enhance the magical talents of the holder.
When I hold it, I feel all the energy in my body burning, boiling, and being purified repeatedly. ”
“This is not surprising.
Because the staff contains a power that I have never seen before.
It can not only draw energy from the magic network, but also draw all forms of primitive energy from the universe, and deeply process it according to the type of magic and talent that the holder is good at.
In this way, whoever holds this artifact can maximize its own advantages.
If I guess correctly, the reason why you feel the energy in your body is burning, boiling, and repeatedly purified is because the spark of the planeswalker is at work.
In addition, you should also be able to notice that the purified energy is not under your control at all, as if it could pour out at any time, right? "
It must be said that Midnight is indeed the goddess of magic. She quickly understood all the capabilities of this artifact staff, as well as most of its internal structure and principles.
For her , no matter how complicated and profound the magic knowledge is, you can understand it after touching it.
"Your guess is absolutely correct. Now I want to upgrade and transform it. Do you have any good suggestions?" Zuo Si asked humbly.
Midnight thought for a moment and quickly answered: "Since this artifact does not use Toril's magic principle, I don't know exactly how to upgrade and transform it.
However, If you don't mind, I can try to use the various magical knowledge you brought back to make some repairs to it.
At least it will allow you to control the purification and release of energy, instead of just controlling it. Pour out
In addition, I can also add the power of magic net and silver fire into it.
In this way, it will almost become the most powerful magical artifact in Faerûn.
The only thing to be careful about is never giving it to any mortal other than yourself.
Because mortals cannot control such a powerful force.
They will be exploded by the energy absorbed by the staff, directly triggering a terrifying chaotic magic storm that destroys a city or even a country. "
"Then what are you waiting for? Please do it now. ”
Zuo Si agreed without even thinking.
He always accepts free prostitution like this.
"You are indeed the prince of hell who can be favored by Asmodeus. You are really just like the devil in terms of trying to take advantage."
Midnight obviously noticed that this young man of his The voters' little thoughts immediately rolled their eyes angrily.
But she rolled her eyes, and she still used her magical power to wrap the entire wooden staff, and created seven gems of different colors out of thin air, shining like stars.
In the blink of an eye, these seven gems were set on the top of the staff one by one, forming a beautiful ring shape.
Following this, a silver magical metal produced from the Kingdom of the Goddess of Magic - the Heart of Spells - emerged from the texture inside the wooden staff, forming complex lines, symbols and patterns on the surface.
Finally, the silver flame ignited from the end of the staff, and then quickly spread to the top.
When the silver fire was completely extinguished, the originally simple wooden staff took on a completely different silvery metallic texture than before, and the seven gems continued to shine with dazzling brilliance.
Midnight threw the repaired staff directly to Zuo Si and said bluntly: "Here, use it well.
Although I don't know exactly what kind of enemies you have provoked outside, I can also feel the urgency you show subconsciously.
If you need help, just ask, don't be polite or embarrassed.
Whether it is me or Ogma, the God of Knowledge, I will give you adequate support within my ability. ”
“Thank you very much. But I don't think you two can be of much help in this matter. ”
Zuo Si took the staff and bent down slightly.
According to Nicol Bolas' terrifying power that can easily drain and tear apart any time and space, and his unscrupulous and devoid of awe, he doesn't think that Io, the God of Gods, will allow him to enter Toril.
"Okay, then I can only wish you all the best."
Seeing that Zuo Si was unwilling to disclose this information, Midnight had no choice but to give up.
Just when she was about to turn around and leave, Zuo Si suddenly stopped her from behind: "Wait! Is Gebido Turan, who became the new god, okay now? I haven't been for a long time. Have you heard anything about him?"
"Gebido Turan?
He is still being exploited day and night by Talos.
According to the agreement I reached with the Storm God, the new God of Magic needs to serve him for at least one year before he can come to the Heart of Spells to accept my asylum.
I plan to let him serve as a follower of Azuth when the time comes.
Don’t worry, although the little dwarf is indeed having a miserable life now, being threatened by the angry gods in turns all day long, his life is still safe. "
Midnight stopped and quickly introduced the current situation of the god of necromancy magic, necromancers, lich and undead creatures.
Although she also wanted to quickly get Gebido Turan under her control.
It is a pity that the latter used the method of becoming a god provided by Talos, the God of Storms, so he must repay this kindness regardless of emotion or reason.
"That's it. It seems that Gebido Turan will suffer for a while."
When he learned that the dwarf he had elevated to a god was not in danger, Zuo Si also Reassured.
As for being squeezed by the God of Storms, there is no way around it.
Look at the Raging Gods, who has not been squeezed by Talos?
The relatively weak winter goddess Oluer has been treated like a slave for many years, and she can only swallow her anger after holding back her anger.
In comparison, a "fixed-term prison sentence" of just over a year is considered quite good.
With the departure of the goddess of magic Midnight, calm returned to the room once again.
Zuo Si left the mage tower and found a deserted mountain. After a little test of the magical power blessing that this artifact staff could bring, he soon showed an extremely satisfied expression.
Because with just one blow, the energy shock wave he released flattened a mountain peak in the Yunwu Mountain Area to the ground.
The hard rock was completely helpless in the face of this devastating attack, and instantly turned into powder and dust that was indistinguishable to the naked eye.
The snow and ice at high altitudes evaporated on the spot, forming thick gray clouds in the sky overhead.
You must know that this is not the release of all energy.
Just by paying about forty points of general mana, he gained a terrifying power that far exceeded most legendary magics.
If all the energy stored in the planeswalker's spark is released at once, smashing a planet is not a big problem at all.
The most important thing is that the release of this energy shock is not restricted by any casting environment.
As long as there is energy in the surrounding environment that can be absorbed and utilized, Zuo Si can use the blessing of the staff to release shock waves.
In addition, the staff can also allow the holder to convert spell slots at will, turning it into a spell-casting system similar to mana.
For example, a high-level spell slot can be converted into three lower-level spell slots, and the reverse is also true, and the magic memorized that day can be copied to the blank spell slot just converted.
This also means that in spell duels, Zuo Si can use many more flexible strategies and tactics.
As for the silver fire given to the elect by the goddess of magic, it can be added to any spell at will when holding the staff.
Not only can it change the damage type and characteristics of spells, but it can also directly ignore all magic immunity and resistance except divine power and divine-like power.
Even divine power and divine-like power can only reduce part of the damage and impact, and are not directly immune like ordinary spells.
Just as Midnight described it, this staff can be regarded as the most powerful magical artifact in Toril.
At least until she herself uses this knowledge and technology to create the next artifact.
Looking at the flattened mountain peaks in front of him, Zuo Si couldn't help but sigh slightly: "It's not enough, this is far from enough.
I need stronger power, more energy, more power. Amazing artifacts, and higher planeswalker spark levels
Just wait and see, dear Nicol Bolas
One day I will be in War of the Spark. Take what's yours, whether it's the blood of the primordial dragon or the spark of an ancient planeswalker.
Only I, and only I, can completely and completely replace you.
But before that, I will continue to hibernate and accumulate strength. "
As the last word blurted out, Zuo Si's whole person turned into a ball of white light and disappeared.
......
At the same time, far away, In the temporary lair in the north.
With the help of the Dragon Cult, Kurremos has successfully transformed the silver dragon that he tortured until it was dying and completely collapsed into a dracolich.
Looking at the undead form exuding strong negative energy all over his body, the silver dragon instantly opened his mouth and screamed like crazy: "No!!!!!!!!!
You guys What have these damn bastards done to me?
Isn't it enough to force me to lay eggs and torture me through rape and evil magical rituals?
Why not even a peaceful death? Have to be deprived?
Don’t you have a little bit of compassion and humanity in your hearts? "
Faced with such a question, Kurremos's reaction was just to raise the phylactery in his hand and responded in an emotionless tone: "Of course not enough!
If you’re to blame, it’s because you’re Castellanferian’s sister.
Who makes you annoying silver dragons always like to meddle in other people's business?
Remember, you are an undead creature now, the most hated dracolich among all metal dragons, and also my slave.
If you don't want your soul to disappear forever, then just obey every instruction I give you.
Otherwise I will destroy your phylactery without hesitation. ”
In an instant!
The silver dragon, which had turned into a dracolich, stopped all movements and stared at the “filial son” and the phylactery he held with two red eyes. .
Because she was just transformed, she doesn’t look much different from when she was alive, and she still maintains her beautiful appearance and scales
But the thing is that no change on the outside doesn’t mean no change on the inside and mind.
In fact, from the moment the transformation was completed, the instinct of the undead creature had been injected into the soul of the silver dragon, causing permanent and irreversible changes to it.
If it were life, she would definitely rush forward and die with him without hesitation. But since she became a dracolich, she had a strong instinctive fear of death and the dissipation of her soul, so she did not dare to make even the slightest move of resistance.
Seeing that the threat had its due effect, a satisfied smile suddenly appeared on Kurremos' face: "Very good, it seems that you have understood your situation at the moment. .
This is a good start for you and me.
Now I ask you to go to the High Forest immediately, cooperate with the Zhentarim intelligence network operating there to spread the news that you were ambushed and injured, and try to attract the two most important leaders of the Harper Alliance.
I believe that with your intelligence you should understand who I am referring to, right?
Never try to do tricks!
Because every move you make cannot escape my eyes. ”
"Did you deliberately start the fight between Scar Klaus and the Harper?" Silver Dragon narrowed his eyes and asked.
She is obviously not a fool. Through this order, she is keenly aware of the evil conspiracy behind the whole thing.
"Haha, who else could it be?
After this incident, the senior leaders of the Harper Alliance will be wiped out and completely lose the sphere of influence they have been operating in the Northland for many years.
And I will become the undisputed king of all the monsters and barbarian tribes in the vast wilderness and mountains
If I were you, I would give up those unrealistic fantasies of the past and actively embrace reality.
As long as you perform well enough, I don't mind leaving you a front position in my kingdom. ”
After saying that, Kurremos gave the other party a self-satisfied look, and then turned around and walked towards another cave next to him with the phylactery.
Yin learned the truth. The dragon stood there, with unconcealable pain and struggle in his eyes. After about three to five minutes, he finally seemed to make up his mind, walked out of the cave, flapped his wings and flew into the sky, flying towards the direction of the supreme forest
<. br>When she completely disappeared at the end of the sky, Kurremos then ordered the Saran spirit Agatha who was following him: "Keep an eye on this guy. If you notice any unusual behavior on her part, please notify me directly. ”
"Got it."
Agatha instantly activated her teleportation ability and disappeared from the place with her shadow energy core.
As the architect and important participant of the entire plan, Korremus knew that everything was ready now. He only had to wait for Elminster and Storm Silverhand to leave for the High Forest. You can join forces with Hared III to seduce the ancient red dragon - Scarlaus Klaus and take the initiative to attack the Harpers' top management, completely kicking off the war.
But it’s not easy.
After all, both Elminster and Storm Silverhand have experienced too many conspiracies and calculations, and their experience in dealing with this can be said to be very rich.
Once the true intention is discovered by the two of them in advance, the script of waiting for both parties to suffer and gain some advantages may have to be changed to a head-on collision.
But Kurremos obviously doesn’t want to expose himself so early, but prefers to continue to hide behind the scenes and control everything.
Of course, he is not the only one who holds this idea.
Xi Manmeng, the leader of the Dark Intelligence Network, also made the same choice.
Using the Harper's infiltration of the Zhentarim, he continued to release all kinds of false news to seduce Elminster.
For this reason, he even sent out some of his most elite teams to wander around the outskirts of the Supreme Forest. Occasionally, he would summon some demons through sacrifices, pretending to cause big things, and let the elven villages and Germans living in the area The Ruids were nervous.
Elminster, who was currently visiting the Hubbell family in Longsaddle Town, immediately frowned and fell into deep thought after hearing the news from the Harpers.
Due to the recent fierce conflicts between towns, villages and wilderness in the North, this old man who is over a thousand years old has felt what it means to be mentally and physically exhausted for the first time in his life.
The most important thing is that it’s a terrible feeling to watch the other party play tricks on you, but you can’t do anything about it.
No matter what you do or choose, the final result will be wrong.
There is no doubt that Zuo Si taught this great sage of the Valley of Shadows a solid lesson in the fields of politics, economics, and human nature.
If it weren’t for the rulers of Longsaddle Town, the Hubbell family is a typical mage family. They are far less concerned with things like wealth and trade than other towns, and they can still maintain their loyalty to the Harper Alliance. With a relatively neutral and friendly attitude, Elminster may not even have a place to stay, so he can only camp in tents in the wild.
The current situation in the Northland is that almost all towns and villages have united and made it clear that they do not welcome the balance concept of the Harper Alliance and prohibit any Harper activities on their own territory.
Although it has not reached the point where Harpers are directly executed if they are caught like in other areas, it is certain that they will be thrown into prison and put in jail.
Elminster and Storm Silverhand himself were explicitly excluded from many towns and were not allowed to enter their territory.
In desperation, he temporarily settled in the Hubbell family in Chang'an Town, and used it as the most important contact point of the Harper Alliance in the North.
“Are you okay?”
Storm Silverhand asked, looking at the expression on the face of the first chosen person of the Magic Goddess.
As one of the seven sisters who had been with Elminster a long time ago, she had never seen Elminster look so tired, and her heart was filled with worry.
The old man smiled bitterly, shook his head and responded: "I'm fine, I'm just a little unsure whether these messages are smoke bombs deliberately released by the enemy, or whether they really want to do something.
Obviously, without Manshon's aggressive tactics, the Zhentarim led by Shimamon will become even more insidious, cunning, and difficult to deal with than before.
He never competed with us head-on. Instead, he kept pulling and adjusting, making all the Harpers exhausted.
It would be okay if it was just Xi Manmeng causing trouble.
But the problem is that there is more than one force attacking us in the Northland right now.
The most terrible thing is that Soth, the biggest threat, has not yet come to an end. Just using the chain reaction of the trade alliance has made the living environment of all Harpers extremely bad.
In this case, countless people gave up their identity as Harpers, and many more began to hate and reject the entire organization.
I am worried that if this continues, the loss of manpower alone will cause our network in the North to completely collapse. "
"Since you know you are not your opponent, why don't you take the initiative to admit defeat?
For the sake of being chosen by the Goddess of Magic, I believe that Soth will not kill them all.
And regardless of his stance or not, we should admit that he was indeed an excellent ruler who brought a prosperous life to the vast majority of ordinary people.
As for the development of wilderness, I think it should be possible to resolve disputes between the two parties through negotiation. ”
Storm Silverhand expressed the views that she had hidden in her heart for a long time in one breath.
She really didn’t understand why the other party was so persistent in carrying out this battle between thoughts, consciousness, concepts and A battle of values.
“Admit defeat? "
Elminster couldn't help laughing. While laughing, he lit his beloved pipe, took a puff and patiently explained: "If I give up now, I will no longer be the same person I once was. I dare to face all dangers and difficulties.
You don't understand that what Soth brought to this world was not just a prosperous life.
If that's the case, what reason do I have to stop it?
What is really dangerous about him is that he has quietly changed the thoughts, cognitions and values of thousands of people.
Look at what the originally simple people in the North have become now in order to make money, for a better life and enjoyment.
The devil named greed in their hearts has been seduced by Soth's series of policies and is madly devouring all inherent ethics and morals.
Do you dare to imagine how decadent and decadent the world we once knew will become when all this spreads to the entire continent of Faerûn?
So this is the biggest difference between us. "
Storm Silverhand nodded in understanding: "Okay, maybe you are right.
But the problem is that now we need to put out fires everywhere in the Northland. How do you think this information should be handled?
Ignore it?
Or should we leave immediately to check the specific situation? "
"Well - I think it's best to wait until we finish the crusade against Klaus before going there.
After all, this is our biggest move in the past ten years, and the opponent is an ancient red dragon that has been famous for a long time. We must not take it lightly.
Once Klaus is successfully killed, at least the ruler of Mirabar should be impressed by the Harpers and allow us to continue our activities there. ”
Elminster hesitated for a moment and expressed his plan.
He knew very well that the reason why the Harper Alliance could persist until now was because of the leadership of this group of senior leaders with extremely firm beliefs and will.
If these backbones suffered heavy casualties, many Harpers who went underground and lurked secretly would immediately lose contact with the organization, and would not even be able to prove their identities.
After all, the members of the Harper Alliance are essentially spies and assassins. In order to maintain confidentiality, they usually maintain one-way contact, and there is no so-called personnel list.
This means that when the leader, who is a key node, and his deputy suddenly die at the same time without having time to make any arrangements, the activities of the Harpers in this area will instantly come to a standstill.
Leaving aside everything else, just finding the lost Harper would take a lot of effort.
Storm Silverhand obviously did not agree with this overly conservative plan. He touched his chin and questioned: "But those Zhentarim people are summoning demons everywhere. Aren't you afraid of the disaster of Hellgate Castle happening again?"
< br>"It shouldn't develop to that extent..."
When saying these words, Elminster was obviously lacking in confidence.
As the name suggests, Hell Gate Castle is a fortress occupied by hell demons.
It is located in the northeast corner of the High Forest and was originally the moon elf city - Cape Ask.
Later, after the collapse of Netherese civilization, some human remnants occupied this place and began to settle.
I don’t know what happened later, but many demons sneaked into the city and completed secret control over the rulers and civilians from top to bottom through excellent political skills.
This situation lasted until DR882 before it was finally noticed by a group of mages.
In order to eliminate the demons, the crazy mage directly opened a portal to the bottomless abyss, allowing a steady stream of demons to rush out to fight their mortal enemies.
According to historians' records, the continuation of this bloody battle in the material plane tore apart the sky and the earth, turning the entire city into a human hell filled with killing and death.
In the end, the victorious devil built a strong fortress on the ruins of the original city, which is the famous Hell Gate Castle.
In order to completely eliminate this huge threat, the Harper leaders secretly planned an operation long ago, intending to completely destroy it and expel it from the main material plane through a series of powerful magic rituals.
If this series of things hadn't happened later, it would have been possible to take action within one or two years.
Unfortunately, as the conflict with Scarlaus Klaus escalated, the Harper had to give up his previous plan and began to use all his strength to deal with this equally difficult ancient red dragon.
Just when Storm Silverhand was about to say something, a middle-aged human woman wearing a Harper brooch suddenly rushed in and reported in a breathless voice. Said: "Bad news!
Some claim to have found traces of a wounded silver dragon near the High Forest.
It is most likely one of the two dragon allies who came to support us and suddenly lost sight of us halfway.
They may have been ambushed by the enemy and are in urgent need of our help. "
"What? ! ”
Elminster suddenly stood up from his chair.
As a fierce man who had been with the Silver Dragon, he had countless complicated and unclear relationships with the Metal Dragon clan.
Especially those younger silver dragons, who may be the descendants of the silver dragon who had an intimate relationship back then, want to call the great sage of Shadow Valley grandpa or uncle.
“It seems we have to go anyway.”
Storm Silverhand also stood up and put on the weapons and equipment placed aside one by one. Neat and ready to go.
Elminster nodded with a solemn expression: "You are right. I really need to go and see this time. No matter what the Zhentarim and Simon are planning, We all have to stop them.”
In this way, the two voters of the Magic Goddess simply packed up their things, got up and said goodbye to the Hubbell family, then left Chang's Saddle Town on horseback and galloped eastward.
As for why they don't use convenient teleportation magic...
Of course it's because of Elminster's criticized quirks and magical concepts.
He advocates that you must think twice and carefully when using magic, and try not to use it if you can't use it, so no matter where you go, you always go on your legs. The number of times you use teleportation spells in this life can be said to be very few. , not like a legendary mage at all.
As soon as the two of them left the long saddle formation with their front legs, the spy hiding in the dark reported what he saw to Harid III who was operating in Miraba.
The eyes of this man who was filled with love and hatred for Elminster gleamed with viciousness, and he immediately used the resources at hand to offer a large bounty, causing adventurers to pour into the mountains of the north in large numbers.
His purpose is very simple, which is to provoke Scarlaus Klaus to leave his lair and attack Miraba.
In this way, the Harper executives gathered in this mining city will think that their plan has been exposed, and they will have to take action in advance to fight to the death with this ancient red dragon.
There is no doubt that in this underground intelligence system game involving many parties, Hared III, Ximanmeng and Kuuremos have already taken the lead through a large number of operations.
The next step is to see if they can complete the ultimate victory over the Harpers' top management before Elminster and Storm Silverhand react.
...
On the other side, under the city wall of De Arnisburg in Amn in the south, the team led by Aberdare was stunned by the nervous scene in front of them.
On top of the castle wall, more than a hundred corpses were densely packed.
Only a small portion of them are humans, and more are monsters such as orcs, half-orcs, gnolls, and goblins.
The former can be easily identified from their clothing as soldiers, servants and maids of the castle, but the corpse of the latter is puzzling.
Because they should have been the main force attacking the castle, but now they are all "open-minded (physics)", and their skulls are empty without even a bit of brain matter.
What’s even worse is that the moment they step into the castle, everyone hears some kind of weird voice whispering in their minds. It only takes a few minutes to drive people crazy. , going crazy, and becoming extremely irritable.
"Damn it! This is psychic power! I think we may be in big trouble this time."
Sancho, the intellectual leader of the team, twitched his mouth and said his guess.
Although he has not seen any monsters so far, he can already predict that there will definitely be a considerable number of mind flayers in the castle.
Because of the corpses on the city wall whose brains had been eaten away, no other species besides the mind flayers could do it.
“What should we do now?”
Narya’s face was full of nervousness and anxiety.
Because according to the information provided by the soldiers who came back to deliver the message, her father did not give up the family business, but chose to stay in the castle and rely on the terrain advantages to continue to hold on.
"Do you know if there are any secret passages or other places in this castle that we can sneak into? It's too dangerous to attack from the front. We don't know how many monsters controlled by the mind flayers we have to face."
Sancho quickly thought about countermeasures and asked about the specific situation.
After facing the legendary demi-lich Kangas in a direct battle, he has completely completed his transformation. There is no trace of childishness in his eyes anymore, replaced by a maturity and stability that belies his age.
Especially the almost indifferent rationality revealed unintentionally, which made the well-informed Jahira feel chills down her spine, and at the same time secretly lamented that only a monster can teach another monster.
Yes, in the eyes of this half-elf druid, both Zuo Si and Sancho have broken away from the category of "human beings".
Nalia quickly replied: "I know there is a secret passage that can enter the castle from the basement. But what about the whispers that keep echoing in my ears once I step into the castle?"
"Here, I just brought a few bottles of mind-shielding potions here. After drinking one bottle, everyone can ignore this psychic interference for a short time.
But please remember, the potion only lasts for one Half an hour.
In other words, if we can't deal with the enemies inside within one and a half hours, we must quit immediately and choose to give up.
Otherwise, it will take up to ten minutes for those with insufficient intelligence. They will start to go crazy and be influenced and controlled by the other party."
Speaking of this, Sancho paused deliberately and turned his attention to Aberdare and Minsk. The implication is self-evident.
Minsk was stupid enough that he didn't notice anything wrong with the boy's eyes and was still talking to Bubu, the yellow-skinned mouse on his shoulder.
On the contrary, Aberdare blushed, obviously feeling embarrassed and embarrassed, and lowered his head to avoid eye contact with Sancho.
He didn't realize at all that he was slowly losing the leadership of the team unknowingly, and his identity changed from the original team leader to a pure executor.
(End of this chapter)