Equipment Printing School Mage

It was at this moment that several druids finally left their tree houses, shed their beast forms, and put on formal druid attire - humans, half-elves, and even tieflings.

Emiya's personality was, to put it bluntly, aloof, and he couldn't handle the enthusiastic flattery. So he immediately changed the subject: "—Speaking of which, none of the druids in the circle just now had their wild form (the official name for the druid's beast form ability) lifted, and now they've all transformed back into human form."

"Could it be that you were in such a hurry to leave that you didn't have time to put on your clothes?"

Because they were far away, Emiya didn't deliberately control his volume. However, he obviously underestimated the druid's keen senses.

As soon as he said this, the other druids in the circle slipped and almost fell to the ground. Then they immediately cast angry glances in his direction.

Eswhite's facial muscles twitched, and he stepped forward to cover Amyia's mouth. "Boy, if you have a fatal flaw, it's that sometimes your mouth is faster than your brain."

"I don't have any—"

Mars added mercilessly, "What's even more terrifying is that he thinks very quickly."

Twenty-eight Dark Tides

Fortunately.

The druids probably thought they had just robbed Finwë of his offering, so Emya, as Finwë's ally, was furious and taunting them. So, they just glared at him and pretended nothing had happened.

However, judging by the intensity of their reaction, the noise made by the confessor earlier must have really frightened them, and they might really have been naked just now.

When the druids reappeared, they were all fully equipped - branches of mistletoe and holly, crowns made of the shed antlers of forest deer, and necklaces of stones engraved with runes.

It was dressed exactly like Fenwei.

Moonsong's true identity is a tiefling, a tribe whose bloodline has been influenced by the devil king Asmodeus - but his appearance is almost the same as that of a human - his only flaw is the slightly raised hair on his forehead.

Beneath the seemingly naturally protruding black hair were a pair of barely noticeable horns, revealing the hellish blood in his body.

At this time, Moonsong was walking in front of everyone with a solemn look on his face, holding the sword that Emilia had temporarily enchanted. The moonlight emitted by the sword illuminated the way forward.

They walked slowly all the way to the outside of the sacred forest before stopping. Of course, for an outsider like Emiya, there was really no significant difference in the scenery in either direction.

However, Moonsong seemed very satisfied with the location he had chosen. He raised his head slightly and whispered, "Ah, an open space surrounded by nine lush trees. Great."

Then he turned around and said, "This place is about a two-minute walk from our respective residences. Even if something unexpected happens here, we have time to remedy it in time. At the same time, it is not far from your oak tree—"

The last sentence was directed to Fenwei.

"At the same time, Fenwei, you can also come here every day to check its condition."

The female druid's expression had turned gloomy and powerless again. "Stop talking nonsense. Let's begin the sealing ceremony."

"Alas, I understand your inability to sympathize with my difficulties, but I still deeply regret it." Moonsong placed his sword in the center of the clearing. "Right now, there are six druids in the woods, more than half of the Circle. We have the authority to make decisions on behalf of the Circle."

"Although we have made a decision, the formal vote has not yet taken place."

"I am the host, Moonsong. We will temporarily seal this nameless magical sword that originally belonged to the druid Fenwë until the archdruid Khar returns it. During the sealing period, no member of the circle is allowed to touch it."

"Let's vote. Raise your right hand to show your approval."

All the druids were unwilling to waste any more time here, even Fenwei himself, although he looked dissatisfied, he simply raised his right hand.

"Then, let's start sealing it."

The druids present took out their own tree seeds and placed them beside their swords. Then, the six of them formed a circle, raised their magical instruments high, and began to chant to the world.

“…This is the druid’s ritual.”

Emiya muttered softly.

Ritual casting is usually a representation of scale and uniqueness.

Even if used by a single person, a long ritual preparation can often save a lot of magic power. As the number of participants increases, the ritual itself becomes more complex - and the ritual can achieve more and more things that cannot be achieved by a single person.

Mage, priest, druid - these three professions with complete heritage and learning system are almost the advocates of ritual casting.

As the druids chanted, the tree species all began to sprout. The green buds stretched slightly in the bright red morning glow, and the roots quietly penetrated into the ground covered with fallen leaves.

However, these seeds were clearly not all trees. While the stems and leaves of their companions were rapidly sprouting, several seeds had already sprouted tendrils. These tendrils, even barbed, quickly wrapped around the other still-growing plants, weaving a mysterious network of runes in mid-air.

In the turquoise light, the sword was firmly locked in the cage of vines.

Fenwë withdrew his hand with a stern face and said to Emya, "I'm sorry, but this ritual will ensure that your sword is invulnerable to external damage—fire, thunder, frost, and wild beasts will be helpless. Furthermore, if it is forcibly disrupted, every druid participating in the ritual will be immediately alerted."

Having said that, she turned around and bowed slightly to Emiya: "I'm sorry, Mr. Emiya, this is all I can do."

However, when she turned her back to the druid, the expression on her face immediately changed to a smug smile.

Emiya was silent for a moment, then sighed, "...I won't blame you."

"Wait a minute."

At this moment, Narcissus's voice rang out again like a maggot on his tarsal bones. He shouted loudly: "Fenwe, you are lucky this time. Your sacrifice did not cause irreparable damage. But we can't afford a second shock!"

The smile on Fenwei's face disappeared in an instant.

She turned around and asked coldly, "Nacinus, may I ask if your next request is on behalf of yourself or on behalf of Archdruid Korhal?"

It would have been fine if it was just the first time, but Narcissus clearly intended to pursue the matter relentlessly, completely extinguishing Fenway's chances of continuing to compete.

Narcissus is not a subordinate of Khar!

Of course, maybe now...

"of course……"

Before Narcissus could finish, Moonsong interrupted him: "Sister Fenwe, you have completely misunderstood. Archdruid Korhal has only one representative in the Sharptooth Forest right now, and that is me."

Finwe scoffed.

Mars pondered for a moment, then stepped forward before Narcissus could speak. He spoke loudly, "Then how about implementing a comprehensive sacrifice review system? Every druid's sacrifice should be immediately reviewed to confirm that it is harmless to the Sacred Forest."

Narciss choked on his words before he could finish them. He glared at the paladin and said, "Outsider, this is an internal meeting of the Circle. While we cannot expel you at this moment, that does not mean you have the right to speak!"

And Emilia has now realized the significance behind this proposal.

Normally, even if this mechanism were implemented, it would only hinder Fenwe. She was a rare—even unheard-of—follower of Mystra, so her chosen sacrifices were likely problematic. Other druids' sacrifices couldn't fail internal scrutiny.

——But this time, there is a possibility that something might go wrong with Khar's sacrifice.

Khar is an ally of the Gods and Non-Gods.

Shadow druids are the most extreme of druids, and it is almost impossible for them to share common goals with other groups, and therefore there is no like-mindedness. Korhal will not ally with a group without reason.

It's quite possible that there's a conflict of interest between the two groups. Competition in the Sharptooth Forest is the most pressing issue right now. It's entirely possible that Khar has ulterior motives.

And this matter only requires one piece of evidence——

"I oppose this proposal, which will seriously damage the unity within the Holy Land." Before Fenwei could express his opinion, Moonsong said firmly, "The atmosphere within the Holy Land is already tense enough due to competition. Holding such a mechanism again will only cause more distrust."

"Such a mechanism would not only delay the growth of the sacred grove, but would also create further rifts within our ranks."

"Competition is only a one-time struggle. For a long time to come, we still need to work together to protect the sacred forest. Therefore, we cannot leave behind hatred that will cause endless trouble."

"So, Mr. Nazion, I disagree with you."

Well-reasoned and righteous.

Emiya lowered her head silently.

But, in his opinion, these words had only one meaning.

There's something really wrong with Korhal's sacrifice.

But at least in the eyes of other druids, Moonsong's attitude made them feel greatly relieved.

Thus, Narcissus's proposal was rejected. Of course, if anything were to happen to Fenwe's offering, he would still be severely punished. Harming the Sacred Forest was unforgivable; this was a consensus that didn't even require discussion.

Regardless, the thrilling morning finally ended smoothly.

Watching the druids leave, Emilia sighed.

Now comes the time for careful consideration - since Archdruid K'ha obtained something from the Gods and Non-Gods, its effect must be extremely powerful, so powerful that even a powerful druid cannot resist its temptation.

The good news is that the Confessor is already in hand, so we are temporarily out of the race against time.

To defeat this kind of opponent... regardless of whether you have confidence or not, you must at least give it your all.

Of course, there is one thing he may have to confirm every day now.

He chanted a spell and used short messaging to send a message to the friendly arms in the distance: "Uncle Mirror Shadow? Were you hungover last night? Are you awake now? How's the hotel doing?"

The biggest risk now is where Khara is at the moment.

If Khal was going to contact the Gods and Non-Gods, that would be great - at least the Arm of Friends would be safe in the short term.

The worst-case scenario is that he may no longer be able to contact his former boss.

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

On the floor of the Friendly Arms Inn, the owner, Nickins Mirrorshadow, burped comfortably and opened his eyes in a daze.

Then, he rubbed his eyes and answered the voice in his head almost in a daze: "I'm not drunk... Not drunk..."

He was halfway through his words when the door to the inn was roughly flung open. The chill wind of the late summer morning rushed directly into the inn, blasting Niggins Mirror Shadow in the face.

The old dwarf suddenly became much more sober and shook his head violently.

The visitor was a tall, muscular middle-aged man with slightly graying hair. He carried a two-handed greatsword and wore a suit of armor woven from large, dark red scales. He strode into the inn with his head held high. "Good day, sir. I presume you are Niggins Mirrorshadow?"

"Wait a minute..." Niggins Mirror Shadow shook his head violently. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"As expected, you and Mr. Bantli Mirror Shadow are quite similar. I wondered if you were direct relatives." The middle-aged man said, and couldn't help but sigh helplessly. "The Friendly Arm is an inn! Of course I came here to stay!"

"Oh, yes, yes, yes." The old dwarf slapped his face to quickly wake himself up from his hangover. Halfway through, he suddenly realized a very fatal problem.

Dwarfs have a long lifespan, but a hundred years is a long time.

It was a hundred years ago that Bentley Mirror Shadow ran the inn.

The human before him looked no more than fifty years old. How could he possibly know Bantli Mirror Shadow from a hundred years ago?

Niggins shook his head and asked no more questions, "Well, how long will you stay?"

"I'm waiting for someone," the middle-aged man replied, surveying the hotel's decor while sighing with a certain air of sophistication. "I check out every day. If the person I'm waiting for shows up, I leave that same day. If not, I'll keep waiting—maybe ten days at most."

Having said that, he simply took out a crystal clear garnet from the small cloth bag at his waist and placed it in front of the boss: "This gem is for the store payment for the next few days."

Niggins Mirror Shadow frowned slightly: "This gem can buy an entire floor."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "You don't need a whole floor of the store, but I want to buy something else?"

The old dwarf shuddered: "...If it's my life, then I still don't..."

"No, no, no." The swordsman shook his head heavily.

He pointed outside the door and said, "I want to cut down these trees in Friendly Arms. Otherwise, when my friend arrives, he might run away. These trees are quite old. Even if they were sold as logs, they would probably be worth a lot of money."

Niggins was stunned for a moment, his eyes rolled around, and he immediately lowered his voice: "Are you... invited by the sage from Shadow Valley?"

The Sage of Shadowdale, this title only represents one person in Faerun.

The middle-aged man smiled and took out a necklace with the holy emblem of Mystra from his neck and shook it. "Ah, that's me. Favors are hard to repay. I helped my apprentice find teammates, and the price is that the teacher himself has to help run errands."

"Fortunately, it looks like I'm not late."

"You are a paladin."

"Yes."

There were only two remaining paladins of Mystra, one of whom had just arrived a few days ago.

The other one was obviously standing in front of him.

Mars is a rookie, but his teacher... Among harpists, even the word "thunderous" seems a bit disrespectful.

Niggins Mirror Shadow couldn't help but gasp: "You are the one who is known to everyone——"

"Apodel Adrian. Perhaps you've heard of this name? About a hundred years ago, I met Mr. Bentley Mirror Shadow."

Twenty-nine harassment

Listening to the former boss's chaotic reply, Emiya felt a sense of exhaustion, as if she had punched the air.

He was worried that Khar would return, discover the truth, and become enraged, turning the Arm of Friendship into ashes.

What the boss was worried about was neglecting the customers.

As a spell with unlimited communication distance and the ability to accurately find any target, Short Message has only one drawback: the caster can only send messages within twenty-five words, and the recipient's reply must also be limited to twenty-five words.

As a result, the response Emiya received was just the boss's polite words to the guests.