Equipment Printing School Mage

"Besides, the work for the Flame Fist isn't finished yet. Even if I want to rest, I have to take a special annual leave! If I find out that anyone in this temple is secretly leaving their post to do their own private work when everyone is busy, then humph! Then prepare to be punished!"

As he said this, the old pastor's mechanical arm finally put down Papier, who had been carrying him all the way. Then, the mechanical arm floated to the door of a small room and pushed it open heavily.

Looking at the scene inside the door, Emiya's eyebrows couldn't help but twitch violently.

The way this room is decorated seems familiar.

[Holy Abode, a realm of constancy and honesty.] Yin immediately made his judgment. [The technique is the same as in the Wangyang Tower.]

This spell is indeed good at interrogation, but that's not the problem.

——This seems to be exactly the same as the new interrogation room built in the Flame Fist Wangyang Tower!

A simple table and a small stool that is so narrow that there is no room for sitting.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Gutenberg replied, "It's simple. We felt that although Karkoros's plan was a waste of money, it was indeed very useful. So we built some of them in the Gear Workshop - it's not difficult to memorize those drawings. Now, enough small talk, please come in!"

Emiya didn't hesitate and simply walked into the room. She replied, "Mr. Gutenberg, I have a clear conscience. Before today, I didn't know about the existence of the Gear Shop. My knowledge of muskets... has nothing to do with the Gond Church. Moreover, I only have some knowledge, not a systematic understanding. I also have no intention of prying into the secrets of the Gond Church."

Within the realm of honesty, lying becomes a game of willpower. The more powerful the priest, the stronger the divine power they unleash. If Gutenberg himself had been the one to do it, Emiya didn't believe he could resist the spell's effects. So, he simply gave up struggling and spoke the most important and desired information to the other party.

By the way, taking this opportunity to hold your head high and chest out can also help you avoid being pressed on that small stool that is more like a blunt spike than a seat.

"I haven't asked yet!" Gutenberg said unhappily as he strode into the room.

Regardless, Gutenberg visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but continued to ask, "Why are you here?"

"Because we camped here last night. The choice of the camping site has nothing to do with the Gear Workshop. Our coming here is purely a coincidence, and there is no deliberate element involved." Emiya replied.

As for why Miss Imoen had built the safe house near the Gear Workshop... he had a guess, but no solid evidence. Even if he was vague, it couldn't be called a lie.

"Hmm...very good. Looks like it was a false alarm. This is a very good outcome for both of us."

But these answers were enough to dissipate the hostility between the two sides. The Gear Shop itself was not a particularly big problem.

Gutenberg nodded and relaxed, but at this moment, Emiya took the opportunity to ask, "I'm curious about something. Is the Gund Church still working hard on the Flame Fist order? Haven't they considered the risks involved?"

"...?" Every wrinkle on Gutenberg's face asked the same question, "Risk? What risk? Flame Fist has a good reputation, and the deposit has already been paid?"

This answer was truly beyond Emiya's expectations: "—You didn't know? Things haven't been going well between the Flaming Fist and the Council of Four lately."

"Ah, I know that." Gutenberg waved his hand. "The Flame Fist suddenly lost a seat, so naturally it'll take some time to adjust. It's nothing serious."

Emiya was silent for a moment.

He was thinking about something.

Why is the Gond Church unwilling to disclose information about firearms?

[Mars? Do you know why Gund doesn't want to reveal the firearm?]

In reality, it wasn't just the Church of Gond who was unwilling to disclose the information; a significant number of cities refused to allow the circulation of firearms. Waterdeep was one of them. Mars immediately offered his answer. "While firearms were not cheap, they were only comparable to ordinary magical weapons. However, unleashing their full power, they could render ordinary armor useless without the extensive training required for traditional weapons. These relatively low-cost yet highly lethal weapons were considered as potentially dangerous as poison, and were therefore banned in many cities."

Emiya hesitated for a moment.

Gutenberg seemed to be completely oblivious to what was happening at the Council of Four and paid absolutely no attention to it.

Then, he might not be aware of some recent events, some of which might have shaken Gutenberg.

Gutenberg appears to have been a staunchly conservative pastor, completely devoted to the church itself and completely unwilling to meddle in worldly affairs.

As if he knew what Emiya was thinking, Sig offered a suggestion: "So-called neutrality, not taking action, are all excuses. Essentially, it's just a matter of ignoring things that don't concern you. If you can think of something that's directly relevant to them, they won't be able to ignore it."

So, is there any information that can force these conservatives to take action?

A message that the Gond Church must take sides while also being on their side.

——Maybe there is!

Emiya pondered for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly. "...So, Mr. Gutenberg, I'd like to ask, are you aware that the Red Wizards have already made a grand entrance to Baldur's Gate? They even openly entered the Council of Four and engaged in battle with Karkoros on the spot."

"boom!"

The next second, a huge mechanical arm slammed heavily in front of Emilia, and the exquisite stone table shattered into pieces with a deafening sound.

Gutenberg's angry roar echoed along with it: "Those necromancers came to Baldur's Gate openly?!"

Emiya nodded without hesitation. "Moreover, it's not just one or two people. It's a high-level wizard who can fight against Karkoros and the apprentices he leads. Maybe there are even more."

——Gund Church, Gutenberg really cares about this matter.

Yes, the evil nation of Cyre was renowned for its wealth. They employed undead creatures extensively for farming and mining, practically exploiting slavery to its full potential. The cost of muskets was no problem for them.

Undead creatures, such as skeletons and zombies, can move around, but their combat power is not particularly strong.

But if Searle gets the knowledge of the musket...

Those white skeletons will be able to slowly stand in a row, raise their flintlock rifles in unison and aim at the enemy.

Before the priests could enter the sixty-foot range of the undead exorcist, they would probably be blasted to pieces by muskets.

There were quite a few priests in Feren, but they also served a wide range of functions within the community, making them high-end professions that could not be lost. This risk was enough to make Emiya tremble with fear.

Even if the Church of Gond had some way to prevent the spread of gunpowder, the red-robed wizards of Cyre were like flies; you couldn't drive them away once and they would give up. The Church of Gond would inevitably be harassed endlessly by Cyre in the future.

At the same time, although Gutenberg and Grand Duke Silver Shield were both Grand Masters of the Gund Church, and neither of them had obvious tendencies towards good or evil...

However, political views seem to be quite different.

The Grand Duke of Silver Shield did not react so obviously to the appearance of the Red Robe Wizard.

Visitors to the Sixty-Two Gears Workshop

"........."

The Master Craftsman of Gund, Gutenberg, had probably already gone through their gear workshop a hundred times.

The Gond faith naturally extends beyond Baldur's Gate, but the Temple of Supreme Wonders is undoubtedly one of the most important faith centers of the Gond Church.

The shocked Gutenberg smashed the stone table used for interrogation, and the broken stones almost hit Emilia's feet.

However, even after encountering this sudden change, Emilia still stood calmly in the interrogation room.

The magic was still working here, and he still couldn't lie, but his conscience was clear, so he didn't care where he was.

Inside the door of the interrogation room, he could still see many corners of the Gear Shop from afar.

Bench vise, file, plane, bellows——

Here, countless tools and semi-finished products await their users. The people of Gond, free from the pressure of orders, might, after completing their work at the Temple of the Supreme Wonder, quietly retreat from the sight of the Baldur people, arriving here through possible secret passages, steadily advancing their various ingenious ideas amidst a series of failures.

However, such a huge workshop may not be able to accommodate two top-level priests.

A moment's reflection revealed a delicate relationship between Gutenberg and Grand Duke Silvershield. Clearly, Gutenberg was merely a priest of the Gunder Church, possessing greater influence within the church. Meanwhile, Grand Duke Silvershield was the most powerful figure in the church's city, possessing influence both within the secular world and within the church.

Even if these two people didn't normally attack each other, friction between their forces was inevitable. If they had different political views, the consequences would be even more serious.

"This old Gutenberg seems fully aware of the risks involved. He's not the type to rush out in anger to settle scores with another master craftsman." Sig glanced around the Gear Workshop, commenting, "If this master craftsman Gutenberg storms out upon hearing this, I think we should just side with the Grand Duke of Silver Shield..."

Mars also agreed: "I would rather not help either side, but I really don't want to be tied to the chariot by a thoughtless and reckless man."

Gutenberg didn't seem like the old, stubborn man who didn't understand the ways of the world. As Emilia waited quietly, she noticed that Gutenberg had glanced several times at the person who was most embarrassed at the moment.

Shiji Silvershield is the daughter of Grand Duke Silvershield, but a novice monk under the jurisdiction of Gutenberg.

Next, it would be inappropriate for him to act on his own.

"...Master Gutenberg, can I contact the outside world now?"

"Whatever you say." Gutenberg's answer came extremely quickly.

***************************

All I knew was that the old Flaming Fist fortress had been converted into an administrative center—but I never imagined the so-called transformation would be so thorough.

Looking at the magnificent Supreme Hall at this moment, Apodel Adrian, who had been away from this place for a hundred years, realized for the first time so clearly that he was too old.

The residents of Baldur's Gate had changed for three or four generations. He was a stranger here. Even the Witchcraft Grocery, which still stood, had been owned by someone else.

Baldur's Gate was now adorned with festive decorations promoting the Grand Duke's election. Countless portraits and slogans of the candidates had been plastered and even painted all over the city.

In this city, Apodel no longer dared to reveal his true face.

A hundred years ago, he was simply a city-wide wanted man due to a misunderstanding by the Flame Fist. Today, the number of people who want to kill him has only multiplied a hundredfold or a thousandfold.

The Supreme Hall is a very sensitive place, and it must have been heavily guarded by the Church of Gond. If you don't want to alert the enemy, it's best to put it last on your list.

Apodel was standing at the edge of the upper city at this moment, and his eyes couldn't help but drift towards the northeast of Baldur's Gate.

He had just recently learned that another huge change in Baldur's Gate was that in the upper city, where every inch of land was valuable, there was actually a large open space for everyone to trade freely. The market held in this area was called the Wide Market.

It is said that the center of the market is the stone statue of his former best friends, Minsk and Bubu.

Now is the time when the market is in full swing.

Most of the people and vehicles that were constantly passing by Apodale were targeting Guangyu Ji.

...A place like this with so many people coming and going might be popular with the Red Robe Mage of Sel.

Living people can be turned into materials for them to cast necromancy when they advance, and they can also use the living as shields when they retreat.

In theory, a paladin should not compromise with evil - but if the number of hostages reached three or even four digits, Apodel would have to reconsider.

Well, the next step is to explore the wide area... The terrain there is bound to be very complex and it is very likely to become a battlefield.

Also, I can recall Minsk.

Just as he was about to take a step forward, a short message from a wizard came into his mind.

Specifically, the leader of his only student's team.

What if we had to choose between the two Grand Masters of the Gond Church to support?

……ah?

This is the downside of text messaging. Because of the character limit, the information communicated is often extremely abstract, forcing the recipient to use every bit of their brain to barely understand the sender's intentions.

This time, Apodel quickly grasped the true meaning of the message: [You've contacted the Gond Church?! You should be outside the city now!]

We are indeed outside the city, but due to coincidence, we did have contact with the Gond Church.

We've only been apart for less than an hour!

This group of young people's ability to get into trouble is simply astonishing. Others recall the past in years, but these kids will probably recall it in hours!

Apodale couldn't help but sigh: "You guys make your own decision, just let me know the result."

Choosing between two great masters of the Gond Church? While the question wasn't dangerous, it was sensitive enough. He didn't think his judgment was much better than that of the young men.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw an elegantly dressed, slim girl constantly casting glances in all directions.

She was obviously looking for someone.

Soon, her eyes fell accurately on Apodale.

She quickly approached in this direction, and Apodale frowned and placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist: "Miss, do you have something to talk to me about?"

The girl's voice was soft and pleasant, almost a whisper even though they were face to face. "I don't have it myself, but my master does."

"Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Lorien, and I'm your wife's maid."

"She suggested you consider visiting the former site of the Church of Fortune, now the Frostfire Chamber of Commerce, then visit the Ocean Tower to meet with Karkoros Burning Flame, and finally try to go to the Silver Shield Mansion... These areas may become battlefields in the future."

"...How did you recognize her... Never mind." Apodel was stunned for a moment, then immediately remembered that Imoen had just taken in a shapeshifter as a servant. "Where is she?"

Speaking of this topic, the maid's face showed a hint of gloating. "My master said that she has already clearly stated the conditions for meeting her in that letter. Until then, I will be the only one to accompany you and help you solve potential interpersonal problems."

**********************

Let them solve it themselves.

Emiya couldn't help but sigh.

His emotions are somewhat complicated now.

Being treated like a subordinate, ordered around, was certainly unpleasant. But having been given autonomy so readily, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

In his opinion, Gutenberg, who obviously disliked politics and was more popular within the church, was a more suitable target to win over.

Gutenberg was a craftsman, but a very experienced one. The excitement and concentration with which he had studied the Confessor some time ago were undeniable.

Emilia felt that such a person would be easier to win over than a veteran politician.

Master Gutenberg finally sighed and waved to Emilia: "Come out, this is my personal offense."

Without waiting for Emiya's reply, he suddenly turned around and asked the two novices casually, "So why did you two come to the Gear Workshop? According to the rules, you should go through the underground passage!"