At midnight, Calimport, which was noisy during the day, gradually became quiet.
Except for a very small number of stores engaged in "special service industries", most of them have closed down.
Only in some 24-hour pubs and hotels near the dock can you still vaguely hear the noise of drunken sailors.
Zuo Si was standing at the entrance of the city's South Street sewer, wearing a gray cloak and covering his face with a hood, looking at the surrounding environment with interest.
Since it was his first time to go out at night, he was particularly interested in the unknown side of the city.
Because unlike during the day when at least there are guards to maintain order, Calimport at night is completely under the control and rule of the Thieves Guild.
During this time, some thieves handed over all the money bags and stolen goods they stole during the day to their guilds.
And those women who stand on the street wearing revealing clothes to solicit customers will also give part of their income to thieves patrolling the streets in exchange for their protection.
When there is a drunkard who is unconscious and wants to "force himself on me", "have sex for free", or other dangerous situations.
The people from the guild will come forward to teach this fool who does not understand the rules a lesson and ask him to pay at least five to ten times the fine as compensation.
The smuggling boats near the dock came ashore one after another in an inconspicuous corner, carrying boxes of goods to designated warehouses.
In short, Calimport at night and during the day seem to be two completely different worlds.
The former gives people a weird, weird and mysterious feeling that cannot be described in words.
"It's almost time. Let's go down and meet this rat man named Lanny."
With that said, Apke, surrounded by several bodyguards, slowly walked into the damp, dark, and smelly sewer.
Magical advisor Courant and master assassin Bernice followed closely behind.
Behind the two people were more than twenty strong men who were carefully carrying the iron cage.
Each iron cage is covered with a piece of black cloth, making it unclear what is inside.
Zuo Si walked at the back with the soldiers.
When passing through the narrow and steep entrance, the view suddenly becomes much wider.
Different from the expected low and narrow situation, the height of the sewer is unexpectedly more than three meters, and the width is enough to accommodate four people passing side by side.
No wonder the sewers of many big cities in Faerûn are inhabited by all kinds of bandits and monsters.
This living condition is much better than those haphazardly built shacks in slums.
Of course, the premise is that you must be able to tolerate the pungent odor emitted by domestic garbage and wastewater, as well as dangerous "neighbors" who may kill you at any time.
Perhaps out of consideration for protecting the safety of residents near the sewer entrance, there is a row of rusty iron fences leading deeper, and the only door for entry and exit is also locked with a thick iron chain.
In other words, in this meeting, the two parties need to talk through the iron fence to prevent the Rat Man from becoming angry and killing people after the talk breaks down.
"It seems everything has been arranged."
Zuo Si glanced at the figure of the fat bald man not far away, and his inner evaluation of Apke rose several notches.
Because this guy is not like the leaders of other thieves guilds who are keen to show their power and strength through violence, blood and killing.
Instead, he will consider his own safety first, and then how to quickly and quietly eliminate the enemy.
Before the rat leader arrived, twenty strong men quickly lowered the cage covered with black cloth against the iron fence and opened the door of the cage gently.
Instantly!
There was a creepy commotion inside.
But soon, the restlessness disappeared and was replaced by a kind of silence that made people feel intensely uneasy.
After a while, the sound of boots stepping on the sewage gradually became closer and closer.
After about two or three minutes, a group of rat men covered in gray fur finally appeared on the other side of the iron fence.
There were a very large number of them, at least several hundred, and they densely packed all the way back along the tunnel until they were completely shrouded in darkness.
Those pairs of eyes that glow in the dark will make anyone's skin crawl when they see them.
The ratman leader, who was blind in one eye, stepped to a place less than half a meter away from the iron fence and asked directly: "Are you Apke? The leader of the thieves guild that controls most of the dock area?"<
/p>
"That's right! It's me. I'm glad you accepted my invitation to negotiate, Lanny." The fat bald man responded with a smile.
Not only that!
He also deliberately named the other party to show his intelligence capabilities.
"You know my name?!"
The rat-man leader, who was called Lanny, was obviously stunned.
Apke nodded without thinking: "Of course!
Not only do I know your name, but I also know that you are a follower of Mara, the god of hunting, and you want to turn the sewers of Calimport into your own territory.
Let's skip these boring trial stages and get straight to the point.
Tell me who is behind you.
No matter what he promises to give you, I am willing to pay double.
But the premise is that you must serve me in the upcoming guild war."
"How do you know it must be other thieves guilds supporting me? Couldn't it be other forces in Calimport?" the rat leader asked calmly.
"Hahahaha!
Do you think I'm a fool?
In this city, besides the Thieves Guild, who else would deal with lycanthropes, especially ratmen like you?
Those noble nobles?
Or the priests and paladins of the major temples?
Or are they mages and warlocks living in high towers?
No!
They don't care what happens in the dirty sewers.
Only the leader of the Thieves Guild like me would pay attention to the changes coming from below the ground."
When he said these words, Apke's aura was in full swing, showing his strong side for the first time.
He hoped that in this way, he could subdue the ambitious rat-man leader in front of him.
If not, you should at least figure out who your main enemy is in this guild war.
The rat-man leader was silent for a long time, and finally a sarcastic smile appeared on his furry face, and he refused in a rather regretful tone: "I'm sorry, I don't think we have anything to talk about. Because what I want, you
You can’t give it to me at all.”
"Oh? If you don't tell me, how do you know that I can't give it to you? What's more, if you really think that I can't give you what you want, why do you still accept the invitation?" Apke asked in confusion.
Perhaps realizing that this negotiation would not yield any good results, he gestured to everyone behind him, including Zuo Si, with very subtle movements.
The next second...
Several bodyguards holding shields moved forward slightly, planning to rush forward to block the crossbow shots from the opposite side.
Assassin Bernice already has one hand on the crossbow, and as long as he pulls the trigger, he can shoot deadly poisonous arrows.
Magic consultant Courant also quietly inserted his fingers into the spell-casting material bag on his waist, preparing to chant a spell and release an amazingly powerful spell.
As for Zuo Si, he had already focused his attention on the iron cages covered with black cloth.
You can release all the "cute" little things inside at any time to give these rat people a big surprise.
It can be said that everyone has entered a fighting state. Just waiting for an order, they will use all their firepower to kill the rat leader on the other side of the iron fence.