"A mask with [Disguise] fixed? Are you using this cheap low-level magic item to fool me?"
Zuo Si raised the silver metal mask in his hand, his tone revealing strong dissatisfaction, and his eyes became quite aggressive and dangerous.
Because apart from changing the appearance of the wearer, this thing has no other effect at all. It is far inferior to the [Transformation Technique] where the four rings can change the body shape and even the race.
Maybe the only purpose is to help dark elves, tieflings and other races that are unpopular in many cities to slightly conceal their identity, that's all.
What's more, the other party rushed to the scene so quickly through teleportation magic. Anyone who is not a fool can see that there is something wrong.
Xi Manmeng only felt as if he was being targeted by a legendary spellcaster like his teacher Mansong. His sixth sense warned frantically, and a large number of beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
For the first time, he realized that the polite and easy-to-talk Zuo Si he had met in Candlekeep was not the whole character of the young man in front of him.
Quite the opposite!
At this moment, this kind of behavior of falling out at any time, even showing murderous intention without any concealment, is his hidden true side.
There is nothing more terrifying than an ally working together and laughing one second, and then suddenly turning into an enemy without any warning the next second.
Although according to the original plan, Xi Manmeng planned to use some "art of language" to resolve Zuo Si's dissatisfaction.
But now it seems that if he didn't quickly take out a magic item of sufficient value, he would probably die here today, just like those Cyric believers who were killed in just a few seconds.
No hesitation!
This man who always tried to maintain an elegant manner took off his cloak as quickly as possible, and then forced out a smile and explained: "I am very sorry, due to my negligence and leaving in a hurry, I forgot to bring the money that should be paid to you.
Reward. How about using this [Gargoyle Cloak] as compensation first. It allows the wearer to transform into a gargoyle every day for one hour."
"Sorry, this garbage cloak doesn't have any appeal to me. Give me your two ioun stones."
Zuo Si pointed at the lavender and green ioun stones floating above the opponent's head and asked for them without any politeness.
His behavior is actually no different from stealing.
Because the iron stone is a rare treasure for any spellcaster.
It is not like magic rings, necklaces and other equipment that have a quantity limit. If there are too many, they will interfere with each other.
No matter how many Ioun Stones you have, you can equip them all at once and surround them above your head to provide various additional abilities and protection.
It is said that in the era of Netheril, many great arcane spells would be equipped with at least a set of twenty-four or even more iron stones as a means of strengthening themselves.
So Zuo Si has been collecting these magical gems through various channels.
But unfortunately, no one is willing to sell it so far, even if it is twice the market price.
After all, other mages and warlocks are not fools. They all understand how scarce iron stones are in this era. Even if they are short of money, they will give priority to selling other magic items.
Since Xi Manmeng gave Zuo Si this excuse today, if he didn't take the opportunity to blackmail him, he would be really sorry for such a good opportunity.
"You...you are robbing! Blackmailing!
Unsurprisingly, Ximan was so angry that he was shaking all over.
The two stones he equipped are both standard "spell absorption" ioun stones. Each one can absorb twelve levels of magic attacks, which adds up to exactly twenty-four.
It is precisely because of such a trump card that he dares to walk around various dangerous people and at the same time solve some potential threats for his teacher Mansongban.
"Whatever you say. Anyway, either give me the Iron Stone now, or prepare to fight. No one can owe me payment! Not even God! Maybe you can try to see if these two Iron Stones can help you.
Resist attacks from the special abilities of the elect."
Zuo Si put on a "robust" look, exuding a suffocating sense of oppression from all over his body.
Especially the divine power that was about to come out of his body made Xi Manmeng feel as if a big stone was pressing on his chest, and even breathing became difficult.
In the end, after weighing the pros and cons several times, Mansong's most trusted disciple still chose to back down. He took off the two iron stones and handed them over with a look of reluctance: "You win! Here, they are yours now.
”
"Thank you. I am very satisfied with the remuneration. Also, remember to prepare the things you should pay me in advance next time to avoid any unpleasantness again."
Zuo Si, who had a straight face one second, showed a kind smile the next second, and casually brought two Ioun stones under his control.
In the blink of an eye, the iron stone entered an invisible state.
Knowing that many "evil-minded" guys would target the iron stones floating above their heads, he added a piece of magic equipment to himself to prevent the iron stones from being revealed.
At least until you use some see-through-invisibility spells, others won't be able to see the existence of the iron stone.
Xi Manmeng undoubtedly noticed this, suppressed the anger in his heart, gritted his teeth and responded: "Don't worry. I will never forget it next time."
"Very good. If there is nothing else, I will go back first. Happy cooperation."
As if nothing was wrong, Zuo Si turned around and walked towards the other side of the portal.
Just when he was about to pass the message, Xi Manmeng suddenly asked: "Did you suffer a large-scale attack from the top of the Emerald Society at the junction of the Supreme Wasteland and the Troll Roaring Forest some time ago?"
"Well, that's right. It was just some trivial misunderstandings and they have been resolved."
Zuo Si stopped, turned around and replied in the affirmative.
As an intelligence network covering the entire continent of Faerûn, it didn't surprise him that the Zhentarim would know about this.
In other words, it would be strange if the other party didn't know.
"Misunderstanding? Is an ambush of that scale really a misunderstanding?
Also, what happened to Dragonspear Castle?
According to adventurers and merchants, there seemed to be a lot of demons pouring out of the underground portal the night you arrived.
It even includes high-level demons like the Pit Demon and the Horned Demon.
Even the temple of Tempus, the god of war, was destroyed by the terrifying nine-ring spell [Meteor Explosion].
And there is currently a man named Marshall who claims that you are the lord of Dragonlance Castle, and he is the steward loyal to you.
He also controlled a huge hydra lizard through some unknown means."
Xi Manmeng asked him face to face all the information he had collected through the dark intelligence network during the recent period, as well as the things he didn't understand.
This cunning man did not expect Zuo Si to answer directly.
As long as he can give one or two relevant clues, he can analyze a lot of useful things.
"What's the current situation in Dragonspear Castle?" Zuo Si asked with interest.
The reason why he allowed Marshall to use his name in the first place was entirely from the perspective of "civilization". He did not want to see those survivors being ravaged by monsters in the Supreme Wasteland after experiencing the attack of the devil, which would eventually lead to
This important stronghold between Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep was lost.
As for the Zhentarim spies who mistook the Oranli hydra for a hydra, he didn't bother to correct it.
After all, the hydra also has several heads, and its appearance is very similar to the Oranli hydra.
The only difference is that the former is a swamp and aquatic super giant magical creature, while the latter is a terrestrial magical beast in the forest.
However, Simon obviously didn't know this, and replied meaningfully: "Marshall did a pretty good job.
It can be seen that he is a very capable person and has a certain prestige among adventurers and businessmen.
By manipulating the behemoths you left behind to continuously siege goblin, orc, and gnoll tribes, this guy not only brought back rich loot, but also used the captives as free labor.
After a period of construction and repair, it not only restored its former prosperity, but also reclaimed a lot of wasteland, seemingly preparing to plant winter wheat.
At present, Marshall has gathered around two to three hundred adventurers, as well as businessmen attracted by the loot, monsters and human bandit slaves.
They even invited several priests of Talona, ​​the goddess of poison and disease, to build a new temple in Dragonspear Castle.
But judging from your reaction, it seems like you don’t know what he did, right?
I'm curious, why do you allow Marshall to use his name?
Do you really plan to turn Dragonspear Castle into your own territory?"
"No, of course not." Zuo Si sneered and shook his head. "At first, I just wanted to give some help to these people who were surviving the disaster. But then I realized that the lower level of Dragonlance Castle leads to Baator Hell.
The portal must be watched by someone. Otherwise, there is no guarantee that those demons will sneak into the material world again."
"Are those devils coming for you?"
Xi Manmeng suddenly felt that he had grasped the key, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Sorry, no comment."
Zuo Si noticed that the other party was testing his reaction and immediately ended the topic without hesitation.
To be continued...