Equipment Printing School Mage

But no matter what, the scale of this town is indeed far from comparable to Eltoril - but with the support of Banri, this town can still be considered prosperous.

However, a small town does not necessarily mean peaceful.

At least, Berdusk is definitely not one of them.

When they were still a few kilometers away from Berdusk, Emilia could already see from afar that the outskirts of the town had been decorated with wonderful decorations - piles of freshly harvested wheat were piled on both sides of the road.

But they are not for drying and storage, because these stacks of wheat are clearly pointing in the same direction.

Asur was clearly quite familiar with the terrain. Just a glance from his Pegasus gave him the first clue: "It leads to the Temple of Chantia... Perhaps a very prestigious member of the church has passed away."

Emilia shielded her eyes from the sunlight with her hands and whispered, "...Isn't this really a coincidence?"

Although these haystacks seem to serve more of a decorative purpose, it does not mean that they will trample on the grain wantonly.

Asur sighed, "...although along the way, there are vast tracts of fertile land that have gone unharvested due to the threat of the earthworms."

Once harvested, the crops must be harvested and dried immediately. Otherwise, a single rainstorm could wipe out months of hard work. Even if Elturgard's agriculture was prosperous, this would be a crushing blow.

The most fatal point is that Druids have the ability to control the wind and rain.

Asur looked at the overcast sky and murmured, "Next, the druids of the River Forest had better not threaten us with the Autumn Harvest."

After they entered the town, the gloomy and sad atmosphere became more obvious - intermittent sobbing replaced the piercing sound of the wind and floated over the town.

Sig didn't look too surprised. Her ears twitched, and she nodded, muttering softly, "There are quite a lot of people crying, and behind the crying, there are some people silently shedding tears and wiping their eyes. And the crying is coming from that cathedral."

She said confidently, "If there had been a major disaster resulting in numerous casualties, the townspeople would have been weeping in their homes. In this case, I suspect a respected person has died, and their family and those who have benefited from their kindness are seeing them off in the church."

This analysis left the Hell Knights beside him stunned. One of them asked, "Can you really hear so much just by listening? To me, it's just crying."

Sig usually seemed quite smooth, but she still looked pleased when she heard flattery. She coughed lightly, "But, if someone's death could shock the entire town, I'm afraid their fame would spread to Eltoril as well."

Asur was silent for a moment, then rode his Pegasus onto the main road and replied, "In this area, there are only two people of considerable prestige. One is the bishop of the Temple of Chantia, and the other is the patriarch of the Midlade family, the largest family in Berdusk, which accounts for 70% of the population."

“No matter which one of them died, it would have created a wave of this level in Berdusk.”

"Unfortunately, I met these two a few months ago. They are far from being aging to death. They can even be considered in their prime."

As a result, their team was also immersed in the sad atmosphere.

In Faerun, divine magic can cure diseases and treat injuries. With the permission of the gods and the church, even the souls of the dead can return from the realm of the dead.

Under this premise, anyone who does not live to old age can be said to have died prematurely.

The implications behind this are chilling.

Surrounded by the fragrance of wheat, they passed through the empty streets and houses of Berdusk and arrived at the Temple of Chantia on the edge of the city.

If temples of Ilmater, the god of suffering, are often dilapidated, often extremely poor and barely able to provide for their daily needs, then temples of Chauntia are the most representative of the union of man and nature. They often lack the ornamentation of artisans, preferring instead to use flowers, leaves, and fruits to celebrate the bounty of the earth.

However, although the number and distribution of the Church of Chauntia is unparalleled in Faerun, with countless farmers and herders being Chauntia's followers, the Chauntia temple is not often visited by people. Quite the contrary, Chauntia's priests are constantly on the road.

But today was obviously a rare exception - perhaps most of the town's residents had gathered outside the Temple of Chantia, surrounding the temple tightly.

They couldn't even see the gate of the Temple of Chantia amid the crowd.

However, a young man at the outermost edge, dressed simply but wearing a divine emblem, noticed their uninvited guests and quickly stepped forward to greet them. "...Captain Asur, fellow Knights of Hell, and guests from Baldur's Gate. You've finally arrived."

It wasn't surprising that the Berdusk people knew the Hell Knights, but it was somewhat unusual that they also knew Emiya and his group. Emiya raised her eyebrows and said, "We don't have any contact with the Church of Chantia, right?"

The young priest nodded, then shook his head. "I don't really know you, but the Supreme Observer has already arrived. He said you'll probably arrive in the next few days—of course, I didn't expect you to arrive today. Anyway, please follow me. The stable is over here."

At this point, the pastor's voice became softer.

"In addition, the druids from Riverside Forest and Sharptooth Forest are here too. However, they are not here to commemorate old Midlade, but to discuss the matter of the Diggerworm."

Emiya lowered her head slightly.

It seems that the person who died this time was the patriarch of Midlade.

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

"He was a father, a brother, a friend, and a teacher to all Midlade. He was a relative to all who sought a life on the land of Berdusk."

"Don't be too sad, we are only separated for a short time."

"Don't worry about his future. Such a kind and benevolent person will only stay briefly in the hazy realm of our Lord before heading to the kingdom of his patron saint. Decades later, our souls will meet again in the outside world—"

The mourning for the deceased obviously wouldn't wait for the Hell Knights, a group of outsiders, not to mention that they had virtually no connection with the deceased. So by the time Emiya and her group arrived at the temple, the funeral had already reached its final stage.

The dead have been buried under the earth, and under the witness of the priest of the god of death, Jaeger, the dead are officially separated from the living.

However, the Midlade family's donation to Pastor Yeager was apparently quite generous, so much so that Pastor Yeager opened up and preached at length about the possible experiences of the deceased after death, even advocating life in the Kingdom of God. It seemed that this segment would continue for quite some time.

With the help of the young priest of Chantia who spoke nicely and cleared the way, and even with the help of the Hell Knight's fine steel armor, they finally found a small open space in the inner side hall of Chantia Church.

The Hell Knights except Asur just took a look inside and couldn't help but gasp.

The interior of this side hall is not crowded, but every room here is very important.

Supreme Observer Tavis Craig sat quietly on a bench in the side hall, next to him was an envoy of the Church of Oghma. On the two diagonals opposite him, one was a white-haired old druid of some age, and the other was dressed in ordinary linen, looking unremarkable, as if he had just walked out of the fields.

The white-haired druid was someone Asur, Emiya and others had seen before - he seemed to be the supreme leader of the River Forest Circle.

The old man dressed as a farmer was stroking a clay emblem with his calloused hands.

Above them are flowers surrounded by the rising sun.

That is the holy symbol of Chauntia.

Asur sighed and greeted the Chauntia priest: "High-level Harvest Master of Terra."

The old man named Terra sighed and stood up. "My temple is truly overcrowded now. Normally, I don't like people coming here—those who come to the Temple of Chantia for help always have troubles that are difficult to resolve."

He stood up and turned around, looking around the temple. "It's really getting worse now—it's harvest time, and everyone should be toiling in the fields, husking the grain and drying it for storage. Instead, the burrowing worms are lurking outside, driving everyone back to Berdusk."

"As if my temple wasn't crowded enough, everyone in Elturgard is flocking here."

Terra sighed and called out the names of the people in the circle one by one: "Outside adventurers, the Church of Oghma, the Knights of Hell, the Supreme Observer of the Capital, the Archdruid of the River Forest—"

Finally, he looked at a white dove on the beam of the side hall. "There's even an archdruid from the Sharptooth Forest Circle! I don't even know when the Sharptooth Forest Circle was established!"

"Have I been digging too long and haven't caught up with Eltoril's fashion? When did funerals become places for outsiders to hold meetings and quarrels?"

Craig said calmly, "Ordinary churches are indeed not qualified. But Master Terra, you are special—"

"Because you are the bishop of the Church of Chantia and a high-level harvest master..."

"And a druid who dedicated himself to the earth."

The earth goddess Chauntia is one of the most special gods in the world.

First of all, her power is undeniable. Whenever someone tries to choose the most powerful god, the Earth Goddess Shantia, the Magic Goddess Mystra, and the Elven God Corellon Larethian are always the strongest candidates.

Among them, the Goddess of Magic and the Goddess of Earth each have an additional special feature.

The gods' kingdoms are often located in the Outer Planes, and the gods' true selves do not always appear in the Material Plane.

However, there are two lesser-known secrets, but still knowledge that has been passed down among the wise.

Chauntia is Toril, the planet where all living things stand. Mystra is the magical web that permeates every corner of the planet and brings extraordinary power to countless lives.

The most revered among druids is Silvanus, the god of wilderness and nature. But Shantia, as Toril itself...she is not a symbol of nature, she is nature itself.

Therefore, even though the druids who worship nature are often incompatible with civilized society, the Church of Chauntia will always be the most important channel and place of communication and integration between the druids and civilized society.

Thirty-seven Funerals with a High Content of Mom

"Right now, the only good news is that you just filled up this little church of mine."

Terra babbled on, "If I saw adventurers everywhere and a large group of Hell Knights, I wouldn't have to think about harvesting them."

The bishop of the Church of Santiia sighed, "I'm just a farmer, I don't want to get involved in other messy things. But now, these diggers who appeared out of nowhere have no intention of leaving!"

"What's even more terrible is that burrowing worms are different from other creatures. These monsters live underground. How would ordinary people know if there are burrowing worms in a certain area? At the beginning, some people were even fearless and wanted to rush in to harvest them..."

Terra pointed coldly at the funeral outside the door. "The funeral of Chief Midlade is being held now. He's the only one who didn't die at the hands of the Diggers in the past few days!"

Terra held out his hand. "In just these few days, nine people have disappeared in Berdusk. Nine! Some went to harvest, some went to look for lost livestock, some were just idiots who didn't believe in superstition, and some were looking for their missing family members!"

"You came too late. If you had arrived a few days earlier, the townspeople would have cried even more heartbreakingly. You can't hear them now because several families have already moved away!"

Hearing this, Asur couldn't help but ask, "Lord Terra, may I ask how is Berdusk's food supply now? Can it last until the next harvest?"

Despite being interrupted, Terra didn't seem angry when discussing the topic. Instead, he replied, "As far as reserves are concerned, it's not bad. We have enough to pay taxes... oh, and conservation donations, while also developing new land for the next three to four years."

Immediately, Terra shook his hands a few times. "But the problem is, we don't know where these diggers came from, let alone where they'll end up! Whether this Berdusk can still be habitable is the biggest question!"

Bishop Chantia's speech was very simple and direct, and he got straight to the point.

Everyone present couldn't help but look towards Woods, the archdruid of the riverside forest.

The druids' control over their territory was supposed to be unmatched by others. Even if no one else had discovered any trace of the burrowing worms, the druids should have discovered them.

Terra was even more unceremonious, punching the wall directly, causing the entire side hall to tremble slightly. "I don't know what kind of nonsense this son of a bitch came up with. He said, 'Groundworms can help loosen the soil!' Anyway, we in Berdusk have plenty of oxen and horses for work, so we don't need groundworms to do the work for us!"

Hiding behind Emya, Sig bluntly changed his voice to a gruff one that no one could discern: "—That's why you don't understand. Once the burrowers have eaten all the livestock, the people of Elturgard will have to rely on them for farming."

Such a sarcastic tone clearly put the River Forest Druid on the spot. Woods, already looking unhappy, immediately glared and turned his head, trying to find the source of the voice. "Who?! Who said that?"

"Don't worry about who said that!" Terra strode in front of Woods, forcing the archdruid to look him in the eye.

Some things are naturally difficult to say out loud. Now that someone is willing to play the villain, Priest Shangtia is naturally happy to go a step further: "Though what I said just now is harsh, it makes sense! When the burrowing worms first broke out, you were the ones who intervened. We listened. But now these burrowing worms show no sign of stopping. What should we do? Let them eat us all?"

"We have over a thousand people in Berdusk, and hundreds of cattle and horses. Combined, that's only enough for the Diggers to survive the winter!"

In short – riparian forests must take responsibility.

The Archdruid was clearly unwilling to take such a heavy responsibility so easily. Woods immediately retorted, "The root of this matter stems from Elturgard's misuse of the Companion Sun! Relying on 24-hour sunlight, your harvest is a false harvest—"

"Fuck you!!!"

Unfortunately, the priests of Chauntia were probably the least receptive to druid rhetoric in the world, not to mention that Terra was actually a druid.

Hearing Woods' words, Terra was so angry that he almost spat in the Archdruid's face: "You can only use this kind of bullshit to fool outsiders! How dare you say such nonsense in front of me?!"

"I'm telling you, there are only a few acres of land in Berdusk, and they were cultivated by the locals with years of hard work and fertilization. We, the Chauntians, have long been diligently promoting intercropping and rotation. We don't need your half-baked Silvanus to instruct us on how to farm!"

Terra grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, and he simply started cursing, "You Silvanus believers are just being mean again. Seeing us well-fed and well-fed, you're no longer happy and have to cause us trouble for no reason. In the past, we all had families, property, relatives, and friends. Fighting a bunch of you leaf-lickers wouldn't be worth it. We'd just turn a blind eye to any property losses and settle the matter internally!"

"But I'm telling you! You've crossed the line this time! Because of your unreasonable behavior, more than a dozen people have disappeared in Berdusk. Don't think you can just throw in an apology and let this go!"

Craig intervened, saying, "I've always respected the people of River Forest. Ever since I became the leader of Eltoril and Elturgard, I've always wanted to build good relations with you. Even now, I still hold this view—I sincerely hope that this time, in this battle against the burrowers, we can gain control of River Forest..."

Having said this, he raised his head at the right moment and looked at the other druid on the beam of the side hall: "—and the help of the druids of the Sharptooth Forest."

Miss Fenwe, the Archdruid of the Sharptooth Forest, answered straightforwardly, "I hadn't yet taken office when Eltoril's emissaries arrived in the Sharptooth Forest. But I was deeply impressed by the enthusiasm of Eltoril's emissaries at the time. For this very reason, I'm willing to lend a hand to their homeland."

"Very good." Craig nodded and turned to the only person who was completely out of tune at the moment. "So, Archdruid of the Woods?"

Woods snorted coldly, "We haven't completely sat idly by and watched the burrowing worms spread! Elite troops have been entering and exiting the riverside forests long ago, searching for their nests. Over this period of time, I think we should be able to determine their range of activity."

Although his words did not soften, after being rebuked by Terra, Woods' attitude was already very clear - they no longer protected the diggers.

Craig and Terra breathed a sigh of relief—the burrowing worms were certainly a considerable threat to the people... but they were far from being able to compare with a group of druids.

The pressure just now was aimed solely at the attitude of the riverside forest.

Craig nodded. "Well, Asur, I'll ask the Hell Knights here to work harder on the Digger Worms. Meanwhile, I'll dispatch the Sun Knights to fill in the gaps in your forces. How about that?"

"Also, Mr. Norwich, are you interested in helping the weak?" Craig asked. "I imagine the context of this burrowing worm outbreak is of some significance to the Church of Oghma."

Norwich immediately pulled Rex to his feet and replied, "Of course we are honored! I just wonder if the Hell Knights welcome us."

Facing Norwich's gaze, Asur didn't respond immediately. Instead, he asked, "So, in the current plan, are we solely relying on the Hell Knights to wipe out these Diggers?"

"Huh?" Craig opened his eyes in surprise. "—This time, the Hell Knights will be able to spare nearly a hundred men, right? This number should be more than enough to suppress a burrower colony. At most, it'll only be a dozen burrowers. I don't think there will be any casualties."

"—A dozen?!" Asur raised his voice. He couldn't help but step back a few steps, his heavy armor clattering against the benches, making the aged furniture creak. "Men, you gather here, scheming against each other. This is for the benefit of the people of Elturgard, I have no objection, but I have one question—have you seen the burrowing worms yet?"

"...?" Terra looked stunned. "I've been busy dragging back those idiots who tried to reap the harvest these days, so I haven't had time to check it out. Besides, aren't they just diggers? We're just backup, and with over a hundred fully armed Hell Knights, there shouldn't be any seriously injured, right?"

"......!" Asul shook his head repeatedly, finally taking off his helmet, covering his face with his hands and taking a deep breath, "...Emya! Please tell me, you are the one closest to the burrowing worms."

This time, everyone's attention was once again focused on Emilia.

Woods frowned - he never expected to meet this group of envoys from Baldur's Gate here.

There was fear and dissatisfaction in Norwich's eyes.

Craig's expression was even more complicated—a bit of surprise, but also subtly... joy?

At this time, the female druid on the beam lowered her head slightly, met Emiya's eyes, and then shook her head.

Craig shook his head. "So, Asur, your new friends in Baldur's Gate have brought you new news?"