Equipment Printing School Mage
Page 210
Similarly, the great readers of Candlekeep also took action.
"Oh my! This endless quarrel finally seems to be coming to an end." Christine took off her glasses and sighed. "I've been living in a trance lately—I was dragged back to Eltoril for no apparent reason, and I was completely helpless as I watched the people of Eltoril fall into panic.
"In the end, it was a group of young people who solved the problem." Christine shook her head. "But today, what Eltoril, and indeed the entire Elturgard, needs most is confidence."
"You're joking," Emilia said. "It was my teacher who truly defeated Zariel. We just played a small role in it, and that's it."
Asul's mood wasn't very good, and he sighed deeply: "Are we really going to discuss whether to release Zariel?"
"Our friends, our elders..." said the elderly Bolias, "Since Eltoril's rebirth, how many have sworn an oath to the Companions? We once thought they had all ascended to the side of the gods, enjoying the splendour of Mount Celestial and a carefree life in Elysium. But we never imagined they were suffering on the banks of the River Styx, perhaps even becoming members of the devil."
This topic was so heavy that Asur, who was originally a little unwilling, immediately shut up.
At this moment, they happened to pass by the place where Banri had been.
Now, the hall is empty. Due to the chaotic management, the guards are still here, but they just don't know where to go.
Bolias pursed his lips and said, "When I saw it, I was as throbbing as I was before, and I am as angry now."
The soul of the dead.
Emiya raised her eyebrows slightly.
In a world where gods truly exist, there is probably no topic more serious than this.
No, even on Earth, this topic is heavy enough.
Which is more important, the honor of capturing Zariel alive or the honor of their deceased ancestors, comrades and descendants?
This topic was so heavy that even a paladin couldn't refuse to make a deal with the devil.
Although Asur may not be a paladin any time soon.
"It's an offer I can't refuse..." Asur sighed.
Emiya shook her head. "Everyone, there's no need to be so heavy. So far, the devil hasn't said what they want, and we haven't said what we want."
"There's still a lot of room for improvement."
**********
This was the first time that Emiya and his party officially visited the Temple of the Three Pillars of Justice.
Although the churches of Tyr and Ilmater nominally moved out of Eltoril, the covenant of the Three Pillars of Justice remained intact. Therefore, statues of Tyr and Ilmater had always existed in the Temple of Torm—and of course, the same was true in the churches of the other two gods.
Now, the temple is overcrowded - Craig's disappearance has caused panic among the people of the Torm Church. Many Torm priests have tried their best to get a short vacation and returned to the temple to seek spiritual peace.
Their arrival naturally caught the attention of many of the Thom priests. Normally, they should have been honored guests of the Thom Church, but unfortunately, things were different now. The Thom priests looked at each other, unsure what to do first.
Being leaderless is exactly what they are facing now.
Polias shook his head and led them to the side hall belonging to Tyr.
"Then we will begin to pray - please feel free to do as you please," said Bolias.
Last time, Craig prayed, and the only person who heard his words was Zariel. I hope you can truly hear the oracle this time.
These words weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone in the Tyr Church.
However, as soon as they entered the door, they were shocked to find that there was already a tired-looking knight in the temple. He was sitting on a seat, with his head slightly lowered, praying to the statue of Tyr.
He was tall, with gray hair, and his armor was covered with countless scars. He was obviously a warrior who had experienced many battles.
The Temple of Tyr had been neglected for some time. And next door was the Temple of Torm, which was packed with priests. Why would one come to the deserted Church of Tyr to pray?
Seeing this visitor, Bolias instantly entered work mode, temporarily putting aside the confusion lingering in his heart: "Hello, do you need help? In fact, you can seek help from the Torm Church next door."
The fully-armed knight wore no divine emblem. He simply shook his head: "...How can someone who is still lost himself guide others who are also lost?"
The knight might have been talking about the priests of Torm, but it was equally harsh to Polias and Asur, who felt a burning pain on their faces.
They were also hesitant - if they had already decided what to do next, they should ask Tyr for permission rather than advice.
Polias and Asur looked at each other, and finally said apologetically: "If you need help...we will pray on the side."
"Sorry, thank you." The knight seemed to realize that he had said something wrong and walked to the corner of the room with an apologetic look on his face.
——That happened to be where Emiya and her group were sitting.
Emiya coughed lightly and explained quietly to the knight, "...I'm sorry, there have been a lot of changes in Elturgard recently."
"Anyone who comes to Eltoril realizes this." The knight sighed. "Changes may bring sadness and anger. These emotions can temporarily demoralize people, but they cannot make them lose motivation. Confusion, however, can."
Mars raised his eyebrows and subconsciously retorted, "I think this is reversing the order of things. Confusion and loss of motivation have the same essence. They both come from uncertainty about the future. As long as you have a clear goal, confusion will disappear and motivation will return."
"But it's not that easy to determine a target," the knight said in a low voice. "Suppose I were a lord, and my allies and I were seriously injured in battle. As a result, while I was recovering, a bandit uprising broke out in my territory, and I was unable to provide any support..."
Elastrid couldn't help but say, "If you're injured, you should go see a priest!"
"Not every place has enough priests, nor are the priests strong enough," the knight replied. "Eltoril has dozens of churches, large and small, and hundreds of priests, but not every place is treated the same way. Let's assume that no one can heal the lord in a short time."
Well, hypothetically.
The knight continued, "During this period, a citizen of the territory chose to join a notorious rival lord. With the help of external forces, he resolved the crisis and successfully ascended to power, rapidly increasing his power within the territory. However, as a price, the territory's income and even its population were transferred to the rival lord. The territory reversed its decline and began to prosper on the surface—"
"But in unknown places, there are also the blood and tears of other innocent people."
Mars, with his eyes half-closed, said, "It was a normal fable at first. Why did it take such a sudden turn at the end?"
"No, even if it's human trafficking... this example is too radical." Emiya felt sweat on her forehead. "How did he do it?"
So this knight is a philosopher?
"That's why I said that he wasn't a lord worth asking for help," the knight replied. "So asking that lord for help is itself a highly questionable matter. In fact, the lord's assistance was motivated by his desire for the profits from this territory, not a genuine desire to help his subjects or the other victims."
"But at least the crisis at that time was resolved. However, the subsequent crisis brought about by this request for help, at least in my opinion, is even more serious than the original bandit problem."
"However, life is priceless," the knight said distressedly. "I can't say, because you will be harassed by hostile lords in the future. So, should you have silently endured the banditry and waited for rescue that would arrive at an unknown time? But the territory has indeed fallen into a more long-term crisis."
"So, now that this lord has recovered, while he's not yet able to defeat the enemy lord, he's still able to recover and protect him. The question is, what should he do now?"
...Strange. Emilia frowned.
Had he heard this story somewhere before?
Mars thought about it, and finally shook his head: "I am a holy warrior, I don't want to comment on this kind of story... It seems to be a typical trap that will inevitably make people break their oath."
The knight shrugged. "That's true. But this world doesn't operate according to the paladin's oath. Some traps are difficult to avoid. In fact, escaping a trap may itself be part of the trap."
Mars fell silent - he had always disliked this topic.
When the Paladin Asur faced a similar problem, he chose to give up his identity as a Paladin.
Is Asur still a paladin now? In front of everyone, he led the Hell Knights to abandon the weapons given by Eltoril and the oath to the Companions - such a literal breach of contract is a great taboo.
Mars really didn't want to face this kind of problem. The reason he didn't want to be the team's captain was because he wanted to leave this dilemma to Emiya.
Emilia was silent for a moment, then said, "I'm not an ethicist or historian—do you mind if we just chat?"
"Of course," the knight replied, "this is just a chat in the temple."
"I'm less concerned with hostility than with the people themselves," Emiya said. "First, stop this filthy profiteering. Second, thoroughly investigate what this resident has gained and lost from this transaction. Finally, try to bring back the person who was betrayed—I believe these three are the most fundamental."
"If the enemy lord is extremely notorious, then theoretically there can be no so-called normal trading relationship with him," the knight said. "Furthermore, there is almost no precedent for successfully bringing back a large number of abducted citizens."
Emiya hesitated for a moment.
At this time, he could of course make some big claims, such as saying that human existence and life are more important than reputation.
But now, he probably figured out what they were doing.
——Zariel’s story was indeed earth-shattering enough.
Emilia said, "We accidentally captured the vanguard general of this enemy lord, which is also an unprecedented precedent. We believe that life is equal, but obviously not every enemy is treated this way—"
"I think we can ask for as much as we want—" Emilia said calmly, "Coincidentally, this captured vanguard general defected from another allied lord. We have many options, but the enemy has none."
"Besides, what we sign at the negotiation table might not be a contract or agreement; it could also be a letter of surrender." Emiya clapped her hands. "No matter how much we hate our enemies or how much we don't want to have anything to do with them, we still have to sign their letter of surrender."
"also……"
Emiya gathered her words. "This capture was a coincidence. We alone can't guarantee that the enemy lord won't overthrow the throne. Would you be willing to attend?"
"...Ha." The knight sighed, "I owe you such a big favor, what else is there to say? As long as you decide to talk, my three other friends and I will be there."
"Huh? Three?" Emiya was stunned for a moment, "Isn't it two?"
The knight, or rather, the incarnation of the god of loyalty, Torm, sighed. "After the Arcane Calamity, the three of us have officially made a new friend. If Zariel can't return, then Bayer's mission will be extremely disadvantageous... If two candidates are disqualified in a row, then my new friend's old rival might inexplicably regain the throne of Grand Duke Avernus... He's probably absolutely unacceptable to such an outcome."
"He will probably be there to push for this agreement and insist on getting Zariel back."
Author's words: Author's words: First, slide to your knees and prostrate yourself on the ground.
According to 8:00 PM Eastern Time, only 4000 updates were made yesterday.
按这么算的话,今天已经6000了。作为补偿,但是13/7/2024的23:59之前,还有4000。
&&&&&&&&&&&
Sorry for bragging again. I thought it was just a cough, but now I find it is a cold. I am afraid I can’t write anymore.
Sorry, I won't brag anymore.
I just finished bragging about the 4,000 I still have in my account, and the sore throat I had a few days ago took a turn for the worse, and it looked like it was about to turn into a fever. As a result, my personal condition was completely ruined, and I slept for a few hours but didn't recover much.
All I can say is that I should be able to finish these 4,000 words before 6:00.
I won't brag about my updates anymore, I'm really bad at it. (* ̄;( ̄ *)
Chapter 85: The Most Luxurious Negotiation Table (Part 4)
The backup team has arrived in the material plane.
Zariel was a target that could not be lost, but Bayer could not guarantee that he would be able to bring Zariel back today.
The most fatal point to his negotiation plan was that the original owner of Zariel was even one of the main beliefs of the city.
Zariel could be a thorny presence for everyone else, and staying with them meant nothing except prestige.
But for the Church of Lathander, the readmission of Zariel was an unprecedented and great achievement.
Therefore, the devil has to fight not only the justice and greed of the Eltoril people and Emya's group -
And they would have to compete with the Church of Lathander for a price. If the devil couldn't come up with enough bargaining chips, then Emiya and his party would have ten thousand reasons to hand Zariel over to the Church of Lathander.
It's a seller's market, supply exceeds demand, and both sides are determined to win.
What’s worse is that the goods for sale are almost certainly unique and scarce.
Outside the city of Eltoril, Baier let out a long sigh.
If he were in charge of this matter, he would definitely give up Zariel.
This situation means that the final transaction price will be an unprecedentedly horrific price.
This kind of auction means that the final winner will only be the one with a wealthier net worth, and even then, the winner will probably lose everything.
Unfortunately, the devil's wealth is apparently much greater than that of a church in Eltoril, which means the baatezu are likely to go bankrupt.
[How do you feel?] Mephistopheles finally sent a message to Bayer, [Really don't need any reinforcements?]
"I don't feel very good." Bayer said, "Even if I were given reinforcements, I'd want the entire Avernus Legion."
"That's the reward you might get after completing the mission," Mephistopheles replied.
What a joke. Bayer didn't take it seriously at all.
If Zariel was rescued, he would most likely continue to be her Grand Duke of Avernus.
Why else would Zariel be left in Hell? To watch her slaughter indiscriminately? It would be better to send her back to the Church of Lathander—
According to Bayer, after Zariel took office as Grand Duke of Avernus, her efficiency in killing devils and demons was much higher than when she was an angel.
She could kill a few demons with her sword, but she could really kill people with her pen and command staff, wiping out countless lives in the midst of laughter and conversation.
If Zariel had not been rescued, the result would have been even more obvious - you messed up, and it would have been good enough if you were not punished, so how could they possibly let you take office?
The result was that this mission was nothing short of torture.
"I'm not against using force," Bayer said. "But please at least prepare enough force to capture Zariel alive again."
Mephistopheles replied: "We have already prepared portals in various locations. If all else fails, we will have no choice but to use surprises as leverage."
If you don't release Zariel, we will drag all of Faerûn into hell.
But this is probably the last resort.
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