From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 569 The farcical end of Luo Ruokan
Built over a century ago, the Ramakis Tower is an architectural masterpiece resembling a temple, its massive and angular facade creating a breathtaking spectacle.

Therefore, even after so much time has passed, the Mage Tower standing tall in the Upper City remains an unconventional landmark.

However, given the tower's status in the upper city, its internal situation is not so optimistic.

Since the disappearance of the sailor mage Lamagis and the arrival of the mage Lorokan from Amn, Lamagis Tower has gradually fallen into an embarrassing predicament.

Although the sorcery general store continued to steadily supply Lorokan with large amounts of gold earned from selling magical items, the arcane seal that Lamagis left on the mage tower did not accept bribes like the city administrators.

Given his lack of magical talent and strength, even though Lorokan tried his best to maintain his authority as an archmage using various magical items, he was still unable to become the true master of the Ramages Tower.

Apart from the bottom floor used to receive visitors and the top floor connected to the sorcery general store, the defensive magic on the middle floors of the mage tower has not yet been broken by Lorokan.

Therefore, he could only fix various pieces of furniture and voluminous magical theoretical books in the air to serve as steps between different floors.

Even using this method, he only obtained various magic books that Ramages had collected a hundred years ago. Those things were no more useful to him than bricks. After all, bricks are a building material in huge demand, while books, which are as heavy as bricks or even heavier, are useless as building materials if they cannot understand their contents.

Although these spellbooks, which Lorokan could not comprehend, could not be used as building materials, Baldur's Gate's only "archmage" still found them a good place: to support the noble backside of the tower's master, Ramages.

Yes, he built a throne using magic books that ordinary mages could only afford one of every few years, and it was a book throne that was very much in line with architectural design.

The throne's base was made of large, metal-bound volumes, so even if Lorokan moved his buttocks on it, the throne wouldn't easily fall apart.

For comfort, Lorokan also placed soft books with leather covers on top to alleviate the discomfort caused by contact between his buttocks and the hard surface.

The armrests of the Book Throne are not particularly sturdy, so Lorokan adopted a double-layer design to greatly reduce the probability of him knocking the books over.

As for the backrest, which is most prone to collapse, Luo Ruokan did not employ any clever design ideas, but simply relied on piling on materials to solve the problem.

Since a backrest made of books alone is prone to collapse due to lateral pressure, it is better to keep stacking books until the backrest of the throne touches the wall of the mage tower, so that it will not collapse easily.

It must be said that although Lorokan's magical talent was not good, he could indeed think of some ways to solve the problem.

If he had been fortunate enough to participate in the Hogwarts Sorting Ceremony at the age of eleven, the Sorting Hat would surely have proclaimed in a firm and resonant voice, "Civil Engineering!"

Unfortunately, Lorokan is an Ammunite, and commoner mages are never allowed to receive systematic magical education there.

Leaning against the throne of books, Lorokan held a magic book meant for show, silently calculating the time in his mind.

The mercenary squads hired at great expense should have already assembled in front of the sorcery general store. These are turbulent times, and mercenaries, usually considered one of the sources of chaos within Baldur's Gate, are now highly sought after by nobles hoping to protect their property and families. They're readily offering gold to hire them to safeguard their assets in the ensuing chaos.

Although everyone outwardly cheers for Lord Gotash's Iron Guard, those who actually believe Baldr's propaganda and gamble their entire fortune on Gotash are still a minority.

Therefore, the mercenary force that Lorokan used to attack the Serene believers' enclave and search for news of the Song of the Night was assembled with considerable effort.

Once the mercenaries have assembled, the Tifflin apprentice will travel through the portal at the sorcery shop to the upper levels of the Ramages Tower to report to him.

Thinking of his Tifflin apprentice, Lorokan couldn't help but feel annoyed. He could see Roland's talent; a mage apprentice from the Tifflin refugee community could actually master many spells. Although they were only some low-level spells, it was still proof of his talent.

Lorokan was unwilling to admit that he was far inferior to Roland at the same time, so he only tried to torture him and did not impart even a little knowledge to him.

In fact, the knowledge that Lorokan could impart was very limited, the kind that could be explained in just a few words.

After all, he was just someone who stood on the shoulders of giants.

The magical light of the portal shone not far in front of Lorokan. The archmage casually turned a page, waiting for his apprentice to speak first.

“Master Rorokan…” Roland’s voice sounded weak and feeble, “The mercenaries have already assembled…”

“Very good.” Luo Ruokan turned another page, pretending to have gained some insight, before letting his ordinary mage gloves glow with a burst of spiritual light and placing the spellbook aside.

Seeing Roland's face covered in bruises made Luo Ruokan feel much better.

It always feels good to trample a genius underfoot.

"Are you ready to depart, Roland?" Lorokan rose from his book throne, turned around in front of Roland with his hands behind his back, and said, "As my only apprentice, I've always had high hopes for you. Perhaps those hopes are sometimes too heavy for you. But you must believe that it's all worth it..."

"As long as you can fulfill my instructions and bring back news of the Song of Darkness, you will be able to formally become my apprentice. A vast and unimaginable hall will open its doors to you..." Lorokan was somewhat annoyed, because he couldn't see any longing or eagerness in Roland's downcast eyes. Therefore, he coughed to attract Roland's attention, emphasizing, "Profound knowledge and powerful artifacts will become incredibly commonplace for you, readily available..."

“But…the Song of the Night is, after all, a descendant of a god. If we…” Roland’s hesitation completely ignited Lorokan’s anger.

He roared, “We’ve already discussed this! Serene has bestowed many gifts upon this plane, and we’re not doing anything wrong! We’re simply sharing these gifts from Serene with the Song of the Night! Do you have any more questions, Apprentice Roland?”

The air inside the Tower of Ramages froze. The four elemental rulers, bound by Lorokan's magical artifacts, turned around and raised their weapons to threaten the Tifflin apprentices.

Roland believed his magical skills surpassed those of the conman Lorokan, but he knew all too well that Lorokan's priceless magical artifacts were not to be trifled with. The four elemental archons standing there alone were enough to wipe out the armies of some small nations. But Roland refused to submit to Lorokan's tyranny. He had fled Avernus and left his homeland for Baldur's Gate, not to serve as a slave to a good-for-nothing, vicious, and depraved man.

"Look who this is?" Just as Roland was finding it increasingly difficult to resist the urge to retaliate, a third voice appeared in the Ramages Tower.

It was a confident, heroic female voice. A tall female warrior, wielding a greatsword and clad in silver moon armor, flapped her wings and landed on the upper level of the Ramages Tower: "A mage living in a tower, hiding from a terrible world. What are you afraid of, mage? It's certainly not the Song of the Night—because she's just a relic for sale."

Lorokan wasn't angry at the intrusion of a sword-wielding angel; instead, he clapped his hands with great joy: "We've finally met, my dear. Your presence has saved me a fortune!"

A blinding light flashed across the golden cracks on Eileen's porcelain-like skin: "You'd better speak to me with some respect. I am Ms. Eileen, and you are nothing but a cub devoid of honor and pride, trapped in a tower filled with trinkets."

Suddenly, Lorokan acted like a nobleman who frequented high society.

He bowed slightly in apology: "I'm sorry, Ms. Eileen. I meant no offense, I was just too excited. It's amazing that someone like me has the honor of meeting Selenne's most admirable daughter."

“Your words are as empty as you are.” Irene remained unmoved by Lorokan’s politeness. She raised her silver greatsword and shouted, “What are you after, mage!”

Lorokan held up a finger, took a few steps to the side, and pointed to a magic circle in the corner of the room. Its intricate stripes shimmered with blue light, almost indistinguishable from the magic circle that had imprisoned Eileen for a hundred years.

“I have discovered a device that can share your power of immortality, Ms. Eileen. It will not cause you any harm or pain.”

“I think you serve Mother Serene, who has bestowed many gifts upon our world. Share your gifts and bring her glory,” Lorokan said with a smile, full of pride.

"How dare you threaten me with the magic that has tormented me for hundreds of years!" A pure rage blazed in the eyes of the daughter of Serene. "You don't want to share my gift, you want to steal it!"

Luo Ruokan no longer hoped to resolve the disagreement with words, but instead grasped his staff and twirled it: "I had hoped to awaken your conscience, but it seems I overestimated you. Then there's no need for trouble, I have many tools to persuade you to understand the truth."

“Get ready, Roland.” Lorokan looked at his apprentice. “If you can help in subduing this Asmo, I might think more highly of you.”

“No…” Roland shook his head firmly, “I have seen true masters, and you are nothing but a self-righteous freak! I will never submit to you again! Starting from this moment!”

"Watch your tone, kid!" Luo Ruokan's face twisted in disgust. He had never imagined that an apprentice would dare to openly defy his orders. "I can make sure that no mage in the entire plane dares to touch you!"

“Coincidentally, the real master I know comes from another dimension.” Roland tried to smile, but the bruise on his lip made his expression contort.

“Well said, child!” Eileen cheered loudly for Roland’s statement. “He has no idea who he’s dealing with!”

"Serenne's foolish and reckless daughter, and a useless mage apprentice?" Lorokan said sarcastically. "Who else could it be?"

With a wave of his staff, he gave his command to the elemental creatures occupying the four corners of the tower: "Elemental Archons—Forward!"

The four elemental rulers belong to the four most frequently mentioned elemental realms: earth, wind, water, and fire. They wear armor that reflects the power of the elements and hold weapons that are imbued with the power of the elements. They are advanced beings that are not common in the elemental world, and therefore possess powerful strength that is unimaginable to mortals.

However, before the four elemental creatures could launch their attack, a brand new portal appeared on the upper level of the Ramages Tower, right in the center of the battlefield.

Holding a mithril staff and wearing a star-patterned cloak, Ivy stepped out of the portal: "To avoid compromising the integrity of this mage tower's defensive magic, it took a little extra time..."

"Barely made it in time, Ivy! I thought you weren't coming!" The tall Asmer warrior leaped forward, standing beside the mage, hoping to use his body as a shield for the cloth-clad class. "Let's fight side by side again! I'll cut off his head with my own hands!"

"These are your helpers? They can't change the overall situation!" Luo Ruokan continued to issue attack commands to his summoned creatures, while he quietly took a few steps back.

The crisp snap of fingers reached everyone's ears, and then the elemental rulers who were attacking from four directions suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lorokan.

The elemental form beneath the armor was faceless, but Lorokan felt a real threat. He brandished his staff and shouted his command, "Turn around! Your enemy is on the other side!"

"Stop waving your staff like a monkey swinging a stick, Lorokan!" Realizing what was happening, Eileen flapped her wings and flew into the air. "Lady Eileen is watching you! She is unyielding, and when her face illuminates the shadows cast by your evil deeds, you will be shattered by her beauty!"

The daughter of the Silver Mother raised her greatsword and swooped down, slicing through the protective spell on Lorokan's outer robe with a single blow, cleaving it in two with unparalleled smoothness.

Caught off guard, Luo Ruokan only had time to spit out two mouthfuls of blood before Eileen's iron boots crushed his head completely.

Ivy hesitated, remembering that after defeating Katheric, Eileen would stomp on her father-in-law's head.

On this timeline, Katheric was completely swallowed up by Melkor, and Ivy thought a similar situation would never happen again. Who knew that Lorokan would become Katheric's "other self" in this world.

“That’s great…” Roland, who had asked his brothers and sisters to seek help, swayed slightly, but managed to steady himself by holding onto a pillar inside the tower. “I never thought that Lorokan would be such a fraudster…”

“However, he was right about one thing: the vastness of the magical world far exceeds my imagination…” Roland called out Ivy’s name solemnly, “Master Doom, you are the archmage who is truly suited to control this tower… I found several spellbooks left behind by Ramages himself inside the tower… I know they may be worthless to you… but… I hope to become your apprentice…”

Ivy pointed and the bruises on Roland's face from the beating by Lorokan disappeared completely: "Strihaven will open an admissions office in Morningstar City. You can go there as my apprentice."

(End of this chapter)