Arcane Journey

Chapter 228 Cormier's Expedition
The hobgoblin army was completely broken.

The cavalry pursued the remnants of the enemy as best they could, while the remaining warriors drew their weapons and chopped off the hobgoblins' heads one by one.

This is their most important trophy, and it is also the most important trophy in Mokou Town, Oubert, the commander of the Zilong Legion on his horse, thought to himself.

The heads and bodies of these hobgoblins will be transported to the city, on the one hand to show their achievements, and on the other hand to deter surrounding humanoids.

If necessary, their heads will even be pickled and piled up at the junction of the territory, serving as a terrifying spectacle.

In order to warn the nearby evil tribes such as gnolls, hobgoblins, orcs and ogres who intend to provoke Mokou Town.

Oberth was riding on a war horse, his cloak embroidered with a purple dragon was hunting, and he looked down at the fleeing hobgoblins from a high position.

After this battle, the threat from the hobgoblin tribe in the Mokou Mountains will be completely eliminated.

Of course, there may be small-scale homeless groups, but this gang of mobs poses no threat to the defense forces of nearby villages and towns.

And those large-scale humanoid tribes are never allowed to appear near civilized settlements, unless they are frightened and actively avoid the territory of Mokou Town.

Otherwise, they must use blood and death to stabilize the rule of this land.

One of the most impressive lessons Oubert had ever attended at the War College in Suzar City was: There is nothing more powerful than defeating the enemy!
Compared with the words of the instructor, he thinks that what their lord said is more accurate: strength is the foundation of justice, national defense is the backing of diplomacy, and dignity and truth are within the radiation range of the wizard tower.

This is the fact.

If it weren't for the wizards of the Silver Scholars Association to assist them in scouting the enemy through the detection method of the wizard tower, and responsible for reporting the location of the hobgoblin army and air magic support, the army led by him would not be able to wipe out the area near the Mokou Mountains so easily. The largest tribe of hobgoblins.

If nothing unexpected.

The nearby humanoid tribes will never set foot in the territory of Mokou Town easily, because their first consideration is whether they can defeat a militarized hobgoblin tribe.

This battle will soon be recited by bards, and it won't be long before all kinds of stories will spread in the tavern.

After cleaning the battlefield, Obert walked straight to Griffin Mountain.

A long time ago, at the junction of the Mokou Mountains and the rocky wasteland, a small number of mountain people settled on this humble Griffin Mountain.

Here they built stone houses and fortifications to defend against frequent raids by wilderness tribes.

It is said that when the mountain people are threatened by dire threats, they will retreat to a cave in the mountain for safety.

Legend has it that this cave is so deep that it connects to the Underdark.

It's not a legend now, Obert thought: it's a fact, and the caverns of Griffin's Hill do lead right into the Underdark.

If not, they would not be so persistent in destroying the hobgoblin tribes entrenched here.

Now, this cave leading to the Underdark region is not only a business route for accumulating wealth for the treasury of Mokou Town, but also a settlement for the stone giants.

In this operation against the hobgoblin, in addition to his purple dragon knights and garrison soldiers of the garrison, hundreds of stone giants led by Stone Whisperer Hegram participated.

This group of giants who are proficient in earth elemental spells are best at fighting in the mountains, and they dealt a devastating blow to the hobgoblin army.

Even the hobgoblin's military fortress collapsed under Lord Stone Whisperer's earthquake spell.

This is a perfect expulsion battle, the purple dragon knight thought.

Unfortunately, the protagonist is not him, but the lord who they have never met from the beginning to the end.

Perhaps one day in the future, he can also become the protagonist of a legendary story, but now he is just a well-known Zilong general.

Or the descendants of the rebels... he thought bitterly.

He is a descendant of the Golden Feather family. His ancestors were once the rulers of Araby City, but because of a rebellion that declared independence, his family was deprived of titles and land by the king, and the few surviving members were permanently exiled.

As a descendant of a fish that slipped through the net, Oubert has been working hard towards cleaning up the family's stains and restoring the family's glory.

In the quiet and dark cave, he listened to the echo of the water drops falling into the pool, and through the finely carved stone wall corridor, he came to the residence of Lord Stone Whisperer Hegram.

At the end of the war, he needs to hand over the defense of the Mokou Mountains to the old giant.

The stone giant is a race of escape from the world, and he likes to live a peaceful and quiet life, and his mission is to protect the safety of the territory of Mokou Town and prevent foreign enemies from aggressing.

As usual, every time he met with the other party, the four-meter-high old giant sat in a spacious and bright hall, like a silent rock, waiting patiently for him.

"General Aubert, please sit down." The old giant raised his hand, slightly narrowed his cloudy eyes with astigmatism, and his voice was soft and soft, as if he was on a calm lake.

"Excuse me, Your Excellency the Stone Whisperer." Albert bowed slightly and saluted the old man.

He was about to sit on the stone chair, when out of the corner of his eye he suddenly noticed an elegant man admiring the lifelike murals on the wall with great interest, nodding his head from time to time.

This elegant gentleman turned his back to himself, wearing a black cloak, and carrying a picture scroll wrapped in black cloth on his back, which was slightly larger than the two-handed giant sword of a heavily armored warrior.

As if he noticed his gaze, or he caught the gentleman's attention when he communicated with His Excellency Stone Whisperer, he turned around slowly.

The gentleman was dark brown and rather youthful in appearance, but with a wise eye and a scholarly air.

On his left breast placket, there is a unique pattern composed of three mountain peaks and moon-like silver balls embroidered with gold and silver thread. Anyone who looks at it will be impressed.

"Prince of Shadow, Brenas Tanshul!" Oberth exclaimed with his lion-like eyes wide open, and subconsciously reached out to touch the saber at his waist.

As the commander of the purple dragon knights, he remembered the characteristics of the shadow princes as clearly as he usually practiced his swordsmanship.

Following his exclamation, the peaceful atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Obert felt unbelievable about the ghost prince that appeared here, and even began to wonder whether the stone giants had thrown themselves into the ghost city.

"Don't be nervous, General Oberth," said the old giant with a smile.

The gentle tone made Oubert calm down involuntarily, but he still looked warily at the young Shadow Prince not far away.

"The Purple Dragon Knight of the Kingdom of Cormyr really lives up to its reputation." The Ghost Prince's tone was gentler than that of the old giant, and his smile made people feel like a spring breeze, "It seems that my presence has made you feel more stressed. Retire."

The young gentleman saluted the old giant gracefully, and when he walked up to Albert, he deliberately slowed down and said in a meaningful tone, "Relax, you must learn to adapt, after all, the next time we meet There will be more."

As the faint footsteps of the Shadow Prince disappeared from the hall, Oubert's overly tense mood gradually relaxed.

"What's going on, Lord Stone Whisperer?" He couldn't wait to ask, "Why is Prince Shadow appearing here."

"It was arranged by your lord." The old giant motioned him to sit down, and said in a soft tone, "He and this ghost prince are friends in cooperation, and the purpose of coming to me is to take a pill that can enter Stone Whisperer Crystal in Inscribed Vale."

Inscribed Valley?
Obert frowned and pondered for a moment, and finally remembered that the Inscribed Valley is located in the Underdark region, and it is a legendary library built by stone giants.

There is no doubt that the Stone Whisperer Crystal should be the key to the Inscribed Valley.

Before he could continue to ask, the old giant spoke again, "The Inscribed Clan records the knowledge of our Stone Giant Clan, as well as the echoes of the past, present, and future scattered in the hall. Anyone who has been to this place can find them through the echoes. to their tracks."

"Then what is the purpose of this ghost prince?" Obert temporarily suppressed the question of "why the lord cooperates with the other party" and asked curiously.

"Help your lord in finding a lost mind flayer city, Elaentor."

The old giant whispered: "It is rumored that the sage of Elaentor was once the greatest human arcanist during the Netheril Empire."

Regarding the history of the Netheril Empire, Obert only knew about the City of Shadows.

He didn't ask too much, and he didn't ask why the Prince of Shadows could become a cooperative friend with their lord.

His premonition told himself that this wise stone giant priest probably didn't know either.

After he handed over the defense issues of Griffin Mountain to His Excellency Stone Whisperer Hegram, he rode his horse and headed towards Mokou Town at the fastest speed without any further delay.

Because he received a magical message from the wizard's tower, Mr. Oglul, the land-born dragon tortoise, had important matters to discuss with him.

the next day.

When the last rays of the setting sun disappeared over the horizon, Obert returned to Mokou Town in a hurry.

He returned to his residence in the Rock Bunker, took a hot bath, changed into light clothes, and walked towards the Wizard Tower.

In a living room on the third floor of the wizard tower, he saw the old human form of the land-born dragon turtle, and he had been waiting for him for a long time.

The decoration in the room is very simple, there is not even a decent piece of furniture, there is no marble floor on the ground, and the walls are mainly made of sand.

However, Paladin Obert's sense of smell clearly felt a trace of energy similar to a magic circle floating in the humid air.

At this moment, old Mr. Ogluer was teasing some newborn earth mephits. When he saw him enter the room, he waved his hand and let the mephits leave by themselves.

"Old butler, what do you want from me?" He asked respectfully.

As Mr. Ogluer joined Mokou Town, his management of the territory and a series of policies to benefit the people have made most people, including civilians, respect him and voluntarily call him: Mokou The old housekeeper of Kou Town.

Albert is no exception.

In Mokou Town, the prestige of the old Mr. Ogluer is already second only to their young mage lord.

"This time I directly crossed Balleres and called you here because the lord has a very important matter that needs you to complete."

The always amiable old butler didn't smile this time, a solemn look appeared on his old face, and his brows were also furrowed.

Aware of the seriousness of the problem, Oubert said solemnly:
"Old butler, don't worry, since the moment I stepped into Mokou Town and swore allegiance to the lord, I have sworn to do my best to respond to any call from the lord of Mokou Town, obey any of his instructions, and wait for him any dispatch."

He is a descendant of the traitor family, which makes his status in the Kingdom of Cormyr even worse than that of a commoner, and his childhood experience makes him unbearable to look back on.

But the old Duke of Araby took him in regardless of the past, and sent him to the War Academy in Suzar for training.

It was this kind of favor that made him serve the female lord of Araby City faithfully from beginning to end.

Even if the Duchess Myrcella Raul asked him to pledge his allegiance to a strange lord, he did not hesitate to carry it out.

Facts have proved that this young mage lord is indeed worthy of his service.

"It's just a task, there's no need to make it so serious." The old butler was taken aback by Zilong Knight's solemn voice, and then smiled: "Relax, what I'm not used to is the facial paralysis shown by you soldiers." expression."

"But..." Seeing the familiar expression on the old butler's old face, Albert looked at him suspiciously.

"Oh, you said just now." The old housekeeper suddenly said, "The reason why I frowned just now was mainly because I was thinking about the reason why the production of these earth mephits has increased by half."

After speaking, he motioned for the other party to sit down, and then handed him a glass of wine.

"..."

The serious purple dragon knight didn't know how to proceed.

"Old butler, what task did the lord arrange for me?" He took the wine handed over by the old butler and couldn't help asking.

"It's nothing serious, I just plan to let you bring your own troops and Marek's battle mages to station in the dark woodland together."

The lightless woodlands of the Underdark?
While thinking, Oubert picked up the fine wine in his hand and brought it to his mouth, intending to take advantage of the moment of sipping the wine to quickly consider the meaning of the old butler's words.

The Dark Forest is the territory of the fungus. During the occasional meetings held by the acting lord Balleris, he heard the wealthy businessman Graal say many times that the magic potions in the Dark Forest are the main source of income for Mokou Town.

Could it be that the fungus in the dull woodland are in danger?
Albert nodded thoughtfully, and drank the fine wine in his glass.

"Cough! Cough! Cough! . . . "

What he didn't expect was that as soon as the wine reached his mouth, the pungent taste choked him to tears.

The old butler beside him suddenly laughed.

Obert wiped the wine stains on his beard, cleared his throat in embarrassment, and suppressed the burning feeling in his stomach, "It is my duty to be stationed in the lightless woodland in the dark region, but..."

Halfway through the speech, he suddenly didn't know how to continue.

"You want to say that you are overqualified, don't you?" The old housekeeper guessed his thoughts, shook his head slightly, sipped the strong wine in his glass, and sighed.

"The fact is not what you imagined. At this moment, the underdark region has long been targeted by many demon lords from the bottomless abyss because of the surging energy of the earth's veins."

"The most powerful armed force in Mokou Town guards the Dark Forest. The reason for this is not only the promise our lord made to the God of Fungus, but also the safety of the Kingdom of Cormyr."

"How do you say that?" Oubert asked directly, too lazy to use his brain.

"There is a road leading to the Underdark in the Mokou Mountains." The old steward said, "If the Underdark is ravaged by demons from the abyss, do you think our surface kingdom will be safe?"

"So that's how it is." Obert showed a dazed look, and then smiled wryly: "If the Underdark is really being ravaged by demons, I'm afraid we alone won't be able to do anything."

"You don't have to worry about this." The old housekeeper said gently:
"Since the lord arranged for you to go to the Underdark Region, he naturally has his intentions. How could he let you sacrifice in vain. Besides, a teleportation circle has been set up in the dark woodland, and if necessary, it can also support it at the fastest speed. you."

For some reason, after listening to the old butler's explanation, Obert suddenly recalled a very meaningful sentence thrown to him by the prince of ghosts when he saw Braines Tanshul of the city of ghosts yesterday before he left.

This made him faintly feel that he might have something to do with this matter.

However, he has always been used to obeying orders, so he took the task without any hesitation without asking too much.

"As the saying goes: in the dark, the light is the most dazzling." The old butler put down his wine glass, slowly got up from the chair, stood with his hands behind his back, and said solemnly:
"Although I don't quite know what the Lord Lord's real intention is, but I believe that you will be able to create a place of glory in the dark underground world."

"Oubert, this is the item that the lord asked me to hand over to you." He waved his hand, and a long sword with dark golden luster and a badge resembling a mushroom cap appeared out of thin air:

"This is a holy adamantine broadsword, made of adamantium by the gray dwarves, and enchanted by the lord himself. This badge represents the friendship of the mushroom people. people live in peace.”

Looking at the two items of extraordinary quality, Oubert was so excited beyond words, he quickly knelt down on one knee, stretched out his hands, and respectfully accepted the gift from the lord.

Since Mokou Town returned to the embrace of the Kingdom of Cormyr, their young mage lord has strictly ordered to cancel the ceremony of kneeling, but at this solemn moment, only kneeling on one knee can express his inner piety and loyalty.

"Old Mr. Ogluer, I have already gathered all the people you want me to arrange for you." When Oubert's men stood up, a crisp female voice came from outside the door.

He followed the sound and looked over.

The priest Karina of the Mother Earth Church appeared in his sight. This beautiful lady priest was wearing a brown robe and a belt woven with gold thread.

"According to Brian's order, I have selected ten pastors in the church." Karina said with a smile, "However, in my opinion, ten pastors are not enough, so I added more Ten druids who are good at planting and tending."

"How are you doing, are you satisfied?" She winked playfully at the old housekeeper.

"Very satisfied, Miss Karina." The old butler stroked his beard and smiled, "The lord will definitely appreciate your generosity."

"I don't need his gratitude." Karina shook her long black hair carelessly, with a hint of resentment in her tone.

You just want to climb into the lord's bed, Purple Dragon Knight Albert thought.

For the entire Mokou Town, this is no secret.

Because the lady pastor has already made public her love for the lord, and secretly threatened that one day there will be a joyous celebration in the fields under the witness of the Mother Earth.

As for whether the second half of the sentence is true, in fact, he can't guarantee it.

This news was inquired by one of his subordinates from the little boy Levis in the 'Salamander' tavern, who is also the grandson adopted by Balleris. Levis learned about it from the deputy commander of the garrison, Puranda. , and Puranda heard it from a temple knight of the Church of the God of Knowledge.

It is said that the lover of the Temple Knight is a female druid who is best at transfiguration in the Church of the Mother of the Earth, and she heard it from Karina herself.

When Obert was on a mission in Morningstar Town, he witnessed this female druid transforming into an earth storm bear to drive away a group of wandering orcs.

It's good to be young, he couldn't help sighing secretly.

"Uncle Albert, long time no see." Karina walked over with confident and graceful steps, and said with a smile:
"I heard that Brian sent you to the lightless forest in the Underdark. Then I will entrust you to my priests. They are all transferred from the temple in Morningstar Town by me, and they are not good at fighting."

"Miss Karina, don't worry, I will protect them." Obert promised her.

He is quite familiar with this lady pastor.

Ten years ago, the Red Dragon Rebellion in Mokou Town.

The female lord of Arabey picked up a seven or eight-year-old girl from the ruins of Mokou Town, and raised her in the mage's tower as her own sister.

Of course, this little girl is not Miss Karina in front of her, her name is Hisaiah.

He is Miss Hisaiah's swordsmanship teacher, and Karina, who lives in Morning Star Town, is her friend and often visits the Mage Tower in Araby City.

After listening to the old housekeeper's instructions, Obert chose to leave quietly without interrupting the female priestess's chat.

He returned to his lodgings in the Rock Bunker.

His bedroom is a small room diagonally opposite the lord's mansion. During the Zhentarim rule, this was the area where slaves lived.

The room was small, consisting only of a bed, a chamber pot, a wardrobe, and a dusty chair.

On the bedside table he kept a tallow candle and a small statue of Tom, the god of truth.

Since he left the Gauntlet Order and chose to return to the Kingdom of Cormyr to serve the female lord of Araby City, his belief in Tom has become less devout.

Like the Harpers, the Order of the Gauntlets also fights for justice and equality, but their methods and code of conduct are quite different: the Order of the Gauntlets' actions are to spread the pursuit of giri while fighting evil.

Therefore, they never act in secret.

Evil must be defeated and eliminated in broad daylight. Only in this way can the world gain courage and inspiration from the destruction of evil.

Everything has two sides. Although his belief in Tom has become less pious, his belief has become stronger.

It is this belief and oath of the oath of dedication that gives him the power from the paladin, and it has never been shaken by it.

Thinking of the fact that he was about to lead the troops on an expedition to the dark and dark region, Obert felt mixed feelings.

It wasn't that he didn't want to go, but it reminded him of the first time he left Cormyr.

In the third year of training at the War College in Suzar, he fell in love with a half-elf sword mage.

He can still vividly remember the voice and smile of this half-elf girl, as well as her heroic figure when wielding the rune sword.

The taste of first love is always bitter.

The sunny and cheerful half-elf girl turned a blind eye to him, and offered her heart to his classmate of the same period, the king's younger brother, Prince Serant.

It is true that Prince Celant is tall and handsome, with the elegance of a swordsman and the wit of a courtier.

This half-elf girl who longs for poetry, romance and laughter needs passion, not his calmness.

But what is Celant?
He had possessed Sir Wind's wife, had an affair with his cousin's wife from time to time, and even had an affair with the tenth wife of the Marquess Drake of Susa.

No wonder he didn't want to marry, why buy one when all the cows were eagerly waiting for him to be milked?
And that's not counting the fingers of the noble maidens of Suzar who caressed his sun-studded hair, kissed the lips that smiled frivolously, and climbed onto his soft bed.

There is no doubt that this half-elf girl was abandoned by Prince Serant, and finally she found herself crying again.

Therefore, people cannot be protected too well. Even the students of Zhanzheng College, most of them are no different from good girls who are studying. People hit hard.

Oubert naturally wouldn't accept it either, but he chose to have a fair duel with Prince Celant.

In Zhanzheng Academy, duels among students are as frequent as eating and drinking.

He originally thought that this would be a difficult battle, but who would have thought that it would be a one-sided trend.

Prince Serant thought that this honest man who had always been taciturn would not dare to do anything, but unfortunately he miscalculated.

His first punch hit Prince Serant's mouth, and his lips split open like a cherry, and a red liquid flowed out.

Oubert withdrew his hand and hit the same part again. Prince Celant raised one foot and made a comical half-circle on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood and a few teeth, and fell on his back.

Immediately afterwards, he ignored the instructor's dissuasion and the sound of drawing the sword behind him, raised his kick and kicked Prince Serant in the face, breaking his cheekbones.

Although the best priest in Suzar was hired afterwards to restore the appearance of Prince Celant, Oberth was kicked out of the War College because of this.

In order to prevent the revenge of Prince Sairante, he embarked on a journey of escape with two friends.

These two friends: Custer, with freckles and perfect bow and arrow, and Wood, who is handsome but has poor eyesight.

One was a laugher, the other was a lecher, and Aubert spent half his youth with the two of them, and they were his best friends.

Although not connected by blood, they are brothers and sisters with him.

This is the first time he has left the kingdom of Cormyr.

It's a pity that when they arrived at the disputed land of Vihon Sea on the 'Elf Maiden', the Jondas pirates killed them under the cover of darkness before dawn.

The crew fought hard to save the ship, but at the cost of 53 lives, including his two companions.

After the battle, the crew stripped the boots, belts and weapons of the dead pirates, divided the pirates' wallets, and took away the magic rings and earrings. One pirate was so fat that he had to chop off his finger to get the ring. .

The crew had more respect for the dead. They wrapped the dead body in canvas and stuffed it with gravel to make the body sink faster.

It shouldn't be like this.

Looking at the corpses of the two companions, this was a thought in Oubert's heart at that time.

"This will be a legendary story to tell to my grandchildren." Carters said excitedly as he let the salty sea breeze blow his long hair as he set off from the port of Suzal.

"You mean the stories you tell the maids in the tavern, so that they will take the initiative to lift their skirts." Another companion, Wood, said with a smile.

"If you want grandchildren, you have to have children. If you want children, of course someone has to lift their skirts."

They stood excitedly on the boat, discussing whether to go to Waterdeep City or Baldur's Gate.

He even talked about the wonders to be seen, the legends to be accomplished, and the glory to be won.

As a result, all they got was a canvas bag stuffed with gravel, and now Oubert is 45 years old, and the so-called wonders, legends and glory are not enough.

"Zheng!"

Oberth pulled out the holy adamantine broadsword bestowed upon him by the lord, and looked at the statue of Tom that the head of the gauntlet order in Waterdeep City gave him when he became a paladin.

In the choice of the sword and the statue, he recalled what the young mage lords had mentioned to them about the legend of destiny in the meeting.

"The legendary path of priests is far more difficult than wizards and warriors, because if they only think that their power comes from gods and cannot understand the essence of their own power, it is impossible for them to cross that layer of heaven and advance to the legendary realm."

"Druids and rangers know that their magical power comes from nature."

"But apart from the natural faction, the priests of other gods usually think that their power is bestowed by the gods, and the gods can deprive them of their power and give them power according to their joy and anger."

"Essentially speaking, the power source of the clergy is the power of faith, and the gods just use divine power and magic nets to visualize the power of faith."

"However, those priests who have stepped into the fourth-order model level and are qualified to pursue the legendary path of destiny, who are not extremely pious believers who can dedicate themselves to their faith? Doubt is the first step, but most priests are stuck Here, to doubt one's own power is blasphemy to the priest."

"In darkness, light shines brightest."

Purple Dragon Knight Oberth muttered to himself, and gradually realized the true meaning of the last words left to him by the lord and the old steward.

…………

(End of this chapter)