From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 481 Set sail
"Duke Steme?" Will, the son of the Grand Duke, asked. The Mind Flayer, who called himself the monarch, had already ended his telepathic communication with the adventurers, and someone immediately expressed doubt and shock, "Duke Belina Steme? You've controlled a member of the Council of Four?"

“It’s not about control,” the monarch replied politely. “Belina and I are like-minded business partners, working together to strengthen the Knights of the Shield. Duke Sterme trusts me, and Baldur’s Gate trusts her. I’m in charge of writing the script, while Belina stands in the center of the stage, attracting the public’s attention.”

"It was only to gain control of the underground forces of Baldur's Gate that the Shield Knights were severely injured by Gortash, and that's when I was captured by him." The monarch sighed very humanly. "Later, he also learned about the mastermind beneath the Tower of the Moonrise through me and successfully gained control of the mastermind using the Crown of Karthus. However, I don't know where Gortash learned about the Astral Prism; it had been well protected by the Vyrakis before."

Whenever Vairakis is mentioned, all adventurers can't help but recall the scene of Ivy countering her wish spell.

The evil thought couldn't help but ask, "Veracis once asked us to enter the Astral Prism to kill someone for her. Was her target you, or Orpheus?"

“Orpheus, of course.” The monarch always answered quickly when it didn’t concern him. “The Comet Prince threatens the Lich Queen’s rule. Some Githyanki choose to openly defy the teachings of Vairakis and still worship him. Once the Comet Prince is dead, Vairakis’s rule will be secure. But as you all see, he’s still alive and well.”

“I don’t understand.” Lyezel still exuded a clear sense of foolishness. “All the tablets of Turanas say that the prince was burned to ashes, and even the entire astral plane turned red for a time.”

“History can certainly be fabricated.” Ivy finished resealing the Comet Prince’s guards and fell from the sky. “In order to free the Gith Yankees, Gith traded his freedom to the five-headed evil dragon Tiamat for the power of the Red Dragon. Meanwhile, Vairakis obtained the Astral Prism from another evil duke, Mephisto, and imprisoned Gith’s son as a weapon.”

"In this way, Vellakis not only gained control over the Githyanki, but also the power to sever the Mind Flayer's psionic network. To ensure her rule would last forever, she even became a lich, exchanging the souls of her people for knowledge and power."

"So, what Voss said is true?" Lyezal had already accepted that the queen she once revered was a fraud. "He said he has found a way to rescue the prince... and he's waiting for us at Sharis's Ambition. We should go and talk to him. The prince... might become our ally."

“That’s an absolutely terrifying idea, Lyezel.” The monarch raised his voice. “The moment he regains his freedom, he will attack us all. Because in his eyes, you and I are no different, just damned mind flayers.”

“I am not a mind flayer!” Lyezel retorted angrily, “and I never will!”

“You are closer to the Mind Flayer than you realize—you have already used its power, and it even saved your life from the Purifier,” the monarch said calmly. “You want to reverse the inevitable process, the process of evolution. When I first escaped the Mastermind, I also resented this transformation. But the longer I remain in this form, the more I like it.”

“You want to gain more allies? But you also want freedom?” Ivy interrupted the Mind Flayer’s manipulative rhetoric. “This is no easy task for a Mind Flayer controlled by the Mastermind. Even I must admit that the Mind Flayer’s psionic energy is extremely useful. However, whether my companions accept the possible transformation within themselves is up to their own will, and neither you nor I have the right to interfere. Right now, we are all in the same boat, forced to join forces to fight against the Death Triad and the Supreme God. But your persuasive rhetoric will only add to the rift in our fragile alliance, Mind Flayer.”

Ivy utterly loathed the tentacle-like monster before her, but the Monarch harbored too many secrets and wielded the power of the Comet Prince. The Monarch could not die until she obtained the method to manipulate the Astral Prism.

Therefore, Ivy's words conveyed only one meaning: she did not want to clash with him. Ivy believed that the mind flayer before her could understand the meaning behind her words and that they had reached a certain tacit understanding.

“Of course, Master Doom.” The monarch bowed humbly to Ivy. “I meant no harm. I was merely demonstrating the extraordinary nature of a mind flayer. I believe our companions will be even stronger after shedding the limitations of their mortal forms. But you are right, I have no right to interfere with their choices.”

"The Overmind has now arrived at Baldur's Gate, and the armies of the Supreme Gods are steadily gathering there. Every bit of strength is crucial to us." The Monarch opened his hand, and a tadpole, a different color from ordinary Mind Flayer tadpoles, appeared in his palm. The creature shimmered with a faint glow, and if you ignored the rows of sharp teeth on its head, it looked almost like a soft silkworm. "I won't interfere with your choices, but I will at least provide you with options. If any of you are ready to evolve, you can return to the Astral Prism to find me. This is an extraordinary Astral Tadpole, completely different from the tadpoles the Overmind uses to control the puppets."

Ivy narrowed his eyes. The monarch still hoped to find companions among adventurers with mind flayer tadpoles in their brains, but he did not entrust the so-called astral tadpoles to anyone for safekeeping. Instead, he kept them in his own hands, seemingly preparing to turn the astral prism into the next mind flayer colony.

This approach clearly violated the newly established understanding, and Ivy was naturally not going to swallow his anger. He loudly agreed, "That's right. Every bit of combat power is crucial to us. Shadow Destroyer, you'll stay here and keep our Mind Flayer friend company. You're too big, and your light is too dazzling; it's impossible for you to hide in Baldur's Gate. The Astral Prism is a very suitable place; it allows for rapid deployment and protects the Comet Prince's prison from destruction."

As soon as Ivy finished speaking, the Shadow Destroyer, which had been hanging upside down inside the giant's skull, flipped over and jumped down, replying in a synthesized voice, "I will obey your orders and stay here with the Mind Flayers."

The monarch lacked sufficient control over the Astral Prism and failed to detect the Shadow Destroyers who had entered with the adventurers.

The colossal golem has neither a heartbeat nor breath, nor does it possess a fleshy brain like the adventurers. The mind flayer's psionic energy cannot locate it with a rough scan, and the subtle gravity in the astral plane makes the Shadowbreaker's movements barely perceptible.

Just from the tentacles fluttering up and down on the monarch's face, Ivy could tell that his mind was far from at peace.

The Astral Prism did not completely block the monarch's psychic abilities; it only prevented him from establishing a mental connection with the Mastermind.

Therefore, the monarch naturally witnessed the battle between the Shadow Destroyer and the Supreme God's mainframe.

Although the powerful Dawn Cannon, which consumed the blood of the god Losanda, can no longer be activated, the Dawn Ray, equivalent to a ninth-level spell, is still enough to turn the monarch into a roasted squid.

Ivy didn't give the Mind Flayer time to object, and led the way toward the portal: "We'll head to Baldur's Gate first thing tomorrow morning, and are expected to arrive at the Grey Harbor the day after tomorrow morning. Although the Mind Flayer's mastermind has been severely damaged, Baldur's Gate is, after all, the cult's stronghold, so we need to prepare early."

The adventurers were naturally willing to follow in Ivy's footsteps, leaving the Monarch, this extremely unattractive fellow, in the Astral Prism, staring at the Shadow Destroyer who radiated a faint divine light.

Having returned from the Astral Prism, the adventurers needed time to process the truth they had witnessed, and thus quickly dispersed from the campfire in the Dawnstar Keep's main hall.

The mind-stealing tadpole in her mind hadn't shown any abnormalities for a long time, and Yingxin had almost forgotten its existence.

Now, reminded by the monarch, she leaned anxiously against Ivy's chest, saying with distress and confusion, "Ever since I obtained the relic—the Astral Prism—there has been a Mind Flayer inside… Even seeing it with my own eyes, it sounds like the height of madness… The more I learn, the less I understand why Shar sent me to find it…" She gently kissed Ivy's cheek: "But none of that matters to me anymore… Neither Shar nor the Headmistress… My mission is to save my parents, and you—my dear. It's strange, why do I always feel that this word sounds better than when I say it silently in my heart?"

"Perhaps it's because it was spat out through your lips?" Ivy tucked a strand of white hair, which smelled of herbs, behind Yingxin's pointed ear and touched noses with her.

“Truly worthy of being a bard.” Shadowheart snuggled closer to Ivy. “If you were to perform on stage at Baldur’s Gate, countless wealthy ladies would probably go crazy for you.”

"If they weren't standing with a half-elf girl named Shadowheart, I probably wouldn't have even given them a second glance." Ivy felt that her decision to evenly distribute her attribute points to intelligence and charm was the right one, at least ensuring that her charm wouldn't be dragged down by her emotional intelligence.

Yingxin chuckled with great satisfaction, the thin blanket covering her swaying with the rise and fall of her shoulders.

"what!"

A suppressed groan escaped her lips, and Yingxin's brows furrowed.

Ivy pulled her hand out and examined it; the purple glow representing Shar had just faded.

"It's starting again..." Yingxin sighed, but quickly put on a smile again.

She touched Ivy's brow with her hand bearing Shar's mark, gently smoothing his knotted hairs. "Don't worry. I'm gradually getting used to it... After all, we've spent so much time together. My spirit, and my body, are completely back to normal."

"Maybe this is just Shar's way of expressing jealousy?" Yingxin joked.

“I have indeed heard similar things. Shar is a jealous goddess. And I heard it from her niece.” Ivy stroked the back of Shadowheart’s hand, responding with a joke in return.

"Who? Shar's niece? Oh! You mean Irene! Good heavens! We all call her the daughter of Selenne, no one has ever called her Shar's niece before!" Yingxin burst into laughter, laughing for a while before she calmed down. "I'll tell her that title tomorrow!"

After the laughter subsided, silence returned. Ivy broke the silence softly: "Perhaps we should consider my solution."

"Cut off your hand and replace it with a new one? I was once her follower, perhaps the most devoted one. I know what kind of god Shar is... Simply replacing a hand won't erase the marks she left on me." After a pause, Yingxin asked again, "Would you think I'm... defiled because of this?"

“What? Of course not.” Ivy tightened her embrace around the half-elf girl.

“…When the pain strikes, I always feel like I’m still in the Shadow Realm, a feeling I can’t describe… Perhaps ‘filthy’ isn’t such an extreme word.” Shadowheart leaned her head against Ivy’s chest, listening to the steady heartbeat within, and murmured, “Thank you, Ivy. Without you, I don’t know what I would have become…”

The next morning, everyone was ready and gathered at the dock.

The cargo ships used by the Zantalin Society to transport Mind Flayer Tadpoles are quite large, with spacious cabins large enough to hold all the adventurers, as well as Flame Fist and Harpist.

Not to mention that Jahira also dismissed some of the harpists, ordering them to go to the other harpists' strongholds to recruit manpower to fight the threat of the Three Deaths at Baldur's Gate.

As acting mayor, Sefullo led the townspeople of Tifflin to bid farewell to their lord. Even Dawn, who remained at the Adamantite Forge in Duskstar City, came with a guard to see them off.

They had once worked alongside the Grey Dwarves in the adamantite forge to craft a batch of armor for the Flamefist and Harpists. Now that the main structure of Morningstar City was complete, Ivy had even sent some supplies with them.

The three Roland siblings also set off with the adventurers.

Even knowing that Baldur's Gate was teeming with cultists, the confident and arrogant Roland had no intention of backing down. He trusted the archmage Lorokan, whom he had never met, and believed that his Ramages Tower was sufficient to withstand the cultist threat.

Anyway, it's only three seats. After losing the full load of goods, three medium-sized Tifflins can easily squeeze in.

“The sorcery general store is definitely our first choice!” Gale had been promoting his plan ever since he boarded the ship. “We need to understand the Supreme God and how the Crown of Karthus works. Besides, it’s not far from the Grey Harbor, so asking around is just a matter of convenience.”

“Vos is still waiting for us in Sharis’s embrace; we must go to the Flying Dragon Pass Bridge.” This was Leizer’s opinion.

"First we need a safe base! Then we'll develop even bigger runic gunpowder bombs and raze the Iron Guardian foundry in Gotash!" said Urbrun, the Ironhanded Dwarf leader.

“I happen to have an alternative location.” The monarch’s voice manifested through the Astral Prism via psionic energy. “The Shield Knights have a base beneath the Elf Song Tavern, where Duke Steme’s reception room is located. If we can get Duke Steme’s help, it means we can obtain a pass to the Upper City.”

(End of this chapter)