Tang Qi waved a hand. "I don't want to say this, but I think it's rather ridiculous."
Kandelian frowned deeply, unable to understand what was so ridiculous about it. He could only snort. "Why would I discuss Icewind Valley with someone from the Southern Great Wall?"
"Maybe because you're an arrogant Anzu Devil?"
As devils of exalted status in the Nine Hells, they were both gatekeepers and commanders of legions. They lashed the backs of lesser devils with their iron chains, the flames in their eyes burning with nothing but arrogance and conceit.
Bullying the weak was their nature, but that did nothing to diminish their innate intelligence. Their superb tactical minds often allowed them to seize the initiative when commanding a battle, and their unwavering loyalty was a quality the archdukes of hell valued even more.
They were a ruler's most capable commanders.
And the executioners most despised by those they ruled.
Tang Qi said, "You wouldn't let the disaster from two hundred years ago destroy the peace, so you chose to destroy the peace of these tens of thousands of infected lives first."
"From the moment they became infected with plague source, they could no longer be called living beings. The plague source eats away at their bodies. Their skin ulcerates, their flesh peels away, and sooner or later, they become synonymous with horror and madness."
"But some of them are still lucid and sane. You've seen those druids. They can communicate, they have things they cling to, and they can even work with you to try to break through the Ebony Forest's barrier."
"What makes you think they'll stay sane forever?"
"Then what makes you think they never will?"
Tang Qi spread his hands and shook his head. "You can't prove an unknown outcome. That sort of