"Not successful yet? No effect?" asked Tasia.
"It worked, but I found that there was more than one node on the west side. After this beam of light disappeared, there was another beam of light a few hundred meters away supplying energy to the shield. And as soon as the beam of light on this side disappeared, the beam of light on the other side became significantly brighter and thicker. This means that the city defense barrier has adjusted the shield's energy charging. So we have to destroy the second node again."
"Do you know the general direction?" Elena asked.
Xiao Chen said: "It should be somewhere in the north. But I think this alchemist should know more about it, right?"
When Donato saw Xiao Chen coming here, everyone followed his lead and saluted him quickly, saying, "I know, my lord. I'll take you there right away! But the shield generating room over there is separated from this side. The master who designed this barrier made this design so that any problem with any important barrier component would not easily spread to other places. We must leave this stone path and enter the stone path on the other side to get there."
"Then let's go."
The group followed Donato to the exit of the stone passage. Donato took out his crystal and placed it on the wall, then opened the door to the outside corridor.
But what I didn't expect was that as soon as the door opened, I encountered seven or eight people blocking the door outside.
Xiao Chen recognized that the leader was the Marquis's confidant Marco. The female mage Ada who had been with him before was also there. There was another person next to him who looked very similar to him and also had two swords on his back. That must be his brother Marissa. There was also an alchemist in the other team. He seemed to be about to open the door, but unexpectedly the door was opened from the inside first.
The two teams were surprised to see each other suddenly. Marco's companions drew their weapons. Xiao Chen's team was full of mages, and they all took out their staffs. The halo of magic began to gather at the top of the staff.
However, to everyone's surprise, Marco did not draw his sword, but instead shouted, "Stop!"
Seeing his reaction, Xiao Chen did not release the mental blast that he had prepared. He asked, "Mr. Marco, what do you want to say?"
Marco stopped his men with his hands and said, "Sir, you who call yourself Patin, can you tell me your real name now?"
“Does it matter?”
"It's very important. Only after I know who you are can I decide whether it is necessary to continue talking to you." Marco said.
"Okay. My name is Xiao Chen, I wonder if you have heard of me?"
"So it's you. No wonder. Anyone who is not deaf in Suero has heard of your name." Marco seemed to relax a little at this time. "Since it is Mr. Xiao Chen, then we can discuss a deal."
"I thought Marquis Baldini was not interested in trading with us." Xiao Chen said.
"Not doing business with the Marquis, but with me," said Marco.
As soon as these words came out, Marco's brother and subordinates became agitated. It was obvious that they didn't know Marco's plan. Marco whispered a few words in his brother's ear, and then glanced at the others, asking them to shut up.
Xiao Chen also reached out to stop the mages who were ready to attack, and said, "We Chinese have always believed that doing business is better than fighting. Let me hear what you suggest."
Marco said: "Before this war started, I already knew how powerful the Chinese were. In fact, I have always preferred to cooperate with you rather than the Imperials. I know that as long as I surrender to you in time, the price you offer will not disappoint me.
But the Marquis and I have a different perspective on the issue. He thinks that maintaining his noble status is more important than anything else, and the inheritance of his family is more important than his own life. So he still chose the empire after the king's death.
My brother and I are just two knights from poor backgrounds. This kind of noble title is not of much value to us. Although we have high-level strength, we have no foundation in the circle and it is difficult to climb up.
On the contrary, I know that in your place, ordinary people can also make a career. Many slaves who left this city have become well-known figures and come back here to deal with our stewards. I believe that with our abilities, there will be better results. "
Xiao Chen said: "You want to come to us, but Marquis Baldini won't allow you to do so. Do you want to come to us on your own?"
"No!" Marco sighed and said, "I just want you to let the Marquis and us go. We will not go to the Empire, but to the southern city-state for refuge."
"Brother, how could the Marquis agree to such a thing?" Marissa said.
Marco said, "Don't we need to think of things that the Marquis can't think of?"
Xiao Chen said: "So, you arranged this route for the Marquis on your own initiative? He doesn't even know that you want to 'save' him?"
"I have watched three battles. The first one was your ambush on Garriott in the bell tower. The second one was the army outside the city fighting against Garriott's cavalry. The third one was the siege that is happening outside now. I met you here again. I guess the shield formation here has been destroyed by you, right
At this point, I am very clear that it is impossible for us to defeat you. The Marquis does not understand military affairs and has not realized how big the gap between the two sides is. He is still immersed in the illusion that he has an advantage in military strength and has the help of the Black Guards.
He simply doesn’t understand that Garriott might not even be able to save his own head, yet he’s still counting on him.”
"If it were someone else..." He glanced at the alchemist Donato standing in the mage camp, "they would just surrender directly, but my brother and I have received great favors from the Marquis. It can be said that our achievements were all granted by him, so we can't just leave him alone."
Xiao Chen asked again: "What can you give me?"
Marco said, "I see you have destroyed one of the shield generating rooms. I can give you the key to open and control the other generating room, so that you can directly shut it down without even destroying the magic circle."
Xiao Chen said: "This is not enough. We can do it without your help in a little time."
Marco added: "I can transfer all the commanders of the army in the city so that you can capture them all in one fell swoop. I can also tell you the wealth of the nobles and wealthy businessmen in the city."
"Do you think the Suero City Guards have a chance of turning the tables in front of our army? I think it would be difficult for them to even cause casualties to us. As for the nobles and wealthy businessmen, can they still escape? I hope you can show enough sincerity."
Marco knew that he didn't have much leverage, so he said, "Then please tell me, what do you need in order to agree to my terms?"
Xiao Chen stretched out a finger and said, "Then I will add one condition. Help us deal with those black guards, and I want you to do it yourself!"