Equipment Printing School Mage

"It's better to keep moving forward in the face of a strong enemy than to be caught off guard by a strong enemy."

At this point, Apodel sighed and patted his forehead. "I always feel like you're still children, especially since the elves in your team are younger than me... but you're growing up really fast."

The renowned paladin was silent for a moment, then glanced at Emiya. "Miss Forsaken said you were delayed for more than ten minutes because of an incident with your teleportation spell. So, you're already a seventh-ring mage."

Aimiya was silent for a moment, then replied, "Yes."

"That's what young people are like. What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger." Apodel shook his head. "If you weren't at this point in time..."

They had now walked up the stairs to the middle level of the castle and arrived in front of a closed hall.

Apodale glanced around, took a deep breath, and turned to say, "—We are indeed waiting for you. However, you might feel a little nervous after entering."

"Is there a big shot inside?" asked Emilia.

"It's fair to say there are too many important figures here," said the continent's strongest paladin. "I'm merely an ordinary member. You're here because you're young and possess exceptional creative abilities—but based on pure strength, you're not even qualified."

The team led by the Seventh Ring Mage was not even qualified to attend the meeting.

The door burst open.

The cool-toned rocks separated the hall from the outside world, blocking the roaring thunder outside the windows.

However, even so, the constantly flashing light of thunder still made the conference hall dim and bright, making the faces of the members who had been waiting in the hall for a while also look gloomy.

A large, long table occupied half the meeting room. Miss Imoen was whispering to an elderly, blond half-elf. Seeing the door finally open, she waved to Apodel Adrian, then quickly stood up and dragged her brother and husband to sit at the table.

Diagonally opposite her was the old man in the bright red robe, Elminster Omar.

Beside the old wizard are four wonderful women.

Two of them resembled Xinbu—they were clearly no longer young, their hair already silver-white. However, their appearance and attire clearly indicated they held high positions of power, their magical webs whirring around them.

They were dressed in luxurious robes and wore the emblem of their city.

The emblems of Waterdeep and Silvermoon.

However, there are almost no signs of aging on their faces.

"...Elastra Silverhand, Lord of Silvermoon City. Lyra Silverhand, widow of Khelben Blackstaff, former Lord of Waterdeep." Mars' pupils shrank slightly, "...But, who is this...?"

The most out of place among these four women was a young poet who looked to be around twenty years old. However, at first glance, her appearance was quite similar to the other three women, as if she were their younger generation. At this moment, Xinbu, still unable to regain his composure, lay in the girl's arms, breathing quietly.

At this moment, the girl glanced at Mars and replied, "Mars, it's normal that you don't recognize me. I am Storm Silverhand. I am luckier than Xinbu. I didn't go crazy, and I completely reshaped my body - but the original power in my body was also destroyed by the riot of the magic network."

The Seven Sisters of the North.

The seven daughters and chosen ones of Mystra, the second generation goddess of magic. Eldest sister Hiren and youngest sister Kuili had died long before the Arcane Scourge. Now, four of the five remaining sisters had arrived, a literal outpouring of the remaining power of the Church of Mystra and the Harpers.

This luxurious lineup all looked at Emilia and the others when they stepped through the door.

Emiya was very familiar with this scene - it usually happened when someone was more than ten minutes late, so that the whole class was waiting for him, or when his intrusion interrupted the entire class teaching process, and the looks of countless classmates were also so embarrassing.

Emilia took a deep breath, bowed and apologized, "I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't know the level of this meeting was so high. If I had known that four of the five ladies would be here..."

At this moment, a calm male voice sounded from the end of the room, saying coldly, "We've been waiting for decades, so a few minutes won't make a difference. Besides, there's no fifth one. Dove Eagle Claw passed away not long ago."

In this room, in addition to Apodel and Elminster and others, there were three people who seemed to be outsiders.

A priest wearing the emblem of Candlekeep sat at the end of the long table, while Emilia's teacher, Metatron, did not even choose to sit at the table, but simply sat alone in a corner of the hall.

Finally, a haggard man with black hair and wearing black armor simply stood by the window with his back to everyone.

The news of Dove's death was earth-shattering news to Elminster and the others. However, even though everyone present was a figure who could shake the world with a single word in Faerun, no one dared to put on airs with this man. Elminster's face instantly lost all color. He stood up, almost frantically, and shouted, "Are you sure?"

Emiya glanced at the man's chest.

There is a scale held tightly in the hand.

——The emblem of Kelemvor, the god of death.

"Very sure." Finally, the black-haired man turned around and said calmly, "I saw her in my own country. Of course, to be more precise, she didn't die, but she perished together with her enemies."

"By whom? Who did it?"

The black-haired man sighed, seemingly unintentionally sitting near Apodel, and replied, "Those of Shar. After decades of silence, this goddess of darkness has finally become active again."

Regardless, this nightmarish news seemed to have finally broken Elminster's spirit. The old man, over a thousand years old and still strong, finally slumped down in his chair.

Faced with this situation, Emiya was silent for a moment, then pulled Yin towards Metatron. Yin hesitated for a moment, then used his lover as an obstacle to block Metatron's face with a look of disgust, and then reluctantly followed.

Mars hesitated for a moment, bowed his head and apologized to his teacher, then followed Emiya and the others. In this way, the entire team sat next to Metatron in the corner of the room.

"...Mars, who is the priest of Candlekeep?" Emilia lowered her voice.

"Lude, the supreme leader of Candlekeep," Mars replied.

In one room, there were five forces that seemed to be allies or even close to each other.

The second generation of the Magic Goddess' chosen people, led by Elminster. The new generation, represented by Apodel Adrian and the mysterious man, were chosen by the third generation of the Magic Goddess.

The Church of Knowledge represented by the Book Keepers...

And, Metatron and Team Emya, who seem to be free men.

However, the man didn't seem to care much about Elminster's status. Instead, he glanced at Emiya and said, "Ermiya of Lunya...right? You and your friends actually saw Azuth working for the devil with your own eyes?"

Just a simple glance, invisible pressure came like a tidal wave, depriving him of the space to dodge almost instantly.

At that moment, Metatron stood up, blocking the immense pressure in front of him, and took over the conversation: "I was watching from the sky at the time. In fact, several gods witnessed it with their own eyes, and no one questioned Azuth's identity at the time."

"Is that so? Then everything is clear." The man in black closed his eyes and suddenly turned to Elminster. "Well, Lord Omar, now that the last group of young people have arrived, it's time to be frank—Azus betrayed Midnight. So, what is the current status of Midnight's recovery work? Can it continue?"

Under normal circumstances, Emiya would probably regret accepting this invitation. But at this moment, he almost subconsciously glanced at Yin.

However, this one was still completely out of the loop. She was staring at Xinbu and Storm Silverhand with great interest—probably paying attention to the tangled magic webs surrounding the two women.

Elminster's voice was more tired than ever. "We have been searching for fragments of our Lord Mystra's power for decades, but we have found almost nothing. This is truly unusual, just like the disappearance of Lord Azuth, the God of Mages. It is a mystery that has puzzled us for years."

The dark-haired warrior tapped the table silently. "So, however, Azuth betrayed, and suddenly everything became clear: the fragments of Midnight's divine power were still there, and were even deliberately entrusted to Azuth. But Azuth betrayed, and Midnight trusted the wrong person, and so everything came to an end. Is that so?"

Elminster's expression was extremely serious. "Judging from the results, yes."

"So, Midnight's resurrection progress, as of now, is zero, is that right?"

The answer is simple, yet so difficult to articulate.

It was as if Elminster was holding an entire mountain in his mouth.

He stood up and silently observed everyone present.

Finally, he sighed deeply: "...Yes."

"So," the black-clad man said, "the closest force to resurrecting the Magic Goddess is actually the devil of the Nine Hells. Is that correct? We've mocked the 'All-Knowing One' for years, but now they might actually gain control of the Magic Network and become the true 'All-Knowing One', is that correct?"

Emiya felt that breathing was a little difficult, and he unconsciously squeezed Yin's hand. But Yin looked puzzled and glared at him without knowing why.

"……Yes."

The man in black could no longer suppress his dissatisfaction. "So, for decades, the once wise Chosen Ones have been played like fools, spinning in circles without making any progress. Is it because the goddess who died was Midnight, not Mystra?!"

Almost at the same moment when Elminster exited, the man in black had already thrown a heavy punch in front of him in anger. The long table made entirely of solid wood almost instantly weathered and withered into ashes like a living thing.

The next second, the man let out a long breath, and another almost identical long table appeared in front of everyone again, as if the annihilation of matter just now was just an illusion.

The man looked at the Scripture Keeper Lude with an apologetic look on his face: "I'm sorry, Mr. Scripture Keeper, I couldn't control my emotions."

"...Lord Kelemvor, this is human nature."

Yes, the man in black is the current god of death and former lover of the goddess of magic, Kelemvor.

Kelanvor raised his head slightly, let out a long breath, stood up, and said, "That's all."

He turned to Aberdel and said, "Now is not the time for internal strife. I spoke out of turn just now, so just forget it. Son of Bhaal, how about you stay in Candlekeep for a few more days? The young Harpers have worked so hard to rescue Simbu, and we must not let her fall into the hands of the enemy again."

Apodel was stunned for a moment. "My students will also stay here for a while, so of course I have no choice but to help. I'll have to trouble Imoen to work hard at Baldur's Gate for a while."

"That's good." Then Kelanvor turned to Elminster.

He said coldly, "Since the fragments of divine power left by Midnight are likely in Azuth's hands, it will be very difficult to bypass Azuth and revive the Goddess of Magic. If this fact were to get out, the Silver Flame of the Chosen One would likely become the target of public criticism in an instant.

"Everyone, take care of yourself."

The next second, the figure of the Grim Reaper suddenly disappeared without a trace.

In an instant, the room was dead silent.

After a long pause, two powerful Silver Hands in the North stood up. "Then, let's return immediately and use the power of the Lords' Alliance to search for magical items that might contain divine power... This is the only option we have right now."

"One more thing." Elminster pressed his brow wearily, "...Larlok. This oldest chosen one seems to be monitoring many leyline anchor points. Perhaps he will be unable to resist and join this deadly battle - be careful. Storm, do you have no way to deal with Xinbu's situation?"

Storm Silverhand sighed. "If I had my way, would I drive Xinbu insane for decades? Now I can only let her recuperate in Candlekeep. Our control over the Weave ends here."

"Then..." Elminster hesitated for a moment, then said to Metatron, "Miss Forsaken, we are extremely short of manpower right now. How about you and Apodel stay in Candlekeep for a while, and protect Xinbu, Emiya, and the others?"

Metatron was silent for a moment, then said, "Chosen like Xinbu, who are unable to resist, may be the most valuable spoils of war. Candlekeep will surely become a battlefield."

"Yes. We all know this. However, a battlefield with sufficient combat power can at least be fought vigorously. If we continue to disperse our forces, we will perish silently."

"Alright."

At this moment, an unexpected voice suddenly broke the silence: "I heard that Miss Xinbu has many unique magics, but she seems unwilling to spread these spells?"

Elminster exchanged a glance with the Silver Hands and replied, "Yes. Xinbu treasures her spells very much, and most of them are only passed down among her apprentices and Harpers. I am the only one who knows the rarest and most powerful spells. However, the current situation is special, and Emiya is already a high-ranking Harper. I can take the initiative to teach these spells to you—"

"Not for us," Silver interrupted Elminster rudely. "What if I wanted to spread these spells? Um, just like the Grey Eagle spell that Emiya got?"

"This..." Elminster hesitated, then shook his head slowly but firmly. "I'm sorry to refuse this. Even if I agree now, once Xinbu recovers, she'll undoubtedly be furious about this action, and it will definitely lead to a huge fight. Therefore, I have to decline this proposal. I'm very sorry."

In an instant, Yin lost all his energy, his mouth flattened, and he lay down in Emilia's arms: "Oh, forget it, she is still..."

During these months of getting along, Emiya finally developed the first important skill in getting along with Yin: realizing that someone is about to start talking without restraint.

He quickly covered Yin's mouth and said, "We are being presumptuous!"

This small incident did not interrupt the progress of everything, and everyone present quickly went their separate ways, disappearing from the conference room in twos and threes.

I don’t know when or if we will be together again.

Four shock Metatron for a whole year

The sages of Shadowdale, the leaders of Silvermoon and Waterdeep, left the area almost simultaneously. Storm Silverhand took her sisters, who had not yet recovered, to their residence in Candlekeep. The Bookkeeper Ludd also took his leave to contact his own deity.

The huge conference hall became empty almost instantly.

The older half-elf beside Imoen was now pressing his brow in pain. "I thought this was an important meeting, but it turned out to be a precursor to a split..."

"The situation isn't that bad yet." Apodale shook his head. "It's not time to point weapons at each other yet."

Imoen didn't seem to care much about the heavy atmosphere of the meeting. Instead, he walked towards Emya and the others and introduced them to the half-elf who looked a bit older. "Mr. Emya, the newly promoted High Harper, please allow me to introduce you: this is the current commander of the Harpers of Waterdeep, Archdruid Jaheira, and Apodel and my best friend and predecessor."

"Senior..." The rare Druid Harper almost sighed upon hearing the word. "A half-elf in his thirties is certainly the elder of a pair of twenty-year-olds. What's the difference between an old man over a hundred and thirty and one over a hundred and twenty?"

Apodel pondered for a moment, then asked Metatron, who had been resting with his eyes closed as if nothing had happened, "Will your plans change as a result of this meeting?"

"Me?" Metatron finally opened his eyes. "Of course not. No matter what, Miss Simbu must not fall into the hands of others; let promising young people grow up - we still agree on these two points. So I will stay in Candlekeep."

"That's good." This was probably the only good news Apodel had heard today. The son of Bhaal couldn't help but let out a long sigh. "I hope the enemy's next wave of attacks will be slower. I wonder how much damage Azuth's self-explosion will cause them."

"It won't be small," Metatron replied. "I checked the information, and Azuth's power doesn't seem very strong. For such a god to have so damaged the incarnation, and with their identities exposed—according to the devil's habit, they will inevitably lie dormant for a while, trying to escape the sight of others.

"So, they will probably try to incite other enemies during this time."

The Red Mage of Cyre.

Emiya thought about it and suddenly understood something.

The people of Gond came to Candlekeep, apparently to strengthen its defenses.

The Red Mage of Thay now indulges in necromancy - and wants to deal with the undead that are everywhere in the mountains...

Emiya shook her head, trying to banish the deafening sound of gunpowder explosions from her mind.

Internal strife or even civil war would not come so soon - the fact that Elminster was willing to tell them about this matter, or to tell the god of death Kelemvor, was proof of that.

This kind of openness certainly heated up emotions, but it also controlled the intensity of dissatisfaction.

"Then, that's it." Jaheira waved his hand, turned, and said to Aimiya, "Anyway, everyone in Team Aimiya, the Harpers are a loose organization. We are like-minded friends, with seniors who lead and younger generations who are full of enthusiasm. We don't operate by dictating—"

"You've done well enough. You're still young, there's no need to rush into this vortex... Right now, the situation is so complicated that most Harpers are probably unwilling to get involved. It's best for you to stay in Candlekeep and consolidate your forces for the time being. But if Candlekeep is truly attacked and you're short on combat power, you can send a message to Imoen and me for help. For the next period of time, Candlekeep will be the Harpers' primary focus."

Aimon shook his head. "If you ask me, young people like you should prioritize improving your strength. The reason we were tormented by countless conspiracies, suffered so much injustice, and shed so many tears, had nothing to do with good or evil; it was simply a lack of strength."

"Strength." Apodel sighed, "The end of all disputes will only be iron and fire."

Imoen and Jaheira quickly said goodbye and left, and Apodel Adrian was unusually preoccupied and did not go with Emya and the others, but he still maintained a mental connection with them before leaving, just in case.