"I see." The high priest of Torm sighed and stood up. "Our church only has records of the devil's deeds and the resulting admonitions, but there is indeed no such detailed guidance... I have learned a lot today."

Christine's head suddenly tilted, her ear slightly tilted, and she spoke faster: "If you need the most detailed information, I'm afraid you will have to make a special trip to Candlekeep. I don't have such unpopular information with me. Also, if you want to act in secret, it's best to leave now. Someone else is coming here. Perhaps our young people from Candlekeep have finally returned."

"Oh, and if you think this visit is helpful, please take care of the operation of the Ritual of Truth itself."

"We in Eltoril have decided not to send any members to participate in this real..." Tavis Craig nodded heavily and walked out of the villa quickly.

"...A doctor's cloak?" Christine adjusted her glasses with some confusion, muttering to herself, "It's already like this, why don't you use teleportation?"

Craig presided over the largest church in the vast nation of Elturgard, and he must have been a very high-ranking priest. However, the fact that he chose to use a magic item instead of teleportation at this time was completely unexpected.

However, those who ask these questions have secrets of their own.

Knowledge is power and must be used with care - this is the creed of the Church of Oghma, but this trip to Candlekeep inevitably involves considerable risks.

"Oghma, I hope this isn't the worst possible scenario." Christine sighed sincerely.

At that moment, someone knocked on the villa's door. Christine's attitude suddenly soured. She walked back to the ladder and said, "I told you, Norwich. You can do whatever you want in Eltoril. I'm only responsible for presiding over the Ritual of Truth. There's no need to knock on the door when you return to the residence."

At this moment, there was silence outside the door for a moment, and then a sigh was heard: "No, Teacher Christine, Norwich hasn't come back yet. It's me, Mars."

Kristen the Great Reader was stunned for a moment, and then her sluggish body seemed to suddenly become full of energy, and she walked down the stairs quickly.

She opened the door and the person who came into view was indeed the student she hadn't seen for many years.

"——Mars!" she said with emotion, "We... haven't seen each other for thirty years!"

"I'm only twenty-one! And we haven't seen each other for five years at most!"

Ten Impossible Victories and Priceless Prizes

"Come on, come on."

Christine's attitude towards them was truly enthusiastic.

The old woman wore the white robes common among Oghma priests, except that the sleeves of these robes were deliberately tightened, probably because these believers who have been holding pens for many years have compromised their work.

"I just like to drink tea...do you mind?"

She was greeted with a uniform chorus of shakes of the head and thanks.

However, at this time, Mars whispered, "Kristen the Great Reader is not a Heartlander. Her tea is a little unusual."

Sig, with a smile on his face, gave Mars a symbolic push: "She must have her reasons for making tea the way she does!"

The Heartlands refers to the large area of ​​western and central Faerûn. This usually means she may be from the southernmost or easternmost part of Faerûn.

Her skin color was slightly darker, and Emilia was more inclined to believe that she came from a place with strong sunlight.

"Poets always have such a sweet mouth." Sig's compliment made the old woman smile. She opened a small metal box sealed with oil paper, scooped out some extremely fine green powder from it with a small spoon, and sprinkled it into the teacup.

She lifted a clay pot from the side and poured a liter of water from it into another large pot. Then, in front of everyone's astonishment, she snapped her fingers, and a small fireball was ejected from her fingertips into the pot. Then, the fresh water boiled and rich steam quickly rose from the pot.

"Oh? Flame Arrow?" Seeing this, Yin's eyes suddenly lit up, "It seems you are not just a priest?"

Fire Arrow is one of the magic tricks commonly used by mages - priests are far inferior to mages in controlling fire. Fire Arrow is not one of the regular magic tricks of priests.

But the fact that Christine, a priest, could use this trick naturally made Yin look at him differently.

"I just know a few arcane tricks," Christine said with a smile. "In my hometown, every child has to learn the arcane from a young age. Although I came to the North when I was a child, my parents still followed the long-standing custom. Oh, back then, learning both the arcane and the divine arts was a very difficult life. In the end, my arcane skills only reached the level of cantrips, so I became a priest."

"...Hmm?" This sentence made Yin think for a moment. "I remember that this custom is very rare. It seems to be... somewhere? It seems to be from the south..."

"Yes, I'm from Halrua." Christine's smile grew even wider, and the wrinkles on her face seemed to bloom like flowers.

Halruaa disappeared from the continent centuries ago, its former ruins reduced to a vast void. The Red Mage of Cyre has occupied the entire Halruaa site in recent years, attempting to find the lost treasure within. Decades ago, Apodel and Imoen battled the Red Mage in those ruins.

Even now, there are still people who call themselves Halua people. The age of this grandmother Christine is probably quite astonishing.

Then, she poured boiling water into the teacup filled with green powder. The contact between water and tea powder made a slight gurgling sound, and the green powder slowly spread in the water, forming a thin layer of emerald green mist.

Hanging from a stand beside the teacup were several specially crafted bamboo whisks. The old woman picked up one and began gently stirring the liquid in the cup. Her movements were expert and rhythmic, quickly making the tea soup smooth and even, with a fine foam gradually forming on the surface.

But the process was not quick. Emilia immediately stood up and said, "Can I help? I can also make tea."

"-Oh? Then thank you, old lady?"

Emilia was not lying. In the process of brewing tea with this tea powder, he showed a professionalism that was even better than Christine's. He was quick, steady, and of high quality. By the time Christine, the Great Reader, finished brewing the second cup, he had already placed the remaining three cups in front of them. He used his magic tricks to clean the tea whisk and put it back on the stand.

"Oh my... Mars, Mars, your entire team is so likable." At this moment, the Great Reader looked at the delicate and foamy green tea in front of him and couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "Now that you're all like this, I'm really worried - if you asked me for anything today, how could I have the nerve to refuse?"

"Ha...ha..." Mars laughed dryly. "Likeable...this evaluation is quite rare for me."

"That's right." Christine took off her glasses and wiped the corners of her eyes. "When I first met you, you were as proud and arrogant as a lion. After that day, you turned into a vicious beast that only preyed on its prey."

She looked at Mars's face and sighed: "Now, at least you have learned to hide your teeth?"

At this point, she thought about the announcement she had seen a few days ago and couldn't help but cover her face again. "Although, what you have done now is far beyond my imagination - should I say, you have learned to hide the sword in the sheath, isn't it more accurate? And you even got the strange name of the deceased."

"If you say so, I have to thank Master Apodale once again... Now that I think about it, it was not easy for me to become a paladin back then." Mars turned serious. "Mother-in-law Christine, please forgive me for being so presumptuous, but will you indeed be presiding over this Ceremony of Truth?"

"—I'm coming, now that I've said all the nice things, it's my turn to suffer." Christine's face showed embarrassment. "There are some things I can't say."

"So, you're really the one hosting this." Mars frowned. "I remember that you and the Chief Reader didn't have a good relationship."

"That's why I'm the one hosting."

It seemed like gossip about interpersonal relationships wasn't something to be kept secret. Christine snorted coldly, "The Rite of Truth is a chore no one wants to do—it only lasts a few decades, but happens every century. Most outsiders can't prepare in advance. So, I end up working as a free appraiser for someone else for a month, analyzing yawn-inducing intelligence. It's pure manual labor!"

"That's fine. And if the Candlekeep wins this ceremony, it's only natural. If they lose, I'll be held responsible..."

Christine couldn't help but shake her head at this. "I thought this Ritual of Truth was ridiculous a hundred years ago. If I really wanted intelligence from the outside world, I shouldn't have gone into it myself. And now, a hundred years later, this mission has been assigned to me. Sigh... If I had known, I would have applied for retirement early."

At this point, Emilia couldn't help but frown: "Does Candlekeep absolutely not allow outsiders to win?"

Christine remained silent about this question and winked at Mars.

Mars understood and took over the conversation, saying, "The official rules of the Arithmetic Instrument are a scoring system. The most basic part is that the contestants submit intelligence, and the host analyzes the information and knowledge contained in it, and then grades it according to its importance, timeliness, and difficulty. Level 1 knowledge is 10 points, level 2 knowledge is 30 points, level 3 knowledge is 80 points, and level 4 knowledge is 200 points."

"First-level knowledge is highly time-sensitive, such as collecting current events in a certain area. Second-level knowledge often requires a combination of physical effort and skills, such as topographical surveying, the current agricultural situation in a certain area, or the latest urban construction map of a certain city."

"The real challenge begins at the third level of knowledge," Christine said. "It requires participants to delve into many dangerous areas or obtain knowledge that organizations usually do not allow to be passed on to the outside world. The simplest example: communicating with the druids of the Sharptooth Forest and the River Forest to learn about the status of their circle and their attitude towards the surrounding territories. Or, to learn the specific results of Eltoril's recent crackdown on demons."

"Of course, there's also the most difficult fourth-level knowledge. Although this level exists, there's absolutely no expectation that anyone will be able to successfully submit it. It contains each organization's most top-secret, forbidden, and unique knowledge, as well as their most unique treasures—artifacts like the Blood of Lathander from the Church of Lathander, the true reason why demons have been rampant on the material plane in recent years, the secret gunpowder knowledge hidden in the Gond Church, and how to send the ghostly silver dragon beneath Candlekeep to the Twilight Realm—all of these things make me laugh just talking about them!"

"Candlekeep is able to accurately assess intelligence that can be released without causing any repercussions, whereas other churches would not easily put in such great effort... This is one of the key points that Candlekeep uses to ensure the victory of the Ritual of Truth."

"The time limit for the Rite of Truth is actually the time limit for submitting intelligence. The final winner is determined after all intelligence submitted by the contestants has been analyzed and verified. Because timeliness significantly impacts intelligence ratings, the wisest approach for contestants is to submit all potentially time-sensitive intelligence on the first day."

"First day?!" Sig exclaimed in surprise. "How can this be played like this? Doesn't this competition depend entirely on family background and connections?"

Hearing this, Christine sighed, picked up the teacup and kept silent.

"This is precisely the key to Candlekeep's guarantee of victory in this competition." Mars slapped the table. "Perhaps many organizations' intelligence capabilities are as good as Candlekeep's, or even better, but would they give up their most important information just for six magic books? Those six books are certainly important, but in reality, the total amount of these six books might not even be as good as what a fourth-level knowledge represents."

At this point, the Great Reader finally spoke up: "Wealth diminishes through sharing, but knowledge multiplies through sharing. When the Rite of Truth was first established, its philosophy was to exchange unknown knowledge for the most timely knowledge. But Candlekeep is reluctant to part with their treasures. This is the inevitable outcome of the Oracle Cult's absolute dominance."

At this moment, Mars suddenly stood up and said, "...Teacher, this is exactly the question I'm asking today: According to the information I've read, contestants submit intelligence in the Rite of Truth to earn points, and these points can be exchanged for rewards from Candlekeep. However, the upper limit of the reward depends on the specifications of the Rite of Truth. In the smallest Rite of Truth, contestants can only use points to ask you questions. In the largest Rite of Truth, contestants can even obtain physical books from Candlekeep, permanent free access, and so on."

"So, what is the planned standard for the Ceremony of Truth held in Eltoril this time?"

Hearing this, Christine took off her glasses and rubbed them painfully. "Alas, it's a loss to the entire Church of Oghma to let a guy like you leave Candlekeep... How much miscellaneous stuff have you seen in these years in Candlekeep?"

Emiya didn't take it seriously at first. He casually said, "If these rewards could include books like the Encyclopedia of Enchanting Runes, I'd be particularly interested..."

As for simple miscellaneous knowledge or rare copies of ancient works, he would politely decline. He did not have a collecting habit.

But he was very interested in enchanted runes, which were related to magical weapons and armor. To be honest, although he had promised to provide Mars with a full set of weapons and equipment when he joined the team, the equipment Mars was wearing now was mostly obtained from the Apodale couple.

Furthermore, the penitent's restoration may still depend on enchantment.

Although the teacher, the outcast, had admitted that she had not expected Emilia to succeed from the beginning.

However, just because it's difficult doesn't mean he has to give up. He's willing to seize any opportunity that comes his way.

"Snap!" This time, it was Christine who stood up, while Mars sat back in his original position obediently.

The Great Reader narrowed his eyes, staring into Emiya's, and said, "Emiya from Lunya... I don't care which Lunya you are from. Even if you are provoking me, I can tell you bluntly—"

"Candlekeep has compiled and detailed all the known and circulated methods for making enchanted runes, including practical examples. This even includes the methods for making the Paladin's Holy Sword and the Holy Avenger. But I'm afraid you won't be able to get them."

She gestured. "—600 points. In other words, unless you can produce four artifacts within a month, don't even think about taking this precious knowledge away from Candlekeep."

Silver's eyes instantly began to light up, while Sig gasped and covered his mouth.

Mars couldn't help but be shocked: "The manufacturing blueprints of the Holy Avenger? Candlekeep even has such a thing?!"

"Yes." The Great Reader took a sip of tea. "They are scattered and unorganized, scattered in every corner of Candlekeep, but they are indeed included."

"Well, whether you can get it or not is one thing, but it's better than having no possibility at all from the beginning." Mars took a deep breath and said seriously.

"Impossible, that's impossible." The Great Reader laughed. "In fact, even Norwich this time..."

Then her face changed and she covered her mouth.

The Rite of Truth is where information flows.

The information submitted by the contestants will be known to Candlekeep from now on and may be known to anyone in Candlekeep.

On the contrary, the intelligence submitted by the Candlekeep team will not only be made public at the Ceremony of Truth and circulate throughout the continent, but its authenticity and validity will also be endorsed by Candlekeep and the entire Church of Oghma.

Furthermore, raising the standards of the competition would inevitably attract stronger and more powerful contestants, forcing Candlekeep to provide even more information to ensure victory. Even so, others had mobilized numerous forces, poured immense effort into this, and achieved astonishing results...

What if the Church of Oghma can't give equal rewards? Others won't think that the Church of Oghma is superior, but will just think that the nerds in Candlekeep are indeed a bunch of idiots who have read too much.

It is certainly not glorious for Candlekeep to reserve the winner for this Ritual of Truth, but that does not mean they do not have to pay a price for it.

"Then, please let's get back to the topic at the beginning..." Mars said, "What are the specifications of this Ritual of Truth?"

"Unfortunately, I can't say. Or rather, I'm not sure yet." Christine shook her head and drank the last of the green tea in her cup. "This isn't a decision I can make alone."

At this moment, Kristen's ears moved and she stood up: "Ah, this time, your old classmate is finally back."

Norwich's team finally returned. Even before Norwich entered the villa, his voice could already be heard impatiently: "Dear Reader, I request that the specifications of this Ceremony of Truth be raised to the highest level! If you want to overwhelm the accuser, you must be determined!"

Where does jealousy come from?

Norwich had obviously made up his mind. Although he said he wanted to apply, there was no doubt or hesitation in his words.

This way of speaking often indicates a person who is chronically accustomed to being in control or taking the initiative.

Emiya was silent for a moment, then looked towards Sig: "...Should we avoid it now?"

Norwich came for the Ritual of Truth, and they came here, on the one hand, to visit their old teacher with Mars, and on the other hand, precisely for the Ritual of Truth.

Sig looked around and shrugged. "Everyone here is a priest, very perceptive of their surroundings. With our skills, it's too late to climb through the window now. We'll probably have to use the Anywhere Door."

"-Stop." At this moment, the person who stopped them was the old woman sitting opposite them.

Kristen, the Great Reader, stood up shakily and waved at them. "Why avoid it? Just sit here. I really didn't say anything. The news came from Mars. So why run?"

The sound of two people talking outside the door soon came: "What happened, Norwich? Why do you suddenly want to raise the standards?"

"Dear reader, I... I don't think we can underestimate the resources of the Death Accuser Squad." Norwich's voice trembled slightly with excitement. "Eltoril has already published the internal report they seized from the devil. You have seen the achievements of the Death Accuser Squad. After much thought, I feel that if I use the medium specifications I previously planned, I will lose!"

"Norwich, before you continue, I must correct you." Christine's tone was no longer friendly when she spoke to Norwich. Instead, it was serious and meticulous. "The statement 'I will lose.' is very imprecise. Your entire team should advance and retreat together."

"......!" This statement clearly irritated Norwich, and his already resolute tone seemed to be inflamed. "What do you mean?"

"Hmm? I have no choice but to return the favor," Christine asked, somewhat bewilderedly. "Your contribution to this tournament was practically zero, and the intelligence you submitted came almost entirely from Candlekeep. Under these circumstances, all you need to do is return what I gave you publicly on the day of the tournament... Under these circumstances, you're a bit too greedy to want to monopolize the joy of victory... Is there something wrong with what I said?"

"...?" Sig was sitting sideways on the sofa, her pointed ears perked high. A hint of confusion crossed her face when she heard this, and she nudged Emiya, who sat beside her. "Come to think of it, Mr. Apodale's words are just mundane, nothing special for a paladin. But this Ms. Christine's serious sarcasm sounds a little familiar...?"

"Ahem." Emilia said expressionlessly, "Mars can hear it."

"Did I say she spoke like Mars? Did she?"

The priests of the Church of Oghma were naturally wise enough to hear the sarcasm in his words. Norwich's breathing suddenly became heavy. "I consider this an insignificant detail! And I will do my best during this time! I have already contacted the Church of Lathander, and they have promised to provide assistance!"

"Really? You're quite capable then," Christine replied, "although Lathander and our Lord are already official allies."

"..." Norwich's breathing became irregular for a moment, and finally, the frustration that had been pent up in his chest burst out in one breath. "Then, regarding whether to improve the specifications of the Ritual of Truth, I will directly negotiate with the Chief Reader in charge of this matter!"

"Please." Christine's voice remained unchanged. "I am only the host of the Ceremony of Truth, not the organizer."

"Well, bye then!!! I'm sure the Chief Reader will contact you soon!"

Then, there was the roar of the door closing.

In the end, the two's brief conversation ended in a bad mood. After a long while, the remaining Oghma priests began to speak: "Teacher, you and Norwich were arguing too quickly just now. There is something he hasn't said yet."

"...Ah?!" Christine was genuinely surprised this time. "Could there be something bigger than the Rite of Truth's upgrade? From what I've heard, there are people who are eyeing Candlekeep's vaults and are confidently planning to remove a mountain of books from it."

"Uh. Actually, Norwich has something else on his mind."

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