Spellcasting Gods

"So what? What does this have to do with me? Besides, the war game in Brooklyn is about to begin. You should be focusing your attention on New York, not faraway Europe." Zhang Cheng deliberately shrugged, feigning indifference.

“No, no, no, dear Zhang, you simply don’t understand what the appearance of the entrance to the fragmented world means. Based on previous precedents, the council will most likely change the rules and location of the war game, making the capture of the newly appeared fragmented world a condition for victory. I heard you’re actively working to obtain a lord’s title for yourself? Believe me, given the current situation, you’ll get what you want in three days at most, and then in about half a month, you’ll participate as a lord,” Catherine explained meaningfully.

"You mean I'll be forced to participate in this war game?" Zhang Cheng frowned subconsciously.

Undoubtedly, this was quite different from his plan. To be precise, he intended to acquire titles and territories after the war game was over, rather than rashly getting involved in a huge conspiracy and power struggle.

"Yes! Not just you, but no one in the entire Brooklyn underworld can escape. To survive, to gain more power, wealth, status, and strength, one must fight with all one's might. However, one person's strength is limited, and many times we need to unite to defeat our enemies. Now, I formally invite you to join my alliance. What do you say?"

Noticing the waiter carrying the dishes toward them, Catherine, who had been circling around for a while, finally revealed her true purpose.

"An alliance?" Zhang Cheng glanced at the completely bewildered Elizabeth, a sarcastic smile on his face.

He simply couldn't understand how the other party had the audacity to scheme against him while simultaneously hoping to form an alliance with him.

Catherine understood the sarcastic expression on his face. After the waiter had served all the dishes, she calmly hinted, "Dear Zhang, in our world, friends and enemies are constantly changing. You must learn how to find enemies among friends and friends among enemies. Perhaps I have some ulterior motives towards you, but that doesn't prevent us from joining forces for our common interests, does it?"

"I'm sorry, I need to think about this matter further and can't give you an answer right now. Let's leave this topic here for now and have something to eat, otherwise the food won't taste good when it gets cold."

Zhang Cheng decisively ended the discussion and picked up a spoon to taste the seafood appetizer soup in front of him.

Since no one spoke again, the entire meal was rather dull, and the terrible silence was finally broken when he left.

"Elizabeth, what do you think of him?" Catherine asked, fiddling with the pudding on her plate, a half-smile on her face.

"Ah! Wh...what is it?" The girl suddenly woke up with a start.

"Hahaha! What a silly girl! It seems my question was a bit unnecessary." Catherine put down her spoon and laughed heartily.

Just as she was about to say something more, Carls suddenly burst into the restaurant, quickly approached her, and said in a low voice, "Madam, I think we're in trouble."

"Hmm? What's going on?" A cold glint flashed in the witch's eyes.

“For some reason, Kane suddenly announced an alliance with Cassandra this morning, and several lords have also betrayed you along with him,” Karls replied with a grave expression.

Chapter 0282 Return to Azeroth

Returning to his residence with a strong sense of vigilance, Zhang Cheng ignored Tracy, who wanted to talk to him, and went straight into the basement. He stuffed all his gains from the world of A Song of Ice and Fire into his magic pouch, then opened the parchment and touched the tower pattern in the upper right corner.

moment!

Golden light illuminated the entire basement!

He even had to close his eyes to avoid the intense stinging and dizziness, and when he opened them again, he was already standing directly in front of the tower.

Two enormous portals stood on the left and right sides. The one connecting to the world of A Song of Ice and Fire was blocked by a huge hourglass. Judging from the speed at which the golden sand was flowing away, it would probably be some time before it could be used.

Meanwhile, the hourglass had disappeared from the other portal to Azeroth, and various magnificent landscapes flashed by on the other end, sometimes showing icy and snowy landscapes, sometimes tropical jungles, and sometimes plague-ridden lands filled with pain, twisting, and death.

Gazing at these familiar yet unfamiliar scenes, Zhang Cheng took a deep breath and complained bitterly, "Damn it! Random teleportation again! I hate uncertainty the most!"

Despite his complaints, he gritted his teeth and went through the portal.

next second...

boom!!!!!!

Before he could figure out where he was, he heard a loud bang that only an explosive device could make, followed by a small black dot that got closer and bigger.

"Cannonballs?!?" Zhang Cheng quickly used his teleportation spell to teleport himself to a safe place.

No sooner had he left than shells rained down from the sky, crashing down upon him.

boom!

In an instant, wood chips flew everywhere. With its terrifying gravitational acceleration, the solid iron ball not only destroyed the deck but also killed two unfortunate men in the cabin below.

"Aaaaah! Return fire! Return fire! Gunners, prepare! We absolutely cannot let these Bloodsail Pirates get close! Otherwise, none of us will survive!" A small, green-skinned man screamed shrilly.

It goes without saying that he is 100% a member of the most greedy and business-minded race in Azeroth—the goblin.

The place where Zhang Cheng was standing was an armed merchant ship. The sailors on board included humans and dwarves from the Alliance, as well as tauren and orcs from the Horde, and even a few burly ogres. It was a real hodgepodge.

The sailors, some armed with bows and arrows, others with muskets, and still others operating cannons, launched an attack on a pirate ship flying a red skull and crossbones flag not far away.

The two sides were engrossed in their game, completely unaware that an outsider had been drawn into the fray.

“Bloodsail Pirates… Goblin Consortium… This is really troublesome…” Zhang Cheng’s lips twitched slightly uncontrollably.

Most importantly, he was currently in a vast ocean, so he only had two choices: either help the goblins defeat their powerful enemy and become the Bloodsail Pirates' mortal enemy, or help the pirates plunder this merchant ship and become the mortal enemy of the goblin consortium. There was no third option.

As for using teleportation runes to return directly to Dalaran, he didn't even dare to think about it. Putting aside the error caused by the ship's violent shaking during long-distance teleportation, the constant barrage of cannonballs made it impossible for him to concentrate on casting spells.

To use teleportation in such an environment is tantamount to suicide; those unfortunate mages with half their bodies embedded in the rocks are the best proof of that.

Just as Zhang Cheng was still deciding which side to join, a young woman wearing a dark blue cropped shirt and gray trousers burst into his hiding place carrying a bucket of water.

"Who! Who are you! I've never seen you before!" the young woman asked loudly and warily.

"Uh...you might not believe it, but I'm actually a mage from the Kirin Tor Council. For some unknown reason, I was accidentally teleported here." With that, Zhang Cheng raised his flint staff and waved it to make it more convincing.

"A mage?! Damn it! You must have been sent by that old man to take me back, right?" The girl smoothed her long brown hair, her eyes filled with disgust and hostility.

"What old man? I'm sorry, ma'am, I don't understand what you're saying." Zhang Cheng felt a little confused and shrugged innocently.

"Stop pretending! Tell me! What benefits did my father promise you?" The girl rolled her eyes relentlessly.

"Father? Your father is a high-ranking member of the council?" Zhang Cheng carefully examined the woman in her early twenties standing in front of him, as if he had remembered something.

The girl curled her lip in disdain and said sarcastically, "A senior member? No, he's not a senior member at all, but an archmage of the Council of Six. His name is Ansrem Ruinvivor."

"Oh my God! So you're the Grand Master's runaway daughter." Zhang Cheng gently patted his forehead.

He never dreamed that he would encounter Caitlin, the rebellious daughter of Anslem Ruinvivor, who had once given him a quest in the game and yearned to become a free-spirited pirate.

The reason this woman is famous is not because she is powerful, but because she unhesitatingly gave up her superior living environment, her vast knowledge, and her potential to become a powerful spellcaster, resolutely choosing to become the lowest-ranking sailor of the Blackwater Pirates.

If you were to write down her experiences from beginning to end, it would basically be a fantastical version of a mischievous child's adventure.

Now that "Blade" Caitlyn has appeared, Zhang Cheng roughly understands where he is now. If nothing unexpected happens, it should be in the Booty Bay area of ​​Stranglethorn Vale.

Given that Rivigaz, the wealthy man who controls Booty Bay, supports the Blackwater Pirates, choosing whom to help is not difficult.

Once he understood this, he immediately said to Caitlin, "Take me to your captain! Now! Right now!"

“Why should I listen to you?” Caitlin proudly raised her chin.

“Listen, girl, I wasn’t sent by your father to take you back, nor do I intend to interfere with your freedom. But the problem is, if you don’t take me to your captain now, this ship will be sunk or captured in a dozen minutes at most. Do you want to die?” Zhang Cheng threatened with a serious expression.

“Alright! Come with me!” Caitlin wasn’t stupid; she could see that her side was at a disadvantage in this battle, so she immediately agreed.

Led by her, the two quickly made their way through the chaotic deck and came to a goblin who was screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Captain, I have found a mage in the cabin. He requests to see you.”

"A mage? What mage?" The short, green-skinned man picked at his ear forcefully.

It was clear that his hearing had been severely impaired by the constant explosions, and he couldn't understand what had just been said.

Zhang Cheng shoved Caitlin aside, pointed to his nose, then to the approaching enemy ships, and shouted into her ear, "What benefits will I get if I help you defeat them?"

Chapter 0283 The Goblin's Greed

"Benefits?" The goblin rolled his slightly cunning eyes.

“Yes! Benefits! My dear friend. According to your goblin values, everything in the world can be priced in money, and my help is no exception. Don’t think that I would help you defeat or defeat your enemies for free. I’m not that kind, especially since the other side is the infamous Bloodsail Pirates.” Zhang Cheng bluntly exposed the other party’s little scheme.

It's important to understand that the Goblin Consortium is a massive interest group similar to Western capitalist groups on Earth. To put it nicely, it's obsessed with commerce and trade; to put it bluntly, it's a fantasy version of a powerful trust monopoly.

If you don't stick to your principles when dealing with these guys, you might end up getting sold out and even helping them count the money.

The most typical example is the tribe whose economic lifeline was unknowingly controlled by goblins.

Whether it was the tauren who were engrossed in their peaceful primitive life, or the orcs and trolls whose minds were filled with thoughts of fighting and killing, they were completely unaware that their food, clothing, shelter, and even war supplies all depended on those greedy green-skinned dwarves.

This is why some goblin corporations later chose to join the Horde. On the one hand, the relatively economically independent Alliance rejected their infiltration, and on the other hand, they were too deeply involved with the Horde, so much so that they eventually had to personally intervene to protect their assets.

After all, there's a famous saying in Azeroth: never underestimate a goblin's greed. If a goblin discovers a way to extract enormous profits from you without paying anything in return, he will absolutely do everything in his power to squeeze every last drop of value out of you…

Many gamers might like the goblins' profit-driven attitude and their catchphrase "time is money," but Zhang Cheng disliked them completely.

His mood worsened, especially when a goblin looked him up and down with the same eye one would give a piece of merchandise.

Fortunately, goblins are not like dwarves with unconventional thinking who can't read other people's minds.

The captain quickly sensed the young mage's anger and immediately grinned, holding up five fingers: "Five gold coins! I'm willing to pay five gold coins if you can kill the Bloodsail Pirates!"

"Five gold coins?! Captain, you're really generous." Zhang Cheng laughed in exasperation.

It's impossible not to laugh. In the eyes of ordinary people in Azeroth, five gold coins is a fairly generous reward, enough to do nothing but soak in a nice tavern and eat and drink to one's heart's content for more than half a month.

For someone hiring a mage, this is a blatant insult. Even the lowest-ranking mage wouldn't accept a mere five gold coins to hire them; instead, they would throw a fireball at the bidder's face.

"Uh, how about fifty gold coins?" The goblin added a zero to the initial price with a pained expression.

As a typical miser, he would be upset for a whole day if he had to pay a stranger fifty gold coins, let alone five copper coins.

Seeing the other party's calculating gaze, Zhang Cheng suddenly realized that haggling with a goblin was just asking for trouble, so he pointed directly to the armed ship at his feet: "I want one-fifth of the cargo on this ship!"

"You're dreaming!" The goblin jumped up as if he had been stimulated.

Having anticipated the other party's reaction, Zhang Cheng shrugged nonchalantly: "Fine, whatever. Friendly reminder: if you wait for the Bloodsail Pirates to sink or capture this ship, you'll lose not only all the cargo, but also the ship and your life. Oh, and by the way, if you ask for my help later, the price won't be a fifth of the cargo, but more..."

boom!

Before he could finish speaking, another shell flew over, this time not only tearing a large hole in the hull but also breaking the mainmast.

With a creaking sound as the wood broke, the mast, thicker than a person, collapsed with a crash, the enormous inertia nearly causing the entire ship to capsize.

As we all know, the only power source for a wooden sailboat is its mast. If the mast is lost, the boat will lose speed and become a sitting duck on the sea. It will either be sunk by the enemy or captured. There is no third way to go.

Of course, the above theory only applies to Earth, which has no magical power. According to the power system of Azeroth, even a slightly stronger warrior can turn the tide of this unfavorable situation.

“My dear friend, the price for me to sell now is one-third of the cargo. My real advice is for you to make a decision soon, otherwise, once they start boarding, the price will rise to half, or even all. However, I am not as greedy as you goblins, and I will leave this dilapidated ship to you.” Zhang Cheng said with a half-smile, taking advantage of the situation.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! You greedy bastard! I really suspect that beneath your human appearance lies a soul just like mine! Fine! One-third of the goods! Deal!"

Seeing the Bloodsail Pirates' warships rapidly approaching, the goblin captain finally nodded in agreement while cursing hysterically.

There was no way to refuse. Ever since the Blackwater Pirates and Bloodsail Pirates turned against each other, they had been locked in a fierce battle on the southern coast of Stranglethorn Vale, and neither side would let the other's ships escape once they spotted them.

Therefore, if he wanted to keep his ship and the important cargo on board, he couldn't think of any other way but to pay the price.

“A wise choice, Captain. I guarantee you’ll feel it was worth it.” With that, Zhang Cheng turned around and began chanting a spell loudly, unleashing a wide-range fire spell—Flame Storm—aimed at the enemy who was waving their grappling hooks and attempting to board the ship.