Iron Dragon's Advancement Journey

Page 96

　“Look who’s here,” Casalos slowly raised his head, his massive body rising from the ground, his dragon eyes filled with mockery. “The chosen one of the Goddess of Magic, Harp Master Lady Storm Silverhand, arriving so late after the war was over. Your timing is truly…”

Chapter 302

　"Accurate, if we were counting on your reinforcements, the people of the Valley would have already had their souls extracted and fed to Bane by now."

　Stormhand reined in his horse, dismounted, and stared coldly at Casalos, lightning crackling in his silver hair: "Shut up, you cunning dragon, you have no right to speak here!"

　"A dragon?" Casalos sneered. "Who saved Shadow Valley from the iron hooves of Bane's army? It was me. Who repelled the legions of the God of Conflict? It was me. And who, with mortal strength, defied the gods and burned the saint of the God of Tyranny? It was still me. You say I am a dragon? Then what are you?"

　Iron Dragon's tone was calm but sarcastic, each word like a sharp blade stabbing Storm Silverhand's sore spot.

　"Who knows what kind of schemes you're plotting against the Valley? You cunning bastards, so greedy you won't even leave a bone fragment behind!" Storm Silverhand said coldly, his eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.

　"Conspiracy? Greed?" Casalos scoffed, a cold glint in his dragon eyes. "Two-legged worm, are you writing your own autobiography? Let us see your true colors. As the strongest fighting force in Shadow Valley, you call yourself the guardian of Shadow Valley. Yet, when you learned that Bane's army was about to attack, and the people of the valley needed you most, you left Shadow Valley, leaving the farmers who should have been holding hoes, the women who should have been holding needles and thread, and those snotty children to take up arms and face a regular army ten times their size!"

　Iron Dragon's roar grew louder and louder, causing the ground to tremble slightly, like a heavy punch landing on Storm Silverhand's face.

　“Idiot, the Vale’s forces are no match for Bane’s army. I’m going to ask for reinforcements. The Mystron Knights I brought are enough to crush Bane’s army.” Storm Silverhand’s face was grim, and lightning gathered at her fingertips.

　“Oh, really?” Casalos shook his head, his tone even more sarcastic. “But how long does it take to get from Shadowvale to Mystronor? And how long did you take? Couldn’t you send someone else to ask for help? Or do the elves not even trust the messengers you and Elminster sent, insisting that you go and ask for help yourself? Oh, I see, you also have elven blood. The valley has been occupied by humans, you’re unhappy about it, aren’t you? But as a kind and righteous master harpist, there’s nothing you can do about it. Bane is going to attack Shadowvale, what a perfect opportunity! Use Bane to clear the field, then arrive late to lead the knights to clean up the mess, what a brilliant plan! Nobody can say anything about you…”

　Casalos's every word seemed to tear away a layer of disguise, each phrase like a nail driven into Stormsilverhand's flesh. The valley dwellers exchanged bewildered glances, many with suspicion already lurking in their eyes.

　"Shut up, you evil lizard! You're slandering us! The people of the Valley will never be swayed by your instigation!" Storm Silverhand roared, his face turning ashen. The harp at his waist hovered at eyebrow level, its strings trembling slightly, radiating a dangerous aura.

　“Yes, you are the Storm Silverhand, beloved and respected by the people of Shadowvale.” Casalos continued to expose Storm Silverhand’s secrets without fear. “What have you done for the Valley all these years? Besides causing trouble with the Harpists, what have you protected? Last year, when the red dragons of Moonsea passed by, three ancient dragons broke into the Valley, burning, killing, and looting. Where were you? Oh, I remember now, you were hanging out with assassins in Waterdeep, using the Harpists’ banner to protect that bastard who tried to assassinate Pilgalen. So, the assassination was your idea?”

　Storm Silverhand's face turned ashen green instantly. Her hand trembled as she gripped her longsword, and the strings of her harp plucked on their own, releasing a status spell that looked as if she might draw her sword and attack at any moment.

　Casalos gave her no chance to catch her breath, raising her voice even louder: "And back then, your best sister, Hiren, also a chosen one of the Goddess of Magic, perished here protecting Shadow Valley, taking three ancient dragons with her. Didn't you feel the slightest bit of grief... Oh, of course you weren't sad. You were overjoyed, except for putting on a show in front of others. Without Hiren, there's no one to compete with you for control of Shadow Valley, and no one to vie for your favor with Elminster—but have you forgotten that Elminster doesn't even look at you? He has Shinb."

　"Oh, my bad, I almost forgot. You can't afford to mess with her temper, can you? Even though Hilen is competitive with you, she always indulges and gives in to you because you're younger, which is why you dare to treat her like that. If it were Shinbu here, you'd probably just tuck your tail between your legs and pretend to be a good boy..."

　"You!" Stormsilverhand completely lost control, roaring, "Shut up, you vile lizard! Knights of Mystronor, charge with me and slay this evil dragon!"

　The elven knights drew their swords in unison, their warhorses neighing, the atmosphere tense and ready to erupt. Casalos lazily flapped its wings, creating a gust of wind that sent the horses in the front rank flying. It grinned, revealing sharp fangs: "Come on, let's see if I can burn you all to ashes with one fire."

　At the same time, a black rift suddenly burst through the dome of the Losanda Temple, shooting straight into the sky as if to tear the entire sky apart.

　Casalos retracted his wings, tilted his head to look at Storm Silverhand, and said with a tone full of sarcasm, "See, everything was fine until you came back and something else happened."

　56. Plucking the strings of fate

　Casalos immediately shifted the blame and distanced itself from the situation—it knew perfectly well what had happened and whose handiwork it was.

　"That's... the direction of the Temple of Losanda!" Storm Silverhand didn't respond to Casalos's latest provocation. She exclaimed in shock, staring intently at the blinding black rift. It was like a giant sword cleaving the night sky, leaving a long-lasting scar in the darkness.

　Casalos narrowed his dragon eyes and turned back, his indigo pupils reflecting the unusual sight. Even in turbulent times, such a scene was rare: a dimensional rift, a dangerous rift that was out of control and rapidly expanding, within which burned a "tiny" silver flame, flickering on and off before abruptly extinguishing.

　The last vestige of consciousness belonging to the goddess of magic, Mystra, was completely extinguished at this moment.

　However, her electoral storm, Lady Silverhand, was completely unaware of the ultimate fall of her goddess; the silver flame only reminded her of other things.

　"Ilminster!" Storm Silverhand's face turned pale instantly. He could no longer care about Casalos and immediately turned to the knights: "Knights of Misdrano, follow me to the temple!"

　She flicked the reins, and the warhorse neighed and turned to gallop away. The elven knights of Mysdrono immediately followed, leaving behind a group of dumbfounded Shadowvale residents and a thoughtful Casaloz.

　“Mentor… what was that light?” Isis staggered to Casalos’s side, her voice filled with unease.

　“A dimensional rift,” Casalos replied briefly, “and it’s out of control.”

　“Elminster is there, studying texts with Midnight…” Isis’s voice trembled. “Shouldn’t we…”

　“No need,” Casalos raised his dragon claw to stop her. “The people you care about will be back soon, with that madwoman Storm Silverhand.”

　Isis was confused, but trusting her mentor, she could only wait anxiously in place. Iron Dragon closed its eyes and silently lay back down on the ground. The advantage of its semi-divine perspective, granted by its past life memories, manifested itself at this moment—it didn't need mental perception or magical detection, nor even to re-analyze; it already knew what had happened and what was about to happen.

　Bane's remnant soul, deliberately released by the demon, infiltrated the Temple of Losanda, attempting to seize the power of the goddess of magic within the Midnight Pendant. To protect Midnight and Eden, Elminster tore open a dimensional rift, allowing them to escape, but unexpectedly summoned Mystra, the goddess of magic who should have been killed by Heim—the power Mystra resided in the Midnight Pendant, and the silver flame bestowed upon the Chosen Ones, were, in a way, a backup of herself. Of course, her greatest backup remained within the magic network. Resonating with the power of the silver flame and the pendant, the coiled magic network was also activated, summoning Mystra's last remnant to launch a final attack on Bane.

　Goddess of Magic

Chapter 303

　Ci Zhen died. The aftershocks of her final attack widened the dimensional rift out of control, blasting the poorly positioned Elminster deep into the rift and banishing him to an unknown dimension.

　This information had become blurred for Casalos, but it gradually became clearer after the pseudo-Laplace's Demon was successfully constructed. At this moment, the pseudo-Laplace's Demon was operating at full capacity, focusing on a more important task: the deflection of the world line.

　Since deciding to intervene in this conflict, the pseudo-Laplace's demon has been operating at full power, attempting to unravel the impact of the different Mystic powers embodied in Isis and Midnight on the world line. According to the original trajectory, Mystic power should have existed only in Midnight, but now Isis also possesses similar power; this discrepancy could completely alter the future.

　Casalos opened his eyes, his thoughts still lingering. Perhaps he needed to take Isis away, not only to protect her, but also to observe and understand this anomalous power, and to test the "fateful entanglement" between Isis and Midnight.

　A purple light suddenly surged from the distant rift, then ignited into blue-white flames that ascended along the Heavenly Ascension Path, heading straight for the Divine Realm. Heim, who was guarding the top of the Path, took a step back and vanished without a trace.

　The ascension collapsed into countless fragments, which then coalesced into countless forms and quickly disappeared.

　"Do you know about the Hand of Biggs?" Casalos suddenly asked Isis a strange question.

　"Ah, I haven't heard of it..." Isis replied absentmindedly, "Uh, this seems to be a series of force field spells, like this?"

　She casually raised her hand to cast a spell, creating a giant hand that shimmered with a faint light.

　“Tsk tsk…” Casalos was speechless. Just as Isis said, Biggs’ Hand was a well-known series of force field spells. But the problem was that the mage Duncan, who brought this spell to Faerûn, wouldn’t arrive in Faerûn for over a hundred years, and his disciple Biggs might not even have been born in the Greyhawk world yet.

　Or perhaps Bigbi was born hundreds of years ago and created this spell, but the travel of the Crystal Wall system caused a time distortion, which is why Mad Duncan went mad after arriving in Faerûn and could never return to Greyhawk... Even the gods cannot understand the affairs of time and space.

　In the process of burning its last essence to destroy the Heavenly Saint Rank, Mystra presented this spell, which was created in an unknown future or past, along with much more extensive information, to Midnight in the form of "memories."

　Clearly, Isis had also received this information, though she was unaware of it yet. "Memories" lurked deep within her soul, only to be summoned through keywords when needed, a tiny fraction of which was like the Iron Dragon's legacy—only more advanced, more complex, and more vast—the very knowledge possessed by the Goddess of Magic.

　The temple walls crumbled into fragments, and the tower's wings collapsed to the ground. The entire Shadow Valley trembled from the explosion of the Temple of Losanda, then fell into an eerie silence, broken only by the mournful sound of the wind whistling through the ruins.

　"What happened?" Kevoran walked over, his face grave. "Something happened in Elminster?"

　Casalos did not answer immediately. It knew that only Midnight and Eden remained in the temple ruins, and Storm Silverhand had already arrived. The connection between Isis and Midnight would have a profound impact on the future; the timeline had already shown a significant deviation. This deviation would not only affect the fate of Faerûn but would also directly relate to Casalos itself.

　"Don't worry, the results will be available soon."

　Casalos didn't explain, casually reassuring the anxious girl, then silently gazed into the distance.

　Sure enough, it wasn't long before Stormsilverhand returned with the Knights of Mysdrano, escorting the two men back. The elven knights, spears in hand, sandwiched the two men between the horsemen as they walked step by step toward the plaza of Shadow Valley.

　“Midnight, Eden!” Isis and Kevoran exclaimed, while Cyric, his eyes darting nervously, ducked behind the crowd. The two men being escorted by the Knights of Mystron were their friends and teammates.

　Casalos narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the two being escorted, especially the young woman in the mage's robes. Midnight looked haggard, her robes tattered, her face covered in dust, and several burn marks marred her exposed skin. However, what was most striking was the shimmering pendant on her chest—a once-belonging artifact of Mystra, imbued with a trace of the goddess of magic's power.

　More importantly, it recognized her—not because of Isis's letter, but because the little mage who jumped out to help Casalos when they encountered vampires in Westgate was actually Midnight.

　"So that's when our fates intersected."

　Midnight also saw Casalos, but she merely nodded awkwardly and turned her attention back to Isis. Casalos abruptly snapped its iron beak shut, sending sparks flying from its scales. The resounding chime, like a morning bell, startled those nearby but did little else.

　Bound, Eden was in no better shape. The beautiful priest, who was extremely particular about his appearance, had several knife wounds on his face, and his left arm hung limply, seemingly broken. His eyes were empty and numb as he was mechanically pushed by the Knights of Mystron to stand beside Midnight.

　"Elminster has been murdered, and these two are the killers!" Storm Silverhand roared, his voice filled with anger and sorrow. "There are accomplices here too, arrest them!"

　Her longsword was pointed at Isis and Kavoran. The rather prescient Cyric, however, had already hidden himself out of Storm Silverhand's sight and escaped her notice.

　“Murder? How could that be! It was Elminster who guided the search at midnight…” Isis’s eyes widened, and she shook her head in disbelief, trying to defend her partner.

　"Shut up, accomplice of the murderer! Don't try to fool us with sweet words. I witnessed the murder with my own eyes!" Storm Silverhand interrupted her sharply, his eyes flashing with furious fire.

　"Where is Elminster?" Kevoran asked in a deep voice, his hand already on the hilt of his sword, ready to deal with any possible conflict.

　"He's dead. You outsiders killed him together!" Storm Silverhand's voice trembled slightly, but it was filled with unwavering anger.

　“Impossible! Even if Midnight is the murderer, Kevoran and Isis wouldn’t be accomplices. They’ve been with us on the front lines fighting against Bane’s army!” Lord Moglin of Shadowvale struggled to his feet, trying to defend them. He had just recovered from serious injuries and was still weak, but his sense of responsibility as lord compelled him to step forward. Although Storm Silverhand was the true controller of Shadowvale, Casaloz’s earlier mockery of her seemed to have given this puppet lord some food for thought.

　“Shut up, Moglin, you’ve been fooled!” Storm Silverhand roared. “I saw those two with my own eyes beside the temple ruins, Elminster’s robes torn by magic and scattered around. And this woman—” she pointed at Midnight, “her hands were still stained with Elminster’s blood!”

　Midnight looked up, her voice weak but firm: "You're wrong, Lady Silverhand. Elminster did it to save us—"

　"Shut up!" Storm Silverhand interrupted her, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You still dare to argue?"

　Storm Silverhand turned to the Knight of Misdrano: "Arrest all these traitors and await trial! The murder of Elminster is an unforgivable crime!"

　The elven knights stepped forward, attempting to arrest Isis and Kevolan. The latter's face was grim, and she had already drawn half a longsword, clearly not intending to surrender. Isis also took a few steps back, her fingertips beginning to gather magic, preparing to cast a spell to resist if necessary.

　The atmosphere in Shadow Valley is tense and ready to erupt. The aftershocks of the recently ended war have not yet dissipated, and another internal conflict is about to break out.

　"Enough!" Casaroz suddenly roared, its dragon might transforming into a calming aura that spread, a chilling, strange power flowing into everyone's souls, forcibly calming them down. It slowly walked to the center of the conflict, its wings half-spread, its massive body like an iron wall.

Chapter 304

　He shielded Isis and Kavoran behind him.

　“Storm Silverhand, I’ve refrained from responding to your disrespectful words out of respect for you being a chosen one of the Goddess of Magic,” Casalos’s voice was deep and authoritative, “but your current actions have tested my patience.”

　“This is none of your business, Dragon,” Stormsilverhand said coldly. “This is an internal affair of Shadow Valley!”

　"Oh? Is that so?" Casalos's beak curled slightly, revealing a cold smile. "Then I'd like to ask, Isis is my student, her affairs are my affairs. Besides, who was it that just said they wanted to 'kill this evil dragon'? This is probably not just an internal matter of Shadow Valley, is it?"

　Casalos approached Storm Silverhand, his dragon eyes meeting hers directly: "Furthermore, I'm curious, how did you arrive at the conclusion that 'they murdered Elminster'? Just because you saw them and some rags in the temple ruins? Is that your so-called 'evidence'?"

　“I…” Storm Silverhand paused, a hint of hesitation flashing across his face, but he quickly regained his resolve. “I know what I saw! Elminster is gone, only these two are there, and they are the murderers!”

　“What brilliant reasoning,” Casalos scoffed. “According to your logic, you weren’t present when Bane’s army attacked Shadow Valley, so you were an accomplice? Or more likely, you were the mastermind?”

　Storm Silverhand's face flushed crimson, his eyes burning with rage: "How dare you insult me?"

　“I’m just using your logic to reason,” Casalos said calmly. “However, since you’re so sure, I’d like to know, did you see Elminster’s body?”

　This question hit the nail on the head, and Storm Silverhand was stunned. After a moment, she gritted her teeth and said, "No... but that doesn't mean he wasn't harmed!"

　“Interesting,” Casalos said slowly. “No bodies, no direct evidence, only your ‘guess.’ Is that your reason for arresting these people?”

　Before Storm Silverhand could retort, Casalos added, "Besides, if they really were the murderers, why didn't they run away? They could have left before you arrived, why would they stay at the crime scene waiting for you?"

　This barrage of questions left Storm Silverhand speechless. She gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, but a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes.

　Casalos turned to Midnight and Eton: "Tell me, what exactly happened?"

　Midnight looked up at the iron dragon she had once helped in Westgate, a flicker of surprise and recognition crossing her eyes. But she quickly composed herself, her voice weary yet clear: "Elminster isn't dead. He was swallowed by the rift, or rather, he jumped into the rift to save us..."

　“The remnant of Bane,” she continued, her voice trembling, “is hunting us down, trying to take this.” She looked down at the pendant on her chest. “To protect us, Elminster opened a portal and sent me and Ethan away…”

　"Nonsense!" Storm Silverhand interrupted her. "What Bane remnant soul? It was clearly you who attacked Elminster with magic!"

　"You saw her attack with your own eyes?" Casalos asked, his dragon eyes fixed sharply on Storm Silver Hand.

　Storm Silverhand was stunned. Under the influence of the Calming Aura, her chaotic mind finally regained some ability to think rationally: she had indeed not witnessed the attack firsthand, but had only seen the temple ruins and the two people when she arrived.

　“I…I saw traces of magic on her hands…Elminster’s robes were torn…” Storm Silverhand’s voice began to sound uncertain.

　"So you saw these two injured people in the ruins of the scene, and then concluded they were the murderers?" Casalos's voice was clearly sarcastic. "Did you ever consider that they might have been trying to save Elminster? Or that they themselves might have been victims?"

　“I…” Storm Silverhand’s voice trailed off, but she straightened her back and said stubbornly, “No, I know Elminster. If there’s any real danger, he’ll let me know. There’s definitely something wrong with those two!”

　Casalos shook his head, glancing at Midnight and Eden, then Isis and Kevoran, finally settling his gaze on Cyric, who was hiding in the crowd. The Wanderer keenly caught the dragon's gaze, nodding slightly as if understanding something. Who knows what he understood? Casalos merely glanced at him—and what happened next would be the pivotal moment in Cyric's transformation from a good man into the mad god Cyric.

　“You’re right, Storm Silverhand,” Casalos suddenly changed his tone, catching everyone off guard. “The matter certainly needs to be investigated. However, I don’t believe the current evidence is sufficient for a conviction. Since Elminster is so important to you, why don’t you go find him first, confirm his safety, instead of wasting time here?”

　Storm Silverhand frowned, clearly not expecting Casalos's change in attitude: "What do you mean?"

　“What I mean,” Casalos explained patiently, “is that if Elminster really was swallowed by the rift, as Midnight said, then the priority should be searching for him, not arguing about who the murderer is. What if he desperately needs your help right now?”

　Stormhand was silent for a moment, then finally nodded slightly: "You make a good point..." She turned to the Knight of Mystron, "Send these two back to the Shadow Valley prison and keep them under strict guard until I return to put them to trial. At the same time, organize a search party to look for Elminster's whereabouts around the temple ruins!"

　Storm Silverhand turned to Casalos, his eyes filled with wariness and distrust: "As for you, dragon, I hope you leave Shadow Valley. Your presence will only bring more chaos."

　“What a coincidence, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” Casalos said calmly, “but before I leave, I need to take my student, Isis, with me.”

　"No!" Storm Silverhand immediately objected. "She might be an accomplice and needs to be investigated!"

　"Oh?" Casalos's eyes narrowed, his tone dangerous. "You intend to stop me from taking my own student away? I'd like to see what gives you the right to do so."

　The atmosphere became tense again. Storm Silverhand's hand rested on the hilt of his sword, while faint sparks flickered from Casalos's nostrils, clearly ready to unleash a breath at any moment.

　Just as tensions were about to escalate, Isis suddenly stepped forward: "Enough! I don't want to see any more bloodshed! Lady Silverhand, I will leave with my mentor. I swear, Midnight and I are innocent. Elminster has been like an elder to us, and we would never harm him."

　Storm Silverhand glanced at Isis, then at Casalos, and finally nodded reluctantly: "Alright, you can go with this dragon, but you're not allowed to leave the territory of Faerûn. The Harpists' Alliance will be keeping a close eye on you. Once the investigation is complete, you must return to face trial!"

　Casalos chuckled, unfazed by Storm Silverhand's threat. He turned to Isis: "Pack your things, we're leaving immediately."

　Isis looked at Kevoran and Midnight and Eton who were being taken away, her eyes filled with worry and reluctance.

　“Don’t worry,” Casalos whispered to her, “they’ll be fine.”

　Isis glanced at Casalos with a puzzled look, but nodded nonetheless and turned to pack her necessary belongings. Casalos remained crouched, his dragon eyes fixed on the distant direction of the Losanda Temple.

　57. Intertwined Web

　Casalos watched Storm Silverhand lead the Knights of Mysdrano away, a faint, cold smile playing on her lips. After escorting Midnight and Eden to the temporary prison in Shadow Valley, she hurriedly led her team to the Temple of Losanda to search for Elminster's whereabouts.