One Sneeze Destroys A Magical Civilization

Chapter 217 Delayed Revenge

"What do you want me to do?"

After pondering for a moment, Duke Irtan asked with a solemn face.

According to the current situation, it seems that apart from fighting a decisive naval battle, there seems to be no second choice.

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

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

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

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

This also means that as long as some catapults, catapults, bed crossbows and other things are erected at the high place of the river mouth, the enemy's fleet can be easily destroyed in the narrow river channel.

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

After all, the cost and daily maintenance of building a strong warship is not comparable to that of a mere merchant ship.

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

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

If more rare and precious ancient trees were cut down to build warships, the shadow druids might explode on the spot and directly summon a large number of animals to launch indiscriminate attacks.

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

If a large-scale naval battle is to be fought, it means that at least twenty large merchant ships must be requisitioned.

As for the soldiers, it was natural that the most elite Yanquan mercenaries would be the top ones.

Anyway, in the eyes of Duke Irtan, there is no difference between naval battles and land battles. They all use crossbows, catapults and ballistas for long-range attacks before approaching.

After receiving the board, it is natural to look at the equipment, discipline, training level, willpower and professional level of the soldiers on both sides.

In this regard, the Flame Fist mercenaries can be regarded as the best on the west coast of the entire Faerun continent, even Waterdeep City cannot match it.

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

"Are you sure? You must know that the price of forcibly confiscating merchant ships is not small. Given your current situation, once you trigger a collective backlash from merchants, it is almost inevitable that you will step down. Even if I intervene, I may not be able to keep you." Yi Duke Ertan issued a serious warning.

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

"It's true. At this point, you and I have no way out. Do you know? According to a masked mage lord in Waterdeep City, the actions of the pirates in the Nelanthir Islands this time are very serious. Possibly because we previously outlawed the belief in Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, and expelled her priests and voters."

Duke Iltan did not hide anything, and directly stated what he had just heard from the messenger.

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

If something does happen, no one can expect it to be easy.

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

If citizens, merchants, and major chambers of commerce learn that the source of all crises is caused by this fact...

Even if the Duke of Irtan is the nominal supreme commander of the Flame Fist mercenaries and controls almost 70% of the Baldur's Gate army, he can't guarantee that he can withstand the overwhelming anger of the people.

After all, no matter how obedient the Yanquan mercenaries are, they are still real people.

They also have family and friends, and they need to go out to buy things and have a drink at the tavern they frequent, so that they can relax physically and mentally from the intense training and tasks on weekdays.

Once these soldiers find that their chiefs are no longer respected, and instead become rats in the street, it is difficult to guarantee that they will still be as loyal as they are now.

If the security is not complete, there will be a few officers who can't think about it, leading the soldiers to declare "abandoning the dark and turning to the bright", and then launching a military coup d'état.

"What? You mean...the actions of the pirates in the Neilanthel Islands were actually the revenge of that elector called Soth?" The Duke of Silver Shield opened his mouth in shock.

Even in his dreams, he couldn't believe that the other party actually launched a naval blockade and trade sanctions against the entire Baldur's Gate just because he was refused entry once.

Duke Irtan nodded expressionlessly: "Although I don't know exactly how he did it, this is the only reason and motivation that makes sense at present. Otherwise, we will have nothing to do with those pirates." Why do they only charge three times the protection fee for merchant ships sailing from Baldur's Gate and entering Baldur's Gate? It doesn't make sense logically or rationally."

"Damn! According to you, we actually made a huge mistake when we expelled the church and pastors in Talona?" The Duke of Silver Shield's face suddenly became very ugly.

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

When speaking these words, Duke Irtan's tone was full of strong anxiety.

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

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

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

In addition, Baldur's Gate does not have any decent spellcasting organizations, and the attitudes of various temples and churches towards the dukes are also indifferent, so if something really happens, they can basically only ask for luck.

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

Just like many nobles who are used to enjoying the superiority brought by power, when they suddenly meet adventurers who don’t take them seriously, they will often be frightened out of their wits by the other party’s fierce eyes and bad attitude, and suddenly realize that what they call His power is not worth mentioning in front of real power.

At this moment, he also found that the tricks, tricks, and methods he played with before are useless at all now.

When the matter develops to the end, it still needs to be resolved by war and force.

"Of course we have to fight! Only if we win the fight can you and I have the right to sit down and negotiate and bargain. Otherwise, the other party won't even give us this chance." Duke Irtan said firmly.

Compared with the Duke of Silver Shield, as the highest military officer of Baldur's Gate, he is more aware of the importance of the army and force.

"Damn it! I hate the feeling of being cornered and fighting to the death to survive. Alright! Just as you said, let's fight the pirates of the Nelanthir Islands first."

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

Seeing that his allies finally made up their minds to fight with their backs, Duke Irtan showed a gratified smile, and said straightforwardly: "Remember! Take a few more ships with wide hulls and decks. Only such ships can maximize the use of the flame fist. The combat effectiveness of the soldiers. Once successfully connected to the board, our elite can beat those mobs out of shit."

The Duke of Silver Shield nodded vigorously without thinking: "Don't worry! I'm going to risk it this time! Even if all the merchants and chambers of commerce in Baldur's Gate are offended, I will requisition enough large ships for you. "

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

In less than two hours, the resolute Duke of Silver Shield called together all the owners of merchant ships in the city with a certain load capacity, and publicly announced the news of requisitioning all the ships present to launch a naval battle.

no doubt!

A move like this that violated the core interests of all businessmen, unsurprisingly, immediately attracted overwhelming opposition and protests.

You must know that the ship is like the lifeblood to these maritime merchants.

If it is sunk or captured in a fierce naval battle, even if you get official compensation from Baldur's Gate afterwards, it will take too long from placing an order to the shipyard to complete the construction, resulting in a large share of trade being squeezed out by peers.

If it was normal, the Duke of Silver Shield might choose to compromise with his relatively weak character.

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

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

And those shipowners who temporarily lost the ownership of their ships all stood on the shore with their servants and guards and cursed, almost greeting the eight generations of the ancestors of the Duke of Silver Shield and the Duke of Irtan and all the female relatives in the family. A little bit of etiquette and demeanor on weekdays.

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

But they didn't know that they were just about to launch a surprise attack on the Nelanther Islands fleet cruising in the waters near Baldur's Gate, and some merchants chose to send people to cover the night and secretly send them to the pirate ships in anger. The elders tipped off the news.

Because only in this way, it is possible for the merchants to get back their requisitioned ships after the defeat of Baldur's Gate.

Of course, it would be bad luck if it was sunk.

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

The Lich picked it up and glanced at it twice, and couldn't help laughing wildly: "Hahahaha! Those stupid dukes finally couldn't bear it anymore and wanted to fight back. Very good! Very good! Immediately go to Bo The fleet near the Gate of Virtues issued an order to prepare them for battle. Later, I will personally lead all mages and warlocks to teleport there.”

"As you wish, master."

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

Although this naval battle has not yet started, he already knows the result in advance.

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

the reason is simple!

Right now, there are more than 30 mages and warlocks who can cast three-ring magic on the Nelanthel Islands.

This also means that when the war starts, they will all fly in the sky, condescending and bombing the enemy's slow-moving ships in a large area in turn.

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

After sending Eric away, Vanessa immediately got up and performed advanced teleportation to the mage tower in Askatla, and reported the exciting "good news" to Zuo Si.

The latter asked in astonishment when he heard it: "Really? Are these two guys, Irtan and Anta Yindun, crazy? What gave them the courage to dare to fight us at sea? Even if If you don't know magic, you should at least know that no matter what kind of ship you are at sea, as long as you get hit by a fireball, it will be over in minutes."

"Hehe! I think they must have been driven into a hurry. Especially not long ago, we caught several ships full of valuable cargo of the Silver Shield family without paying the protection fee, and all of them were detained. If they don't If there is no reaction, he will not have the qualifications and prestige to continue to be the Duke of Baldur's Gate in charge of maritime trade." Vanessa explained gloatingly.

"So that's the case. If that's the case, then completely kill their last hope." Zuo Si casually ordered.

"Do you want to take the opportunity to kill Irtan? According to the information I have so far, he should attack with the fleet." Vanessa tentatively asked a little excitedly.

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

If it can be killed and the body brought back, a powerful death knight can be created through necromancy magic.

No necromancer could resist such a temptation.

After all, legendary fighters are rare in Faerun, at least not as many as legendary mages.

the reason is simple!

The mage can prolong his life in various ways, even turning himself into an immortal lich.

But soldiers do not have such ability.

As they get older little by little, their physical functions will also decline rapidly, and eventually they will become an old man who needs crutches even to walk.

Some warriors even choose to enter the astral world with the help of spellcasters in order to keep their body functions forever, and settle there forever, even if they have to endure the harassment and siege of githyanki bandits all day long.

Only in the astral world where there is no time flow, can they continue to develop and explore the mysteries of the body, hone their own fighting skills, until they surpass the limits of physiology and even species, and reach the level of transcendence and holiness.

Otherwise, in the material world where time flows normally, many warriors would have already begun to age physically before they crossed the legendary threshold.

Zuo Si himself is very good at necromancy magic, so he saw through the lich's thoughts at a glance, smiled and shook his head: "No, no. Irtan can't die now, at least not by our hands.

Otherwise, no matter whether it is Waterdeep City, Neverwinter City, or other city-states of the Northland Lords Alliance, they will all be wary of the new forces in the Nelanther Islands.

It is a very taboo thing to kill the leader of a certain political force, and we cannot start with it.

What's more, if you keep him, there will be other uses in the future. "

"Then according to your intention..."

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

In addition, by signing an agreement to ensure that Baldur's Gate cannot build or own a single warship in the future.

In addition, one tenth of the tax revenue will be used as a commission for the protection of the maritime safety of Baldur's Gate in the Neilanser Islands.

And allow our fleet to station, dock, and replenish at Baldur's Gate, and at the same time cede the strategically important islands near the mouth of the sea to build fortresses.

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

No matter who it is, as long as they dare to provoke, they will definitely be hit hardest. "

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

Not having a navy means being under the control of others, unable to protect one's own maritime trade routes, and over time, one can only live under the protection of the Neilanser Islands fleet.

In particular, merchants engaged in maritime trade will inevitably fall to the Nelanther Islands in an all-round way, thus forming a tear in the Baldur's Gate merchant group.

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

One is a sea merchant who has completely relied on the Neilanser Islands, and the other is a local land merchant.

The two sides will keep holding each other back because of their different interests.

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

Vanessa is undoubtedly a smart person, with a unique and profound understanding of sea power, she immediately understood what Zuo Si wanted to express, and immediately responded with a smile: "Please rest assured, I will slow down Baldur's Gate." slowly become a trade node under the control of the organization."

Zuo Si nodded in satisfaction: "You can do it as you see it. In addition, try to control the casualties in the battle as much as possible, and don't let the flame fist mercenaries suffer too many casualties. After all, this is one of the most elite troops on the west coast of the Faerun continent. , they may be needed in the future.”

"I know. I will let the apprentices and those mages and warlocks hired by the organization take it easy, try to use less lethal spells, and change them to immobilization, control and charm. It is best to force the other party to voluntarily surrender through deterrence."

After saying this, Vanessa quickly returned to the Nelanthal Islands through the portal that had just been built in the tower, and while summoning the local mages and warlocks, he sent invitations to other members of the organization.

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

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

A new member who had just completed the transformation asked in a half-joking tone: "Is it really necessary to fight such a big battle against a mere Baldur's Gate fleet? , as long as you bring a fireball wand, you should be able to annihilate them easily, right?"

"No, you don't understand, it's not about the battle.

Instead, it is to show strength to all the port cities on the west coast of the entire Faerun continent.

Let them understand the serious consequences of being our enemy and submit to the rules of the sea we have established.

Of course, the most important thing is to take revenge on those stupid and arrogant dukes of Baldur's Gate for the leader of the organization, His Excellency South. "

Jeffrey responded meaningfully.

"Do you want to disclose your identity?"

The newborn lich subconsciously stroked the beard on his chin.

Since his body had just died not long ago, and a large amount of necromancy magic had been applied to preserve it, his long flowing beard was quite well preserved.

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

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

In other words, Eric is the supreme leader in name, and we are just mages hired by him.

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

After all, Vanessa distributed the pre-made magic masks to the core members one by one.

Not only them, but also the apprentices of those Liches.

Since I cracked the secret magic imprint blessed by the "crazy mage" on the body of the green-footed dragon snake, and also conducted a lot of research on the first- and second-ring magic based on this, the production cost of such low-level magic items has been astonishingly low. The degree of finger pointing.

Although there is no way to match Zuo Si's creator ability, it is still no problem to compress it to two or three hundred gold coins.

"Nice gadget."

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

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

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

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

Transferred together with them was Eric, the titular fleet commander.

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

About two hours and forty minutes, when the sky began to gradually darken, the lookout suddenly reported that he had observed a fleet of merchant ships from Baldur's Gate at the mouth of the Chongsa River, sailing towards him.

"Do you want to block them directly at the mouth of the river?" Eric asked in an uncertain tone.

Vanessa shook her head lightly: "It's not necessary, just let them out. Otherwise, if the shipwreck blocks the river, it will affect our follow-up plan."

"Understood."

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

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

Since they are all large merchant ships, each of these ships looks like they have a round "belly", and they are all ovals designed to hold more cargo.

Even with full sails, the speed is still unhurried.

A large number of elite Flame Fist mercenaries have already put on their armor and stood on the deck, arranged in a tight square formation like on land, intending to directly deal a devastating blow to the enemy at the moment of landing.

Although they were not professional navies, they were very familiar with ships, and did not suffer from extensive seasickness or other symptoms.

Because the fleets of both sides have discovered the relationship with each other, they immediately began to circle around four or five islands near the sea outlet, looking for an opportunity to launch an attack.

Soon, Eric deliberately sold a flaw to the opponent with his rich experience in naval warfare.

He left three ships full of undead behind, deliberately creating a situation where the ships were out of joint due to miscommand.

Although the Duke of Irtan has rich experience in land warfare, he is basically a novice in naval warfare. He did not hesitate to let this part of the fleet he led go up, and wanted to eat the enemies on these ships first, weakening the opponent's numerical strength. Advantage.

Since the sky was already so dark that the visibility had become extremely low, he didn't notice that the shaking shadows on the enemy ship were actually a group of skeletons and zombies with a rotting and death aura all over their bodies.

The Duke of Silver Shield, who was in charge of support and support on the other side, obviously sensed that something was wrong, but he had no way to remind his allies, so he could only follow suit and outflank from the left.

In fact, the reason why Baldur's Gate chose to attack in the evening was because they wanted to give full play to their advantage of knowing the waters better in the dark.

Especially near the reefs near several islands.

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

After all, not many people will notice what is hidden in the bottom of the water when they are in a melee.

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

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

Before the Duke of Silver Shield successfully lured the opponent to the vicinity of the reef, the Duke of Irtan was baited by the enemy first.

I saw that the first two boats to go up had just docked, and were immediately besieged by groups of undead.

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

But when the ogres and tauren zombies charged, the spearman who was in charge of holding a large shield in the front row finally collapsed.

Because on the ship, they have no room to adjust their formation and maneuver and dodge.

In addition, creatures like zombies are not afraid of pain at all, and they don't care how many holes are poked in their bodies. They directly charge forward with their own powerful brute force, messing up the formation where they pass.

The zombies and skeletons followed closely behind, relying on the command of the undead lieutenant, waving the spear that could shoot lightning in his hand, electrocuting a lot of people with one encounter.

There were more than sixty Yanquan mercenaries in the whole boat, and more than half of them were killed or injured in less than a few seconds, and the morale of the rest also collapsed, turning around and jumping off the boat.

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

"Damn! What are these undead creatures?"

As the distance got closer and closer, Duke Irtan finally saw clearly the densely packed undead creatures on the warship, and his face suddenly became extremely ugly.

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

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

next second...

boom! ! ! ! !

A fireball flew straight down from a height of more than 100 meters and exploded on the spot in the middle of the mast.

The dazzling and gorgeous flames swallowed the canvas almost instantly, and turned the entire wooden mast into a huge burning torch.

The soldiers on the deck were even more panicked.

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

It's a pity that just when they were busy, a large piece of oil stains covered the deck in an instant.

A few soldiers standing by the side of the ship pulling buckets slipped and almost fell.

fortunately!

Then the sticky spider web fixed it in place and couldn't move.

"Mage! It's a mage! There are many mages on top of us!"

At this moment, many people who fell to the ground on their backs could clearly see the red light clusters. They were a group of arcane spellcasters who were rubbing fireballs with their hands.

As long as they are willing, they can throw down one after another amazing fireballs at any time, sending the Baldur's Gate fleet into the bottom of the sea.

fear!

despair!

All of a sudden, seeing this scene, even the most determined soldiers realized that this naval battle could no longer be fought.

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

Can they still fly?

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

Duke Iltan stood up abruptly from his seat, roaring like crazy.

He may be able to accept defeat after a bloody battle, but he absolutely cannot accept a situation like this one where he was directly crushed by his opponent at the very beginning.

After all, when fighting against Amn, the masked mage only sent a dozen people as support.

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

The bright fireballs that are fired at any time are like the sword of Damocles hanging above the head, which is not only a deterrent, but also a warning.

Duke Yiertan understood that the reason why the opponent didn't kill him was that he was waiting for him to surrender voluntarily.

Otherwise, if there is even the slightest change, the elite Yanquan mercenaries brought out today will be wiped out.

As for the two mages he hired as his trump card with his own money, they were already trembling with fright at the scene, and they didn't dare to take any action at all.

If he hadn't mastered the Five Rings [Teleportation], he probably would have run away immediately.

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

With his leadership, the other ships of the Baldur's Gate Fleet also quickly learned how to behave.

No matter how disciplined and obedient the Flame Fist mercenaries are, they are still not out of the category of "mercenaries" who take money to do things.

So when they realized that resisting would only bring them disaster, they all chose to put down their weapons and surrender honestly.

Seeing one ship after another lowering their sails, dropping anchor, and hoisting shameful white flags, Duke Irtan clenched his fists and squeezed out three words between his teeth: "Surrender..."

moment!

The officer, who was nervous one second, breathed a sigh of relief the next second, ordering a soldier to take off the white shirt under the armor, tie it to a wooden stick and wave it vigorously.

As the flagship of the Duke of Irtan also announced its surrender, this farce-like naval battle finally came to an end.

Except for the unlucky guys on the two ships that were the first to meet the undead warship, the rest were basically unharmed.

Especially Duke Yirtan, a powerful legendary warrior, didn't even have a chance to make a move, and his status was reduced from the supreme commander to a prisoner.

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

But it's a pity, considering that the allies and other Flame Fist mercenaries were captured and held on other ships, this man didn't dare to act rashly.

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

He was brought along with him, and Anta Silver Shield, who was also a prisoner.

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

As the most powerful people in Baldur's Gate, they are very aware that they have been calculated from the beginning.

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

Because with the pirates of the Neilansir Islands, it is impossible, and they do not have the connections and financial resources to hire so many mages to work for them.

Unfortunately, it is too late to know now.

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

Immediately after Vanessa came in from the outside.

Due to the relationship between wearing a magic mask and a hood, neither Irtan nor Silver Shield could identify who the person appeared in front of them.

The Lich looked at the other party with great interest, and it took a full minute before he mocked in a tone full of disdain: "Sometimes I really want to pry open your brains to see if it's full of feces or something like that. Otherwise, why do you keep doing extremely stupid and arrogant actions again and again?"

"Who are you? Why are you targeting Baldur's Gate? What benefits did the electors of Talona give you?"

Irtan, who was a little bit annoyed, gritted his teeth and questioned.

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

And I have to correct you a little bit, Lord South never targeted Baldur's Gate, he only targeted you arrogant, arrogant and stupid dukes.

Also, we weren't hired like you might think.

In fact, no matter whether it is the pirates of the Nelanthir Islands or the spellcasters including me, all of them are under the orders of His Excellency Sous.

From the very beginning, he has been our unquestioned leader.

So you can understand that everything we have done is to retaliate against your humiliation to Lord Sous. "

Vanessa didn't hide anything, and directly solved the mystery.

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

The fact was just as the Lich expected, when Anta Silver Shield and Irtan learned the truth, they were shocked and speechless.

They couldn't imagine at all how Zuo Si managed to recruit so many mages in such a short period of time, and also integrated the chaotic pirates of the Nelanthir Islands into a sea force at their own disposal .

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

too crazy!

Crazy enough that Antar Silver Shield and Ertan felt that they were in a nightmare and wanted to wake up quickly.

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

Vanessa replied with a smile: "No, neither.

Next, I'm going to show the people of Baldur's Gate what the dukes they elected count as one.

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

Oh, almost forgot to say.

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

Because soon someone will cleanse and weave the memories in your brain. "

The voice just fell!

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

Seeing the sluggishness in the eyes of the two, Vanessa immediately smiled and turned to Wilmes, who was in human form, and said, "Thank you for your help, ma'am."

"You're welcome, I didn't do it anyway."

Wilmes shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

As the strange thing ate more and more brains, she could feel that this guy's psychic powers were becoming more and more terrifying.

Especially to control the legendary warrior Irtan with powerful magic and mind resistance at once, even a real mind flayer cannot easily do it.

Of course, this may also have something to do with the fact that after Zuo Si decided to breed goblins, the strange things had enough food sources.

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

Vanessa obviously knew the red dragon in front of him and the strange thing that co-existed in his mind.

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

So he can only communicate with Wilmes, so that the strange thing can use psychic powers to modify the memories of Antar Silver Shield and Ertan.

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

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

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

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

But unfortunately, when they approached, they found that most of the Flame Fist mercenaries had been taken away by Duke Irtan, leaving less than a hundred of them to stay behind.

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

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

Not even the warehouses in the port area were looted.

It was just throwing the captured Duke of Silver Shield and Duke of Iltan on the shore, and let them tell the public about the political shady scenes that have been unknown over the years, and how to use various methods to embezzle the city's financial revenue and make it their own family. wealth.

In short, in a place ruled by merchants like Baldur's Gate, no one who can climb to a high position has a clean ass.

In addition, the final act of forcibly expropriating merchant ships angered the merchant group, so it quickly caused an uproar.

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

(end of this chapter)