A sneeze destroys a magical civilization

"What do you want me to do?"

Duke Iltan asked with a solemn expression after pondering for a moment.

According to the current situation, it seems that besides fighting a decisive naval battle, there seems to be no second option.

But the problem is that although Baldur's Gate is a port city, it has never established a professional navy from beginning to end.

Because one look at the map shows that the real location of the city is actually along the Chongsa River, still a short distance from the ocean.

Therefore, no matter who wants to attack Baldur's Gate from the sea, they must enter through a relatively narrow river mouth.

The reason why "Sword Bay" is called this is because the coast of this sea area is basically covered with steep cliffs and bare peaks hundreds of meters or even thousands of meters high, which look like sharp swords from a distance. Same.

This also means that as long as some catapults, ballistae, crossbows and the like are set up on high ground at the mouth of the river, the invading enemy fleet can be easily destroyed in the narrow river.

Now that there is an impregnable defense, there is no need to spend so much money to build a professional navy.

After all, the cost and daily maintenance of building a sturdy warship is beyond what a mere merchant ship can match.

What's more, just building merchant ships and cutting down a large number of nearby trees has aroused strong dissatisfaction among the shadow druids in Cloak Forest.

This is an extreme sect that regards the forest as more important than human life. Many nobles and businessmen who hunt animals near the forest have been hunted by them.

If more rare and precious ancient trees were cut down to build warships, the Shadow Druid would probably explode on the spot and directly summon a large number of animals to launch an indiscriminate attack.

Therefore, Baldur's Gate does not have the strong need and necessary conditions to form a powerful navy like Amn.

If we really want to fight a large-scale naval battle, it means requisitioning at least twenty large merchant ships.

As for the soldiers, naturally let the most elite Flame Fist mercenaries take the lead.

Anyway, in Duke Iltan's opinion, there is no difference between naval battles and land battles. They all use crossbows, slings and ballistae to carry out long-range attacks before approaching.

After joining the ship, it will naturally depend on the equipment, discipline, training level, willpower and professional level of the soldiers on both sides.

In this regard, the Flame Fist mercenaries are second to none on the west coast of the entire Faerûn continent, and even Waterdeep City cannot compare with them.

Duke Silvershield took a deep breath to force himself to calm down, and then said in a very firm tone: "Let's start the war! At this point, the other side has made it clear that they want to deliberately restrict and block Baldur's Gate's most important maritime trade. If you don't let go, If we fight, our wealth and trade will only become less and less, and we will eventually lose our ability to resist completely."

"Are you sure? You must know that the cost of commandeering merchant ships is not small. In your current situation, once it triggers a collective rebound among merchants, your resignation is almost inevitable. Even if I intervene, I may not be able to keep you." Yi Duke Ertan warned in a serious tone.

"Do you think I have any other choices?" Duke Silver Shield asked with a wry smile.

"That's right. At this point, both you and I have no way out. Do you know? According to a certain masked mage lord in Waterdeep City, the actions of the pirates of Nelanthel Islands this time are extremely... It may be because we previously outlawed the faith of Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, and expelled her priests and elects.”

Duke Iltan did not hide anything and simply told what he had just heard from the envoy.

Because he understands that, to a certain extent, he and the other party are both grasshoppers tied to a rope.

If something happens, no one can expect to be better off.

After all, it was the two of them who proposed together to completely expel the forces of Talona Church from Baldur's Gate to prevent Amn from intimidating them in the same way again.

If citizens, businessmen and major chambers of commerce knew that the source of all crises was caused by this fact...

Even if Duke Iltan is the nominal supreme commander of the Flame Fist mercenaries and controls almost more than 70% of Baldur's Gate's army, there is no guarantee that he can withstand the overwhelming anger of the people.

After all, no matter how obedient the Flame Fist mercenary is, he is still a living person.

They also have family and friends, and they need to go out to buy things every day, and go to the pubs they frequent for a drink to relax their body and mind from the stressful training and tasks on weekdays.

Once these soldiers find that their superiors are no longer respected, but instead turn into street rats and everyone shouts to beat them, it is difficult to ensure that they can still be as loyal as they are now.

If the protection is not complete, there will be a few unthinkable officers who will lead their soldiers to declare "abandoning the dark and turning to the light", and then launch a military coup that will overwhelm the superior.

"What? You mean... the actions of the pirates in the Nelanser Islands are actually the revenge of the electorate called Soth against us?" The Duke of Silver Shield opened his mouth in shock.

He couldn't believe it in his wildest dreams that the other party actually launched a naval blockade and trade sanctions against the entire Baldur's Gate just because he was refused entry to the city.

Duke Iltan nodded expressionlessly: "Although I don't know exactly how he did it, this is the only reason and motive that can be explained at present. Otherwise, we will have nothing to do with those pirates. There is no revenge these days, so why do they only levy three times the protection fee on merchant ships sailing from Baldur's Gate and entering Baldur's Gate? This makes no sense in terms of logic and reason."

"Damn it! According to you, our church and pastor who expelled Talona actually made a huge mistake?" Duke Silver Shield's face suddenly became extremely ugly.

"Don't ask me, I don't know whether that decision was right or wrong. But one thing is for sure, that is, we have provoked a difficult and dangerous enemy."

When he said these words, Duke Iltan's tone was full of strong uneasiness.

Because as the highest-level and most powerful warrior in Baldur's Gate, he knows better than others how terrifying high-level spellcasters are, especially those chosen with a large number of god-given abilities.

What's more, Zuo Si is also the chosen one of Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease.

Even though this god is just a weak divine power, the threat and damage it can cause to cities and armies is far more terrifying than many powerful divine powers.

In addition, there is no decent spellcasting organization in Baldur's Gate, and the various temples and churches are indifferent to the dukes, so if anything happens, you can basically just ask for luck.

"Then can this naval battle still be fought?" Duke Silver Shield obviously felt guilty.

Just as many nobles are accustomed to enjoying the sense of superiority brought by power, when they suddenly encounter an adventurer who does not take them seriously, they are often frightened out of their wits by the fierce eyes and bad attitude of the other party, and suddenly realize that they are so called The power is not worth mentioning in front of the real power.

At this moment, he also discovered that the tactics, tricks, and methods he had played before were of no use at all now.

In the end, when things develop, they will still have to be resolved by war and force.

"Of course we have to fight! Only if we win can you and I be qualified to sit down and negotiate and bargain. Otherwise, the other party will not even give us this chance." Duke Iltan said decisively.

Compared to Duke Silvershield, as the highest military commander of Baldur's Gate, he understands the importance of the army and force better.

"Damn it! I hate this feeling of being cornered and having to fight to the death to survive. Okay! As you said, let's fight the pirates of the Nelanthel Islands first."

Duke Silver Shield gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table.

Seeing that his allies had finally made up their minds to fight, Duke Iltan showed a happy smile and said bluntly: "Remember! Collect more ships with wider hulls and decks. Only such ships can maximize the use of the Flame Fist servants." The combat effectiveness of our soldiers. Once we successfully pick up the ship, our elites can beat the crap out of those rabble."

Duke Silvershield nodded vigorously without thinking: "Don't worry! I will risk my life this time! Even if I offend all the merchants and chambers of commerce in Baldur's Gate who are engaged in maritime trade, I will still collect enough large ships for you. "

After saying this, he left the Flame Fist mercenary headquarters castle without looking back and went straight to his own territory in the port area.

In less than two hours, the resolute Duke of Silver Shield summoned all the owners of merchant ships in the city with a certain carrying capacity and publicly announced that they would requisition all the ships present for a naval battle.

no doubt!

Such a move, which infringes upon the core interests of all businessmen, will not surprisingly lead to overwhelming opposition and protests.

You must know that ships are like the lifeblood for maritime merchants like them.

If it was sunk or captured in a fierce naval battle, even if it received official compensation from Baldur's Gate afterwards, the time from placing the order to the shipyard to completion would be too long, resulting in a large amount of trade share being squeezed out by peers.

If it were normal times, Duke Silver Shield might have chosen to compromise due to his relatively weak character.

But this time, he had no way out, so he completely ignored the fierce opposition from merchants and chambers of commerce and directly chose to impose compulsory expropriation.

In less than an hour, the Flame Fist mercenaries took over the ships docked at the berths and along the river.

As for those shipowners who had temporarily lost ownership of their ships, they all stood on the shore with their servants and guards, shouting curses, and greeted almost all the eight generations of the Duke of Silver Shield and Duke of Iltan, as well as all the female relatives in the family. A little bit of the usual etiquette and demeanor.

But the latter seemed to know that he was wrong and chose to turn a blind eye to this curse.

But they didn't know that just as they were preparing to launch a sudden attack on the Nelanthel Islands fleet cruising in the waters near Baldur's Gate, a businessman on the back was angry and chose to send people to secretly attack the pirate ships under the cover of night. The elders spread the word.

Because only in this way can the merchants get back their requisitioned ships after the defeat of Baldur's Gate.

Of course, consider yourself unlucky if you get sunk.

In about half an hour, the corresponding information was placed on Vanessa's desk.

The Lich picked it up and glanced at it twice, then he couldn't help laughing wildly: "Hahahaha! Those stupid Dukes finally couldn't hold back and wanted to fight back. Very good! Very good! Go and give it to Yu Bo immediately The fleet near the Gate of Virtue issued an order to prepare them for battle. Later I will personally lead all the mages and warlocks to teleport directly there."

"As you wish, Master."

Eric put one hand on his chest and bowed deeply, with a cold and cruel smile on his face.

Although this naval battle has not yet begun, he already knows the outcome in advance.

From beginning to end, Baldur's Gate had no chance of winning.

the reason is simple!

Currently, there are more than thirty mages and warlocks who can cast three-ring magic on the Nelanthel Islands.

This means that when the war breaks out, they will all fly in the sky, condescendingly bombarding the enemy's slow-moving ships in large areas.

Unless there is equal magical power to counterattack, no matter how elite the Flame Fist mercenaries are, they are just living targets floating on the sea.

After seeing Eric off, Vanessa immediately got up and used advanced teleportation to come to the mage tower in Ascaltra, and reported the exciting "good news" to Zuo Si.

When the latter heard this, he immediately asked in astonishment: "Really? Are these two guys Iltan and Anta Silver Shield crazy? What gave them the courage to dare to fight us at sea? Even if If you don’t understand magic, you should at least know that no matter what kind of ship it is on the sea, it will be destroyed in minutes if it is hit by a fireball."

"Hehe! I think they must have been forced into a hurry. Especially not long ago, several ships of the Silver Shield family loaded with valuable cargo failed to pay protection fees. We caught them and they were all impounded. If it doesn't happen again If he doesn't respond, he will no longer have the qualifications and prestige to continue to be the Duke in charge of maritime trade in Baldur's Gate." Vanessa explained happily.

"I see. Since that's the case, let's completely kill their last hope." Zuo Si ordered casually.

"Do you want to take the opportunity to kill Iltan? According to the information I have received so far, he should attack with the fleet." Vanessa tentatively asked with excitement.

Because he knew that Duke Iltan was a warrior who truly crossed the threshold of legend.

If you can kill it and bring the body back, you can create a powerful death knight through necromancy magic.

No necromancer can resist such temptation.

After all, there are not many legendary warriors in Faerûn, at least not as many as the legendary mages.

the reason is simple!

Mages can extend their lifespan in various ways, and even turn themselves into immortal lichs.

But soldiers have no such ability.

As they get older, their physical functions will decline rapidly, and eventually they will become an old man who needs a cane to even walk.

Some warriors even choose to enter the Astral Plane with the help of a spellcaster in order to keep their body's functions never aging and settle there forever, even if they have to endure harassment and siege by Githyanki bandits all day long.

Only in the star realm without any flow of time can they continue to develop and explore the mysteries of the body and hone their fighting skills until they transcend the limits of physiology and even species, reaching the level of transcendence and sainthood.

Otherwise, in a material world where time flows normally, many warriors' bodies would have already begun to age before they could cross the legendary threshold.

Zuo Si himself was very good at necromancy magic, so he could see through the Lich's thoughts at a glance. He smiled and shook his head: "No, no. Iltan can't die now, at least he can't die in our hands.

Otherwise, whether it is Waterdeep City, Neverwinter City, or other city-states in the Northern Lords Alliance, they will be wary of the new forces in the Nelanthel Islands.

Killing the leader of a certain political force is a taboo thing and we cannot do it.

What's more, keeping him will have other uses in the future. "

"Then according to your wishes..."

"Capture him first, and then let Baldur's Gate and the family behind him pay to ransom him.

Additionally, signing the agreement ensures that Baldur's Gate cannot build or own even a single warship in the future.

And one-tenth of the fiscal revenue will be used as a commission for the Nelanthel Islands to protect the maritime security of Baldur's Gate.

We also allowed our fleet to station, dock, and replenish at Baldur's Gate, and at the same time ceded several strategically important islands near the estuary to build fortresses.

In short, after this naval battle is over, everyone must clearly realize that the new force of Nelanthel Islands is already a veritable overlord from the southern part of the Sword Coast to the Sword Sea.

No matter who it is, anyone who dares to provoke will be severely punished. "

Zuo Si said all the methods he thought of against Baldur's Gate.

Not having a navy means being controlled by others and unable to protect its own maritime trade channels. Over time, it can only live under the protection of the Nelanthel Islands Fleet.

In particular, merchants engaged in ocean trade will inevitably turn to the Nelanthel Islands, causing a tear in the Baldur's Gate merchant community.

In the future, this city will form two major business groups and political forces.

One is a maritime merchant who has completely taken refuge in the Nelanser Islands, and the other is a local land merchant.

The two sides will continue to hold each other back because of their different interests.

In this way, Baldur's Gate, the most promising port city in the Sword Coast, will never pose a threat to the Nelanthal Islands.

Vanessa is undoubtedly a smart person, with a unique and profound understanding of sea power. She immediately understood what Zuo Siduo wanted to express, and immediately responded with a smile: "Don't worry, I will slowly bring Baldur's Gate to you." Become a trading node under the control of the organization."

Zuo Si nodded with satisfaction: "You just have to figure it out. In addition, try to control the casualties in the battle and don't let the Flame Fist mercenaries suffer too heavy casualties. After all, this is one of the most elite troops on the west coast of Faerun. You may need them later.”

"I know. I will ask the apprentices and the mages and warlocks employed by the organization to be gentler and try to use less lethal spells and instead use immobilization, control and charm. It is best to force the other party to surrender through intimidation."

After saying these words, Vanessa quickly returned to the Nelanthel Islands through the newly built portal in the tower, summoning the local mages and warlocks, and extending invitations to other members of the organization.

About two or three hours later, four other lichs, including Jeffrey, responded to the invitation and joined the "carnival" with their apprentices and private armed forces.

Since it was the first collective action since the establishment of the Arcane Society, the lich felt it was very fresh.

A new member who had just completed the transformation asked in a half-joking tone: "Is it really necessary to put up such a large formation to deal with a temporary fleet in Baldur's Gate? Any of us here , as long as you bring a fireball wand, you should be able to annihilate it easily, right?"

"No, you don't understand, this is not a battle issue.

Instead, they want to show their power to all the port cities on the west coast of Faerûn.

Let them understand the serious consequences of being our enemy and succumb to the maritime rules we set.

Of course, the most important thing is to take revenge on the stupid and arrogant Dukes of Baldur's Gate for the leader of the organization, Lord Soth. "

Jeffrey responded meaningfully.

"Do you want to reveal your identity?"

The newly born Lich subconsciously touched the beard on his chin.

Since his body had just died and was embalmed with a large amount of necromancy magic, his long and flowing beard was quite well preserved.

Vanessa immediately shook her head: "Of course not. The purpose of our organization is to keep a low profile.

So everything can only be done in the name of Nelanthel Islands.

In other words, Eric is the nominal supreme leader, and we are just the mages he hired.

In addition, I have prepared masks for you to block magic detection and cover your face. You will wear them when you move. "

After that, Vanessa distributed the magic masks made in advance to the core members one by one.

Not only them, but also the apprentices of the lich.

Since the "Crazy Mage" cracked the secret mark on the green-footed dragon snake and conducted a lot of research on the first and second ring magic based on it, the production cost of low-level magic props like this has been incredibly low. The degree of outrage.

Although there is no way to compare with Zuo Si's creator ability, it is still no problem to reduce it to two to three hundred gold coins.

"Nice gadget."

The Lich took it in his hand and looked at it, then quickly put it on his face, and then covered it with his hood.

After everyone put on their masks, Vanessa activated the portal and began to let the apprentices who had been waiting outside for a long time pass, while she followed the other core members.

After a while, dozens of mages and warlocks were transferred directly from the Nelanthel Islands to the warship floating on the sea.

The whole process was silent and no one noticed at all.

Also transferred with them was Eric, the nominal fleet commander.

The latter took over the flagship in less than five minutes and began to issue orders in an orderly manner, so that more than forty modified warships gathered here were arranged into an intercepting formation.

About two hours and forty minutes later, when it started to get dark, the lookout suddenly reported that he had observed Baldur's Gate's fleet of merchant ships at the mouth of the Chongsa River, heading towards him.

"Should we block them directly at the mouth of the river?" Eric asked in an uncertain tone.

Vanessa shook her head slightly: "There's no need, just let them out. Otherwise, if the shipwreck blocks the river, it will have an impact on our follow-up plans."

"Understood."

Eric instantly realized what his loyal master was planning, and quickly issued orders to the entire fleet through the flagship.

In this way, the ships led by Duke Iltan and Duke Silver Shield left the Chongsa River without incident and entered the wide bay.

Since they are all large merchant ships, each of these ships has a round "belly" and is designed to be oval in order to carry more cargo.

Even with the sails fully hoisted, the speed was still unhurried.

A large number of elite Flame Fist mercenaries were already wearing armor and standing on the deck, arranged in a tight square formation just like on land, intending to directly deal a devastating blow to the enemy at the moment of boarding.

Although they were not professional navy officers, they were very familiar with ships and did not suffer from widespread seasickness or other symptoms.

Because both fleets discovered their relationship with each other, they immediately began to circle around four or five islands located near the mouth of the sea, looking for opportunities to launch attacks.

Soon, Eric used his rich naval combat experience to deliberately sell a flaw to the opponent.

He left three ships filled with undead behind, deliberately creating a situation where improper command would cause the ships to become disconnected.

Although Duke Iltan has rich experience in land warfare, he is basically a novice in naval warfare. He did not hesitate to choose to let the fleet he led to press forward. He wanted to eat the enemies on these ships first and weaken the opponent's numerical strength. Advantage.

Since the sky was now so dark that visibility was extremely low, he didn't realize that the shaking black shadows on the enemy ships were actually a group of skeletons and zombies with the aura of decay and death all over their bodies.

The Duke of Silver Shield, who was responsible for the coordination and support on the other side, obviously realized that something was wrong, but he had no way to alert his allies and could only follow and outflank them from the left.

In fact, the reason why Baldur's Gate chose to attack in the evening was because they wanted to take full advantage of their better understanding of this water area in the dark.

Especially near the reefs near several islands.

Once a ship hits it, a big hole will be opened in the bilge within minutes, and then it will slowly sink.

After all, when they are caught in a melee, not many people will notice what is hidden in the water under their feet.

At that time, only one or two ships need to be sacrificed as bait to lead the enemy fleet to the waters full of reefs, thus winning the naval battle.

I have to say that the idea is rich, but the reality is cruel.

Before Duke Silvershield could successfully lure the opponent to the reef, Duke Iltan fell into the enemy's bait.

I saw that the first two ships that came up had just connected, and were immediately besieged by hordes of undead.

Despite relying on strict discipline, the Flame Fist mercenaries maintained their formation at first.

But when the ogres and minotaur zombies launched their charge, the spearman in charge of holding the large shield in the front row finally collapsed.

Because on the ship, they had no room to adjust their formation or move and dodge.

In addition, creatures like zombies are not afraid of pain at all, and they don't care how many holes are poked in their bodies. They just rely on their powerful brute force to rush forward, messing up the formations wherever they pass.

The zombies and skeletons followed closely behind, relying on the undead lieutenant's command to wave the spear that could shoot lightning, electrocuting a group of people to death in one encounter.

There were more than sixty Flame Fist mercenaries in the entire ship, and more than half of them were killed or injured in less than a few seconds. The rest also lost their morale and turned around and jumped off the ship.

Some people didn't even have time to take off their armor, which weighed more than ten kilograms. As a result, they sank directly to the bottom of the sea and drowned alive as soon as they entered the water.

"Damn it! What's going on with these undead creatures?"

As the distance got closer and closer, Duke Iltan finally saw clearly the densely packed undead creatures on the warring ships, and his expression suddenly became extremely ugly.

Anyone who is not a fool can realize that this is definitely a bait and trap.

Just when a Flame Fist officer next to him was about to say something, he suddenly saw countless red light groups appearing above his head.

The next second...

boom! ! ! ! !

A fireball flew straight down from a height of more than a hundred meters and exploded on the spot in the middle of the mast.

The dazzling and brilliant fire swallowed up the canvas almost instantly, and turned the entire wooden mast into a huge burning torch.

The soldiers on the deck were even more confused.

Some people carried buckets and wanted to fetch seawater to extinguish the fire, while others used axes to cut off the burning mast and throw it into the sea to prevent the fire from spreading to other places.

Unfortunately, just when they were busy, a large oil stain instantly covered the deck.

Several soldiers standing next to the ship's side pulling buckets slipped and almost fell.

fortunately!

Then a sticky spiderweb came and fixed it in place, unable to move.

"Mage! It's a mage! There are many mages above us!"

At this moment, many people who were lying on their backs could clearly see the red light group, which was a group of arcane spell casters who were practicing the fireball technique.

As long as they are willing, they can throw down incredibly powerful fireballs at any time and send the Baldur's Gate fleet to the bottom of the sea.

fear!

despair!

Suddenly, even the most determined soldiers saw this scene and realized that this naval battle could no longer be fought.

Because in front of so many arcane spellcasters, what's the point of having more ships and soldiers?

Can they still fly?

"Impossible! Where did those damn pirates find so many mages and warlocks?"

Duke Iltan suddenly stood up from his seat and roared like crazy.

He might be able to accept defeat after a bloody battle, but he definitely couldn't accept a situation like this where he was directly crushed by his opponent at the beginning.

After all, during the war with Amn, the masked mage only sent a dozen people in total as support.

But now the number of spellcasters standing in the air has exceeded fifty.

The bright fireballs that are ready to be fired are like the Sword of Damocles hanging above their heads, serving as both a deterrent and a warning.

Duke Iltan understood that the reason why the other party did not kill him was because he was waiting for him to surrender.

Otherwise, if there is even the slightest movement, all the elite Flame Fist mercenaries brought out today will be wiped out.

As for the two mages he hired with his own money as his trump card, they were now so frightened by this scene that they did not dare to make any move.

If he hadn't mastered the fifth-ring [Teleportation Technique] yet, he would have run away immediately.

In fact, several ships led by the Duke of Silver Shield on the other side had very wisely lowered the sails, dropped anchor, and then hoisted a white flag on the top of the mast, indicating that they had stopped all resistance.

With him taking the lead, other ships in the Baldur's Gate fleet quickly followed suit.

No matter how disciplined and obedient the Flame Fist mercenaries are, they still do not break away from the category of "mercenaries" who work for money.

So after realizing that resistance would only bring disaster to themselves, they all chose to lay down their weapons and surrender honestly.

Seeing one ship after another lowering their sails, anchoring, and hoisting humiliating white flags, Duke Iltan clenched his fists and squeezed out three words between his teeth: "Surrender..."

moment!

The officer, who was nervous one second, breathed a sigh of relief the next. Without saying a word, he ordered a soldier to take off the white shirt under his armor, tie it to a wooden stick and wave it vigorously.

As Duke Iltan's flagship also announced its surrender, this farcical naval battle finally came to an end.

Except for the unlucky ones on the two ships that first docked with the undead warships, the rest were basically unscathed.

Especially Duke Iltan, a powerful legendary warrior, did not even have a chance to take action, and his status was reduced from the supreme commander to a prisoner.

Even if he is powerful enough, he can kill all the pirates on a ship by himself.

But unfortunately, considering that his allies and other Flame Fist mercenaries were captured and held on other ships, this man did not dare to act rashly.

In about half an hour, he was taken to a fully enclosed cabin.

Also brought with him was Anta Silver Shield, who was also a prisoner.

The two didn't speak, just looked at each other, and then sighed in unison.

As the richest and most powerful people in Baldur's Gate, they knew full well that they were being plotted from the start.

This is not the Nelanser Islands pirates mentioned in the intelligence at all, but another unknown powerful force.

Because it is simply impossible for the group of pirates in Nelanser Islands to hire so many mages to work for them without the connections and financial resources.

Unfortunately, it's too late to know now.

Just when they were about to say something, the closed door behind them was suddenly pushed open.

Vanessa walked in from outside shortly after.

Due to the magic mask and hood they were wearing, neither Iltan nor Silver Shield could identify who the person in front of them was.

The Lich looked at each other with great interest, and after a full minute, he mocked in a tone full of contempt: "Sometimes I really want to pry open your two brains to see if they are filled with feces or something like that. Otherwise, why do you make extremely stupid and arrogant actions again and again?"

"Who exactly are you? Why are you targeting Baldur's Gate? What benefits has the electorate of Talona given you?"

Iltan, who was a little angry, gritted his teeth and asked.

"Hmph! You idiot, you still haven't figured out why all this happened, have you?

And I must correct you slightly, Lord Soth never targeted Baldur's Gate, he only targeted you arrogant, arrogant and stupid dukes.

In addition, we are not hired as you think.

In fact, whether it is the pirates of the Nelanthel Islands or the spell casters including me, they all take orders from Lord Soth.

From the beginning, he was our unquestioned leader.

So you can understand that everything you do for us is all for revenge for your humiliation to Lord Soth. "

Vanessa didn't hide anything and revealed the mystery straightforwardly.

Because he can't wait to appreciate the other party's reaction, as well as the possible shock, anger, regret and a series of negative emotions.

The truth was just as the Lich expected. When Anta Silver Shield and Iltan learned the truth, they were shocked and speechless.

They could not imagine how Zuo Si managed to recruit so many mages in such a short period of time, and integrate the chaotic pirates of the Nelanser Islands into a maritime force under his control.

What made the two of them even more unbelievable was that such a big move was just to avenge the humiliation they suffered at the city gate?

too crazy!

It was so crazy that Anta Silver Shield and Iltan felt like they were in a nightmare and wanted to wake up quickly.

After several minutes, the latter, who had a relatively firm mind, was the first to come to his senses. He raised his head and asked, "What is your ultimate goal? Occupy Baldur's Gate? Or do you want to loot it?"

Vanessa laughed and replied, “No, neither.

Next, I'm going to show the people of Baldur's Gate what each of the dukes they elect is really like.

Don't worry, after capturing the military camps and fortresses standing on both sides of the river, I will let the fleet enter the river and let you make a fool of yourself in front of the people you rule.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that.

Regarding the conversation just now, don't expect to be able to write it down and tell it back to Waterdeep City or the Northland Lords Alliance.

Because someone will come to clean and weave the memories in your brain soon. "

The words just fell!

A powerful psychic power suddenly came from behind the Lich, directly controlling Anta Silver Shield and Iltan, and rewoven the memories in their minds at an extremely fast speed, and even added some things.

Seeing the dull look in their eyes, Vanessa immediately turned around with a smile and said to Wilmes, who was still in human form: "Thank you for your help, ma'am."

"You're welcome, it wasn't me anyway."

Wilmes shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

As the strange thing eats more and more brains, she can feel that this guy's psychic powers are becoming more and more terrifying.

Especially the ability to control Iltan, a legendary warrior with powerful magic and psychic resistance, in one fell swoop was something even a real mind flayer would not be able to do easily.

Of course, this may also be related to the fact that after Zuo Si decided to breed goblins, the strange objects had sufficient food sources.

It eats the brains of at least ten goblins every day, then throws the corpses into a pit to feed the worms.

Vanessa obviously knew about the red dragon in front of her and the strange thing that existed in her brain.

However, the latter does not seem to like communicating with third parties other than the owner and host.

Therefore, he could only communicate with Wilmes, so that the strange object could use psychic powers to modify the memories of Anta Silver Shield and Iltan.

Soon, under the joint attack of several other lichs, Baldur's Gate's fortress and military camp built high at the mouth of the Chongsa River were completely razed to the ground in less than ten minutes.

After all the ballistae, catapults and crossbows were burned, Eric ordered the fleet to lower its sails at half and sail slowly along the river towards the city's port.

When the fleet appeared in the sight of nearby people, the entire Baldur's Gate instantly fell into unprecedented panic and chaos.

A large number of residents living in the port area did not dare to stay for even a second. They immediately rushed out of their homes and ran to the castle where the Flame Fist headquarters was located, trying to let these reliable soldiers protect themselves.

But unfortunately, when they got closer, they discovered that most of the Flame Fist mercenaries had been taken away by Duke Iltan, leaving less than a hundred people to stay behind.

Similarly, after the other two dukes learned that their side was defeated and almost 80% of the Flame Fist mercenaries were captured, they immediately issued an emergency order to recruit young and middle-aged men in the city and distribute weapons to prepare for continuous resistance in the city.

But it didn't take long for the citizens to discover that this group of guys from the Nelanser Islands had no intention of going ashore.

Not even the warehouses in the port area were looted.

He just threw the captured Duke Silver Shield and Duke Iltan onto the shore, and asked them to tell the public about the unknown political secrets over the years, and how they used various methods to embezzle the city's financial revenue and turn it into their own family. of wealth.

In short, in a place like Baldur's Gate where merchants rule, no one who can climb to a high position has a clean butt.

In addition, the final move of forcibly conscripting merchant ships angered the merchant community, so it soon caused an uproar.

Tonight, Baldur's Gate is destined to have a sleepless night...