Equipment Printing School Mage

In short, on the surface, Anta Silver Shield had neither the ability nor the reason to exile the paladin.

Therefore, the Grand Duke's actions were extremely dishonorable—in essence, the gentleman's agreement of exile only applied to those who were not the murderer. If the murderer had deliberately murdered the eldest daughter of the Silver Shield family, then he would naturally have committed further murders. How could he have left Baldur's Gate like that?

So, it was just an unreasonable outburst of anger.

But the problem is that paladins are generally quite stubborn in some aspects - at that time, Apodel Adrian did not admit his guilt so much as he actually made a promise: he would definitely find the murderer who murdered Shiji Silvershield.

"But, in the end, the situation became very complicated." Imoen sighed. "After a series of the most difficult and painful battles in my life, we destroyed him... but strangely, we found no trace of Shiji Silvershield at all."

"And so the matter came to a dead end. The murderer was destroyed, but the murder weapon was never found, and the soul of Shiji Silvershield was gone without a trace—she was completely dead, and even the gods did not know where her soul had gone."

Speaking of this topic, Yin's eyes suddenly lit up, and she thought seriously, "This is unusual... Controlling the soul is much more difficult than controlling the body. That enemy went through so much trouble to take a person's soul, but then casually threw away the container that bound the soul? There must be a deeper purpose behind this."

"Perhaps." Imoen waved his hand. "Although, in my opinion, the mastermind behind this series of events has gained nothing but more and more deaths."

At this point, she pursed her lips and sighed, "I originally thought that this promise would have a very limited impact on us—Baldur's Gate is just a city. We no longer need to rely on our own two legs to walk. No matter how important Baldur's Gate's terrain is, it has nothing to do with me. So, I even forgot about it for a while. Unfortunately, the promise I made has become a fatal flaw."

What exactly happened back then? This question had clearly troubled Imoen for years. She pressed her brows together and sat down on a chair in the room. "Anyway, if someone is planning something, they're either a fool or someone with terrifying patience."

He was so patient that after laying a foreshadowing, he could wait quietly for a hundred years until the bait he had once laid was bitten by the fish again.

"—Anyway, this issue can't be put off any longer!" Imoen had originally sat down inside the house, but he became increasingly anxious as he spoke, and couldn't help but stand up again. "No matter what, in the next few days, either all the ambitious people in Baldur's Gate will be burned to ashes, or the new generation of the Silver Shield family will be forced to relent! I absolutely cannot allow that idiot Adrian to break his oath so rashly!"

"For the next few days, I should be able to hold that idiot down. Now everything depends on you... The enemy's activities should be temporarily suspended to avoid further provoking Flame Fist and Karkoros. You should seize this time, rest and consolidate..."

"Why us again?" Yin had absolutely no motivation for this sort of thing and complained bluntly, "Haven't you been operating in Baldur's Gate for a while? Don't you have any subordinates at all?"

"The situation is very complicated. To put it simply, the only ones who can move relatively freely are you, Sig, and Lorian. Lorian can handle it well most of the time, but unfortunately, this matter may be involved with the Gods and Non-Gods, which will make it difficult for her to move. Sig has been pried away by you again, so now it's all up to you."

At this moment, Imoen's ears twitched and his eyebrows wrinkled together, "What are those idiots in Eltoril doing again?!"

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

The Eltoril people are busy indeed.

This time, Rex, the commander of Eltoril's delegation, arrived at Wangyang Tower without any weapons or equipment. He shouted to the city wall from the foot of the tower, "Gentlemen of the Flaming Fist, may I ask if Wangyang Tower allows outsiders to enter? I would like to visit Marshal Karkoros!"

This unexpected visitor clearly left the Flame Fists on the city walls somewhat bewildered. Many of the Flame Fists now on the city walls had also been on Feilong Rock a few days ago. Just a few days and nights later, the leader of the delegation had taken such a dramatic turn.

After a brief silence, a tall, thin Flame Fist soldier shouted to the crowd below, "Outsiders applying to enter Wangyang Tower must fully explain their purpose and obtain permission!"

"In that case, let me explain my purpose," Rex shouted. "We've heard the latest news from Eltoril: one of our wanted criminals may have arrived at Baldur's Gate recently! We request the Flaming Fist's assistance in his capture?"

After a brief whisper, Flame Fist asked towards the city: "Wanted criminal? What crime did he commit?"

Rex replied with a serious face: "He is a former paladin named Mars of Candlekeep. We have received news that this former paladin was seduced by money and power, fell into evil, and began to harm innocent people. He was last seen in the Friendly Arm south of Baldur's Gate-"

"We beg for the Flaming Fist's assistance. If you find any trace of him, please notify us immediately. We do not ask for law enforcement authority, but simply for information about him. Nothing more."

Fifty-five Chaos

"I'm shocked." Mars had circled Imoen's own safe zone countless times. But he was at a loss for words at this moment, unable to find the words to express his confusion at the news he had just received.

"I'm shocked too," Sig mumbled as he shoveled the dessert from the safe house. "It turns out such a classic thing as a paladin being wanted could actually happen in real life. The way the world works is even more out of tune than our bards' songs."

"What kind of spell is this?! Is it a new invention?" The person who said this was naturally the most undisguised magic fanatic in the team.

Aimon originally planned to leave, but the sudden incident at Wangyang Tower successfully kept her in the safe house.

She clearly had more control over every corner of Baldur's Gate than Emiya and her companions had anticipated. Everything that was happening before the bridge to the Ocean Tower was being accurately and precisely transmitted to the safe house by arcane magic.

A slightly blurry image, a slightly distorted but recognizable sound. These important pieces of information can be remotely obtained by mages using divination spells.

However, only the mage himself can obtain the information.

Theoretically, a mage could relay what he saw and heard to others - but as everyone knows, mages are not known for their eloquence, so it goes without saying how much information would be lost in the process.

Therefore, when everyone saw all the scenes in the distance unfolding before them just as they did in reality, their reactions varied: some were immersed in the magic of the spell, while others were completely shocked by the news.

"This is one of the spells that the Harper has tinkered with over the years. I'll give you a scroll later." Imoen said.

Mars was wanted, and he was not on any list of evil forces.

If Mars was put on a bounty by the Red Mage of Thay or the Zhentarim, he would probably just sneer or even take pride in it.

But Eltoril put a bounty on him, and the whole thing suddenly became terrifying.

Eltoril is the capital of Elturgard. This nation is most famous for organizing an army and marching resolutely towards Avernus, the first layer of Hell, before the Arcane Scourge, to participate in the bloody battle.

The outcome of this expedition wasn't particularly favorable. Ultimately, using the full might of a city to indiscriminately attack demons and devils was far too maddening. Even though the expedition was led by Zariel, the highest-ranking angel and a servant of the Morning God Lathander and a seraph, the outcome was still a disastrous defeat. Zariel fell prey to the enemy, and when she reappeared before the crowds, she had fallen from angel to archdevil.

She became the leader of Avernus and accomplished her original goal in the most ridiculous way.

Even so, this imprudent journey has always been one of the most glorious chapters in Eltoril's history. In fact, Eltoril is likely one of the cities with the highest concentration of paladins on the continent today, and paladins from every faith and every corner of the world may make Eltoril a stop on their journey.

A place like this would actually choose to offer a bounty on Mars. He simply couldn't accept this - even if he had a clear conscience.

At this moment, Emilia was struggling to keep her body on the seat, thinking about everything that had happened.

First of all, there is one thing that is beyond doubt - Mars is still a Paladin. Just a few minutes ago, Mars tried to use the Paladin's Lay of Healing to help Emilia recover some of her strength.

Moreover, Emilia seriously suspected that once this guy really broke his oath and was sure that he had no chance to regain his status as a paladin, he might immediately let himself go.

Judging from the fact that he was still quite reserved, it was impossible for him to have broken his oath.

Since the problem wasn't on their side, it could only be Eltoril's.

Mars buried his face in his hands, bewildered. "Incredible... Accusing a current paladin of breaking his oath is the most foolish and offensive tactic, and this accusation actually comes from a city that has always had a good reputation! Such a serious accusation is usually made by another paladin! This means that at least one paladin in this world has broken his oath because of this! What news did Eltoril hear? How could he be so reckless?"

At the same time, the situation in front of Wangyang Tower has reached the next step.

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

Karkoros did not come to the top of Wangyang Tower. Instead, another member of the Flame Fist, Ranyan, appeared. His status in the group was second only to the Marshal's agent, Karl Ola.

The Flaming Fist's chief steward clearly had no intention of letting Eltoril's envoy into the city. Instead, he simply shouted to the city walls, "Sir Rex, I understand your opinion. First, I don't know this man named Mars. Second, this matter has nothing to do with the Flaming Fist!"

"That answer doesn't surprise me, but I must warn you of one thing—" Eltoril's messenger had no intention of giving up. He assumed the airs of a speech beneath the Ocean Tower. "A fallen paladin will further trample upon his former faith and exploit the credibility he once earned as a paladin for personal gain. If you let your guard down, you will inevitably suffer great losses."

"I don't know who Mars is, but regardless, this isn't within the Flaming Fist's jurisdiction." Carl Ora had no intention of responding. "This is a matter between Elturgard and Baldur's Gate. The Council of Four is currently in session, and the Flaming Fist has no right to make decisions on their behalf."

"This concerns the safety of all citizens of Baldur's Gate!"

"This concerns the entirety of Baldur's Gate, so a ruling by the Council of Four is even more necessary," Karl Ora said expressionlessly. "The Flaming Fist's purview only covers the Lower City and Dragon Rock. The Flaming Fist is no longer the first line of defense against external aggression, and intercepting incoming criminals is no longer the Flaming Fist's mission."

At this point, a hint of scorn finally appeared on Carl Ola's face. "You must have established contact with Grand Duke Valakn in the past few days. If Grand Duke Valakn is capable enough, then you should be waiting for good news in Grand Duke Valakn's small Kalinshan instead of running to Wangyang Tower.

"If this Mr. Mars really did appear in the inner city, it would only mean that Grand Duke Valakon has once again acted as a defender of freedom. We, the Flaming Fist, would not be held responsible for this. I believe that Mr. Mars is more likely to appear in Little Calimshan—of course, not as a fugitive, but as a guest of Grand Duke Valakon."

Jokes making fun of Grand Duke Valakan were apparently very popular in Wangyang Tower. Even the Flaming Fist soldiers on the city walls, who were on high alert at the moment, couldn't help but burst into laughter when they heard these sarcastic remarks.

Finally, Carl Ola shouted toward the city walls, "I also want to remind you—just yesterday, several young men from our Flaming Fist were ambushed nearby. You must be extremely careful. Of course, perhaps you don't need to worry?"

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

In the end, the second confrontation between the Flaming Fist and the Eltoril ended in a completely unpleasant manner.

The Flame Fist, which was originally full of baggage, suddenly burst out with a kind of carefree and unrestrained attitude at this moment. This trend of behavior made Emiya a little confused.

Emilia looked at Rex's back as he rode away from her horse, and suddenly she had a strange inspiration.

Mr. Rex has always played a very subtle role in Baldur's Gate.

"-Mars, do you know this Rex?" he asked.

Mars answered without looking up, "I don't know him. I haven't been in Eltoril very long. I spent most of my time visiting the city's churches, paladins, and Hell Knights. I didn't have much contact with the nobles of Elturgard. Besides, Eltoril went through a drastic change decades ago. The previous Knight-King of Eltoril was revealed to be a vampire. At that time, the entire Eltoril was plunged into civil war, and the bloodbath was so great that almost no nobles of the previous generation remained."

In other words, the current nobles of Eltoril are generally new nobles who rose to prominence in the last civil war and are not yet qualified to leave their names in Candlekeep.

Emilia was silent for a moment: "There is one thing I have wanted to ask for a long time. Could he be the devil's man? No, let me ask more bluntly -

"Eltoril, could this be a den of gods or non-gods, or even a devil?"

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Mars, but even Imoen turned his gaze.

Imoen raised his voice. "Mr. Emya, please be mindful of your words. Eltoril boasts the largest number of virtuous churches in all of Faerûn, making it a crucial center of faith for Torm, the god of loyalty. The Harpers even saw no need to delve deeper into Eltoril, establishing only necessary points of contact. Such a place is theoretically difficult to infiltrate, and turning it into a den of demons is truly appalling."

Mars was already cracking his gauntlets. "You might as well say I'm an Oathbreaker Paladin! What on earth do the demons have to infiltrate Eltoril and turn it into their lair right under the noses of the Paladins? That's ridiculous!"

"I admit that demons are intelligent." Imoen clearly didn't believe Emya's speculation was reliable. "However, if you want to expand your influence in Faerun, wisdom alone is not enough. If I may be frank, the demons are only moderately powerful. If you want to do whatever you want under the watchful eyes of many churches, you need more than just hiding your true intentions."

"The struggle against the devil has a history of thousands or even tens of thousands of years, with countless records. But unfortunately, most of them are small stories that focus on individuals." Mars said, shaking his head. "Over the years, have the devils been scary? They are scary, but they are more scary when they target individuals.

"They can leverage the sheer disparity in power and information to control a person's fate. Even the most self-proclaimed masters of wisdom often fall into ruts due to their arrogance. Unfortunately, that's where it ends.

"The wall between Toril and Hell prevents demons from reaching Faerun en masse. Without manpower, nothing can be achieved. The demons might occasionally be able to control a weak nation, but if they attempt to do so openly, their lack of hard power will be exposed, and ultimately, everything will be in vain... Secretly controlling Eltoril? I don't believe it. The demons don't have the power to do so."

The words were so decisive that Emiya sighed.

However, Emilia's understanding of Eltoril was not very deep, and she had only made a guess. She was not qualified to challenge Imoen and Mars' opinions in this regard.

However, Emiya still didn't intend to give up: "So, this is the Glorious City that issued a wanted notice for you."

“——!” Mars suddenly shut his mouth.

Obviously, reality is more cruel than knowledge.

"Forget it, let's leave the matter of Eltoril here. You little brats can't do anything even if you know - you don't really plan to overthrow a city with just a few people, do you? Go back to sleep before you wake up." Imoen clapped his hands, "I'm leaving now. You should continue to rest here. But there is one thing I want to ask you. Has Karkoros contacted you?"

Emiya was stunned for a moment and replied, "Not yet."

"Very good, that's what I want." Imoen snapped her fingers proudly, "He should know that you are all right, but he should also know that you were attacked and seriously injured - so, at least today, don't contact him.

Emiya didn't react for a moment: "Why?"

"It's simple." Imoen smiled. "From what I understand, although Karkoros denies it, he's actually quite soft-hearted. When he's not determined to kill, his style can be described as weak. Now, he's clearly angry, a rare occurrence. So, let him go to the Council of Four with his anger and cause a scene."

She stretched out her finger and waved it in front of her eyes. "The opportunity for a Nine-Ring Mage to legitimately lose his temper is truly invaluable. We must make the best use of it."

Emiya was stunned for a moment and asked, "He made a scene... so what? I don't think it would be good for the reputation of the Flame Fist."

Imoen chuckled softly. "A large portion of a Grand Duke's power comes from their position and their own assets. Therefore, they view all rights as their own, and must hold onto them. But Karkoros is different. Everything he has comes from his identity as a mage. He remains at Baldur's Gate primarily because of his friendship with the previous Grand Duke, the affection he's cultivated with the Flaming Fist over the years, and the pride he holds as an elder."

"So, no matter how strained the relationship becomes, Karkoros will only lose his chains. Baldur's Gate has no leverage to threaten him. I want to see what the always stern Duke of Silvershield will do at this moment."

Fifty-six water into boiling oil

The second day of the second meeting of the Council of Four at Baldur's Gate, the Sunny Month of the Year 1471 of the Valley Calendar.

The day before, the most explosive news in the Supreme Hall was naturally the announcement by the Church of Fortune that it was leaving Baldur's Gate, engaging in a verbal battle with the newcomers of the Flaming Fist and the Grand Duke, and gaining the upper hand.

Logically speaking, now is the time for the Flaming Fist to press on with their victory and fight to regain their position in Baldur's Gate.

However, the two Ranyans who came to the Supreme Hall today had extremely serious expressions, as if they were the ones who suffered the defeat yesterday.

The expression on Karkoros's face was not so much cold as it was like he was choosing his prey.

The subtle atmosphere surrounding a great wizard is enough to make all those who understand the ways of the world stay away from him - it is almost impossible for anyone who comes to attend a four-person meeting to be unworldly.

Unless they really can't find someone in their organization who has enough authority to represent the organization and who can speak eloquently in front of others without losing face.

For example, the current Flame Fist.

This job had always been performed by the Marshal of the Flame Fist. When the Marshal left his post, the person who was best at negotiation in the Flame Fist would naturally be the one who managed the money.

Because of this, Carl Oulaming knew that he had been theoretically banned from entering the Supreme Hall, but he still had to come here today.

There is indeed no other person in the Flame Fist who is as authoritative, trustworthy, and eloquent as others.

As Karl Ola thought about it, he glanced at Karkoros beside him.

Karkoros was unusually calm today, his facial expression barely changing throughout the journey, he just focused on observing his surroundings.

But Karl Euler was far from happy.

Because every time Karkoros had that expression, it was because Flame Fist had encountered a formidable foe. The archmage was determined to make someone disappear from this world.

He is now going to the High Hall of Baldur's Gate with this expression. What is he going to do?

And now, he might have to allow such a dangerous person to enter the Four-member Council!

He could only hope that the Supreme Hall would realize how delicate the current situation of the Flame Fist was.

Unfortunately, before they even reached their room, the waiters from the Supreme Hall came to greet them.

This time, only two Flame Fists came with them, and not even the other ordinary soldiers followed. However, Karkoros's furrowed brows were enough to make everyone retreat.

Therefore, there was only one waiter in the entire Baldur's Gate who dared to come forward at this time.

Karkoros walked forward with a cold face: "-Anta Silver Shield, we know the way to the conference hall, we don't need you to lead the way."

Anta II, the eldest son of Grand Duke Silver Shield and the first heir of the family - naturally, he was the only servant who dared to stand in front of Flame Fist at this time.

Anta II looked at Karkoros's face, his lips trembling for a moment, but he gritted his teeth and said, "I'm sorry, Ola Ranyan, you violated the rules of the Supreme Hall yesterday... You are no longer qualified to enter the Supreme Hall."