One Sneeze Destroys A Magical Civilization

Chapter 216 Talona's Favor

"A mask with a constant [Disguise]? You just use this cheap low-level magic item to fool me?"

Zuo Si raised the silver metal mask in his hand, showing strong dissatisfaction in his tone, and at the same time his eyes became quite aggressive and very dangerous.

Because apart from changing the wearer's appearance, this thing has no effect at all. It is far worse than the [transfiguration] that the four rings can change the shape of the body and even the race.

Perhaps the only use is to cover up the identity of dark elves, tieflings and other races that are not popular in many cities, that's all.

What's more, the other party rushed to the scene so quickly through teleportation magic, but anyone who is not a fool can see that there is a problem.

Xi Manmeng felt as if he was being targeted by a legendary spellcaster like his teacher Mansong. His sixth sense frantically issued a warning, and a lot of beads of sweat appeared densely on his forehead.

For the first time, he realized that the polite and easy-to-talk Zuo Si he met in Candlekeep was not the whole personality of the young man in front of him.

Just the opposite!

At this moment, this kind of act of turning his face when he said he would turn his face, and even showing his murderous intentions without any concealment, was the real side of him that was hidden.

There is nothing more frightening than an ally who was able to cooperate and laugh hand in hand one second, and then suddenly become an enemy without warning in the next second.

Although according to the original plan, Simon intends to use some "language art" to resolve Zuo Si's dissatisfaction.

But now it seems that if he doesn't quickly take out a magic item of sufficient value, he will probably die here today, just like those Cyric followers who were killed in just a few seconds.

Without any hesitation!

The man who always tried to maintain an elegant demeanor took off his cloak as quickly as possible, and then forced a smile to explain: "I am very sorry, due to my negligence and leaving in a hurry, I forgot to bring the money that should be paid to you. Reward. Why don’t you use this [Gargoyle Cloak] first as compensation. It can transform the wearer into a Gargoyle every day for an hour.”

"Sorry, this trash cloak doesn't hold any appeal for me. Give me your two ioun stones."

Zuo Si pointed to the lavender and green Ion Stones floating above the opponent's head, and asked for it directly without politeness.

His behavior is actually no different from Ming Qiang.

Because the Ion Stone is a rare treasure for any spellcaster.

It is not like magic rings, necklaces and other equipment that have quantity restrictions, and if there are too many, they will interfere with each other.

No matter how many Ion Stones you have, you can equip them all at once, making them surround the top of your head to provide various additional abilities and protection.

It is said that in the era of Netheril, many great arcane arts would be equipped with at least a set of twenty-four or more Ion Stones as a means of strengthening themselves.

So Zuo Si has been collecting these magical gems through various channels.

But it is a pity that so far no one is willing to sell it, even if it is twice the market price.

After all, other mages and warlocks are not fools. They all understand how scarce Ion Stones are in this era. Even if they lack money, they will give priority to selling other magic items.

Since Xi Manmeng gave Zuo Si this excuse today, if he didn't take the opportunity to blackmail him, he would be too sorry for such a good opportunity.

"You... you are robbing! Blackmailing!

Not surprisingly, Xi Manmeng was trembling with anger.

The two he equipped are standard "magic absorption" ioun stones, each of which can absorb twelve levels of magic attacks, adding up to exactly twenty-four.

It is precisely because of this hole card that he dared to walk around various dangerous people, and at the same time solve some potential threats for his teacher Mansong Office.

"Whatever you say. Either give me the Ion Stone now, or prepare to fight. No one can owe me my reward! Not even God! Maybe you can try, can these two Ion Stones help you Resist attacks from voters' special abilities."

Zuo Si put on a "hob meat" look, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression all over his body.

Especially the divine power coming out of his body made Xi Manmeng feel like a big stone was pressing on his chest, making it difficult to even breathe.

In the end, after weighing the pros and cons several times, Mansong's most trusted disciple chose to back down, took off the two Ion Stones with a face full of reluctance and handed them over: "You won! Here, they belong to you now. "

"Thank you. I am very satisfied with this remuneration. In addition, next time, remember to prepare the things that should be paid to me in advance, so as to avoid trouble."

Zuo Si, who had a stern face one second, showed a kind smile the next second, and casually brought the two Ion Stones under his control.

In the blink of an eye, Ain Shi entered an invisible state.

Knowing that many "bad-hearted" guys would target the Ain Stone floating above his head, he added a piece of magic equipment to himself to prevent the Ain Stone from being revealed.

At least until some invisibility spells are used, others cannot see the existence of the Ion Stone.

Xi Manmeng undoubtedly noticed this, suppressed the anger in his heart, and responded through gritted teeth: "Don't worry. I will never forget next time."

"Very good. If there is nothing else, I will go back first. Happy cooperation."

Zuo Si turned around and walked towards the other side of the portal like a normal person.

The moment he was about to pass it on, Ximanmeng asked suddenly: "A while ago, you were attacked by a large-scale high-level emerald society at the junction of the High Wasteland and the Roaring Troll Forest?"

"Well, that's right. It's just some trivial misunderstandings, and they've all been resolved."

Zuo Si stopped, turned around and gave an affirmative answer.

As an intelligence network covering all of Faerûn, it didn't surprise him that the Zhentarim would know this.

In other words, it would be strange if the other party didn't know.

"Misunderstanding? Is an ambush of that scale really a misunderstanding?

Besides, what happened to Dragonspear Castle?

According to adventurers and merchants, the night you arrived, there seemed to be a plethora of demons pouring out of the subterranean portal.

It even includes high-level devils like deep hell fiends and horned demons.

Even the temple of the god of war Tempus was destroyed by the terrifying nine-ring spell [Meteor Burst].

And currently there is a man named Marshall who declares that you are the lord of Dragonspear Castle, and he himself is the steward who is loyal to you.

He also controlled a huge hydra through some unknown means. "

Xi Manmeng asked all the information collected through the dark intelligence network in the recent period, as well as what he didn't understand.

The cunning man didn't expect Zuo Si to answer positively.

As long as he can give one or two relevant clues, he can analyze a lot of useful things.

"What's the current situation of Dragonspear Castle?" Zuo Si asked with great interest.

The reason why he allowed Marshall to use his name at the beginning was entirely from the perspective of "civilization". He didn't want to see those survivors being ravaged by monsters on the high wasteland after experiencing the attack of the devil, which eventually led to This important stronghold between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep was lost.

As for the Zhentarim spies who mistook the Oran Ridro for a hydra, he didn't bother to correct it.

After all, the hydra also has several heads, and its appearance is very similar to that of the Oran Lidosaurus.

The only difference is that the former is a swamp and aquatic super-giant magical creature, while the latter is a land-dwelling magical behemoth in the forest.

But Simon obviously didn't know this, and replied meaningfully: "Marshall did a pretty good job.

It can be seen that he is a very capable person, and he also has a certain prestige among adventurers and businessmen.

By manipulating the behemoths you left behind to siege goblin, orc, and gnoll hordes, this guy not only brings back rich loot, but uses captives as free labor.

After a period of construction and repair, not only the prosperity of the past has been restored, but also a lot of wasteland has been reclaimed, which seems to be ready to plant winter wheat.

Right now, two or three hundred adventurers have gathered around Marshall, as well as businessmen attracted by trophies, monsters, and human bandit slaves.

They even invited several priests of Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, to build a new temple in Dragonspear Castle.

But judging by your reaction, it doesn't seem clear what he did, does it?

I'm curious, why would you allow Marshall to use your name?

Are you really planning to make Dragonspear Castle your own territory? "

"No, of course not." Zuo Si sneered and shook his head. "At the beginning, I just wanted to give some help to these survivors. But then I realized that the portal to Bartor's Hell in the lower level of Dragonspear Castle must be watched by someone. Otherwise, I can't tell when those demons will sneak into the material world again."

"Are those demons coming after you?"

Xi Manmeng suddenly felt that he had grasped the key, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes that could not be detected.

"Sorry, no comment."

Zuo Si sensed that the other party was testing her reaction, and immediately ended the topic without hesitation.

After saying this, he ignored the other party's reaction, turned around and returned to Askatla's dock area through the portal.

Xi Manmeng stood on the spot, stroked his chin and pondered for a few minutes, and then cast teleportation magic and disappeared in place.

As for those Cyric disciples who disappeared from the world, no one cares about their life or death.

Even the belongings left on the ground were quickly cleaned up by the spies who arrived.

No one is more professional than them in destroying corpses and removing traces.

Zuo Si had no interest in the Zhentarim Society's follow-up actions at all. All he could think about was how to learn the most important seven-ring magic as quickly as possible, and then make corresponding Planeswalker cards.

The more he has a clear understanding of the nature of this world, the more he can appreciate the importance of power.

Whether it's Manson of the Zhentarim, Fuzor Chambery, those undead masters of runes, or Irenicus who wants to be a god, as long as he has enough power, he can Take it easy.

But unfortunately, on the way back to the Mage Tower, Zuo Si was stopped by several priests of the Church of the Goddess of Poison and Disease who were waiting halfway.

Looking at these devout believers in Talona, ​​he immediately frowned and asked in an impatient tone: "Do you have anything to do?"

"Yes, Your Excellency the Elector. There is a very important matter in the church, and you are urgently required to make a decision. Priest Yvette specially sent us to invite you to the temple." The leading female priest hurriedly explained.

Although this "child of the plague" usually ignores the church and believers, she knows how much Talona dotes on this mortal in front of her, so she dares not neglect her at all.

"Important things? Need me to make a decision?"

Zuo Si frowned even tighter.

Because he made it clear during his last conversation with Yvette that he would not participate in any management of the church.

"It's inconvenient to talk about this matter in public, so please go to the temple by all means. And... the priest also said that he has specially prepared an extremely precious gift for you."

While saying these words, a bit of bitterness and helplessness appeared on the face of the female pastor.

I'm afraid no one will believe it.

A church of a god invites the voters of its own goddess, and even uses "incentives".

But the cruel reality is that Zuo Si really does this.

When he heard that there was a gift to take, he agreed to follow the other party to the temple without saying a word.

A group of people passed through the chaotic bridge area, and it didn't take long to arrive at the magnificent temple that was completed not long ago.

However, unlike other white temples in this area, the outer walls and domes of Talona's temple are painted with silver-gray paint, which looks strangely beautiful.

The moment Zuo Si walked into the hall, she immediately felt that she was surrounded by an invisible energy.

Through these energies, he can clearly feel an incomparable emotion of joy and happiness.

There is no doubt that these energies are divine powers born from faith.

Joy and happiness are conveyed from the huge statue in the hall.

"Your Honorable Elector, you are finally here."

Yvette, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed out to greet her, and bowed with one hand on her chest in a very humble gesture.

Not only her, but all the priests and other priests who followed behind paid homage to the "son of the plague" appointed by the goddess without exception.

Countless priests and believers bent and bowed, and the scene looked very spectacular.

But it was a pity that Zuo Si was not interested in this situation and the things on the scene at all, and asked bluntly: "You asked someone to call me over, what is the important thing? You can talk about it now."

Yvette nodded without thinking: "Of course. In fact, the thing is like this..."

Soon, the priest of the Church of Amn explained everything about the previous controversy about the unauthorized modification of the doctrine, as well as the unusual reaction of the goddess.

In particular, it is emphasized that those small groups of young pastors have developed a large number and size of believers.

If one is not handled properly, it is likely to lead to a series of quite serious consequences.

After listening, Zuo Si immediately ordered: "What about those young pastors? Let them choose a representative to meet me."

"As you wish."

Without saying a word, Yvette winked at the cronies around her.

The latter understood, and immediately turned and disappeared into the corridor leading to the living area behind.

In about seven or eight minutes, he returned with a young man with short black hair who looked about twenty-four or five years old.

"Your Excellency, this is the trainee priest who tampered with the Goddess' teachings without permission.

His name was Ilze, and he was originally the son of a pharmacist.

However, because his father made a mistake in preparing herbal medicine, he accidentally poisoned a patient with the wrong dosage, so he ended his life in self-blame and shame.

Since then, he joined the church and became a follower of Talona, ​​devoting himself to the study of various viruses, bacteria and toxins. "

Yvette briefly introduced the young man's identity and background.

Zuo Si stared into the young man's eyes with great interest, and after a full minute he asked in an uncertain tone: "Why did you take a huge risk to tamper with the teachings without authorization? Or, what prompted you to produce Such an idea?"

The young man replied with a wry smile: "You may not believe it when you say it, but I don't know why, it's just that I suddenly had such an idea that poison and plague should not only have an evil side.

It should be neutral, just like magic, knowledge, and death, should exist objectively and should not have a specific position and alignment itself.

Moreover, my father taught me more than once when he was alive that many poisonous animals and plants are actually essential materials for making potions.

Since toxins can save people, why can't plague?

With this in mind, I set out to learn more about the viruses and bacteria that cause various diseases and to teach people how to prevent them through good hygiene.

Since there is no need to use divine magic, and the effect is very significant, gradually many poor people from the bottom of society voluntarily became followers of Talona.

No one knows better than them how terrible it can be to be sick.

Often a sudden illness can destroy a family, make the only man who can make money bedridden, and may even be burdened with heavy debts.

So I think, if you want to increase the influence of the goddess and the number of followers in Faerun, this is a very good development direction.

After all, there are always more poor people than rich people, and there are always more common people than nobles.

But the faith and influence offered by the two are not much different. "

After hearing these words that did not sound like a trainee pastor could say, Zuo Si's expression suddenly became very strange.

Because he seriously suspected that the reason why Ilze had such an idea was not from his own will, but might have obtained some kind of "enlightenment" or "hint".

Simply put, the young man's soul and mind were affected by a greater force.

You don't need to ask to know that if you can manipulate a priest unconsciously, the most suspicious thing is naturally the god he believes in.

Thinking of this, Zuo Si raised his head and cast his eyes on the giant statue of Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease in the hall.

He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the corners of the statue's mouth were slightly upturned than when it just came in.

Is it possible for a chaotic and evil goddess to actively plan to change her camp?

Zuo Si strongly doubts this.

But the problem is, now the facts are in front of us.

Just when he was deep in thought, Yvette standing next to him finally couldn't help but tentatively asked: "Your Excellency, is there any problem with this teaching? Or, the church can recognize its legitimacy, and then conduct a large-scale promotion?"

"I don't think it's a big problem.

And as Ilze mentioned, doing so can greatly increase the number and influence of the goddess in the mortal world.

However, in order to avoid self-contradictory teachings, it is best for Ilze to separate from the like-minded young priests and form a new sect alone.

In this way, two conflicting teachings can be accommodated at the same time.

Just as many neutral camp gods will give birth to various branch sects based on the understanding of believers themselves. "

Zuo Si shrugged nonchalantly.

For him, whether Talona is in the evil camp or the neutral camp, there is no big difference in essence.

The only good thing is that if the goddess of poison and disease really changes from chaotic evil to absolute neutrality, then his reputation as a voter will also become slightly better.

At least it won't cause local rulers nervousness as soon as it appears.

"So that's it! I understand! Please don't worry, I will be responsible for handling this matter in two days and find a place for the newly established sect."

Yvette promised without hesitation.

Although the dean of the Church of Amn is very clear, if Ilze's sect develops in the future, it will definitely have a huge impact on him.

After all, different sects who believe in the same god do not confront each other, or even are hostile to each other, and quarrel with each other as soon as they meet, which is a relatively common situation in Faerun.

The most typical example is the god of nature and the father of the oak tree - Sivanus.

Its believers have been divided into "extremists" and "moderates" from the beginning.

Even if the former sees a woodcutter entering the edge of the forest to cut some firewood, he will regard it as disrespect and destruction of nature, and then directly kill him as an "enemy of nature" without any explanation.

That's the case for cutting firewood, not to mention things like mining and large-scale logging.

If they think it is necessary, they will even summon countless beasts and elemental creatures to launch a large-scale attack on the towns around the forest.

In contrast, the moderates are a little bit better, advocating the harmonious coexistence of civilization and nature. Even if they encounter things like logging and mining, they will at most just expel them. Under normal circumstances, they will not easily kill people.

Moreover, the two groups of people often clashed because of their different ideas, and even turned into one party killing the other party.

In Faerun, a land influenced by the gods, the conflicts of various ideas and philosophies are so fierce that there are "magic people" with extremely extreme thoughts and behaviors everywhere.

If the Goddess of Poison and Disease ends up being a neutral deity, there will inevitably be conflicts between her good and evil alignments.

But compared to these internal conflicts, the most urgent task now is to fully enhance the influence of the goddess, so that she can be promoted from a weak divine power to a medium divine power.

As for sectarian struggles, we will have to wait until later.

Obviously, Zuo Si was surprised by Yvette's big-picture perspective.

But after a brief surprise, he quickly returned to his usual almost indifferent attitude, and said indifferently: "Don't bother me with this kind of thing in the future, just make your own decisions. Also, the gift you promised What? Why haven’t I seen it until now?”

"Please wait!"

Yvette immediately walked in front of the huge statue, bent down and carefully picked up a scepter enshrined in front of the statue, and then held it in front of Zuo Si with both hands.

"Your Excellency, this is a weapon commissioned by the church to be made by a gray dwarf master blacksmith. Together with other high-ranking priests, I blessed it with powerful divine arts, and finally the goddess personally blessed it. Except you , no one can pick it up or use it."

"You mean, this is an artifact?"

Zuo Si raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

Yvette nodded with a solemn expression: "That's right! The name of this scepter is [Talona's Favor], and it is a weapon specially prepared by the goddess for her only chosen one. As for the specific effect, you should feel it yourself. .”

"Exclusive weapon..."

Zuo Si showed a puzzled expression, completely confused about what the goddess of poison and plague was doing.

But considering that the other party couldn't harm him, he still reached out and grabbed this gorgeous and beautiful scepter.

next second...

In an instant, all the abilities of this weapon appeared in his mind.

【Talona's Favor】

Artifact

+6 scepter

An additional seventh, eighth, and nineth ring magic slot can be added to the wearer.

You can release [Implosion] and [Energy Absorption] once a day.

When hitting the target, there is a 25% chance to release [Blade Wall], a 20% chance to release [Ash and Smoke], and a 5% chance to release [Soul Binding] on the target.

When the target soul is successfully captured and imprisoned by the scepter, the holder will gain all the occupational levels, special skills, and spell-like abilities of the soul during his lifetime, and can use it at will as if he had these powers himself.

The scepter can only capture and hold one soul at a time, and if you want to replace it, you must release or destroy the previously imprisoned soul.

The scepter has the ability to transform and can be transformed into any weapon that the holder is good at, including long swords, halberds, war hammers, axes, spears, maces, etc.

Notice!

This scepter is a weapon given to her only chosen by Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, so no one else can use it.

Otherwise, its soul will be instantly captured and imprisoned in the scepter.

After reading all the introduction about this weapon in his mind, Zuo Si was stunned.

Although he already knew that Talona had an unreasonable and strong obsession with him, which can be seen from the large number of voter abilities bestowed last time.

But no matter what, I never thought that this goddess would spend so much money.

Although sub-artifacts are not strictly speaking artifacts, many legendary spellcasters are theoretically capable of making them.

But the problem is that this one is "exclusive customization", and it is a free gift without any additional conditions!

There is even a relief at the end of the scepter where Talona kissed and empowered Zuo Si...

Just look at the eyes of the senior priests around who couldn't hide their envy, jealousy and hatred, and you will know how amazing the power and value of this scepter is.

It's a pity that no matter how envious or jealous they are, they dare not have any unreasonable thoughts about this weapon.

"[Talona's Favor] really lives up to its name..."

Zuo Si tried to swing it, only to find that the scepter didn't seem to have any weight.

But the moment he lightly slammed down on the wall next to him, the hard stone wall was like tofu, and a layer of debris was easily scraped off.

There was absolutely no hindrance in the whole process.

No need to ask, I know that the hardness of this sub-artifact may far exceed that of fine gold, and it should be another unknown strengthening magic alloy.

And unlike most scepters with fancy front ends, its front end is completely designed in the style of a mace.

If anyone gets hit, the whole head of the helmet wearing a helmet will inevitably be opened.

"Your Excellency the Voter, have you felt the selfless love of the great goddess? Her love for you has surpassed everything. Counting all the Voters in the history of Faerun, there are few who can compare with you." Yvette He said frantically.

Because the old woman could already sense the changes that the young man in front of her had brought to the entire church and even Talona's beliefs in the material world.

You must know that in the past, believers of the goddess of poison and disease often had to choose low-key actions, and even recruited believers had to be sneaky.

But now?

Not only successfully established a majestic temple in Askatla, the capital of gold coins!

At the same time, it has also been endorsed by the government and the official, and can carry out activities publicly anywhere in Amn!

So Yvette really hopes that Zuo Si can abandon that slightly disgusting attitude and contribute to Talona like other gods' chosen ones.

"Love? Maybe." Zuo Si shook her head with a meaningful smile. "I do have plans to talk to the goddess, but it's definitely not now. Well, let's continue with your work, I still have to go one step ahead."

Immediately afterwards, he completely ignored the pairs of astonished eyes in the temple, turned around and walked out without stopping at all.

As for Ilze, who was allowed to form a new sect, he stood there like a fool, at a loss.

But after a while, Yvette, who was the chief priest, took him to another room for three or four hours of secret talks.

After the conversation was over, a total of twelve trainee pastors who had recently joined the church were all assigned to him.

In order to better spread and consolidate the faith to the common people and the poor, the stronghold of the new church was set up in a private house between the slum area and the bridge area, quite close to Zuo Si's mage tower.

You don't need to ask, Yvette wants to use the deterrence of the voters to ensure that the new sect will not be strangled by other hostile forces at the beginning of its establishment.

After all, the security situation in Askatla is really not optimistic.

In particular, the open and secret struggles between the various hostile god churches have reached an incompatible level.

Fortunately, Zuo Si just got an amazing sub-artifact, so he was in a pretty good mood, and didn't mind the other party's little thought.

After returning to the Mage Tower, he first sent a batch of goblin skeletons and zombies to the gem pit of the Emerald Association controlled by Lei Yin and the Dracolich, and increased the mining of the mine, and then began to concentrate on learning arcane magic , and at the same time help two newly joined core members make a phylactery and complete the complicated Lich Transformation Ritual.

At the same time, he took the time to visit the Cherimba Swamp, cooperating with the black dragons who had been lurking there for a long time, captured and sealed two mature black dragons in one go, and took all the treasures in their lairs for himself.

While Zuo Si was digesting the magic knowledge he had collected some time ago, and enjoying the fun of being Faerun's "Pokémon Master", Baldur's Gate far to the north fell into a huge crisis.

To be precise, it was a planned and premeditated large-scale retaliation.

Since Vanessa issued an order to the Nalanthal Islands Fleet, more than half of the main force was transferred to the waters south of the Sword Coast, and normal protection fees were collected from merchant ships sailing to or from Baldur's Gate After three times that, there will inevitably be a severe trade contraction and economic depression here.

Moreover, those merchants who had to take this route did not hesitate to pass on the losses they suffered directly to the Chamber of Commerce, nobles and commoners in the city.

Be it food, or steel, salt and other daily necessities, although their prices have dropped compared to the previous negotiations with Amn, they still make life difficult for many not-so-rich civilians.

In addition, large chambers of commerce such as the "Seven Suns Merchant Alliance" and "Business Alliance" have begun to use various means to put pressure on the dukes, asking them to come up with a solution as soon as possible.

As for the "Iron Throne"...

Sorry, the Iron Throne has already been bought by Sir Crispian at the suggestion of Zuo Si, and has become the "anti-boned guy" that Amn placed inside Baldur's Gate.

With their own influence, they will continue to interfere and divide the merchant class of Baldur's Gate from within, so that they cannot twist together to deal with foreign enemies.

In return, the Iron Throne can get high-quality iron ore from Nasika at an extremely favorable price, and then sell it at a high price to the West Hartland area including Baldur's Gate.

Based on this alone, a very considerable profit can be made every year.

What's more, the leader of the Iron Throne, the caravans and merchant ships under Rita's command, can also enjoy the preferential tax treatment of Amn merchants in Amn.

That's why he doesn't care about the lives of those dukes and other Baldur's Gate merchants.

"What? The lords of Waterdeep City rejected my proposal to send troops together? Why?"

After hearing the reply given by the envoy who had just rushed back from the north, Duke Iltan stood up from his chair abruptly, his face full of shock and disbelief.

You must know that in order to counter the fierce competition from Amn in the south, Baldur's Gate has always been closer to Waterdeep.

Not only are the two cities important members of the "Northern Lords Alliance", they also joined forces to destroy the hobgoblin chief who was entrenched in Dragonspear Castle two years ago.

In Duke Irtan's view, dealing with a group of pirates from the Nelanthir Islands who were blackmailing businessmen at sea should be very much in the common interest of both parties.

The messenger explained with a wry smile: "Because in the eyes of the lords of Waterdeep City, those who are collecting protection fees are no longer pirates.

Because they are not simply plundering wealth, but also provide corresponding services and protection at the same time.

This ending of the chaotic situation from Sword Bay to Sword Sea is a change that Waterdeep City and even Neverwinter City are very happy to see.

What's more, those pirates only charged three times the high protection fee for Baldur's Gate, and only 10% for other city-states.

Using this little loss in exchange for a safe maritime environment is really nothing in the eyes of most businessmen who originally had to worry about taking huge risks.

And as there are fewer and fewer merchant ships docking here, other surrounding cities will naturally take more trade shares, and Waterdeep City is naturally one of the cities that will benefit from it.

So it's entirely reasonable that they would refuse.

In addition, a masked lord reminded me that Baldur's Gate had previously declared the belief in Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, to be illegal and expelled priests and even voters, which had actually involved insult and blasphemy.

He suspects that the disaster we are currently enduring may actually be the revenge of that elector. "

"revenge?!"

Duke Yiltan suddenly recalled that the captain of the guard who was in charge of guarding the city gate some time ago sent someone to report to him about Zuo Si being stopped at the gate.

The latter also threatened to make the dukes, including himself, kneel down and beg for mercy.

At that time, he didn't pay attention to it at all, and just took it as an emotional outlet, or impotent rage.

But now combined with the current crisis that Baldur's Gate is facing, everything seems to be reasonable.

What Duke Yiltan couldn't figure out was how Zuo Si managed to control the chaotic pirates in the Nelanthir Islands, and even organized them into a powerful sea fleet. .

Not only will they not rob merchant ships, but they will achieve sustainable development by collecting protection fees.

From the mouths of some merchants who have recently been to the Nelanthir Islands, it is known that the pirates not only built large areas of houses and streets on the islands, but also opened up large areas of land that can be cultivated.

It seems that they are preparing to build a city or even a country of their own.

Just when the envoy was about to say something, the Duke of Silver Shield suddenly broke in from the door and roared angrily: "Unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable! We can't bear it any longer! The pirates who are cut to pieces are at war! Send them all to the sea to feed the fish!"

"What's going on? What happened to make you lose your composure?"

Duke Iltan asked in an uncertain tone.

"The five boats of my family and some allies originally wanted to sail into the Winding River and secretly transport goods worth more than 200,000 gold coins back to Baldur's Gate by land.

But who knew, he was actually caught by these greedy bastards.

As punishment for evading protection payments, they confiscated all the ships and their cargo, except for the captain and crew. "

When he said these words, the eyes of the Duke of Silver Shield were red.

There is no way not to be popular!

You must know that those ships and cargo are his lifeblood.

Once they are all gone, not only their own family but also their allies will suffer heavy losses along with them.

And it won't be long before he will be hit hard because of his prestige, and will eventually be kicked out of the Duke's position.

After all, the Duke of Baldur's Gate was not hereditary, but was born through the joint election of merchants and chambers of commerce.

That's right!

It is an election of one person, one vote, but only for citizens and businessmen who own certain property.

This also means that whoever has higher strength, financial resources and personal prestige can secure the position of Duke.

Currently, among the four dukes of Baldur's Gate, apart from Irtan, who is the military grand duke in charge of "Flame Fist Mercenaries", the other three are basically dukes in charge of trade and guild management.

Among them, the Duke of Silver Shield is in charge of maritime trade, so he suffered the heaviest losses in this crisis.

In contrast, the other two engaged in river transport and land trade are much better, at least there is no risk of losing the title of duke.

Just the opposite!

They also took advantage of this crisis to successfully regain many of the previously lost rights from the Duke of Silver Shield.

So for the Duke of Silver Shield, the situation was so bad that something had to be done.

Otherwise, even if he was a secret ally with Duke Irtan, he would inevitably step down amidst the strong dissatisfaction and protests of the merchants.

(end of this chapter)