Equipment Printing School Mage
Page 115
Apodel sighed. "The only swordsman in that team is Mars, the one Elturgard mysteriously issued a wanted order for. I've personally confirmed that even after Rex issued the wanted order, Mars remained a true paladin, and wasn't even punished for a minor infraction."
"The three elements of information transmission: the source, the channel, and the destination—" The paladin held up three fingers. "Either Elturgard made a grave mistake, or the information being transmitted was tampered with."
"The final possibility is that Mr. Rex himself has a hidden secret. He deliberately forged this wanted poster by using his identity as a messenger to serve another force."
"Is there something wrong with Rex himself?!" The news brought by the paladin was like a bolt from the blue, causing Karkoros to stand up suddenly. "If the Elturgard envoys themselves are completely pawns of a certain force..."
Apodale said: "I don't think I have any superior talents, so at this time I can only use some crude methods - first guess the enemy's ultimate goal, and then use it as a starting point to replan the action."
"I believe their goal is to attempt to control Baldur's Gate. To do this, dismantling the Flaming Fist is a must. Therefore, their biggest goal right now is to completely paralyze or even dismember the Flaming Fist so they can feast on it."
Any ordinary paladin would have felt threatened by this moment—a paladin's soul was a treasure of the greatest treasures to the devil. Unfortunately, Apodel Adrian was one of the few paladins who wasn't afraid of this.
After his death, his soul would be taken away by his father, Baal, and would never fall into the hands of the devil. The devil would definitely lose money if he dealt with him.
Carl Ola had already reacted and exclaimed, "My Lord Tyr, are all these recent events part of a plan?!"
"Although I can't be certain, clues are certainly everywhere," Apodale said calmly. "In my opinion, although the Flame Fist is facing a mountain of trouble right now, the source of your current chaos lies in one thing: money."
Karkoros frowned and lay down on the chair: "...Money?"
"Yes. A murder case is certainly a world-shattering event, but precisely because of this, no case involving supernatural powers is easy to investigate. It's only natural that there's no result in less than a month. If the Flame Fist wasn't completely broke right now, you could easily have resisted the Council of Four's repeated urging. It's precisely because the Flame Fist urgently needs funding from the Council of Four that you're so scrambling. The same is true for everything else."
After reaching this conclusion, Carl Ola lost all his strength and sat down heavily on the chair: "...So that's how it is."
No one mentioned borrowing money from Apodale.
Asking a stranger to pay hundreds of thousands of gold coins for the Flame Fist? Ola and Karkoros were almost a hundred years old in total.
It was Apodel who took the initiative. "Unfortunately, although I'm relatively well-off, I can't come up with hundreds of thousands of gold coins. So I'm truly powerless. But, it seems you've found a way out before? Has there been any progress in the contract between you and the Overwatch? If they're willing to accept the chainmail, that would be fantastic."
At this moment, Karkoros suddenly stood up and said, "—I'm afraid you'll have the opportunity to hear the answer to this question in person. The captain of the Watchers has arrived at the foot of Wangyang Tower."
****************************
The captain of the Watchers was a middle-aged woman who meticulously maintained her appearance. She wore brand new plate armor, her helmet clutched to her chest, and led a group of Watchers from the gate of Wangyang Tower to the door of Karkoros' office.
Each of her steps was neither fast nor slow, and the distance between them barely changed.
Finally, she knocked calmly on the door. "Lord Karkoros Burning Flame?"
The Marshal's deputy's voice rang out from the door at just the right moment: "Please come in, Madam Nasir. I certainly didn't expect the captain of the Watchers to come to visit at this time."
As she expected, there were two of the most powerful and haggard members of the Flame Fist in the sect.
If ordinary people saw this, they would probably think that these two Ranyans had not been able to sleep for several days and nights.
Karkoros looked at the Watchers' leader, who stood humbly at the table, and sighed, "A bloody incident just occurred a few steps from Wangyang Tower. Your arrival at this hour is truly terrible."
He paused and asked, "...Would you like some tea?"
Karkoros pointed to the steaming teapot on the table and said, "This is a treasure from the previous marshal."
Mrs. Nasir's gaze lingered on Karkoros and she said, "You seem to have a clear distinction between public and private life."
The acting marshal answered simply, "Yes. The Flaming Fist is in great difficulty, but that doesn't mean I have to share its hardships. While I do dedicate myself to the Flaming Fist, that doesn't mean I have to make unilateral sacrifices for it. I am an employee of the Flaming Fist, not a member of it. It's just that this employee happened to have command of the Flaming Fist for a short period of time."
"Ah, then our conversation will go much more smoothly." Mrs. Nasir's expression relaxed slightly. "Let me get straight to the point—we all see the difficulties the Flaming Fist has been facing recently. As fellow protectors of the citizens of Baldur's Gate, we, the Watchers, hope to provide the Flaming Fist with whatever assistance we can."
Karkoros didn't thank him immediately, but asked, "...For example?"
Mrs. Nasir was stunned for a moment. Looking at the still silent Carl Ola, she continued, "We previously signed an armor recycling agreement with the Flame Fist. Does the Flame Fist intend to revise it? Would giving away a thousand sets of armor at once be too much of a burden for the Flame Fist right now?"
The deal was that the Overwatch were willing to purchase one thousand sets of Flame Fist armor at a discount, regardless of whether they were old or new, as long as the armor still met basic performance requirements.
Carl Ola finally spoke at this time: "The content of the treaty is recorded. As long as both parties agree, any content of the treaty can be revised... Is that right?"
"Indeed," Lady Nasir replied. "In my opinion, the Flaming Fist's current difficulties are only temporary. What is the Flaming Fist's current situation? Can it immediately produce a thousand suits of armor from its inventory?"
"That's the problem." Karkoros frowned and knocked on the table. "Please answer me - will the Watchers need the Flaming Fist's chainmail?"
At this moment, Mrs. Nasir smiled warmly. "—Of course not. Even though the Watchers' equipment is far inferior to the Flaming Fist's, they will not be short of brand-new chainmail. We set out the performance requirements for armor in the treaty, and chainmail clearly does not meet those requirements."
Karkoros snorted angrily.
This was the biggest trap in the treaty. Lady Nasir's face showed a hint of embarrassment. "I originally thought that Flame Fist agreed so readily because the mountains of armor in the warehouse truly met our needs..."
"Okay, this is our problem. Tell me, what is your new proposal? And why do you think it can help the Flame Fist?"
Mrs. Nasir breathed a faint sigh of relief. She took a document from the attendant behind her and placed it in front of the two Burning Flames. "In short, we propose changing the form of cooperation, deepening it, and adding some flexibility. We will no longer just purchase armor, but also various weapons. At the same time, we will switch from a fixed exchange rate to a per-piece pricing. As long as the Flaming Fist is willing to sell and it meets our requirements, we will purchase it. Furthermore, we have provided a more detailed discount list and are willing to offer a more favorable price for higher-quality weapons and equipment."
Karkoros quickly glanced over the treaty.
There is nothing wrong with what Mrs. Nasir said.
To put it simply, from now on, the Overwatch Team will begin to purchase supplies from the Flame Fist without any limit on quantity and transaction volume, helping the Flame Fist to convert physical goods into cash and overcome the current difficulties.
Carl Ola frowned deeply. "...Unlimited? I didn't know the Overwatch team was that wealthy."
"Ola Ranyan is quite humorous. We only receive a salary from the Supreme Hall that's enough to keep us from starving. The people in the hall don't want to order armor for us, they just want to embroider their family crests on our clothes." Madam Nasir waved her hand. "As for unlimited quantity..."
She laughed. "Could it be that the Flame Fist really would empty its warehouses, even stripping the armor off its soldiers and selling it to us? If so, you might also consider the ownership of Wangyang Tower and Feilong Rock. If you ask, we'll go bankrupt and take them."
Karkoros said sullenly, "I'd really like to sell the Flaming Fist's Chult base."
"That's impossible. The Watchers only protect the Upper City and have no interest in traveling to Chult, thousands of miles away."
"Alright." Karkoros shook his head. "Just in case, let me confirm. What if our people bring equipment and you can't afford it?"
"Ha!" Mrs. Nasir covered her mouth and laughed. "In that case, the extra money will be considered as the cost of acquiring the Watchers."
“Can it be written in the treaty?”
"of course can."
Yes, the Overwatch team is also essentially a mercenary team.
To Mrs. Nasir's surprise, Karkoros and Karl Ola looked at each other and replied without hesitation: "We have no objection to the amendment. Can we sign it now?"
At this point, it was Mrs. Nasir who hesitated: "...So, do you agree? No need to think it over again?"
Karkoros lowered his head and asked, "Is there any need to hesitate about such a win-win agreement?"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Nasir's face immediately filled with smiles: "--Indeed not."
Apodel Adrian was hiding in the dark room next to the office at this moment, and he could see everything that happened next door.
Then, he sighed sincerely.
Not long ago, he was taking on too much responsibility and was confident that he could handle the Baldur's Gate issue alone.
As a result, after just a day or two, he had to eat his words and go back to ask the young man for help.
There was no way he could move hundreds of sets of armor in a few days.
I have to take another day off on the 22nd
Let me be honest, I am in the exam season now.
The intensity is about six exams and a short essay in about a month and a half.
Therefore, I can't guarantee daily updates before April. I'll assess the intensity of my review process, and if I truly can't spare the time to update, I might have to take another leave. But as long as I don't take leave, I'll continue to update.
Seventy-six Devil's Tentacles
Click.
The captain of the Watchers closed the door of his office, and his shoulders slumped down all of a sudden. He seemed to have unloaded a heavy burden, with half of his body leaning on the handrail of the door.
The new contract, signed by the two Burning Flames of the Flame Fist, was now in her arms.
She had been reluctant to sign the previous contract.
The Watchers were a rather delicate force—not so much the defenders of Baldur's Gate as the gatekeepers of the Upper City, as the wall they protected was the northern wall, which required the least defense.
The Flaming Fist's Wangyang Tower Gate was at the mouth of the Chongsa River, and the Feilong Pass blocked the Chongsa River and the coastal highway. It could be said that the Flaming Fist was responsible for the key areas of Baldur's Gate.
And the Watchers? The upper city where they were located was either the temple of the Great Church, the mansion of the nobles, or the Supreme Hall.
These places are of course equally important, but precisely because of this, the owners of these places will not entrust their safety to the Watchers and all have their own guard forces.
Outside the gate of the northern city wall are hundreds of kilometers of trade routes and wilderness. Apart from trolls and the city of the undead that only exists in rumors, there is almost nothing.
There was no danger, and no rights. The greatest significance of existence was to temporarily smack away the Flame Fist's outstretched hand towards the upper city.
This is the Overwatch team.
It was precisely because of this that, even though they were discussing such a sensitive matter as weapons and equipment, Flame Fist still did not raise any alarm.
——The Overwatch team is really not worthy of being called a competitor of the Flame Fist.
Madam Nasir had just hung her armor, which looked more like a metal dress than a suit of armor, on the armor rack in the room when an elegant male voice suddenly rang out from behind her: "It seems your journey was quite smooth."
Mrs. Nasir's body stiffened slightly, and she drew her sword. The sharp blade cut through the orange flames in the air: "...Raphael, you broke into my office again without permission!"
Emerging from the orange-yellow light was an adult male with a slightly red face, dressed in luxurious clothes, and moving with elegance and meticulousness.
However, it is obviously impossible for an ordinary noble who lingers at banquets to move around in every corner of the world as freely as Raphael.
A faint smile appeared on Raphael's face. "If you're not satisfied with this, then why not subscribe to a spellcasting service like Flame Fist did? Wangyang Tower and Feilong Rock are now covered in forbidden spells. You could follow their example."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Nasir's face darkened.
She walked over to her desk and slammed the latest parchment contract onto it. "If we had gone according to the original plan, the Flaming Fist wouldn't have been able to produce a thousand suits of plate armor. They would have been forced to breach the contract, and the Watchers would have received the proceeds. You suddenly contacted me and asked me to change the contract, giving the Flaming Fist a free pass. You can now explain why."
"Ah, there's nothing to hide about that—because the situation has changed. Originally, we only planned to dismantle the Flaming Fist and expand their influence in Baldur's Gate. Attracting the Son of Bhaal was just an important but unlikely secondary goal. However, we certainly didn't anticipate that the Son of Bhaal, who had disappeared for so many years, would reveal himself so decisively. This truly caught us by surprise."
As Raphael spoke, he slowly walked over to a chessboard and raised his queen dramatically. "The Son of Bhaal isn't particularly sharp or wise, but he's certainly not reckless. By making his presence known like this, we can only assume he's deliberately trying to attract our attention."
Mrs. Nasir’s eyebrows couldn’t help but rise: “The point!”
Raphael couldn't help but sigh. "The point is, our priorities have to change. Even if Apodel Adrian is poisoned bait, we have to take it. The difference between fearing a fight and being cautious lies in the perspective of our superiors. With the arrival of this paladin, our plans have to change completely."
"At first, we simply hoped to put pressure on the Flaming Fist, slowly but safely dissipating its combat effectiveness. But now that Apodel Adrian has become our primary target, and he can't stay in Baldur's Gate for long, we have no choice but to quickly paralyze all of his potential allies—that is, the combat effectiveness of the Flaming Fist."
"The Flame Fist's finances should be extremely tight right now. Adjusting the contract at this time is essentially a gesture of goodwill. The Flame Fist can't pass up this opportunity to quickly convert supplies into cash and will inevitably trade equipment for much-needed funds. In short, we're giving up long-term gains in exchange for a short-term plunge in the Flame Fist's combat power. Furthermore, by easing the Flame Fist's financial pressure, Karkoros probably won't throw a tantrum at the Four-Man Council like he did yesterday."
"Let me be clear," Mrs. Nasir said coldly, "if the Flame Fist really goes crazy and strips armor from the soldiers, the Watchers' funds might be very tight."
"Ha, absolutely impossible." Raphael smiled with a hint of contempt. "Armor is a mortal's sense of security. It's easy to strip it from a person. But if you want to regain your subordinates' trust, you can't just issue them new armor."
"I don't want anything to happen." Mrs. Nasir didn't want to continue. "The money you gave me before was not enough."
The smile on Raphael's face faded slightly: "How much do you want?"
The captain of the Watchers replied: "—I need another 500,000 gold coins."
"Madam Nasir, you were just complaining about your poverty, and now you're showing your greed?" Raphael shook his head. "You're taking our money and profiting from the Flaming Fist... There's no way the Flaming Fist is actually going to give you a thousand suits of plate armor!"
"You don't have to take it." Mrs. Nasir smiled and patted the signed contract. "It's clearly written here - if we can't consume the armor that Flame Fist brings within ten days, then the Watchers will be directly transferred to Flame Fist and become a subsidiary of Wangyang Tower. When that time comes, I naturally shouldn't hide anything from Wangyang Tower. Then, I will tell you everything I know."
"What a sharp threat." Raphael's face darkened. "Madam Nasir, there are not many allies who can interact with us on an equal footing. I hope you cherish your special status."
Mrs. Nasir showed no intention of backing down. "I believe this is the reward I deserve for taking the risk of deceiving a great wizard. Furthermore, I don't need antiques, artwork, decorations, or magical items—those that are difficult to price and even harder to sell. These four hundred thousand gold coins must be made entirely of precious metals, gems, jewelry, and coins."
"What—!" The devil's eyes widened, and he snorted heavily. "At most 400,000 gold coins. If Flame Fist could really produce that much armor, would he wait until you came to change the contract?"
"Four hundred and fifty thousand," Lady Nasir replied. "That's what I deserve for risking my life at the hands of Karkoros for the second time to travel to the Ocean Tower."
"Ridiculous. We've already studied Karkoros. He's not the kind of person with a fickle temperament who acts recklessly. Since you're just having a normal, legal conversation and haven't actively tried to trick him into making a mistake, he won't do anything to you, not even try to influence you with enchantment. This line of work isn't as dangerous as it's advertised." Raphael angrily pushed the chess piece in front of him over. "So, 400,000 gold coins, plus the 200,000 I gave you, should be more than enough! In ten days, I'll take the 1,000 suits of armor from the Watchers' warehouse! The remaining gold coins are all yours."
"--make a deal."
Regardless, if the Flaming Fist really brought out a thousand suits of scale armor or even plate armor, it would only drag the Watchers down with it. The Watchers had no grudge against the Flaming Fist, so they wouldn't go that far.
The most likely possibility is to sell all the spare armor in the inventory to the Overwatch Team.
At this moment, Mrs. Nasir raised her head slightly, with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Then, she turned and said to Raphael, "A mage from the Flame Fist contacted me and said that the first batch of Flame Fist armor would arrive tomorrow. He asked me if the armor could be transported to the tower of Black Dragon Gate."
"Ha, it seems the Flaming Fist is truly desperate." Raphael couldn't help but laugh. "I'll bring you treasure worth 400,000 gold coins tonight. Tomorrow, the Council of Four will convene again. Apodel Adrian might even show up then. However, by then, the Flaming Fist, freed from financial pressure, won't stand on the side of a paladin anymore."
Madam Nasir said to the person on the other end of the text message: "Yes. There is a warehouse for weapons in the tower. According to the contract, all qualified armor you bring will be purchased. Payment and delivery."
Emiya, who was far away in the Gear Workshop, raised her head slightly.
In front of him, shiny full-body plate armor was piled from the ground to the top of the warehouse, quietly waiting for the arrival of the Gond Church truck.
He said: "Then, tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, when the Council of Four meets, our truck will arrive at Black Dragon Gate."
Seventy-seven incidents
In the past, the people of Baldur had the impression that the High Hall was one of decadence and lethargy.
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