Equipment Printing School Mage

"—That's two whole days! The mage is so motivated when he's tormenting others?! He's nowhere to be seen before!"

"Shhhhh." Urd shook his head, then, as if remembering something, he took a few steps closer and whispered, "Schwartz, I want to ask something. My family said my son went to an orphanage to volunteer, but he disappeared without a trace. He wasn't found before dusk. Have you heard any news about him today?"

"He ran away from home? That shouldn't be the case." Schwartz scratched his chin in surprise. "I heard that although he can be noisy, he's still quite sensible. Why would he run away at this time...ah."

As if he had thought of something, he suddenly stopped talking.

Among the Flaming Fist soldiers, Schwartz clearly wasn't particularly adept at socializing or possessing a deep understanding. However, during his earlier confrontation with Hope at the city gate, he had been quite imposing. If anything, he was more of a reckless type.

Emiya was neither far nor near. In fact, at this distance, she could hardly hear what the two people were talking about.

Even someone like Schwartz knew that something couldn't be spread outside, so it must be some earth-shattering secret—and it had something to do with Urd Rivengard.

Ravengarde.

Mars's senses were much sharper than Emilia's, and he was actually relaying the whispered conversations of the three Flame Fists in front of him, mostly with some guesswork.

He was wearing a helmet, so others couldn't see his expression, allowing him to communicate with Emiya in secret more easily: [Uld looked to be around thirty to forty years old. Coincidentally, the recently retired leader of the Flaming Fist was also named Rivengarde. He must be quite old this year.]

The ages are almost right - Urd is most likely the son of the old leader.

Emiya said: "So, the old leader might have some issues... and they could be serious. And Urd's son... we seemed to have encountered a child with somewhat mysterious whereabouts in Gond's Hall of Miracles. What do you think the probability is that he's related to Urd?"

Mars was silent for a moment, then replied, "I'm 80% sure. The question is how to say it."

Emiya pondered for a moment, then pulled at her face, putting on an indignant expression. She stepped forward and coughed, "Gentlemen, I know this is rude, but I've already queued at Gondor Hall today. Even worse, I discovered that the person who took up hours of the master craftsman's time was a child in his early teens. If we still have to queue at Wangyang Tower, I'll just turn around and leave."

Upon hearing this, Urd Rivengard's face became serious, and the slight melancholy on his face immediately disappeared. "I'm sorry, everyone. I'm sorry to bother you. There are no other visitors in Wangyang Tower at the moment. You are the last guests..."

As he was speaking, he froze for a moment and spoke a few times faster: "Excuse me, I want to ask, what does that child look like?"

"That's a bit embarrassing." Emilia shook her head. "He had dark skin, but not the kind that gets tanned by the sun. That's the only impression I have of him."

"—I see!" Urd breathed a sigh of relief, the tense expression on his face finally relaxing. He bowed deeply, "Then I won't keep you all occupied. I have to return home immediately. Gentlemen, I will always remember this favor. The Burning Karkoros you're looking for is currently in the tower behind me."

After saying this, he almost immediately quickened his pace and left towards the city gate.

Emiya was silent for a moment, then asked, "What is the relationship between that kid named Will and Mr. Urd?"

"Father and son, what else could it be?" There was no need to hide this matter. Schwartz said bluntly, "As for me, I'm about to be guillotined."

"Don't worry, I will tell you the truth about what happened. No matter how you look at it, that murder has nothing to do with you."

Wagner's expression was odd. "It's not just that... We both went to the Hall of Miracles on a mission. And then something so serious happened all of a sudden. How could we even have the chance to speak? The Gund Church is already overwhelmed, so there's no time to go again tomorrow."

At this point, he patted his partner and boss on the shoulder: "So the most he'll get is the gallows. He'll still have an intact body."

A tower naturally towers above the ground. As they climbed higher and higher along the spiral staircase, Emilia soon felt something was amiss.

This city wall doesn't seem that tall from the outside, does it?

Yin also stopped and stood on tiptoe: "——The density of the magic network above seems a bit high."

Emiya took a deep breath.

Stepping into the territory of a wizard with unknown identity and intentions.

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

Gotash took Kalak on the return journey, but did not go straight back to the nest. Instead, he pulled her through the alleys of Baldur's Gate until they came to a dilapidated little house and finally stopped.

"Gotash, we have already taken twice the detour," Kalak reminded.

"I know." Gortash asked without turning around. "Did you see the tail?"

"No." Kalak looked around and sighed, "They don't really think we did anything, do they?"

"That depends on what they think," Gortash replied. "Our word doesn't count."

But from their point of view, there should be no one following them - they have passed today's test.

He let out a long sigh, groped for the door lock of the cabin in the shadows, took out a key from his waist, and walked into the cabin with Kalak with a click.

The house is empty, but it holds a secret.

The tunnel in the corner is the secret passage leading to the House of Hope.

This journey was much smoother. Although there was no light in this passage, the two of them had walked this path countless times. They were no longer at the age where they would tremble in fear at the sound of footsteps and voices above their heads.

Soon, they walked out of the secret passage and came to a secret room.

Hope House was indeed an orphanage. Its environment was much better than those orphanages that relied on welfare—though the decorations weren't particularly luxurious. But the supplies were sufficient. At least Kalak and Gotash had food every day, and their clothes were only patched and not leaky.

When they behaved well, Aunt Leah would even make them broth—this comfortable living environment fostered a good relationship among the children. Even after reaching adulthood, many of them maintained contact with Hope Residence and offered their support.

This is another virtuous cycle.

Kalak had just walked out of a wardrobe and called out loudly, "Auntie Leah, we're back. The meal is in Brother Hope's hands!"

Aunt Leah was an elderly woman. When she heard the calls, she smiled and pushed open the door of the room they were in.

The orphanage was not so luxurious as to provide bedrooms for several orphans, so this was just a large bunk bed. The wardrobe was also shared by all the children.

Aunt Leah smiled and stroked the horns on Kalak's head. "Thank you for your hard work. You're back so late. I hope the Flame Fist guys didn't give you any trouble."

"Oooh..." Kalak let out a mournful whine. "Some of the Flame Fists weren't angry at all, they even helped us. But when we were about to leave, a few vicious ones suddenly showed up and nearly took us captive."

"It's okay, it's okay. As long as you're back successfully, you're fine. Go take a hot bath and have a good rest."

"I want a hot wash!"

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say! I'll boil the water until it's hot enough to make me cry. Is that okay?"

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Kalak looked at Gotash shyly: "Um, Gotash?"

Gotash had been thinking all the way, and finally woke up at this moment. He patted her head and scolded her with a smile: "What are you thinking about? Just go by yourself!"

"Oh." Kalak's voice suddenly dropped.

And right next to the orphanage is another world that is completely different from there.

A human woman in luxurious attire lazily sat on a soft sofa, listening attentively to the voices on the other side of the wall. She said to the man in front of her, "I never thought there would be such a pure little girl in your orphanage. Every word she says comes from the heart."

Across from her was a short-haired man dressed in the same style. He also wore a relaxed smile as he replied, "Everyone has their value. Some children are suited to fighting, some to decision-making, and some to serving as advisors."

The woman leaned forward slightly, propped up her chin, and winked at the man opposite her. "Raphael, I think that little girl might be suitable for combat—but she doesn't seem to be being trained in that direction at all."

The man named Raphael replied, "Don't be silly at a time like this. She's a perfect rough stone, even in the moonlight she can faintly reveal her color. After all, only those who live in hope can shed the sweetest tears in despair. Wouldn't you want a child like that?"

"I'm not the one who wants her." The woman shook her head. "It's Master Zariel who's interested in her. However, we'd like her male companion to deliver her. Is that possible? They seem very close."

"That means you don't know people well enough." Raphael raised the wine glass in his hand and gently sipped the blood-red wine. "For some people, friends are just commodities that can be sold at any time. For others, friends are the most precious and priceless treasures."

"And what about little Gotash?"

Raphael replied meaningfully, "Little Gotash is the most astute businessman—he can sell it, but he has to pay more."

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" The woman laughed heartily. "People like him really should be on our side."

"Who says it isn't?" Raphael's smile faded, and he abruptly changed the subject. "Mizorah, I heard that the cooperation between Uriel's Legion and Zagan's Legion was publicly commended and publicized as a positive example of combat. Even someone like me in the Material Plane received it... Why? Judging from the battle reports, Zagan clearly stood aside and watched during the Battle of Uriel."

"Ah, Raphael, don't say such foolish things." The woman named Mizora laughed heartily. "The reason this can be considered a direct battle example is simple—even if his superiors weren't present, Zagan simply didn't join the battlefield and didn't appear behind Uriel's army. Of course, in my opinion, the main reason is that Uriel fought so well that the army suffered no significant losses."

However, Raphael did not laugh, he just stared at Mizora's face.

Mizora was stunned for a moment before she realized, "Okay, stop looking at me like that. I won't secretly kidnap your children. I found some interesting new toys on the way here."

Raphael said coldly, "It's better this way. This is Baldur's Gate, and it's not suitable for Eltoril to live here for a long time."

Fourteen Cages

The stairs in the tower were unexpectedly spacious, but their pace was much slower than expected.

Because a certain silver-haired culprit was almost pausing with glee: "Great! There are countless traces of spellcasting—the owner of this place is a very good mage."

"Very good?! You may be very pretty, but you shouldn't be so arrogant!" Schwartz, who was walking in front, turned his head and almost laughed out loud. "Although I haven't seen him take action, we Flame Fist have always reserved a place for mages to burn flames. And these mages are all strong in burning flames."

"This kind of great wizard can only be called [good]? Then what level is considered strong?"

"A very strong mage?" Yin paused and rubbed his chin with his fingers. "Hmm... I don't remember. I don't think I've ever seen a mage who I felt was very strong."

"Then you can see her now." Schwartz laughed loudly, took a few steps towards Emilia and Mars, and asked in a low voice, "Can you tell me her identity? Are you two the bodyguards of this young lady?"

"If you want to hear the truth, I don't know. I really hope not, but it seems to be developing in this direction." Emiya hesitated and glanced at the girl who was not nervous at all.

He finally reached out his hand firmly and picked up Yin. "Miss, we are only here to report the case. If you delay any further, you will really have to live here!"

Yin had no intention of compromising and struggled desperately in Emilia's arms: "So what! I think living here is great!"

Amid the noise, they came to a narrow room.

“…” Yin’s struggle stopped.

She looked at the closed door and replied, "...Oh, the owner here is a bit afraid of death."

Emiya couldn't help but hesitate.

Naturally, his sensitivity to magic and magical powers was far inferior to Yin's, but even he couldn't help but feel a little nervous when he stood in front of the door.

Schwartz and Wagner were puzzled. "Really? We've always been able to come in casually. Of course, we have to knock on the door."

Knocking on the door might be a way to temporarily exempt them from all kinds of protection. Or it might be that these measures were not originally aimed at them.

"silver?"

"Well, it should be fine."

For Yin, analyzing magic wasn't a job, but a pleasure—so she gave the answer almost immediately: "Almost all of them are continuous spells. They're not triggered like magic emblems."

Wagner shrugged and knocked on the door. "Deputy Commander, we are Schwartz and Wagner. We encountered an emergency during our mission and had to abort."

He thought for a moment, then added, "A person died in a very strange way, right before Gond's hall."

Soon, a steady male voice sounded from behind the door: "...Gonder Temple? How bizarre was the death?"

"We know nothing about this and dare not draw any conclusions, but we have brought the body back. And there are several witnesses who are willing to testify."

The person inside was silent for a moment, then replied, "I want to inform the guests outside in advance."

"You may believe that behind the wooden barrier before you lies a place where spellcasters typically use to protect their spellcasting abilities from unexpected factors and compensate for their own shortcomings, willingly squandering all the equivalent of their property to do so. However, I must point out that your expectations may differ somewhat from reality. This room is designed to deter intruders who attempt to infringe upon the life rights of all within, endangering the legitimate rights and interests of all members and citizens of the Flaming Fist and Baldur's Gate. This deterrent is not intended to guarantee a static, absolute chance of victory for all in combat, but rather to preserve the possibility of mutual destruction. For the sake of our witnessing the sunrise the next day, I must assume that you are willing to sacrifice some privacy upon entering. Therefore, please think carefully before entering."

"……………………"

There was an absolute silence outside the room.

Yin, who was originally in high spirits, shuddered a little: "...Now mages talk like this? This is too confusing."

Schwartz stepped back and whispered, "That's basically what the deputy commander says to guests like you he doesn't know well. Almost no one understands."

The tall and thin Wagner replied, "That's how people from Waterdeep are."

Mars said unhappily, "Only people who don't want to talk properly would use this method of organizing words. Even the most complicated Elvish language is just a single sentence."

Emiya sighed, turned to Yin and asked, "How is it?"

Yin thought for a moment and replied, "It won't affect you. The people inside are no weaker than the woman in purple. In this situation, no matter what you do, the outcome will be the same."

It's all dead anyway.

Emmia rolled her eyes and replied, "We just followed the two Flaming Fist gentlemen to report a crime. We wanted to see if there was anything we could do to help."

"Such kindness is rare in Baldur's Gate, but remember my words—words cannot make up for actions. Come in."

The door slowly opened.

The decor of the room was unexpectedly...classic.

This room was built into the city wall and was naturally made of stone. However, the stone floor was engraved with dense and strange patterns. If you looked closely, you could see that these patterns were shining with a strange light.

There were many bookshelves in this room, but the contents were clearly not various spellbooks and ancient scrolls, but more like various archives and documents.

The room's occupant was a man with long brown hair, appearing to be of advanced age. He wore a regal white mage robe, shimmering with subtle magical auras. He sat at his desk, a variety of papers and drawings spread before him, the ink still wet from his quill. Clearly, he had been buried in his work even before the group entered.

Silver blinked in surprise and muttered, "Ice Man."

Karkoros reclined in his chair. "Gentlemen, welcome to the Flaming Fist's greatest prison. I am Helios de Karkoros, hated by all Flaming Fist soldiers, whispered about by my fellow mages and priests. Every month, under the cold gaze of the finance department, I earn a meager salary, bound by shackles and chains."

Emiya hesitated for a moment, glancing at the nameplate on his desk. "By the shackles and chains you mean the [Flame Fist Marshal Agent] on your desk?"

The Grand Marshal is the supreme commander of the Flaming Fist. In most cases, whenever a vacancy arises on the Council of Four, the Grand Marshal of the Flaming Fist is almost guaranteed to be elected—in fact, the Grand Marshal of the Flaming Fist has served as Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate for over a hundred years.

The previous Grand Marshal has already left office, and the incumbent has yet to be elected. The acting Grand Marshal... naturally, is now the supreme commander of the entire Flaming Fist, holding the lifeblood of Baldur's Gate.

Karkoros shrugged. "Yes. Responsibility, power, that's essentially it."