Equipment Printing School Mage
Page 176
Even if the Archdruid promises forgiveness.
The longer the silence lasted, the heavier the air became, and the murderous intent in the Archdruid's eyes grew thicker.
Finally, one of the druids couldn't bear the pressure anymore and said in a hoarse voice, "Archdruid, I really didn't..."
But then, in the almost freezing air, he trembled and closed his mouth again.
Just in this silence that was about to drown everyone, an eagle's cry sounded in the sky, breaking the silence.
All the druids present looked up in confusion. The giant eagle circled in the sky for a few times, found a branch on the beech tree, and slowly landed.
"Archdruid Woods, I've been reporting this almost immediately since returning from Trier. You'll have to accept my favor." The giant eagle opened its beak, and a female voice emanated from it. "But what happened? Why are you all gathered here?"
Archdruid Woods said coldly, "A matter can be big or small. However, if the perpetrator refuses to admit his mistake and cannot guarantee his loyalty to the Sacred Forest, then that is a major matter."
"...Is that so?" Fenwell turned his head and suddenly changed the subject. "Perhaps. But what happened in Trail Town is also quite significant. It can't be said to be completely unrelated to the River Forest."
"What?" Woods looked at Moti in surprise, "Didn't you say everything was fine?"
"Emmia's group only mentioned the things you're most concerned about. The liches did indeed completely dismantle the place, and they certainly didn't find any physical artifacts left by the druids." Fenwe straightened his feathers and said, "However, they did find traces of demons. There might be some connection between this and the burrowing worm swarm in Berdusk."
"Be careful, Archdruid," said Fenwë. "Demons seem to be very good at attracting attention. They never take the direct route of attack, so they are always successful when they move in secret. I think there are some advantages to this."
Similarly, when tracking down traitors, such unilateral pressure will hardly produce results.
"...Devil?" Woods was silent for a moment, then finally let out a breath and transformed back into human form. The suffocating pressure that had been there for a moment finally lifted.
Woods pressed on: "What traces did the devil leave behind?"
Finwë replied, "They are experimenting with the burrowworms, and a swarm may be one of the results. The River Forest should be careful about the devil's dirty tricks. They love to fight in a raging battlefield like this. Elturgard has already thrown its weight behind this, and it is unsuitable for the River Forest to be absent from such a grand event."
"I do not recommend giving Elturgard any more cause for concern."
Woods thought for a moment, then crossed his hands and clasped them together: "...That makes sense."
The Archdruid narrowed his eyes and waved his hand vigorously: "—Now, return to your surveillance posts."
The other druids present fled in all directions as if they had been pardoned, and disappeared into the sky one by one in almost an instant.
After confirming the druids had completely departed, Finwë calmly said, "At first, they might be cautious. But as news of Elturgard's success trickles in, those with guilty consciences might become restless and try to cover up their crimes. That's the perfect opportunity to track them down."
"I understand that," Woods snorted. "But if this traitor's activities extend beyond the riverbank forest, I won't be able to locate him immediately. Their surveillance posts span hundreds of kilometers, and I can't possibly monitor every single one of their movements."
Traitor? Fenwei shook his head inwardly.
There are indeed traitors in the Riverside Forest, but the direction of betrayal is probably quite different from what Woods expected.
"Manpower...manpower..." Woods hesitated for a long time, and then his eyes suddenly lit up.
In this situation, he was indeed short of manpower. He couldn't just keep asking another archdruid for help over and over again. This was a colleague he interacted with on an equal footing, not one of his subordinates.
But if it's just to help pass on the message...
"Great Druid Fenwë, are the young men you're traveling with reliable? Do they have any prejudice against druids? Would they be willing to capture a druid with ulterior motives?"
"...Oh?" Fenwei was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "I can ask for you."
The Secret of the Forty-Nine Diggerworm Armor
"I want to join the battle, too!"
"What the hell are you doing? You ran away from home without permission and signed a contract with the devil. Now we have to fight the devil head-on again. It's a good thing we don't kill you!" Sig made a face at him without any hesitation.
After Mr. Will Ravengard had been with Emiya and his group for a few days, it was finally time for him to be deported back to his homeland.
Although in fact, Emiya and his group thought that the journey had reached its final stage, so they decided to escort him back to the Wangyang Tower in Baldur's Gate.
They had already informed Baldur's Gate of their discovery of Will, but it was only today that they were able to quickly bring him back with the help of Ms. Metatron.
"This is your last chance." Emilia coldly raised a finger. "I must remind you, Mr. Will Ravengard. If there is a next time, and we see you on the devil's side again for one reason or another, I will show no mercy."
Mars showed a warm yet murderous smile on his face: "In fact, if you were not even less than fourteen years old this year, you should not even have this opportunity.
"I promise, if you keep spouting nonsense like 'power has no source, it depends on its user,' and then side with the devil for this or that reason...
The paladin slammed his scabbarded sword down on the table with a look of dismay, then pulled the blade slightly out. "You won't get a second chance. What you think is your business, but others have no obligation to risk trusting you."
Will's father took a few heavy breaths beside him: "...I will try to discipline him."
"Let's put discipline aside for now," Emiya said calmly. "With all due respect, you'll likely have to deal with the demon's intrusion for a long time. His existence is essentially a loophole. Now that he's returned to Baldur's Gate, the demon will inevitably make new moves."
"...I'm mentally prepared." Urd Rivengard gasped in pain.
At the end, even the rather gentle Elastrid couldn't help but add, "Even though the Church of Fortune has always encouraged adventure, colluding with the devil is strictly forbidden—that's not adventure, that's suicide."
Then, with Will's mother's thanks, Emiya and her group stood up and said goodbye.
Throwing the burden that had always been around on his parents was just one of the things they had come all the way back to Baldur's Gate to do.
Their next stop was Grand Duke Violet's Mage Tower.
In this tower, there was another guest traveling with them. However, this guest's identity was different, so the High Harper of Baldur's Gate was very interested and decided to meet him in person.
The guest's name was Woods, the Archdruid of River Forest.
Woods wanted to contact Emiya and his group, and naturally this matter went very smoothly.
However, things in Elturgard are clearly brewing and could turn into a devastating explosion at any moment.
——Then it is reasonable for Emilia to mobilize her existing network of contacts.
When Emiya and his group returned to the Mage Tower, Archdruid Woods's expression turned very bad.
This was understandable - because he realized that he had suddenly gone from being the one in charge to being an isolated outsider.
"The Harper's weakness is that he's nosy, but his strength is also that he's nosy. So when it doesn't concern them, no one wants to see the Harper. But when disaster strikes, they hope the vendors passing by their door are all Harpers in disguise."
Imoen lifted the teapot himself and filled the cup in front of the druid with hot tea. "It seems to me that you must be feeling very complicated to see a High Harper here at this time."
"Yeah, why didn't I think of that?" Archdruid Woods grumbled. "A group of young, decent adventurers who showed up out of nowhere. Of course, there might be a Harper among them. It's ridiculous that I was so foolish as to send myself to a Harper's lair."
"...and," he said dissatisfiedly, "it turns out the connection between the Sharptooth Forest and Baldur's Gate is much deeper than I thought."
"'Lair' is a strong word," Imoen said with a smile.
"Too heavy?" Woods snorted through his nose, with no intention of drinking the tea at all.
Imoen, Metatron, Fenwe.
None of these three women were weak. In short, if a fight really came to a head, he wouldn't even be in a position to fight back.
"I revealed my identity as the Aimian Harper and mine simply to quickly gain your trust and resolve this matter." Imoen shook her head. "You've already sought help not only from other guilds but even from outsiders. Isn't that proof enough? Rest assured, we have no plans for the River Forest."
Fenwë replied, "You are also the protector of a great forest. A few dozen druids are already exhausted just by maintaining the sacred forest. Crossing a river hundreds of kilometers long to invade another forest? Only an amateur would have such a naive idea."
"A melodious chirping could also be a trap to lure prey," Woods said coldly. "If you're really so friendly, why did you lure me into the city?"
It was normal for the adventurers he asked to help to use the city as a source of information. Fenwe didn't know anything about Morti, so she had to come to Baldur's Gate, which had some connection with the Sharptooth Forest, for help - this was also normal.
As soon as he entered the door, waiting for him was a great wizard with a great reputation, even a terrible reputation - this was completely abnormal.
"Because you seem to lack a clear understanding of what you have encountered. First of all, let me express my sincerity." Imoen waved her hand, and her shapeshifter maid placed several pieces of paper and several sketches of human faces in front of the archdruid.
The people in these sketches have undergone some degree of disguise, so their faces are incomplete.
"What is this?" Looking at these sketches, Woods thought for a while, his heart suddenly jumped, and he almost stood up.
A faint smile crossed High Harper Imoen's face. "This simply proves that we have no ill intentions towards you. We share a common goal, and we are truly working towards it. Meanwhile, Emya and the others do need to seek help from a High Harper like me."
Woods took a few glances, then frowned: "It contains secret code."
"Yes." Imoen said simply, "I said, this is just sincerity, not the result."
"...!" Woods took a deep breath. "So, the content above is the focus of the negotiation."
"Yes."
The Archdruid was silent for a moment, then stood up and shook his head. "I request a change of venue for the negotiations."
"where?"
Woods replied, "If you have no guilty conscience, then we can go to the riverside forest and talk."
"That's not up to me. I can't leave Baldur's Gate during this period." Imoen leaned slightly to the side. "Emmya, the information you want is right here. I'll leave the rest to you."
Emiya and Woods met eyes.
The eyes of this great druid were naturally filled with vigilance and distrust.
Emya answered with remarkable clarity, "Yes. But I hope that the Archdruid will keep his word. You have been in and out of Baldur's Gate unscathed, so I shouldn't lose my head in the forest, right?"
************************
This repeated involvement may seem a bit funny and nonsensical, but in Emilia's opinion it is quite necessary.
If they really want to gain their trust slowly, then Archdruid Woods will inevitably have to work with them.
Will Riparian Forest admit their involvement with the Diggers?
Certainly not.
Even if Emilia proved the effectiveness of the reappearance technique, it would be useless.
Reappearance can be used to deliver the finishing blow or to find a way out where there is no way.
But the only thing it can't do is wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.
Of course, Emilia could find a way to uncover this fact with evidence, but she could not force Riverside Forest to do anything, and would instead make them enemies.
The result is that all the hard work to obtain evidence is in vain.
Now was a time of racing against time, and Emya really didn't have time to play along with the druids of the river forest.
Now, however, the two sides have torn their faces apart to a certain extent, and the progress of their negotiations can be greatly accelerated.
As for your own safety?
Emiya glanced behind her.
Miss Imoen said she wouldn't come along, but his mysterious teacher said otherwise.
If the negotiations really go badly, he is not afraid that the druid will turn the table.
However, Metatron's existence was apparently still a secret to the River Forest Circle, so Archdruid of the Woods did not invest too much energy in her.
——To a druid, perhaps Metatron's attire is somewhat similar to that of a forest ranger.
At this level, distance was no longer a problem. So in a flash, Archdruid Woods brought Emya and the others to the riverside forest.
This is also the first time that Emiya and his group have come to this forest.
In some places, it has a lot in common with the Sharptooth Forest.
For example, there are towering ancient trees that are hundreds or even thousands of years old and so lush that it is beyond imagination.
During his time in Elturgard, Emya hadn't seen the night for a long time. But the moment he entered the riverside forest, he once again understood what night was.
The light from two suns could not burn through the dark green broad leaves of the ancient tree. Only a few rays of sunlight could penetrate the layers of blockade of the sacred forest. These specks of white light hung in the forest like stars in the dark night.
The Great Druid of the Woods' treehouse was right in front of them. The owner of the treehouse led them here and immediately walked into the house.
When Archdruid Woods appeared before them again, he was already fully armed—
Yin muttered softly, "A crown of thorns embodying the power of the Holy Forest, a staff made of century-old oak, and the leaves on the cloak are half an arm long. Ho ho..."
Archdruid Woods slowly walked out of the treehouse, took a deep breath, and said in a low voice, "My men are not in the Sacred Forest right now. They should be monitoring the progress of the entire burrowing worm tide."
"Now tell me, what has Moti got to do with what I want to know? I don't think it was Moti who leaked the information to that Oghma priest."
The Archdruid snorted in dissatisfaction: "You better not be bluffing—"
As he spoke, the Holy Forest shook slightly.
In this dark sacred forest, light is a precious commodity, and no matter where a mortal looks, they see only the pitch-black walls.
At this moment, the dark high walls began to shake one by one, and at the same time, the ground of the entire sacred forest began to tremble violently.
The ground was shaking, the air was trembling, and Emiya could no longer tell whether she was unsteady or the whole world was shaking.
The dark wall slowly walked to Woods' side, stopped, and lowered its towering body.
They were tree people tens of meters tall, their arms thick as city walls, and just strolling through the forest would create a deafening roar.
They are the reason why Woods insisted on returning to the riverside forest.
However, Woods still frowned.
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