A sneeze destroys a magical civilization

In the early morning, as the sun slowly rose from the eastern sea, Candlekeep ushered in a new day.

However, unlike yesterday's lively debate, today many people rode in horse-drawn carriages, greeted by the rising sun, and left the largest library on the west coast contentedly.

In order to express his gratitude and respect to these scholars, priests and mages who were invited, Urlant, the "Volume Guardian", personally came to the door to say goodbye.

Especially when he came to Zuo Si, this man who always maintained a serious and arrogant attitude even showed a very rare "friendly" smile.

The terrifying power of this smile even made other monks and priests serving Ogma around him feel like they had seen a ghost.

Because in their impression, Urlant had never smiled like this at anyone.

If it were not for the "Volume Guardian", it would be impossible to be charmed or controlled by any means. It is guaranteed that someone would try to use [Dispel Magic] on him.

fortunately!

This kind of oolong finally didn’t happen.

I saw Urlant holding a big black-covered book in his hands, and said in a slightly emotional tone: "Your Excellency Soth. In order to thank you for the novel viewpoints and discussions you brought to the debate, this precious book "The Theory of the Origin of All Dharmas" is given to you as a gift.

Although this book does not record any spells.

But it tells in detail the evolution of magic from witches to elves to Netheril and the Imaskar Empire.

And each civilization has a different understanding of magic.

It is said that the person who wrote this book once read the famous [Scroll of Netheril].

Therefore, he explained the essence of magic in the most understandable way.

I believe this will be very helpful for you to learn magic knowledge in the future, or even create your own spells. "

"What a great book. I would like to express my gratitude to the God of Knowledge." Zuo Si responded with a smile.

He took it and flipped through just two pages, and immediately realized that this book should have been written by Ogma himself and given to him through the hands of the "Volume Guardian".

After all, in Faerûn right now, the only creatures who have actually read the [Scrolls of Netheril] and survived to this day are probably the only ones left, apart from their original creator, Saluk the Witch, and the chosen ones of the Goddess of Magic, as well as Netheril. After the destruction of Er's civilization, there were a few great arcanists left behind who became lich.

It is absolutely impossible for these people to share the most precious memories and knowledge in their minds with others.

Therefore, Ogma, the god of knowledge, became the only god with the ability and motivation to do so.

"You know?!" Urlant was obviously surprised.

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Of course. Because this book is not something that can be written from a mortal's perspective. It even explains at the beginning how to use primitive and uncontrollable magic without getting rid of the magic network. Energy shaping spells. Do you think a mortal would think of these?"

Urlant smiled bitterly and replied: "Sorry, I have not read this book. Because it is a gift given to you by the great god of knowledge. In addition, Candlekeep will open its door to you at any time from now on. "

"Thank you. But I think I won't come to Candlekeep again for a long time."

After saying this, Zuo Si gave the other party a standard mage salute, then turned around and stepped onto the carriage to signal the dragonborn knight Davian to set off.

Although he didn't have much money left on him, he decided to go to Waterdeep City in the north to take a look, and also went to Leyline Maze City to make a land card.

You must know that it was originally the ruins of the ancient Elf Kingdom's old capital, Eileentada.

But when the elves left, they released an extremely powerful spell that completely erased all traces of the city's existence.

But this spell has an unknown side effect, that is, it will leave an eternal magic network node in place.

All the surrounding magical energy will inevitably flow to this node, thus forming an extremely powerful core.

The reason why Earthline Maze City can build a large-scale magic barrier like "Mysterious Lock" is due to the amazing energy support emitted by this magic network node.

Most importantly, this leyline node cannot be seen, touched, or untangled, and will drive mortals who live nearby for too long into madness.

Especially arcane spellcasters who are closely connected to the magic network, such as wizards, warlocks, and bards.

They will subconsciously form a desire for the nodes of the magic network, wanting to stay near the nodes forever and unwilling to leave.

It is said that the madness of the "mad mage" Halaster Blackrobe was most likely affected by this magic network node.

This also explains why his madness is only shown in "Leyline Maze", and he will immediately return to a rational and polite state once he leaves and returns to the surface.

And such magic network nodes happen to be an excellent choice for making high-level land cards.

As the number of cards at hand increased, Zuo Si felt that he should slightly increase the number of land cards.

At least make sure that if the land cards that are currently in effect are destroyed or stripped away by the enemy's powerful spells, you have at least one or two on hand that can be replaced immediately.

Otherwise, if you leave Faerun and go to other worlds, once the land card associated with it disappears, the wizard, priest, mystic and other professions will instantly lose their ability to cast spells.

In addition, any magic items that are not made into cards will also become invalid.

To put it simply, land cards are equivalent to the passage between the planeswalker and the world.

As long as the corresponding land card is there, the planeswalker can use this channel to draw energy from another world, cast spells and use various magic items according to the magic rules of that world.

But if this connection is interrupted, you can only rely on the cards in your hand or the new magic rules of the current world to fight.

As the main source of spells at the moment, Zuo Si certainly needs to ensure that there are no problems with his connection to Faerun.

Therefore, preparing a few more land cards has become an inevitable choice.

In his plan, he would make at least four to five Faerun-exclusive land cards, and he would have to find places like magic network nodes or places where magic energy is highly concentrated.

In this way, under the protection of two summoned creatures, the carriage quickly drove away from Candlekeep along the narrow winding path, and entered the "Coast Avenue (also called Bay Coast Highway)" within a few hours.

Since this road is a commercial road connecting important trade nodes such as Nasike, Belgost, and the Friendly Arm, and its end point is the port city of Baldur's Gate at the mouth of the Chongsa River, it looks quite lively.

Almost every half hour or so, you can meet passing business travelers and passers-by.

Except for the occasional human bandits, goblins, jackals, or hungry wolves, bears, and ogres who block the road, there are basically no major safety issues.

After all, this is Faerûn, and it is normal to encounter these monsters and beasts in the wild.

Generally speaking, as long as you hire a few adventurers and a small team of mercenaries, you can easily solve the dangers you may encounter along the way.

For this group of guys who no longer posed any substantial threat, Zuo Si didn't even take action himself. He just let Isadora try to use his power as a psychic, and easily defeated the opponent.

There are even a few more upgraded [Large Dire Bear] and [Dire Wolves] summoning cards.

As for goblins, gnolls, and human bandits, these harmful wastes that have no value as cannon fodder have all become nutrients for the nearby soil without exception.

Due to the boldness of the skilled man, the carriage did not even stop at any village or hotel along the way, not even the famous "Friendly Arm".

In just a few days, the group of four traveled through the Cloak Forest, which was filled with spiders, itterfolk, and pterosaurs.

Just as Zuo Si was about to enter Baldur's Gate and take a look at this natural harbor sandwiched between Waterdeep City and Askatra, he was suddenly told by the guards at the door that the Dukes had just announced that the Tower of the Goddess of Poison and Disease had been destroyed. Lorna's faith is illegal in Baldur's Gate.

Therefore, all priests who serve this goddess are prohibited from entering, and he, the chosen one, is no exception.

Obviously, this is a retaliatory move by the ruling class of Baldur's Gate after the negotiations in Candlekeep.

On the one hand, expelling Talona's priests and churches can give an explanation to those businessmen who have suffered huge losses, and let them understand that the reason why Duke Silvershield made concessions was because he was threatened.

On the other hand, this can effectively prevent Amn from continuing to use the same method to intimidate in possible future trade disputes.

It has to be said that the Dukes of Baldur's Gate are really screwed up.

No wonder he would be manipulated by Sarevok a few years later. His judgments and reactions at critical moments were no different from those of a pig.

The stupidity is breathtaking.

No!

Maybe the pigs are a little smarter than them.

At least Pigs are not arrogant and think everything is under their control.

It is estimated that the Dukes may have felt that they had signed a treaty with the Six-person Council of Amn, so even if Talona's priests and churches were expelled, Zuo Si, the electorate, would not be able to do anything drastic.

But they didn't know that Zuo Si was just a tool in this negotiation.

Although he helped Sir Crispian with many ideas, he was not a direct beneficiary of this treaty.

At least not yet.

And the other party obviously overestimated his control over Talona Church.

If nothing else, the expelled priests will soon use various methods to let these arrogant dukes taste the bitter fruits they have sown.

After all, it is the consistent style of believers of the goddess of poison and disease to retaliate.

"Master, what should we do now?"

Davian stood on the bridge and stared at the city gate not far away, asking in an uncertain tone.

His dragon-like vertical pupils and the faint dragon power that he exuded inadvertently made the guards guarding the door feel very nervous.

In addition, Talona's reputation as a voter also caused a lot of psychological pressure on her.

After all, as Mailatma defeated the monster army in the south and completed the feat of slaying the dragon, it was gradually spread to the north by many merchants and adventurers.

So even in Baldur's Gate, rumors began to spread about the goddess of poison and plague having a very powerful and powerful chosen one.

"What else can we do? We can only continue to take the land route." Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

It just takes a little more time anyway.

He was not idle when he was traveling in the carriage. He was learning many four-ring magics and practicing new super magic skills. His life was quite fulfilling.

Anyway, it is never too late for a gentleman to take revenge.

He has the means to make the Duke of Baldur's Gate pay a heavy price for humiliating him.

"Thos, I can control those guards." Isadora whispered in her ear.

But Zuo Si smiled and shook his head, gently stroked the girl's hair and explained: "Forget it, don't make it difficult for these ordinary soldiers who obey orders. Don't worry, I'm not angry. Because it won't be long before Baldur's Gate The dukes will come to me and beg me on their knees to let them go."

When he said these words, he did not avoid the soldiers guarding the city gate at all, but let these people hear them clearly.

moment!

The captain's face changed.

But before he could do anything, he saw Zuo Si and his party driving away in a carriage.

When he came to his senses, the carriage had disappeared into the distant horizon.

"Damn it! Go and report to Duke Iltan, we may be in big trouble this time." The captain shouted at one of his soldiers.

The latter did not dare to neglect at all and quickly rode towards the fortress of the Flame Fist mercenary headquarters.

It's a pity that everything is too late...

After running for more than ten kilometers in one breath, when he was about to reach the "Land of Death", Zuo Si finally ordered the carriage to stop, and then summoned Vanessa without hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, the lich who received the magic message cast a teleportation spell and appeared next to the carriage.

He first glanced around very cautiously, and after confirming that there was no danger, he put one hand on his chest and bowed slightly.

"Excuse me, if you summon me at this time, do you have any urgent instructions?"

"How is the progress of the plan to integrate the pirate forces of the Nelanser Islands?" Zuo Si asked straight to the point.

When she mentioned this matter, Vanessa suddenly became excited and hurriedly reported: "Not long ago, I just controlled a pirate leader named Eric and started a rebellion against Captain Bloody Hand.

This operation not only succeeded in taking over the latter's forces, but also exchanged Hallet's head for a large bounty in Amn.

Immediately afterwards, I sent several of my apprentices to assist the pirate in launching several naval battles. I have almost annihilated and incorporated six large pirate gangs and more than twenty small pirate gangs.

Using the corpses of the dead, I transformed a large number of low-level undead to serve as cannon fodder in the battle.

Then with the help of the spells recorded in the "Book of the Dead", several high-level sane undead were successfully created as commanders.

Now it has almost brought under control several of the largest and most habitable islands in the Nelanthel Archipelago.

Even those mysterious ocean towers were occupied one by one by me and several other core members, transforming them into simple mage towers, and establishing permanent portals.

Four of the ogre magicians were captured alive and are currently imprisoned in the dungeon.

It is estimated that all pirates should be wiped out in about a month or two, and construction of cities and villages should begin. "

"So fast?" Zuo Si was obviously surprised.

He originally thought that an operation of this scale, even with the help of several lichs, would take a year and a half to complete.

"Of course. There was no decent power in the Nelanser Islands originally. The reason why pirates are rampant is entirely because many organizations want to use these guys to do some shady things. But now with our Intervene, this island will finally end the chaos and usher in the dawn of order. By the way, haven't you always been not very interested in this matter?"

Vanessa asked very strangely.

Zuo Si smiled and laughed at himself: "I suddenly discovered that if you don't have any powerful force behind you, others will treat you as a weakling and try to humiliate you."

"Shame! Who? Who dares to treat you like this? Please tell me! I promise to kill his whole family and then make him into an undead creature, so that he will live in pain, despair and curse forever."

The cold light in Vanessa's eyes surged, and her tone became even colder and full of murderous intent.

"It's the Dukes of Baldur's Gate.

They decreed that I, the chosen one of Talona, ​​the woman of poison and disease, was prohibited from entering the city.

To be honest, I still haven’t figured out where they got the courage and the underlying logic behind their actions.

But there is no need to make it so bloody and cruel.

My method of revenge is simple, that is, to use the most extreme method to attack the city's commerce and completely cut off Baldur's Gate's maritime trade. "

Zuo Si expressed his thoughts in a nonchalant tone.

He is not a nice guy, and he is not like those guys who claim to be kind and righteous, but they still swallow their anger and dare not retaliate when they are publicly humiliated.

What's more, as a commercial port city, Baldur's Gate was built on trade.

Therefore, as long as it cracks down on trade, it is equivalent to leveraging the foundation of Baldur's Gate's survival.

When businessmen begin to realize that these so-called "dukes" can no longer provide them with protection and benefits, but instead become a stumbling block that prevents them from making money, the consequences will naturally be obvious.

There is no need for Zuo Si to take action himself, as long as a little news is released, countless people will naturally do everything possible to let these dukes die.

"Combating trade? Do you mean to let the pirates organize a fleet to block the port?" Vanessa touched her chin and revealed a playful smile.

You must know that unlike the Amn Empire, which has a huge navy, Baldur's Gate is just a city-state, so it does not have that much money to build a powerful navy.

Many times when dealing with maritime threats, some merchant ships are often temporarily requisitioned, and then defensive counterattacks are carried out relying on trebuchets and crossbows at the port and on the shore.

This also means that the city's maritime defenses are very weak.

As long as the pirates of Nelanthel Islands are gathered together, it is entirely possible to completely cut off Baldur's Gate's maritime trade routes.

Zuo Si waved his hand with a smile but not a smile: "No, don't block the port, let alone rob merchant ships. That would be too ostentatious and could easily attract the intervention of the Northern Lords Alliance.

All we have to do is impose a protection fee on all passing ships.

If it is a merchant ship heading to Amn, Calimshan, Tethyr, Waterdeep, Neverwinter, or Luskan, then 10% of the total value of all goods will be levied.

But if it's a merchant ship sailing to Baldur's Gate, then twenty to thirty percent will be levied.

and a flag was issued to every vessel on which a protection fee had been levied.

Any merchant ship flying this flag will no longer be robbed by pirates throughout the Sea of ​​Swords to the Sea of ​​Glory.

If there is a robbery, we will not only avenge it, but also compensate the ship and cargo at the original price.

In this way, we get money, the merchants get security, and the surrounding maritime trade routes will prosper.

At the same time, this approach will not violate the bottom line of the Northland Lords Alliance, the Harpers Alliance and the Good Alignment God Church.

After all, order is better than chaos.

Even if this order is not very consistent with their values.

After it became a common practice, all merchants who took the sea route found that the cost of doing business in Baldur's Gate was much higher than that of other cities.

Guess what they will choose?

They would not hesitate to abandon the natural harbor of Baldur's Gate.

Then the dukes who rule this city will pay the price for their arrogance and stupidity, and even kneel down and beg for my forgiveness.

In addition, compared to dying quickly, I personally prefer to let the enemy taste enough pain before dying, and even let the enemy watch helplessly lose the things he cherishes bit by bit.

For the Dukes of Baldur's Gate, the prosperity and wealth of Baldur's Gate is what they value most.

but me……

We must slowly take these two things away from them. "

After hearing these words, Vanessa seemed to have seen the future of Baldur's Gate's decline, as well as the fearful and desperate reactions of the dukes. Her whole body was instantly sublimated, and she touched her chest deeply with one hand in an unprecedented respectful gesture. Bowed.

"Your wisdom and revenge methods are beyond my reach. In addition, I also understand that true revenge should not just make myself feel happy, but should make the enemy taste the pain as much as possible, but at the same time there is nothing you can do about it. Please don't worry, I will Immediately notify everyone to cooperate in handling this matter."

"Remember, manage those pirates well and let them understand that the Nelanser Islands in the future will be an orderly, open and tolerant country. Throw away all those bad habits from the past and learn to be a civilized person from now on." Zuo Si He warned meaningfully.

Vanessa immediately understood and couldn't help bursting into laughter: "Hahahaha! You don't need to tell me that I have already done this. However, among the thousands of islands in the Neransel Islands, only about half have fresh water resources. You Let’s see how we can develop it?”

“First select a few large islands to grow food and raise poultry and livestock to ensure that the food sources on the islands are not restricted by others.

The rest of the islands with fresh water grow sugar cane, and the islands without fresh water grow salt.

The former is a valuable luxury product, while the latter is an indispensable thing in everyone's daily life. Basically, there is no need to worry about sales.

In addition, fishing, drying salted fish, and cultivating pearls in shallow waters can all be good development directions.

In particular, the fiber of coconut is very suitable for making ropes, fishing nets, brushes, and mats. The coconut meat can also be dried and sold as a commodity.

With goods, merchants will naturally be attracted to come and buy and sell.

However, the problem that needs to be solved now is the shortage of labor on the island.

I think I can do something about the Kingdom of Tethyr, which is in the middle of a civil war, to attract some civilians or refugees who have suffered from war to settle there.

They promised to distribute free land, seeds and tools to anyone who was willing to open up wasteland.

And then spend money to buy slaves from the Calishan area..."

Zuo Si didn't even think about it, and just blurted out a lot of very useful suggestions.

As a person who comes from the era of information explosion, he has a natural advantage in this regard.

Especially since the level of productivity development in Faerûn is so low, less than half a kilogram of salt can be sold at an outrageous retail price of five gold coins.

With this amount of money, you can buy almost 450 kilograms of wheat, or 225 kilograms of flour, or more than 200 tender and delicious chickens.

The reason is also very simple.

That is, most cities do not master the refining technology of "salt", a necessity for survival.

In particular, coarse salt extracted from seawater cannot be eaten directly because it is adulterated with too many harmful impurities.

Impurities also need to be filtered out through a series of complex processes, and the final product is truly edible salt.

These crafts are often monopolized by some chambers of commerce and nobles, and they are regarded as core secrets and never disclosed to the outside world.

As a result, many port cities on the west coast of Ferenc are clearly close to the sea, but they still have to import salt from outside. The strange scene appeared.

“It sounds like you have a comprehensive plan.

Don't worry about the labor problem. If it doesn't work, just use undead instead.

But where can the technologies needed for these industries come from?

If magic is used, the cost will become infinitely high. "

Vanessa was obviously in trouble.

As a mage, the first thing he thinks of when he encounters trouble is magic.

This is also the reason why the development of natural science in Faerûn is so slow.

Because magic is so convenient that it can do almost anything.

For example, with fireball and lightning, who would consider making and using primitive artillery that is both dangerous, powerful and not very good?

Therefore, there is no soil for science to survive and develop here.

In the era when the magical civilization of Netheril flourished, the great arcanists not only had the power to change the natural environment and climate, but even formed a fleet that could go deep into space, explore other planets within the crystal wall and try to establish colonies.

In contrast, the earth science system, which seems to be very technologically advanced, has only allowed humans to briefly land on the moon.

To sum up, almost all smart people in Faerun will choose to become a mage instead of wasting time and energy to study science that may take decades or even centuries after their death to be discovered by future generations. .

After all, the two ancient magic empires of Netheril and Imaskar have shown how far magic can reach, but no one has ever shown the future of science.

In addition, after becoming a mage, you gain real magical power, which can even allow you to escape death and gain eternal life. Anyone who is not a fool knows how to choose.

However, the shortcoming of magic is also very obvious, that is, it cannot benefit the people at the bottom at all.

Just the opposite!

It needs to continuously squeeze the lower class civilians to obtain the resources and wealth necessary to study magic.

This is why, without exception, almost all powerful magical civilizations have adopted slavery.

Zuo Si sometimes feels that he is very lucky. He has received education in both science and magic, so he is not as easy to fall into the limitations of thinking as most mages.

Seeing Vanessa's troubled look, he immediately smiled and said: "Don't worry, I will be responsible for providing a full set of industrial technologies. All you have to do is supervise and execute."

"If that's the case, then there is no problem. To be honest, I was still a little confused at first as to what kind of place I wanted to build the Nelanthel Islands into. But now, it seems that I suddenly have a direction."

Vanessa's eyes sparkled with admiration.

Because the more he got to know Zuo Si, the more he felt that Zuo Si's head was full of all kinds of knowledge and fantastic ideas.

And these knowledge and whimsical ideas are exactly what I lack.

In addition, Vanessa, who is a specialized mage of the necromancy system, also benefited a lot from the notes from the "Book of the Dead" and the Archmage of the Necromancer Asta.

In fact, not long ago, he had just completed touching the deepest magic network and officially obtained the coveted nine-ring spell slot.

All of this started to change for the better when I met Zuo Si.

Therefore, Vanessa felt that the boy in front of her who looked to be only about ten years old was the one worthy of loyalty and following in her destiny.

After the two chatted for a while about their experience and insights in magic, he took the notes Zuo Si copied from the Candlekeep Library on how to advance to [Arch Mage], and happily activated the teleportation magic and returned to his mage tower.

After watching the lich disappear completely, Davian took the initiative to ask for instructions: "Master, the place of death is ahead. Should we camp here and rest, or go directly to find a farm to stay overnight?"

"The Land of Death? Are there many undead creatures there?" Isadora asked curiously.

"Of course. A tragic war between Amn and the Sword Coast countries broke out here more than five hundred years ago.

It is said that the dead people even make this land more than ten times more negative energy than other places.

It has long been home to zombies, ghouls, skeletons, ghosts and other undead creatures.

However, over time, most of the undead creatures were cleared away by the priests and paladins of good gods.

Large farms have been re-established in recent decades, leaving only a few skeletons and zombies wandering around. "

Zuo Si patiently introduced this blond girl who knew nothing about the outside world.

Since she has never left the administrative area of ​​Ascatla since she was born, Isadora has no idea what the outside world is like. At best, she has only read a few books.

"Are undead creatures difficult to deal with?" the girl asked cautiously.

Zuo Si replied seriously: "For you as a psion, undead creatures and constructs are the two most dangerous types of enemies in the world.

Because they don't have minds, you can't read their thoughts, let alone control their will.

Remember, if you encounter an undead, the best way is to attack with the direct damage psychic powers you have at your disposal, or to summon the shield guardian in the amulet. "

The girl nodded vigorously: "Yes! I remember it."

"Let's go, let's find a farm to stay overnight. After sleeping in the carriage for so many days, I started to miss the feeling of lying in bed." Zuo Sichong, the Dragonborn Knight, said with a smile.

"As you wish."

Davian, as always, regarded his master's request as the highest order, quickly threw a beautiful whip, and drove the carriage along the endless plains.

After only ten minutes, you could vaguely see some skeletons wearing old and rusty armor wandering around outside the fence surrounding the field next to them, as well as zombies that were so rotten that there was not much flesh left on their bodies.

Not only are they slow, but they are also very unresponsive.

No wonder those daring farmers dare to enter the land of death to open up wasteland.

It felt like even without weapons, a thicker stick could easily kill these weak undead creatures.

While everyone was admiring the strange scenery of skeletons, zombies and acres of golden farmland, a three-story wooden hut built not far from the west side of the road attracted everyone's attention.

Davian used extremely skillful movements to slow down the two running horses, and then stopped steadily at the door of the wooden house.

Just as he was about to knock on the door, he suddenly smelled a pungent smell of blood.

Out of a subconscious first reaction, Davian immediately pulled out the flaming sword from his waist and at the same time raised the shield behind him and entered a state of alert.

With his height advantage, the fence about two meters high on the outside was completely useless to him, and he soon saw a large pool of blood in the yard near the main entrance.

Moreover, the door of the wooden house was not closed, it was ajar.

"what happened?"

Zuo Si opened the door and walked out of the car.

"Master, please be careful, there is something wrong with this house. I found blood stains at the door of the house, and the door was not closed."

Davian told what he saw without looking back.

"Go in and take a look. Huntington, guard the door. If you see an unknown guy approaching, don't care who he is and shoot an arrow first as a warning."

Zuo Si gave instructions calmly.

Because a wooden house like this, which is located in a rural area and has little defense capabilities, is too easy to be attacked by various monsters, robbers and wild beasts.

So no matter what happens in the house, he won't be surprised.

This is why, regardless of whether they are poor or rich, they will do their best to squeeze into cities or towns with certain defense capabilities as long as conditions permit.

Even if he couldn't enter the town, he would choose to seek refuge with a lord who owned a castle.

Only in this way will their lives and property safety be even remotely guaranteed.

With a banging sound, Davian kicked open the wooden door of the yard and was the first to take the lead and walk in.

Zuo Si followed closely behind, holding Isadora's hand.

After passing through the yard filled with various kinds of onions, radishes, cabbage, garlic and green onions, the three of them came to the hidden entrance of the wooden house, and immediately saw a large puddle of sticky blood on the ground that had not yet dried up.

"This is human blood!"

Davian put a little bit of it in front of his nose with his finger, sniffed it and immediately made his own judgment.

As a dragonborn, his sense of smell is extremely sensitive, far superior to that of most canines.

This is why the smell of blood can be smelled from such a distance.

"It seems that the owner of the house has been killed. Let's go inside and find out."

With that said, Zuo Si raised his hand and completed the spell casting at an extremely fast speed, blessing himself and Isadora with [Mage Armor] respectively.

But before he reached for the ajar door, there was a sudden sound of footsteps inside, and then a middle-aged woman dressed as a peasant woman came out and asked with a vigilant look: "Who are you? Why did you break into me?" s home?"

"Are you... the owner of this house?"

The expression on Zuo Si's face suddenly became very strange.

Davian immediately stood between the two of them.

Isadora also seemed to have read the other party's memory through her psychic abilities. One hand hugged Zuo Si's arm tightly, and the other hand held the amulet around her neck that could summon the shield guardian.

"That's right! This is the house where my husband and I live. No matter who you are, please leave immediately. Otherwise, we will sound the alarm and call the surrounding militia." The peasant woman warned loudly.

Unfortunately, her warning didn't scare anyone.

Zuo Si pointed at the blood on the ground and asked, "If you don't mind, can you tell me what this pool of blood is about?"

The peasant woman's face changed slightly, she waved her arms impatiently and roared: "That's the blood I shed from killing the chicken just now. It's none of your business! Get out of here!"

"Sigh - are all the shapeshifters' acting skills as bad as yours now? We have just confirmed that the blood on the ground is human blood and not the blood of other poultry or livestock. In addition, I don't know if you have noticed that you are nervous. Or when you are excited, your eyes will flash with a silver light."

Zuo Si bluntly exposed the other party's identity.

Yes!

The guy dressed as a peasant woman in front of me is disguised as a shapeshifter.

With Ogma, the God of Knowledge, upgrading the constant [True Knowledge] on the magic ring, the moment the shape-shifter appeared, he had already seen the opponent's original appearance.

"Damn it!"

Realizing that he was exposed, the shapeshifter didn't even hesitate for a second, turned around, tried to get into the house, and then jumped out of the back window to escape.

But before he could take a few steps, his whole body suddenly seemed to be under a restraining spell, and he stood stupidly motionless.

"You control it?" Zuo Si turned around and asked Isadora.

The girl shook her head lightly: "No. I just tried to invade the mind to control it, but failed. This kind of monster seems to be immune to all charm spells. But then I used [Energy Shock] again, and this guy became what he is now. It looks like this. I think its shape-shifting ability might be useful to you."

"That's right. Shapeshifters are natural spies and infiltrators. If used well, they can cause more damage from the inside than a dragon."

Zuo Si casually took out a blank card and directly sealed the shapeshifter in front of him.

But just as the icons and words appeared on the card, a black figure suddenly jumped down from the second floor.

Just as it was trying to run over the fence, an arrow pierced its thigh with a whoosh.

The severe pain turned the humanoid creature into a gourd on the spot, opening its mouth and letting out a heart-rending scream.

At this moment, Isadora and Davian saw the true face of the black shadow.

It has gray-white skin, thin and long limbs and octopus-like eyes. Its head is round and a little fat. Even if it is suffering from pain, its face has almost no expression.

There is no doubt that this is a typical shapeshifter.

With their innate ability to shape-shift and detect thoughts, they can disguise themselves as almost anyone, and even directly replace the latter's identity and status in society.

These two guys must have discussed it, come to kill the original owner of the house, and then disguise themselves as them and infiltrate nearby farms and even small towns bit by bit.

Unfortunately, they were unlucky. They happened to run into Zuo Si and his party who were looking for a place to stay, but they were caught on the spot.

No hesitation!

Zuo Si first asked Isadora to release [Energy Shock] again to make the transformed monster hit by an arrow lose its ability to resist, and then made it into a summoning creature card.

After finishing all this, he began to carefully search the entire wooden house, and finally found the bodies of the two victims in the cellar.