Equipment Printing School Mage

Also in the Gear Shop restaurant were Papier and Shiki Silvershield. The two novices weren't feeling well either, probably because Gutenberg had dragged them through the night before. Shiki said weakly, stirring the hot soup with a spoon, "That might be... a little difficult. My father is... quite strict about that."

She hesitated, considering her words. "If the church needs to mobilize the family's power... I've personally seen him inquiring into these matters. Perhaps this matter will eventually be pushed to the Council of Four."

"—Forget it, I don't want to be surrounded by people watching." Gutenberg waved his hand angrily. "Then let's coordinate slowly. It will only take an extra day at most, and that should be enough."

At this point, Shi Ji finally reacted. "Hey guys, you all look like ordinary adventurers, and you were at the Gear Shop yesterday. Why do you suddenly need to ship something? And the quantity is so large that it even involves Silver Shield?"

"We..." Mars was about to explain when Gutenberg waved his hand, interrupting Shi Ji. "Curb your curiosity, novice. I guarantee that in the next few days, a large number of Gond people will suddenly become extremely curious and want to know where the eldest daughter of the Grand Duke of Silver Shield is."

"——!" Shiji Silver Shield was so frightened that his whole body trembled and he dared not speak anymore. He simply threw aside the aristocratic etiquette and buried his head in eating.

Shiger bared his teeth and whispered to Mars, "By the way, I haven't asked yet—who on earth would order nearly a thousand sets of armor at once? I'm afraid even a force with only one gold mine under its control can't afford so much money, right?"

Mars was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice and replied, "...That's the problem. I suspect there's something fishy going on here. It's not just a simple business transaction. If these nine hundred sets of armor were sold, I'm afraid more than one faction would go bankrupt."

"...So, I might not be able to get the 1.3 million?"

"It's going to be very tortuous, to say the least."

"Pfft! I knew it!"

At this moment, Gutenberg suddenly raised his head and gestured to Shiji Silver Shield and Papier. The two were stunned for a moment, then immediately stood up, not even bothering to clean up the tableware, and ran towards the depths of the Gear Workshop as if escaping.

Soon, a series of dense footsteps came from another direction towards the restaurant. Several priests arrived from the southeast. After entering, their eyes lingered on Mars and Sig, then they immediately bowed to Gutenberg and said, "Master Craftsman!"

Gutenberg frowned.

These priests were not wearing the common clothes of the Gond people. Instead, they were all fully armed, as if ready for battle at any time.

- In addition, these priests wore the gear holy emblem of Gond on their chests, but had the emblem of a silver shield on their left arms.

Master Craftsman Gutenberg stood up and asked, "What happened to Baldur's Gate? The pressure of orders must still be quite high right now, right?"

The arriving priest replied, "Something terrible has happened in Baldur's Gate. Last night, the Holy Silver Merchant Guild, located next to the Hope Residence Welfare Institute, was attacked. The entire guild was razed to the ground. Blood flowed into the Hope Residence next door... However, Flaming Fist found no bodies inside the guild, nor any signs of bodies being dragged or disposed of."

"?!" Gutenberg's eyes widened in surprise. "Is there such a thing? Do you know who did it?"

The leading priests took a deep breath. "Report, we don't know yet. Also, there's another problem: Miss Shiji Silvershield disappeared yesterday. Grand Duke Silvershield is now... extremely worried."

Seventy-four opened the magic box

When Emilia staggered but walked quickly at double the pace - of course, this was Yin's masterpiece - she saw a situation that was unclear whether it was a report or a palace coup.

At a long table that could accommodate nearly twenty people, several priests wearing both the Gond and Silver Shield emblems stood respectfully in front of Gutenberg. Mars and Sig sat beside the master craftsman Gutenberg, facing several Gond people from a distance.

"--Miss Shiji Silvershield disappeared yesterday."

Emiya heard these words as soon as she entered the restaurant.

It seems that Miss Silver Shield's estimate of her family's efficiency is still very accurate - perhaps within this day, the Silver Shield family has turned the upper and lower towns of Baldur's Gate upside down, so that now they have to go to the Gear Workshop to look for people.

The sound of Emiya and Yin's footsteps naturally attracted the attention of the priests present. The leading priest frowned and asked, "Master Craftsman... Has the Gear Workshop been open to the public these days? I remember that this place was supposed to be a paradise on earth for craftsmen."

"Yes." Gutenberg didn't waste any time arguing with the craftsman, but gave a straightforward affirmative answer. "I have personally witnessed the talent of one of them, so they are qualified to enter here."

The master craftsman placed the cutlery on the table with a frown. "The massacre... I don't care. That's the Flame Fist's business. What's the point of telling me this? I only care about what's going on inside the temple. As for Shi Ji?"

The master craftsman turned his back, not revealing his face. "She hasn't even become a formal priest yet. She's just an ordinary believer. If she disappears, she can go to the Flaming Fist... or at worst, to Valakon. Even if that's not the case, you've also received the Lord's favor. Your divinely granted power is more than enough to find someone."

Having said that, he finally turned around with a stern face and said, "I don't see how these things have anything to do with me. It doesn't seem necessary for you to go all the way to the Gear Shop."

After such a long verbal battle, the pastor's lips moved and he finally said, "We suspect that the young lady may have sneaked into the Gear Shop."

"Whatever you suspect is your business." Gutenberg waved his hand. "Most of the Gear Workshop is public land. Search it however you like."

"Then... Gear Shop..."

Gutenberg had already said this, but the pastors in front of him still did not move.

The master craftsman narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Palaso Silver Shield, you are not going to say that you want to search my room, are you?"

"No! No! No! Of course not!" The priest named Palasso, who was obviously from the Silver Shield family, shuddered violently and shook his head repeatedly. "It's just that the demise of the Holy Silver Chamber of Commerce has made us feel a little insecure. So we want to open..."

Having said this, he glanced at the outsiders present and gestured to Gutenberg.

His hands were held in the air, one in front and one behind, as if he was holding a crossbow.

"So that's what it is." The tense atmosphere disappeared without a trace, and Gutenberg breathed a sigh of relief. He simply asked, "Did Thorlin agree?"

Parasol Silver Shield nodded with absolute certainty: "Yes, the patriarch agrees."

"Chief... humph." Gutenberg shook his head. "Then you can go."

"Thank you for your permission."

The Silver Shield Family priests also breathed a sigh of relief. They bowed and saluted, then quickly walked towards the warehouse.

Emiya was silent for a moment, then asked Mars, "Our armor...?"

Mars replied: "Don't worry, it's in the opposite direction. How are you doing now?"

Emiya flexed her hands and replied, "...similar to yesterday morning? He shouldn't be dead."

"Hmph." Gutenberg recovered and gave Emiya a complicated look. "Yesterday, I never would have imagined that in the mere hours since I left the Gear Shop, you would have done something so earth-shattering... My Lord asked me to treat you as brothers, so naturally, you've passed my test... But I'm truly curious as to what exactly you did."

Sig spoke first, "We were fortunate to witness the divine skills demonstrated to us by the god Gond. During this time, Emya and this lord fully exchanged their experiences in creation."

"...Oh." Gutenberg nodded silently, then shook his head decisively, "I don't understand."

Mars coughed lightly and said, "We can't tell you—this is one of the prerequisites for the reward given to us by the God of Gond."

"That's all. If my Lord is willing to tell me, I'll know sooner or later." Gutenberg looked away with a hint of disappointment, while Emilia sat down at the table with great difficulty. "Those priests, are going to get..."

He made an explosion gesture with his hands.

"This was originally a secret, but my Lord himself said he treats you as brothers, so why should I hide it?" Gutenberg revealed a hint of self-abandonment. "Indeed. Ever since Lantan Island disappeared in the Arcane Calamity, gunpowder has gradually disappeared, and we shouldn't have used it without permission. Now Silver Shield is using gunpowder for such a trivial matter. He's a master craftsman, and so am I. How can I stop him?"

Gutenberg snorted heavily. "Whether he truly wants to find my daughter or is just using this as an excuse is none of my business. But the little brat from the church asked me for shelter, and I've already agreed. There's no way I'm going to hand her over again."

The master craftsman clearly lost the mood to continue eating. He waved his hand in annoyance. "Forget it, let's talk about your business. I don't know how you did it, but those hundreds of suits of full-body plate armor are enough wealth to shock Baldur's Gate. They shouldn't be stored in the Gear Shop forever. Please quickly determine when and where to ship it out."

"...Well." Emiya turned serious. "I need to contact Flame Fist."

He estimated that producing nine hundred sets of armor would take a full ten days. Of course, even if it was only ten days, this efficiency was enough to be called earth-shattering in Faerun.

But now, he and Gunde completed nine hundred sets of full-body plate armor in one day...the plan had to be significantly revised.

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

In the Wangyang Tower of Flame Fist, the acting marshal was showing an unprecedented leisurely attitude at this moment.

He personally poured boiling water into the teacup, letting the fragrant aroma of tea mixed with the already lit incense permeate his office. "Apodel Adrian... This name is probably well-known to everyone in Waterdeep, but I certainly didn't expect to meet you so soon."

He paused, then continued, "I never expected that you would choose to come to Baldur's Gate on the very day I extended the invitation."

The person sitting opposite him was naturally the Son of Bhaal who had officially entered Baldur's Gate.

Apodel, sitting across from Karkoros, spoke with a serious expression. Hearing this, he replied meticulously, "Actually, I'd heard about the murder a long time ago and had already begun preparing for it. It wasn't really a hasty move after receiving the news."

At this point, Apodale calmly continued, "Of course, I didn't plan to act so ostentatiously from the beginning. However, the night before yesterday, the team my students were a part of was ambushed by demons, and the captain was seriously injured and nearly died. So I decided to expose my presence and draw the enemy's attention away. I didn't believe anyone would dare to ignore my presence and attack those young people on their own."

"Uh..." Hearing this, Karkoros couldn't help but froze for a moment, "...your student should also be a strong and powerful paladin like you?"

Apodale replied: "That's natural."

Amidst the rising steam, beads of sweat formed on Karkoros's forehead. He stood up hastily, nearly knocking over his own chair. "I'm so sorry! The attack came too suddenly, and the protection of Wangyang Tower didn't extend to the bridgehead. By the time I noticed the abnormality, they had already been rescued. I definitely didn't mean to sit idly by and watch them get attacked without helping!"

"..." Apodel didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stared at Karkoros for a moment before standing up and answering, "I fully understand the danger and suddenness of that ambush, so I don't think you've done anything wrong. I'm not here to accuse you. On the contrary, I believe the Flaming Fist is still a rare organization working for the people of Baldur's Gate. That's why I wanted to explore the possibility of cooperation and discuss the severity of the current crisis in Baldur's Gate."

Karkoros breathed a sigh of relief. Then, recalling a significant incident that occurred just before the Holy Knight arrived, he couldn't help but take a deep breath. "...So, it was you who wiped out the Holy Silver Merchant Guild."

"Yes. Unfortunately, there wasn't even a single mortal inside. I only saw the baatezu from the Nine Hells. So this attack may have shaken Baldur's Gate, but the actual effect was very limited. More importantly, we discovered another fact," Apodair said methodically. "The first time the devils publicly appeared in Baldur's Gate was at the Council of Four the day before yesterday, appearing in the name of the Frostfire Merchant Guild. They haven't even taken up residence in their theoretical base yet."

"So, how long has the Holy Silver Merchant Guild, which is also completely controlled by the devil, been stationed in Baldur's Gate?"

"When did the demons actually arrive at Baldur's Gate? What exactly did they want to do here? How much have they done during their time at Baldur's Gate?"

"......!" Karkoros was startled and stood up immediately, "I'm going to find Ola!"

Just then, Carl Ola pushed open the door and walked weakly into the office. He didn't notice Apodel at first, but sighed, "Karlkoros, bad news. One of our escort caravans was attacked, and the Flaming Fist Squad was completely wiped out. We won't be able to receive the second half of the deposit, and we still have to raise a large amount of pensions."

"If we can't get the Council of Four to approve the funds immediately, we'll really have to go into debt. Besides, I've already contacted them... I'm sorry."

"Now only the devil's Frostfire Merchants Guild is willing to lend us money."

Author's Note: I recently realized a mistake I made while checking a map. I previously said that the High Hall was easier to get to from the Flaming Fist headquarters, but I was blind. The High Hall is actually the Duke's residence from the first two Baldur's Gate games. It hasn't changed much, and has nothing to do with the Flaming Fist headquarters. However, the Flaming Fist headquarters did move from the Upper City to Wangyang Tower in the Lower City—if the Baldur's Gate map in the Baldur's Gate game is taken as canonical history.

Seventy-five blood-stained gold coins

Only the devil agreed to lend.

This is a blatant trap. Anyone with a bit of common sense and some understanding of the devil's ways will realize that this is a trap.

You are not penniless now. As long as you can make ends meet, you will soon have enough money again.

But it is at this moment that the hand you reach out for help is pushed away again and again.

The only helping hand extended to you even has fresh scarlet blood on it.

This is a trap, but there is no way out.

Karl Oula came to complain more than to report to Karkoros.

He had lost his original gentleness at this moment - his hair was a mess like a chicken coop because of his own scratching, his eye sockets were sunken and his eyes were bloodshot -

A few days ago, they had reached a consensus with the Council of Four, or rather, the Grand Duke of Silver Shield. If they could also gain Grand Duke Violet's approval, the Flaming Fist would be able to alleviate this urgent need.

But yesterday, because of the attack on Emiya and his group, Karkoros caused a big fuss in the Council of Four - although this incident was enjoyable at the time, unfortunately, Grand Duke Silver Shield did not like such behavior that threatened the authority of the Council of Four.

They had reached a consensus temporarily because of Apodale, but they were afraid that Flame Fist would not be able to obtain funding from Silver Shield until all these issues were resolved.

At this point, Carl Ola, who was clearly in poor condition, finally reacted.

There was actually another stranger in Karkoros's room.

If he hadn't been exhausted these past few days, he wouldn't have turned a blind eye to such a visitor who didn't hide his whereabouts.

This strange visitor wore a loose cape, beneath which he wore a dark red inner armor of unusual material. After finally meeting Carl Ola's gaze, he politely stood up and gestured, then addressed the Flaming Fist's acting marshal, "...never mind. There are priorities. Dealing with demons is actually simpler. If they press hard, we'll cut off their legs. If they keep pushing, we'll chop off their heads. But ultimately, it's too late to act until they reveal their true colors. The Flaming Fist's current predicament is clearly the result of their long-planned plan."

Karkoros pressed his brow in pain. "I know this very well. As long as we investigate the devil behind this, we can reverse the decline."

Time, the question is time.

Too many things happened in just a few days, and people were asked for money everywhere. Everything seemed to be extremely urgent. So what should they do first?

Before Apodale could continue speaking, Carl Ola's brow furrowed.

He was from the Lower City of Baldur's Gate. Looking at the middle-aged man before him, whose face, though slightly marked by age, still held a majestic air, he felt a deep familiarity.

He was certain that he had never seen the middle-aged warrior before him. But this middle-aged warrior looked very familiar - he had definitely seen this person in a place he often visited.

Carl Oula pounded the back of his swollen head and pondered over it.

The wide-area set in the Great Glade? No, the statue there is of Leatherman Berserker Minsk.

Wangyang Tower? No, the statue here is of Grand Duke Iltan.

——Karl Ola slapped his thigh suddenly, his face full of disbelief.

There is indeed a statue of this person.

It stands proudly in the statue area of ​​the Duke's Residence, opposite Bodran.

At this moment, the man before him placed a fist on his chest, stood up, and saluted. "Forgive me for my impertinence, but I was so anxious about Flaming Fist's current predicament that I didn't introduce myself to you the moment I arrived. My name is Apodel Adrian, a paladin of the Church of Mystra from Candlekeep. I had some ties to Baldur's Gate in my youth."

Karl Oula paused for a moment and repeated the name.

This name should be well-known, but the attitude of the person in front of me when he said it was too calm, as if he was saying an unknown name and making an ordinary self-introduction.

Carl Oula stammered and took a few steps back, almost tripping over the chair behind him: "You are the one who was in the iron ore crisis a hundred years ago-"

The paladin replied, "If you mean the great upheaval that once reigned over the Iron Throne, then yes, I played a role in that conflict, and was fortunate enough to behead the culprit myself."

"So you really are—!" Carl Ola clutched his chest and took a few deep breaths. "Didn't you just accept Baldur's Gate's invitation? It's only been a day!"

"Before I came here, I actually consulted a friend, and he assured me that you two can be trusted, so I might as well be frank. The invitation from the Council of Four is indeed very important to me, but there is another reason that I have not yet told you two."

The Son of Baal said, "First, a somewhat mysterious group of adventurers visited the Flaming Fist a few days ago. They were involved in a murder case that seemed to be related to Baal... Is that so?"

Karl Ola's expression immediately darkened. "...I'm sorry, I have to inform you that they were... the night before last..."

"Oh, thank you both for your concern these past two days. They are safe now, but I have placed them under house arrest, and they are not allowed to enter Baldur's Gate in the near future."

Upon hearing this, the two Ranyans exchanged glances. Karl Oula was stunned. "--Are they closely related to you?"