A sneeze destroys a magical civilization

With all the red wizards retreating and the Zhentarim completely collapsing due to Manshon's murder, Luskan finally fell completely under Zuo Si's control.

To be precise, it is controlled by the core members of the organization - the lichs.

Because he himself has never been interested in business and management, he often just sets a basic policy and leaves the rest to his own initiative.

Especially Vanessa, who has become the de facto second-in-command, is for some reason very keen to take charge of this kind of thing, and never tires of it.

Using the large population and immigrants brought from Mintan Island, he easily defused the attempts of the local residents of Luskan to resist the new rulers through non-violent non-cooperation.

After all, the original permanent residents of Luskan were only about 15,000 people.

Counting those who died in battle, those who were transformed into undead creatures, and those who were thrown into quarries and mines for hard labor, there were almost a few thousand young adults in total.

Therefore, most of the remaining residents in the city are women, children, the elderly, the sick, and the disabled, as well as a few merchants, guards, and members of the thieves guild.

So after the Thieves Guild members and the Ratmen in the sewers were cleared away, the entire city had actually lost the capital to resist.

If they do not choose to cooperate, they will soon be completely replaced by immigrants and become the lowest level of society.

As for the unscrupulous businessmen, they were arrested one after another in less than two or three days and all their property was confiscated.

Then use these wealth and materials to hire people to renovate houses, repair roads, and restore the ruined battlefield to its original state.

When people have money, they can naturally buy daily necessities such as food and clothing, thus revitalizing economic activities that have completely stalled.

Not only that!

Xinbu, who had always hated slavery, personally took Storm Silverhand with him outside the city to liberate those farms that relied on squeezing slaves to operate, and gave slaves the status of freedmen.

Under Zuo Si's instruction, if the freed slaves are willing to stay and continue doing this job, they will not only receive generous rewards, but are also promised to be safe.

The reason why he did not distribute land to these people was that Luskan was located too close to the mountains at the Spine of the World, and various monsters and barbarian invasions emerged one after another.

Human beings must unite together to build fortresses and fortress-like manors in order to barely resist threats from the outside and ensure that their lives and property will not be violated.

If we take it for granted that land is distributed to independent families one after another on a household basis, then it may be discovered within a few weeks or even months that all these families will most likely be dead.

As the saying goes, the most suitable one is the best.

If you just mechanically copy other people's successful experiences without understanding the actual situation, it is basically no different from murder.

Although the confiscation of the properties of unscrupulous merchants caused Luskan to temporarily lose the ability to conduct maritime trade, with dozens of large ships loaded with various goods from Amn, Waterdeep City, and Nelanthel Islands, the city fell into a dead silence. The city is once again full of life.

A large number of special products from the Far North shipped from Icewind Valley were purchased by southern merchants at high prices, and hunters, middlemen, adventurers and loggers also made huge incomes as a result.

Standing on the top of the recently repaired Arcane Brotherhood tower, Xinbu watched with great interest the drastic changes that had taken place in Luskan in a short period of time. He smiled and praised: "I have to admit, you are indeed a master in this regard. A good ruler. Because you always know what people of all walks of life need and are able to give them what they want."

"No, you are wrong. It is not me who is excellent, but the efficient bureaucracy established by Vanessa. If there are no grassroots executors who can implement the policy, then no matter how good the policy is, it will be misinterpreted and used, and become An excuse to exploit the people at the bottom and commit corruption." Zuo Si replied nonchalantly.

As a modern person, he may be the one in Faerun who can clearly understand how important an efficient and well-organized bureaucracy is to a city and even a country.

And when it comes to dealing with corruption and abuse of power, the lichs won't talk to you about laws, human rights, evidence or anything like that.

Once they find a suspect, they often directly choose to use prophecy magic to confirm it, or use veritaserum, lie detection and other medicines and spells.

Anyway, as long as this guy really did it, it would be absolutely impossible to escape.

Therefore, from its establishment to the present, the bureaucracy of the Nelanser Islands has maintained an efficiency and integrity that is unimaginable to the outside world.

Even those who have transformed from businessmen to mayors and officials know that there is a pair of eyes in the dark that they cannot detect watching everything.

If anyone dares to cross the line, he will be severely punished.

As for escaping, don't even think about it.

"Vanessa? That lich?" A trace of curiosity flashed in Xinbu's eyes.

She had always believed that lichs, like red robed mages, were a group of extremely cold, selfish and cruel bastards.

Otherwise, I would not have made a bet with others to see who could kill a hundred lichs first.

But the lichs of the Arcane Society are obviously very different.

Although many of them still give people a very selfish and evil feeling, they have been doing things according to the rules and rarely affect the lives of ordinary people.

Zuo Si smiled and nodded: "That's right. Vanessa is a very good executor and is always able to perfectly implement my intentions and orders. Without him, I think there would be no Nelanthel Islands." With the current prosperity, Luskan’s renovation plan will not go so smoothly.”

"Got it. You're using these powerful undead spellcasters to intimidate the bureaucrats and ensure that no worms ever appear among them."

As the queen of Aglaron, although Xinbu's control of politics and power is far from as good as Alustriel's, she is not an idiot. She immediately understood the position that the lich occupies in the ruling structure. .

Many times, they are not managers, or even directly involved in the processing of daily affairs. They only exist as a role to convey orders and supervision.

Only when someone attempts to launch a rebellion, or when there is a lot of corruption in the bureaucracy, will the lich come forward to carry out a ruthless cleanup.

In this way, with such a Sword of Damocles hanging above their heads, officials will naturally maintain a sense of awe and will think twice before accepting bribes.

In fact, the fundamental reason why graft, corruption, and bribery occur on a large scale is that there are serious problems in the supervision and judicial systems, causing bureaucrats to lose their most basic respect.

Coupled with a fluke mentality that the law does not punish the public, it is difficult to restrain it once it spreads.

But as undead lichs are different, they don't care about the law and don't blame everyone, and they won't be merciful just because there are too many people who make mistakes.

Therefore, the deterrent effect is directly maximized.

"That's right. In fact, I originally wanted to enter the justice and trial system of the Church of Tire, the God of Justice. However, due to the large use of undead as labor, this idea had to be abandoned." Zuo Si shrugged and replied.

Out of curiosity, when he went to Neverwinter, he once visited a judicial trial hosted by the Church of Tyr, the God of Justice.

The whole process, whether it is the submission of evidence, defense, appeal, or the final verdict, has a bit of the meaning of a modern social court.

And because the presiding officers are all pastors and believers of the God of Justice, both the legal provisions and the sentencing are very appropriate and beneficial. They are neither too harsh nor have loopholes that allow criminals to take advantage of.

If possible, Zuo Si really hopes to bring this judicial system into his own sphere of influence.

Unfortunately, it is impossible for both parties to reach an agreement on the use of undead creatures.

In contrast, the Church of the Goddess of Magic and its voters have a high level of tolerance in this regard.

At least Kelben, Ximbu, Alustriel, Storm Silverhand, Dove Silverhand and others did not show too obvious signs when they saw a large number of undead being sent to work in farms and mines outside the city. disgust.

"Hahahaha! Many people say that I am a madman! But in my opinion, you are the real madman. You have recruited so many lichs as your subordinates, and you also transform undead on a large scale, and you even try to follow Cooperation with the church of Tyr, the God of Justice? I really want to pry open your brain to see what weird ideas are inside."

Xinbu laughed so hard that he was out of breath.

She suddenly found that the young man in front of her was very interesting, and his personality and ideas were unexpectedly compatible with hers.

Especially in their attitude towards the enemy, they all advocate killing them all without leaving any consequences.

This is completely different from Elminster's view that he always likes to be merciful, while Kelben prefers to maintain a balance.

In fact, the Storm Queen is the most alternative among the many voters of the Goddess of Magic.

The reason why the outside world thinks she is crazy all day long is actually because most people can't keep up with her thinking speed.

"Don't laugh, I'm serious."

Zuo Si shrugged helplessly.

"In my opinion, killing and turning into undead those pirates, bandits, orcs, goblins, gnolls and the like who only know destruction but not production and creation can alleviate the common problem of labor shortage in the entire Faerûn continent to the greatest extent. .

Moreover, with these free immortal workers who do not need to eat, drink or rest, they can produce an astonishing amount of food, steel, stone, wood and other necessary materials in a short period of time, thus ensuring the continued stability of prices.

There will be no famine or skyrocketing prices due to natural disasters or other reasons.

Most importantly, the undead can be transformed into an army when needed to resist the invasion of external forces.

Taking Luskan as an example, I arranged two hundred undead laborers in each farm to provide a certain degree of protection for those farmers when monsters or wild beasts invaded.

If it were a human being, not to mention how much it would cost to recruit and train so many soldiers, the daily food consumption alone would be a staggering amount, and would also put a heavy burden on the farm itself.

Sometimes I really can’t figure out why a kind god like Tyr, the God of Justice, who advocates establishing order and hopes that people can live a good life, would exclude undead labor, something that is both economical and can bring prosperity, from the options. outside.

Are the so-called definitions of good and evil so important?

Just watch, with the non-stop production of these undead laborers day and night, the barns in Nelanthel Islands and Luskan will soon be filled with food and various strategic materials.

With a stable and cheap food supply, fertility can be encouraged by providing welfare, and the population will grow explosively in the next two to three decades.

I will prove to the world that the undead themselves are not some monstrous beast, nor are they the most dangerous enemies of all living things as people imagine.

Just the opposite!

As long as they are used properly, they can become the cornerstone of the prosperity of a city or even a country. "

Xinbu nodded with deep understanding: “Judging from the current development trend, this goal is very likely to be achieved.

If the artificers of the Imasca Empire had thought of this, they would not have brought gods from other worlds over by opening interdimensional portals to plunder slaves, which would eventually lead to their own destruction.

But you'd better be careful, low-level undead are very easy to control.

If someone uses them to create a terrorist attack, then people will inevitably fear or even resist the appearance of the undead around them. "

"Please don't worry about this. Don't forget, in addition to being the chosen one of the goddess of magic, I am also the chosen one of the goddess of poison and disease. If anyone dares to play this indiscriminate attack on me, then I don't mind They poison and spread plague in their sphere of influence. I believe Mansong should have a deep understanding of it now."

When saying these words, Zuo Si's mouth corners slightly raised, showing a chilling expression.

He would not forget to seek vengeance against Manshoon and the Zhentarim.

In fact, on the day after the battle, a large number of soldiers and bureaucrats began to be poisoned in major strongholds, including Dark Castle and Zhentil Castle.

It is estimated that it has completely spread now, and the number of people killed and permanently disabled must be at least several thousand.

You must know that these people are not civilians, but the military and officials used to maintain the foundation of the dictatorship.

With such a high price, Mansong is probably completely exhausted right now.

After all, Zhentil Castle basically lost its elite army that it was proud of.

Let alone launching a war of foreign aggression, even self-protection has become a big problem.

Obviously, Zuo Si knew that if he used plague, Mansong would definitely take the opportunity to spread it to the surrounding areas, so he very smartly changed his strategy, which was to poison.

Although there are magical spells such as [slowing down the onset of poison] and [neutralizing toxins] that can be used for treatment, you can even use the reserved antidote to deal with it.

However, since the toxin released this time has a very severe effect and will cause permanent disability in a very short period of time, it is meaningless even if it is cured. Instead, it is a headache how to deal with these disabled soldiers.

Unless Manshon is willing to spend a huge price to repeatedly use the wish spell, it is almost inevitable that the armies of Zhentil Keep and Darkhold will be greatly reduced.

And this kind of attrition will cause the sphere of influence he controls to become extremely unstable, and may even be robbed by hostile forces.

"Every revenge must be avenged. This is what I like most about you. Elminster, Kelben, Lyla, and Alustriel are all too weak in dealing with their enemies. They have no intention of dealing with the Zhentarim and the Red Robe Mage." When the evil organizations form a deterrent, this directly leads to the latter becoming more and more unscrupulous in plotting conspiracies."

Xinbu's tone clearly revealed his dissatisfaction with several other voters.

On this matter, she had had a fierce quarrel with Elminster, the leader of the electorate, long ago.

After all, judging from the map, Aglalon is located on the peninsula to the west of Ser. It has always been a country that the red-robed mages want to occupy and annex.

Therefore, as the queen, Xinbu can feel the threat most personally, so her attitude and reaction are naturally more radical than other voters.

"I completely agree with your point of view. When dealing with those guys who push their limits, it is most important to form an effective deterrent to make the other party feel wary. Otherwise, if every failure is insignificant, it will only encourage their arrogance. In this regard, , I have a natural advantage. Because poisoning and releasing plague are always the most damaging and cheapest ways to damage the entire social structure. Maybe we can form an alliance and deal with the red robes headed by Sazhastan."

Zuo Si took the initiative to invite cooperation.

Of course, he didn't care much about Agolalon itself, a country full of half-elves. He just hoped to establish a good alliance with Ximbu.

"Are you sure? You must know that the war between Ser and Aglalon has been going on for many years. If you form an alliance, it means that you may be involved in this protracted battle at any time." Xinbu challenged in surprise. Raise your eyebrows.

Zuo Si smiled and responded: "I have never been afraid of challenges. Fighting against one of the most powerful spellcasting organizations in the entire Faerun continent can provide good experience. What's more, it's not like you, the red-robed mage, is frightened by the news. Is the Storm Queen sitting in charge?"

"Hahahaha! You are very good at talking. No wonder Alustriel is so interested in you. It seems that you are bound to get my exclusive sequencer magic." A playful look appeared on Xinbu's beautiful face smile.

It has to be said that every one of the seven sisters in the North is a standard beauty with elven blood.

Even the sloppiest-looking Storm Queen can instantly attract the attention of others as long as she takes a shower and combs her hair.

It's a pity that she never cares about this. Sometimes she can smell a strange sour smell when she gets close.

"Exploring and learning unknown magical knowledge is my highest lifelong pursuit. As long as I can achieve this goal, I don't care what price I have to pay for it."

Zuo Si didn't hide anything, and openly admitted his desire for the mystery of the sequencer magic.

Although the card system of planeswalkers can also achieve this to a certain extent, as the saying goes, if you have too many skills, you will not be overwhelmed. Who would think that you have too many trump cards in your hand.

Xinbu nodded with satisfaction: "I like your straightforwardness. Since you have shared with me the secret that you are a planeswalker, and are willing to help plant spies within the red-robed mage at the appropriate time, I will Let me tell you the secret of the sequencer magic. But you have to promise not to spread it."

"Please rest assured. Except for myself and the lich who are completely under my control, absolutely no outsiders will know the secret of the sequencer." Zuo Si assured without hesitation.

When Xinbu heard this, he immediately raised his eyebrows and showed a very strange expression.

Because the guarantee she originally wanted was not to teach it to any outsiders.

But Zuo Si did better and directly expanded the scope to the lichs of the Arcane Society.

But considering that planeswalkers are powerful enough to rival the power of gods, these lichs can never escape their control, so it doesn't seem to be a big problem.

In the end, Xinbu did not raise any objections, but explained the principles of sequencer magic in very concise language.

Contrary to what Zuo Si thought, sequencer magic is not about compressing and storing several magic spells in the ordinary sense, and triggering them with a gesture when needed.

Just the opposite!

It's more like "borrowing" spells from somewhere else.

The word "borrow" is used because the spells when the sequencer is triggered often come from two sources.

One of them is naturally that the caster himself sets up a secret spell storage location in advance, and when necessary, connects the sequencer itself to the magic network over a long distance to release the stored spells in sequence.

Since the stored spells themselves will remain for a very long period of time, it is equivalent to adding a series of powerful additional continuous spell bombardments on top of the daily available spell slots.

As for the other type, it is to "borrow" from other people's memorized spells by establishing a stable connection.

For example, Zuo Si can establish a stable connection with his lichs through sequencer magic.

When the sequencer needs to be released, the lichs will be notified in advance and complete the preparations for spell casting as quickly as possible.

All he has to do is guide these spells through the magic network, and then pour them onto the enemy's head.

To sum up briefly, the essence of the sequencer is a magic storage technology and a spell slot borrowing technology.

I am afraid that except for the chosen ones of the goddess of magic who use silver fire and the real legendary mages, it is almost difficult for ordinary spellcasters to complete this ultra-long distance transmission of magical energy.

"How is it? Do you feel disappointed? The famous sequencer is actually not fundamentally different from items such as magic storage rings and magic wands."

Xinbu picked up the cup and took a sip of hot cocoa, with an expression of great enjoyment on his face.

A woman's natural tendency to love chocolate and sweets was perfectly reflected in her at this moment.

Ever since she tasted it for the first time a few days ago, the Queen has completely fallen in love with this specialty product from the Maztec continent, and is planning to carry several hundred kilograms of it in a dimensional bag when she goes back.

Because Aglalon is in the east of Faerûn, close to Ser where the red robed mages rule.

The New World trade that emerged from the west coast has not yet been passed on by merchants.

So there are no cocoa beans, cocoa powder and finished chocolate for sale there.

Zuo Si shook his head slightly: "How is that possible? In my opinion, the ultra-long-distance magic energy transmission provided by the sequencer magic is a genius initiative, not to mention the genius of building a spell storage chamber. A feat. As a sorcerer, you have reached heights that many mages cannot reach."

"Why does this sentence sound like it's discriminating against warlocks?" Xinbu put down the cup in his hand and questioned.

"Don't worry, it's just because a certain pyromancer stretched his hips, which inevitably made me have a little prejudice against the profession of warlock." Zuo Si explained with a smile.

There is no doubt that most of his knowledge of warlocks comes from his "entourage" Alena, and Elsa, a magic item merchant in Calimport.

Since it was purely business dealings with the latter, it had never been in its fighting state.

This also means that Zuo Si's knowledge of human warlocks all comes from Alena, who often gets into trouble. It's strange that his senses are better.

Since being summoned, this woman, who is as passionate and fiery as a flame, has personally participated in at least twenty tavern fights. She is a typical example of a person who has been incorrigible, and even earned the title of "Nightclub Queen" of Ascatella.

Some ruffians and gangsters also worship him as an idol.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble and losses, several hotels and taverns directly put up signs prohibiting entry, which is simply a scourge.

"What are your plans next?"

Xinbu obviously did not want to delve into this issue, but decisively changed the topic.

Because she has met Alena and understands how dangerous this red-haired sorceress who is suspected to have fire element blood is, especially to her companions around her.

Those large-scale fire spells are as terrifying as natural disasters in towns and villages filled with wooden houses.

"I don't have any special plans. Now that Luskan has settled down, I plan to return to Askatra to deal with some personal matters, and then hunt a red dragon named Felkrag."

Zuo Si quickly revealed his final plan before the end of the summer vacation.

Whether it was transforming the dragonborn knight into a higher-level follower, or figuring out what kind of life was pregnant in the belly of Vampire Queen Badi, this was something he had to do as soon as possible.

Otherwise, everything will become very troublesome when Irenekas comes back from the fire elemental plane.

"Hunting the red dragon?"

Xinbu's eyes shone slightly and he suddenly became interested.

You must know that among the many voters, except for Elminster, she has killed the largest number of evil dragons.

"That's right. Why, are you interested in coming together?" Zuo Si suggested with interest.

Xinbu was obviously moved, but in the end he regretfully refused: "I'm sorry, although I really want to participate in this hunt, but considering the threat of Ser, I must rush back to Aglalon as soon as possible. After this failure, Aglalon Znar Slur and his allies will most likely lose power, and if Szazastan assumes supreme power, the red mages will undoubtedly become even more difficult to deal with than before."

"No matter what happens, I will always provide as much help as I can as an ally. If necessary, I will even personally participate in the war." Zuo Si expressed his position clearly.

"Thank you. Time will test whether our friendship is strong. Besides, you are always welcome to visit my country."

Xinbu pursed his lips with a faint smile, then opened the portal and disappeared without a trace.

Not long after she left, Kelben and Alustriel walked in from outside.

When the latter saw the empty teacups placed on the table, he immediately asked in surprise: "Alaslan has gone back?"

"Yes. As the queen and witch queen of Agolalon, the survival pressure she faces in ruling the country is much greater than that of Silvermoon City and Waterdeep City." Zuo Si replied casually.

Kelben couldn't help but sigh slightly: "There is nothing we can do about it. Aglalon is too close to Sel, and too far from the west coast and Northland, so we can't help at all. By the way, let's talk. How's it going?"

"Not bad. We have formed an alliance to help each other when needed, and jointly face the threat of the red robe mages. After all, this time I swallowed up all their concessions and strongholds on the west coast. I am not willing to admit defeat. Guy’s style.”

Zuo Si could even predict how much the faction chief headed by Aznar Srul would hate him after he returned, and began to plan a new conspiracy.

That's why he started looking for more allies.

Especially the voters of the Goddess of Magic are naturally suitable candidates to become allies.

Apart from anything else, the fact that Kelben and Alustriel came directly to help without any hesitation this time is the best proof.

Except for Elminster, of course.

The great sage and first elector of the Valley of Shadows obviously had very big ideological differences with Zuo Si, so the several meetings and conversations between the two were not pleasant.

"So, you got the secret of the sequencer magic from her?" Alustriel probed in an uncertain tone.

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Yes, I got it. In exchange, I also shared some of my secrets and special methods for making magic items."

"I'm very glad that no conflict broke out between the two of you. You must know that Elaslan's temper does not get along with everyone." Kelben said very pleased.

Alustriel also echoed with lingering fear: "That's right. I will never forget that Sammaster and Xinbu almost fought when they first met, and I was a little worried that a similar situation would happen between you. .”

"Don't worry, we unexpectedly have a lot in common, and we have reached many unanimous views when it comes to dealing with the Red Mage and the Zhentarim. By the way, with the collapse of the Arcane Brotherhood, Luskan is undergoing transformation, and North Does the Land Lords Alliance still have the foundation and necessity to exist?"

Zuo Si suddenly asked a very pointed question.

Because the local lords alliance, a loose organization, was actually a large alliance that recognized the legitimacy of each other's rule at the beginning.

It has only two main responsibilities. One is to fight against Luskan, who has a strong tendency to expand, and the other is to deal with monsters like the Zhentarim, the Dragon Cult, and the monster armies that form from time to time.

Since all towns that join it must allocate part of their fiscal revenue to support the professional soldiers provided by Waterdeep City, Neverwinter City, and Silvermoon City, this has long caused a lot of dissatisfaction.

It's just that there was an external threat like Luskan in the past, so everyone chose to swallow their anger and not dare to explode.

But now that the threat of Luskan no longer exists, internal conflicts are bound to explode as the external threat disappears.

It is foreseeable that the Lords Alliance will undergo an unprecedented severe test.

"Well - this is indeed a trouble. When I get back, I will raise it with the lords of Waterdeep City to see what their opinions are." Kelben stroked the thick beard on his chin with a thoughtful expression. .

"I think it's better to retain the Northland Lords Alliance. At least this can effectively prevent bloody conflicts in towns due to interests."

Alustriel quickly made his point.

Although she herself was troubled by the frequent quarrels between the group.

But a quarrel is better than a war.

What's more, without the huge threats from the Arcane Brotherhood and Luskan, the lord of Silvermoon City is planning to flex his muscles and recreate the grand occasion of the harmonious coexistence of various races in Myth Drannor.

Unfortunately, Alustriel did not understand that the fall of Myth Drannor itself was due to the race being too complex and eventually falling apart under the intensification of serious internal strife and contradictions.

As for the dark army composed of dark elves, orcs, jackals, giants, goblins and demons, it only served to accelerate the collapse.

It is precisely because of the serious internal racial problems that the final stage of Myth Drannor has actually formed the severe situation faced by some multi-ethnic coexistence without any dominant nation-state on the earth, that is, it is impossible to reach the so-called "social consensus". Every politician strives for the interests of his own race and does not care about the life and death of other races.

In the final stage of development, there were even cases where each other sent out assassins to assassinate each other's leaders and launched a civil war.

Under this situation, the dark army finally seized the opportunity, frantically harassed the villages around the city, and held evil and cruel human sacrifices to summon powerful demons to increase their strength.

At the beginning, the authorities in Myth Drannor did not take these monsters and enemy harassment seriously at all.

With powerful magical power and mythical locks, they believe that as long as they deal with the internal enemies and successfully take power, it will be easy to clear out these barbarian monsters.

But who knew that by the time they realized something was wrong, there would already be many powerful demons in the dark army that could compete with high-level mages and even legendary mages.

As a result, with overwhelming superiority in numbers, Myth Drannor's army and mage regiment were retreating steadily, and in the end they had no choice but to abandon their hometown and flee in all directions.

Therefore, in Zuo Si's eyes, Alustriel is a typical idealist who naively believes that he can suppress the dark side of human nature through his strong personal charm.

If it weren't for his own strength and the gathering of a group of followers who share the same philosophy, he would have died countless times.

Moreover, the situation in Faerûn is much more complicated than on Earth, and the intervention of gods and beliefs must also be taken into account.

Just as the three were once again discussing the situation in the North, far away near the mouth of the Tes River into the Moon Sea, Zhentil Fort was enduring the most terrifying crisis since its establishment.

As a local lord, Mansong, who had just been resurrected through a clone, was standing on the top floor of the tower with a gloomy expression, looking at the large number of corpses being burned outside, with monstrous anger bursting out of his eyes.

He never expected that Zuo Si, a crazy electorate of Talona, ​​would be so dissatisfied after killing him once that he actually went to Zhentil Castle to carry out revenge.

And instead of spreading the plague as he expected, it was actually a more insidious and cunning way of poisoning.

In just a few days, more than two thousand orc troops who had undergone rigorous training were killed and injured due to the ravages of poison.

As for the human army, it's not much better either. People are dying inexplicably every day.

Food, water, clothing, and even the air may contain deadly toxins.

So far, Mansong has not even figured out what method the other party uses to poison him, and how he circumvents the magic alarm he has set.

After several minutes, he asked his most trusted apprentice without looking back: "Xi Manmeng, how is the situation over there in the Dark Castle?"

"They are all dead, teacher. I can only transform them into zombies through the necromantic magic ritual first, otherwise I won't even be able to stop the invasion of the surrounding monsters." Xi Manmeng replied with a bitter look on his face.

"What? They're all dead!" Mansong turned around suddenly. "How come they are all dead? Didn't I have someone send you some antidote?"

"Because the Dark Fortress is located deep in the Sunset Mountains, there is no need to worry about spreading to the outside world, so not only did Soth use poison, but he also released a terrible plague. Even I was accidentally infected and almost died Lives have been lost. What's even worse is that Fuzor Chambery has begun to challenge you within the Zhentarim and is trying to seize the supreme leadership. Many inner circle members also believe that it is your recklessness and stupidity You’ve brought on a terrible enemy for the organization that it shouldn’t have.”

While saying these words, Ximanmeng carefully used the corner of his eye to pay attention to his mentor's reaction.

He didn't know why, but since he witnessed Mansong being instantly killed by Zuo Si's lightning shaped by silver fire, he slowly lost his original awe and began to re-examine this ambitious old man from another angle.

You must know that more than one hundred years old is very close to the upper limit of the theoretical life span of the human race.

Despite Manson's many life-extending methods, he still looks like a man in his forties or fifties.

But Xi Manmeng knew that Mansong was already secretly planning to transform into a lich or other forms that would allow him to live longer.

Especially the blow caused by this tragic defeat made him begin to wonder if there were any problems or mistakes in his magic path.

Otherwise, why would he be easily defeated by such a young junior?

Although the power of the chosen ones given by the goddess of magic played a very important role in this process, whether it was the immunity time stop or the silver fire burst mode, it was not something that ordinary spellcasters or even legendary mages could easily handle.

But this kind of self-doubt is causing Manson to lose his previous confidence and become hesitant.

This is simply a fatal weakness within the Zhentarim, where the "lower than above" phenomenon is very common.

Otherwise, Fuzuoer Qianberry would not jump out to seize power during this sensitive period.

"Damn bastard!"

Manthon immediately looked furious upon hearing that Fozul Chamberlain was once again trying to usurp the leadership of the Zhentarim.

As a voter of Bane, the "Tyrant of the Moon Sea" who also has extremely high appeal and leadership ability, Fuzor Chamberry is almost equal to him in terms of status.

Even his prestige among Ben's followers far exceeds that of the leader of the mage organization.

But soon, Manson forced himself to calm down and asked with a serious expression: "How many people have clearly expressed their support for Fu Zouer Chambery?"

"A lot. More than half of the members of the inner circle alone. And after this failure, our intelligence network in the Northland suffered heavy losses, and some places even cut off their intelligence collection capabilities. In addition, the Zhentil Fort army Massive deaths and your rule is beginning to falter.”

Xi Manmeng did not hide anything and directly described the worst situation at the moment.

For some unknown reason, his face looked paler than usual, and he would cover his mouth and cough twice after speaking a few words, and he was careful to keep a certain distance from the sunlight coming in from the window.

Unfortunately, Mansong, who was having a headache on how to keep his power, did not notice these suspicious things and quickly made arrangements after thinking for a moment.

On the one hand, he asked Xi Manmeng to bring out the black information on the inner circle members that he had collected before and threaten the other party, forcing him to give up supporting Fuzuoer Chamberry.

On the other hand, he decisively ordered to stop burning the corpses of dead soldiers, and instead turned them into zombies or skeletons to continue to contribute to Zhentil Castle.