"Interfere with my fate, what do you say?" asked Siegel, leaning forward, putting his pipe down, in a curious tone.

"Remember the earthquake on the volcano, and the Shadow of the Ghost that appeared in Bacontown? Bo's eyelids drooped and he looked weak, but what he said shocked Siegel. "Ever since you chose to travel to the north at the pre-war conference, I've been following you, casting magic through my Falcon pets. Originally, I thought that this time would be as successful as before, and you would be able to complete the destruction mission of Makabuda more smoothly, but I didn't expect the backlash to be so serious. ”

The fingers of his right hand shook slightly, and he saw a cushion covered with a blanket float over. The Bo lifted the blanket, and Siegel saw a bird shaped like a skeleton. Its feathers seemed to have been burned by flames, and its skin was covered with traces of acid corrosion. The bird was blind in one eye, and the pupils of the other were almost completely blind. Aside from being seriously injured, the bird had little life to keep it alive, and already had one foot in the grave, just like its owner.

"Is there no cure?" Siegel was concerned first and foremost about the health of others. "You're an archmage or a doctorate, there's always a way. ”

"If I say no, I'm lying to you. The old man gently covered his pet with a blanket and let it continue its endless sleep. He then took out a small box made of white gold from the pouch on his chest, and used different spells on its six sides in turn—none of Siegel could make out it. When the box was opened, a small crystal bottle as thick as an adult's thumb was revealed, containing a black potion.

Siegel asks what it is. Is it an antidote. Bo nodded and shook his head, "This is a potion that transforms a mage into a lich. After drinking it, I won't be dragged down by this body anymore. Maybe I will live another hundred or two years before I lose my mind. Although others call me a Ph.D. But I really don't have the experience of becoming an undead. ”

The young mage looked at his senior in awe, staring at the tiny few drops of potion in his hand. Attaining eternal life is a feat that every life wants to accomplish, and the stronger the individual, the stronger the expectation. Even gods can't be said to exist forever, so the mortal world is more interested in deceiving death.

When it comes to research, who else in the world can go further than a mage in this area? The art of lich transformation is one of the mages' creations. When a spellcaster's spell ability, magic circle knowledge, and monster-making skills reach a certain level, they can try to make a lich potion for themselves. Then pick the day when you are in the best condition, drink this medicine, and you will gradually lose your flesh and blood within ten days. All that was left was a skeleton full of magical rune arrays. Unlike Siegel's Transfiguration, which transforms into a skeleton, the Lich's skeleton is so strong that ordinary swords can't do any damage to it at all. The new body contains the energy of magic and the power of necromancy, and the combination of the two will also form new changes. For example, the paralyzing touch, the breathtaking atmosphere of fear. Of course, the most important point is that the remnants of the old body will form something similar to a crystalline stone, and there is only one one. The lich would keep the crystal stone in its own hands, and use what they thought was the safest method to protect it in a container called a life box, and hide it in a place that only they knew. Suppose the Lich's body is destroyed - although it is difficult. But it's still possible - the lich will condense a new body out of thin air next to the life box and be reborn again.

The existence of this method is well known. However, the exact recipe and details of the craft are kept secret and hidden in the secret locations of the various mage organizations.

"Give, take. The old man threw the bottle to Siegel, and the young mage caught it, and in a hurry he almost fell to the ground.

"Are you nervous?" asked the old man.

"A little. Siegel admits with a smile, "After all, this thing is very precious." ”

"It's a pity that it won't solve my current predicament. The Bo sighed, and then said, "If I drink this potion, I can indeed survive in the state of a lich for a while, and when my original hour comes, it will still dissipate in this world." I didn't run out of life, I ran out of fate. ”

"I don't understand. Siegel said frankly. "Does this have anything to do with the Shadow of the Dead?"

"Your instincts are right. "I've dealt with them before, and they've helped me improve the effectiveness of my prophecy spells, allowing me to see a more accurate future. I know that if the shipyard of Makabuta is not completely destroyed, Waterdeep will inevitably face the fate of being breached. Although there are lions, with the cross-continent teleportation array, the Mage Federation will still stand, but the price paid is too great. So, I cheated. ”

At this, the old man paused for a moment, as if in thought, so Siegel waited patiently and politely. The only thing in the room was the soft sound of the drip clock and the curling green smoke from the pipe, and everything else seemed to be still.

But time will eventually flow, and death will come. The old man continued: "I have seen a possible future, a clear, stable and solid vision, a good future. In that future, you travel to Makabuda and cause the shipyard to be destroyed. As a result, Waterdeep City avoided the catastrophe, and the battle of the entire northern orcs quickly ended, and the Mage Federation became even stronger. A lot of the details of this future are blurred, but it's all up to you. You have to go to Makabuda. ”

"That's why I'm left behind for that meeting?"

"That's right, young mage, that was an important choice. "If you don't take the initiative to go to the north, then even if I order you to join Count Maxim's expedition, even if you eventually follow him into Macabda, the future will be different and will lead to an even more miserable end." So when you make up your mind, I breathe a sigh of relief. ”

"I felt like I should be able to make a difference in the north, and reading a book all day at the Tri-Peak Pagoda would reduce my acuity. "I didn't really think much of it at the time," Siegel said. ”

The old man nodded, asked Siegel to bring him a glass of red wine, and after moistening his throat, he continued: "After that, I was too anxious, and I used all kinds of means to get you to Macabuda faster, and when you were in danger, I couldn't help but use magic to help. I was warned again and again, but because it didn't come from the custodian of knowledge (another name for the god of knowledge), I ignored them all, and in the end I got the consequences. The last time I cast a spell was in Bacon, asking for help from the Shadow of the Dead. They responded to my request, but then attacked me. ”

"What? Why is this happening?" Siegel cried out in surprise.

"Even the Shadow of the Dead has factions, and some of them think I'm going too far, so they form a whirlpool in the river of fate and suck me in. There was no magic to use there, and I broke free with my willpower, but death was inevitable, and my destiny came to an early end. He pointed to the lich elixir in Siegel's hand and said, "Even this thing is useless, so I want to give it to you." ”

"What happens when I drink this?"

"There is no doubt that there will be death. "And don't expect to stand up in the form of a lich, this thing is for me, and only for me," said the Bo. If you don't like anyone, give it to him, and it's more effective than any poison. ”

"If that's the case, I'm relieved. Siegel put the vial away and said, "I'll think it's the most powerful poison in the world." ”

"Good. "You are a promising mage, and this does not require me to predict the future, but only to look to the past," Faranise said. You successfully completed the mission in Makabuda, is there anything you want?"

Siegel thought about it, there was one thing that was very urgent, and maybe only the archmage could know about it. He asked, "I would like to know the whereabouts of Sir Bill, Janet and Evan." ”

"Isn't there a prince to whom you are allegiant?" the Bo scholar smiled, his beard shaking happily. Siegel felt ashamed, after all, Prince Aaron was his own canonist, and he still had the word "royal" before the baron title. When Faranise saw Siegel's embarrassment, he became so happy for some reason. For a moment, it seemed that the aura of death had dissipated a lot, and his countenance regained its brilliance.

"After my falcon discovered your whereabouts, it has already reported to the royal family of the Kingdom of Stars. This time, the Temple of Dawn lost face, and actually caused His Royal Highness the Prince to be seriously injured, and he was saved by relying on the members of the Mage Federation. Thanks to you, the relationship between the Star Kingdom and the Deep Water Dominion has eased somewhat, and both warships and aid can continue to be sent. As for your friends, they did spend some time in the Black Blood Castle, like prisoners, but now they're all right. The High Priest of the Temple of Dawn came with three of them, with a whole team of paladins. The Starry Royal Family also sent mountain cavalry, with a size of fifty people, riding six-legged lizards. They took over the Black Blood Castle, and the Slint family was imprisoned awaiting their fate. Even the Kingdom of Saeus did not dare to ask for ransom at this time, and it would have to wait until the battle with the orcs was decided. Your friends are still in the Black Blood Castle, and since the war is not over yet, the troops guarding the prince do not dare to act rashly, after all, the city walls are easy to defend. Poor none of those guys know how to teleport spells, and if they don't speak, the Federation won't offer to help, will they?"

"I think you're right. Siegel let out a long sigh of relief. Sure enough, Janet will definitely be safe with the prince, the background of the Star Kingdom is very deep, and although it is lacking in the New World, the power they can mobilize is still strong. After the introduction of the doctor, in order to express their gratitude, the Star Dynasty requisitioned the teleportation array of the school city and sent hundreds of tons of military rations to the deep water city. It has been a good year for the past few years, and they are clearing their stocks while flexing their muscles to this Dominion. Now many ordinary people in the city have begun to talk about the benefits of the Star Kingdom again, and this situation has made the Masked Lords' Council a little embarrassed.

But the Council of Lords must bear it, otherwise where will the sea route be unblocked?

"The past is basically over, now it's time to talk about the future. Bo Bachelor coughed twice, let his smile disappear, and replaced it with a solemn expression: "For you, a guy with a strange fate, I only ask for one thing. (To be continued......)