From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 485 The Information Provided by Nine Fingers

“War will indeed break out at Baldur’s Gate, but I didn’t start it.” Jahira seemed to have anticipated Nine Fingers’ reaction. “The guilds living in the lower city should be more sensitive than anyone else. The Stone Lords, the Zantari Society, the Iron Guard patrolling the streets, and the Supreme God rampaging through the city—all of these are conspiracies orchestrated by Gotash and his allies. The true identities of these masterminds are the Order of the Three Death Gods and their chosen people.”

“Helping us is also helping yourself, Nine Fingers,” Jahira said sincerely. “I do believe that Baldur’s Gate will be better off without you, but I also think that you are much better than the Death Triad and their chosen ones. I am not here with Flamefist and Harpist to take your place in the Underworld; I am here to seek cooperation.”

Ninefingers isn't a good person in the conventional sense; she's more like an anti-hero. Although she controls the underworld of Baldur's Gate, she's not truly insane or devoid of any moral compass. At least she wouldn't harm children or innocent people.

Before Jahira arrived with Flamefist and Harpist to knock on the door, she was discussing with her treasurer the decision regarding an orphanage that had been under the guild's protection in the lower city but had failed to pay tribute on time.

The treasurer, Fu Ye, suggested taking back the property, expelling everyone from the orphanage, and at the very least, withdrawing the guild's protection of the orphanage.

Nine Fingers disagreed with the decision, arguing that shrinking power at this critical juncture meant showing weakness and making concessions to Lord Stone. Using this reasoning, she successfully persuaded Rotleaf to agree to her proposal—to maintain protection of the orphanage, but send children of appropriate age to the army to repay the orphanage's debts with military stipends.

For an underworld queen like Nine Fingers, not selling the orphans into slavery and instead giving them the opportunity to pay off their debts is an absolute example of boundless compassion.

Even so, Nine Fingers could not possibly believe Jahira's one-sided story. In Nine Fingers' view, the Three Gods of Death and the Chosen Ones that Jahira spoke of were more like some kind of exaggerated lie.

Even when blocked at the door by Flame Fist and Harpist, Nine Fingers still chose to resolve the situation through dialogue rather than resorting to violence. This was partly because, besides the fact that the opponents were indeed numerous and powerful, she also trusted Jashira's reputation as a Baldur's Gate hero.

However, recent events are making the reputation of Baldur's Gate heroes less trustworthy.

Seeing that Ninefingers' expression was gradually becoming stiff and serious, Ivy stepped forward and said, "I believe that cooperation must be based on mutual trust, Jahira. I understand your desire to quickly gain allies in Baldur's Gate, but rushing things will only backfire."

“Perhaps when the threats facing Baldur’s Gate come to the forefront, we will have the opportunity to cooperate more deeply. But for now, let’s start with the simplest thing.” Ivy flicked her wrist, and a gleaming projectile flew in an arc, which was caught steadily by Nine Fingers.

Nine Fingers frowned and opened his palm, revealing the true appearance of the flying object to everyone. It was not a magical projectile declaring war, but a fiery red garnet the size of an egg.

Under the torchlight in front of the guild hall, brilliant flames burst forth from the intricate cuts of the garnet, gilding this not-so-beautiful underground world with a magnificent glow.

“So beautiful…” Nine Fingers pinched the garnet between her index finger and thumb, holding it high and examining it repeatedly. “It’s beautiful enough to be set in a duke’s crown. If I were to offer it to Gotash, I might even become a baron. So, what exactly are you here for…” Nine Fingers’ gaze shifted from the garnet to Ivy’s face, lingering for a long time. Even the self-proclaimed queen of the underworld, who considered herself well-traveled, had never seen such a memorable face as Ivy.

She carefully considered her words, extracting a title from Ivy's robes and the mithril staff in her hand: "This mage?"

“We came for intelligence and for the safety of Baldur’s Gate.” Ivy pointed to the garnet that shimmered with brilliant fire. “And that’s the advance payment to the guild. Intelligence is one of the commodities of the underworld, isn’t it?”

“That’s more like a real businessman.” Nine Fingers put the egg-sized garnet into his pocket. “Much more sophisticated than you, old lady, Jasira.”

Ivy nodded to Jasira, who sighed and said, "Perhaps it is indeed because this old woman who is not far from death is too impatient... Starting with intelligence is indeed a suitable entry point. I am looking for Leatherman's Minsk. I know that intelligence on such well-known figures is not cheap, but the gems Ivy paid you are enough for you to mobilize all your manpower to search Baldur's Gate twenty times."

Nine Fingers raised an eyebrow, a strange expression appearing on his mature and elegant face: "You've really given me a tough challenge, high-level harpist."

She took the garnet out of her pocket again and tossed it back in.

Ivy simply stretched out her hand, and the bright red gem mysteriously stopped in mid-air, unable to move forward or backward.

“What do you mean by this? Nine Fingers?” Jahira took two steps forward. “Are you preparing to wage war against us? Are you preparing to collude with the Supreme God?”

"To collude with the enemy and then fight against my own city?" Nine Fingers chuckled and shook his head. "I can give you this intelligence for free, because in a few hours, there will be no more Leatherman's Minsk in the world. Maybe some part of his body will be preserved and brought back to my guild hall."

“Minsk is the one who serves the new god of Faerûn. And he uses a resounding new name—the Stone Lord.”

"A lie!" Jashi's concern for his old friend even made him reach out and draw the curved knife from his back.

Ivy strode to her, sheathed her scimitar, and whispered, “We’ve already discussed this on the ship, Jashira. As long as Minsk is alive, we have a chance to free him from the influence of the Supreme God. Don’t forget our new friend in the Prism. Even if he’s dead, as long as he hasn’t become a Mind Flayer, I have ways to bring him back to life.” Jashira took a deep breath, regaining the efficiency of a high-ranking harpist: “It sounds like you’ve planned an ambush? Tell us the location, Nine Fingers. We’ll handle it.”

“‘Us’? Flame Fist and Harpist are certainly useful, but how are you going to operate on the streets? Those conspicuous uniforms will immediately attract the omnipresent Steel Guards.” Nine Fingers shook his head, disagreeing with Jashira’s statement. “When the higher-ranking Flame Fist commander stands before them, whose orders will they obey?”

“It certainly wouldn’t be Gotash and his lackeys.” The dark-skinned elf Florik removed his hood and stepped out from among the group of Flame Fists.

She pointed to Ivy at the front of the crowd and said loudly, "The man standing before you is the mage lord Ivy Doom. He led us to turn the general of the Supreme God, the warrior of Melkor, and the undead tyrant of the Tower of the Moon into ashes, and even dispelled the Shadow Curse that had shrouded Rasven for a hundred years, allowing that land to regain its vitality! He built a castle with magic on that land that had been abandoned by the gods for so long."

"High Duke Ravengard has been implanted with a Mind Flayer tadpole by Gortash and is completely powerless. Duke Dillard Porter is weak and incompetent; I had heard of his corruption and greed long ago when I was his advisor. Duke Belina Sterme has suffered from strokes for years, sometimes lucid and sometimes delirious. Salamara Van Sampur has betrayed all the citizens of Baldur's Gate; she is a devilish sorcerer who dreams of bringing the same fate to Baldur's Gate as El Toril. Dying by the Hero's Sword is the best outcome for her. As for Gortash, who is now awaiting his coronation, he is a follower of Bane who has risen to power through fear and intrigue, and is now trying to fill Salamara's vacancy! Until the Council of Four of Baldur's Gate is restored to its functions and can officially exercise its authority, we will absolutely not obey their orders!"

"Lord Doom has brought light back to the Cursed Lands of Shadows after a hundred years of absence. I believe he will also lead us to defeat the Supreme God and the conspiracy of the Three Gods of Death!"

As expected of Duke Gao's chief advisor, Floric, this dark-skinned elf, is indeed quite capable.

This speech not only revitalized the soldiers who had been removed from the official command of the Flame Fist, but also earned them a reputation for righteousness.

To Ivy, it sounded somewhat like the idea that "only tools and reputations should not be given to others."

The Council of Four, the highest authority of Baldur's Gate, is now a mere shell of its former self. Isn't it just a matter of lending its "tools and name" to the big liar Gotash, who was elected by his lackeys?
“What a pity…” Nine Fingers sighed, his expression no longer wary and guarded as before. “You’ve almost convinced me, Advisor Floric. I’ve heard you’ve been with Urd Ravengard for decades, rising from a lowly clerk to the High Duke’s chief advisor. What position could someone like you possibly gain by betraying Ravengard? So I believe you’re telling the truth… but the Stone Lord’s fate is sealed. Even if I told you the location, you’d only find a few corpses. Let’s focus our efforts on the greater war to come—to fight the Supreme God together.”

“Tell me the location, Nine Fingers—Astile…” Jasira almost pleaded. “Ivy can create a castle out of thin air, so rescuing a lost ranger is no difficult task for him.”

“Clearing House.” Nine Fingers uttered the last word. “The Stone Lord plans to attack the Clearing House’s vault, and I’ve prepared a specially made treasure chest for him.”

"Thanks." Ivy moved her fingers again, and the garnet that had been hovering in the air flew into Nine Fingers' arms once more. "I have no intention of letting my allies suffer losses. Since it's a vault, it certainly won't allow so many people to go in together. My friends need a place to stay, and all of that depends on you, the guild leader."

“The mage lords I know are usually not this generous.” The garnet twirled on Nine Fingers’ fingertip and then disappeared. This queen of the lower city’s hand skills were not to be underestimated. “Then I’ll accept it. Have your friends come with me. They can stay in the guild hall for now until I find a place that can fit them all in and is well hidden.”

“Oh, and here’s another piece of news for you. I think you’ll find it interesting,” Nine Fingers said with a smile. “Duke Belina Stemey was assassinated, right there in the Elven Song, in her own reception room. It’s said she even had one of her hands cut off. At first, I didn’t quite understand the killer’s motive, but since you’ve mentioned the Three Death Gods, it might have been the work of cultists. Who would have thought the Council of Four would fall apart in this way?”

Baal, the rebellious son of evil thoughts who had no interest in anything other than killing and treasure hunting, suddenly covered his head. It was obvious that the Mind Flayer had once again requested a brain-intercourse.

Xie Nian shook his head and came to Ivy's side, whispering, "The monarch wants us to go and see the crime scene of Duke Steme... In addition, I also feel that this matter is inseparable from my murderous relatives."

“It seems that in addition to separating from the main force, we will have to split into two smaller teams.” Ivy was not surprised by this. Baldur’s Gate is a metropolis. In a vast ocean of intelligent races, the numerical advantage of the smaller teams would actually become a disadvantage, meaning they would be conspicuous and inefficient.

“But none of us can stray too far from the Astral Prism!” Evil Thoughts was reluctant to accept the suggestion of splitting up; she preferred to deal with the issues at hand one by one.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan,” Ivy said reassuringly. “Ever since we obtained the Mind Sanctuary Ring, I’ve been working on the reverse engineering, and now it’s finally time to put it to the test.”

Ivy handed the mind-protection rings she had crafted to the adventurers whose minds were filled with psychic energy, while still explaining the precautions: "I only have a superficial understanding of psychic power, so I can't guarantee how effective the rings are. Therefore, it's best to stick to teamwork until they've been tested. So, the Minsk trip to the Clearing House will be taken by me, Jahira, Halsin, Minsara (who has the original ring), and a teammate who's willing to take the risk."

"During this process, I will use magic to monitor his condition throughout. Once I detect any unusual activity from the Mind Flayer Tadpole, I will immediately teleport him to the Astral Prism."

The Astral Prism is a prison-like demiplane, which Ivy has already visited once. Therefore, through the interdimensional gate of the [Dimensional Explorer], it is naturally as easy as visiting someone's home.

Yingxin smiled sweetly and showed off the gemstone ring on her ring finger: "Besides me, do you have any other options? I don't want you to focus your attention on teammates other than me."

(End of this chapter)