From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 430 Doubts abound
Losanda, the Lord of Dawn, is the god of spring, birth, and innovation, presiding over gestation, vitality, youth, renewal, and self-perfection. He not only wields the sun's radiance but also represents dawn and new beginnings.

Thanks to the sun that shines over Faerûn, the faith of Losanda is widespread throughout the continent. Merchants and artisans in cities pray to Him for a smooth start to their new businesses, travelers visit His temples before setting out, artists and bards pray to Him for new inspiration, and even couples who have just given birth pray to Him for the healthy growth of their child.

On the second floor of the Guichen Monastery, Ivy and her teammates were in a hall decorated with a giant stained-glass window.

The plan to bypass the Gisyanki trap by cable car was a success. However, due to years of disrepair, the cable car's winches were jammed together.

Perhaps because they didn't believe that anyone would dare to use or be able to use this cable car system that spans the valley, the Gisyanki people who were protecting the nursery did not take any protective measures on or around the cable car platform.

With the help of Hell Champion Warrior's muscular arms and a little magic from Ivy, the shaky, drafty cable car still managed to deliver the purification-seeking team to the outside of the incubator.

Apart from a corpse lying among the broken pillars, this temple dedicated to Losanda appears to have no connection whatsoever with the Githyanki people, judging solely from its appearance.

Fortunately, the dead can also speak. Using the necklace of the Registrar Jego, the evil thought successfully extracted the location of the Githyanki from the mouth of this cultist of the Supreme God.

The adventurers were already very familiar with the remaining steps.

It's nothing more than prying open some locks, smashing down some walls, and using various methods to bypass the enemy's early warning and defense measures, and then getting inside the building.

Oh, right, we also need to scavenge anything we can find that we might need.

Relying on the evil thought's keen sense of magical objects, the team successfully found a magical weapon in the hall where they were now.

It was a longsword wrapped in intricate gold and silver threads, its decorative runes revealing a strong religious atmosphere. Even though dust had been firmly locked onto the surface of the blade over time, it had not been able to erode its sharpness.

However, although it is a usable magical weapon, it is no sharper than the swords and blades in the hands of adventurers.

The only thing worth noting is that there are four stone pedestals in this hall where ceremonial swords are placed, but the other three pedestals are now empty.

Holding the ritual hammer he'd looted from the kobolds in the monastery's cellar, Xie Nian compared it to the ritual longsword on the stone platform and declared confidently, "Their craftsmanship appears identical. Although this hammer has been ravaged by the kobolds for far too long, my sharp eyes will never miss these similarities!"

“In other words…” Karak, standing next to her, chimed in at the opportune moment.

“There are two other similar magical weapons in this monastery!” Evil Thought nodded.

“We’re here to seek purification, not to explore!” Leizer’s anxiety was palpable; the closer she got to the nursery, the more uneasy she became.

"What's the rush? The mind-stealing tadpoles in our brains won't suddenly flare up anyway. Besides, Ivy's disguise magic can last a long time. If the Githyanki are really as united and friendly as you say, we can get treatment whenever we visit." Evil thought nonchalantly picked up the ritual sword from the stone platform. "I just don't understand... why can the Githyanki tolerate creatures like kobold little magicians nesting next to their kindergarten? Don't they like clean and tidy homes?"

“For disguise,” Leezel replied impatiently. “There aren’t many warriors in the nursery, and we must ensure the safety of the newborns. Making the monastery look like a ruin is the most reasonable disguise.”

“It seems your society isn’t quite as efficient in its approach to warfare as you claim.” Minsara stood with her hands behind her back, looking like a visitor to an art gallery. “Leezel, when you wield your weapon, you always display a fierce precision, and your way of thinking also attempts to interpret precision and efficiency. I admire the culture that has shaped you into this person, but I also regret the incompetence of your queen.”

"No one shall live to insult the great Queen of Vairakis!" Leezel threatened. "You should be glad you're still my teammate, or the glass beneath your feet will have some fresher colors to it!"

“I have no doubt about your resolve, Leezel,” Minsara scoffed. “But you might want to hear my reasons. The Githyanki must establish nurseries on the Prime Material Plane, where time flows, to ensure the next generation of their race can grow. And for the safety of these infants, they resort to these inefficient and unsightly methods of protection and disguise. If I were your queen, I would send a large army to attack a city on the Prime Material Plane and enslave all its inhabitants. Then I would centralize the numerous nurseries scattered throughout the plane. Unified management and training would be far more efficient and would allow for the production of a continuous army.”

"Such a city only needs to appoint a governor or establish a ruling council. In order to ensure their lives continue in the astral plane, the governor and council members must return to the Queen's court after their term ends. In this way, as long as the main city in the astral plane is controlled and a new governor is sent to the city in the prime material plane every once in a while, the cities of the Nagisyanki will never experience rebellion or power struggles."

"What's even more remarkable is that the Githyanki are oviparous, and their centralized upbringing and training do not create vast political families. All power naturally concentrates in the hands of the Queen alone. I really can't understand why the Githyanki haven't controlled the entire Astral Plane, or even the entire Prime Material Plane, and spread the Queen's will to the ends of the earth."

At this point, Minsara revealed a contemptuous smile: "Either your queen who lives in the astral plane is an idiot who only knows how to play dirty political games, or her rule over the Githyanki is a floating duckweed built on a huge lie, with ulterior motives."

Even Ivy couldn't help but applaud Minsara's keen insight. She was right; the rule of Vairakis was indeed built on lies.

Ivy remembered that in the game, you could meet the legendary Githyanki centurion at Dragon Pass, who would ask the protagonists to make a deal with Raphael to save Prince Orpheus from the Astral Prism.

Although Ivy, who hadn't finished the game, didn't know the prince's ultimate fate, he at least understood one thing: the rule of Vyrakis was a complete lie. Standing opposite Minsara, Leezel was utterly stunned. The Star Bay Nursery had trained her into a loyal and efficient warrior; political maneuvering and ruling games were clearly not her forte.

Even a fool could understand the vast vista that Minsala described. Her logic was so perfect that it seemed highly plausible.

But the reality is not like that. Although the Gith Yankees riding red dragons have never stopped plundering other intelligent races in the astral plane, they have not expanded their territory much over the years. Not only have they failed to completely exterminate the Mind Flayers, but the number of Gith warriors in Tunaras has never seen an explosive increase.

“I… it’s not my place to judge or question the Great Queen’s ways. I advise you not to do the same!” The training and education Leezel received allowed her to quickly put aside her doubts and anxieties, but cracks had already appeared on the great statue of Vairakis.

No matter how much Leezel deceived herself, Vairakis was no longer omnipotent in her eyes.

“Drow society is rife with lies and betrayal. Although we're thousands of miles from Menzoberranzan, the stench of conspiracy emanating from us hasn't lessened in the slightest.” Shadowheart unusually sided with Lyezal. “I agree with Lyezal. We should focus more on our current task… While I don't think we'll find true salvation in the nursery, since we're here, we should act swiftly. I'm still looking forward to visiting Lady Shar's temple where she trains the Night Judges!”

Minsala simply offered a triumphant smile, a silent sign of weakness in changing the subject during the debate. She believed she had already proven her importance and value within the team and didn't need to add further blows to the two children.

After all, they're teammates, right?
"Knock knock."

The hollow echo of the stone slab drew the attention of all the team members.

The archmage of Waterdeep, Mr. Gael de Carrios, was the instigator.

He was leaning against a stone wall in the corner of the hall, seemingly listening attentively.

“There’s something behind it.” Gale coughed lightly. “The priests of Losanda, or someone else, hid it behind it. I think the magical weapons on the four stone platforms are the clues to unlocking it. The names of the Dawn Lords are engraved on the inscriptions on the bases. They are high-ranking members of the Church of Losanda, which is quite rare.”

“And those names can be matched with the names on the stained glass windows.” Asdell bent down to examine the stained glass on the floor closely. “You’re really clever, Gale! All that reading hasn’t gone to waste! As long as we put the clergy’s weapons on the corresponding stone bases, we’ll definitely be able to figure out what they’re hiding behind there!”

"Go to all that trouble to find weapons?" Gale shook his head, drawing lines in the air with his finger. "I'm a mage... a genius from Waterdeep..."

Accompanied by incantations and magical light, the perfectly disguised stone wall slowly rose up, revealing a small burlap sack.

"Strike?" Ivy asked. "This seems to be the first time I've seen you cast a second-circle spell, doesn't it? Usually in battle, you're either throwing fire arrows or casting magic missiles. If it weren't for the Orb of Destruction, I would really find it hard to believe you're an archmage."

“This is the punishment for impulsiveness… I can still cast spells now, all thanks to Mystra’s protection.” Gale sighed, clearly not wanting to discuss the topic any further.

"Quick, let's see what's inside!" Xie Nian eagerly approached.

“A letter, and a slightly different emblem.” Gale pulled out only two items, then unfolded the letter. “It’s addressed to the next Dawn Lord… They seem to have sealed some kind of treasure called ‘Blood’ beneath the Rosemary Monastery. If it’s removed rashly, it will cause the entire building to collapse…”

“The blood should refer to the blood of Losanda. There are many descriptions of that relic throughout the monastery, and you can see related information in front of the statue in the first-floor hall.” Ivy held up three books from her backpack. “Moreover, I found three other books written by different Lords of the Dawn of Losanda, all of which mention the blood of Losanda.”

“Losander once fought a wizard named Samasser and shed four drops of blood from his attack. Losander’s followers collected this divine blood, sealed it in amber, and made it a sacred object for the entire church. Later, Shar’s followers stole Losander’s blood from where it was kept and transported it to this stronghold.”

"The Losanda believers, who were in charge of retrieving the relic, clashed with the Shar believers here, and during the battle, one of the Shar believers tried to destroy the relic."

"...As if sensing this blasphemy, the exposed blood radiated an indestructible light, burning the Shal believers to ashes and sifting out this sacred land for us..."

Ivy closed the book in her hand and concluded: "The damaged artifact became unstable and could not be brought back to the main camp, so the Dawn Lords built this monastery in this valley and transformed the artifact into a weapon, which is stored deep in the monastery."

“Since the monastery hasn’t been bombed into ruins, it means the Githyanki in the nursery haven’t found the weapon yet.” Ivy stuffed the insignia belonging to Pastor Losanda into his pocket. “If we’re lucky enough and quick enough, we can get our hands on the artifact hidden inside without alerting the Githyanki.”

“According to the book, the light emanating from Losanda’s blood dispelled Shar’s shadow. Perhaps we can make good use of this weapon in Rasven, the land of the Shadow Curse.” Ivy looked around at her teammates, who varied in height and build. Their camouflage magic remained intact, giving them the appearance of a well-trained Githian squad. “While the magic’s effects haven’t worn off, let’s head to the nursery below the Rosemary Monastery and take a look!”

“I’ve waited so long…” Leezel took a deep breath. “Although Ivy’s magic is perfect, your methods are still too easy to spot. Once we’re down there, I’ll handle everything. Just keep a serious expression and stand behind me. Don’t show any silly smiles, especially you! Karak!”

(End of this chapter)