From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 458 The Trial of the Dark Judge

“Asmo! Or some other divine bloodline creature,” Gale explained to his teammates. “I only know of creatures like that that can achieve immortality. Katheric Som is more corrupt than we imagine; his army of Night Judges is built on a divine being that has been tortured and killed countless times.”

“We’re going to rescue him now, right?” Karak couldn’t help but ask.

"No..." Yingxin covered her head with her hands, "Ms. Shar... wants me to kill Nightsong..."

“Shar?” Minsara asked skeptically, “Did she tell you herself?”

“Ever since entering Lady Shar’s Iron Hand Temple, a voice has been constantly ringing in my ears… urging me to demonstrate my love for Lady Shar in this sacred trial ground…” Shadowheart was dazed. If it weren’t for years of arduous training, she would have given up long ago. Even so, she seemed disoriented after the battle. “Then, she will embrace me, elevate me, and reveal my true goal… She wants me to make a sacrifice in Shar’s name, to use the Night Spear to pierce the heart of the Night Song…”

“This is not good… very bad…” Minsara’s expression turned serious. “The gaze of a god is never a good thing, even if you are her most beloved believer. Besides, she is Shar, that Shar.”

Shadowheart raised a hand, stopping Minsara's persuasion: "No matter what, we must move forward. To end Katheric's rule, the Nightsong must die here. I can fulfill Lady Shar's request, and the strength of the entire team will be enhanced..."

Shadowheart planted the adamantite shield in the ground and stood up with some difficulty.

Ivy hadn't thought of Shar as a talkative goddess before, but judging from Shadowheart's performance, Shar's whispers did put a lot of pressure on her.

“Although your name is Shadowheart, don’t forget that only you can understand the true heart behind the shadows. Listen to the voice within, Shadowheart.” Ivy handed her a small crystal bottle containing a night-blooming jasmine flower soaked in a potion.

"This is... Night-blooming jasmine?" Yingxin stared at the crystal bottle in her hand, shaking the liquid inside. "I just mentioned it casually... I didn't expect you to remember..."

“Take it, consider it a gift from me. I originally planned to give it to you after I defeated Katheric, but I feel you can use it now,” Ivy explained. “The liquid in the bottle is a potion that can heal wounds and boost spirits. You can drink up to three sips.”

"Thank you..." Yingxin kept gazing at the crystal bottle in her hand. The delicate flowers of the night-blooming cereus would bloom in unnoticed corners, emitting a refreshing fragrance. It was Yingxin's favorite flower. But she never expected to receive such an exquisite gift.

“Perhaps… once everything is over, I can find more time to spend with you, Ivy…” Yingxin’s voice was very low, as if afraid that others would hear, and then she quickly asked, “Uh… this gift… does it have a name?”

“If you like, you can call it Night Orchid Special.” Ivy took the lute off her back and plucked a series of soothing notes with her fingers. “Give it a try. I think now is the time to put it to good use.”

Yingxin refocused her attention on the bottle in her hand, where the butterfly-shaped flower still bobbed up and down because of her previous movements.

As soon as the cork was uncorked, the fragrance of night-blooming jasmine immediately entered Yingxin's nostrils. Her body recalled this familiar scent even before her brain did, and with the soothing melody of the erhu, Yingxin involuntarily relaxed.

"Ha..." Yingxin wiped her mouth, put the cork back in, and smiled. "It tastes good... completely beyond my expectations! I feel much better! Thank you, Ivy."

“As long as it works.” Ivy stopped playing. “I think you probably don’t want anyone interfering with the upcoming trials?”

“That’s right.” Yingxin carefully placed the crystal bottle close to her body and re-armed herself. “You can wait for me outside. This is a task given to me by Ms. Shar, and I should complete it on my own.”

As they spoke, the adventure team had finished looting and packed everything they could find into their pockets.

That's the advantage of having a large group; you can always take all the spoils.

Now, apart from the undead of the Dark Judge, only the adventurers remain in the temple.

Once Shadowheart has passed all the trials and obtained Shar's Shadow Orb, she can send the adventurers to the Fallen Shadow Realm to complete the main mission of this journey.

The trial grounds were located deeper within the Iron Hand Temple, behind which were sealed off by a series of tightly closed wooden doors.

To begin the trial, one must offer blood in the sacrificial bowl before the bust of Shar.

Before the trials of the Dark Judge, Shar demanded that his followers offer their blood; after the trials, he required a follower of Serene to offer his death. This hardly seemed like a legitimate religion, no wonder the people of the entire continent treated Shar's followers with wariness and suspicion.

Shar's shadow closed the gate again, keeping the adventurers outside.

Shadowheart has begun facing her first trial alone. The trial involves dodging the ghosts in the maze, identifying and utilizing various mechanisms, and finally reaching the finish line to obtain the key.

As a priest in the field of sorcery, this trial was not difficult for Shadowheart, and she returned unscathed in no time.

The second trial is called the Trial with Me. Shadowheart must face alone an illusion created by Shar. This illusion is not the kind of illusion that Gale is good at, which is intended to incite fear, but a mirror image made of shadows.

It's like facing her past self. However, the mirror image isn't a complete copy of Shadowheart; at least the boomerang adamantite shield in her hand is Shadowheart's greatest advantage.

Non-magical and non-adamantine weapons cannot affect the shield, and the boomerang adamantine shield can deflect attacks off walls. Relying on these advantages and her understanding of herself, Shadowheart quickly turned her advantage into victory and passed the second trial in one fell swoop.

The third trial, known as the Leap of Faith, involves finding the true path on a platform shrouded in shadow. Before stepping into the shadows of Shar, one can observe the shadows of the floating platforms from a high vantage point. It tests memory and a sense of direction more than faith.

“Shah has always been a deity who enjoys toying with her believers.” Leaning against the railing, Minsara crossed her arms and gazed at the giant statue of Shah below. “No matter how much her believers offered her, Shah would always demand more, until the believers were exhausted and became homeless ghosts. Instead of being embraced by Shah, they were left to fall into despair alone in the darkness.”

“We are at the Temple of Iron Hands in Shar.” Will sighed. “Just a reminder, nothing more.”

“Don’t worry,” Gale waved his hand. “True gods are usually not that petty. Only false gods who make claims that don’t match the facts care about their divinity being questioned.”

“Like Velakis?” Leezer asked.

“Uh…yes, just like Vairakis.” Gale hadn’t expected that Lyezel, who used to revere Vairakis like a god, would say something like that. “And Io wouldn’t allow the true god to cause too much trouble in Faerûn. All the actions of the gods would have to be done by the believers and the chosen people.”

"Ah, like Mystra sending you on a suicide mission?" The evil thought rested his chin on one hand, while his other prosthetic hand tossed the ejected hidden blade up and down.

“I must say, under normal circumstances, Mystra wouldn’t be this radical.” Gale shook his head. “She’s a very tolerant goddess, but I made a huge mistake. Rather than a suicide mission, I’d call it a belated judgment.”

“Even if you did make a mistake, this way of making amends is too cruel.” Karak had always strongly disapproved of Gale’s self-destructive tendencies, after all, she was someone who wholeheartedly pursued living a good life. “I believe Ivy can definitely help. There’s nothing shameful about asking for help, Gale. Besides, we’re partners, we’re friends! Even if Ivy asks for some compensation, I believe it will be within a reasonable range. Anyway, it’s definitely better than selling your soul to the devil.”

“Thank you, Karak.” Gale smiled from beneath his thick beard. “Believe me, I’ve been seriously considering your suggestion ever since last time. But Ivy has been very busy, after all, we’ve all seen the big guy in the basement of the End of Light.”

“Speaking of which, Ivy,” Gale turned to Ivy, who was standing by the door, “how is your research on the Blood of Losanda going? Judging from the shadow that still shrouds this land, I don’t think you have angered the God of Dawn yet.”

“I’ve always been very discreet,” Ivy said with a smile. “Opportunities to confront a god directly are rare, and opportunities to study His blood are even rarer. Of course, I wouldn’t be a fool to dabble in experiments that clearly exceed Losanda’s tolerance.”

"Actually, I have been trying to find ways to utilize the divine power in the blood of Losanda, and I have already achieved remarkable results." For a researcher, showing off their achievements is also an essential part of the research process.

In Sturhaven, Ivy rarely needed to painstakingly explain the little magical tricks she used; the talented professors and students there would quickly notice them and greatly admire Ivy's intelligence.

A researcher's self-esteem is built up through praise and questioning; only by encountering something can self-esteem be truly perceived.

“When the blood of Losanda was still embedded in the mace, the high priests of the Rosemary Monastery added a design to the hammer that could channel divine power.” Ivy gestured with his hand, and many golden points of light flew out from his hand, automatically forming a three-dimensional image of a mace that shimmered with golden light. “Through the emblem on the mace handle, anyone who holds that mace can channel the radiance emanating from the blood of Losanda, turning it into a scorching ray of sunlight to harm enemies.”

The 3D image of the mace began to rotate and magnify until everyone could clearly see the amber embedded in the handle. Then the image of the mace disappeared, replaced by a miniature model of the Dawn Cannon.

“I think this design is very similar to the Dawn Cannon that we later removed from the top of the Rosemary Monastery. Both are weapons that guide solar energy. The only difference is that one’s energy comes from the gods, while the other comes from the morning light that we bathe in every day.”

"Therefore, I was thinking, if the divine power of Losanda's blood could be channeled into the Dawn Cannon, would it reduce the charging time of the Dawn Cannon?"

“After all, focusing power from those solar energy-storing crystals is still too slow. It’s adequate as a fixed turret, but it’s too cumbersome and time-consuming to use in battles where opportunities are fleeting.” Ivy manipulated the three-dimensional effect of the Dawn Cannon, and the pillars that the adventurers had seen in the underground of the Rose Dawn Monastery reappeared. Each pillar’s ​​solar crystal emitted golden light, which converged into a beam, ultimately powering the constantly rotating and focusing Dawn Cannon.

"I never knew magic could be so vivid and three-dimensional!" Karak asked with great interest. "So, was your experiment a success?"

“If the theoretical model is correct, it should work.” Ivy took out the amber containing four drops of divine blood from her bosom; its appearance had now undergone a dramatic change.

The fist-sized amber was encased in a larger metal sphere. The brilliant golden light that originally emanated from the cracks in the amber was now blocked by several lenses mounted on the metal sphere, turning it into harmless fluorescence. However, through these small windows, adventurers could still sense the surging power of the blood of Losanda.

"Since I couldn't find a place to test the power of the Dawn Cannon, I'll just let the Supreme God be its test target."

“Wait, let me check first.” Gale held up one finger. “If, I mean if… there’s something wrong with your theoretical model, there won’t be an explosion, will there?”

Gale, who is a bomb-loving person, is very sensitive to the topic of "explosions," especially those caused by magical experiments.

“No,” Ivy denied categorically. “Even in the worst-case scenario, it would only cause a massive radiant storm.”

“A radiant storm occurring on a very small scale,” Ivy added.

“That was an explosion!” Gale jumped up. “A violent expansion of energy within a tiny space—that’s our definition of an ‘explosion’! Even without the flames, it was still an explosion!”

“Okay.” Ivy shrugged. “I’ll revise my previous statement. If the worst-case scenario occurs, it will trigger a massive solar energy explosion. Perhaps it will allow the entire Resven to see the sun again.”

“Being too close to the sun is never a good thing, for any life form.” Halsin shook his head worriedly. He had just seen the possibility of Rasven breaking free from the Shadow Curse, and now this land was about to have a close encounter with the sun. This was really not good news.

(End of this chapter)