From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 668 The Gift of the Outer Dimension

Building mage towers was already a piece of cake for Ivy. The White Tower standing in the Forbidden Forest of Hogwarts, the Starcastle Mage Tower in Morningstar City, and the central campus mage tower built for him by the school administration in Strelhaven were either his work or he had participated in the design.

Therefore, Zechariah's request for a spirit tower was not a problem; it was only the architectural style that made Ivy hesitate for a while.

Once the decision is made to begin, casting earth and wood spells itself will not take too long; rather, filling the interior space of the spirit tower will require a different approach.

Ivy even thought he could publish an "Introduction to Third to Ninth Ring Evocation Spells - Doom's Civil Construction" as a guide for civil mages.

This edition of the series, which consists of many civil engineering spells, will include Ivy's experience in using evocation spells to manipulate underground rocks and build various types of architectural structures, as well as a collection of pre-made buildings that incorporate his personal aesthetic.

Starting with Stonewall in the third ring, then Bunker in the fifth ring, then Fortress in the seventh ring and Grand Fortress in the eighth ring, and finally ending with Mage Tower in the ninth ring.

Since this series of civil engineering spells aims to create building structures that can be used for a long time, it is not a spell like Leomon's Hut or Maddencan's Mansion. It is also impossible for it to casually generate a large number of invisible servants to facilitate life or even provide food for adventurers and armies stationed inside the building.

However, the ninth-circle spell, Mage Tower Construction, is a spell worth discussing briefly.

Ivy not only broke through the height limitations of the Fortification spell, ensuring that the Archmage could gain a sense of superiority from the visual experience of overlooking all living beings after casting this spell, but also left a series of interfaces for other spell models in advance, allowing other Archmages who learned this spell to modify and innovate.

For Ivy herself, this series of spell interfaces were inserted into practical spells such as teleportation arrays and secret chambers, which could either ensure the safety of the mage tower or provide convenience, and were all integrated into the consumption of ninth-level spells.

The spirit tower created by Ivy is located outside the city of Jueze, on a slightly raised, barren mountain. Due to the influence of the abyss hatching from the World's Sorrow, this land has many fissure-like terrain features, with scorching lava spewing thick smoke, creating an apocalyptic scene.

However, after the dark and gloomy spirit tower was completed, the corrupting traces of these abysses were immediately replaced by deathly silence and ruin. The pale green fireflies floating in the air, the thin and chilling mist, and the orderly patrolling undead creatures were enough to make every living visitor understand that they were stepping into the realm of the dead and heading to the temple of death.

If we disregard the special effects brought about by the rich necromancy, and appreciate this spirit tower solely from its architectural structure, then everyone will have a similar feeling: it looks more like a temple than a mage tower.

The Spirit Tower has a pyramid-like structure, with wide, deep purple stripes forming runic circuits. The obelisks floating low in the air enhance its mysterious impression, and the square platform at the top evokes scenes of bloody sacrifices. But if you add the terrifying dragon lich perched atop the Spirit Tower, it becomes a heretical scene of a dragon of death receiving the kowtow of all living beings.

Fortunately, that oppressive aura didn't linger on Ivy for long, because something unexpected happened.

As if deliberately trying to antagonize the lawful evil dragon lich, after Ivy completed her spirit tower, the free power from Elysium within Illinika also surged.

The emerald green butterflies, shimmering with blue light, no longer seemed to follow her like a gentle breeze, but instead swept and spread into a tidal wave that engulfed everything.

The storm from the Land of Bliss swept past the Spirit Tower, throwing all the pilgrims—people and their belongings—who were stationed outside the City of Favor, who did not recognize the laws of the city, but insisted on following the Spirit Envoy Commander, into the air.

This group of people started gathering after Illinika "desecrated" Iomede's artifact, and none of them were the kind of people who could live a peaceful life in the city.

They are either street artists who enjoy creating large-scale art on the exterior walls of municipal buildings; alchemists who study explosives in the downtown area; members of the dwarf knight order who wear knight armor, ride ponies to charge at boulders, and carve the stubborn stone with lances and combat skills; or Desna's friend, a mischievous follower of the goddess of pranks and battle.

In their own words, those gathered outside the city of Jueze are all kind and free people. They came here not to march in formation like other Crusaders and charge into the abyss, but to respond to the call of their hearts and to contribute to the cause of holy war in their own way as much as possible.

In other words, they were unwilling to follow Ivy's orders and had no intention of joining his war games.

However, for Ivy, who intended from the beginning to unite all forces to fight against the world's tragedy, these "free and kind people" were obviously not easy targets to be let go of.

However, before Queen Godfrey completed the reform of the "Multi-Religious Consortium of the City of Favor" in Nereozion, Ivy had no suitable excuse to integrate this group of people.

So they had no choice but to let them gather outside the city, while regularly arranging for supplies and trade in necessities to ensure that other pilgrims to Juanze City would not be frightened by these lively and unorthodox fellows.

Yes, Juanze City has now become a popular destination for many people who worship benevolent gods.

Many believers think that praying on the land where the heroic Holy Army warriors fought makes it easier to strengthen their connection with the God they believe in.

Because the Crusades were not just an organization of the Church of Iomede, they received help from faiths all over the world in Grallion. As a key frontline town established in the First Holy War, lost in the Second Holy War, and finally recaptured in the Fifth Holy War, the city of Favor was also endowed with many sacred meanings.

This is also one of the important reasons why Juanze City was able to quickly recover its vitality. The presence of the Holy Army warriors and pilgrims has generated enormous economic value for this important border town in the north.

Similarly, this posed a serious challenge to the urban planning within Juanze City.

Even though many houses were preserved, many people still camped under the third city wall of Juanze City and witnessed up close the entire process of Ivy building the Spirit Tower from scratch.

Of course, they also witnessed how those “kind and free people” who followed Illinika were blown into the sky by a whirlwind from Elysium.

Before the pilgrims' exclamations had even subsided, new changes had already occurred.

Before everyone's eyes, a beautiful little hill fell out of the Elysium whirlwind caused by Ilinica and landed squarely opposite the newly built Temple of Death by Ivy.

The small hill and the Spirit Tower, extending from the city of Juanze on the left and right respectively, perfectly divide and guard the road leading to the Kingdom of Montevi in ​​the northeast.

Then, those "kind and free people" who had been blown into the sky by the whirlwind of the Blissful Realm floated one after another onto the hill, laughing and joking.

Believe it or not, even in Faerûn, where gods roam freely, Ivy had never seen or even heard of such an outrageous situation.

A mountain fell from the outer plane into the prime material plane, and it was a blissful realm with its own absurd attributes.

He had heard of people profiting from the Prime Material Plane, such as Rasven being shrouded in the Shadow Curse and the Holy City Eltoril being dragged into Avernus—these were all similar cases.

It can actively throw landmasses from outer planes into the prime material plane... Considering the skyfalls and starfalls that Grellion has experienced, it might be some kind of unique world style.

Ivy retracted her ominous bone-fire wings and transformed back into a majestic and sacred mythical golden dragon, slowly approaching the small mountain from the outer plane from the air.

The crowd laughing and joking around Illinika on the mountaintop immediately and tactfully cleared a large space for him, allowing him to land safely.

"What... happened here?" Ivy hesitated for a moment before deciding to ask directly.

“I don’t know! Nobody can figure out what happened! But it just happened! Yes, we can all be sure it’s a gift from Elysium!” A young man in a light mage’s robe said happily. Ivy had seen him a few times in his camp. He was a young man who had followed Ilinica since Kanaburi. But to be honest, mages who believed in Desna like him were indeed rare.

Even Irina herself, who caused all of this, seemed bewildered. But apart from Ivy, there were probably few people on the mountaintop who cared about "why," even though the question was posed by the majestic golden dragon.

"We've finally seen you, Commander!" The crowd erupted in cheers. "Your power is so beautiful, like a song that depicts freedom, lush green fields, and the deepest yearning for freedom in the heart—even, it is paradise itself!"

The clear sound of a wooden flute rang out, coming from a simply dressed blonde girl, followed by a bard with a resounding voice, and finally everyone on the mountain joined in the chorus. Standing in the center, leading the crowd with her clear voice, was the peerless singer Ilinica, who possessed the power of a spirit messenger.

A verdant whirlwind erupted from the center of the crowd, with lush plants and vibrant flowers sprouting from the soil of the hill, growing taller and taller. Those naturally short races disappeared in the blink of an eye, with only a few dwarfs stubbornly showing off their colorful hair, though they looked like they would soon be submerged in the colorful sea of ​​flowers.

These people are using their songs to guide the power of paradise and transform the land beneath their feet.

Ivy didn't know much about Elysium, but she had read two books in Faerûn that described a similar plane of fairies and wilderness.

But when it comes to changing the world with music and songs, that's his forte.

No matter how grand the theme of the Song of Elysium is, it is merely a manifestation of the outer planes, while Ilúvatar's Song of Creation composes the destiny of an entire world and creates the existence of countless gods and beings.

Therefore, Ivy didn't hesitate much and decided to join the chorus.

The dragon's deep and unmistakable guttural voice infuses the song of the blissful realm of freedom with a vast and primal undertone, elevating the theme of depicting spiritual aspirations to a new level.

However, Irina's clear voice did not resist it. The dragon's throat sound, which was like the roar of the atmosphere and the trembling of the earth, did not cover up anyone's singing. Instead, it became the background that set off and carried everything.

The plants on the hill no longer grew wildly, but began to show signs of withering and flourishing in all four seasons. The halflings and dwarfs reappeared from the entanglement of the plants, and apart from having some plant seeds on their foreheads and clothes, they looked no different.

A huge rock rose from the mountaintop, quickly forming a towering cliff. Then, the cliff split open, and a spring gushed forth, its waters forming a waterfall on the cliff and gathering in a depression at the summit to form a small pond. The pond, hidden by green trees, was small, but the ever-flowing spring water quickly overflowed, eventually forming a stream that pushed aside the boulders and soil. The stones crumbled before the stream, quickly polished into smooth, lovely pebbles. These stones rolled down the mountaintop, paving a winding mountain path. On one side of the path was the lovely stream that originated from the mountaintop.

The singing stopped, but the cheers and exclamations from the crowd ceased. Everyone looked at the land beneath their feet with surprise and admiration, while offering respectful glances to the golden dragon perched atop the mountain.

Ivy couldn't help but complain inwardly. Compared to overwhelming power, it seemed that superior artistic cultivation would earn more admiration from these people.

"How did you do that?" a bard from Desna asked, voicing everyone's doubts. "You are a golden dragon, yet you used your song to guide the power of Elysium, making everything more harmonious... It's truly... incredible!"

Ivy decided to use language that these people would easily accept to persuade, or preach: "Because unrestrained freedom only produces chaos, just as a willful instrument can only produce noise. The melodies you are familiar with are regular fluctuations, not chaotic messes. Order is embodied in any kind of beauty you know, and it is not something you must resist."

A dwarf knight wielding a lance spoke impatiently: "Are you trying to persuade us to join the Crusade? We are all free people here. We are willing to fight against the Abyss, but we will never accept the order under the drab walls of Favored City! Those priests of the Church of Aomeide hate us the most!"

“Order is born from chaos, just as we gather here together to guide the power of Elysium with our songs. Individuals from every corner of Grallion sing the same melody. You in the Crusaders do not have to follow the order of the Church of Iomede, but the order you have created yourself.” Ivy’s words stunned everyone.

This is a road that was never imagined.

A small, childlike, and energetic voice asked with anticipation, "We make our own rules? I want everyone to eat strawberry pie or apple pie on Monday mornings?"

Little Dragon Loves the Crow has broken free from Ivy's illusion and is no longer chasing its fleeing tongue all over the place. Instead, it flaps its dragonfly wings and flutters up and down in front of Ivy.

“Of course.” Jinlong nodded majestically. “As long as it gets the consent of the majority and doesn’t bother others.”

"Who wouldn't want a strawberry pie to start a beautiful day!" Little Dragon Aiwu immediately grasped the trick. She circled around the crowd and shouted, "Come join the Holy Order and vote for the cutest Little Dragon Aiwu!"

“But I prefer hazelnut pie!” a dissenting voice emerged.

Ai Wu's eyes darted around twice, and he immediately came up with a solution: "Let's change it. Everyone must choose the food they think is the best on Monday morning!"

Now no one objected, and everyone laughed good-naturedly, loudly discussing their first rule.

A moment later, someone loudly reported to Ivy: "Wise Lord Golden Dragon, we have decided on the first law, it will be called the 'Monday Breakfast Law'! But now there is still a problem, we don't know where to put this law. We don't even know who we are - obviously, we are not the same as the Crusaders in the city, but we can't be called the Crusaders outside the city, that would be too silly."

"Let's call it the Knights of Freedom!" Irina shouted from the middle of the crowd. "I am the commander personally certified by Queen Godfrey, and I have the authority to knight all of you! From now on, everyone here is a Knight of Freedom! Our swearing-in ceremony will consist of singing a song and receiving applause from everyone!"

“Don’t forget we also have law and order!” Aiwu perched on Ilinica’s shoulder, her nose twitching. “We should be called the Knights of Freedom and Order!”

"Alright, let's call it the Knights of Freedom and Order!"

In any case, this can be considered a victory for Ivy, because he at least made these chaotic and free-spirited guys realize what order and law are.

(End of this chapter)