Chapter 200 Hell Knight
Brian looked carefully around the bustling market in the desert oasis.
In the fading light, the lake near the camp shone with silver luster, and the distant sky was embellished with the last trace of faint pink by the sunset.
At this moment, most merchants are busy packing up their eye-catching sandproof tents and rolling up carpets for displaying ceramics, handicrafts, and various exotic goods.
Brian and Helister walked side by side. When the two walked out of the ruins of the ruins, just as he imagined, the ghost prince Brenas had been waiting for a long time.
He glanced at the ghost prince leading the way. He was now dressed like a human race and was lazily whistling an outdated ditty.
This young human being, few people can guess whether he is a ghost man or a ghost mage. After all, his human identity, in the players' impression, is more like Brenas Tanshur A young man, a half-jealous wizard whose spells often misfire comically. He is also a bombastic amateur artist who often pretends to be a bard.
The Prince of Shadows is walking in the market at the moment, with a smug smile on his face and an extremely luxurious outfit, which all reveal his wealth, leisure and privilege.
However, in fact, it was he who deliberately designed this human image.
The embroidery on his lavender silk jacket is the conspicuous flower crown of a Northland merchant family. His pleated trousers are tucked into impractical suede boots. The large sleeves of his silk shirt are more practical. Tiny runes are embroidered with fine gold or violet thread.
The nobleman's clothes were loose and loose, covering up his slender but strong body. Just like the bright gem on the hilt of his sword, it attracted other people's eyes, but ignored the pair of fingers that could outline the magic of death. .
"Is there really no problem?"
Herister said to Brian through telepathy, "He is from the City of Shadows. I have heard from the Silver Moon Dragon Queen many times As mentioned before, the three princes of Coraribonas, Melegant and Brenas of Ghost City have been secretly planning how to overthrow the rule of the North."
"And... ..."
She added: "The army of Yinhun City still suffered a defeat at your hands."
"If even this little prince is not worthy of trust."
Brian gave Helister a reassuring look and responded with a smile, "Then, these arrogant and arrogant people deserve what they deserve. The descendants of Netheril fell into the abyss step by step."
He was relatively familiar with the other two ghost princes responsible for planning the Northland Alliance.
After all, he has lived in Silver Moon City for five years. Among the enemies he has come into contact with, apart from the Abyss Demons, he has the most enemies in Haunted Soul City.
Melagont Tanshur, one of the twelve ghost princes, his arcane talent is very ordinary. Despite this, he still insists on choosing the path of arcane magic.
In the plan against the Northland Alliance, although his strength was not as outstanding as other ghost princes, his lack of arcane ability was completely made up for by his intrigues.
His knack for deceiving others and his talent for being false to others at any time allowed him to integrate people such as the Orcs of the Spine of the World, the Mara Hunters of the Moon Forest, and the Hellgate Keep. Many evil forces, such as the demons of the abyss and the demon elves of the Supreme Forest, have launched attacks on various civilized territories throughout the North.
The floating castle of the Silver Moon Dragon Queen fell from the sky and turned into ruins under Melegant's plan. The ancient silver dragon 'Silver Wing' Diszero Rodton also died there. In this battle.
Coraribonas Tanshur, he is the second youngest prince in the City of Shadows and the most notorious and despicable Shadow Guard assassin.
In his plan for Neverwinter City, in order to find the third relatively complete floating city Sinlenar buried deep underground, the prince moved the Hotno Mountains in the Neverwinter City area. A large volcano detonated in the city, causing most of the entire city of Neverwinter to be destroyed in a terrible natural disaster.
It was not until Brian was reborn that a fleet from Waterdeep landed at the ruined port of Neverwinter to prepare for reconstruction.
If Brenas, one of the three ghost princes in charge of the Northland Alliance, had not been in idle and jungle mode from beginning to end, ignoring the expansion plan of Shade City, the rule of Northland might have been overthrown. subversion.
“You seem to know the City of Ghosts very well.”
Herister looked at Brian’s eyes that shone like obsidian with a nonchalant expression. There was a hint of comforting smile in the soft words:
"I can feel that I am afraid that all the members of the Silver Federation, including the Harper Alliance, do not understand them as well as you."
Regarding Helister's evaluation, Brian could not deny it.
In fact, he still felt a little regretful in his heart.
I regret that I did not see the ending of the City of Shadows and traveled through time inexplicably.
In his impression, with the expansion of the City of Shadows, the conspiracy of the lost lady Shar, and finally the twelve Princes of Shadows and the Hand of the High King, Hajhorna, these core members died. Deaths, disappearances, and even one death with the chosen one of the Goddess of Magic.
In the end there wasn’t much left.
"The reason why I took the risk to meet with this prince is actually for the sake of the Northland Alliance." Brian said to her, "If we can have fewer enemies and more allies out of thin air, it will be of great help to us. "
"It seems that you have a long-term plan," Heliste sighed as she brushed her silver hair from her forehead.
"I'm used to it. Sometimes, I'm really afraid that my head won't be able to hold my imagination." Brian pointed at his head and joked with a smile.
Herister did not answer and gave him a faint smile.
Seeing the long-lost smile again felt like a spring breeze.
"Actually, you really should smile more."
He couldn't help but shake her delicate little hand and put forward his own suggestions, "Believe me, if you smile in the mirror every day, Smile, I think you will get used to this expression soon."
Hearing Brian's teasing, Helist tried to hold back her smile, but in the end it exceeded the limit of her tolerance.
“It’s getting dark soon.”
Brian looked away from Helister’s smiling face and said to Prince Brenas who was leading the way, “I think we You should find a quiet place first, after all, there is nothing wrong with having something to eat.”
He found that his proposal made the ghost prince's face light up, "I know a perfect place, it has local characteristics."
He smiled slightly and subconsciously wanted to go there. Brian's hand.
Brian felt a chill and hurriedly avoided it. He thought that he was not familiar with this prince yet.
Of course, no matter how familiar he is, you can't hold hands with him.
The Prince of Shadows felt embarrassed and waved for him to follow him.
Then, he led them through the maze of alleys in a familiar way and came to a low wooden house.
If an abandoned warehouse also has its own unique charm, this is the perfect embodiment of those charms.
“Local characteristics, worthy of the name.” Brenas took the lead in opening the door.
He took off his wide hat with feathers, put it under his arm, and carefully combed his black hair with his hands, smiling at the two of them, "Isn't this place very gorgeous?"
< br>'This place' is a pub like this: a large and cluttered bar that has nothing to do with splendor.
Brian thought helplessly that if this room was thoroughly cleaned and then ventilated for a few days, it would probably qualify as dirty.
The entire bar room was packed with tables and booths, and most of them were full.
It can be seen from the dark faces and the distinctive linen robes of the Bedai barbarian residents that this is a place frequented by locals.
The guests include men of all ages and classes.
Only men.
However, Brian soon discovered that the row of doors along the north wall of the bar hinted that women were not completely absent from the building.
Brenas leads them into the tavern.
The guests closest to the door observed the newcomers, their faces showing a mixture of curiosity and hostility
There were three richly dressed locals sitting at a table. Staring at Helister's face hidden in the hood and her delicate body covered by the cloak, they began to argue.
"Ah, Master Riska!" A nasally voice shouted.
Brian turned around and saw a stooped man in a black robe staggering towards them, his stubby fingers spread out in a welcoming gesture.
It can be seen from his excited expression and the smile on his face that he is very familiar with the changing human identity of the Prince of Shadows.
Brenas smiled slightly, called the shop owner by name, chatted with him, talked about the current situation of his wives and daughters, and then asked for the table he was used to.
The tavern owner enthusiastically took them to a small table in the corner - there were already people there - he briefly talked to the few customers in the local dialect and sent them away.
The tavern owner grinned, wiped the table with the sleeves of his robe, boasted that he would provide them with fine wine that could only be drunk in the floating city, and hurried away.
"Is there a place in this world where you are treated as a stranger?" Brian and Helister sat across from Prince Breners and asked with a smile.
When he learned that the little prince was indeed interested in him and wanted to talk to him, he just thought for a moment and agreed.
After all, Brenas is the most worthy and easiest ally to win over among the forces in Ghost City.
If he were to replace the High King and become the ruler of the floating city of Sultanza.
This will definitely change the pattern of the entire Eno Oak Desert, and will also allow him to increase his voice when he joins the Council of Elders in the Magic Kingdom of Halua.
"Professional needs." Prince Brenas replied with a smile, "If you are willing, I can even take you to every oasis camp in the Eno Oak Desert."
"Of course I am very willing. "
Brian glanced at a small spider crawling leisurely on the blackened ceiling, "But it always feels weird for me to travel around the world with a man. In fact, I would rather I’ll be a guest in your city of Sultansa.”
“Oh?”
Prince Brenas’s smiling eyes stayed on Brian’s sharp yet sharp eyes. A gentle smile on his face.
He thought for a moment and said in a slightly solemn tone, "Perhaps, one day in the future, you will really have this opportunity."
"Then I hope that this day will come soon." There was no trace of eager anticipation in Brian's words.
Herister sat silently next to him as if she didn't exist. It could be seen from the slight vigilance in her beautiful eyes that she had been guarding against the Prince of Shadows from beginning to end.
At this moment, the tavern owner appeared in front of their table with three large glasses of wine.
“Ah, thank you.” Brenas took a sip of his wine and praised exaggeratedly, “Gods are merciful. Drinking this kind of wine in the hot desert is simply the water of life.”
"These are made from grapes grown on my own estate." the tavern owner said modestly, "I'm honored that you are satisfied with them."
"More than satisfied." Brenas said elegantly He took another sip and said, "In fact, my family also deals in high-end wine, as you know. If I join your guild one day, believe me, I will definitely bring all your wine and your reputation with me." To the North.”
Brian didn’t bother to pay attention to the boastful prince, because he had already seen a bit of cork floating in the wine glass.
When the tavern owner heard what Brenas said, the smile on his face suddenly disappeared.
"I very much hope so, Lord Riska, but I doubt that is possible. I'm sorry." He bowed quickly and hurried away.
"You have adapted well to the harsh travel life, Your Highness." Seeing the tavern owner leaving, Brian took a sip of wine with a hint of ridicule in his words.
“Traveling is hard work.”
Brenas was like an elegant gentleman. He put down his wine glass, showed a gentle smile, and said modestly: “Although it is not that easy. , but I will try to be civilized."
"Brian, my friend, please allow me to call you that," he continued: "Speaking of 'civilization', I'm curious about you. What does the lord of Mokou Town think about? "
"Civilization?"
Brian thought seriously for a moment and said to him, "Actually, I have never thought seriously about civilization. After your reminder, I suddenly thought of a sentence that is enough to make people think."
"Oh? What kind of sentence is it?" Brenas looked at the lord of Mokou Town with a slight frown on his face curiously.
After all, in his impression, this was a lord who dared to abolish the slavery system and was so interested in the spread of knowledge, so he was very interested in his answer. "There is a proverb in my hometown: There is a centifolia on the road of life, which blooms a thousand flowers and bears one fruit." Brian came back from his thoughts, "If someone can encounter this grass, keep it blooming and wait for it to bloom." The flowers fall, the fruits are picked, and the fruits are discarded in a civilized manner. This is civilization. "
"This sounds like an ethereal word." Brener. Si chuckled.
"In my impression, whether it is learning arcana, going on adventures, or establishing one's own vision of life, the concept and value of civilization are so vague. I think it should be very broad, extending to every kingdom and every person. Everyone will have their own point of view on civilization. Especially a kingdom with a long history. "In my opinion, civilization is the arcane truth." The ghost prince drank the wine in one gulp and raised his voice. A few minutes later, he said to Brian:
“Arcana is the power to explore the essence of things. The clearer the world’s people understand the essence of things, the higher their level of civilization. The Church of the Gods was once the key to the development of civilization. The product of civilization has also been used as an excuse for war. The so-called doctrinal differences and conflicts of civilizations are just ugly conflicts of interests between gods. Civilization can make us wise, just like arcana allows us to see the multiverse clearly. The secret is the same, as long as we want to do something, we can definitely do it.”
After hearing Brenas’ words, Brian did not refute him.
He thought for a moment and looked at the Prince of Shadows, "If I were in your position, I can understand your point of view, but I also have my own different opinions."
"Perhaps you are right that civilization is an arcane truth, but I think civilization is also a kind of behavior." He said slowly:
"Because when advanced culture and ideas spread widely, and Once recognized, civilization will be reflected in actions, such as an inadvertent smile when we meet on the road, selfless help when passersby are in trouble, and conscious behavior of obeying the law."
He took a sip. The wine in the cup continued:
"In this way, one person's civilization will spread and affect another person. It will blow through the willows like the spring breeze, leaving a piece of green and cool. When civilization Our behavior becomes a habit, our morality and cultivation reach a new peak, and our spirit becomes more enriched."
Brian glanced at the calm-looking psychic beside him, "It has been passed down from ancient times that the city is its symbol. Civilization, for example, the 'treasure of the North' Silver Moon City, is formed by the actions of everyone, starting from everyone's side and moving towards the world step by step."
When Brian finished saying this, the door of the tavern was banged open, and the drinkers followed the sound and looked.
As the sand and dust raised by the strong wind dissipated, a paladin with a weathered face appeared in everyone's sight, becoming the focus of the entire tavern.
Judging from his face, he vaguely looked very young. Unfortunately, the wind and frost aura on his body was too strong, as if he had been blown by strong winds for countless centuries, making him look at least ten years older.
This paladin wore a worn-out black armor and held a two-handed giant sword that emitted a dark red light.
When Brian noticed that the runes engraved on the hilt of his sword were faintly exuding an aura that was like the hell of Baator, he seemed to have thought of something, and his expression couldn't help but change slightly.
——"Supernatural ability: detect evil!"
The paladin stretched out his hand, and a milky white holy light appeared in the palm of his hand wearing a steel gauntlet, which suddenly spread to the entire tavern.
The moment he put down his arm, everyone in the tavern burst out with different camp auras.
The dazzling blood-red light eclipsed the bright torches and candles in the tavern.
Brian saw the red light representing the evil camp filling almost every corner of the room. The only blue light that truly represented kindness was Heliste beside him.
Even the aura of his own camp was constantly jumping back and forth between the blue and white lights that represented kindness and neutrality respectively.
But Brenas, the ghost prince sitting opposite him, has always maintained a neutral white light.
“Violence!”
“If it is not for justice, it is meaningless!”
The paladin held the giant sword in his hand, his majestic eyes coldly Sweep across every enemy that emits blood-red light.
"There are many of us, don't be afraid. Kill this nosy paladin." A strong man with an exaggerated beard stood up.
As he looked at the paladin, his black beard twisted in a challenging sneer.
"You plan to use your sword to uphold justice, right!" He looked at the paladin viciously and pulled out a scimitar. The inside of the broad and curved blade was a row of serrations.
Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen people quietly took out weapons from the oiled buckles, linings of boots, inner edges of wrists, backs of necks, and even crotches, and stared at the people in front of the door. Paladin.
“Any evil force must pay a price!”
The paladin remained unmoved and allowed the group of people to move closer to him. He said in a low and hoarse voice, "However, the order here seems to have protected you, so I can only rely on force to conquer this place."
< br>As soon as he finished speaking, a faint sacred aura emerged from the giant sword in his clenched hands, and his tall figure turned into a steel whirlwind and rushed into the besieging crowd.
In an instant, the roar of a charge slamming on the ground, the crackle of broken tables and chairs, the collision of swords and the scream of a sharp knife piercing flesh, echoed in the tavern one after another.
Blood, corpses, broken limbs.
At this moment, the violence displayed by this young paladin with a vicissitudes of life seemed to have an aura of violence.
Sure enough, it was the paladin who had sworn the oath of conquest. Seeing the figure of the paladin jumping into the crowd, Brian couldn't help but be secretly surprised.
Every paladin will make a sacred oath, and it will always be with his identity. The most common oaths are the oath of dedication, the oath of glory, the oath of redemption, the oath of the ancient sages, etc. The oath of justice.
But there are also very extreme oaths, that is, the Oath of Vengeance, a kind of paladin called the 'Holy Avenger'. Their camp is mainly lawful and neutral.
However, there is an oath even more extreme than the oath of revenge: the oath of conquest.
The Oath of Conquest attracts paladins who seek glory and conquest in battle.
For them, simply establishing order is not enough; the forces of chaos must be crushed and eradicated.
Some Conquering Paladins, known as Tyrant Knights or Warmongers, gather into stern armies or organizations to serve a god or philosophy of order and war.
Some of these paladins go so far as to join forces with the demons of Baator.
In their eyes, the rule of law trumps kindness.
The previous Devil Duke of Avernus in the first level of Baator Hell, the former chief commander of the bloody battle in the abyss, was also Brian's escaped familiar, Bayer.
The Devil Lord leads many such paladins. They are called Hell Knights and are regarded as the most ardent followers. They are also the sharpest sword used by the Devil Lord to kill the demons of the abyss.
Hellknights adorn their armor with trophies from fallen enemies, warning of dire consequences for anyone who dares to defy them, or even their lords' decrees.
These knights are often resisted by other conquering paladins, who believe that these lawful evil paladins, also known as Hell Knights, have gone too far in the darkness to recover.
However, in fact, their profession is still that of paladins. They have the same professional characteristics as other paladins and the most effective supernatural ability to kill evil: Slay Evil.
Because the creed of the Oath of Conquest is the most frightening to evil forces. They believe in the supremacy of power, extinguish hope, kill everyone, and then rule with an iron fist.
In the melee, the paladin held heavy swords in both hands and slashed out. Two tall and strong men waved their swords to parry with frightened expressions.
With a harsh collision, their bodies flew out directly and hit the wall behind them. They opened their mouths and spurted out a trace of blood, lifeless.
——"Supernatural ability: Conquer pressure!"
Pure holy energy suddenly burst out from the paladin's body, exuding a stream of terrifying pressure, and all the suppressed auras The shrouded enemies all showed expressions of fear.
The weak-willed ones even dropped their weapons and knelt or lay on the ground trembling.
"It is not enough to defeat you in battle. My victory must be so significant that it completely breaks your will to fight. Swords can only end lives, but fear can end kingdoms."
A stream of blood Splashing, the paladin's sword mercilessly harvests the lives of his enemies.
——"Supernatural ability: Conquer the aura!"
Another pure holy light spread from the body of the paladin. The fleeing enemy's legs seemed to grow on the ground, and were covered by the aura. Suppressed, unable to move even an inch.
“Once the conquest is completed, no dissent will be tolerated. What I say is the law. Those who follow it will be favored, and those who disobey will be punished to serve as a warning to others!”
The paladin yelled angrily while frantically killing his enemies who were desperate because of their futile escape.
“I will continue to rule until a stronger evil force arises. At that time, I will become stronger and face challenges fearlessly.”
—— "Supernatural ability: Evil-breaking!"
"Crack!"
A clear cracking sound sounded, and the last enemy of the paladin was cut off directly with the scimitar, and the burly body knelt down On the ground, he was instantly killed by the sword.
After the battle, the paladin's eyes glanced at Brian and the other three, paused for a moment as they passed by Brian, and then turned and left.
The whole tavern fell into a deathly silence, because except for the three of them, no one survived, and the thick smell of blood filled the air, which was nauseating.
Brian glanced outside the door from the corner of his eye and discovered that there was not only this paladin in the entire oasis camp, but a dozen of the same paladin playing the same role, killing the evil forces here. .
Obviously, as the paladin said, they intend to completely occupy this desert oasis.
"It's not a good time to stay here for a long time. Let's leave first." Brian glanced at the psychic next to him and said to the ghost prince Brenas.
His conversation with the ghost prince is not over yet. He must use today's time to make some things clear and reach an agreement.
Only in this way can he return to Mokou Town with peace of mind.
"I think so too." Brenas looked at the busy figures of a group of paladins outside the door. He nodded thoughtfully and said with a smile.
…………
The next morning, Brian stood on the sand dune, watched the ghost prince leave, showed a smile, and then turned around and walked away.
"What are you discussing with the people in Ghost City? You actually spent the whole night talking about it." Helist walked up to Brian and asked curiously.
“Actually, we didn’t talk about anything important.” Brian walked side by side with Herister and said as they walked, “It’s just thinking about some trivial things.”
In fact, , he didn't lie.
He originally talked with the dossier scholar with a win-win attitude, but when the two sat down, the topic was gradually changed by some reconstruction of the history and civilization of the Netheril Empire.
Then we chatted until dawn without even realizing it.
The ghost prince seemed to have understood the purpose through their chat content, so he expressed his views in the same suggestive tone.
So, they reached a tacit and secret agreement.
"In short..."
Brian thought for a while and said to Helist, "This ghost prince will never threaten the safety of the Northland Alliance. If everything goes well, I'll take you to Yinhun City as a guest when I get the chance."
"Let's go back to Mokou Town." After saying that, he subconsciously glanced at the sand dunes in the distance.
After returning to Mokou Town, he will start to build his own wizard tower. This is the key to whether he can gain a foothold in the Eno Oak Desert.
Herister nodded slightly and took the initiative to hold his hand, and the two disappeared in a burst of light from the magic circle.
At the same time, on the sand dunes in the distance, two Hell Knights in black heavy armor were staring at the place where Brian and the two disappeared.
"Mentor."
A young paladin lowered his head slightly and said in a low voice, "Last night, when we were fighting in the tavern, I was in the body of that half-elf. I felt a familiar atmosphere.”
"Don't make this matter public." The burly paladin turned around and turned his back to him. "This lord of Mokou Town is related to whether Bayer can regain the dominance of Avernus."
………………
(End of this chapter)