An episode.

"This tiara for your beautiful companion. The servant gave him a magnificent ornament of gold, and the person who received the gift waved his hand and told his servant to take it.

"I was shocked and have to say, I never thought you would dare to meet me. Corvin Pasha said to his half-brother. He was wearing a white robe today, with the front open to reveal the upper edge of his muscular chest. He wears a tie around his waist decorated with emeralds, moonstones, and thieves' stones. Several silver scrolls hang from the lacing and are intricately adorned with the ornaments of two snakes, springboks, camels and merchants. Wherever he goes, Prince Corwin always carries a number of precious spell scrolls - including legendary spells - to deal with any situation.

At his side is Raina, the runaway princess of Nibennay, the self-styled bard and dancer. Her robe was a very transparent light blue, but with many layers. She had enchanted amulets on her wrists and ankles, made of gold, platinum, and glowstones, and it was unknown how much life force she had paid to be constant. And though she couldn't see it, there must have been a number of enchanted gadgets pinned to her hair under her blue turban, and a sensitive mage could detect spell fluctuations there.

The two didn't sit together, Rayina sat on a cushion a little farther away, watching the auction go on with relish. Although Corwin brought Raina to the meeting, he was not particularly close to her. Sitting across from Corwin was another man, fat and with a more luxurious view than Corwin.

Benedict Pasha was dressed more opulently than Corwin, with fine embroidery, sumptuous flowing silks, swaying tassels, intricate headdresses adorned with gold and silver sequins, and fur trimmed at the corners of his robes. The wide leather belt has a hand-embroidered gold thread pattern that depicts a line of writing that is similar to that of flowing water, so that line of writing looks like the pattern of flowing water. The white gold knock of the belt is encrusted with diamonds.

"Then you're wrong again. Benedict didn't bring his daughters, but he brought a few other siblings. They were all the sons of the former Witch King of Ram, Abolachili, who named them the Pasha, a title that was the most honorable above the Emir and Bey. "You're always wondering what I'm going to do, and you're always wrong. Haven't you ever thought about why you keep making mistakes?"

"Because I underestimated your lower limit?" Corvin Pasha taunted, then picked up the clear water in front of him and drank it down.

"Because you have created an imaginary enemy for yourself, and that is me. You live in the shadow of your brother. The older prince said, looking at Corwin to see how he reacted.

Ever since the city of Ram was destroyed in a battle between the Witch King Abellachili and the Great Psychic Sorcerer Puppeteer, it has never returned to its former glory. For a time, Tyre's army controlled the area, but the rivalry between King Theesian and the First Causes caused the area to change hands again. When the First Cause of Tyre moved to Yurik, the princes of Ram began to try to rebuild the ruined city.

As in the old days, Prince Eric hosts an auction of magical items in the rebuilt city of Ram. Aristocrats and merchant families often used this opportunity to buy valuable equipment and use it to lend it to elite adventurers.

At the moment, Prince Eric was sitting not far from Corwin and Benedict. Although his eyes fell on the ongoing auction, he was undoubtedly trying to listen to the conversation between Corvin and Benedict, just acting as if he didn't care.

"It looks like I'm underestimating how narcissistic you are. Corwin shrugged and didn't move. Benedict Pasha was the richest man in the Athas Desert after the Witch King Malik, and was fond of bribing mercenaries and killers. Although he himself is not very powerful, to be against him is to be the enemy of all the scum in the desert who can be bought by money.

"And I overestimated your sanity. Benedict said. "But forget it, I'm not here to meet you today, not for an argument. ”

"If you are wise, if you want to quarrel, you can't quarrel with me. I'm a writer. Corwin smiled faintly and picked up a piece of naan and put it in his mouth.

"Writers?"

"Of course, I wrote the guarantee, didn't I?" Cowin laughed. Unlike Prince Eric, who organizes the auctions, Corwin earns money by writing guarantees to the caravan leaders in the desert, who pay him a sum of money. If they were caught by the bandits, Corwin would pay a ransom for them - or a pension for their families if they were accidentally hung up. In addition, Corwin will also lend money to make money.

"It's funny, Corwin, I didn't know you still had this sense of humor. Benedict, Ram's prince and Pasha said. "But I think it's more appropriate for you to call yourself a gambler, and you gamble with the merchants. But unlike normal betting, the merchants wanted to lose. You profit from other people's fears. ”

"Each other, my brother. Corwin, the other son of the Witch King Abellachili, and Pasha said to his brother. "You're just the same gambler, you borrow money from around and use it to invest in your risky business ventures. Of course, you cover up your actions with clever wording. Those who lend you money think they're just keeping their money safely in the vault and taking interest. ”

"I'd rather call myself a philanthropist. Benedict flatly denied it. "Gambling is only called winning and losing, but my investments never fail. So it's equivalent to me giving everyone money for free. ”

"Call you dinner, and you're going to jump into the fire by yourself? Come on, Benedict, you can call yourself whatever you want, and you can't change what you are. Corwin said, the look on his face like. "I know you asked me to meet, and it must be something to discuss. But I made up my mind not to cooperate with you before I came, and frankly, I'm here to mock you. ”

Benedict did not answer immediately, and the scene fell silent, and the smell of gunpowder dissipated somewhat. At this time, the host of the auction can clearly be heard loudly announcing the slogan of the sale.

A nobleman buys a fake magic necklace, which of course is the real thing, but the origin is not legitimate. Buying it in the name of a fake can avoid moral blame, and once the owner finds it, you can also excuse it. Prince Eric often engages in these fakes or uses auctions to launder money. Only those stunned young adventurers take the auction so seriously, so they always suffer losses.

"Why don't you cooperate?" said Benedict, tapping two fingers on the table in front of him. "This city, or its ruins, can be yours, and I won't fight with you. Haven't you always wanted to take your mother's place, and now your chance has come. Reject me, and I'm afraid you'll only rule Ram in your dreams. ”

"Then I'd rather never wake up. Corwin said, "I don't want to work with you...... After all, why do you think I'm going to work with you, after hundreds of years of hostility?"

"Again, you're looking for the wrong enemy. Benedict lifted the glass of water in front of him and slowly swallowed the water of the Nightshade to hide the expression on his face. "You and I are not enemies now, but you have forgotten that I have taken refuge in the guidance of the first cause. And there shall be no struggle among the believers. ”

"You may claim to have taken refuge in the first cause," Corwin points out. "But nothing has changed about you except for your mouth, and you're still the bastard in your bones. ”

"I'm not just talking about it, you see I'm also embroidering the prayer with Muhadi's name on my belt. Benedict retorted, though in his tone he didn't take it seriously.

"I don't care if you put your name on your ass. Corwin teased. "But I don't think Muhati himself likes it when his name falls on your big ass. ”

"So you think you can control Ram City without my help?" the older prince asked, seemingly expecting Corwin's answer.

"Of course. Corwin said without hesitation. "Who else but me? Of the brothers, Eric has no interest in politics, Brad is very introverted, and Julian and the other brothers are too young. And you, my brother, have no other qualities than being a bastard. As for her sisters, Evelyn has no power, let alone anyone else. ”

"Deirdre. Benedict simply spat out a name that Cowin had missed.

"No way, Deirdre, she's already ......" Corwin's pupils narrowed suddenly.

"Dead?" said Benedict, "no, apparently not. My good sister didn't die so easily. You know this, but during her time as Ram's Chief Templar, I know you've tried a lot to kill her, but all of them didn't succeed. ”

"But I know that she was given to an elf named Fahd by the Witch King Malik as a bargain. Corwin looked incredulous. "Isn't she married to that elf?"

"Getting married doesn't mean she's disappeared from this world. Benedict took another sip of the Night Shadow Water. In fact, it may have added to her strengths. The elf Fahd you are talking about, from the Scorpion tribe, is a brother to the woman of Muhadi, think about what that means. ”

"It doesn't mean anything. Corwin's expression seemed to freeze. "It's all your guess. ”

"Go ahead and comfort yourself, and when the baby in Deirdre's womb is born, I'll see what you'll do. ”

"She's pregnant?!" Corwin seemed to really take it seriously.

"That's right, this child will be a descendant of the Witch King, and he will be considered Muhadi's in-laws. Do you think he or you, who has more support for Ram's claim?"

Corwin was silent for a long time, and when he spoke again, the hostility in his tone seemed to subside considerably.

"What about the other brothers? Are they all on your side?"

"That's right. Benedict replied. "So my support for you is all of our support for you. ”

"Suppose," Corwin said after a moment's pause, after a moment's pause. "I mean, let's say -- I'm working with you, what do you need me to do?"

"Do what you do best and make money. Benedict smiled again.

"Explain!"

"I'm sure you've heard about the recent great discovery, where Muhadi's followers and the Witch King Malik discovered a new world. They were planning to conquer it and find a migration direction for the people of this dying world. ”

Corwin nodded, but didn't speak.

"I'm a pure businessman, and the way of war and swords isn't my specialty. But I was intrigued by this discovery, especially when I heard that there were many other worlds, and that the magic ship could allow us to travel between them. Benedict said.

"Getting to the point. Corwin raised an eyebrow, showing her impatience. "I'm a mage, and I've long known about the multiverse and the worlds, as well as about magic ships. ”

"You already knew that other worlds existed, but you didn't realize the huge business opportunities that existed in them. It can be seen that your understanding of business is still very lacking. Benedict said. "My spies have reported back to me that they have discovered several worlds, all with civilizations and nations, which can be traveled by magic ships - just too far for mass immigration. ”

"You want to do business with these worlds?" Corwin frowned. "It's a terrible idea, a waste of my time. First of all, there are some plane merchants in the multiverse, which is true, but they are not very rich. Magical ship travel is not as convenient as you think, and it consumes life force, and the longer the route, the more astonishing it consumes. In addition to this, beware of Giss Yankee pirates. One or two ships are enough, and if there are too many of them, something will definitely happen. If the number is too small, it is not as good as the trade volume of ordinary caravanserais. ”

"Who said I was going to do business with them?" Benedict burst out laughing. "I'll give you another hint, my people were surprised to find that in one of the worlds, people there traded with gold, silver, and copper coins. And they exchanged a gold coin for a hundred silver coins, and a silver coin for a hundred copper coins. ”

"Wait!" Corwin seemed to notice something. "You say their precious metals exchange ratio is fixed?"

"You've noticed the opportunity, too?" Benedict said. "That's right, that's what their financial system is, precious metal currencies with fixed exchange rates, you know what we're going to do, right?"

"Ignoring the difference in fineness between the coinage of the city-states in the desert, the exchange ratio of gold and silver on Athas fluctuates between one to eighty to one hundred and twenty. Corwin closed his eyes, then opened them, and said. "At the present market price, we will bring a hundred thousand tarents of silver from Attas, and at the ratio of one gold to one hundred ducats, we will be able to exchange them for a thousand tarents of gold. ”

"Then bring this gold back to Athas, and we'll get back 120,000 Tallents, and we'll make a net profit of twenty percent. Benedict then finished Cowin's words. "And this is not an ordinary commodity trade, gold and silver do not rot and deteriorate, and the requirements for time are not so high. And the size of the occupied is small, a magic ship is enough. ”

"And if the price of gold in Athas falls by about 1 to 80, we can exchange gold for silver, and make the difference again. Corwin nodded.

"It's better than that, we don't even need to use the gold and silver of Atas to make the difference. Remember when I said that my people had discovered several worlds? There was one world where the difference in the exchange rate between gold and silver was even as great as the exchange rate of one gold dragon for two hundred and ten silver deer...... We can make a fortune by taking advantage of the difference in the exchange rate of precious metals between these worlds. The older prince said. "It's a new business technique I've invented, and I've taken the liberty of calling it hedging arbitrage trading. ”

Benedict continued, "Well, though, to make money this way. First of all, we need to have a large enough stake, and preferably a powerful mage to help us steer the magic ship and deal with the Gisyankee pirates...... And you're both, aren't you?"

"A union of writers and philanthropists?" said Corwin, holding up the glass of water in front of him and gulping it down, revealing an elusive expression that seemed to be smiling rather than smiling. "Okay, count me in, for now. ”

"As for the institution that we have joined forces to form, it is called the Iron Fund. ”

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The Witch King, the Great Devil, and the God of the Colored Dragon Race, this is a suffocating lineup. Not to mention that the devil can summon more Barthez helpers at any time, and in the Iron City of Dis, the number of devils is endless.

So Satili had to be quick.

The Great Devil Gog was the first to strike, and with a wave of the golden scepter in his hand, the molten iron in front of him set off a wave and rushed forward. The aura of fear emanating from its body permeated several blocks away. The lower level of the Barthez devils trembled and feared under the pressure.

The sheer size of Tiamat, the Void Dragon, made it difficult for her to move in the steel city of Dis. But her five heads allow her to strike devastating blows in five directions at once. Moments after the Coral Witch teleported herself away from the spot, the white dragon's head spewed out ice that transformed the place where she had been standing into a cold realm. Even the molten iron, which had been scorching hot, was frozen.

The blue dragon head struck a bolt of lightning, bright as death. Concentrated by a powerful electric current, it travels in all directions along the brass streets of the steel tower, driving Barthez farther away. The flames spewed from the red dragon's head could melt a metal tower thousands of feet tall at a time.

Few people have ever seen a metal minaret the size of a hill melted down, and even fewer have survived to describe it to outsiders. The towering metal towers of Dees City liquefied like molten candles under the spit of the dragon queen, and then the red-hot liquid metal spread like a flood down the streets and alleys. The Barthez who escaped in all directions flew up in flocks like frightened crows.

The green and black dragons emit acid and poison gas, but none of them are capable of attacking the Coral Witch who is constantly teleporting herself. The Great Devil Gog uses his spell-like abilities to teleport in pursuit, but always slows down Satili by half a step. Its golden scepter has yielded no results other than the accidental destruction of many buildings and public property.

The Witch King Nibennay didn't move, just stood there and watched the Coral Witch fight back. "Well, for a young man in his early twenties. It's unbelievable that you can learn so many spells, have you been learning magic since you were born?"

Sadiri fought back in the flickering gaps, her spells leaving deep scars on the gigantic city. The plane itself seemed to be awakened by this massive destruction and destruction, and it trembled constantly, and waves of invisible pressure came upon the Coral Witch.

Most of her spells were countered by Nibennay, and only a tenth of them worked properly, most of them hit the massive Wanse Void Dragon, and only one percent missed their target, hitting the city's disorganized steel buildings. But just that one percent of the spell had already left this part of the city in tatters, melting more and more blocks and pavilions until the entire battlefield was reduced to a melting pot.

The Great Devil Gog used the teleportation-like spell-like ability to bite her all the time, and both sides were frantically refreshing their own protective spells while cracking each other's protective spells. Barthez's golden scepter seemed to have its own magical powers, but Satilly's spell power far surpassed that of the other party.

The figure of the Coral Witch vanished from the top of a brass fortress and then reappeared at the top of a minaret. Almost as soon as she left, Tiamat's Flame of Destruction destroyed it completely.

The Great Devil Gog appeared at the top of the spire moments after Satilly, and the scepter swept across her waist. The latter's figure shook for a moment, then vanished.

Another mirror image, Gog didn't hesitate, retracted his scepter and swept it back. The Coral Witch body in stealth had to abandon the sneak attack attempt and retreat to a safe place. Without a moment's pause, Gog immediately rushed to attack, and the golden scepter slammed into the place where the female mage had been standing. The metal floor turned red and melted under the blow, and soon the entire spire was no longer able to stand again.

Unable to retreat, Sadiri jumped from the spire. The Great Devil Gog followed him and leaped forward, the tip of the scepter shooting a dazzling light at the Coral Witch beneath it. It leaps so fast that it creates a sonic boom on the surface of the body that exceeds the speed of sound.

A little farther away, rumbling footsteps and earthquake-like pulsations revealed the approach of the Rainbow Returning Dragon. Five different sprays shrouded the tower's foundations, creating a death trap that was hard to dodge.

Satili casts a spell to pause time and teleport to another spire. Then he used his own spell to tear two deep wounds on the plane itself, one leading to the negative energy plane, and the surging harmful energy gushed out from it, enveloping the Great Devil Gog. Another wound tore open the sky, and when time began to flow again, the stars rained.

Tiamat's two dragon heads looked up at the meteor shower, one spewed acid in the direction of Satilly's reappearance, and the other two cast spells in the arcane and obscure dragon language.

The strong acid couldn't break through the Coral Witch's protective spells, and the invisible repulsion kept them out of the spherical space fifteen yards of Sadiri's feet. The repelled acid flowed down from the top of the minaret like a waterfall, and everything corroded everywhere it went.

It felt like a long time had passed, but it was only a dozen heartbeats before the two sides started to move. While Tiamat and the Great Devil Gog dominate the attack, Sadiri has focused most of her energy on the Witch King Nibennay, who has not yet actually attacked, and she knows that he is the most dangerous enemy.

Sadiri instantly unleashed two creation spells, and two huge mushroom clouds bloomed behind her. The gusting winds set off by the shock wave were affected by the canyon effect of the tall metal buildings in Diss City, forming dozens of tornadoes that spread in all directions. Hopefully, this will stop Tiamat and Barthez for a while, Satili secretly hopes in her heart.

She teleported herself and wanted to raid the Witch King Nibenna.

The Witch King was still standing where he was, at the exit of the Sunken Theater. Seeing that the enemy seemed to be approaching him, he was a little unhurried. Before Satili could cast her spell, Niben began to prepare an extremely complex counterspell, just enough to restrain her spell and take advantage of the opportunity to launch a fierce counterattack.

"Your rebellion cannot postpone the inevitable end. Niben said with ease, with the grace of a king in his gestures. "And I'm not bluffing. ”

The Great Devil Gog teleported out of the explosion, and the scepter in his hand danced like a whirlwind. Once again, Sativi used teleportation to escape its pursuit, flashing behind Nibennay, leaving only a faint afterimage in place.

"You can't always be successful in guessing what spell I'm going to cast and then counteract it in advance. ”

"You don't remember. Nibennay said as he watched the Coral Witch disappear and emerge from another place, raining down a storm of spell attacks.

"I don't remember anything. "Tiamat-Myriad Void Dragon reappeared through the smoke of the explosion, melted steel and bronze wrapped around her, making her look a little like a metal dragon at the moment. But no metal dragon has her size and magnificence, and no metal dragon has half her majesty and dignity.

"I don't remember when I couldn't crotch your spells. In another now, your spell hurt me. Nibennay shrugged, as if he wasn't talking about some great miracle of magic. "So I changed history and erased memories, so now—"

"It can't be! I just realized that the timeline hadn't changed. ”

"Again, your feelings betray yourself. "Witch King Ni Bennai, the apprentice of the primordial warlock who is best at illusion spells, said. Then he cast a spell to create a pure black orb, and before it vanished, almost half the block was sucked into it, as if it were some kind of bottomless pit.

The spell failed to harm the Coral Witch, but the shock it caused in the latter's mind was indescribable. It was a spell she had invented herself, never taught to anyone, and never cast in front of anyone. She had originally wanted to use this spell to chase after she had dispelled Nibennay's protective spell just now.

"In an alternate reality, I remembered your casting gestures and spells. Nibennay said, shrugging a little embarrassedly. "If I have the opportunity in the future, I will apologize for this disgraceful plagiarism. ”

If it weren't for the distraction of the battle, Sadiri would have been even more shocked. "You're a master of illusion, and the magic of manipulating time isn't your specialty!" she created a shield out of thin air to block the thick lightning that erupted from Tiamat's blue dragon head, and used another spell to deflect the Flame of Destruction and the mysterious spell cast by the Dragon Queen, successfully teleporting away before acid and poison gas could add to her.

On the ground, the acid pooled into a lake, pouring down the intricate underground passages of Diss City into the steel city's beneath and beneath the ground. The air was squeezed out of the underground passage, making a terrible sound like a whistle.

"Time, little girl, is an illusion. Nibennay said, still standing in place, as if everything was under control. "The frame of reference can distort it, the observer can change it. When you can observe the multiverse as I did, the flow of time is practically non-existent, it is just an approximate understanding of reality. The flow of perceived time is just a very approximate perception of reality. Time is the result of our ignorance. ”

"This can't be!" said to the Witch King as she focused on attacking the dragon, trying to figure out which of the five dragon heads was dominant.

"Then feel it for yourself. The Witch King Niben Nai said, and began to cast a very long, very complex spell. His voice is sometimes high-pitched and impassioned, sometimes low and mysterious. As he chanted, the world seemed to be a cautious bystander, anxiously awaiting his fate. A nosebleed left in Nibennay's nostrils, and he began to pay for the spell with his life force.

The Coral Witch tries to interrupt the spell by attacking the Witch King with the most powerful spell she knows, but the Grand Devil Gog stops her. Its onslaught forced Sadiri to take her own shelf.

The spell was completed and it turned out as if nothing had happened.

Sadiri blinked, standing on top of a metal fortress. A Barthez devil stood in front of him, staring at him. Legend has it that the dragon hovers overhead, and the invisible pressure pours down like mercury.

What was going on?, the Coral Witch wondered for a moment, and then she noticed that there was an extra necklace around her neck, a wrought silver necklace inlaid with emeralds. She remembered that it was a gift from her father, just two days before her name day, she thought. That was two years ago, when Nibennay was already busy and didn't necessarily show up once a year because of his research on spells. But he still found time to accompany him on Name Day.

"Now you feel it, don't you?" said the Witch King Niben, wiping his nosebleed with the back of his right hand. He motioned to the dragon queen of the Great Devil Gog not to attack.

"What?"

"I made a move. The Witch King said.

"Did you do it?" said Tiamat, the Queen of the Dragon, also known as the Empty Dragon, and the Great Devil Gog in unison. "Why are we wasting our time here? Isn't this girl your daughter? Let's hurry up and join forces to find the enemy you mentioned, your former teacher. ”

Sadiri shook her head, she tried to remember, but her memory was blurry. No matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't remember. She thought, on another plane. In the past. She couldn't think of anything else besides this. That's the end of the memory. She thought to herself, I'm a solar mage, and there are some things in the world that only she can do. In that case, why didn't she join forces with her father to deal with the Primordial Warlock? Something must be wrong.

"Why are we still staying here?" the dragon queen's tone showed obvious impatience.

"Now it's time for you to feel it. Nibennay ignored Tiamat's question, and said to the Coral Witch, as if the Rainbow Dragon was to him like a servant. "My illusion magic isn't as simple as modifying memories and creating illusions. My spells can really warp time and modify reality. The only flaw is that the modified reality will gradually fall back to its original state. ”

"Plus, you're not my daughter anymore. I changed this back as well. The Witch King said. "But you can keep that necklace as a testimony to my strength. ”

All her memories came back, and Satili stared at the Witch King with wide eyes, unable to speak for a moment due to the excessive shock. The eyes of Tiamat and the Great Devil Gog when they looked at Nibennay became more complex, and the colors of fear became more colorful.

"Why are you telling me this, showing me this?!" asked the Coral Witch, puzzled, and did not hide any further—for Tiamat and Gog had also stopped their attacks.

"You'll find out soon, little girl. Remember this, I am not your real enemy, the primordial warlock is. Nibennay said, and then he waved his hand, and suddenly there was an unusual movement in the sunken theater behind him. "Now, it's time for the rest of the actors to perform on stage, isn't it?"

With the proclamation of the Witch King, the top of the entire Sunken Theater was lifted. The heavy, sturdy, several feet thick, was twisted and torn apart by an invisible force like a toy at the Witch King's gesture.

Two psychic sorcerers, Muhadi and Aisha, and an otherworldly attendant, Kailin, were also officially exposed to the battle with the destruction of the Sunken Theater.