From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 551 Desire
"What?" The Mind Flayer certainly didn't intend to admit it.

For him, a compassionate and righteous victim of the Mind Flayer is more trustworthy than the cold-blooded and cunning Mind Flayer himself.

So even if Ivy reveals the Mind Flayer Lord's notes left between the lines of justice, the Mind Flayer is not prepared to admit his actions.

Anyway, Anzu, who had transformed into a hollow dragon, was dead again, and no one could prove that he had tampered with Anzu's corpse. As long as he insisted that it was a misunderstanding, Ivy couldn't do anything to him.

"Although we are of different races, Anzu is my dearest friend and brother." The Mind Flayer used several words from Faerûn literature describing family and brotherhood. Perhaps the idioms best preserve his original meaning when translated into Chinese. "How could I possibly think of turning him into an undead creature? That would be torture for both of us!"

"Heh." Ivy snorted coldly without refuting. These adventurers troubled by the Mind Flayer Tadpoles still needed the help of the Astral Prism to avoid metamorphosis. Before truly mastering the power of the Astral Prism, Ivy was not prepared to turn against them, but this matter had to be put on the agenda.

The Mind Flayer before them has proven himself untrustworthy time and again.

“Perhaps I have misunderstood you, Your Majesty.” Ivy waved her mithril staff, leaving a huge wound in the space in front of her. A portal connecting the demiplane inside the Astral Prism appeared in the Dragon's Lair. “But you still have work to do, don’t you? For our common good, please go back and continue to guard the Comet Prince.”

“Please obey Lord Doom’s orders, Mr. Mind Flayer.” The Shadow Destroyer strode with its four adamantite tentacles to the portal. “We still have many philosophical questions to discuss.”

The Mind Flayer Lord had hoped to use the opportunity of reminiscing about Bodean's past to strengthen mutual trust with the adventurers, but Ivy clearly wasn't going to give him that chance.

The monarch was well aware that the mage from the astral plane before him had an impeccable defense of his personal information. Even though the astral prism in which he was hiding was always carried by the adventurers, he obtained very little useful information. Apart from using psionic energy to access some memories in the adventurers' minds, he had almost no means of understanding his potential enemies.

Because of the pressure from the followers of the Comet Prince, and after revealing his true form to the adventurers, the monarch could sense that their wariness had increased. A beautiful appearance, even if faked, could win favor, but once the disguise was removed and the true face of a predator was revealed, one had to endure wary and suspicious gazes.

"The past stories will have to wait until next time..." The Mind Flayer shook his head with regret and followed the huge adamantine construct into the portal.

Ivy used telekinesis to retrieve the Astral Prism, which had suppressed its orange-yellow light. He played with it in his hand for a while, then suddenly looked up at Evil Thought and said, "After we get back, you go to Devil's Tip immediately. We need to talk business with Devil. Mind Flayers are not trustworthy. We must have something in our hands that can break the seal on the Comet Prince."

"Are we going to rob a devil?" the evil thought asked with great interest. "Ha! I've been on this day since Raphael dragged me into his house to discuss business!"

“Let’s go ask Mammon’s sorcerer what price we’ll have to pay to sneak into Raphael’s Mansion of Hope without a sound.” Ivy paced around the dragon’s lair a few times.

Besides relying on the power of Mammon, the demon king of the third hell, Ivy could also use the hell pact he signed with the Blood Armor Demon Yogg to obtain information about Raphael's lair.

However, Ivy had never been to Hell before, and was unsure whether the devils could sense her teleportation magic.

In order to prevent the raid from turning into a full-scale attack, Ivy still preferred Mammon, who had already proven himself.

As a financier of hell, Mammon accepts any valuable transaction, even if it's not a soul. Gold, fine art, diamonds and jewels—these earthly treasures have the same value to Mammon, because he knows many mediocre people are willing to sell their souls for them.

If something can be bought with money, why would Ivy risk using magic herself?

Anyway, the last thing he lacks right now is gold.

However, despite having money, Ivy didn't want to be taken advantage of.

“As we all know, demons are greedy. You could offer him some promises, like the treasures in Raphael’s treasury, in exchange for waiving his spellcasting fees or getting a discount on his services,” Ivy suggested. “As for Raphael’s secret, the matter of the Hammer of Orpheus has already been discovered by Githyanki Centurion Voss, who also infiltrated Baldur’s Gate. This was most likely leaked by Mammon’s sorcerers. Demons are competitors, so you could use the destruction of Raphael himself as a bargaining chip when negotiating prices.”

"Has anyone ever told you, Ivy, that you're really good at dealing with the devil?" Will couldn't help but say after listening to the whole conversation. "I really can't help but think that I wish I had been as shrewd as you back then."

“It’s not too late to learn now.” Gale reached out and patted him on the shoulder. The archmage of Waterdeep had also participated in the search for the Heart of Baldur, and had even made a brilliant move in the strategy. “Once we rescue your father, you can say goodbye to the devil for good.”

“I’m afraid that’s difficult.” Will shook his head somewhat dejectedly. “After all, I plan to make a living by hunting demons for the rest of my life.”

"Have you thought of a new nickname for yourself yet? I mean something even better than 'Border Blade'," Gale joked.

“Perhaps, a Witcher?” Will tried swinging the greatsword he had dug out from the pile of bones of the bronze dragon Ansu. It was still covered with living tissue that looked like the flesh and blood of a mind flayer. It wasn’t hard to guess that Bodyan, who had become a mind flayer, had used this sword to kill his dragon friend.

“Bodean and Anzu are both dead. Perhaps you can take over their responsibilities and continue to protect this city.” The evil thought tossed the helmet to Will and turned to continue Ivy’s previous words, “I’ve memorized most of it. In short, get Mammon’s sorcerers to open a portal to Raphael’s hometown for us, and keep it as cheap as possible, right?”

“I like your efficiency.” Ivy nodded. “But…” Evil didn’t continue, but tapped her head. Her meaning was clear: the Mind Flayers hiding in the Astral Prism could know their thoughts through the Mind Flayer tadpoles in their brains. Ivy’s plan was almost completely undefended against the Monarch.

“Compared to his own kind, our ally is rather sentimental.” Ivy slowly shook her head. “For him, the most important thing is always to ensure his own survival, followed by freedom. If he doesn’t do anything extra, Raphael’s hammer is just a safety net, and I don’t mind guaranteeing his survival and freedom. But if he wants to do something, I will make sure he sees the most horrific sight before he dies.”

"Wow." Evil Thought stuck out his tongue. "You know, sometimes I feel like we're the bad guys."

“In the Underdark, the ruthlessness to achieve one’s goals is a fine quality,” Minsara said dismissively. “If it makes your conscience feel better, you can call it a necessary evil.”

The verbal battles between ladies often start from similar situations. However, this time, Xie Nian did not confront Mingsala head-on. Instead, she puffed out her chest with a hint of smugness and casually brushed aside her short red hair, revealing a conspicuous deep purple hickey.

Mingsala's face turned ashen as she turned away, no longer meeting the evil thoughts in her eyes.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Tsk tsk tsk..." The scales on Alandra's robes reflected the shimmering light of the waves, but the design, which tried so hard to accentuate the feminine curves, only revealed her haggardness and ugliness. "Are you harpists always so quick to judge?"

Jashira, wielding two swords, was confronting her. Upon hearing this, she sneered and replied, "You should look for the reasons within yourself. The tide has failed to wash away the stench of conspiracy on you."

"I just wanted to help!" Alandra, the Mother of the Waves, looked utterly innocent. "Why can't you understand?"

“I really didn’t expect the Water Queen’s High Priestess to be involved with the Witch.” Jahira took a step to the left and felt that the scroll pouch at her waist was still in its original position, which reassured her.

“Stirring up trouble is not an elegant word,” Alandra, the Mother of the Waves, grinned. “You should have been stirring up trouble with that Gotash.”

"Use that dog's nose to sniff out the smell of engine oil he left in the Lower City, in the Grey Harbor warehouse, and then, with our help, discover the prison he's hiding in beneath the Grey Harbor's surface." Mother of the Waves, Alandra, raised her voice angrily. "Why won't you follow the script? Rescue the hostages imprisoned in the Iron Throne by the Bane Order of Gortash, expose the conspiracy of the Three Death Gods to Baldur's Gate, and then win the cheers and flowers of those ignorant pigs!"

"Why don't you follow the script?" The voice of Alandra, the Mother of Waves, had begun to distort, like the faint cries of many drowning people, or like the thick, cold miasma in a swamp.

"Why do you insist on going against the All-Seeing Pearl Sisters?" Large, murky tears suddenly streamed down Alandra's face, mixing with eyeshadow made of shells and leaving a grotesque, winding trail. "We're just a bunch of old, ugly, and helpless wretches... just like you before!"

"Where did your white hair go?" Alandra demanded, her expression growing increasingly ferocious and manic.

Jahira knew perfectly well that this must be some kind of disguise magic, and as the caster's emotions fluctuated, this transformation magic began to lose its effectiveness.

"Where have your wrinkles gone?" The Mother of Waves' fingers suddenly twisted and stretched out, sweeping away the sacrificial candles and various offerings placed on the stone platform.

Jahira and her harpists infiltrated the Water Queen's palace through the underground waterways. After breaking through the blockade of various ugly fishmen, they were finally cornered by the Water Queen's guards who had rushed to the scene. In order to obtain enough information, Jahira ordered her harpists to stay put and resist the pursuers, while she followed the high priest of the Water Queen's palace down to this room.

This is a room decorated like a memorial service. Everlasting lamps fueled by fish oil are placed in every corner of the room. Beautiful pearls and shells are piled in front of a bust. The offerings that were originally placed on the altar have all been swept to the ground. Combined with the ever-growing hunched body of Alandra, the Mother of the Waves, a terrifying atmosphere is growing wildly.

“You were just an old, ugly woman with creaking joints, just like us!” Alandra howled with envy, pointing at Jashira’s youthful face with her pale, drowned-like fingers. “But now! You’ve regained your youth so easily! You’ve reclaimed the beauty that should have been buried forever! It’s not fair! I’ve suffered so much, done so many evils! All for this! But you—I’m going to kill you! I’ll mix your blood with pearl powder! To fill in the furrows on my face!”

“I’m afraid even if you used all the blood in my body for beauty treatments, I still couldn’t fill in half of the wrinkles on your face.” Jahira nimbly dodged Alandra’s sharp claws and continued to probe for information with ease. “If Ambori knew that his Mother of the Waves had been impersonated by the Witch, he probably would have already launched a tsunami to flood this place.”

Indeed, Jahira had already figured it out; the Water Queen priestess in front of her was not human, but a sea hag in disguise.

Like other witches, sea witches are magical creatures native to the Fairy Wilderness. After arriving in the Prime Material Plane, they adapted better to life by the sea, hence the name sea witches.

Sea ghosts are almost the ugliest kind of ghosts. Their skin is pale, as if they have been drowned for more than ten years, and their whole bodies are covered with sticky scales, like a strange fish with a skin disease. Seaweed-like hair hangs down from their half-bald heads, wetly wrapping around their skin and bones. What is most disgusting is the sea ghost's eyes—as if they cannot adapt to the air pressure of the land, their pale and swollen eyeballs bulge out in a terrifying way, as if they are about to roll to the ground at any second. Even the ugliest deep-sea fish are a level above them in terms of beauty.

"Gah gah gah..." The sea ghost chuckled eerily. "Of course Ambori knows! I've worked for her for two hundred years, from one city to another, spreading her teachings and using her divine power to intimidate merchants, sailors, and pirates! But she has never kept her promises! She has never given me any hope!"

"I cloak myself in human skin, wandering among you pink-cheeked people, suppressing my desire to devour flesh and drink blood, all to regain my youth and obtain true beauty!" The sea ghost suddenly pointed at the statue of Ambori in the room and cursed, "Gods are all a bunch of liars! They only know how to take from mortals, but never give anything in return! I no longer expect Ambori to pay me! I will take it myself!"

“Let’s begin with our feet! Let’s begin with her believers! Let’s begin with this city!”

(End of this chapter)