From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 440 Jahira

“I am neither an incarnation of a god nor a follower of any great being,” Ivy replied to Sunderland’s question, still holding up the golden light in her hand.

“Unbelievable… I’ve never seen anything like this before…” The rescued beacon, Sunderland, recalled the silver divine shield that had protected the entire End of Light Inn from the Shadow Curse, then changed his words, “I never imagined that a mortal could fight against Rasven’s Shadow Curse without the power of a god… May I ask your name, stranger?”

Just like its name suggests, the Inn of Endless Light has always been the last sanctuary in the hearts of these harpists, the last refuge of the Cursed Lands of Shadows. It survived the endless darkness of Shar thanks to the help of a priest named Serene.

A priest named Isobel channeled the power of the Silver Mother, creating a silvery-white shield around the End of Light Inn to protect the Harpist and Flame Fist inside.

Although Serene's divine power and Ivy's guardian spell both had similar effects, their essence was ultimately different. Isobel, who guided the divine power, was merely a transit point for it, while Ivy relied on her own power to protect the entire refugee group.

“I am Ivy Doom.” Ivy did not leave the back of the Golden Horn. He used his palm to guide the harpist’s gaze to look at the large group behind him. “We are seeking the help of the harpists here. I have heard that the one leading you here is Jahira, the hero of Baldur’s Gate.”

Sunderland's gaze lingered on the poor clothes and meager supplies of the Tifflin refugees. She couldn't fathom how this group had managed to get here with only a box of provisions. She had never heard of any large settlements of underground dwarves or Tifflins near Rasven.

Although the group is composed of diverse individuals, they are indeed people who need the harpist's help.

Therefore, Sunderland didn't hesitate much: "This should be a secret, but let's save the details for a safe place. Besides the shadowy monsters in the dark, ruthless cultists often pass by here. They are not affected by this... holy magic, and they are our main enemies."

“We’re here for the followers of the Supreme God.” Seeing the change in Sunderland’s expression, Ivy added, “To defeat it, you should have already met my companions; they are all quite capable adventurers.”

Sunderland recalled Shadowheart's swift counterattack against the harpist, and also the Paladin Minsara's courageous act of leading the charge, and nodded in agreement: "Indeed... This is not the place to talk. Let's hurry back. My men need supplies, and so do these refugees. I'll lead the way."

The place where the harpists encountered the shadow monster was not far from the End of Light Inn. Ivy only maintained the Guardian Charm for half an hour before she saw the silver glow belonging to Serene in the distance.

Serene's divine power greatly encouraged the harpists under the protection of Ivy's guardian spell. They had just lost two companions, and several others had been injured in the attack by the shadow monsters. If they hadn't encountered Ivy's group, it was hard to say how many of them would have made it back to the sanctuary.

The End of Light Inn is located on a small island in the Chongza River, but it was not built as a fortress. Therefore, the only fortifications are temporary measures made by the Harpists and Flame Fists—wooden chevaux-de-frise, fences tied together, and various traps placed along the way.

Several roads connect the island to the outside world, but apart from the stone bridge at the main entrance, the other directions are unfavorable for attack. They are either too low to be vulnerable to ranged attacks from above, or too steep to sustain troop deployments. Therefore, the battle between the Supreme God Order and the Harpists mainly took place at the inn's main entrance.

The overturned wooden cart was ablaze, and the corpses of cultists, riddled with arrows, lay by the roadside. It seemed that not long ago, the harpists here had repelled an attack from the Supreme God.

Advancing under the golden, glittering guardian spell means you will be discovered from a great distance.

The harpists at the inn were prepared for any unforeseen events. Although everyone was hoping for support, the high-ranking harpist Jasira made the worst-case scenario plan.

They gathered at the inn's main entrance, adopting a fighting stance, and began shouting from afar: "Stop, strangers! This belongs to the Harpists' Alliance! State your identities immediately!"

"It's me! Sunderland, the Beacon!" Sunderland led the remaining harpists, who were still able to move on their own, to meet them quickly. "The High Harp Master ordered us to ambush the cultists, but the power of the Shadow Curse was too great. We had to retreat before we even saw the cultists. If it weren't for this powerful stranger, we might never have seen them again!"

“Sunderland?” The harpists blocking the stone bridge lowered their guard and stepped aside, revealing a female half-elf in a light green cloak. Unlike the usual druids who didn't use metal objects, she carried two scimitars on her back, revealing a weathered and wary face. “What’s with this group? And whose power is that golden shield? Losanda? Or Heim?”

“This is a group of refugees, mainly from the exiled Tiflin of El Toril, and some Ironhanded Gnomes from Baldur’s Gate. A group of adventurers took them under their protection.” During the brief moments of their journey together, Sunderland, the Beacon of Light, was able to figure out the main composition of the group. “That golden shield is not the power of a god, but some kind of sacred magic. They hope to gain protection.”

"Let the unarmed refugees in first!" Jahira gave the order immediately, though he doubted the veracity of Sunderland's statement. "But the armed fighters must be inspected by me. These are extraordinary times, and I hope you can make them understand."

“I understand, High Harpist.” Sunderland nodded and then returned to the middle of the group.

Ivy, maintaining the Guardian Charm, did not rashly approach the inn protected by the power of Serene. Although the two spells looked very similar, who knew what special effects they might produce when they came together?

It would be best if they could coexist, and mutual resistance wouldn't be a bad outcome either, but if they interfered with each other, then things could get really messy.

The Shadow Curse, blocked by the two protective barriers, had long been eyeing the living beings inside. Even the slightest damage could lead to casualties, as not everyone was a well-trained adventurer.

Jashira's request was perfectly reasonable, and Ivy was not worried that the Harpist and Flame Fist would harm any of the refugees.

So when the unarmed Tyflin refugees and Ironhand dwarves entered Serene's Moon Shield, Ivy removed the Guardian Charm that had been protecting them all the way and spurred Goldenhorn to come to the front of the stone bridge.

“A unicorn?” Jahira feigned the same surprise as Halsin, who was seeing Golden Horn for the first time. “Whoever you are, stranger, you seem trustworthy. I’ve never heard of a unicorn, known for its purity and kindness, willingly submitting to a man.” Ivy stepped onto the ground in stirrups, and the adventurers and several Hell Knights behind him entered the range of the Moon Shield.

“Nice to meet you, High Harpist Jashira.” Ivy soothed the golden horn that kept nudging him with its head. “I’ve been looking forward to this meeting for a long time.”

“It seems you do know me, stranger, but I don’t remember us meeting before… What is this golden, pure creature looking for?” Jashira had to stop mid-sentence, as Golden Horn had already approached her, seemingly oblivious to her presence, and was sniffing something at the pocket on her waist with its large nose.

“Elven oats or something similar, I guess,” Ivy explained for Golden Horn. “When we visited an elven city last time, she developed some rather impolite habits.”

The elves of Middle-earth had never seen a unicorn, but that didn't stop the male and female elves of Rivendell from admiring this sacred creature.

Ever since figuring out Golden Horn's preferences, the elves lingering outside her stables have been carrying a handful of oats, hoping to pet her golden fur while begging for treats.

“God, even though I’m only half elven, I really can’t refuse her.” Jahira shook her head and pulled out half a barley cake wrapped in a handkerchief from her pouch. It seemed the harpists’ logistics were far from ideal; even a commander like Jahira was only receiving meager rations.

Golden Horn's nostrils twitched hesitantly, but it still stuck out its tongue and snatched the pancake from Jahira's hand. The clever creature judged with just one bite that it wasn't her favorite flavor, so it flicked its tail, tilted its head back, and returned to Ivy's side.

“Now you know, not all pointed ears will have what you like to eat.” Ivy chuckled, patting Golden Horn’s chewing cheek, then looked at Jasira again. “I apologize for the spectacle, Harpist Commander, but our conversation can continue.”

“As you can see, our logistics aren’t great, and now we have dozens more mouths to feed.” Jasira clapped his hands, shaking off crumbs of bread. “But we found quite a few unopened bottles in this inn’s cellar, and the enchanting liquid inside has become even more intoxicating after a hundred years of aging. Would you like a glass?”

As if by magic, Jasira appeared with a bottle of red wine and a wooden glass. She bit off the cork, poured the dark red wine into the glass, and handed it to Ivy.

Ivy took the glass and, after a brief sniff, was certain that some kind of local herbal powder had been placed at the bottom, likely to numb certain areas of the brain. Given the current situation, Jashira certainly didn't want Ivy to faint immediately after drinking the wine, thus triggering a chaotic fight.

Arcane vision helped Ivy confirm that the liquid in the cup contained no magical ingredients, so the most likely effect of the local herb was to paralyze the brain's higher functions, and lying lies within these higher functions.

"It seems you want me to tell the truth." Ivy lowered her gaze, examining the clear liquid. The herbal aroma and the rich fragrance of the red wine blended together perfectly, making one even more eager to drink it.

“I must apologize to you, young man,” Jahira said sincerely. “While my elven blood tells me you are trustworthy, my human blood makes me wary—the composition of your team is too strange.”

Her gaze swept over the adventurers standing behind Ivy: "Humans, half-elves, high elves, tiflings, and gnomes and drow elves from the depths. It's a motley crew, just like the cultists gathered under the command of the supreme god."

She paused, then continued, "Moreover, I have another, even more direct piece of evidence."

She pulled a glass bottle from her pouch, inside which a Mind-Stealing Tadpole belonging to a True Soul Being was wriggling: "It holds all sorts of secrets, and I don't know much about it, but at least one thing I'm sure of—it can recognize its own kind."

"Do you know that one of your companions is a True Soul Being?"

Ivy smiled and downed the spiked red wine in her glass in one gulp.

The Philosopher's Stone granted him immunity to toxins, so even if Jahira really poisoned the cup, he wouldn't feel any discomfort, let alone a little bit of non-magical herbs.
“It seems this will strengthen the trust between us.” Ivy took out a handkerchief and wiped her mouth. “I can tell you that they are not True Souls, but victims of the Supreme God Order. And each of them has a fully conscious self-will.”

“How can a true soul possessed by a mind-stealing demon not have a will of its own?” Jashira frowned deeply.

“Because of an ancient relic from the Astral Plane, it severed the connection between the Mind Flayers and the Supreme God, and also allowed these people to regain their spiritual freedom.” Ivy didn’t continue to explain about the Astral Prism, but instead waved her hand behind her back. “You gave me a glass of red wine, now it’s my turn to return the favor, Karak.”

Karak, who was already prepared, immediately stepped forward with a simple wooden box in her hand. She looked at Jashira with burning eyes and an excited smile on her face, like a fanatic fan seeing her idol.

“Inside are ashes, belonging to the Drow Harpers you sent to the Adamantine Forge to infiltrate the Order of the Supreme God,” Ivy explained. “My companions and I conquered the place and left a small force behind. We also learned that the resurrected Katheric Somme was attempting to find some kind of relic in the Shrine of Shar beneath the Adamantine Forge.”

“It’s fair to say we know more than you imagine.” Ivy’s calm tone was brimming with confidence, one of the keys he used to persuade Jahira. “Katherich Som has amassed a massive army. To breach the Tower of the Moon and uncover the conspiracy of the Order of the Supreme God, we must join forces in a war. Although they are just refugees, the Tifflin I brought recently experienced the cataclysmic event of El Toril’s fall into Hell. Their minds are resolute, and they can help with night patrols. The subterranean gnomes from Baldur’s Gate are a group of skilled craftsmen. They can help repair armor, sharpen blades, and even create powerful explosives. Even the underground adamantite forges can provide some supplies of weapons smelted from the army of the Night Judges of Shar.”

"If we join hands, we will surely be able to destroy Katheric Somme's schemes."

(End of this chapter)