Chapter 114 Instigating Rebellion
The empty courtyard was extremely quiet. There was only one guard on the inner wall battlements who pulled his cloak tight against the cold. He was curled up alone in the corner, bored.
Singing, singing and dancing music flowed out from the open window not far away. This was exactly the kind of music that Brian didn't like to hear the most.
"The Lord can receive you now, Mr. Wizard."
A steady voice came, and Brian followed the voice and looked.
He saw that the knight who came to summon him was tall and thin, with a chiseled face and messy brown hair. He had a sword hanging on his waist and an khaki cloak fastened on his shoulders with a heavy copper buckle from a Bactrian camel.
"What is your name?" He stood up from the stone bench and asked casually.
"Zander." The knight spoke with a bit of arrogance, "I am Lord Graal's cousin, and I have the honor to command his guards. Follow me."
Brian looked at the half-elf poet Elend beside him and followed him.
As the envoy of the Cormyr War Mage, he came to the manor of Graal, one of the two actual rulers of Mokou Town.
The purpose was naturally to persuade the lord to switch sides at the last moment and help him deal with the forces of Yinhun City and Sanlin Tower that were entrenched in Mokou Town.
However, when Tuca and Lando brought them here, a banquet was being held inside, and in the end they had to be placed in a remote corner of the manor to wait.
The knight named Zander led them through a dark hall, down a worn staircase, and through the oak forest. The oak trees here grew so tall and tangled that they covered all the surrounding birch trees. tree and elm.
The thick branches of the oak trees even squeezed into the walls and windows on the walls. Their roots were as thick as an adult man's waist, and their trunks were as wide as any.
Knight Zander opened a rusty iron door and stopped to light a torch. When the torch burned brightly, he led them down more stairs to a cellar with a barrel-shaped ceiling.
"Where are we going?" The poet Elend looked around curiously, his voice echoing softly in the darkness.
Brian noticed that the bard's face was as calm and composed as ever.
This surprised him slightly.
You must know that the reason why he can act so calmly in such a strange place is that in addition to being able to evacuate at any time, he also knows the merchant lords of Mokou Town relatively well, which is also one of the reasons.
Obviously, this person is probably the same as him.
"We are on the stairs under the stairs, directly below the manor, going straight up to the new castle."
The knight said calmly, "This is a secret passage, Your Excellency, the entire Mokou Town is full of Sanlin Towers. The secret agent, although in my opinion, this was completely unnecessary, but my cousin insisted on it."
At the end of the stairs was another wall, and they came to the room behind the wall.
The room is warm and comfortable, furnished with various furniture, with Sambia carpets on the floor and beeswax candles lit on the table.
Indistinctly, Brian heard the playing of the flute and harp, and felt the faint tremor coming from above through his "vibration perception" characteristic.
This made him realize that the banquet above was far from over.
A faded sheepskin map hangs on one wall of the room, depicting the terrain of northern Cormyr, with the Gnoll Pass in the Stormhorn Mountains also marked.
The fat Lord Graal sits below the map, with his son Lando standing beside him.
As described by the poet Ellender, the richest man in Mokou Town was very fat. The padded armchair he occupied was enough to accommodate three people of ordinary size, but Graal still felt a little cramped when sitting.
He managed to squeeze himself into the seat, shrugging his shoulders, spreading his legs, and resting his hands on the armrests, as if they were too heavy to lift.
"Please take a seat." Lord Grall raised his hand and showed his fingers as thick as sausages from his sleeves. "Do you two need anything else? If you are thirsty, there is wine here."
" I'm here to negotiate with you. The king appointed me here, not to drink with you." Brian looked at the fat lord and stated his purpose straight to the point.
"King? That's your king, not my king." Lord Graal's fat face showed disdain. He pointed to the ceiling and said: "There may be enemies of Cormyr up there. But there are no enemies of mine.”
“Not even the people who killed your son and wife?” Brian pondered for a moment and said meaningfully, “You are an adult red dragon in the Year of Flames and Despair. Do you think it’s a coincidence?”
He knew that Lord Graal had three children. Lando’s brother was killed in the Red Dragon Rebellion ten years ago, and his sister was trapped in a hidden book. In books about the secret realm.
"That adult red dragon was the fault of the Rock Baron of Cormyr." Knight Zander stepped forward and said coldly:
"He was the one who lured the crazy red dragon here, this damned one The beast also burned my wife and son to death. If the people of Sanlin Tower had not killed the red dragon in time, we would all have died in the dragon's flames."
"My child has always been brave. A warrior, he faced the dragon and died like a hero ten years ago, I am not surprised about this," Lord Graal said sadly.
“This blatant lie made me smile from ear to ear in surprise.” The poet Ellender said in a mocking tone, “If you even believe this kind of lie that cannot withstand any scrutiny, I think there's nothing to talk about."
"I think so too." Brian agreed with the poet's words.
"Let's go, I'm not here to watch you pathetically praise your enemies, insult and belittle the heroes who once saved Mokou Town from the flames." He dropped a word and turned to leave.
He was serious because he didn't want to talk a lot of nonsense to these people and go back and forth to test them.
Now that the other party knew that he was an envoy from the Kingdom of Cormyr, he still insisted on meeting him.
Obviously, the fat lord is very willing to cooperate.
After all, the human kingdom of Cormyr is naturally a better choice than joining the dark forces dominated by the Shadowmen.
The fundamental reason why Brian is so confident is that he has learned about the history of the Shadow Wedding.
Although Lord Graer of Mokou Town was wiped out in this conspiracy-woven wedding, his little daughter who was trapped in the secret realm of the book survived.
It was through this branch in the game that he learned that Lord Graal’s secret allegiance was actually Myrcella Raul, the Grand Duchess of Arabel City.
When this far-sighted Grand Duke lost Mokou Town, she immediately buried a chess piece of her own.
She secretly supported the merchant Graal and allowed him to slowly develop and grow until the day when the army of the Kingdom of Cormyr counterattacked Mokou Town.
Unfortunately, before this chess piece could play its role, it was completely wiped out by the people of Yinhun City in a wedding.
It is precisely because he knows these things that he dares to meet the other party without fear.
I just don’t know what the Grand Duchess of Arabe City would think when she saw the peaches she planted being picked by him, Brian thought to himself.
Of course, he also did not dare to reveal their identities immediately and ask them to serve him.
He must first observe whether these people have two minds.
"Wait a minute!" Just as he expected, Lord Graal stopped him.
I saw him squinting and looking at his cousin, and then said, "Actually, we don't want to have anything to do with any force. You should also look at it when you come to Mokou Town. By now, residents and adventurers throughout the town are living and working in peace and contentment. "
"Your Excellency claims that he represents the Kingdom of Cormyr to save the people from fire and water, and to protect the land from the invasion of ghosts and evil humanoid creatures. "The fat lord took a breath and continued:
"But our Mokou Town has not been harassed by humanoid creatures for many years, and it is even less likely to be attacked by the ghosts. Your Excellency will not be affected. Are you here to fight against the demons of the abyss and hell?"
"Yes." Knight Zander said coldly, "Sir Brian, let me call you 'sir', I know you. What does the King of Cormyr want from us: swords, gold, silver, and knees
But people from the Shadow City have also said that as long as we show absolute loyalty, they will not only help us drive out the forces of the Sanlin Tower, but also give us the family name from the Shadow Empire, and also offer to let Lando marry Wife is the daughter of a shadow prince.
These conditions seem to me to be quite generous, a good basis for a fair and lasting peace, and now you want us to overthrow them all. I want to ask you, Lord Brian, what benefits can the Kingdom of Cormyr give us? "
"What I give you is the chance to live. Brian said in a slightly cold tone, "And revenge." Avenge your relatives and brothers, avenge the murdered lords of Mokou Town, and avenge the countless Cormyrians who died ten years ago. ”
“That’s right! "Ignoring his father's look, Lando continued and insisted on speaking out his thoughts:
"I have long disliked the Sanlin Tower Society and the people in Shade City. If Cormyr's army is willing We should give our full support to the recapture of Mokou Town. When we were homeless, looking around at a loss, without any friends, and our lives hanging in the balance, it was the Baron Yandi of Mokou Town who took us in and sheltered us, which allowed our family to continue. In order to repay their kindness, we had already promised , will always be from the Kingdom of Cormyr, right? ”
Lord Graal's fat face suddenly became ugly, and even his cousin Zander showed a little shame.
Brian was also startled by the words of this irritable young man, because these words were exactly what he was going to say next.
However, the effect of what Lando said was obviously better than his.
Seeing that the time was ripe, he looked at Lord Graer with feigned disdain, "The City of Shadows is one of the most powerful arcane forces in the entire continent. You really think that you can climb up to it just by virtue of your status?" This high branch, if they were not afraid of the power of the Sanlin Pagoda Society and were inconvenient to attack Mokou Town directly, do you think they would look at you businessmen seriously?"
"So, whether it is joining the Sanlin Tower? Tower meeting, or City of Shadows." Seeing the change in the expressions of the two, he said coldly, "You will all end up destroying yourself. If you don't believe it, just ask this Harper scout from Shadow Valley. ”
Brian looked at the half-elf poet Elend beside him.
In fact, he didn't know that the other party was a Harper scout, and naturally he couldn't be from Shadow Valley. He made up these words at will to test the poet.
Hearing the Harper scout, Elend looked at Brian in surprise.
He thought for a moment, and under the eyes of everyone, he slowly put his hand into his pocket and took out a brooch. The pattern engraved on it was a harp in the center of the crescent moon, four pieces. The cross stars circle above and below the crescent moon.
“Yes, I am from the Harper Alliance.”
Elend cleared his throat and announced in a serious voice: "Our philosophy is to fight against crime and evil, and to protect good civilizations from fear and tyranny. Although this ideal sounds simple and is a bit unattainable, we The Harpers have been moving towards this goal from beginning to end. "
The Harpers Alliance is a representative organization of the forces of kindness. Their core concept is: overthrow tyranny and make all living beings equal.
The main responsibility is to fight against the evil plots woven in the darkness, maintain world peace, kill sources of danger, eliminate threats to good things, and manipulate the affairs of civilized races in order to protect their balanced thoughts.
At the same time, we will often secretly assist adventurers and other groups who promote good ideas. These assistance usually include: a kind hotel owner in an evil town, who suddenly appears when an adventure team is harmed. a traveling priest, or a surprise attack against a common opponent.
So many people call them ‘nosy people’, and to a large extent this assessment is correct.
Because many of the ways they can achieve success include: deceiving, misleading, and acting in secret without openly conflicting, which is the so-called good intention to do bad things. They are typical representatives of chaotic kindness, very similar to those knights who like to steal from the rich and give to the poor. . They fight against evil in ways that may seem trivial to outsiders, or even a bit deviant. Although some people from the good camp find it difficult to understand this, they themselves enjoy it because they never ask for anything in return.
The main members of the Harpers are elves, rangers or bards, as well as those so-called loners, unique lonely travelers, and insane people with outstanding abilities.
Although the Harpers' duties are full of dangers, there is one thing that Brian admires more. They are brave people who fight against terrible dangers with courage and strength, and even risk everything to achieve these goals. Ability, never caring about personal safety, honor or disgrace.
Furthermore, this tight organization is the vanguard of the established order on the entire continent, with a large number of safe houses and agents. They usually travel alone or in small groups across the world to conduct secret operations.
They live in every corner of the world in a hidden way. They may be an elf warrior wearing full body armor, a poor human ranger wearing leather armor, a wanderer shrouded in shadow, a bartender in a bar, or a beggar on the street. beggars and so on.
They use their own unique way of life to maintain their lofty and lofty ideals, even though it seems out of reach.
But at this moment, Brian felt that the words spoken by the half-elf poet about the idea of the Harper Alliance sounded a bit strange.
The harsh tone made it seem like the other party was not a Harper scout at all.
However, the brooch he took out, symbolizing the identity of the Harper, was genuine.
This made him wonder what kind of person this guy was.
"The Harper Alliance, you should be familiar with it." He temporarily suppressed the doubts in his heart and immediately answered.
“In fact, the fundamental reason why this friend from the Harper Alliance came with me to meet you is that he has insight into the conspiracy of the City of Shades, and these Shades are preparing to eliminate you all at the wedding. , to take your place, and the purpose of his coming here is to prevent the disaster from happening."
As Brian finished his words, a gasp came from the room.
Obviously, the credibility of the words spoken in the name of the Harper Alliance is still very high.
After all, the Kingdom of Cormyr is adjacent to the Valley to the north, and the leader of the Harpers, the famous Magic Goddess Chosen Storm Silverhand, lives in the Valley of Shadows in the Valley.
"Shut up, you just need to know that everything I say is true, and then cooperate with me and nod from time to time."
See Elend looking at himself With a strange look in his eyes, he seemed hesitant to speak. Brian was afraid that he would disrupt his plan, so he immediately explained the situation to him through telepathy.
"Yes, we have insight into the conspiracy of the City of Shadows, and under the instructions of Ms. Silverhand in the Storm, we are here to help you survive this disaster." The half-elf poet shrugged helplessly and nodded in agreement. Brian's words.
Brian glanced at the poet suspiciously. He felt that the other party spoke the name of the leader of the Harpers without any respect, which made his suspicions worse.
However, he did not continue to think about it, but turned his attention to the hesitant Lord Graal and others, knowing that the time was ripe.
“Listen up!”
He shouted coldly, making their eyes focus on him. Then he took off his gloves without haste and showed the ring on his finger. :
“Now, in the name of the King of Cormyr and the First Men, the guardian of the Purple Dragon Kingdom, and the Obeschier family, I, Brian, the pioneer of the wilderness, the new lord of Mokou Town , I hereby order you to immediately hold high the banner of the Purple Dragon and help me take down Mokou Town!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a magical light flashed, and a purple flag transformed by magic fluttered in the wind.
"It turned out to be the Purple Dragon Seal Ring!"
Lando recognized the ring worn by Brian at a glance and blurted out in shock, "It is also the highest grade signet ring. I only have this kind of ring in the hands of Prince Celant. "I've seen it before."
Grall looked at the Purple Dragon Seal Ring in disbelief. He appeared in Mokou Town with the highest grade seal ring. This was undoubtedly an oath to him that the Kingdom of Cormyr had been won. The determination of Mokou Town.
Whether to choose the City of Shadows or the Kingdom of Cormyr, the answer is obvious.
He and Zander looked at each other, finally nodded, dragged his fat body out of his seat, knelt at his feet, and said:
"I, Graal, am willing to lead my men to join under the banner of the Purple Dragon and help the new lord capture Mokou Town!"
Zhan En and Lando also knelt on the ground, and together they The sound echoes.
Seeing this situation, the poet standing aside was stunned, as if he couldn't figure out how the other party obtained such a valuable item from the Cormyr royal family.
“It seems that Archduke Raul of Arabe City did not misjudge the person.” Brian put away his signet ring, put on his gloves again, nodded, and said coldly, “Otherwise, I don’t mind. Kill you ungrateful people with your own hands."
Hearing this, Grad suddenly broke out in a cold sweat, secretly congratulating himself on making the right choice.
He really didn't expect that Duke Raul, who had always only contacted him unilaterally through the Mage Tower, would directly direct the new lord to contact him without even notifying him to test his loyalty.
Now, with the help of the Purple Dragon Knights and War Mage from the Kingdom of Cormyr, he has the confidence to compete with the City of Shadows and the Sanlin Tower Society.
In this case, not only would he not have to take risks to form an alliance with Haunted Soul City, he would also be able to help the new lord retake Mokou Town.
"Don't worry, Lord, we will fully support you in capturing Mokou Town." Graer assured him immediately and loudly.
“Very good, don’t worry.”
Brian nodded slightly and said to him, "I am bound to win Mokou Town. When I win this town, I will not only ask for instructions from the superiors and give you a family name and a noble title, but I will also make you the leader of Mokou Town." President of the Chamber of Commerce. "
"Thank you, Lord, for your love." Graal looked happy when he heard the assurance given to him by the new lord, and thanked him quickly.
His humble status has always been his pain point.
If he can assist this new lord in taking over Mokou Town, he will not only be able to fulfill his desire to become a noble, but he can also suppress the Sanlin Pagoda Society's business group and become the most powerful in this prosperous town of Mokou Town. consortium.
And with the Kingdom of Cormyr as a big backer, he doesn’t have to live in fear all day long.
"Everyone, get up." Brian motioned for everyone to get up, pondered for a moment, and then said:
"I have been fortunate enough to visit an ancient library in the Sword Coast, Stove Castle, and I have heard about "The Price of Beauty" "The secret of this book, if I have time, I will find a way to rescue your daughter trapped in the secret realm of the book."
"How do you know this?" Graer heard this. Completely shocked.
Two days ago, his daughter had an accident while reading a magic book called "The Price of Beauty". Before she could hire a wizard to help find out what the cause was, the new lord had already Know it in advance.
“We will talk about this later.” Brian changed the subject, “Our most important task now is how to crush the conspiracy in the City of Shadows at the wedding in three days.”
"Lord, I think we can just tear up the treaty and cancel the wedding." Graal calmed down and made suggestions to Brian:
"Then I led my men, summoned the mercenaries from the town, and cooperated with the kingdom's The Purple Dragon Knights and the Battle Mage Legion cooperated internally and externally to eliminate the forces of the Sanlin Tower Society and Shadow City, and quickly captured Mokou Town. "
Brian denied it cleanly. His suggestion.
He couldn't deny it, because he was just a commander. Without the permission of the upper management, it was impossible to mobilize the purple dragon knights and battle mages that the Kingdom of Cormyr was proud of.
That's why he thought of using his Purple Dragon Seal Ring to go to Mokou Town for free.
He thought for a moment and told them his plan:
"The loss would be too great. The large-scale mobilization of purple dragon knights and battle mages will definitely attract the enemy's attention. Since We already know the plan of Shadow City in advance, so we will use our tactics to eliminate them all at the wedding.”
…………
While Brian and others were discussing the plan, Mo Mo. In a secret basement of the Sanlin Pagoda Club's residence in Kou Town.
Angus, the heron knight in heavy black armor, took off his steel helmet and entered a secret room with many strange scenes carved on the four walls.
The dark phosphorus fire swayed, making the surrounding area look extremely eerie.
A slender figure wearing a black robe knelt under the obsidian altar, praying on the ground with his hands intertwined.
"I already have news about the person you asked me to track down." Angus looked at the black shadow under the obsidian altar and said in a low voice.
The shadow suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a pale red gaze, and asked eagerly, "Where is he?"
"My spies met him at the Salamander tavern."
The leader of the Zanlin Tower replied, "Seeing him returning to the manor with Graal's son Lando, they are very likely to Prepare to attend Miss Natasha's wedding."
"Bring your men to this wedding and kill him! Take back the items that belong to my lord!" Black Shadow's graceful voice was distorted with anger.
"I'm sorry to tell you, Miss Shirling." Angus said seriously, "Our Sanlin Tower has received orders to stand still and wait and see what happens."
"Then you are not afraid that the forces of Ghost City will unite with Lord Graer to overthrow your rule in Mokou Town." The black shadow called Xierlin sneered and said to him.
"In fact, we are very afraid."
Angus replied expressionlessly, "But I am very aware of Hajhorna's behavior. These remnants of Netheril have already engraved their arrogance on their faces. In my heart, I guess this wedding will be very exciting. No matter who wins in the end, I can wait and destroy them."
"No!"
Xirin shouted coldly, "In order to prevent accidents from happening, you must take action and kill the people instructed by my lord. This is the condition you agree to me, otherwise"
"Miss Xierlin, don't go too far." Ange Si looked cold and forcibly interrupted her.
"A month ago, you told me that this person would definitely appear near the Mokou Mountains. I put down all the tasks in my hands and mobilized almost all the scouts and spies to help you find the person. As a result, I was in the underground business of King Aldus City. The team accidentally discovered that the other party has been underground for more than a month. I have tolerated you once, don't go too far!"
"He must die, and I must take back the items that belong to my lord."
Shirlin was silent for a moment, looked at the obsidian altar, and said slowly, "This is my bottom line and the basis for my lord's cooperation with the God of Tyranny."
"I myself There is an arrangement." The leader of the Sanlin Tower calmed down slightly and continued, "I have placed spies in every corner of the town. Once the wedding is over, he will definitely die if he dares to leave the manor."
"I hope you can keep your word and don't let me down." Sireen closed her eyes gently and silently recited a prayer full of corruption.
(End of this chapter)