"What do you want me to do?"

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

As it stands, it seems that there is no second option other than to fight a decisive naval battle.

The problem is that despite being a port city, Baldur's Gate has never had a professional navy.

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

Therefore, whoever wants to attack Baldur's Gate from the sea must enter through the relatively narrow mouth of the river.

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

This meant that if you set up some catapults, ballistae, bed crossbows, and the like on the high ground at the mouth of the river, you could easily destroy the invading enemy's fleet in the narrow river.

Now that you have an impregnable defense, there is naturally no need to spend so much money on building a professional navy.

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

What's more, the mere construction of merchant ships and the cutting down of trees in the vicinity of a large number of trees have already caused strong resentment among the shadow druids in the Cloak Forest.

This is an extreme sect that values the forest more than human life, and many nobles and merchants who hunt animals near the forest have been hunted down by them.

If you cut down even rarer and more precious ancient trees to build warships, the Shadow Druid will not want to 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 need and necessary conditions to form a strong navy like Am.

If a large-scale naval war were to be fought, it would mean requisitioning at least twenty or more large merchant ships.

As for the soldiers, it is natural to let the most elite Flame Fist mercenaries go up.

In the eyes of the Duke of Iltan, naval warfare was no different from land warfare, both of which were long-range attacks with bows, catapults, and ballistae before approaching.

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

In this regard, the Flame Fist mercenaries are second to none on the west coast of the entire Faren Continent, and even Waterdeep City can't match them.

Duke Silver Shield took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down, and then said in a very firm tone, "Let's go to war!" At this point, it has become clear that the other side is deliberately restricting and blocking the most important maritime trade of Baldur's Gate. If we don't give it a go, our wealth and trade will only become less and less, and we will eventually lose the ability to resist completely. ”

"Are you sure? You must know that the cost of forcibly requisitioning merchant ships is not small. In your current situation, once you trigger a collective backlash from businessmen, stepping down is almost a certainty. Even if I intervene, I may not be able to save it. Duke Irtan warned in a serious tone.

"Do you think I have any other options?" Duke Silver Shield asked with a wry smile.

"That's right. At this point, you and I have long since run out of retreat. You know? According to a masked mage lord in Waterdeep, it's most likely that the actions of the Nelanthor pirates were due to our earlier outlawing of the belief in Talona, the goddess of poison and disease, and the expulsion of her priest and elect. ”

The Duke of Iltan did not hide anything, and bluntly told what he had just heard from the messenger.

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

If something happens, no one can expect it to get better.

After all, it was the two of them who had proposed together to expel the Church of Talona from Baldur's Gate once and for all, to prevent them from being intimidated by Amm in the same way again.

If the citizens, the merchants, and the chambers of commerce knew that the source of all the crises was caused by this fact......

Even if the Duke of Iltan was the nominal supreme commander of the Flame Fist mercenaries, and controlled almost seventy percent of Baldur's Gate's army, he did not dare to guarantee that he would be able to withstand the overwhelming anger of the people.

After all, no matter how good the obedience of the Flame Fist mercenary is, he is still a living person.

They also have family and friends, and they need to go out to buy groceries 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 commanders are no longer respected, but become rats in the streets, and everyone shouts at them, it is difficult to guarantee that they will remain as loyal as they are now.

If you don't know anything, there will be a few officers who can't think of it, and they will lead their soldiers to announce "abandon the darkness and turn to the light", and then launch a military coup d'état.

"What? What do you mean...... The actions of the Nälancer pirates are actually the revenge of the Elect called Soth against us? Duke Silvershield grew his mouth in shock.

He couldn't have dreamed that the other party had actually launched a naval blockade and trade sanctions against the entire Baldur's Gate just because he was denied entry to the city once.

Duke Irtan nodded expressionlessly: "Although I don't know exactly how he did it, this is the only reason and motive that can be explained at the moment. Otherwise, if we have no grievances with those pirates, why would they only charge three times the protection fee for merchant ships sailing through and entering Baldur's Gate? This does not make sense logically or logically. ”

"Damn! According to you, we made a huge mistake by expelling the church and pastor of Talona in the first place? Duke Silvershield's face suddenly became extremely ugly.

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

As he said this, Duke Iltan's tone was filled with intense uneasiness.

Because as the highest-ranking and most powerful warrior at Baldur's Gate, he knew better than anyone else how terrifying high-level spellcasters, especially those with a large number of God-given abilities, could be.

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

Don't look at this god as a weak god, but the threat and destruction that can be caused to cities and armies is far more terrifying than many powerful gods.

In addition, there is no decent spellcaster organization in Baldur's Gate, and the attitudes of various temples and churches towards the dukes are also ignorant of them, so if something really happens, they can basically ask for more blessings.

"Then can this naval battle still be fought?" Duke Silver Shield was visibly weak-hearted.

Just as many nobles are accustomed to the superiority of power, when they suddenly encounter adventurers who do not take them seriously, they are often frightened by the fierce eyes and bad attitude of the other party, and suddenly realize that their so-called power is not worth mentioning in the face of real power.

At this moment, he also found that the tricks, tricks, and methods he had played before were not of any use at all.

In the end, the matter will be resolved by war and force.

"Of course you have to fight! Only if we win the war, you and I will be qualified to sit down and negotiate and bargain. Otherwise, the other party will not even give us this opportunity. Duke Irtan said categorically.

Compared to the Duke of Silvershield, as the supreme military governor of Baldur's Gate, he knows better the importance of the army and force.

"Damn! I hate the feeling of being cornered and fighting to the death. All right! As you said, we're going to fight the pirates of the Nälancer Islands first. ”

Duke Silvershield gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table.

Seeing that his allies had finally made up their minds to fight against the water, Duke Iltan smiled with relief and said bluntly: "Remember! Levy a few more ships with wide hulls and decks. Only such a ship can maximize the combat effectiveness of the Flame Fist mercenaries. Once successful, our elite will be able to knock the rabble out of the. ”

Duke Yindun nodded vigorously without thinking: "Don't worry! I'm out this time! Even if you offend the entire Baldur's Gate merchants and chambers of commerce engaged in maritime trade, it will levy 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 gathered all the owners of merchant ships in the city that had reached a certain capacity, and announced in public that all the ships present were to be requisitioned for a naval battle.

No doubt!

Such an act that infringes on the core interests of all businessmen is not surprisingly immediately met with overwhelming opposition and protests.

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

If they are sunk or captured in the heat of naval battles, then even if they are compensated by Baldur's Gate officials afterwards, it will take too long from the time the order is placed to the shipyard to the completion, resulting in a large share of the trade being squeezed by peers.

If it were normal times, with the weaker personality of Duke Silver Shield, he might choose to compromise.

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

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

And the owners of the ships, who had temporarily lost the ownership of the 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 Iltan, as well as all the female relatives in the family, without the slightest etiquette and demeanor on weekdays.

But the latter seems to know that he is wrong, and chooses to turn a blind eye to this swearing.

But they didn't know that they were just about to give a surprise attack to the Nellantel Islands fleet cruising in the waters near Baldur's Gate, and some merchants on the back foot, in anger, chose to send someone to take advantage of the cover of night to secretly report to the pirate captains.

Because only in this way would it be possible for the merchants to retrieve their requisitioned ships after the defeat at Baldur's Gate.

Of course, if you are sunk, you will consider yourself unlucky.

After about half an hour, the corresponding information was placed on Vanessa's desk.

The lich picked it up and glanced at it about twice, and suddenly couldn't help but let out a wild laugh: "Hahahaha! The stupid dukes finally couldn't resist and wanted to fight back. Very good! Very good! Immediately go and give orders to the fleet located near Baldur's Gate, and prepare them for battle. Later, I will personally lead all the mages and warlocks to teleport directly. ”

"As you wish, master."

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

Although this naval battle had not yet begun, he now knew the outcome in advance.

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

The reason is simple!

At present, there are more than thirty mages and warlocks in the Nälancer Islands who can perform the magic of the three rings.

This meant that when the battle began, they would all fly into the sky and bombard the enemy's slow-moving ships in a massive rotation.

Unless there is an equal amount of magic to counteract, no matter how elite the Flame Fist mercenaries are, they are just live targets floating on the sea.

After sending Eric away, Vanessa immediately got up and performed advanced teleportation to the Mage Tower in Ascatla, and reported the exciting "good news" to Zoth.

When the latter heard this, he immediately asked with a shocked face: "Really? Are Irtan and Anta Silver Shield crazy? What gave them the courage to dare to fight us at sea? Even if you don't know magic, you should at least know that no matter what kind of ship it is at sea, it will be over in minutes as long as you take a fireball spell. ”

"Hey, hey! I think they're being pushed. Especially not long ago, several ships full of valuable goods of the Silver Shield family did not pay protection fees, and we caught them squarely, and all of them were seized. If he doesn't react, he will no longer be qualified and prestige to continue to be the Duke of Baldur's Gate in charge of maritime trade. Vanessa gloated.

"I see. If this is the case, let's completely extinguish their last hope. Zuo Si commanded casually.

"Do you want to take the opportunity to kill Iltan? Based on the information I've gotten so far, he should be following the fleet to attack. Vanessa said tentatively, slightly excitedly.

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

If you can kill it and bring the corpse back, you can create a powerful Death Knight through necromantic magic.

No necromancer could resist such temptation.

After all, legendary warriors are rare in Faeron, at least not as many as there are legendary mages.

The reason is simple!

Mages can extend their lifespans in a variety of ways, and even turn themselves into immortal lichs.

But the warrior has no such ability.

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

Some warriors even choose to enter the astral plane with the help of the caster in order to keep their bodies functioning from aging, and settle there forever, even if they have to endure the harassment and siege of the Gisyankee bandits all day long.

Only in the astral plane, where there is no time flow, can they continue to develop and explore the mysteries of their bodies, hone their fighting skills, and reach the point of transcendent sanctification beyond the limits of physiology and even species.

Otherwise, if it were in the material world where time flowed normally, many warriors would have begun to age before they had even crossed the threshold of legend.

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

Otherwise, whether it is Waterdeep, Neverwinter, or the other city-states of the Northland Lords Alliance, they will all be wary of the new forces in the Nlanthor Islands.

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

What's more, keeping him will be of other use in the future. ”

"That's what you mean......"

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

In addition, by signing an agreement, it was ensured that not even a single warship could be built or owned in the future by Baldur's Gate.

And a tenth of the tax revenue will be set aside as a commission for the protection of Baldur's Gate maritime security in the Nrainsel Islands.

and to allow our fleet to be stationed, docked, and resupplied at Baldur's Gate, and to cede the strategically important islands near the mouth of the sea for fortification.

In short, after the end of this naval battle, everyone should be soberly aware that the new power of the Nälancer Islands is already a veritable overlord from the southern part of Sword Bay to the Sword Sea.

Whoever dares to provoke will be dealt the most severe blow. ”

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

Not having a navy meant being at the mercy of others and having no way to protect their sea trade routes, and over time they had to live under the protection of the Nrainsel Islands fleet.

In particular, merchants engaged in maritime trade will inevitably fall to the Nærancer Islands, thus forming a rift in the Baldur's Gate merchant community.

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

One is the maritime merchants who have completely defected to the Nærancer Islands, and the other is the local land merchants.

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

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

Vanessa is undoubtedly a smart person, with a unique and deep understanding of sea power, and immediately understood what Zuo Thought was trying to express, and immediately responded with a smile: "Please rest assured, I will slowly turn Baldur's Gate into a trade node under the control of the organization. ”

Zuo Si nodded with satisfaction: "You can just look at it." Also, try to control the casualties in the battle, and don't let the Flame Fist mercenaries suffer too many casualties. After all, this is one of the most elite armies on the west coast of the Feron continent, and they may need to be used in the future. ”

"Yes. I'll make my apprentices and the mages and warlocks hired by the Order lighter and use as few lethal spells as possible in favor of immobilization, control, and charm. It is better to force the other side to surrender voluntarily through deterrence. ”

With that, Vanessa quickly returned to the Nærancer Islands through the newly constructed portal in the tower, gathering the local mages and warlocks and inviting the rest of the organization.

After about two or three hours, four other lichs, including Jeffrey, responded to the invitation and joined the "carnival" with their apprentices and private forces.

Since it was the first collective action since the establishment of the Arcane Society, the lich felt that it was a novelty.

A new member who had only recently completed the transformation asked in a half-joking tone: "Is it really necessary to fight such a large battle against a fleet, which has been improvised by Baldur's Gate?" Any of us in this room, with a fireball wand, should be able to annihilate it easily, right? ”

"No, you don't understand, it's not a matter of battle.

Rather, it is to show power to all the port cities on the west coast of the entire Faren continent.

Let them understand the serious consequences of being an enemy of us, and submit to the rules of the sea that we have set.

Of course, the most important thing is for the leader of the Order, Lord Soth, to take revenge on the foolish and arrogant dukes of Baldur's Gate. ”

Jeffrey replied meaningfully.

"Want to reveal your identity?"

The newborn lich subconsciously touched the beard on his chin.

Since his body had only recently died, and he had been blessed with a large amount of necromantic magic embalming, his long flowing beard was quite well preserved.

Vanessa immediately shook her head: "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 Nälancer Islands.

In other words, Eric is the supreme leader in name, and we are nothing more than mages hired by him.

In addition, I have prepared a mask for you to shield yourself from magic detection and cover your face, and you will wear it all when you move. ”

With that, Vanessa distributed the pre-made magic masks to the core members one by one.

Not only them, but also the Lich's apprentices.

Due to the cracking of the secret imprint blessed by the "Mad Mage" on the body of the blue-footed dragon snake, and also conducting a lot of research on the magic of the first and second rings based on this, the production cost of such low-level magic props has been outrageously low.

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

"Very nice gadget."

The lich took it in his hand and looked at it, and soon put it on his face, and then covered it with his hood.

Once everyone had put on their masks, Vanessa activated the portal and began to let the apprentices who had been waiting outside for a long time pass through while he and the other core members of the temple followed.

In a short time, dozens of mage warlocks were transferred directly from the Nlanthel Islands to the battleship floating on the sea.

The whole process was silent and not noticed by anyone at all.

Along with them, there was also Eric, the titular commander of the fleet.

The latter took over the flagship in less than five minutes, and began to methodically give orders to line up the more than forty modified battleships that had gathered here to meet the attack.

About two hours and forty minutes, when the sky was beginning to darken, the lookout suddenly reported that he had observed a fleet of merchant ships at Baldur's Gate at the mouth of the Okina River, approaching his side.

"Do you want to just block them at the mouth of the river?" Eric asked in a tone of uncertainty that was not very sure.

Vanessa shook her head slightly: "There's no need for this, just let them out." Otherwise, if the shipwreck blocks the river, it will have an impact on our future plans. ”

"Understood."

Eric instantly realized what his allegiance master was up to, and quickly gave orders to the entire fleet through the flagship.

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

Since all of them are large merchant ships, these ships look like they have round bellies, and they are all oval shapes designed to carry more cargo.

Even if the sails are full, the speed is still unhurried.

A large number of elite Flame Fist mercenaries had already put on their armor and stood on the deck, forming a tight phalanx as if they were on land, intending to deal a devastating blow directly to the enemy at the moment of the port.

Although they were not professional naval personnel, they were very familiar with ships and did not suffer from widespread seasickness or other symptoms.

As both fleets discovered their relationship with each other, they immediately began to circle around four or five islands near the mouth of the sea, looking for an opportunity to attack.

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

He left three ships full of undead behind to create a situation where the ships were disjointed due to improper command.

Although Duke Irtan has rich experience in land warfare, he is basically a novice in naval warfare, and he does not hesitate to choose to let this part of the fleet led by him press it, wanting to eat the enemies on these ships first and weaken the opponent's numerical advantage.

Since it was so dark that visibility was so low that he didn't notice the shaky shadows on the enemy ships, it was actually a group of skeletons and zombies with the smell of decay and death all over their bodies.

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

In fact, the reason why Baldur's Gate chose to attack in the evening was to give full play to its advantage of knowing more about this body of water in the dark.

Especially the reef groups near several islands.

Once a ship hits it, a large hole will be made in the bilge in minutes, and then it will slowly sink.

After all, when you get into a scuffle, not many people notice what is hidden under the water beneath your feet.

When the time comes, it only takes one or two ships to be sacrificed as bait to lure the enemy's fleet to the reef-strewn waters and thus win the naval battle.

It has to be said that the idea is plump, but the reality is cruel.

Before Duke Silver Shield could successfully lure the other party to the reef, Duke Iltan fell for the enemy's bait first.

I saw that the first two ships had just taken overboard, and they were immediately besieged by hordes of undead.

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

But when the ogre and the minotaur zombie charged, the spearmen in charge of holding the big shield in the front row finally collapsed.

Because on the ship, they simply didn't have room to adjust their formation and dodge.

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

The zombies and skeletons in the back followed, and with the command of the undead lieutenant, they brandished the spear in their hands that could shoot lightning, and electrocuted a group of people in a single shot.

More than half of the more than sixty Flame Fist mercenaries were killed or wounded in less than a few seconds, and the rest also collapsed in morale, turned around and jumped off the ship.

Some people didn't even have time to take off the more than a dozen 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 entered the water.

"Damn! What's going on with these undead creatures? ”

As the distance got closer and closer, the Duke of Iltan finally saw the dense undead creatures on the warring ships, and his face suddenly became extremely ugly.

Anyone who is not a fool will realize that this is definitely a bait and trap.

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

Next Second......

Rumble!!!!!

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

The blinding light of the fire engulfed the canvas almost instantly, and turned the entire wooden mast into a huge torch that burned brightly.

The soldiers on the deck were even more panicked.

Some people carry buckets to fight the fire, while others pick up axes and try to cut off the burning mast and throw it into the sea to prevent the fire from spreading to other places.

Unfortunately, just as they were getting busy, a large area of oil stains instantly covered the deck.

A few soldiers standing next to the side of the boat pulling buckets slipped and almost fell.

Fortunately!

Then a viscous web held it in place, unable to move.

"Mage! It's a mage! We've got so many mages above us! ”

At this moment, many people who fell to the ground on their backs could clearly see the true full eyes of the red light cluster, which was a group of arcane spellcasters who were rubbing fireball spells in their hands.

If they wish, they can drop powerful fireballs at any time and send Baldur's Gate fleet to the bottom of the sea.

Fear!

Despair!

Suddenly, even the most determined soldiers saw this scene and 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 damn pirates get so many mages and warlocks? ”

The Duke of Iltan jerked up from his seat and roared like madness.

He may be able to accept defeat after a bloody battle, but he will never be able to accept a situation like the one in front of him that is directly crushed by his opponent at the beginning.

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

But now the number of spellcasters standing in mid-air has exceeded fifty.

The bright fireballs that are ready to be launched at any time are like the sword of Damocles hanging overhead, which is both a deterrent and a warning.

Duke Irtan understood that the reason why the other party did not kill the killer was that he was waiting for him to surrender voluntarily.

Otherwise, if there is even the slightest abnormal movement, these Flame Fist mercenary elites brought out today will all be wiped out.

As for the two mages he had hired at his own expense as killer weapons, they were already trembling with fear from this scene, and they didn't dare to make any moves at all.

If he hadn't mastered the Five Rings [Teleportation Technique], he would have run away as soon as possible.

In fact, on the other side, several ships led by the Duke of Silver Shield had already lowered their sails, dropped anchor, and hoisted a white flag at the top of the mast to indicate that they had ceased all resistance.

With him in the lead, the other ships of Baldur's Gate fleet quickly learned to do the same.

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

Therefore, when they realized that resisting would only bring disaster to themselves, they all chose to lay down their arms and surrender honestly.

Seeing one ship after another lowering its sails, dropping anchor, and hoisting a white flag full of shame, 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, and without saying a word, ordered a soldier to take off his white shirt under his armor and tie it to a wooden stick and wave it vigorously.

With the Duke of Irtan's flagship also announcing its surrender, this farcical naval battle finally came to an end.

Except for the unlucky ones on the two ships that first joined the undead battleship, the rest were basically unscathed.

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

Even if he was strong enough to slaughter all the pirates on a ship.

But unfortunately, considering that the allies and other Flame Fist mercenaries were captured and imprisoned on other ships, this man did not dare to act rashly.

About half an hour later, he was taken to a fully enclosed cabin.

He was taken with him by Anta Silvershield, who was also a captive.

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

As the most powerful men in Baldur's Gate, they were well aware that they had been calculated from the start.

This is not at all the Nelancer pirates mentioned in the intelligence, but another powerful force that is not known to the public.

Because with the pirates of the Nlanthor Islands, it is impossible and impossible to hire so many mages to work for them.

It's a pity that it's too late to know.

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

Vanessa walked in from the outside.

Due to the magical mask and hood, neither Irtan nor Silver Shield could identify the person who appeared in front of them.

The lich looked at each other with interest, and it took a full minute before he mocked in a tone full of disdain, "Sometimes I really want to pry open your two brains to see if it's full of feces or something. Otherwise, why do you do so much stupidity and arrogance again and again? ”

"Who are you? Why target Baldur's Gate? What good did that Talona's chosen one give you? ”

Irtan gritted his teeth and asked, a little annoyed.

"Humph! You idiot still hasn't figured out why all this is happening, have you?

And I must correct you a little that Lord Soth has never targeted Baldur's Gate, only you arrogant, arrogant, and stupid dukes.

Plus, we're not hired as you might think.

In fact, whether it is the pirates of the Nlanthor Islands, or the spellcasters, including me, they are all at the behest of Lord Soth.

From the very beginning, he was our undisputed leader.

So you can understand that everything we have done is to avenge your humiliation of Lord Soth. ”

Vanessa undisguised himself and unraveled the mystery straightforwardly.

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

As the lich had predicted, when Anta Silvershield and Irtan learned the truth, they were speechless in shock.

They couldn't imagine how Zuosi had managed to recruit so many mages in such a short period of time, and also bring together the chaotic pirates of the Nrainthor Islands into a sea force at their disposal.

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

It's crazy!

Crazy enough that Anta Silvershield and Iltan felt like they were in a nightmare and wanted to wake up quickly.

After a few minutes, the latter, who was relatively determined, was the first to come back to his senses, raised his head and asked, "What is your ultimate goal?" Capture Baldur's Gate? Or to loot it? ”

Vanessa smiled and replied, "No, it's neither."

I'm going to show the people of Baldur's Gate what they have chosen a duke is.

Don't worry, when I have captured the barracks and fortresses that stand on both sides of the river, I will let the fleet sail into the river and make you stand out to the people you rule.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention it.

Don't expect to write it down and go back and tell Waterdeep or the Northland Lords Alliance.

Someone will soon come to cleanse and weave the memories in your brain. ”

The words just fell!

A powerful psychic ability suddenly came out from behind the lich, directly controlling Anta Silver Shield and Iltan, reweaving the memories in their minds with great speed, and even adding a few things.

Looking at the sluggishness in the eyes of the two, Vanessa immediately turned to Vermes, who remained in human form, with a smile and said, "Thank you for your help, ma'am. ”

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

Vermes shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

As more and more of the strange thing ate her brain, she could feel that this guy's psychic abilities were becoming more and more terrifying.

Especially if he was able to control the legendary warrior Iltan with powerful magic and psychic resistance at once, even a true Mind Flayer could not do it easily.

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

It eats the brains of at least ten goblins every day and throws the corpses into deep pits to feed the diggers.

Vanessa obviously knew about the red dragon in front of her and the strange thing in her head.

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

So he had to communicate with Vermes in order to get the Strange Thing to use psychic abilities to modify the memories of Anta Silver Shield and Irtan.

Soon, with the combined efforts of several other lichs, the fortress and military camp of Baldur's Gate, which had been built high above the mouth of the Oshima River, were completely razed to the ground in less than ten minutes.

After all the ballistas, catapults, and bed crossbows had been burned, Eric ordered the fleet to lower its sails and sail slowly down the river toward the city's harbor.

When the fleet appeared in 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 stop for even a second, and immediately rushed out of their homes and ran towards the location of the castle headquarters of Flame Fist, trying to get these reliable soldiers to protect themselves.

But unfortunately, when they got closer, they found that most of the Flame Fist mercenaries had been taken away by the Duke of Iltan, and there were less than a hundred people left behind.

Similarly, when the other two dukes learned of their defeat and the capture of almost eighty percent of the Flame Fist mercenaries, they immediately issued an urgent order to recruit young men in the city and distribute weapons to prepare for resistance in the city.

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

Not even the warehouses in the port area were looted.

Just throw the captured Duke Silver Shield and Duke Iltan ashore, and let them tell the public about the hidden political shady scenes over the years, and how they embezzled the city's financial revenue through various methods to turn it into their own family wealth.

In short, in a place like Baldur's Gate, where merchants rule, no ass is clean if they can climb to a high position.

Coupled with the fact that the final forced conscription of merchant ships angered the merchant community, it quickly caused an uproar.

Tonight, Baldur's Gate is destined for a sleepless night......

(End of chapter)