Equipment Printing School Mage

"Uh..." Will's face showed a hint of hesitation. "She said that if the two most powerful members of the Flame Fist don't know who to trust, then whatever happens will be their own fault."

"Then we two have the final say. Okay." Carl Ola squatted down. "Go ahead."

At this moment, Sig had tiptoed to the side and chose an angle where she could barely see Will's mouth shape - she was not even as tall as Will, so she didn't need any extra movements to hear their whispers.

Will took a deep breath and put his mouth to Carl Ola's ear.

"...That's a long, complex sentence," Karl Ola said, a look of difficulty on his face. He took a moment to process what he had heard. "It's a bit disjointed, and I don't see any particular connection between it and the Flaming Fist. If the Flaming Fist's jurisdiction were to extend this far, two bordering realms like Baldur's Gate and Elturgard would be at war tomorrow."

This reaction obviously took Will by surprise. He clenched his fist unwillingly: "...This news... is useless?"

"Maybe it's useful to some people, but I really don't see how this has anything to do with us, the Flame Fist... Who told you this?"

However, while Flame Fist was still chatting about family matters, Emiya and his group had already heard everything.

However, unlike Flame Fist and others who were confused, this news was like a bolt from the blue to Emiya and Mars, and their hands went numb from the shock.

The demons acted meticulously, and although their attack on the Friendly Arm ended in failure, it was fair to say that the power they poured into the Friendly Arm was already extravagant, and generally there was no chance of failure.

It would be better to say that what truly protected the Friendly Arm was the subsequent series of attacks - a large force disappeared near the Friendly Arm and no one ever responded, and most people would not immediately send forces there again.

The news that the Friendly Arm had been attacked but had escaped danger had been spread throughout Eltoril by a Hell Knight candidate who had just returned home.

Sig skillfully recited the entire long and difficult sentence again, and then judged it bluntly: [The person who delivered the message is a bit flawed... Friendly Arm, there are dozens of kilometers of wilderness between here and Baldur's Gate. How can the Flaming Fist reach so far?

"Isn't it strange that the news of the Friendly Arm has reached Flame Fist? The Friendly Arm is dozens of kilometers away from Rivington! And if this news spreads to Eltoril, what does it mean about Flame Fist? Isn't that right?"

Mystery and the unknown represent fear, but if Leon blows out all the information about the Friendly Arm and lets people know the details of the Friendly Arm later, then the problem will be very serious.

Perhaps the devil would no longer send forces to the Friendly Arm - after all, the location of the Friendly Arm was not that dangerous - but the information about Emilia and Mars was undoubtedly leaked in large quantities.

As Sig continued to talk, Emiya's hands, hidden under her long sleeves, clenched slightly.

Mars, who was fully armored, shook slightly, and the metal collision made a slight sound.

"I'm incredibly thankful I'm in the habit of wearing a helmet. My expression must be quite remarkable right now." Mars said this to Emiya. If he hadn't had to keep his expression to himself, he would have probably started swinging his fists and roaring, "Leon! I should have known he was a reckless guy with a loose tongue!"

[If we had given them a heads-up...] Emiya sighed.

It's no use! Leon always remembers the food but not the punishment. Our vague, unfounded reminders won't have any effect; he won't take them seriously. That night at the Friendly Arms was so thrilling, how could he resist bragging about it to others? That day was bound to come sooner or later. But I still didn't expect Leon to brag about it in Eltoril's hotel before even ten days had passed!

After cursing his former teammates, Mars pondered deeply: "The problem isn't that this information has been discovered... The strangest thing is how we learned this information." Emiya pursed her lips, thinking hard. The source of the information was clearly active in Eltoril, but she sent the information to Flaming Fist? Why? This information is actually only useful to the two of us. Did she know we were in Flaming Fist?

Emiya disagreed: "Such unclear information is unlikely to have a clear effect. Perhaps she told too many people? As for the Flaming Fist, it can be understood the other way around—if we want to accomplish anything in Baldur's Gate, it must be related to the Flaming Fist. No other factions need help at this moment."

[…In other words, this could even be a deliberate test. If we take any action, we'll reveal our presence… but we won't be able to hide it for much longer.]

The question is, how did this news get through... It's not surprising that the people of Eltoril knew about this, but the way this information was transmitted is too bizarre.

Just as the two witnesses of the Friendly Arm incident exchanged dozens of conversations in their minds in an instant, the two Flame Fists' Ranyan seemed to have thought of something.

Will obviously realized that his words had no effect at all, and his face was suddenly filled with frustration. Carl Ola coughed lightly and said, "Okay, Mr. Will. We will study it next. How about you go home with your father first? Your family misses you too."

He paused, then glared at Urd standing beside him. "Mr. Urd? Your life goal should be to become the Flame Fist Marshal, right? Then you should be a role model for all the Flame Fists."

Urd could only complain: "Mr. Ola, he has grown up so big and I have never even hit him!"

After Urd and his son left, Karkoros turned around and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, there may be more matters that we need to discuss in detail."

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

"I wonder if the eavesdropping I just did was too risky."

Meanwhile, Sig began to reflect on himself: "Actually, these two Flame Fist members were surprisingly reliable... They told us the news about Little Will. Didn't I take an unnecessary risk in vain?"

They had now left Wangyang Tower and were strolling on the bridge.

While technically still within Baldur's Gate, the Tower of the Sea is actually located on an isolated island in the ocean. This bridge is the only land link between the Tower of the Sea and Baldur's Gate. As an area closely guarded by the Tower of the Sea, there are no Flaming Fist soldiers patrolling here. Instead, the Tower of the Sea's crossbows serve as patrols.

There was no human presence in front or behind them, and the only things beside them were torches standing on the bridge.

Emiya seriously doubted that the real purpose of these torches was to facilitate the aiming of the crossbows on the city walls.

Many factors combined have made this long bridge surrounded by the sound of waves the loneliest place in the entire Baldur's Gate.

Emiya sighed, "I don't think there's any problem... We've apologized. But I'm a little confused about what to do next."

There are so many directions to choose from.

Staying in the Flaming Fist step by step, helping the Flaming Fist solve its financial difficulties, and at the same time, you can also seek refuge in the protection of a great wizard - the price is that this decision is essentially hoping that the opponent is a fool who does nothing.

In a magical world, static fortresses, no matter how strong, are extremely vulnerable to a well-planned attack - these defenses can only be used to deal with small-scale harassment.

Moreover, the Flame Fist is clearly short of manpower now.

The Flaming Fist originally had nearly ten mage advisors, who often provided assistance on a daily basis. Unfortunately, just yesterday, a mage suddenly left the Ocean Tower and stormed into the Eltoril camp. Even though the mage advisors and the Flaming Fist weren't particularly close to begin with, the appearance of this one bad apple was enough to make the mage advisors completely unreliable.

Emiya's team had effectively become the most elite force Flame Fist could rely on at the moment. If they adopted a conservative strategy, they might be able to guarantee their own temporary safety, but overall, their chances of winning would be minimized.

Moreover, the unexpected news disrupted Emilia's plans and put him in a dilemma.

The enemy might have gained some information, and it would seem suicidal to attack at this time. However, if they had already lost the initiative, it would also be unwise to sit and wait for death.

Should they go to the Lucky Church? But the Lucky Church seemed like an excellent bait. A dragnet might have been set there, waiting for prey to take the bait... Even Grand Duke Slani couldn't escape death under the Flaming Fist's siege. Could they really leave the Lucky Church alive?

"Anything is fine, anything is fine..."

Yin walked listlessly in the middle of the team: "Don't chat with people all day... It's too boring... Can I go to sleep... Can you wake me up when you start studying magic?"

This team is so difficult to lead.

Emiya sighed sincerely.

Their interests couldn't be more different. While Sig's excitement for earth battles only lulled Yin into a drowsy state, Yin was a true demon-lover, uninterested in anything other than magic, or even her own life story. Sig's interest in magic, on the other hand, seemed less pronounced; her primary interest lay in possessions. Mars, likewise, wasn't particularly sociable, but possessed a profound curiosity about knowledge.

It seems that if there is any absolute bonding point between them, it is probably magic, or magic items.

"……How about this."

Emiya couldn't help but sigh: "Mars, I think the war is approaching. We may need to adjust our schedule next - we should start updating our equipment. I'm afraid those metal ingots we got before will be used soon."

Sig's ears pricked up. "Updating equipment? The one in the contract, the one that's theoretically free, where you'll do your best to meet my request, as long as the team's finances allow?"

"Yes. I have some knowledge of clothing, armor, and weapons, but musical instruments... if you ask, you'll have to help tune them. I really don't have any knowledge of that."

"And help make musical instruments?! That's really..."

The long journey on the bridge has finally come to an end, and the sound of boots hitting solid wood is finally about to stop.

Emiya clapped her hands.

Oh, and he also had to contact Fenwe—if the Arm of Friendship was exposed, the Gods and Non-Gods would probably try to contact the Sharptooth Forest. At that time, the Sharptooth Forest might be the first to bear the brunt, and Fenwe would be in danger.

At this moment, Sig suddenly stopped.

[Stop!] She screamed in her mind, [There's breathing in the wind ahead!]

The other three stopped moving almost at the same time.

But before them, there was clearly no one. In the stillness of the night, all that came into view was the wild grass illuminated by the moonlight.

Then, the green grass swayed slightly in the moonlight.

Oops.

Emiya reacted immediately, drew her sword in an instant, and chanted forward: "——Glitter Dust!"

Forty-seven's last words (8000 words)

An invisible enemy. Or, to put it another way, an enemy that cannot be directly perceived by the senses.

Theoretically speaking, invisibility does not mean there is no trace at all. As long as you try hard to identify, you can always notice some clues.

The sound of footsteps, the dust and dirt kicked up by movement, or the dissonance in light that might occur when moving at high speeds - these can all indicate the presence of an invisible person.

The problem is that all these identification methods require concentration - and he obviously doesn't have the time window to slowly identify them now.

So, he swung the sword in his hand without hesitation.

Glitterdust. This spell scatters a cloud of shimmering dust in front of the caster. Targets within the area of ​​effect are blinded by the intense light, potentially causing temporary blindness.

And most importantly, these glittering dust particles would stubbornly adhere to any solid surface they touched, and could not be removed - it was perfect for outlining invisible creatures. Even more coincidental, they had not yet left the bridge.

The bridge was wide enough, but the glitter dust could barely cover its bridge head.

Sig discovered the Invisible One's existence, and he attempted to make it visible with a spell.

The Invisible Man's next actions will prove his true purpose at this moment.

If the invisible person was just a scout for a certain faction, they should have retreated immediately. Chasing an agile invisible person in the dark was a difficult task. Emiya and his group were not particularly familiar with the terrain of the lower city, so the probability of a successful escape was very high.

The next second, Emiya's hair stood up.

In front of his sword, handfuls of glittering dust were thrown forward. However, these scattered dust particles stopped in mid-air, either forward or backward.

They outlined a small human figure in mid-air.

Its height was only about 1.5 meters at most, and it was hunched over, with its body leaning forward high and its hands extended forward.

This posture is not a normal fighting posture. The serious shift in center of gravity will make it difficult for him to adjust his body, and he will lack sufficient ability to respond to any close-range attacks.

It was more of a fatal blow to the death than a sprint.

Emilia never imagined that just a few days after he arrived at Baldur's Gate, a force would send assassins of this level.

Being invisible, and remaining invisible while attacking, has always been an extremely luxurious ability.

The arcane spell of greater invisibility can do this, but the duration is measured in minutes. There may be other ways to make the spell last longer, but none of them can change the fact that this is a luxury that is difficult to achieve.

Aimiya anticipated that they might be attacked and even considered exposing their vulnerability in order to capture one of the enemy assassins alive and extract the details of Slani's murder.

But he really didn't expect that the assassins' ambush location was right under the nose of Flame Fist, at the bridgehead of Wangyang Tower!

And when the assassin has no intention of retreating, it doesn't matter whether he is blind or not - he just needs to rush forward.

Then, a cloud of glittering dust and the stinking sea breeze roared towards Emya.

Emia had smelled this kind of sea breeze many times, but it had never made him so tense as it did this time.

Does that fishy smell come from the ocean or from the enemy's blade?

“—Don’t even think about it!”

But Mars is always the one standing in front of everyone, ready to fight at any time.

His reaction speed is faster than Emiya's.

When Xige's reminder sounded, his hand was already on the half-sword at his waist.

As the glitter dust sprayed out, the sword's edge had already broken free from its scabbard. As the assassin approached within five feet of Emilia, the paladin's sword had already left an afterimage in the air, accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound.

The straight blade was slightly bent in the air by the user's swing, and hit the attacker like a sledgehammer.

If it were an ordinary enemy, after receiving this blow, not only would he be cut in half by the sword, but at least a deep sword mark would be left on his body, and even his armor would be shattered by one blow.

However, when the long sword struck the enemy, there was neither the sharp sound of steel rubbing and breaking, nor the sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh.

It was a strangely dull sound.

The attacker was indeed knocked flying by the blow, like a kite with a broken string, flying more than ten meters away and falling heavily to the ground.

Mars shouted almost immediately: [He is immune to ordinary weapons. My slash has no effect. He is not hurt at all!]

As he spoke, the Holy Knight immediately stood in front of everyone, grasping his sharp blade.

Emiya immediately warned: [The opponent might be a devil!]

【Understood! 】

The demon race has some common characteristics in terms of physical attributes - they are all immune to fire, and many powerful demons can even ignore ordinary weapons.

They still didn't understand why the attackers ignored ordinary weapons.

There are countless possible reasons for this phenomenon - perhaps it is the influence of race, or perhaps it is a special magic that has been bestowed upon it.

But no matter what, he is immune to ordinary weapons, so just temporarily enchant the weapon.

The paladin's fingers slid across the sword's edge, and a hint of blue gradually appeared on the blade.

At this moment, a tiny raindrop fell from the sky and landed precisely on the tip of Mars' sword.

"Crack!"

A flash of electric spark exploded on the tip of the paladin's sword, and the raindrops shattered.

The next second, the paladin's right foot slammed heavily onto the ground, the recoil mingling with the thunder in the sky. Mars roared like a wild bull and charged towards the assassin.