"There were no slaves in the southern countries. The lich said calmly.

Glenn's eyes widened: "Not before," he shouted, "but now there is." "It is worth making a mockery that only a small number of slaves in the southern kingdoms came from the north or from the west—to the north, to the small kingdoms of the Normans adjacent to the highlands, but without a good king or lord, and to the west, to the places that had been trampled by the armies of the Red Dragons of Grenada— The Red Dragon's army took a large number of slaves and slaughtered all the humans who had the right to claim dominion over the land, but some fled into the mountains and wilderness, but because there was no one who could give them guidance or authority, they were almost like the barbarians before the Norman state.

But these quantities were far from sufficient to satisfy the appetites of the slave traders, who, after the southern nations had declared the slave trade and slave ownership legal, one by one, the slave traders seemed to have gone mad - no supply, it didn't matter, as a merchant, especially the mercenary and mercenary who had no mercy, they had always been unscrupulous— They brought with them armor, weapons, gold, and jewels, the latter of which they often offered to the lord or to the lord's favorite wife and lover, or to a minister or jester, and made them babble in the lord's ear, describing all sorts of advantages, or describing the terrible things that befell the poor men who, by refusing the slave trade, were underarmed, and whose territories were usurped by their enemies, and whose lives were lost, could not be swayed by the onslaught of such a strong onslaught. When he was willing to consult the merchants, they would lend them horses, swords, and armor cheaply, or even for free, so that he could arm his knights, soldiers, and civilians to fight against his hated enemies or neighbors. Generally speaking, merchants would bet on both sides, and if either side won, they would receive an innumerable amount of slaves as payment, as well as a portion of the assets of the vanquished, which was quite a reward.

Only a very small number of lords can perceive that the behavior of the slave traders is no different from fraud, and that all they need to pay is some backlog of armaments, but they can obtain the huge wealth that an ordinary merchant needs to accumulate for years, ten years, and decades, but what can the lords gain? Even if he defeats his enemies and obtains slaves, territories and the property of the other party, but the slaves are to be used to cover the cost of armaments, and the empty territory should be cultivated by himself? As for the possessions he acquired, the merchants would soon hollow them out - an increase in his territory meant more neighbors and enemies, and he would need more soldiers and knights, as well as spears, broadswords, and armoured horses.

And it is also difficult for these sensible people not to go with the flow, when the surrounding countries are fighting each other, it has become a difficult thing to maintain neutrality, what you don't do is something else to do, and when someone else devours his enemy becomes stronger, will he still put such a piece of fat meat and not swallow it in one bite?

But what did they finally gain when they turned around? It can only be said that the last surviving country was almost full of slaves, who were originally merchants, soldiers, and commoners, but now they were private property more humble than cattle and horses, and one might be glad to have slaves, but as a lord sitting on the highest place, when he looked down, he could not help but be dumbfounded—their country was barren, and the encroached territory was in shambles, and it was not known how much effort and time it would take to restore its former prosperity. Some impatient people have begun to frantically drive their slaves to work day and night, but the reality is not as rosy as the slave traders portray and imagine it.

These slaves, who were free people a few days ago, are not tamed, just like the small town that Cremar and Kerribben and others entered disguised as the "Black Fire" mercenary group - as long as a person with a healthy heart and a complete mind, it is impossible to live willingly as a slave, at that time, even if it is just an unarmed girl, she will look for every opportunity she can find to escape, or take revenge, not to mention those strong, sane male adults. And because they only circulated among the southern nations, neither the differences in geography, temperature, nor language could hold them back, nor should there be a wandering merchant among the slaves, who could bear to flee when he pointed in a certain direction and told you that your home was less than five hundred miles from here? Don't think that the overseer is enough to be cruel enough, he has to have a sharp gaze and a cool head, a strong physique and swift legs, he has to make sure that his whip does not damage the body of the slaves, so that they cannot work, and that they are bloody, intimidating and retiring, and he also chooses carefully the objects to be used as examples, like the overly cowardly fellow, although he will not resist, but because of his low position in the group, his wails and pains will only make the slaves scorn and happy, but if he chooses those who are revered and loved, he must also be careful that his actions provoke the anger of the slaves, you know, if the slaves revoltNine times out of ten, the first deceased was an overseer.

As for the army, it may have been possible during the time of the Silver Dragon's Falun, when the slavery system was mature and complete, and the dragonborns acted as the middle class, and their innate magic and steel-like bodies could easily shake the outcome of a war, but now, only the lords, grand dukes and kings could have armies in their capitals, and the lords of some small towns had only a few knights, relying entirely on mercenaries and farmers when they had disputes with other countries.

What also deeply distressed the slave owners was that the southern countries now have elaborate procedures and delicate tools, whether it is irrigation technology, or ploughing technology, or sowing and thinning seedlings, as well as a series of subsequent labor. In the Falun period, human farming techniques were still very rough, and the slaves only had simple tools and their hands made of wood that could not be used as weapons, but now, all the agricultural tools are black iron, from flails to heavy ploughs, from hoes to pitchforks, these things they dare not use for the slaves who are full of hatred in their hearts, so continue to use wood and hands, the slaves' already low efficiency is even more miserable. The lich remembered a funny piece of information from Afra that a farmer had bought three slaves, but the attitude and clumsiness of the slaves made it impossible for the fellow, who had been toiling in the fields for half his life, to give each of the three slaves a stick, and then jumped down to demonstrate and do the work himself...... As a result, when the mistress brought the meal, she saw three slaves standing on the edge of the field like puppets, and her husband had done most of the day's work with a red face—this was not the first time it had happened, nor would it be the last, and some people had already begun to feel remorse, after all, they were not very bad people in the first place, and they might have beaten the slaves with sticks, but they would not have dared to have them really knock on one or two heads. Maybe a year, two, a few years later they'll be cruel, but neither the lich nor the otherworldly spirits are ready to give them that time.

The priests of Ilmut had infiltrated the nations, and they were always bruised, ragged, and inconspicuous among the slaves, and they watched the slaves who owned a large number of slaves—the wealthy merchants, lords, and ministers—and they watched the slaves, and they chose and supported their chiefs from among them, and instigated riots and flights, and even assassinated the slave owners themselves when they were too violent and dangerous.

When the disadvantages of reinstating slavery outweigh the good, Cremar randomly singled out a few neighboring nations among the twelve electors and let them exchange slaves with each other—as if they were prisoners of war—and let their people return to their homes, and the farce directed by the followers of Shirek could be brought to an end.

"Somebody was asking me about the tobacco. Gülen said, "You know what I'm talking about. "With the Dragonfire Islands as a precursor, of course there will be people who think and desire this medicine that can turn humans into ignorant livestock.

"Well," the lich smiled, "someone has already taken care of it," he thought for a moment, and added, "Don't worry, this will be very clean and thorough." ”

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Glenn had slipped into the shadows cast by the walls of the corridor as he left Cremar's room, he wasn't cowardly, he just didn't want to meet the elves and the priest of Rosada, and although he wasn't so afraid of them now, he still hated the shiny creatures.

He made the right choice, almost the moment he disappeared into the shadows, the elf Kerry had already walked out of the corner of the corridor, he glanced at the shadows, he felt a little in his heart, but he only sighed softly, sometimes, he knew that his thoughts were wrong, and even evil, but he still missed the stupid Cremar who didn't understand anything, he didn't want to see Cremar, he meant that another soul in the lich's body was perfected and grown, but this perfection and growth meant that he would suffer- These pains existed in the first place, but they could be ignored and ignored when the soul of the other world was still ignorant, but when it finally realized that this was also a real world, belonging to him and countless living beings, these pains were as thick and unshakable as the mountains in front of it.

However, perhaps from a long time ago, even the soul that was still in chaos and at a loss had heeded the call of his nature and made many efforts—in the Port of Sharp Jaws, at the Fortress of Capeland, in the White Tower, in the Highlands Norman, in Grenada, the road ahead became narrower and rougher, but its original intention never changed, and it was because of this that he, Perrante, Alva, Antonio, and others would be willing to accept and love it.

It's just that when it thinks it has to do something, it will inevitably encounter obstacles, slander and betrayal, if it is just that, things may not be so bad, but even Kerryben can't make it give up the pain that inevitably occurs when it makes a choice, it has a heart full of compassion and love, and is unusually tolerant, even the notorious thief, the prostitute Priest Flo, or the guilty priest, can get generous help and gentle treatment from it, and it will even feel sorry for the demons and devils- Carey didn't think he could have done that.

Perhaps it was because it came from a peaceful plane, and Kerry sometimes wanted to see the world that shaped the soul, which must be bright, warm, rich and beautiful.

As he thought so, the closed door opened silently. The lich had put the quill back in the drawer, his hands on his chin, his thumbs facing each other, the other eight fingers slightly cocked, and his desk was full of scrolls and letters, already looking like a minister.

"You may be seated. The lich gestured to the chair under the window, where the sun was abundant and suitable for the growth of plants, and the heavy glass kept the wind at bay, and after Kerriben had sat down, he summoned the invisible servant and served the elf a glass of mead.

"Is there anything I can do with it?" the lich asked. The relationship between him and Kerriben is strange and difficult to describe, but he is sure that if it was him who appeared in front of Kerriben in the first place, even if he still remained in his human form, the Elven Ranger would not be gracious enough to take him to Grey Ridge.

"I want to ask about tobacco. The elf said.

The lich raised his eyebrows.

"As far as I know," the elf carefully considered his words, "the druids are working on a ...... 'poison' that can wilt plants......" he looked at the lich, "based on your proposal and samples?"

"Yes," replied the lich, "but I'll correct it, not poison, but 'virus.'" You can think of it as a very small, very small bug that even an elf can't see with the naked eye, that will thrive and grow in the body of a creature, damage their life, and spread quickly. ”

"Why leave this to the druids?"

"Because only druids can do it, no one knows more about life and nature than they do. The lich opened his hands, "I can too, but it will take time and manpower, I may need five, ten, or twenty years, but can the Fa Lun afford to wait?"

But this kind of thing will shake or even collapse the faith and belief of a druid, the elf said in his heart, druids throughout their lives, until they enter the kingdom of God, everything they do is to support nature and neutrality, the blue butterflies that Krimar raised and transformed to destroy "tobacco" can already be said to have trampled on their borders, if it weren't for the fact that "tobacco" is also a semi-artificial creation, and the blue butterflies, this twisted creature in "tobacco" If it dies on its own, the druids probably won't allow it to be born.

And the Lich's virus ...... No one can be sure that they will change and affect other plants, and if such a situation occurs, all the druids who know about it will inevitably fall and die, and they will not only lose their lives and beliefs, but also their souls will never find peace, which the elves absolutely do not want to see.

"But without this virus," said the lich mildly, "evil and darkness would have the undoubted upper hand in this war." ”

Kerry was silent for a moment: "So," he asked, "...... You know what?"

The former undead looked at him almost dumbly for a moment, then suddenly fell backwards and laughed heartily, and shook his head while slapping his hand on the table, "The gods are above," he cried, "you too, my dear, you too," he continued to shake his head, then looked up at the elf with curious eyes, "Why do you think another...... Would he be a flawless good person...... Perhaps, but for humanity it is, for other ......"

He paused, "All of our main material plane's land area is almost equal to theirs, but we have only 320 million humans here, but do you know how many humans there are in their plane?" The lich's voice suddenly lowered, as if he couldn't handle the pressure either: "Seven billion." ”

"Seven billion," whispered the lich, "even if there are no orcs, no elves, no giants, no dwarves, no gnomes, no dragons...... Can you imagine that there are seven billion human beings here, and even further away? No, you can't, and the humans there have ruled their territory for 5,000 years or more, and they have no natural predators, but they are enemies of nature, because if they don't change nature, they will die of famine and sickness - they are so vulnerable, and because of that, they are the most powerful. ”