Equipment Printing School Mage

The turning point was a hundred years ago.

At that time, Baldur's Gate encountered the greatest turmoil since its founding - the Iron Throne Chamber of Commerce launched a large-scale coup. The instigator, Sarevok, used the infiltration of shapeshifters to poison Marshal Flaming Fist and make him unconscious, and he pretended to be seriously ill.

Even if the poison the marshal was poisoned with was not that difficult to remove, there were many priests in Baldur's Gate who could cast spells - but as long as every priest could not reach the marshal, then the marshal could only wait for death in a coma.

Marshal Iltan was also a formidable warrior who terrorized the entirety of Feren. It's more accurate to say that if his individual strength had been weaker, he might not have survived until the turning point arrived.

This is when the legend of Apodel Adrian, the famous hero of Baldur's Gate, begins. He successfully thwarts the conspiracy against the Iron Throne and rescues Iltan from the siege.

The Supreme Hall was the former headquarters of the Flame Fist, located in the heart of the Upper City.

Perhaps the accident that year left a deep shadow on Iltan, and from then on, the Flaming Fist relocated its primary headquarters to the Ocean Tower on the edge of Baldur's Gate. The empty castle left behind became the present-day Supreme Hall. At the same time, the Council of Four gradually became a formal administrative organization or institution, and the four Grand Dukes began to collaborate more frequently...

"Or rather, quarrel."

Karkoros ended his story with a long sigh, "The original plan was a good one, and the Council of Four operated normally for a while as planned. However, ever since the Valaken family of the outer city became the Grand Duke for the first time, the Council of Four has become noisy.

"Their family was originally a gang on the edge of downtown. While survival wasn't difficult, there was a lack of room for further advancement.

"Then, the Arcane Blight came—

"Faerun was ravaged by a terrible disaster. Countless once-mighty nations were reduced to ruins. Countless refugees poured into Baldur's Gate from all directions, by land and sea. The city's population increased tenfold in a matter of decades. No city could withstand an impact of this magnitude.

"It's said that Baldur's Gate was a near-hell on earth back then. Theoretically, Baldur's Gate was a prosperous port city, and it could feed a hundred thousand people. But the problem was, the inhabitants of the surrounding grain-producing areas had become refugees and were flocking to Baldur's Gate. Where would they buy the necessary supplies?"

"The result was that even though all the priests and even the surrounding druids came to Baldur's Gate and exhausted their divine power and the power of nature, they were able to barely prevent Baldur's Gate from being filled with starvation."

Silver blinked. "...Since those refugees were living in such a difficult situation, how could they have the energy to allow the Varaken family to rise?"

"Because they are just called refugees in Baldur's Gate! How can truly poor people sail a ship, hire a carriage, ride a mount for thousands of miles, cross mountains and seas to reach Baldur's Gate? In their hometowns, almost every one of these refugees is glamorous! But in Baldur's Gate, they are just refugees."

Emiya asked, "Did the Valaken family make money from refugees at that time?"

"—That's their cleverness. No, everyone could see this business opportunity. The most greedy gangs at the time naturally worked hard to contact external bandits, hoping to rob the supplies they had worked so hard to collect, and then make a fortune on the soaring black market."

"Then, the Flaming Fist, the Church, and even Eltoril joined forces to wipe out any nearby gangs that dared to make moves. And Valakon was the only gang at the time that had a geographical advantage but clean hands."

Emiya pondered for a moment. "...So, they solved the problems in both the inner city and the outer city?"

"That's exactly what happened. Even if they didn't make the lucrative food profits, it wasn't difficult to buy up the refugees' floating wealth at low prices. The Valakens ultimately gained both fame and fortune. Stronger and more aggressive gangs couldn't withstand the combined attacks, so their rise to prominence wasn't even significantly hindered."

They had all returned to the Supreme Hall at this moment - of course, Emilia and her group had used disguise to change their faces.

However, this time the disguise was even more perfunctory—the cast remained almost unchanged. Having Sig play a male human bard was somewhat possible, but having Yin play another identity was almost a dream—there was no way she could do such a thing.

The good news was that they didn't have to waste money on a lounge again—this time, they were in a dedicated lounge reserved for participants attending the Council of Four. Originally, the Flaming Fist group was supposed to head straight there, but the previous incident had disrupted their plans. As a result, they finally arrived at the Flaming Fist's lounge at this moment.

The current Council of Four is an open governing body. When a Council of Four is held, the four Grand Guilds gather in the Supreme Hall to hear the latest news and resolve matters that require the approval of the four Grand Guilds, often unanimous.

Therefore, the Four-Man Council at this moment refers to both the four great dukes as a whole and the power center presided over and ruled by the four great dukes.

Naturally, this kind of place easily attracted the attention of the entire city. Today, this Supreme Hall has become more crowded than the original Flame Fist Headquarters.

Thinking about it from a darker perspective, in this case, perhaps the visitors to the Council of Four are closer to hostages—naturally, there are often powerful individuals among the Four Dukes. However, if such individuals were to suddenly attack, they would inevitably cause a large number of casualties. The deceased's relatives, friends, and church would naturally come seeking revenge.

Therefore, the more attendees there are, the more likely everyone will stay in their seats.

The activities of the Flame Fist are the highlight of the Council of Four.

"...The so-called highlights are the topics that are brought up when everyone is drowsy and their minds are not clear." Emilia sighed.

Sig curled his lips. "Although I don't think this little trick will work against the Flaming Fist—the Valakens are no longer what they used to be. A hundred years have passed, and the new generation of Outer City residents no longer appreciates the Valakens. Instead, they see the Valakens of Little Calimshan as mere Inner City lords living in the Outer City, and as something different from us who live in wooden huts and thatched cottages. Meanwhile, the Inner City residents envy the Valakens' luck and wealth... Now the Valakens are probably in a dilemma, reaching a bottleneck, and everything they have is in danger of collapsing... They'll definitely try to find a breakthrough elsewhere."

"For example, the power of the Flame Fist."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door of the exclusive lounge.

The voice from outside the door was that of Antar II, the eldest son of the Silver Shield family: "Everyone of the Flaming Fist, the Council of Four is about to begin. Grand Duke Valakon and Grand Duke Silver Shield are ready."

Karkoros was about to answer when he paused. "...And who else? Where's Grand Duke Violet?"

"She..." Anta II's voice was a little embarrassed. "You are also a mage, so you know. Grand Duke Violet can't be contacted again."

"Perhaps, she will come in the middle of the meeting?"

"What a normal choice." Yin said with a look of deep approval, "Compared to studying the arcane, a regular meeting is really nothing."

"Please don't make such a light statement about dereliction of duty." Emilia sighed and waved her hand in front of her. "I'll say it again: this time, at the Council of Four, do not speak without permission, and do not fall asleep... If you are distracted, don't make it too obvious."

"Oh." Yin agreed, then fell silent for a moment, his eyebrows drooping. "...That's so difficult. Can I sit in the audience and read the magic book?"

"...It's not impossible?" Emilia was stunned for a moment, and took out a small book from her bag. It was an informal spellcasting notebook given by Imoen as a gift of friendship. It was extremely difficult to read.

"Do you want to see this?"

Although in his opinion, Yin's magic was obviously not in the same system as the existing arcane magic, she might not understand it at all.

Yin took it excitedly, opened the cover, then blinked rapidly a few times, his eyebrows raised slightly and unusually.

Her eyes lost focus slightly, and after turning a few pages, her brows were completely furrowed. Then she pursed her lips, opened her eyes wide, moved the book closer, and finally turned the book over.

She was silent for a moment, then replied, "I'd better go with you."

"...?"

This reaction was beyond Emiya's expectations. He thought that Yin would start reading happily, or after turning a few pages, he would pinch his chin and think for a while.

Xige blinked in confusion. "I've been wanting to ask this for a while now. What's her origin? Her movements seem so strange."

[Unfortunately, this is a team secret... This is the only thing I must keep secret.]

[I was wrong. I'm just a mercenary. I just asked casually. Please pretend you didn't hear me.]

Emiya hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly came up with an almost impossible guess.

He asked that guess as they were heading towards the core of the Supreme Hall.

[…Yin, do you know the current common language? ]

The time of Yin's birth is likely to be four digits different from the present year. If the writing system changes...

Yin didn't answer, but just gave him an extremely bright smile: "If you dare to tell anyone, you're dead."

This shocking answer confirmed his suspicions, and Emilia's body trembled. "Actually, knowing a language can be used to study..."

[That's a spell for reading Draconic, Dwarven, Celestial, and Infernal! Not for reading Common!]

I absolutely cannot use the language I know to read Common Tongue.

A guy who is trying to save face in a strange place.

The beginning of forty sparks

The Council Hall in the Supreme Hall is naturally the most grand and magnificent place in the entire hall.

Or perhaps it was as if the entire hall had been rebuilt specifically for the purpose of housing this council chamber. The numerous corridors within the hall almost all led to the center of the building, and all the other rooms were therefore arranged around the council chamber.

The priests of the Gond Church enjoy creation, but they are also not without vanity. Vanity is naturally not best satisfied by creating practical gadgets. Therefore, Gond believers naturally prefer to create grand and magnificent wonders. Therefore, this building, expected to serve as the centerpiece of Baldur's Gate for at least a century, is undoubtedly one of the most proud creations of the Gond Church in Baldur's Gate, and indeed of the Gond believers throughout Faerûn. Considering that this hall is newly built, and the Gond Church is one of the most innovative of all the churches... the High Hall may have become, in essence, the most magnificent Gond wonder.

However, this miracle should be dedicated to Gond rather than the world, so Gond's believers will never acknowledge it.

The people of Gond have transformed this former fortress beyond all recognition: they have built a vast array of mirrors around the building, ensuring that no matter where the sun is in the sky, the rotating mirrors can evenly distribute the brilliant sunlight to every corner of the hall. They have even built state-of-the-art water clocks in every corner of the hall to ensure that no one in the hall misses the grand occasion of the Council of Four.

The place where the four-member council meets is called the Council Chamber.

The entire conference hall, viewed from above, formed a neat oval. In the center of the hall stood a flawless marble podium, located at the lowest point of the hall, while the seats for the participants gradually extended towards the edges and higher levels of the hall.

Those who are scheduled to speak in the hall will be seated at the front of the hall so that the audience does not have to wait a long time to get on stage. Visitors will be seated in the back row.

And every corner of the hall was filled with bright eternal light, making the entire hall as bright as day.

As for the four Grand Dukes, they were located at the highest points of the hall in each of the four directions. In fact, strictly speaking, it was difficult to even say that they were in the hall.

The highest point of the hall was occupied by four one-way transparent walls. Behind these walls, the Grand Dukes occupied their own office, known as the Grand Duke's Hall. Although separated from the attendees by a wall, the transparent walls allowed them to see everything in the hall. Naturally, their group had departed from the Grand Duke's Hall, which had previously belonged to the Flame Fist. Consequently, the Grand Duke's Hall closest to them was completely empty. Although the two Grand Dukes who were expected to appear had not yet arrived, the hall was already filled with their subordinates.

However, what Mr. Emilia cares most about are the four transparent walls between the Grand Duke's Hall and the Council Hall.

It's not that there is no glass in this world. This material has long been used extensively in Gond's temple. However, he always felt that those four walls were a little unusual.

As soon as he entered the council hall, he couldn't help but turn sideways, wanting to leave the road and touch the transparent wall at the edge of the hall.

It might look like glass, but for some reason, it had a subtle heaviness to it, making his curiosity grow wildly.

He had just taken a step when Karkoros stopped him, saying, "Although the walls there aren't enchanted themselves, they have numerous other protective spells... Don't forget who you are now."

Protection spells naturally include long-lasting spells like the Holy Residence, which can dispel magic. The ability to cast the Holy Residence in the High Hall was most likely created by a Gondor mastersmith. Emiya's disguise wouldn't stand up to the test of protection spells.

Emiya stretched her feet in that direction several times, but finally she let out a long sigh.

His special vision, called structural sense, was of course most effective when his body was in direct contact with the target. However, in desperate situations, remote observation could still be effective.

With just one glance, he could see the true material of the glass-like transparent wall.

Fiberglass. In the Hall of Miracles, the current Master Craftsman of Gund once produced a sample of armor made of fiberglass. Judging from Master Craftsman Gutenberg's attitude at the time, even for a Master Craftsman of the Gund Church, creating fiberglass wouldn't be easy.

Gold is certainly valuable in this world, and it can also make people's hearts flutter... but there are also many things more valuable than gold. Fiberglass, if we only consider its price, it's probably not cheaper than gold.

But such precious materials were used so lavishly to build walls... I'm afraid that if the Gond Church hadn't taken the initiative to propose it, the Council of Four would not have come up with such an extravagant and almost crazy suggestion.

"...It seems to be pieced together. Although I've tried hard to modify it, there are still some tiny gaps between the pieces that can't be bridged. Is it because the power of the spell is limited and it can't transform objects that are too large?"

Just as Emilia was standing at the end of the team, his eyes constantly drifting towards the wall, a sneer with a heavy accent suddenly came from the front of him, waking Emilia up from his own world.

"—A country bumpkin from the Sword Coast, so entranced he could even look through a glass."

They were naturally not the only guests in the council hall. There were many other people who had entered the first batch, most of them well-off—merchants, ship owners, priests...

And the group of mages who just sneered.

A group of red-robed wizards. An old wizard with a face so shrunken that it looked almost like a zombie, along with a group of followers who were obviously much younger, happened to be walking through the adjacent aisle.

And that laugh came from one of the young mages.

This group of mages who came all the way from Sel, the easternmost city of Faerun, actually managed to enter as the first guests.

Emiya frowned and glanced in the direction they came in.

Nearby, is another grand hall—and upon it, the crest of House Valakon.

It turned out to be the Valakan faction. The Valakan family's power was a perfect portrayal of collusion.

"Not even a hollow-headed skeleton would behave so disrespectfully in Cyre."

Emiya and his companions were not known for their tolerance, but at this point, they were technically Karkoros's followers, and even using the identity of the Flaming Fist, so it was inconvenient for them to initiate a fight. Emiya pursed her lips, ultimately refraining from immediately retorting.

However, knowing when to stop is a virtue, not everyone possesses it. And the red-robed mages were naturally a group accustomed to being arrogant and domineering—they bowed to the strong and wielded their swords against the weaker. Seeing that they didn't immediately respond, the other red-robed mages snickered together.

However, they were obviously severely eroded by negative energy, and even their normal laughter became hoarse and unclear.

Silver's patience had always been limited. It was more accurate to say that her lack of immediate outburst was a reflection of the countless patches Emiya had applied. Without hesitation, she sarcastically remarked, "I've never seen the scraps used to fill a phylactery actually speak."

The red-robed wizard who had mocked him was about to add a few more words when the old wizard walking in front called out to him coldly, "Isiah."

The red-robed wizard named Issiah fell silent, his skinny body hunched over like a shrimp. "Master Nickman, what are your instructions?"

The old red-robed wizard said calmly, "I've said this many times—being blunt is not a good habit."

"I'm so sorry!"

The shrimp's curvature has increased a little.

Then, the old wizard's gaze pierced Yin's face like a venomous snake: "...Crude illusions are not even suitable for this body... It's a pity that there is still fat on the body..."

Sig was stunned for a moment: [Huh? Fat? Silver? I can't see it at all? No matter how you define it, she doesn't have any fat on her body, right?]

Karkoros, who had been silent the entire time, finally answered through the telepathic connection: [That's because you're not familiar with necromancers. The excess fat they refer to isn't fat.]

Then, the red-robed wizard's voice arrived as expected: "Mortal, do you want an eternal and immortal appearance and to leave your voice forever in this world?"

Yin's focus wasn't on the criticism of her, but rather on carefully observing the red-robed wizard before him. He sneered, "A half-baked wizard who couldn't even transform into a lich."

"The Flame Fist actually found out about this..." The red-robed wizard, who had been playing it down, suddenly changed his expression. He gripped his staff with both hands and looked at Karkoros coldly: "Actually, I'm surprised. Why do you dare to show up here?"

Emilia and Mars studied the laws of the Supreme Hall all night long.

While most of the rules are complex and difficult to understand, there is one that is quite simple.

Any provocation in the Supreme Hall and the series of fights that arise from it will be at your own risk.

In Sig's words, don't let the blood splatter on me.

In an instant, they and the red-robed wizard were on the verge of a showdown.

Rather, Karkoros's temper was unusually good by the standards of a high-level mage.

Emiya sighed and asked, "Mr. Karkoros? What should we do?"