Equipment Printing School Mage

With the help of disguise, he should be able to avoid the most dangerous time period and gain precious reaction time.

"Isn't it a little too late to do this now?!"

Although walking on the broad branches and leaves sounded extremely dangerous, it was surprisingly stable when they actually walked on it. Even if Mars, his warhorse and his luggage were as heavy as the strongest brown bear, the branches only swayed slightly.

"Generally speaking, a sacred forest simply refers to a small area of ​​woodland that is most revered and filled with magical power, with a sacred site at its core."

"However, the Sharptooth Forest is somewhat special. Even though the sacred forest has not yet fully matured, the power of the holy land has easily radiated over a large area. And the branches you are standing on, which are wide enough for carriages and horses to pass through, are the embodiment of the power of the holy land."

"So, here, the sacred forest refers to the portion of the forest affected by the power of the holy land. And the holy land simply refers to the circle formed by the eight sacred trees of different species that we care for: beech, spruce, birch, dove tree, elm, maple, and yew. We druids live near the holy land, and all collective activities are held there."

Fenwei finally began to introduce the situation inside the Holy Forest to them.

"The Holy Land is the most important thing for every Circle, so naturally there are several iron rules that must not be violated."

"First, any form of fighting is prohibited within the Holy Land."

Mars suddenly interrupted and said, "By fighting, do you mean physical harm?"

"Yes. Rest assured, even ordinary beasts will abide by this rule. Therefore, the holy land is absolutely safe—for any living creature."

His speech was suddenly interrupted. Fenwei clenched his left arm nervously. "Secondly, no fire is allowed within the holy ground. Even if we are confident that the sacred forest will not be harmed by flames, this is still a serious provocation to all druids. Please do not do such a foolish thing."

"Also, the druids in the circle each have their own beliefs, so please be careful with your words and actions. Of course, except for me, everyone else is a believer in the Silvanus pantheon."

At this moment, Emya suddenly said, "Fenwe, are you the strongest druid in the woods?"

"Huh? Of course not." Fenwei showed a helpless smile on his face. "Druids also know that the strong prey on the weak. If I were really the strongest druid, how could Narcissus dare to speak to me like that?"

"The strongest druid is Korhal. He came from Cloakwood and brought four of his followers with him. He is the strongest and oldest druid in the circle."

At this, Fenwë shook his head. "Having said that, Korhal actually has a very good reputation within the Circle. Older Circles are often filled with red tape, while newer Circles like ours are much more open. There are probably quite a few outsiders in the woods now—all as a result of the Circle's decisions."

Then, the sky darkened, and Fenwe stopped.

There was originally some moonlight above their heads, but this last bit of light was finally completely blocked out.

Emiya frowned, snapped her fingers above them, and controlled a ball of light to fly upwards.

It flew upwards along the nearest tree trunk, covering a distance of dozens of meters in one breath, but still could not see the end of the trunk.

However, this towering tree, which is nearly a hundred meters tall, now seems as small as a newly sprouted tree.

Generally speaking, a druid's sacred grove is only a small area of ​​100 meters in radius, and it only surrounds a standing stone or a sacred tree.

This area is already quite large no matter where it is, but at this moment, it is only covered by the branches of a tree.

There are eight trees of this size in this sacred forest.

They arrived.

"Welcome to the sacred grounds of the Sharptooth Forest." Fenwë's voice finally trembled with excitement. "The eight sacred trees here are undoubtedly the oldest in the Sharptooth Forest... perhaps even the oldest in the entire Sword Coast."

In the darkness, Emiya couldn't see the specific shape of the forest, but it was obvious that the tallest beech tree in the Sharptooth Forest was among them.

Each season, the shadow druids remove their masks and meet atop a tree, planning to water their sacred tree with the blood of innocents.

Emiya took a deep breath.

Now, it's their turn to bleed.

But before that, he still wants to solve another problem.

"Miss Fenwei, if I lost something, can I ask you druids for help?"

"...What a strange question. If you lost it in the Sharptooth Forest, where there are so many trees, you should ask Tymora, the goddess of luck, for help instead of asking us druids."

"Oh, it's not an aimless search. What I lost is very conspicuous. It should be much easier to find than you expected. Besides, you may have seen it recently."

"Then we'll talk about it tomorrow. I've traveled hundreds of kilometers through the Sharptooth Forest today, and I need a rest. I'll arrange accommodation for you..."

"I'm afraid that won't work." This time, Emilia took a step forward and grabbed Fenwe's arm, preventing her from leaving. "This matter is extremely urgent. I must explain it now. If I wait a moment, the situation will completely change."

Fenwei was stunned for a moment, and a hint of curiosity rose on his face: "Okay, go ahead. But I can't give you any guarantees."

"It's a giant sword, made of unknown material, azure blue, 310cm long, and weighing 12kg. The spine is extremely thick and wide, seemingly suitable for slashing, but it's riddled with dense silver cracks, making it practically impossible to wield. Of course, with a humanoid body, it's impossible to wield a weapon of this size."

Fenwei's first reaction was to almost laugh out loud: "This kind of weird thing is really good..."

As she spoke, the smile on her face froze: "Excuse me, can you say it again?"

Twenty-Three Stars Sacred Forest Covenant

A giant sword, made of unknown material, with a sky-blue body, 310cm long and weighing 12kg.

Before Emilia finished her second repetition, Eswhite was already laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. "A three-three-meter-long sword? Brat, you're usually so serious, but I didn't expect you to have a talent for telling jokes!"

The massive bear priest laughed and spread his arms, measuring their lengths. "I'm almost two meters tall, and with my arms outstretched, I'm about the same height. And your sword is a third longer than my outstretched arms? Even if you use a crossbow bolt, it's still a bit too long! Hung on a horse, it's longer than the horse itself! Someone who didn't know would think you were using a spear!"

"And a thick blade suitable for chopping?" the priest said, gesturing, "The heaviest woodcutting axe we use is only one-third the weight of that sword!"

By the end of the conversation, the priest was almost out of breath from laughing. He half-bent over and said to Mars, "Come here, you Mystra believer with the sword, you are quite strong, but do you think you can handle such a heavy weapon?"

Mars also learned about the true condition of this sword for the first time. A hint of curiosity appeared on his face. He answered seriously, "I can lift it. Swinging it is not a problem. However, the center of gravity of this sword should be seriously tilted forward. It will be very inconvenient to use and affect my speed in swinging the weapon."

These words were not at all unexpected to Emilia, and even matched his own evaluation of the sword perfectly.

However, he had his own explanation for this matter - among other things, his teacher was a somewhat powerful mage. But even so, the teacher was unable to send him back to Earth.

So, a sword that can do this couldn't be an ordinary sword. It couldn't be the sword of a human sword master.

According to Emiya's own estimation, the sword probably carried some secret and information. It wasn't the sword itself that could actually send him back to Earth.

Therefore, the abnormality of the sword itself only increased his emphasis on the sword.

The smile on Fenwe's face froze. She then patted her cheeks and yawned, as if she hadn't understood what Emiya said. "Well, it does sound like a very unique item. If I had seen it, I would definitely remember it. After I settle you down, I will take the time to ask around - I hope the old trees in the Sharptooth Forest are well-informed."

It was obvious that she didn't want to continue this topic at the moment.

On the way to the temporary residence, no matter how Emilia tried to hint at it, she completely ignored him, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

The eight sacred trees were spaced at a considerable distance from one another, their positions strangely symmetrical, their branches and crowns forming a vast, almost endless expanse. At night, the holy land was filled with pure, devouring darkness.

Their destination, or what Fenwë called their temporary home, was a dead oak tree, large and yet dwarfed by the holm oak.

However, the space within the trunk was already quite spacious. Time was a generous host. The space within this withered tree was more than enough to accommodate not only three or four people, but even if that number was increased by zero, it would be more than enough.

Of course, given the druids' lifestyle, the furniture was naturally simple.

All the utensils here lacked the marks of craftsmanship, often looking more like a pile of dead branches. At most, they were just fibers that had been disassembled and rewoven. The bed was simply a pile of large leaves.

However, oak leaves as wide as palm trees are really scary.

Emiya used the light spell to take a look inside and gave a brief assessment: "It's comparable to the Temple of Selune before the renovation... Each has its own strengths."

Hearing this, Fenwei narrowed his eyes slightly. "...As expected, I thought that church was too magnificent. Considering the style of the villagers in Hollow Corner, it's hard to imagine they could gather such a huge amount of money to hire craftsmen and purchase building materials."

Moreover, even the villagers didn’t know about such a huge project - this is obviously unreasonable.

So, the person who completed the project was right in front of her.

Emilia said calmly, "I don't really care about money. Mr. Eswhite is willing to help, so I'll help him too—it's just a simple mutual benefit. At a time like this, I won't haggle over a penny."

"Not caring about money... coming from someone who's a professional gold digger, that's really not convincing at all."

Mages are perhaps the richest of all professions, even priests who own churches cannot catch up.

But before they become as rich as a country, the cost of a mage's growth may be more than that of all other professions combined.

Fenwei sighed. "Anyway, you should stay here tonight. Within the holy land, the wind and rain will be blocked by the holy tree. So there's nothing to worry about."

"Even we druids cannot harm you in the holy land... We are only the protectors of the holy land and have no immunity."

When Finwe spoke of the sword, he emphasized its material, while Aimya emphasized its size.

A greatsword, in the usual sense, only weighed about 2kg and was no taller than a man. It was completely different from the behemoth Emiya had described.

Eswhite didn't know about the Holy Sword, so he didn't immediately understand the exchange. He simply walked into the treehouse carelessly and whistled, "That's the good thing about visiting a druid. It's like being home—sleeping on a bed of leaves."

"But, regardless of whether I'm tired from running around, I'm really getting sleepy." Eswhite yawned loudly. "From last night until now, I haven't slept a wink all day and all night. Now is the time for a bear man to catch up on some sleep."

Amyia bowed slightly and said, "Mr. Eswhite, thank you for being willing to come with us."

"Don't say such polite things. Oh, boys, if you want to go to sleep, go to sleep quickly, otherwise it will be too late to complain about the snoring when I close my eyes."

There was almost no wind in the holy land, and the temperature was around 27 degrees Celsius, the ideal temperature for human health. The bear priest didn't bother to undress. He simply gathered a few large leaves from the corner of the treehouse, piled them together, placed his luggage next to them, and then lay down on them, closing his eyes.

Mars's eyes darted between Emya and Fenwë, then he shook his head. "Before I rest, please allow me to ask one more question. Miss Druid, fighting is not allowed here. Does this include horses eating grass? Warhorses have a huge appetite."

"I understand. Please wait a moment while I fetch some berries and acorns from the Holy Land. They are much more nutritious than ordinary grass."

"Thank you."

The tree house naturally had more than one floor. Fenwei quickly walked upstairs and handed a basket full of fruits to the paladin.

As Fenwei passed by Emilia, she suddenly seemed to remember something. A charming smile appeared on her face, and she leaned close to Emilia's ear and said, "Oh, by the way, I still have some things to do over there. Mr. Emilia, can you give me a hand?"

Emiya raised her eyebrows thoughtfully and nodded: "With pleasure."

The two figures disappeared on the stairs made of logs, and the bear man who was lying on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.

The paladin had already brought the food to his warhorse and returned to his bed, but he did not fall asleep immediately. Instead, he held his sword and meditated quietly.

The bear man sighed and said, "Hey, boy named Mars, your type is more to my taste, so the old man will nag a few more words-"

"You're a handsome fellow, and if you wore those aristocratic clothes, you'd probably turn heads at the ball. But your usual air of aloofness is a bit too strong! No wonder you always like to wear a helmet!"

"That guy Emiya is obviously not a good speaker, but compared to you, he seems to be very eloquent!"

The paladin closed his eyes and silently replied, "That's just as I wish—I don't like dealing with people."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Besides, his relationship with Fenwei may be different from what you think."

"Different?" the old pastor scoffed. "Impossible! I'm going to lie down anyway. Otherwise, if it gets too hot up there, I won't be able to sleep."

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

"That's enough." Emilia said.

The treehouse's spiral staircase was unexpectedly long—but on reflection, it was only natural. The primary purpose of this type of treehouse's upper floors was to allow for direct access to other treehouses via branches. Considering the staggering size of the trees in the sanctuary, the spacing between each floor was naturally quite excessive.

Therefore, as soon as the two of them went up to the second floor, Emilia announced the start of the negotiations.

"At this distance, if you control the volume carefully, no one else should hear you."

Fenwei stopped, turned around, and let the leaf skirt pass in front of Emilia's eyes.

At this moment, Emilia was still standing on the spiral staircase, which just made up for the height difference between the two.

The female druid said with a smile, "Hey? What's that noise?"

Emiya said without hesitation: "Of course it's about the giant crystal sword."

The smile on the female druid's face suddenly disappeared without a trace, and she sighed quietly, "You really don't have any intention of hiding it at all."

Emiya pointed expressionlessly at the narrow spiral staircase. "Now, this matter remains between you and me. It has nothing to do with the forest, nor does it concern the relationship between druids and outsiders. Please tell me—is your sword the same as the one I described?"

The female druid gave him a disheartened look as she walked back into the building. "How cold! I thought as followers of Mystra, our conversation wouldn't be so awkward."

Emilia sighed and went upstairs. "If everything else is fine, but that sword is extremely important to me—I must make sure it's safe first."

"Don't worry—it's equally important to me. That's why I've entrusted all the tree people I've enlightened to guard it. Even if someone tries to spy on it, they'll tell you everything."

She casually pointed to the spherical hole on the second floor of the treehouse that served as both a door and a window. "No tree people have come to report from outside, which means it's safe and sound all this time. It's currently standing in the stone formation I prepared for the Holy Oak."

Emiya didn't answer, but her feet were already silently turning towards the door.

"Just go!" To his surprise, Fenwei stood still and turned around. "Take back your sword. I can't find a replacement in such a hurry. Then, I will definitely lose the competition for the guardian of the holy land."

"When the Holy Land was first established, the sole criterion for selecting guardians was the vigorous growth of the sacred trees they oversaw. Relying on my accumulated experience and philosophy, I once led the competition. However, not long ago, a druid's sacred tree suddenly began to make rapid progress."

"I was at my wit's end, but with the help of that crystal sword, the Holy Oak I guard was able to rise again."

"If you take that sword, there will be no hope for me."

Emiya walked to the hollow and said silently, "So?"

Fenwë quietly walked up behind him and whispered in his ear, "Mr. Emya—you came to the Sharptooth Forest just for this sword, right? I didn't take the sword, so it must have been the work of a druid who's hostile to me."

"...Ah, I see." Fenwei sighed softly. "Using magical items to fumigate the forest has been proven effective. But traditional druids can't do this easily. So, just wait until I'm done, then turn me into a Shadow Druid, and you can reap the benefits effortlessly."

"The fact that your Phantom Pony didn't get stuck in the swamp proves you're already a fourth-ring mage. Someone like you still had his holy sword taken away, and he didn't even dare to publicly declare it—that shows he's far stronger than you. You have absolutely no chance of winning against him head-on."

"Then you must think carefully, Mr. Emiya. A druid chosen as the guardian of the holy land can immediately complete a promotion."

"--Even if he was already an extremely powerful eighth-ring druid, he was able to achieve this promotion the moment the holy land was completed. A ninth-ring druid is powerful enough to shock the entire Cloak Forest Circle."