Equipment Printing School Mage
Page 147
At this moment, Sig suddenly raised his head and looked towards the west: "Ah, it seems that we have indeed left those Hell Knights behind for a long time... They are finally here."
At the same time, Asur's laughter could be heard from afar. "Well, you little brats, you promised to stay and do something, but the moment you left my sight, you're galloping towards Eltoril? That's a bit too competitive!"
The Eltoril envoys and the Candlekeep team finally arrived at the gates of the Twin Suns' Radiance. Seeing them approach, Fenwë, now in his elk form, thought for a moment and shook his head. "Well, since the Eltoril people have arrived, I'll leave now—"
She deliberately transformed into a giant eagle in front of the two approaching teams, flapped her wings and rose into the sky, rushing into the clouds, then turned to the northeast, and in the blink of an eye she turned into a tiny black dot.
At this moment, Asul saw Lulu in Mars's hand and couldn't help but gasp: "...What is this Holy Flying Elephant...? And the one who just left couldn't be one of those two druids, right?"
Emiya withdrew her gaze from Fenwë's back and shrugged at Asur. "It's just as you thought. We successfully solved the secret of the Troll Claw and persuaded an archdruid to come and testify - of course, she didn't like the environment in Eltoril. After confirming that you knew we were together, we simply left."
"Holy Dumbo..." Paladin Asul searched his knowledge base for a while and finally remembered the power of the Holy Dumbo. "I see. This is the situation with the mammoth..."
Thinking of this, Asul couldn't help laughing, and turned to Norwich behind him and said: "It seems that you are a little behind this time."
Norwich said calmly, "The Rite of Truth is not a test. You can't win by a quick effort."
Mars retorted, "It depends on the efforts of the whole group over a long period of time, not just one individual."
Seeing that the two men were truly on the verge of exchanging a few words, Asur coughed lightly and dismounted with the other riders. They retrieved water bags from their luggage and splashed the cool water onto the horses, allowing them to cool down quickly. The horses, already steaming from their long run, asked, "Are you stopping at the gate waiting for us? I'd be honored to see you."
"...Not entirely." Emilia hesitated and replied, "To be more precise, we were turned away."
"Hmm?" As these words came out, Asur, who was not particularly strict, fixed his eyes, and a gleam of light flashed under his gray eyebrows. "Rejected? By whom?"
Mars held up Lulu in his arms and explained, "This is Lulu. She is a follower of Losander, but her sect is not the Rising Sun Sect, so..."
"Ah." Asul immediately realized what had happened. Anger erupted on his face. He led his horse to the gate of the Twin Suns' Glory and strode quickly, knocking on it. The entire towering gate shook slightly under the paladin's heavy blows.
Inside the gate, the laughter of Amaunator's followers immediately rang out: "Now that you're locked outside, you realize your mistake? Too late! Jump into the Chongsa River and swim to the harbor!"
"Gaba."
Asur's gauntlet crackled under his squeeze. The usually affable paladin of Tyr finally displayed his lawful goodness for the first time. "I am Sword Lord of the Eltoril branch of the Holy Judgment Knights of the Church of Tyr, Captain of the Companions of the Sun, Knight-Arch of the Knights of Hell, and Asur of Tethyr! I have now completed my mission to Baldur's Gate and my patrol of the Land of the Dead. Please open the gate!"
There was a brief silence within the Twin Suns' Radiance, and then countless pairs of feet began to move simultaneously within the gates. Amidst the chaotic clatter of footsteps, the Twin Suns' Radiance's gates almost instantly burst open.
This time, the one who came out to greet them was no longer the pastor from before, but a female pastor in a light yellow robe. She looked to be in her forties and quite dignified, but her face looked very bad at the moment.
She immediately bowed her head and apologized, "I'm sorry, Your Excellency Asur, we didn't mean to be negligent..."
Asul did not interrupt her explanation, but listened patiently to her whole story.
Then he shook his head firmly: "--Archbishop Sune, I don't care whether you have conflicts with others. That is not my responsibility."
The Paladin of Tyr pointed at the west gate of Twin Suns with fury in his eyes and said, "According to the contract between Eltoril and the Brotherhood of the Radiant Sun, you have the right to merge your cathedral with the city gate, so that all who pass through the west gate must pass through your cathedral. However, the contract clearly states that this does not give Twin Suns the right to screen and restrict those entering and leaving Eltoril. The entry and exit policy must be completely compatible with Eltoril. Eltoril has lifted martial law since the day before yesterday, so you should allow all visitors to pass through unconditionally!"
"Do you have anything else to say now?" Asul finally roared, "Or do I have to jump into the Chongsa River too?!"
The words of the Tyr Paladin were like a ray of sunshine in winter, strong and direct, penetrating Suen's defenses.
Su En opened his mouth, looked deeply at Emiya and his group, and finally shook his head firmly.
"...No, of course not." Su En took a deep breath and waved his hand to signal everyone to move away from the center of the church. "We will not restrict anyone from entering or leaving. This is just an accidental dispute. Even if you don't come, we will open the door soon..."
“This is absolutely not the norm in our church.”
"I hope so." Asur replied, then he looked around silently, causing the surrounding Amaunator believers to step back a few steps in fear.
He turned back to Emya and his group and said, "Let's go, guests from Baldur's Gate."
"It may be a little ironic to say this now..." sighed the paladin of Tyr, "Welcome to Eltoril."
The place where morning and evening meet
The splendor and extravagance of the Twin Suns Cathedral's decorations were unparalleled. While the Gondor Church's products certainly surpassed them in craftsmanship and ingenuity, they were far inferior in materials and expense.
Before they officially stepped into the west gate of the Cathedral of Twin Suns, the light of the accompanying sun had already shone on the golden ground and walls, reflecting into their eyes.
Having already torn his face, Mars' words and actions became even more unrestrained: "...As expected. If it's an orthodox Lathander sect, the favorite color should be the rose red of the dawn, not gold."
The followers of Amaunator were already in a bad mood, and after hearing this statement which was not sarcastic but definitely unfriendly, they glared at him even more.
Before they had even entered the gate, the capstan began to creak. The moment Yin stepped into the temple, he looked around excitedly, slowing his pace and nearly getting hit by the gate that was immediately closed by the Amaunator followers.
Although Emya glared at this, the followers of Amaunator showed no remorse.
However, Yin, who was at the center of the incident, didn't care about it at all - she was more concerned about the statues on the north and south sides of the temple.
It is not that Lathander and Amaunator are facing each other, but that the statues of both gods are split in half, to the north and south.
The right half of Amaunator and the left half of Lathander are to the north, and the left half of Amaunator and the right half of Lathander are to the south.
Even though the sculpture's designer had clearly put a lot of thought into it, trying to make the joints between the statues as natural as possible, the final result still looks bizarre.
"……I am dead."
Lulu simply glanced to both sides, then in despair, covered her eyes with her large ears and collapsed onto the back of a phantom horse, unable to move. "If I have committed a crime, please don't punish me in this way."
If looks could be lethal, then Lulu would have been poked into a hornet's nest by now.
The Candlekeep team looked like this wasn't their first visit, and they weren't surprised by the two statues. However, they seemed uncomfortable with the hostility of the Amaunator followers. Norwich of Candlekeep hesitated, halting their pursuit of the Hell Knights. "...Lord Asur, I suddenly remembered I have some business to attend to outside the city. Please allow us to enter later."
This incident attracted the attention of everyone present, but the Hell Knights looked completely unsurprised. Asur turned his head and said, "We just happened to be traveling the same way. There's no need to report this to me."
Norwich took a deep breath, watching the Hell Knights walk away from them. He felt the gazes of the Amaunator believers around him, which were somewhat surprised but had become noticeably gentler. He said, "Thank you for your consideration."
"Heh." Mars sneered.
"I'm not being considerate to anyone. I'm just telling the truth." Asur turned his head and continued to stride out of the Cathedral of Twin Suns.
The followers of Amaunator did not do anything else - at least on the surface they were still followers of Lathander, still belonged to the good camp, and were even the backbone of the good camp. They would not really do anything out of line to Emya.
Leaving the Twin Suns Cathedral, they faced a broad road that stretched straight up the hill. Countless roads branched off from this road, buried among countless residential buildings.
At this moment, Sig walked quickly to Asur and said with a smile: "Ah, Mr. Asur, thank you for helping us just now."
Lulu, waking from her dream, quickly climbed up from the Phantom Pony and, displaying agility that completely belied her short and stocky frame, circled in front of Asur. "Indeed, indeed! I've caused trouble for Emiya and the others. If it weren't for you, I would have carried them back to the city by force."
At this moment, Asul stopped and looked at Sig with a strange expression. Then he looked at Lulu with a look of understanding. Finally, he looked at her sadly: "Miss Saint Dumbo... do you really think so?"
"Hey?" The paladin's reaction was beyond Lulu's expectations. "What's the problem?"
"No," Asur coughed lightly. "Did I cheer you on? On the surface, that's true. But in reality, I was just doing my job impartially and didn't show any favoritism towards you. Even if a different group of people were here, I would do the same thing. So you don't owe me any favors. The Church of Lathander also knows my style, so they won't easily vent their anger on me."
"So, what you really owe is a favor to Mars's team. They took the wrath of the Church of Lathander for you. In fact, this matter has nothing to do with them at all." Asur reached out and tapped Lulu's forehead. "You'd better not forget about this matter. Also, with your personality, you'd better not act alone in the future."
"Ah...ah..." Lulu was speechless for a moment, then said angrily, "It was obviously them who provoked me first!"
"You have a temper, and so do others. You want dignity, and so do others. You get angry, and so do others. In this case, it doesn't matter who's right." Asur clapped his hands and said to Emiya and the others, "Okay. Everyone, I was counting on the Candlekeep people to show you the way. Now I have to let me be your temporary tour guide: the great readers of Candlekeep have chosen to temporarily settle in the garden area on the hillside. A noble is willing to lend his mansion and personal library to the Church of Oghma. The Church of Oghma gladly accepted."
Having said this, Asur looked back at the hill.
Atop a hill in the center of Eltoril stood a magnificent castle carved entirely from white marble. It was so massive that it took up almost half the entire hilltop. Even though they were still several kilometers from the summit, they could easily take in the massive palace.
Next to the castle was an equally tall clock tower, but on it was a string of silver numbers. Although these numbers were huge, they looked slightly blurry from a distance, as if they were cast from flames.
Now, the string of numbers is 4:24.
"It's only four o'clock now..." Azul showed a hint of apology on his face, "Well, because of me, you came to Eltoril at such an awkward time."
Asul pointed to the somewhat deserted streets. "Although Eltoril is eternally daylight under the light of the Companion Sun, people can't work 24 hours a day. In fact, many citizens don't particularly appreciate the Companion Sun's ever-lasting light. We still divide the day into three phases: dawn, noon, and dusk. Only some citizens work exclusively during dusk, and in fact, they are often only on duty at their workplaces. Now is dusk, when the city is least active. I also suggest you rest first. The Supreme Observer will be working at dawn and noon. Do you need any inn recommendations?"
Mars pondered for a moment and asked, "Do you understand the situation of the Church of Oghma? Which Great Reader is leading the team this time?"
"I guess the Great Reader of Candlekeep hasn't rested yet," Asur shrugged. "After all, their church team is still working outside and hasn't returned to Eltoril. Also, as far as I know, the Great Reader leading the team is a female priest named Christine. She should be around fifty years old. I heard she's a very easy-going scholar."
"Christine...Christine?!" Mars paused, a look of horror on his face. "Why is it her?! Aunt Christine and Norwich's father, Chief Reader Stutin, have a very bad relationship!"
"Then I'm not sure." Asur sighed. "If you're looking for a place to stay, you can look for an inn in the residential area. You can also try to find the temple... By the way, the administrative district and the temple district of Eltoril are in the same place."
Asur pointed to the exceptionally magnificent castle in the center of the city. "That was originally Eltoril's Temple of Torm. But as the church grew, especially after this Supreme Observer took office, he, as the bishop of the Church of Torm, encouraged the church to relocate. Now it serves as both Eltoril's administrative center and the core of several churches."
"Torn, Helm, and Selûne are all within the High Hall. For example, the Church of Selûne is in the Moonfire Bell Tower."
"If it's just a temporary place to stay, I personally recommend the Church of Selune. The atmosphere there is more peaceful and open, but it also maintains a proper level of order, making it perfect for travelers passing through." Asur said this, as if remembering something, and said, "Some time ago, a priest from the Church of Fortune came from Baldur's Gate. She's a rare elven priest named Elastrid. She's temporarily staying at the Church of Selune."
Mars thought for a moment and said, "...Emmya, I think we should go find the Great Reader Christine first before we rest. Norwich chose not to enter the city for the time being in order not to offend the Rising Sun Sect. This kind of time may not come again."
Emiya nodded, then shook her head: "When is the free time? Be more specific."
Mars was silent for a moment, then sighed. "When I was a child, Christine the Great Reader was responsible for the education and guidance of the novices. In short, she was my enlightenment teacher."
"She has always had high hopes for me. But on the day when the novices' qualifications were announced, the Chief Reader, Stutin, Father of Norwich, who was supposed to be in charge of Candlekeep's external affairs, stood in her place and announced the list of novices—and I was not on the list."
"I want to see her."
Visitors to the Nine Libraries
In a semi-theocratic or even fully theocratic country like Eltoril, who is the richest person in the country should be a rather sensitive issue - clergy can live a comfortable life, but a luxurious life will inevitably attract gossip.
In this environment, the wealthiest family in Eltoril can only be the common friend of all churches: the Northern Dancer family, who provide the highest quality warhorses to the Hell Knights and even the entire Elturgard.
The family was both wealthy and reputable, actively befriending all official churches in Eltoril.
The Church of Oghma, which had just arrived in Eltoril, also received goodwill from the Northern Dancer Family. A mansion nicknamed the Library was temporarily loaned to the Church of Oghma, and all the books in the mansion were officially donated.
Naturally, even the nerds of Candlekeep couldn't refuse such generosity, so this place officially became the base of the Candlekeep people and the recent topic of conversation among the people of Eltoril.
It was still Eltoril's twilight period, supposedly its least active time. However, the Church of Oghma had an unusual visitor.
"...Master Tavis Craig?" The only person still active in the Church of Oghma, a somewhat hunched old woman, was the only one. She had a head full of curly white hair, a hoarse voice, and wore a heavy robe. She even had a slight stoop, making one suspect she'd be using a cane in a few years. "I thought this was your rest time? It seems I haven't quite grasped the Eltoril's routine."
Tavis Craig, the champion and high priest of the Church of Torm, is the supreme leader of the entire Church of Torm in Eltoril, and more importantly to outsiders: the supreme leader of Eltoril and even the entire Elturgard.
Tavis Craig was an elderly man with completely white hair, looking at least sixty years old. However, he was wearing armor with the emblem of Torm and a cape with the Iron Hand mark still shining on it. The few wrinkles on his face could not hide his strength and energy.
However, what is unusual is that a person of such status came here alone without any entourage.
However, in Faerûn, the social standing of church clerics is largely determined by the church's style, whether they are brothers and sisters of the same lineage, and the relative power of the individual. This old woman from the Church of Oghma had no connection to Elturgard, and given her age and esteem, she showed no sign of humility even when meeting Elturgard's supreme leader. "Have you come to the Church of the God of Knowledge to seek knowledge?"
Tavis Craig ignored the old man's attitude and said simply, "Indeed, I am just an ordinary seeker here. But before that, I would like to ask, will the Church of Oghma keep the identity of the visitor and the traces of the visit confidential?"
"Oh..." The old woman, wearing glasses, was climbing a stepladder, sorting the books in the mansion. Upon hearing this, she stepped down the ladder a little faster. "It seems that the knowledge I seek on this visit is not only rare, but also secret."
She walked down the stairs, approached Tarreg's face, observed him carefully, and nodded. "...It seems that you have been preparing for this visit for quite some time, and now you are a little exhausted."
Tavis Craig covered his dark circles awkwardly. "The people of the Church of Oghma are indeed very observant."
Then she nodded. "Yes. But I must make it clear—I can keep this a secret for you, but this confidentiality does not extend to the church—I must be responsible to my Lord, the God of Knowledge, and my fellow brothers and sisters. If you want to say anything or ask anything, please don't forget this premise."
"However, as a great reader of Candlekeep, I can explain this—a secret that you dare not reveal to the public, but you dare to discuss with a stranger like me. The Church of the God of Knowledge can still keep it within the church."
The Supreme Observer was silent for a moment, then sighed, "That's enough... Great Reader Christine, I'm here to gain detailed knowledge and lessons about the contract."
This time, the old woman's voice became serious. "I need to confirm—what kind of contract do you want knowledge about? In the broad sense, a contract can even include an oath between a believer and a god. In the narrower sense, contracts can be divided into countless categories. Commercial contracts, marriage contracts..."
At this point, Christine paused: "Even, a contract with the devil."
"I'm sorry, that's the last part I wanted to ask about."
To Christine's surprise, the Supreme Observer took a deep breath and readily admitted, "You've probably heard that Eltoril recently launched a massive crackdown on demon-related forces. But what can't be made public is that the number and scope of those implicated are beyond imagination. Countless young people have unknowingly become captives of the demons."
"We want to know if there is any way to save them."
This question made the Great Reader of Candlekeep sigh: "...How to break a contract? This is not conventional contract knowledge."
"Would you like a brief summary of your thoughts or a detailed report and record?"
In other words, it really exists.
Tavis Craig's spirits lifted, but then he glanced behind him warily and said, "The former is fine."
"Well, there are only a few ways—"
"Prevent its creation, prevent it from finally taking full effect, and prevent it from taking effect without causing harm to the signatories."
This sentence greatly surprised Tavis Craig: "The middle one is easy to understand...? The first one is too late. How do we achieve the last one?"
Christine's face showed a hint of cunning. "It's simple. The devil's power is deeply bound to the Styx, and at the same time, it is completely loyal to Asmodeus, the lord of Hell. Stop it from causing harm..."
“It’s very simple.”
"Burning up the Styx, demolishing the Nine Hells, and killing Asmodeus—all three of these will paralyze Baatezu's operations."
"………………" Tavis Craig opened his mouth, but finally suppressed the urge to swear and said weakly, "I think these are not simple."
Christine shrugged and replied, "There's another method I strongly discourage—the devil only wants souls. You could frame more people and beg the devil to spare you. But with all due respect, even if you don't end up in hell due to the contract, you'll still be sent to the lower planes for your unforgivable sin. This method is nothing more than drinking poison to quench thirst. Moreover, even this method often requires a new contract with the devil to be effective. It's just jumping from one hellish pit to another."
The old woman, who had just been joking around, suddenly said something so crazy the next sentence. Tavis felt his eyelids twitch. But in the end, he could only sigh: "... Please tell me how to prevent the contract from taking full effect."
"That depends on the components of a contract: generally speaking, they consist of the parties involved, the contractual content, and the penalty for breach of contract," Christine replied. "As long as any one of these components fails, it's fine."
"The most maneuverable area is the contract content: what is obtained from the contract and how is it obtained? What is to be enforced and how is it to be enforced? How to undermine these provisions without triggering a breach of contract in the process? This is what you need to consider. Without providing the specific contract content, I cannot provide any advice."
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