"Emya accompanied the Smiling Lady's pastor to survey the camp's terrain. The previous camp didn't take into account the heavy rain, and he's trying to make up for it now," Metatron said calmly. "Emya is a very enthusiastic child, and I think he deserves the care he deserves. So I don't plan to join that mobile support team that doesn't even have a prototype."

She waved her hand heavily: "The members have different beliefs, different philosophies, and different goals. Even before the so-called team was formed, the members may not have fought side by side or even had little friendship.

"Such an immature team's combat efficiency is unpredictable. Forming a temporary team to challenge a fixed target is feasible, but forming a team to be ready to provide support at any time along a battle line that may be several kilometers long? In my opinion, it would be better to keep them within our own forces."

Asul clearly agreed with this proposal. He shook his head and said, "But this tactic just failed miserably in the decapitation operation."

"You call that a tactic?" Metatron snorted. "A bunch of people with similar strengths huddled together, and more than half of the members of each team haven't been adventurers in the dungeon in years."

Rather than calling it a tactic, it would be more accurate to say that this decapitation operation became a stage for several forces to flex their muscles in order to compete for the right to speak.

Although their underpants were exposed in the end, orthodox military units like the Hell Knights, despite being constantly attacked, suffered almost no losses, only some loss of physical strength.

She clapped her hands, her expression still calm, but her tone was remarkably firm. "Besides, I'm not from Elturgard myself. I'm merely visiting here these days. Therefore, my own wishes are naturally prioritized here. I'm not interested in this proposal. Please seek other advice."

At this point, she raised her eyebrows slightly. "The most important thing is, I don't think this was your idea. Do you realize that this is a form of exploitation?"

Asur gave a wry smile and replied, "But I do agree with this suggestion. Furthermore, Elturgard has actually prepared a generous offer—at least, in my opinion, generous enough—to gain the full support of Emya and the others."

The relationship between Metatron and Emya was not made public, but because they trusted the Church of Tyr, they did not deliberately hide it from these people who believed in justice. Now, at least the two leaders of the Church of Tyr knew this.

The leader of the Hell Knights said, "Next, we plan to completely abandon the decapitation plan and regard the devil as the ultimate enemy. At the same time, we will change our strategic thinking and regard this as an all-out war. At this time, what we need is no longer one, or several, outstanding young people or adventurers. Instead, we must prioritize ensuring a complete and efficient logistics system: medical care, communications, and transportation."

Asur paused and said, "--and equipment."

"This will be a war involving thousands or even tens of thousands of people. Every day, countless adventurers' equipment will be damaged and in urgent need of maintenance and replacement. Eltoril's inventory and craftsmen are only sufficient to support the daily operations of the Hell Knights and the Companion Knights. There is no spare capacity to provide maintenance for the adventurers. Not to mention, temporarily relocating the craftsmen to the vicinity of Berdusk will take time."

"Emya would probably be somewhat interested in this job. Although he'd probably prefer the battlefield, he wouldn't refuse if absolutely necessary." Metatron narrowed his eyes slightly. "Of course, in your opinion, the most important point should be that he would stay behind because of this duty—even staying near the mobile support team's base, where he would be very safe. Is that what you mean?"

"That's it," Asul said. "That's why I'm willing to be the lobbyist. I think it's a win-win proposal."

Metatron was silent for a moment. He didn't try to be polite to Tyr's followers, but simply said, "Emmya might be interested. But I won't make any promises. Besides, the conditions you offer aren't enough."

"Regarding Mr. Emya... Elturgard intends to send someone to negotiate for more generous terms."

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

Soon after Emiya and his group returned to the camp, they began to wander around various corners of the camp.

Although none of their group were native to Elturgard, their reputation was surprisingly high—thanks entirely to the efforts of Mars and Elastrid in recent days. During their time maintaining the Church of the Moon, they had come into contact with a considerable number of adventurers. Now, as their group walked through Tyr's camp, they knew everyone they knew.

However, the term "wandering" might not be quite accurate. After all, the camp was now completely shrouded in rain clouds, and the drizzling rain slammed against every piece of armor and weapon inside and outside the camp.

Bowstrings were soaked, leather and cotton soaked up moisture, and the autumn chill seeped through the steel into my body.

“Now this is really uncomfortable!”

Currently, Emiya and his group were hiding under the same roof with a group of adventurers. Unlike Emiya's group, this group of adventurers was much more traditional - only one priest was a spellcaster, and the rest were a mix of rogues and warriors.

Such a configuration is extremely unbearable when facing rainy days.

"We can't possibly go down into the caves in this weather. I don't want to wrestle with diggers in a wet mud pit. But we can't do patrols either—wearing armor out in this rain will ruin it in a few days!"

However, it is obviously impossible for everyone to huddle under the eaves of the camp and not go out - once the devil finds out about this, he only needs to launch a surprise attack on a rainy day, and most of the soldiers in the camp may not be able to put on their armor before the battle is over.

By then, even if we don't suffer a complete defeat, there will inevitably be heavy casualties.

"It would be better if the rain got heavier!" said another member of the adventurer team. "Those crack-burrowing worms obviously can't swim. They might as well just flood this cave."

Cracked Digger Worm is naturally the name given by adventurers to the extremely large number of nymph digger worms with cracks on their shells.

Mars said seriously, "Then this rainfall is totally insufficient. The precipitation must be increased dozens of times, and the area and duration must be guaranteed to ensure that the entire underground palace is filled. And if it lasts too long, leaving aside the digging worms, the demons will have plenty of time to escape."

"Hey, respected and wise Mr. Mars, we were just saying it casually."

Adventurers naturally don't take responsibility for their boasts, but it's true that no one wants to roll in the mud.

However, when hearing this, a raven on Emilia's right shoulder nodded its head up and down, as if thinking about something.

At this moment, an unexpected figure wearing a heavy raincoat stepped through the mud and came to Emiya and the others: "You guys are really hard to find."

The person who came was Norwich, who was supposedly severely frustrated underground.

However, this rising star of Candle Castle was wearing a raincoat at the moment and ran to the side of Emilia and others on this rainy day.

"...This is truly a rare visitor." After seeing the visitor's appearance clearly, Mars couldn't help but widen his eyes and made room for Norwich under the eaves. "Do you have something to talk to us about? But if it's really urgent, it seems like you should use magic to contact us directly, right?"

However, Norwich had no intention of taking shelter under the same roof with them. Instead, he stood in the rain and said, "Because I brought a discussion intention - this kind of topic requires a representative with enough weight to show sincerity."

Emiya was silent for a moment, then pointed at the gloomy sky. "There's no need to go out in the rain, right?"

Norwich remained noncommittal and went straight to the point. "Next, we plan to adjust our combat strategies and transform this conflict into a full-scale war involving the entire nation. However, Elturgard is ill-prepared for this unexpected escalation of hostilities and is short-handed in all areas, forcing us to seek external assistance. Therefore, Elturgard hopes to reach a formal cooperation agreement with you and your teammates."

What kind of cooperation can we have with them?

Emiya quickly went over in his mind the scenarios in which his creative power might be leaked.

In fact, there are two main scenes where he uses his supernatural craftsmanship now - manufacturing weapons and equipment, and transforming into a magical construction worker.

In fact, because the blacksmithing industry in Faerun is quite developed, there are not many scenes where the former can show their skills.

Lion of Eltoril didn't know because he was imprisoned by the shapeshifter from beginning to end and didn't see the moment when Emya made weapons and armor for Mars.

Only the two Ranyans should know about the Flame Fist, and Emiya has only demonstrated it in front of them.

Then there is Gond, the god of craftsmen, whom even the great craftsman Gutenberg may not have known.

——But if it was a devil, perhaps we could deduce something from the series of events.

Thinking of this, Emilia paused for a moment and said, "If it's just a simple cooperation, then of course we can discuss it. But I don't know what you need me to do."

"This is one of the sincerity of Elturgard's promise," Norwich replied. "The Supreme Observer says that in their interactions, he believes you are trustworthy. Therefore, he only asks for one promise: that you will devote your hearts and minds to this war. No other details are required."

"As for the reward..." Norwich took out a small cylinder from his arms. "Sir Craig said he's willing to exchange the method for making this weapon. This is a prototype that Eltoril had just developed not long ago and hasn't even been officially deployed yet..."

Before Emiya could reply, Yin had already snatched the weapon from Norwich's hand and shouted excitedly, "Wow! The design of this weapon is very interesting! I wonder if most people can get used to it!"

Before Norwich could even say anything, Silver muttered something, and a flash of orange-red light erupted from the hilt. However, this flame-like light was not irregular like a real flame, but rather a regular beam of light.

Just like the bright morning light shining from the east every morning.

Why would Eltoril research this kind of thing?

But no matter what, Yin has to restrain himself first!

"Snapped!"

Normally, Emilia would not do anything to Silver, but this time, she quickly snatched the strange and light sword from the man's hand. "...Sorry, my companion is very fond of magic items. This is our fault."

Emiya had always remembered Norwich as someone with a bad temper. But this time, Norwich's attitude was surprisingly lenient: he didn't even question Silver's rudeness or his knowledge of the magic item's activation phrase. Instead, he simply said, "No problem. In short, Elturgard is willing to trade this secret for your help. This is a gentleman's agreement—we don't impose any rigid demands on you, but we will offer our sincere support. Your team will unilaterally determine how much we will do for Elturgard, the innocent people, and the fight against the demons."

"This latest creation of Eltoril, the Sunlight Sword, and its crafting method, is Mr. Craig's sincere gesture."

The Temptation of the Fifty-Seventh Shining Sword

Naturally, such a major deal is difficult to conclude in one go, and Emilia can ask for several days to consider before making a final decision.

But after all, this involves the life and death of hundreds of thousands of people, so the time for consideration is very short.

Tomorrow afternoon, Elturgard will hold a formal military meeting. By then, Craig must receive a clear answer.

If you do not express your consent, it will be regarded as your disagreement, leaving no room for ambiguity.

However, the sample of the Sunshine Sword was preserved.

Faced with such a major event, they naturally had to return to their residence and discuss it with Miss Metatron.

"This is bait." As a cleric, Alestria's worldly experience was no less than Sig's. As the cleric of the Smiling Lady, she had met countless gamblers and adventurers.

So she almost immediately concluded, "Elturgard is a bit too generous."

She clasped her hands together and explained softly, "Knowledge related to the church's sacred objects—magical items—has always been at the heart of each church. A church's magical items can enhance the church's power within and expand its influence when distributed externally. They are held in the strictest confidentiality."

"I've only been with the team for a short time. This may be a bit offensive," Alaster said hesitantly. "In my opinion, even the church's strongest allies wouldn't easily receive a gift of this level. Does our team have such a deep connection with Elturgard?"

She shook her head. "At least in my opinion, I was just a priest staying at the Moonfire Bell Tower. I didn't think I was qualified."

"Neither do I." Mars snorted coldly, "I only had some interactions with the Knights of Hell and the Church of Tyr before, and I didn't have a deep connection with Eltoril."

The paladin took out a blank notebook and sprinkled it on the Sun Sword. In an instant, the parchment was cut in two in the blinding sunlight.

There are crystal white ashes on the cut - this is the trace of the shining element.

Emilia sighed: "I think so too, but..."

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

"I need an explanation."

In his own stronghold, Bayer's face was frighteningly dark.

He said to Craig, who was dozens of kilometers away, "Our goal seems to be to make Mr. Emiya relax his guard, let him out of his protection, and create an opportunity for us to strike."

Craig replied with some confusion: "Isn't that what I did?"

"I don't know what the Sunlight Sword is." Bayer waved his hand. "But I have common sense! The formula for creating a magic item? This kind of thing should only be allowed to be circulated among allies of the level of the Three Pillars of Justice, the Moon Maiden, and the Goddess of Magic. In other words, it must be close to each other, or even within the pantheon. You gave this formula to them? Why?

"Unreasonable actions will only make them wary!"

Craig didn't seem intimidated by Baier. He responded bluntly, "So what do you think we should do?"

Bayer naturally had no interest in playing dumb with Craig. Instead, he said bluntly, "Using various methods to lure them to stay is the right approach. However, the choice of bait requires extreme caution. If you use completely inappropriate bait, you will only scare them away!"

"Inappropriate?" Craig simply shook his head at the devil's question. "Who do you think that team is? They fooled Mephistopheles at Baldur's Gate and snagged hundreds of thousands of gold coins. And after becoming rich overnight, they didn't squander their money recklessly at Baldur's Gate."

Craig said, "--In other words, this team's bags currently contain hundreds of thousands of gold coins!"

After these words were spoken, Bayer had to fall silent.

Even in the Nine Hells, hundreds of thousands of gold coins were not something one could easily afford. To attract a wealthy individual of this level, one naturally had to sacrifice one's own wealth.

"In fact," Craig said slowly, "this team has almost no weaknesses. If I must say..."

"Their captain has a special fondness for swords. I've seen mages carry swords, but I've never seen one whose staff is shaped like a sword. Secondly, the incredibly beautiful female mage in their team also has a special interest in magical items."

Craig sighed. "In the few times I've met her, she's never even looked me in the face. It's always the company that grabs her attention."

"Under these circumstances, the only thing in Elturgard that can truly attract this group of people and make them unable to move is the latest Sunlight Sword."

"...Alright." Bayer was dozens of kilometers away after all, so he could only sigh. "Anyway, what we're sending out is your results. Can you guarantee it's effective?"

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

"I want this sword." Yin rarely expressed his opinion.

At the same time, his words were earth-shattering.

She sat next to Emiya, deliberately separating herself from Metatron by a whole team. "To be more precise, I'm very interested in the recipe for making this sword!"

This looks like a bait, but some people can't resist the temptation!

Emiya was still considering how to refuse and what to do after the refusal——

I never expected that the most aloof person in the team would take the bait!

"Calm down." Emiya felt sweat coming out of her head. "Such an obvious trap..."

"Is it still a trap if you know it exists?" Yin said confidently. "Why not just prepare for it in advance?"

That was too easy to say! Emiya felt the blood vessels in her head begin to throb violently: "...Is this sword so important?"

Speaking of this topic, Silver's eyes suddenly lit up. She immediately raised the ordinary hilt of the sword, and the orange-red blade of light shone again. "First of all, this is a sword, a special sword, a sword that may be unique to this day, and it also contains unprecedented ingenuity from its designer. The runes recorded in Candlekeep have been passed down for thousands of years. This sword is the latest product of the church. Are you really not interested?"

Emiya looked at the Sunshine Sword in silence.

The hilt is round and of moderate size, but is deliberately roughened to make it easier for the user to hold.

The gushing light was apparently weightless, which meant that the user could move it at high speed.

The strange orange light obviously came from the hilt of the sword. The hilt was obviously some kind of projection device, and the energy source of the light was hidden in the hilt.

To be honest, Emilia wanted to take the sword apart right now to find out the secret.

However, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I know my priorities—I won't put the entire team in danger just because I like this sword. Especially when this trap could have been set for me."

"What a hassle..." Yin was clearly not very persuasive. He was racking his brains for excuses, his thin eyebrows almost curling up. "...And! This sword itself is very interesting. It should be a product of the Church of Torm. Okay, now tell me, which god is this magical item carefully crafted by a church related to?"

This question was so bizarre that Emilia answered without even thinking, "Of course it's related to the Lord God."

"Well then." Silver snapped his fingers and awkwardly waved the light blade in his hand, "I don't think this weapon is related to loyalty or fanaticism.

"Instead, it has some connection with another subtle god." Yin jumped up from his seat and waved the sword in front of Lulu. "Sacred Dumbo? Do you think this sword is important?"

"what?"

Lulu originally didn't think of herself as a member of the team, nor was she arrogant enough to guide Emiya and her group, so at the beginning of the meeting, she was quickly finishing the food in the mansion, and she never expected that she would have a role here.

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