From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 495 Riot
"Wow! This is incredible!" Karak's excited howl came from the circus's private toilet. Her leather armor was stained with some wild, fresh blood, and it seemed that the giant's teleportation spell had not bothered her at all.

"You'd never guess what I saw!" Karak never kept anyone in suspense. "Dinosaurs! My God! I'd heard that dinosaurs lived in the Churt jungle in the south, but I'd never seen one in person! I even brought back a dinosaur leg! Maybe tonight we can try what roasted dinosaur meat tastes like!"

The Thurte Jungle is located on a peninsula in the southern part of Sword Coast. It has a tropical rainforest-like climate, and the Flame Fist Mercenary Group also has a small base there. Therefore, the port city of Baldur's Gate can hear some legends about the Thurte Jungle.

Besides the dinosaur legs and the marks left from the battle, Karak now wields a trident forged from jade and gold. A gentle breeze formed from air elements swirls around its blade, and the magical light it emits is even enough to provide illumination.

"Impossible!" Akabby, the giant of air, pointed at Karak's grinning face and shouted incredulously, "How could you, a brainless idiot with a head no bigger than a walnut, possibly open my carefully designed lock!"

Karak simultaneously raised her dinosaur leg and trident, showing off her well-developed biceps to the surrounding crowd: "Why should I unlock it? Just open the box, won't that do?"

The giant spirit was devastated, realizing that the barbarian before him must have smashed the treasure chest itself.

Before the giant spirit could utter any more arrogant words, Ivy activated the counterfeit Holy Grail to lock him back in.

A typical Giant Imprisonment Bottle can only be used a maximum of three times, but the Giant Akabby isn't the kind of Giant noble who can use wish spells, so Ivy's Oathbinding Magic can last much longer. If the user only intends for him to perform some circus acts, the effect is practically permanent.

After casually adding a few spells to force the giants to obey, Ivy handed the counterfeit Holy Grail to Circus owner Lucius.

The magic attached to the counterfeit Holy Grail is all forced to take effect, completely against the will of the Air Giant himself. Therefore, it certainly cannot win the favor of the prisoners. Once the Oathbinding Magic really fails, it is almost certain that the Air Giant Akabby will rebel.

But the item wasn't in Ivy's hands, so Ivy didn't care whose rebellion he was plotting against.

“Wipe it three times to summon the Qi Giant, and dispel it with the same action. It’s very simple to use.” Ivy explained the use of the counterfeit Holy Grail. “If you only intend to have him do what he can, the Oathbinding Magic will be almost permanent. Or you can find other spell masters to readjust the contract with the Qi Giant.”

"How thoughtful of you, my dear!" Lucius eagerly lifted the counterfeit Holy Grail and examined it from head to toe. After summoning the giant spirit several times, she nodded in satisfaction and shouted to the gathering crowd, "Since this warrior is unharmed, then all is well! Let's all immerse ourselves in the circus's revelry! Our superstar, Deribos, is about to begin his performance! He's the most popular performer in the entire Doomsday Circus!"

Deribos is the clown at Doomsday Circus, and he occupies the center position on their posters. At least half of the audience gathered at Doomsday Circus are there specifically for him.

After the crowd dispersed, Ivy used a cleansing spell to remove the bloodstains from Karak's body: "Are you alright?"

Karak planted the trident in the ground and pounded her chest: "Of course! What do you think of my new weapon? Just holding it makes me feel lighter!"

"It has the effects of Featherfall, Light, and Great Stride, and these can be stacked. It automatically returns to your hand after being thrown, and it can also cause splash lightning damage at the point of impact. It also comes with two short-term recovery skills. It is indeed a very powerful weapon. I think its only drawback is that its name is not easy to pronounce." Identifying the effects of magical items is a piece of cake for Ivy. He doesn't even need to touch it to fully understand the attributes of this trident.

“N…Nyrulna…” Karak stammered as she read the words engraved on the handle, having to admit Ivy’s assessment, “You’re right, Ivy. But it belongs to me now, and I can give it a better name! Any recommendations?”

“You’re a champion warrior from hell, so let’s call it Champion’s Wind,” Ivy said casually. “Anyway, it was originally a prize prepared for the champion of the Goddess of Wind.”

"Champion's Wind, what a great name!" Karak's eyes lit up as she twirled her trident a few times with one hand, then pointed towards the stage. "Let's continue our fun! I can't wait to see the clown's performance!"

Ivy had no objection; after all, that was one of the reasons they joined the Doomsday Circus.

The clown Deribos's stage occupied the northeast corner of the circus grounds, right next to the wall of the Temple of Mercy. Apart from Lucius's own tent, the clown's tent was one of the largest tents in terms of area, since the stage was right next to his tent, with a curtain separating the front and back stages.

At this moment, a clown dressed in a brightly colored costume is standing on the stage with a ghost dog, loudly telling lame jokes that few people respond to.

In terms of stage presence, he doesn't live up to his reputation at all.

After listening to a couple of jokes, Ivy and Shadow exchanged a glance, confirming that they both wanted to leave. But looking at Karak, her expression wasn't much better than that of the six-year-old girl beside her who was most enthusiastic.

The little girl was still sitting in her father's arms, and even if you put her and her father together, they wouldn't be as tall as Karak.

“She’s like a big, curious dog,” Ivy felt Yingxin squeeze her hand, “the really hot kind.”

The loyalty trait may be widespread throughout the entire Typhoon population. Ivy has pretty much come to this conclusion.

Due to their well-known connections to the lower planes, the Tifflins often face discrimination and prejudice. Sometimes, this discrimination even originates from within their own group.

In an attempt to integrate into the culture of their new city, some tifflins resort to extreme measures, such as sawing off their curved horns or cutting off their tails. This self-mutilation is simply a way to appear more harmless, and in some areas it even becomes a marker of whether a tifflin is trustworthy.

A self-harming tiffin in a state of fanaticism will try his best to persuade other like him to make the same choice, while turning his eyes away at those like him who are resolute.

Therefore, having grown up in a less-than-friendly environment, Tifflin was born with a strong sense of wariness towards the world.

However, once the Tiffers are treated sincerely, they'll flit around you like loyal dogs. Karak's loyalty isn't exactly obvious; sometimes it's even bordering on obnoxious.

Just like today's team operation, the other teammates were very considerate and left space for Ivy and Shadowheart, but Karak, oblivious to the situation, came over and didn't seem to mind at all.

Fortunately, Shadowheart and Karak have a good relationship, perhaps because this former follower of Shar likes animals?

Ivy shook her head, no longer thinking about the strange friendship between Shadowheart and Karak, and turned to look at the clown performing energetically.

Perhaps finding his jokes less effective than expected, he decided to perform a special talent. He was currently selecting an assistant for this act. And Karak, tall and carrying a dinosaur leg, was simply too conspicuous to be overlooked.

After shoving the dinosaur leg into Ivy's mage hand, Karak excitedly went on stage to participate in the performance.

After a round of enthusiastic applause from the audience, the clown Deribos asked, "My friend! You are the most special person in the entire circus—you can search the whole Baldur's Gate! What makes you so special?"

Karak scratched the back of his head and grinned: "Perhaps it's because of my passionate heart?"

"Boring! So boring!" The clown waved his hands repeatedly. "Let me tell you why! Because I received a message—specifically for you."

Karak's primal instincts had saved her countless times during the Hellfire battles, and now that feeling of needles pricking her skin had returned.

She stepped back to avoid the hound's attack and drew her weapon to face the clown wielding a ridiculous hammer.

The clown's face paint twisted into a cruel smile: "Praise be to the supreme God!"

This was a meticulously planned attack; the shapeshifter not only infiltrated the circus but even took the place of the circus star.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" There were other intruders who hadn't had time to enter yet. The voice came from above, and it belonged to a very familiar companion.

After a sickening cracking sound, one person appeared on the clown's stage, and one person disappeared.

“Mr. Decarios, what a perfect landing. Even I couldn’t do such an elegant pose.” A long-haired tortoiseshell cat with wings descended from the sky and landed next to Gale, whose bottom was half embedded in the stage.

"Oh... my ass... I didn't prepare Featherfall or Flight spells today... I really shouldn't have climbed so high." Gale groaned as she tried to pull herself out, and when she turned her head, she saw Karak staring in disbelief.

“Hey, Karak, come give me a hand… I think I’m holding someone down, I really hope this gentleman is alright…” Gale was seeking help.

Karak kicked the undead hound in front of her away and reached out to grab Gale: "I have the opposite opinion. You're suppressing an assassin belonging to the supreme god."

Only when the undead hound, which had been flying high into the air, landed whimpering did the shapeshifter hidden among the crowd remember its duty.

Next to the clown's tent were several cages of wild beasts, containing Displacement Beasts and Velociraptors from the Thurte Forest.

The circus animal trainers had long been replaced by Orin's shapeshifters, and the beasts, which had been starving for many days, were released by the shapeshifters, watching the terrified crowd with predatory eyes.

Ivy and Shadow Heart exchanged a glance and immediately prepared for battle.

With a sudden swing of the mithril staff, the two empty beast cages instantly transformed. The crisscrossing metal bars twisted and swam, turning into venomous snakes that flicked their tongues, binding the two roaring beasts tightly.

With her adamantite shield held horizontally in front of her, Shadowheart bypassed the civilians around her, tackled an assassin disguised as a beast tamer, and immediately smashed his head open with her mace.

The assassin, standing beside the velociraptor's cage, dodged the morphing venomous snakes at his feet and drew his dagger to stab Shadowheart in the back.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed, and the assassin's dagger fell to the ground.

A trident made of jade and gold was stuck in his back, with three sharp points protruding from his chest. Even if the assassin was made of iron, he would be powerless to fight at this moment.

Not to mention, in the next instant, Champion's Wind pulled out the barbed tip again, causing secondary damage and returning it to Karak's hand.

The assassin tasked with instilling fear at the Doomsday Circus was thus eliminated, with the only one injured being Gale's buttocks—which suffered a large bruise from colliding with the shapeshifter's skull.

“I thought our investigation at the Temple of Compassion was over, Gale.” Although speaking to Gale, Shadowheart’s eyes never left the winged cat beside him. “Who is this beautiful magical creature? Your friend?”

“Yes, dear lady. I am Tara, a close friend of Mr. Decarios.” Tara’s voice was not obsequious; rather, it made one feel that she was a good friend of Gale’s mother.

“I wasn’t particularly surprised to find my old friend among a bunch of pigeons, especially since I subsequently slipped and fell off the roof.” Gale dusted off his backside with a bundle of letters in his hand. “Perhaps this counts as a commission? There’s a Sword Bay Courier shop across the street, and the owner there, Danzo, is also the owner of that mail carrier’s former employer.”

Nao Nao is a white hunting dog that was discovered by adventurers outside the abandoned village. Its owner had already died from blood loss, killed by gnolls.

Although it was Xie Nian who proposed to adopt it, Ying Xin was still the one who fed it most often.

“Danzo told me that since his messengers all disappeared, he started using carrier pigeons to deliver letters, but many of them have died. His description reminded me of Tara, so I ventured to the top of the temple to give it a try… Ah, I overestimated my balance. The tiles there are really slippery.” Gale explained, then turned to his winged cat, “Thank you for your gift, my old friend. I also have a gift for you—Eye Demon jerky! And I made it myself! From an Eye Demon who has lived in the Underdark for a long time.”

“How thoughtful of you, sir.” Tara folded her wings and snuggled up to rub against Gail’s leg.

"Now that we have these Eye Demon jerky, let's not go and cause trouble for those pigeons anymore, okay?"

Tara, who was enjoying a delicious meal, twitched her ears, presumably to indicate her agreement.

(End of this chapter)