"Praise the great Waukeen, Goddess of Wealth. Praise His Majesty the wise and enlightened Emperor. May the Imperium remain strong forever."
The merchant lowered his head and offered a devout prayer.
For every subject of the Sword Coast Empire knew that their Emperor was, in truth, no different from a god and could hear their prayers.
Though he almost never responded, and rarely granted Divine Magic to certain believers with potential.
Merchants in particular would always mention His Majesty the Emperor whenever they spoke of Waukeen, Goddess of Wealth, as a way of expressing their respect and gratitude.
After all, the Sword Coast Empire was one of the few places that could guarantee merchants' property and personal safety. They did not have to worry about their hard-earned money being forcibly taken by Dragons, Monsters, bandits, cults, and the like.
Under the protection of the Mythal and barriers in every major city, no crime could remain hidden as long as someone wanted to investigate it.
As the merchants inspected this once-prosperous city of Thay, a bald Red Wizard approached with his subordinates.
He first cast a complicated look at the fully loaded airship, then drew a deep breath and forced out a smile. "Gentlemen, please allow me to welcome you to Thay on behalf of the Council. The Circle Masters have prepared a lavish banquet in your honor. Please, follow me."
"May I ask how we should address you?"
The slightly plump merchant was clearly the representative of this trading company. Having dealt with Red Wizards more than once, he stepped forward and discreetly slipped a small pouch into the other man's voluminous sleeve.
The Red Wizard instinctively squeezed it. Feeling several hard objects inside, he hurriedly opened the pouch for a glance. It was filled with more than twenty gemstones,