Innistrad, Ston Province.

Unlike the wealthy province of Gajuni, where the city of Serapan is located, it is a high-altitude mountainous area with a large number of rocks mixed with the soil, making it unsuitable for agriculture.

But it is here that the highly adaptable human beings have developed a unique form of animal husbandry.

Herds of sheep, cattle and horses, driven by shepherds and sheepdogs, graze around their family's pastures, and live mainly on various dairy products, jerky and other foods.

Of course, if a merchant passed by, they would also sell some livestock, leather, dairy products, wool and other goods in exchange for salt, grain, iron products and other goods.

In short, the people living in this land seem to be very comfortable, and there are very few life-threatening monsters such as werewolves and undead creatures around.

But if you think this is the best place to live on the Innistrad plane, you're wrong.

The reason why the province is so "safe" is simply because it is ruled by a much more powerful evil force.

In the eyes of the latter, all the humans living on this land are their own "livestock" and the most important source of food.

Any enemy that threatens their herd will be immediately cleared by the hands of their herd.

This powerful evil force is none other than the vampires of Innistrad.

By building one manor after another, these guys can divide the entire province of Stunxiang into family or private domains, and can dispose of the humans in their own territory at will.

Right now, Zuo Si is in such a manor, under the stormy attack of Sorin Markov, the king of Innistrad.

I saw that in the empty hall filled with shelves of armor and weapons, the latter wielded a silver sword with all the afterimages, and a large number of actual combat skills honed over thousands of years were used mercilessly.

With such combat effectiveness, not to mention Zuo Si, who has never received any melee combat training, even a legendary warrior from Fei Lun may not be able to hold it.

As a result, just a few seconds later, the weapon in his hand was slammed down, and the whole person fell to one knee and gasped for breath, and sweat also fell to the ground along his forehead and cheeks.

"Seventeenth! You've lost your weapon for the seventeenth time! How many times have I said that at no time should a weapon leave the palm of your hand. Sorin spoke with a strong sense of disdain and dissatisfaction.

Zuo Si rolled his eyes angrily and retorted, "I'm not a warrior, but a spellcaster. I don't understand why you have to drag me to do this pointless melee training. ”

"Pointless?

No! It's not pointless!

Remember, a traveling mage is no ordinary spellcaster.

You'll have to do everything you can to make up for every flaw you have and make sure you don't have any flaws that your enemies can exploit.

Now pick up the weapon and stand up!

Since you have chosen me to be your teacher, you must do as I tell you. ”

With that, Sorin lifted his foot and kicked the fallen sword back.

"Damn! What I want to learn is obviously only the life magic part......" Zuo Si cursed in a low voice.

In desperation, he could only pick up his weapon and assume a defensive posture according to the sword-holding skills that the other party had taught before.

Just a few seconds later, this powerful vampire brigade mage once again used his overwhelming superb swordsmanship to defeat Zuo Si and fight back without the slightest bit of fighting back.

Since Sorin is an ancient brigade mage, his physical fitness is even higher than Zuo Si, his strength attribute has reached at least forty points, every weapon collision will erupt into a huge sonic boom and impact, and the super high agility attribute can easily make all kinds of unbelievable movements, and the reaction speed is fast enough to dodge bullets.

In addition, he can't use any magical power, let alone transform into a dragon form, so Zuo Si almost has no way to take this "teacher".

It was only at this moment that he truly realized what the words "Ancient Brigade Mage" meant.

Over thousands or even tens of thousands of years, these old guys have trained themselves to the point of near-perfection in all aspects of themselves.

Sorin Markov, for example, is not only skilled in vampire necromancy and blood magic, but also creates life with the power of sparks, and even awakens the consciousness of a planet, and even has a level of melee combat that surpasses that of legendary warriors.

Let's try it soon, everyone. 】

In particular, the gorgeous and deadly swordsmanship is the most outstanding of all the fighters Zuo Si has encountered so far, and there is no one.

When facing such an opponent with no obvious flaws, it is not easy to defeat him, even if he can gain some advantage in the spell confrontation.

And even if it is defeated, it is almost impossible to kill them all.

This also means that almost all the existing Ancient Brigade mages, unless they are impatient to live and actively seek death, there is no power that can easily threaten their lives.

In the end, after an hour-long unilateral ravage, Sorin finally ended today's melee combat training, put away his weapon and solemnly admonished: "If you are willing to devote a little bit of concentration and seriousness to learning magic, and use a little bit of swordsmanship and fighting, I believe it won't be long before you reach the first-class level." Don't underestimate this primitive and ancient skill, because magic may become extremely unstable due to external factors, but neither can swordsmanship and fighting skills. The more critical the moment, the more it can help you get out of trouble. ”

"Maybe you're right. But if magic does become extremely unstable due to external factors, I'd rather find a way to change and adapt to the new magical environment than waste time on bullshit swordsmanship. ”

Zuo Si casually threw the already scarred training sword into the weapon, and his tone was full of disdain and disdain for melee hand-to-hand combat.

In his opinion, the caster should find a way to solve all problems and troubles with magic.

If you can't do it, you don't have a deep enough understanding of magic, and you don't have enough knowledge.

Sorrin's theory is as ridiculous as the modern society's advocacy of martial arts, judo, Muay Thai, and other hand-to-hand combat.

Those so-called World Mixed Martial Arts Championship champions are good enough, right?

As a result, when encountering gangsters, it is not the same as being easily killed by a dagger.

Not to mention that there is a more powerful "American-style juhe" on top of this.

When the time comes, a gunshot will go out, and no matter what martial arts you practice, you will have to lie down obediently.

"Humph! Sooner or later, you will suffer a lot from this arrogance. ”

There is no doubt that Zuosi's scornful attitude towards swordsmanship and martial arts made Sorin Markov feel very annoyed, but he was also helpless.

Because he had seen first-hand how this young human traveling mage had learned the essence of his own original life magic in less than two days.

That terrifying speed of learning was something that this Ancient Brigade Mage had never seen in his thousands of years of life.

That's why Sorin wants to try to tap into Zuosi's potential, and the Sword and Fighting Skills course is one of them.

But unfortunately, Zuo Si was obviously full of resistance, disdain, and disdain for this kind of training, and he was not very cooperative from the beginning.

Especially in the attitude towards weapons, there is not the slightest bit of the warrior spirit of "the sword is in the man".

Once they find that they are defeated, they will immediately and decisively throw away their weapons or throw them out to delay time.

Obviously, this is the typical mindset of a pure spellcaster.

This is because only the caster will treat the sword in his hand as a tool, not as his second life as a warrior.

Despite several attempts to correct this, Sorin unsurprisingly failed.

After all, anyone who can ignite a spark and become a traveling mage, all of them have an extremely strong "self-awareness", and if they decide on something, they will never easily change their attitude.

After the combat training, Zuo Si was led by the servant to the bathroom on the first floor, stripped naked and jumped directly into the hot water to soak, so that the red and swollen muscles of his upper limbs caused by the violent collision could quickly relax.

After a while, he began to feel a sore pain in his arm, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse, "Damn Sorin! It's too heavy! If this is replaced by an ordinary person, I am afraid that he will be beaten into a bloody mist by him twice. ”

"But there's no denying that he's a great teacher, isn't he?"

The diary, which was stacked on the steps with the clothes, asked with a smile.

Zuo Si nodded slightly: "Yes, he is indeed a very good teacher." After a few days of studying, my understanding of the power of sparks has deepened a lot, and at the same time, I have figured out the essence of creating life magic. Aside from the daily melee combat training, which is a bit annoying, everything else is fine. ”

"What are you going to do next? Do you return to Zendikar first, or do you travel to Tarkir with Sorin to participate in the resurrection of the spirit dragon Ugin? Or go to Earth and create your own god with the power of the Well of Souls? The journal asked with interest.

Zuo Si replied bluntly: "Of course, it's the last one."

After all, from the moment I stopped the Eldrazi seal from being opened, I was already standing with Old Dragonnico? The opposite of Bolas.

So you have to prepare more hole cards.

Don't forget, he and Ugin were one of the few Elder Dragons to hatch from the eggs laid by the Primordial Dragon.

Experienced the terrible dragon scuffle back then.

What's more, in the future War of the Sparks, he also tried to capture and sacrifice the sparks of other brigade mages in order to make himself the most powerful lifeform in the entire multiverse.

From that point of view, they are enemies that must be guarded against and vigilant against. ”

"That's why you dragged Sorin Markov and Nahiri, the two Ancient Brigade mages, into the water and told them to find Nicol? Trouble with Bolas? The diary instantly understood the master's intentions.

"That's right. More traveling mages are going to Nicol? Bolas's troubles, the less likely he is to notice my presence. Of course, even if he found out, I had more than one backup plan. After all, I was actually very interested in the spell he had in his hand, very, very interested in it to be exact. ”

When he said this, Zuo Si did not hide his ambition to replace the old dragon to complete the War of Sparks.

Just as the diary was about to say something, there was a sudden sound of footsteps outside the bathroom door.

Then Nissa pushed open the door and walked in from the outside.

This elven brigade mage was not only dressed neatly at the moment, but also carried his bags, obviously dressed to go far away.

"Are you going back to Zendikar?" Zuo Si asked with some surprise.

"Hmm. Since the Eldrazi seal is no longer a big deal, there is no need for me to stay on Innistrad, the dark environment and the air here make me feel very uncomfortable. And I also miss my hometown a little bit, and I miss my fellow elves who live in the forest. Nissa replied in the affirmative without thinking.

"In that case, then I can only wish you a smooth journey." Zuo Si sent his blessing with a smile on his face.

Through the communication with Sorin, this newbie, who once knew nothing about the Eldrazi, has now fully realized how terrifying those natural disasters from the Dark Void are, so he will no longer make the reckless act of breaking the seal and releasing the Eldrazi.

Quite the opposite!

She became a guard who swore to guard the seal and ensure that the Eldrazi would never be released.

Of course, this is also the result of Sorrin's intention.

After all, the cunning vampire wanted the local Zendikar traveling mage to take on the responsibility of maintaining and protecting the seal, so that he wouldn't have to check on the situation every once in a while.

It can only be said that Nissa is still too naïve at this stage and is very easy to be used by others.

However, Zuo Si didn't dismantle Sorin's careful thoughts, and after a simple goodbye, he watched the Elven Brigade mage's power to activate the spark disappear in place.

As soon as Nissa walked on the front foot, the vampire walked in from outside the bathroom and asked in a slightly playful tone, "Is that funny elf next to you coming home?" ”

"yes, she's home. Now that there are two traveling mages in the entire Zendikar who know the truth about the Eldrazi, it will not be so easy for anyone to break the seal. ”

Zuo Si said as he walked out of the hot pool, used magic to clean up the water stains on his body, and then put on his clothes and various magical equipment one by one.

When he had done all this, he didn't look up and asked, "Are you going to leave for Tarkir too?" ”

"Isn't that obvious? Whether it's in the face of the Eldrazi threat, or with Nicol? Bolas fights, we must rely on the power of Ugin. So resurrecting him became something that had to be done. ”

Sorin didn't have the slightest intention of hiding it, and said his plan bluntly.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Zuo Si asked casually without sincerity.

Sorin sneered and refused, "Forget it, this kind of thing is enough for me alone." Keep looking for more allies and prepare for the upcoming war. Oh, by the way, this is the moon silver you want. ”

As the last word came out, a piece of hard metal that shimmered with silver light fell to the ground with a thud, smashing the tiles into a small hole.

"Thank you."

Zuo Si unceremoniously picked it up and stuffed it into the satchel he carried with him.

This thing was a precious material that he was going to use to strengthen the holy sword again, and its value could not be measured in money at all.

Sorin shrugged his shoulders indifferently: "You're welcome. If there's nothing else important, I'll go first. ”

Next Second......

He activated the power of the spark and disappeared in place.

Seeing that the master had already left, Zuo Si obviously had no need to stay, so he also left Innistrad with the power of the spark.

But just when he was about to carry out an ultra-long-distance cross-time and space teleportation, he suddenly felt that a force interfered with him, and as a result, the teleportation instantly deviated, and the whole person suddenly came to another strange world.

I saw a giant dragon with huge sharp horns on its head appear out of thin air less than ten meters away.

The dragon was so large and slender that barely half of its body was exposed, and it already gave people a strong sense of oppression.

Between the two horns, an oval-shaped stone floats.

Elder's Dragon - Nicol? Bolas!

Zuo Si recognized the identity of the other party almost at a glance.

But he didn't show even the slightest panic, but instead touched his chest with one hand and bowed in a very calm and elegant manner: "I am really flattered to be personally summoned by the Great Dragon Venerable. ”

"You're guts."

Nicol? The corners of Bolas's mouth rose slightly, revealing a playful smile.

"Is it just guts?" Zuo Si raised his head and asked with a smile.

Hearing that, Nicol? Bolas finally couldn't help but let out a deafening laugh: "Hahahaha! You're really funny! Young Human Brigade Mage!

You know?

You're the first person in the entire universe to dare to speak to my face after ruining my plans.

As a reward for the brave, I decided to give you a chance to explain.

Remember, you only have three minutes, and if you can't convince me in three minutes, then you're going to die here today. ”

"Sabotage your plans? I think there seems to be some misunderstanding between us. Everything I do is in the service of your ambitious and great purpose. Zuo Si said sincerely.

"Huh?!"

This sentence instantly put Nicol? Bolas can't fix it.

Zuo Si took advantage of the other party's stunned efforts to quickly explain: "Great Dragon Venerable, if I guess correctly, the ultimate goal of all your plans should be to collect more sparks from traveling mages, right?" And what I'm doing is not to make those traveling mages with the most powerful sparks constantly move closer to you? ”

"According to you, instead of punishing you, I should reward you?"

Nicol? Bolaston laughed at the shamelessness of the young man in front of him.

Although he knew that all the words just now were nonsense and quibbles, the originally exuberant killing intent finally calmed down.

Because in the eyes of this old dragon, Zuo Si, who is "greedy for life and afraid of death", is obviously not the kind of enemy of the diehards, but can use coercion and inducement to collect his subordinates for his own use.

"Of course you should reward me.

Because I'm going to bring you the largest number of Brigade Mages and the sparks they possess at the moment the War of the Spark breaks out.

What's more, don't you feel like uniting all your enemies and planting a spy in them to control their every move.

Is it much easier to control the situation than if they were to act alone? ”

Zuo Si asked rhetorically with a sinister smile on his face.

No doubt!

This sentence instantly made Nicol? Bolas's heart was moved, and at the same time he began to look at this young man who dared to talk in front of him in a different light.

It was a full minute before he said in a slightly playful tone, "I admit that your offer is indeed tempting. But the question is, why should I trust you? What do you want from me? ”

Zuo Si replied very humbly: "You don't need to believe me, just believe in yourself." After all, who in this universe would dare to betray the great Dragon Nicole? What about Bolas? What's more, it won't be long before you will go from being a dragon venerable to a dragon god. All I wanted was a little bit of knowledge and magic. ”

"Knowledge and power?

Yes! I see ambition in your eyes.

This is good!

Since you've decided to be like me, I'll give you a little mission to put to the test.

Within a year, help me find at least two people who have the potential to ignite a spark and become a traveling mage.

Yes, here's a spell that can be used to identify if there is a sleeping spark in the target's body, and you can use it to screen for it.

Remember, don't let me down, because once I do, you're going to pay a very dearly price for it. ”

With that said, Nicol? Bolas snapped his right front grab, tearing open a spatial rift, and then his huge body went straight in and disappeared without a trace.

Zuo Si stood in place with a respectful attitude, and it took several minutes to confirm that the other party had really left, and then he let out a long breath, wiped the sweat on his forehead, and laughed at himself: "It's not easy, I finally got through the trick." ”

"You don't really want to walk the tightrope as a double agent, do you?" The diary asked with some concern.

"Why not? Do you think I look like one of those righteous people who are for love and peace? No! All along I was loyal to my ambition and my insatiable thirst for knowledge and power. And I'm really interested in seeing just how powerful a traveling mage can be before the power of the spark is weakened. ”

As he said this, Zuo Si's eyes flashed with a chilling glow.

As far as he knew, Nicol? Bolas started the War of the Spark because he found a powerful magic spell called the Elder Charm.

With this spell, if enough Traveling Mage Sparks are sacrificed at once, the user will be able to pool the power of those sparks to grow their spark until it returns to its original state of being unrestricted.

That is, like the original group of traveling mages who surpassed the gods, they could open up space at will and create life and civilization according to their own will.