Equipment Printing School Mage

They couldn't possibly run into Baldur's Gate and ask, "Do you know Lady Adrian?" or even go to the Thieves' Guild. They had no interest in such illogical and counterintuitive things.

They didn't know what Imoen was planning at the moment, but they at least shouldn't do anything that would inevitably drag her down.

"Anyway, just do what you think you should do." Apodel Adrian sighed, looking at the Flying Dragon Rock, which was also lit up, and said, "I'll take care of everything."

Mars retorted unhappily, "Teacher, you can't even enter the Gate of Bold now."

Apodale was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help laughing. "I'm already on the gallows now. If I do nothing and just sit back and watch the conspiracy unfold, when it's too late, I won't have any chance to resist. I trust Imoen, but Imoen isn't omnipotent."

"If you don't want to leave and you run into danger at Baldur's Gate, can I just sit back and watch you get into danger?"

The old paladin clapped his hands. "I am over a hundred years old. I have traveled all over Faerûn. I still respect and believe in oaths, but they are not my chains. Even without my other powers, I am still a good swordsman."

In other words, if the crisis really comes, he will break his promise and oath.

Mars pursed his lips and put the helmet back on his head: "If I force my teacher to break his oath, I might as well be dead."

Yin had just woken up. Although her eyes were still bleary, she curled her lips in dissatisfaction: "That's why I don't like paladins - why should people pay an unbearable price for something they haven't done wrong?"

Emiya could only sigh: "I hope it won't come to that."

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

The chaos continues to spread.

The mage's reckless behavior naturally alarmed everyone along the way. It was already late at night, but after the swift runner's rampage, the entire outer city was in an uproar.

The silent and dark Feilongyan was brightly lit in just a few minutes. Faint figures filled the Feilongyan bridgehead amid the chaotic sound of footsteps.

Emiya and his companions now used the invisibility orb to vanish. Fortunately, the Phantom Horse was inherently stealthy—it left no hoofbeats as it moved across the land. This allowed them to slip silently down the nameless mountain.

They had no intention of joining the commotion at Feilong Rock at the moment—such a major event couldn't be kept secret. What exactly happened at Feilong Rock would probably be a hot topic in the city tomorrow morning. And they didn't even have any significant public identities.

The effect of the nameless mountain became an excellent cover at this moment. Before entering the outer city, they didn't even make eye contact with anyone.

However, they should not be too happy too soon.

Although the outer city of Baldur's Gate has always been famous for its chaos and lack of management, the area where Sig lives is the most chaotic.

This area is called the Twin Anthems, an elegant name. It is located just across the Dragon Bridge from Rivington.

——But in fact, this area may very well be the most unpredictable place in the entire Baldur's Gate.

Because here, absolute freedom of belief is implemented.

Freedom of belief may sound good, and may even be a kind of political correctness that is almost self-evident on Earth.

But in Faerun, this philosophy has an extremely deadly consequence.

——Even priests of evil gods will be tolerated here.

The cults on Earth are already utterly devoid of conscience, tearing countless families apart and causing countless crimes.

In Faerun, these actions, punishable by all, might even be written into the teachings. These cults almost always actively and deliberately spread fear and death.

To get from Nameless Mountain to Sig's home, they had to traverse the entirety of the Twin Songs, forcing them to carefully maintain their distance from each temple. "It's okay," Silverhead murmured after turning around a few times. "The priests here are obviously not very strong. The intensity of the magic network activity is very low, and there are no permanent magical effects nearby—except for the mountain behind us."

This is a public place after all, so the priests stationed here are unlikely to be very powerful. But it's better to be cautious.

However, this short 100-meter journey was torture for the paladin. Just taking in the blurry holy emblem in front of the temple filled him with complaints.

Faerun's gods are countless. The Twin Anthems are essentially a cluster of smaller temples, but not every temple is filled with evil gods. In fact, the temples on either side of the road are clearly demarcated. Clearly, even among most of the evil gods, relations are strained.

But even so, just seeing those blurry divine emblems made people feel extremely uncomfortable.

After finally and thrillingly passing the cluster of evil temples, Mars let out a long sigh, and the anger in his heart surged out like beans.

"Talona, ​​the Plague God, Benshaba, the Goddess of Doom, Bane, the God of Tyranny... Mystra, why is there still that two-headed baboon, the Demon Prince Demogorgon?! Among this group of incomprehensible evildoers, even Shar, the God of Darkness, looks handsome!"

Emiya shrugged.

Among these buildings, he even saw a temple dedicated to the Three Gods of Death - this was simply outrageous, as among the Three Gods of Death, Melkor, the former God of Death, and Baal, the former God of Murder, had both disappeared for over a hundred years.

He had not been very clear before why Mars repeatedly ridiculed Baldur's Gate, but he understood now - if nothing happened in this city, it would be an insult to the piety of these evil god believers.

However, during this precarious time, these temples have honestly closed their doors, with no intention of joining in the fun. After all, although there is freedom of religion here, a completely temple-inhabited area makes it impossible to expand their influence. The fact that no single power can stand out is a form of checks and balances. Mars said coldly, "In theory, although there is freedom of religion here, at least the laws of Baldur's Gate are not allowed to be triggered. As for enforcement... It's ridiculous. The outer city area is not even within the scope of law enforcement of the Flaming Fist. After all, the Flaming Fist was a staunch supporter of opposing the refugees from the Arcane Disaster from entering the city. Now, many years later, both sides naturally do not want to appear in each other's sight."

At this moment, Emiya suddenly stopped.

A group of mercenaries was parked in front of Sig's house.

They wore no armor, only simple protection by warrior standards, and some even left most of their bodies exposed.

——Red Moon Group.

Why are these people here?! Why are they outside Sig's room?

What was even more bizarre was that they were currently surrounding a young woman. Although this woman was wearing a maid outfit, the jewelry on her clothes was equally luxurious, and it was obvious that she came from a prominent family.

It was now late at night, but the maid was still staring at Sig's door.

Looking at these unexpected visitors, Emilia began to think about a question sincerely.

Why are these people here?

And who is this person they are surrounding?

They obviously cannot show up rashly before clarifying these issues.

At this moment, a large group of heavy footsteps quickly rushed towards this direction. Another group of Red Moon mercenaries quickly rushed to this location.

The captain who led the group was known to Emiya and his group.

A descendant of Grand Duke Valakon, the nobleman they had met briefly in the Sharptooth Forest.

Yael Valakon.

The descendant of the Grand Duke cast a look at the group in astonishment: "—You haven't caught the liar yet?"

The maid turned around at that. They were clearly acquaintances, so she saluted politely. "Good day, Mr. Valakon. This con man named Sig is clearly quite skilled. Therefore, I've been ordered by the young lady to wait here. I don't believe she can leave Baldur's Gate directly. It seems the other mercenaries who went searching haven't reported back yet."

Yar Valakn, who had just arrived, coughed lightly and straightened his appearance. "My apologies, young lady. We in the Red Moon Group have an urgent matter." He pointed in the direction of Feilong Rock. "We may have to divert personnel from other missions. The mercenaries who were originally searching have already returned. We will send double the number of personnel tomorrow to compensate for today's early evacuation."

The maid seemed quite understanding and didn't get angry at being neglected. Instead, she simply shook her head. "If it's truly urgent, please don't accompany me. I can handle the simple task of waiting. I'm not a powerless maid. I heard that the outer city isn't very friendly to outsiders. I was completely surprised to receive such help."

"Thank you for your understanding!" He shouted immediately after receiving permission. "Alright everyone, let's go to Feilong Rock immediately. Follow all instructions and don't act on your own!"

Amidst shouts and complaints, the mercenaries who had been standing there for who knows how long sighed and gathered into a gray torrent, rushing towards Feilong Rock.

The maid just looked at their backs for a while, and after making sure they were far away, she looked around and actually walked straight into Xige's pitiful small residence.

Now, how to deal with this maid is a big problem.

However, what the maid said next was beyond their expectations.

She said in a soft voice, "Miss Higg, they're gone."

Naturally, no one responded.

So the maid shook her head.

Soon, her fair skin quickly turned a strange gray. Her body suddenly became abnormally distorted, and her naked body became unnaturally smooth.

She said: "—It's me, Lorien."

"Mrs. Adrian sent me. I helped you trick the maid away, not to come here and be turned away."

See you again on the 23rd, Lorien

Obviously, this strange appearance is not something a human can possess. And the conclusion is also very clear - Lorien is a shapeshifter.

Even not long ago, Lorian had a very unpleasant first meeting with Emilia and Mars.

The meeting ended with Aimiya and Mars completing a thrilling Jedi counterattack. Lorian and her shapeshifters surrendered in time, saving their own lives. Aimiya and Mars also became acquainted with each other and began their journey from then on.

After that, they parted ways with the shapeshifters—but they never expected that the reunion would come so soon.

A shapeshifter would generally not reveal her identity unless she was very familiar with her target. However, the person she was looking for already knew she was a shapeshifter - so in an emergency, the best way to prove her identity was for her to take the initiative to remove her disguise.

Amidst the rustling sounds, a corner of the window in Sig's house was lifted, and a transparent figure lightly jumped into the house.

The condition of the interior of this already simple house is now horrific.

Lorien didn't go inside, because the house before her was already crumbling—it had clearly been subjected to a thorough search. The rotten wooden door, already poorly maintained, could no longer withstand the repeated rough shoving and shoving, as if it would fall apart at the slightest gust of wind.

Of course, the most devastating thing was the ground—it looked as if it had just been plowed during the spring, the entire surface had been turned over several times. If the walls of this house really didn't seem to have a mezzanine, perhaps this place would have been razed to the ground long ago.

The Red Moon Group sent some people to stake out in front of this kind of house, more of a bet: perhaps the owner here has some more sophisticated method to hide his wealth, then even if they come up empty-handed, at least they can prevent the owner from running away with all the wealth - of course, the more important reason is that stabbing here is not only easy, but also can fool the superiors.

"That's incredible." Lorien hesitated, measured the distance between herself and the door, and sighed. "I really didn't expect you to actually sell fake musical instruments! I thought it was just part of the connection process!"

Sig coughed lightly, revealing her previously transparent form. However, even though she was invisible and unlikely to be noticed, she still chose to cover her body with a simple disguise made of fresh branches and leaves. "You're not a professional! The secret code for the meeting should be hidden in daily activities. The more natural, the better. If I only lead the Harpers, I will be exposed in a few days!"

"Tsk." Lorien chuckled. "I see. It seems today's events were completely unexpected."

"Of course it was an accident!" Although being chased by the mercenaries, Sig was still clearly unwilling to accept the result. "If even a wealthy person like this, dressed in gold and silver, doesn't dare to make a first-time business, how can I survive in the outer city? I originally thought she was a swindler (an outsider), so I didn't pay much attention to her. How could I know she was the eldest daughter of the Silver Shield family and a member of the Gund Church?"

Xige was indignant: "She didn't say anything to my face, but now she calls for help. Bah, no moral ethics! If I exposed her to my face, she would be a traitor. At most, I would give her the instrument blank. But what's the point of calling for help later? Tsk, she even smashed my instrument blank..."

As he was speaking, Sig's voice suddenly stopped, and he looked outside hesitantly, as if looking at Emiya and his group, then he turned his head and moved his ears.

Then she walked towards the corner of the house: "-Lorian, there is a guest behind you. But it's a real guest."

Emiya couldn't help but be surprised. Sig's control over sound was indeed very strong. For such a person, a simple optical trick like invisibility would be greatly reduced.

But now, being able to meet his gaze directly... this was a little too terrifying. They were riding Phantom Horses, so they wouldn't leave any footprints on the ground - maybe the Phantom Horses' breathing was already harsh enough?

Before scaring Lorian, Emilia sighed and simply lifted the spell, revealing the figures of their group.

Then, he bowed slightly and saluted the two women. "Miss Lorian, it's been a long time since we last met. You look well, although I didn't know you were at Baldur's Gate."

This scene was beyond Sig's expectations. She looked suspiciously back and forth between the two groups of people: "--Why, do you know each other?"

Luo Lian, who was about to run away, let out a long sigh, pulled at her clothes, and said unhappily, "Everything I have now is thanks to him."

Although she had come here using someone else's identity and clothes, she was not naked when she revealed her true form. Instead, she wore a different style of maid outfit - it looked like she was really working as a servant for Mrs. Adrian.

This made sense—she was the leader of the shapeshifters, so she would definitely be sent away separately. After all, even if the Harpers were willing to spare their lives, it didn't mean they would tolerate such a large group of shapeshifters who knew each other well acting collectively.

On the surface, a single shapeshifter poses little threat, but once their numbers increase, a qualitative change will occur.

Allowing such a large group of shapeshifters to act collectively is like planting a time bomb in one's own organization.

And Imoen, the wizard of unfathomable power, had apparently chosen to keep a shapeshifter... or perhaps more, by his side as an assistant.

From the current perspective, Lorien may be adapting quite well.

Regardless of the true meaning of Lorian's words, the meaning behind them is very clear.

Sig was originally in a depressed mood because her house was smashed to pieces. After hearing this, her eyes rolled around and suddenly lit up.

She rushed to Emilia, shook his hand and said, "Sir, what do you want? Are you looking for Madam Adrien?"

Emiya opened her mouth, rather unaccustomed to such enthusiasm, and could only say, "Yes, but it seems that the teleportation array has been...?"

"Unfortunately, this won't work. If I become suspicious here, I must evacuate, and the array must be destroyed. I can't let anyone else find out the runes of the teleportation array." At this point, Sig's face darkened, and his grip on Emiya loosened. "Then, I'll be of no use to her. This will probably be the last time we see each other."

Sighing, she squatted outside the door, ripping the branches off her head and body and throwing them on the ground. She covered her face and took a few deep breaths. "I've been suspected by the Red Moon Group and have offended Miss Silver Shield in the Upper City. I can't stay in Baldur's Gate any longer."

"...I've been in Baldur's Gate for years. To be leaving like this is a bit unexpected."

Mars sighed: "The word 'utilization value' is a bit too much."

Although we knew she was playing the victim, the situation was clearly a fact visible to the naked eye, and it was just exaggerated at most.

Emilia asked, "So what are your plans next?"

"This is only our second meeting. There's no need to ask so many in-depth questions." Sig didn't respond. He simply stood up and rubbed his slightly bloodshot eyes. "I've earned quite a bit from Madam Adrian, so I'm not going to starve to death on the road. Anyway, as agreed, before I leave, I'm going to contact her one last time and explain everything that happened when I was suspected."

She sighed. "You can come with me. But I have to make it clear that if she gets angry after seeing you, you can't sell me out."

"That's natural... But Miss Lorien, what's your opinion?"

Upon hearing this, Lorien, who had been standing quietly by the side, remained expressionless and snorted softly, "—What can I say? I'm just a maid still in training. I'm not even qualified to do chores for Madam Adrien. I'm just a mouthpiece, and I have to walk the walk myself."

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

The backup teleportation array naturally couldn't be in Sig's own room. She led everyone carefully away from the ruins that once belonged to her.

She is a bard, and the backup teleportation array is naturally located in the Singing House next to the nearby Temple of the God of Poetry.

This house is of great importance to the followers of the God of Poetry, especially the new followers: it can help these beginners avoid being beaten by their irritable neighbors - the priests of Faerun are generally strong and powerful.

"This House of Songs is extremely valuable, perhaps as valuable as Mirriel's Temple. It was ostensibly built with the sponsorship of an art connoisseur, but in reality..."

In fact, of course, it was the female mage who cast the teleportation array here who spent a huge amount of money in exchange for a spare teleportation array located in a neutral area.