At night, the lobby on the first floor of the Wandering Artist Hotel is full of seats.
Whether it is the militiamen who have been patrolling and standing guard outside all day, or the passing business travelers, or the farmers who have nothing to do in the off-season, they are all gathered here to have a drink at this moment, listening to the lame chants of the man on the stage.
The bard played a country tune and talked about recent experiences and interesting things.
Since there are no other entertainment activities other than making people on weekdays, and the speed of information transmission in Faerûn is very slow, a unique tavern culture has been formed here.
A large number of locals and foreigners habitually exchange information in pubs or hotels, and regard the stories and experiences told by others as a kind of entertainment.
Those who are thoughtful will get the information they need.
Of course, as a listener, it is also the most basic rule and common sense in the pub to invite the person who tells the story and provides the information to have a drink.
At the moment, Zuo Si is constantly buying drinks for an adventurer who claims to have just come from Waterdeep City in the north, and then listening to this guy's boastful talk.
"Dear Soth, listen to me, Waterdeep is not as good as the rumors say.
The port area in particular is like a huge garbage dump, filled with the disgusting smell of rotten fish and shrimp.
Moreover, countless gang members and criminals are hidden in various low and chaotic buildings.
Even the Amn port area controlled by the Shadow Thieves is many times better than the port area in Waterdeep."
The thirty-year-old man named Imogen raised his head and took a swig of strong drink, his tone full of naked disgust and disdain for the port area of ​​Waterdeep City.
Of course, this is not because he feels this way.
It was the unanimous comment of everyone in the tavern who had been to Waterdeep.
Some guys even think that the reason why the situation in the dock area got out of control is because the mentally retarded lords of Waterdeep expelled the shadow thieves, causing the originally well-regulated underground gangs to become more violent, bloodthirsty and chaotic.
Although Waterdeep City officials have been bragging about how enlightened and advanced their system is, even civilians have the opportunity to become lords and participate in the management of the city.
But in fact, the serious consequences of this kind of "secret room politics" are far more than what they seem on the surface.
However, considering that the entire Faerûn is like a huge "social experiment field", from the most primitive tribal system to countries like Amn and Sambia that are close to the mercantilism and capital oligarchy system of the Age of Discovery, there is almost everything.
.
Some places practice slavery, some places practice tyrant dictatorships, some places have enlightened monarchies, and still other places are controlled by spellcaster organizations.
Therefore, the secret lord system of Waterdeep City does not seem so difficult to accept.
At least compared to Calimshan, which practices slavery, it is definitely much more advanced and civilized.
"If it is really so chaotic, how can merchant ships ensure the safety of their cargo?" Zuo Si asked with interest.
Imogen grinned and replied: "Of course you have to pay a part of the protection fee in accordance with the gang rules, and then the goods can be safely transported out of the dock, sent to the business district or the southern caravan area, and then enter the city's internal logistics network
.
In order to save this money, many people will even go directly across the dock area, use small boats to deliver goods ashore near the southern city gate, and rent local caravans to transport them into the city.
According to my observations in the past two years, the number of ships docked at Waterdeep Pier is getting smaller and smaller year by year.
If those shitty lords don't do anything anymore, it will only be a matter of time before the dock area is completely abandoned and becomes a paradise for criminals.
In addition to the dock area, Leyline Maze and Skull Port are also huge hidden dangers.
Just one night more than half a year ago, a large group of monsters suddenly rushed up from below for unknown reasons and attacked hundreds of houses in an instant. It is said that two to three hundred people were killed in their sleep. I was one of the people who witnessed it at the time.
1."
Speaking of this, Imogen's eyes became obviously full of fear, and she quickly raised the glass and drank all the remaining wine, and even her breathing became rapid.
And Zuo Si noticed that his hands shook slightly involuntarily, which was obviously a strong stress reaction.
Fortunately, after a while, the man calmed down and pointed to the scar on his cheek near his neck and continued: "Can you believe it? At that time, I was lying in the lounge of the Crawling Spider Tavern in Waterdeep City, holding a man in my arms.
A cute little girl is sleeping in a sexy black tights, dressed like a drow elf.
But who knew, when I opened my eyes, I found that the little cutie in my arms had turned into a real dark elf!
That insidious bitch was holding a dagger against my neck, and the tip had even penetrated.
If I hadn't reacted quickly enough and kicked her away, she would probably be lying in the coffin now like the other unlucky ones who died, turning into a rotting, smelly, maggot-covered corpse in the cemetery.
Whenever I think of this brush with death, I can't help but tremble all over."
"So...you don't like the cute dark elf now?" Zuo Si joked with a half-smile.
"Hahahaha! That's right! After this incident, I found that I was originally attracted to the dark elf-style waitress in the crawling spider tavern, but it was just for curiosity and sensory stimulation. Believe me, if you know those dark-skinned drow
, you will never have even the slightest idea in that regard."
Imogen laughed at herself, not at all angry at being teased.
Quite the opposite!
Every time he thinks about it, he feels how stupid he was back then.
"Bartender, give my friend another drink."
Zuo Si casually threw a glittering "dragon" into the bar.
The skinny bartender caught it with one hand very skillfully. He probably felt the weight and color, and immediately showed a satisfied expression. He picked up a bottle of above-average white wine in the store and immediately filled Imogen's empty glass.
Due to its close proximity to Waterdeep, the currency used here at Dagger Ford is basically the currency officially minted by Waterdeep.
Among them, copper coins are called "jianzi", silver coins are called "fragments", silver and gold coins are called "sambar", gold coins are called "dragon", and platinum coins are called "sun".
In addition, Waterdeep also minted two special currencies.
One of them is the "Thor", a square brass coin with a round hole in the middle, also known as "Tor". According to official regulations, its value is two gold coins "Dragon".
However, once it leaves Waterdeep's sphere of influence, this kind of credit currency, which is given value by the power of the government, is immediately worthless.
In comparison, the situation of the other palm-sized crescent-shaped platinum coin "Bay Moon" is slightly better.
Maybe it’s because it’s a platinum coin itself, with a high proportion of gold and silver inlaid in the middle and on both sides.
Therefore, the value set by the Waterdeep City government is fifty gold coins, but it can also be worth two gold coins in other places.
Because he had helped resolve an attack by the Lizardmen tribe before, the Daggerford Council gave him three hundred Waterdeep gold coins, so Zuo Si spent money quite generously.
He even invited everyone in the tavern to drink several glasses of stout for four copper coins each, and he has become the most popular person here.
You must know that for those militiamen and farmers with low salaries, they are only willing to drink this "good wine" with a very high alcohol content during the holidays.
On weekdays, I usually drink a cup of bitter beer for a copper coin.
How about the taste...
Just smelling it made Zuo Si feel a little nauseous.
Picking up the cup and taking a sip of the "expensive" white wine worth one silver coin a glass, Imogen tried in an uncertain tone: "Thos, if you don't mind, can you tell me why you want to go to Waterdeep City?"
Is it? Going to the academy there to learn knowledge, magic and combat skills? Or going to visit relatives, or start a family business?"
"No, not at all. I just want to buy a house in Waterdeep City as a place to stay, and by the way, I can see the famous Earthline Maze City with my own eyes." Zuo Si smiled and said the purpose of his trip.
First buy a house, and then set up a coordinate transmission point in the basement of the house.
In this way, he can easily travel between Waterdeep and Askatra.
In fact, according to the original plan, there would also be such a place in Baldur's Gate.
It's a pity that it was ultimately destroyed by the stupid and arrogant actions of the Dukes of Baldur's Gate.
But it doesn’t matter.
He believes that it won't be long before these guys pay the price for their actions.
"Going to Leyline City? Oh my god! Are you...are you crazy?"
Imogen opened her mouth wide and showed an expression of incredible shock.
Because even he would not dare to enter what Elminster calls "the place where adventurers become famous and the largest hero's tomb in Faerûn."
Although there have been many stories circulating in Waterdeep City about people who entered the Lost City and made a fortune after returning.
But most of them are nameless adventurers who went in and never came back.
Only those smart people with the best luck, the strongest strength, and the ability to control their greedy desires will have the chance to come back alive from the huge maze with priceless loot.
Zuo Si shrugged his shoulders indifferently: "Don't worry, I'm not going in to explore in depth, I'm just going around the shallow layer twice to get a feel for it."
Hearing these words, Imogen instantly breathed a sigh of relief, touched the two mustaches on her lower lip and said: "It's only a superficial move, so the danger is not too great.
To be continued...