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Ravenna explained in a low voice, "Those are hunter mages. They're responsible for monitoring all ships and people entering and leaving Luskan, especially those from areas that might have ties to the Reformers."
Casalos stared intently at the three ships: "You also have connections with the reformers?"
"There's no direct contact, but they have close ties with Waterdeep, and we're now trying to get in touch with the Lord of Waterdeep..." Alwin explained, but seeing Casalos's lips curl into a slight smile, he immediately realized he might have said too much.
Casalos extended his hand in a reassuring gesture: "Don't worry, I know who the ruler of Waterdeep is. In fact, I have some personal ties with Lord Casalos."
Ravenna's eyes lit up instantly: "You know that dragon?"
"Just a personal relationship." Casalos carefully chose his words, pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "In that case, let's play a game. Ms. Ravenna, I need your assistance—let's prepare some 'surprises' for the Arcane Brotherhood."
Ravenna looked at him suspiciously: "What surprise?"
Casalos's eyes gleamed dangerously: "Prove that I have everything you need to support your cause—especially the surprise of the power you so desperately crave. I assure you, by sunrise tomorrow, you will understand what true 'support' really means."
He turned to Tona and whispered in a voice only she could hear, "Ready, darling? I think the prelude to a symphony of lightning and revolution will make our date even more romantic."
Toona might not like this kind of thing, but she would never interrupt her spouse's enjoyment at this time. She showed great excitement and anticipation: "Ready, my spouse."
Ravenna crossed her arms and whispered to the "couple" before her, "Alright, Mr. Meredon, I accept your offer. But if I don't see your so-called 'proof' by tomorrow sunrise, don't blame me for being impolite."
Casalos bowed slightly: "Willing to bet on cooperating with me is the wisest decision you've made tonight, Scar Whisperer."
His gaze fell once more on the harbor, where the three patrol boats had approached the dock, and the mages on board were preparing to disembark. Casalos opened his eyes, which were now vertical pupils unlike any other—on this night, Luskan was about to face a storm it had never experienced before.
At the eye of the storm were a pair of dragons in disguise.
30. What you need
Casalos and Toona stood silently on the observation deck, bathed in the silvery light of the Suren, which cast a soft halo around them. In the distance, the lights of Luscany began to illuminate, revealing the duality of this commercial city—the lights of the towers were as bright and dense as stars, while the flames on the masts were sparse and dim. Beneath this breathtaking scenery lay irreconcilable contradictions and conflicts.
On the sea, three patrol ships of the Arcane Brotherhood slowly approached the harbor, their sails billowing in the night wind, silently closing in on their prey like sharks hunting their prey. The mages on board, clad in deep purple robes, stood on the deck, ready to unleash spells at any moment. Their destination was unclear, but judging from their course, it seemed to be the dock area where the Moonlit Hotel was located.
"Are you ready, my dear?" Casalos asked softly, his eyes already gleaming with a pale blue arcane light. A well-timed display of force is more persuasive than a thousand words, especially for those accustomed to solving problems with violence.
"We can start anytime," Toona replied, her slender fingers gently brushing a strand of silver hair, her eyes sparkling with the same anticipation as Casalos's. She smiled, a graceful curve to her lips, "It's been a long time since I've been able to move around so relaxedly."
Ravenna stood to the side, completely baffled by the conversation between the "couple." To her, three fully equipped arcane patrol ships, accompanied by hordes of mages, were approaching them—a situation of extreme danger. Yet these two strange merchants were behaving as if they were about to enjoy a delightful opera after dinner.
"What are you going to do?" Ravenna asked warily, observing the movement on the sea while calculating possible escape routes from the observation deck. Behind her, the nautical chart formed by the scars flickered with dark red dots again, indicating the ship's precise location.
Casalos and Toona didn't answer directly, but exchanged a meaningful glance. Without needing any more words, the two took a step forward in unison and leaped over the railing of the observation deck on the hotel's rooftop.
"No!" Ravenna cried out in terror, rushing toward the fence to stop the crazed "suicides," but it was too late.
To her astonishment, the two human figures did not fall as expected. Instead, they suddenly twisted and grew larger in mid-air, their skin transforming into shimmering scales, their bodies extending into powerful dragon claws, and enormous wing membranes unfurling from their backs. In the blink of an eye, the two humans vanished, replaced by two graceful dragons soaring in the moonlight—all of this was merely a visual illusion automatically filled in by the brain; the transformation involved no physiological change, more like a kind of replacement?
The silver-blue dragon, originally Edwin Meredon, and a larger yet equally elegant female dragon hovered around him.
Ravenna almost forgot to breathe, her mind replaying the ancient legends her elders told by the hearth. In those stories, dragons were always depicted as terrifying and powerful creatures, destroyers, and calamities to the world. The appearance of hordes of dragons in Waterdeep had changed people's perception of dragons. After learning some of their deeds, the barbarians even hoped to contact Waterdeep to gain the support of the Iron Dragon Lord.
But when the dragons' perfect bodies were displayed up close, she still couldn't suppress the awe in her heart. The two dragons' postures exuded an extraordinary elegance and beauty, making it difficult to associate them with those terrifying legends or iron-fisted regimes.
"You go first, my dear." Casalos's dragon call echoed in the air, its slightly deep voice resonating with a melody like a whale's song. It stepped aside to make way for Toona. Toona gracefully flapped her wings, steadying herself as she skimmed across the sea. She took a deep breath, her chest rising slightly, and then, to Ravenna's astonishment, a bolt of silver-blue lightning shot from her mouth, striking precisely the first patrol boat approaching the dock.
Where the lightning struck, the ship's hull was instantly torn apart. The leaping arcs of electricity ignited the wooden masts, and the fire spread at a visible speed. Within seconds, the entire ship was reduced to scattered debris, along with the mages aboard, bursting into flames. The aftershocks of the lightning stirred up rings of mist and leaping blue flames on the sea surface, almost scorching and boiling the surrounding water.
However, this beautiful sight was fleeting. Under the influence of inertia and gravity, the hollowed-out mast snapped first, followed by the disintegration of the ship, countless fragments raining down into the sea. Several surviving mages desperately cast spells to resist, but it was futile. Paralysis and burning had seeped into their bones, and oxygen deprivation interfered with the flow of their blood and magic.
The ship and its crew sank into the unfathomable sea amidst the smoke and fire, leaving only a plume of steam rising from the surface as the dragon's wings swirled around them.
Before the mages on the second and third ships could react, Casalos had already swept its massive wings forward. Blue magical light gathered at the tips of its wing hooks, flowing like mercury, and quickly fused into a blue-purple sphere the size of a carriage, releasing a light visible to the naked eye and radiating a heart-palpitating aura, like a new star about to explode.
"Arcane Missiles...biu~biu~biu." Casaloz chanted in the dragon language, and only Toona could hear a playful joy in his tone—dragons' spellcasting gods chanted silently, and what he was chanting wasn't a proper incantation.
As the wing hooks were swung, a dozen purple arcane missiles shot out in quick succession like arrows, strung together by several thin lines of similar color, and swept towards the remaining two ships.
The Arcane Missiles traveled at an astonishing speed, covering hundreds of meters in the blink of an eye, and accurately hitting the two targets.
Each energy ball, upon striking its target, unleashed power comparable to a high-level destructive evocation spell. Amidst the deafening explosions, a storm shrouded in a mysterious blue-purple light swept across the sea, utterly annihilating the two patrol ships and their mages. The shockwaves created walls of water tens of meters high, and the splashing water formed brief rainbows before Suren's eyes—beautiful yet deadly.
The mages on the ship didn't even have time to cast any protective spells before being engulfed by the storm carrying arcane fire. Those once high-ranking arcane users were so vulnerable before true power. Their hastily cast magical shields were easily shattered, and the broken magical fragments scattered like startled fireflies, disappearing into the night.
The rising heat created more water vapor, which condensed into small clouds high in the sky and slowly drifted away. The sea returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened was merely an illusion. Only the panicked crowds in the distant port area and the urgent sounding of alarm bells proved that some kind of disaster had indeed occurred.
"Perfect." Casalos nodded in satisfaction, almost as if admiring his masterpiece. "A clean and efficient demonstration." It circled back out onto the hotel balcony, facing Ravenna, who was still standing on the observation deck, completely stunned. "I think this should be enough to prove our capabilities."
Ravenna finally snapped out of her daze, instinctively taking a step back, her hands clenched into fists until her knuckles turned white. Her throat was dry, and her voice was hoarse: "You...you are dragons!"
"That's quite a keen observation," Casalos commented sarcastically, but there was no malice in his tone; it was merely a friendly jest. He spread his wings and hovered in front of the observation deck, his vertical pupils staring directly at Ravenna. "Now, I think we can continue our previous conversation—about what kind of support you need, and what I can offer."
Tao Na flew to its side and gently touched its back with her tail: "Perhaps we should revert to human form first to avoid attracting more attention."
The two dragons instantly transformed into human form, gracefully landing back on the observation deck. Toona remained calm, as if she had merely taken a casual stroll; Casalos, on the other hand, straightened his collar, his eyes still gleaming with the lingering effects of arcane magic.
The port area was in chaos, with guards running around and mages casting detection spells to try and figure out what had happened. But there was no trace of any ships on the sea, only a few floating planks to prove that ships had indeed been there.
"So, back to your question—you asked what kind of support we can offer you." Casalos continued calmly, as if the previous interlude was just casual conversation. "In Luskan, you don't lack people to resist, and with proper management, you won't lack funds and resources for resistance activities. Therefore, my support won't be in personnel or supplies. I will give you the strength you most desire, and the ideas and wisdom you truly lack."
Ravenna was still in shock and couldn't fully comprehend Casalos's words. Her gaze shifted between the two men, trying to find any trace of dragons in them, but they looked no different from ordinary humans.
"Let's talk inside," Earl Arwin suggested, glancing into the distance. "I think someone from the city will be here investigating soon. After all, the sudden disappearance of three patrol boats is no small matter."
Casalos nodded in agreement, and the four returned to the reception room, where they could still clearly see the chaotic scene below. Count Alwin seemed to feel the time was right, and then took his leave, leaving the three to talk privately.
Ravenna's attitude had completely changed. Her previous suspicion and disdain had vanished without a trace, replaced by an almost fanatical respect and fear. She even consciously moved to a lower position, waiting for Casalos and Toona to sit down first—perhaps this was the instinctive respect a barbarian could show for power when not in a frenzy?
Once everyone was in position, the fire in the fireplace was lit, its warm light dispelling the chill and tension in the room. Ravenna finally mustered the courage to speak: "You are... the dragons of Waterdeep?"
"Not entirely," Casalos replied with a smile, taking a sip of the hot tea the waiter brought. "But I do have some connection with the lord of Waterdeep, as I mentioned before." He deliberately kept his statement vague, neither fully confirming nor denying his connection with Lord Casalos.
Ravenna swallowed hard, visibly tense. Her fingers unconsciously traced the scars on her back, the strange lines forming a living nautical chart trembling slightly with her emotional fluctuations: "So... the support you mentioned earlier...?"
"Now do you believe I have the ability to support you?" Casalos asked rhetorically, scrutinizing her reaction with a sharp gaze.
"Of course!" Ravenna practically jumped up. "With power like yours, what are the Arcane Brotherhood? Their magic is child's play before you! We can start a rebellion tomorrow and liberate all of Luskan!"
Casalos sighed, shook his head, and his expression turned serious. "This is precisely the issue I want to discuss with you. You lack not only strength, but also direction and wisdom. If you launch an uprising now, even if you successfully overthrow the Arcane Brotherhood, what will happen next? Who will govern the city? Under what system? How will you handle the conflicts of interest between the merchants, nobles, and commoners? How will you rebuild the infrastructure damaged by the war?"
Ravenna was stumped. She opened her mouth but couldn't find a suitable answer. She could swing an axe and chop people, but asking her to answer this kind of question was really putting a barbarian in a difficult position. Besides, she couldn't fully represent the Dawnmast.
Given the Dawnmask's current organizational structure, after overthrowing the Arcane Brotherhood, those leaders would naturally become the new rulers of Luskan. A mage nearly killed in internal strife who faked his death to escape the Arcane Brotherhood, a strange experimental subject who escaped from the Arcane Brotherhood's main tower laboratory, and a former pirate captain—what kind of future will they create for Luskan? It's hard to predict…
"See, this is the problem." Casalos stood up, his gaze passing out the window. The sea in the distance was calm, but the clamor of the dilapidated city grew even more intense. "Force can destroy the old order, but it cannot establish a new one. Without proper ideological guidance, revolution will only descend into chaos and ultimately produce new tyranny."
As it spoke, it took out a seemingly ordinary cloth bag from its side and placed it on the table: "We've prepared some things that might help you find your way."
The bag contained three books, which were placed in front of Ravenna. The books all looked new, with simple and dignified covers, devoid of overly ornate decorations, featuring only simple titles.
The first book at the very top has a long title and is quite thick. On the cover, the words "From Beginner to Expert: Fundamentals of Applied Magic and Arcane" are written in a black, square font. The emblems of the goddess of magic and the god of knowledge are imprinted on the back, indicating the book's high value—it is a magic textbook recognized and supported by the two gods.
The title of the second book puzzled Ravenna. "On Tactics and Strategy"—she recognized the roots of each word, but the inflected form was somewhat incomprehensible to the barbarian's mind. The title of the third book was even more concise, consisting of only one word: "Struggle."
31. Why Fight?
Ravenna carefully took the three books, her eyes flashing with a mixture of surprise and confusion. As a barbarian, she had encountered very few books in her life. And tonight, three books of destiny had fallen into her hands.
She first picked up the thickest book, *From Beginner to Expert: The Fundamentals of Applied Magic and Arcane*, its cover bearing the faint silver glow of the emblems of the goddess of magic and the god of knowledge. In the secret stronghold of the Dawnmast, such a book might be considered a threat, even taboo.
After all, Luskan's knowledge had been monopolized by the Arcane Brotherhood for centuries.
"This book..." Edwin Meredon—no, it should be said that the dragon disguised as a merchant from Moonshadow Island—explained softly, "was published by the First Public Academy Press of Waterdeep, and was directly authorized by the Goddess of Magic. Its authors include a host of archmages such as Shavings of the City of Glory and Devalima of Harua, the Land of Mages, while the priests of Ogmar, the God of Wisdom, were responsible for copying it."
Ravenna's rough fingers carefully turned the pages, as if afraid her calloused fingertips would tear the precious paper. The pages were clean and neat, the layout orderly, the illustrations exquisite, and the text simple yet profound, seemingly designed to make its mysteries understandable even to those who had never encountered magic before.
"This is a universally applicable basic textbook designed for all intelligent beings with no prior knowledge," Mereden continued, "and it's also one of the basic textbooks for Waterdeep's First Academy. In the future, it's very likely to be promoted throughout the continent."
Ravenna tried to read it, but most of the obscure terminology and formulas were like gibberish to her. She was a barbarian, born without any connection to the intricacies of arcane magic. However, even a warrior like her could understand the simple diagrams and explanations in the book.
But more importantly, the insignia of the two deities are unmistakable; the book's value is guaranteed by them, making it absolutely credible. Such a textbook is completely unimaginable in Luskan. The Arcane Brotherhood strictly monopolizes magical knowledge; even contact with it is taboo for ordinary people, who are considered heretics. Obtaining such a book would be priceless for any resistance organization.
Meredon seemed to sense her confusion and smiled, "No matter how credible the contents of an ordinary magic textbook are, it won't create many arcane spellcasters. It's not some kind of artifact that turns anyone who touches it into a warlock—at least you didn't immediately become a warlock after touching it, did you?"
"Then why..."
"Because the emblem of the God of Knowledge is imprinted on this book," Mereden's smile seemed to carry a certain power, like the morning star rising in the darkest hour of dawn, or the pure fire that supposedly burned in the sky during the Dark Ages, "This means you can take this book to any temple of the God of Knowledge, ask the priests of the God of Knowledge to answer your questions about the book free of charge, and equally free of charge request them to copy this book extensively and spread it to everyone who thirsts for magical knowledge... or even to intelligent beings who are not human."
Ravenna's eyes lit up. Although Luskan was ruled by the Arcane Brotherhood, the Temple of Orgmar still existed, albeit in a lowly position and heavily suppressed. If they could utilize the power of this temple…
"You, a barbarian untouched by arcane arts, may not be able to learn magic from 'Introduction to Applied Magic and the Foundations of Arcane Arts,'" Mereden's voice deepened and became powerful, "but what about those others who are gifted but whose birth forever deprives them of magical knowledge?"
Following the instructions, Ravenna turned to a chapter in the book, which detailed the massive census data of the Deepwater Territory's millions of residents and wild intelligent creatures: On the continent of Faerûn, people with the talent to cast spells using arcane magic make up the majority, with humans accounting for more than 50%, and elves, dwarves, halflings and other races approaching 80%, and even goblins, who have the lowest arcane affinity, should account for 1/3 of the casters.
However, the truth is that arcane spellcasters make up less than one-thousandth of the total population of all races in Faerûn—the vast majority of people do not lack arcane talent, but rather lack the opportunity to access magical knowledge.
"Introduction to Applied Magic and the Basics of Arcane Magic" is the opportunity to change this situation.
Meredon, the Waterdeep City dragon disguised as a merchant from Moonshadow Isle, thus gifted this present to the Luscan resistance—a chance for the rebels to gain true power!
"This is more valuable than an army," Ravenna's voice trembled slightly with excitement, "Knowledge is power..."
"That's true," Mereden nodded, "but is that enough?"
Ravenna carefully stroked the covers of the last two books, her expression a complex mix of awe and confusion: "You...you think these are more important than the power of magic?"
"Is power important?" Mereden countered, his vertical pupils unusually clear, more like those of a demon from the hell of Bathor than a dragon's eye. "Of course it's important. Faerûn is a world where individual strength can dictate the course of events. But to resist an organization like the Arcane Brotherhood, power alone is clearly not enough—the demon slayers will become the new demons. Those who gain power and successfully overthrow the mountains that oppress them will only become the new oppressors."
Flames danced in the fireplace, shadows flickered on the walls, and silence filled the room. Ravenna lowered her head, pondering Casalos's words. On her back, the living chart trembled slightly with her emotions, its dark red light flickering like a heartbeat.
"It's a cycle. From the Dawn Age to the Prosperous Age, and then to the Human Age, the civilizations built by different races generation after generation on the continent of Faerûn have never been able to escape this cycle. Only by unifying the laws of nature, society, and thought can we truly break this endless cycle," Mereden continued, his voice filled with the wisdom of a philosopher.
What he didn't tell Ravenna was that he was neither a saint nor did he have any grand ambitions to build an ideal world; in fact, he was currently one of the biggest dictators in Faerûn. A single spark can start a prairie fire; the spread of ideas for global liberation would ultimately point to him. But he didn't really care that much.
Whether it's matter, spirit, or the mystery under the broad definition of magic, all things exist objectively and have their own objective laws of development. The existence of ideas doesn't automatically propel society into a new era, nor does the presence of guiding ideas prevent demon slayers from becoming new evils.
When the old demon king falls, a new one will inevitably emerge—there can only be one demon king, but his corrupting power can easily corrupt a new successor. Thought is not a divine, radiant force; it merely provides a direction for the complete burial of the demon king. That requires generation after generation, over millennia, to fight with sweat, blood, and even life and soul, repeatedly slaying the demon and gradually erasing its corrupting power... Human civilization is far from reaching that level; by then, it will likely have already vanished into history.
At this stage, the spread of liberated thought has the potential to break the almost eternal feudal division of Faerûn, promote production development, and expand trade. This is very beneficial to Iron Dragon, which is enough to make it do so.
The educational reforms in Dragon's Landing were essentially an enlightenment of thought, but they were entirely under Casalos's surveillance and control, constantly being adjusted according to Casalos's will. Luskan, perhaps, could serve as a pilot project, a base, to enlighten these rebels, allowing them to spread those ideas across Faerûn, and to see what kind of shape it would take under such unchecked growth.
It would be very interesting if, like the Ptalian Code of the Metal Dragons, new divine offices could be created and an empty face could be fabricated.
Social experimentation—a term almost synonymous with extreme evil in the context of Faerûn—quietly surfaced in Casalos's mind. His honeymoon with Toona had already taken a bizarre turn with unpredictable consequences. He picked up the second book and handed it to Ravenna. "This book, *Problems of Tactics and Strategy*, is by Casalos and the Thinker Ohmora Sedar. It covers resistance strategies, guerrilla warfare programs, and how to unite the largest, most widespread, and most fundamentally civilized people of Faerûn—farmers, adventurers, the poor, and even non-human intelligent races like goblins and kobolds—to form a united front."
Ravenna opened the book; a prominent note on the inside cover read: "Unpublished."
"What is this book about?" Ravenna asked involuntarily, lowering her voice.
"It tells you a core truth—the war currently raging on the continent of Faerûn is, in nature, a class revolution." Mereden pointed to a passage in the book, "The goal is to break the monopoly of magical knowledge and supernatural power held by the 'pseudo-proletariat' comprised of academic cliques, nobles, royalty, and temples."
Ravenna's rough fingers lightly brushed across the pages as she carefully read the contents: The purpose of this war was not only to liberate mortals, but also to establish a society where knowledge and power were shared, so that supernatural powers would serve to improve productivity, rather than consolidate the rule of a minority. Its righteousness lay in resisting the "pseudo-proletariat's" waste of productivity and oppression of mortals, and in awakening the "inferior" race of Faerûn to unite with some awakened professionals.
These concepts were far too complex for barbarians, but Ravenna was no fool. As the Dawnmast's liaison, she clearly understood the meaning of "rule" and "oppression" as described in the book. She had personally witnessed how the Arcane Brotherhood plundered the wealth of merchants, created slaves, and exploited the common people. The essence behind these actions was precisely what this book revealed.
Meredon continued, "The book proposes a shift from 'resisting evil' to 'liberating knowledge and sharing power.' It reveals how the pseudo-proletariat uses the false opposition of 'good' and 'evil' to mask class oppression. Ordinary people are not only victims but also the main actors in the revolution, needing to acquire magic and skills through education and struggle."
Ravenna nodded involuntarily—this was precisely the intellectual weapon that the Dawn Mast had always lacked. They had passion and courage, but lacked systematic strategic thinking and tactical guidance. How to organize forces, how to evade powerful enemies, how to utilize terrain advantages, how to build an alliance network… these questions had long plagued them, and this book seemed to offer the answers.
She continued reading and discovered that the book outlined three phases of Luscan's revolutionary strategy:
The first phase is strategic defense: initially, the revolutionary forces are weak and need to establish bases in remote areas controlled by Luskan to evade the magical detection and military suppression of the pseudo-proletariat, the Arcane Brotherhood. They must utilize the complex terrain of Faerûn to preserve their strength.
The second phase is a strategic stalemate: undermining the resource base of the pseudo-proletariat through guerrilla warfare, such as attacking the magic material warehouses of the mage tower, liberating the laborers enslaved by the temple, combating pirate raids, and cutting off the nobles' food supply.
When the time is ripe and the forces of resistance have grown strong, the final strategic counter-offensive phase will begin: the Arcane Brotherhood's pseudo-proletariat will eventually weaken due to internal divisions and resource depletion, allowing the revolutionary army to unite with uprisings across the land to launch a counter-offensive against Luskan and the Arcane Brotherhood's main tower, establishing a new order. (The remaining text appears to be unrelated and possibly spam/advertisement.)
Ravenna was deeply shaken; her long-standing doubts about how to resist suddenly became clear. This clear strategic thinking was something the Dawn Mast had never possessed before.
"Finally," Mereden picked up the third book, the thinnest yet most precious, *The Struggle*, "this is perhaps the most important of the three. It analyzes the laws of social development, exposes the essence of class contradictions in Phelan, and discusses the forms and roots of exploitation. This is true intellectual enlightenment, letting people know why we should struggle, what we should fight for, and how to wage a struggle."
Ravenna took the unassuming booklet, a strange sense of awe rising within her. Her scars suddenly throbbed. The marks left by the Arcane Brotherhood mages, the whip marks from the pirate captain, the memories of discrimination she suffered as an outcast among the Luscan nobles… they all reminded her that this struggle was not merely about personal honor or disgrace, but about the fate of millions of oppressed people like herself.
“Tell me, Meredon,” Ravenna said, clutching the three books tightly, her voice low and firm, “why? Why would you—a dragon—give us these things? Shouldn’t dragons only care about their own treasures and territories?”
Meredon smiled slightly, a strange emotion lurking in his smile: "Because intelligent beings, whether dragons or humans, have the right to choose their future. What the Arcane Brotherhood is doing here is simply turning Luskan into their own 'treasure trove'—except they're not hoarding gold and silver, but knowledge and the future of humanity."
"So what do you hope to get out of this?" Ravenna was still somewhat skeptical; there are no free lunches in the world.
"A more enlightened Luskan, a Luskan capable of truly cooperating on equal footing with Waterdeep and Neverwinter, a Luskan who will no longer create scarred female warriors like you," Mereden's gaze softened, "and more importantly, a Luskan who can contribute to the growth of my treasury."
Ravenna looked up abruptly: "Your treasure trove has grown? You mean...?"
"Yes, I want Luskan to be my territory in Faerûn, just as Waterdeep is to Casalos. Ultimately, it's still a matter of treasure and territory. I don't want to see my lands ruined by a bunch of fools who wield power. My people should be wealthy, powerful, and wise enough to match their wealth and power, not a bunch of slaves struggling to survive—such a rule, even if it lasts for ten thousand years, wouldn't amount to the wealth Waterdeep creates for Casalos in a single year."
Ravenna was chilled by the dragon's blatant greed. She couldn't understand why a dragon could create and unleash such devilish knowledge, which would turn Faerûn upside down, simply to increase its own "wealth."
"I understand," Ravenna took a deep breath. "I need time, I need to consult with the other leaders at Dawn Mast. These books... these ideas... will fundamentally change the way we strategize and organize."
“Of course,” Mereden nodded. “You have two days to consider. Two days later, my wife and I will leave Luskan to continue our journey elsewhere. If you decide to accept this new route, you can send someone to meet me at the Moonlit Hotel.”
Ravenna carefully tucked the three books into her bosom and bowed deeply to Meredon and his nominal wife: "Thank you, merchant from afar—or rather, dragon of Waterdeep. Whatever your true purpose, these books have given us hope and direction for resistance."
Meredon nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the chaos in the port area once more. The Arcane Brotherhood mages and guards were still searching for the three missing patrol ships. A smile played on his lips: "Hopefully, by the time we meet again, Luskan will have begun to change."