From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 382 Summary of Intelligence

Ivy was not the first one to return to the camp. Apart from the gravekeeper who had never left, the bomber Gail had already come here with Will, with whom he had spoken a few words before.

"Hey! Ivy! Border Blade agrees to be our new teammate!" Gale waved at Ivy while sitting on a crate. There were only a few stools in the camp. In addition to the crate under Gale's buttocks, the stones covered with soft moss and the tattered cushions were all seats for adventurers. Even so, when eating by the campfire, there were always one or two people standing or sitting on the ground.

"Nice to meet you, Will." Ivy nodded as a greeting.

"I thought I would be the first one back. But I am still very happy to see you." Asdeln also returned to the camp from another direction. For a vampire spawn, he had a healthy blush on his face and was in very good spirits. It was obvious that he had just finished a satisfying meal not long ago.

"You look well, Asdaelon." Gale's keen perception as a mage came in handy. "What did you do?"

"Murder." Asteron had a satisfied smile on his face, but after seeing Will's vigilant and suspicious expression, he immediately explained, "There was a bugbear assassin hiding in the camp, trying to murder a sweet tiefling girl. As you expected, I saved her life and got an unexpected reward! Look at this coin! It's the same one we found in the coffin in the tomb!"

"That's a soul coin, a very evil thing. I suggest you destroy it." Will's main job as the Border Blade is to hunt down demons from hell throughout the Sword Coast, so he recognized the currency that was mainly circulated in hell at a glance.

Each soul coin is cast by Mammon, the great devil of the third layer of Baator Hell. He uses hell iron and mortal souls as raw materials, and uses evil hell magic to trap the souls of victims on it, and then circulates it in various levels of Baator Hell. The unlucky people trapped in the coin may have fallen into this situation because of the devil's tricks, or they may have voluntarily exchanged their souls for something they could never get in their entire lives. In short, their only fate is to continue to sink in hell until the devil completely exhausts the value of every bit of their soul.

"Remember? This is my trophy, so I have the right to decide how to use it." Asdaelen flipped his hand, and the dark coin disappeared between his fingers.

Shadowheart and Laizer also came back, both with unhappy expressions on their faces. However, considering that neither the priestess of Shar nor the new warriors of Vlaakis were the kind of people who liked to smile, perhaps a sour face was the normal expression on their faces.

"I know where the nursery is." The warrior's style is to get straight to the point. Laizer sat down by the campfire and pulled up a piece of barbecue stuck on a branch from the ground. "Beside the mountain pass leading to Baldur's Gate, the tiefling encountered our patrol... As long as we make it clear to the patrol leader, the mind flayer tadpoles in our minds will no longer be a threat."

"The mountain pass leading to Baldur's Gate? It's not safe there!" said Arsdalen. "I found a telescope in the camp and looked in the direction of Baldur's Gate. Guess what? I saw a red dragon! If we don't want to become a pool of dragon poop tomorrow afternoon, I think it's better for us to wait until the monster leaves. That would be wiser."

“It must be Kith'rak (Githyanki: Kethrak Centurion), the red dragon rider of the Githyanki!” The expression on Laetzel’s face was full of excitement. “Queen Vlaakith attaches great importance to the nautilus! This means that our chances of curing the mind flayer tadpoles are greater!”

"If all Githyanki are as cruel and heartless as you, then the risk of us going to the Githyanki breeding room for help would be too great." Shadowheart shook his head, expressing his disapproval of Laizer's optimism.

"Kainyank! All Githyanki are brothers! They will help me!" Laetel glared at Shadowheart.

"I've discovered that you're just a soldier who has just completed recruit training, and you know very little about your race and the queen." Yingxin told several teammates a fact that they had already noticed, but this undoubtedly angered Laizer.

“Chk. My people are disciplined and transparent! Queen Vlaakith’s promise is as bright as your planet’s sun! If you refuse to seek the help of the Ghustil in the incubator, then I will go alone.” Laetzel tossed the leftover bones into the campfire and watched it emit a puff of black smoke. “But you can rest assured that I will keep my anger towards you K'chakhi in my heart, and will vent it all when you are fully transformed into Ghaiks. Consider it my last mercy as a teammate!”

Just as Laizer began to pack up his personal belongings and prepare to leave, the evil thoughts of going to find the druids returned.

"Hey, hey, hey! What the hell is going on?" Xie Nian called out to Leizel, "I'm not here for a while, and the adventuring team that helps each other is going to disband? What the hell is going on, Leizel?"

“Your companions aren’t going to the incubation bay to get the help of a Ghustil, so I’m going to go on my own.” The Githyanki recruit spits at the ground.

“If you had listened carefully, you would have heard that I did not say that.” Shadowheart was holding a glass of wine, which should have been obtained from the tiefling refugees. “I just think that seeking help from the Githyanki is too risky, and Arsdalen has also discovered a red dragon.”

"Red dragon? Didn't it follow the goblins? I thought dragons only appeared in the stories of bards..." Xie Nian's surprised expression did not seem fake. She shook her head and tried to sober herself up. "It seems that we all gained something when we separated. Sit down, Laizer... Even if you really want to leave alone, you should first listen to the intelligence we got from the tiefling camp. It may help you on your next journey."

Laizer exhaled through his nose, stood there holding his trophy - the mind flayer head, and looked at the others around the campfire with a squint.

"Lairzel, I noticed that you seem to admire the Red Dragon Riders very much? I remember that they all wield a man-high astral silver sword?" Ivy handed the cut fruit on the wooden plate to Gale beside him, motioning him to pass it down. In this woodland belonging to the druids, fruit is easier to obtain than other food.

"Yes, becoming a glorious Kith'rak (Githyanki: Kethrak Centurion) is my goal." Laetzel put down the mind flayer's head and returned to the campfire, but she still crossed her arms across her chest, showing a complete unwillingness to cooperate.

"A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. However, being a commander does not require you to only be able to wield weapons. You also need to know how to use strategies and tactics. All these things are based on intelligence support. If you only rely on recklessness, it may take you a hundred years to become a Red Dragon Knight." Ivy threw a bright red apple over, motioning for Laizer to sit by the campfire again.

After taking the apple, Laizer looked at it for a few seconds, but did not put it to his mouth. Instead, he put it into the small leather bag on his waist. Ivy knew that Laizer also stuffed two bottles of healing potions into it, which were the combat supplies distributed when they set out this morning.

The Gisyanki female warrior had obviously agreed to Ivy's proposal, so Ivy said nothing more and began to tell her about what she had seen and heard before.

The fall of Eltoril was a far-flung event for the locals of Sword Coast, but after hearing the details of the incident, they couldn't help but sigh.

However, when Ivy told them that they would escort the Tiefling team to Baldur's Gate, it caused unanimous complaints from the team members.

"We don't have many days left to live. If we act together with these refugees, they might become our first meal after we become Mind Flayers!" Gale shook his head in disapproval.

"I have a feeling that the little gadgets that share your brain will no longer be a problem for you soon." Ivy said with a smile, "We will definitely find a way to deal with them before the tieflings set off."

"Okay," Gale sighed, "I'll just trust you for now. Come, let's meet our new partner, Will the Border Blade, the civilian hero of Baldur's Gate. He, like us, is a victim of the Mind Flayer tadpole."

"I've heard of your name, Edgeblade," Shadowheart said. "You're very famous in Baldur's Gate. Everyone knows that you're a noble man who hunts demons... But how did you get caught on the Nautilus? I remember that the Mind Flayer's magic ship didn't pass through the Sword Coast, but crashed in this jungle."

"I boarded the nautilus from Avernus." Will sighed, "At that time, I was hunting a demon from Avernus, a champion warrior of the devil archduke Zariel. Her name is Kalak. She is very tall, with red skin, a single curled horn, and the flames of hell wrapped around her body... I chased her onto the nautilus, but was ambushed by the mind flayers... But now I am free, but Zariel's champion warrior is also free, a demon wreaking havoc in the Sword Coast area. It's chilling to think about it. We must stop her from killing innocent people here!" "Chk (Githyanki: Tsk). Maybe he is a valuable ally, but the mind flayer tadpoles in his head are still gnawing at our brains. Wasting time hunting down demons is the biggest joke I have ever heard." Laetzel still likes to laugh at many behaviors that she thinks are inefficient.

"I met you at the entrance of the camp. Although I didn't see your specific skills, judging from your silver armor and giant sword, you must be a great warrior. Moreover, you have the courage to cross the jungle alone..." Will complimented with a serious expression, "No one will ignore your talent. Lend me your giant sword, and I will go with you."

"Chk." Laizer turned his face away, no longer looking at Will.

“I’ll just assume that means ‘agreed’ in Githyanki. Come on, sit down.”

Laizer never looked at Will, but she still sat cross-legged by the campfire.

Will, the last magician to join the team, actually mastered how to communicate effectively with Laizer in such a short time, which was really surprising. Perhaps this is the charm of civilian heroes. They travel through the streets and alleys, interact with all kinds of people, and know what to say to different people.

"Wait, you said that the evil demon had a single curled horn, red skin, and was covered in flames?" Asdaelon asked, "I think I've seen her before!"

"What?" Will stood up. "She's in a refugee camp?"

"Ah--" All the adventurers infected by the Mind Flayer tadpoles covered their heads and groaned at the same time. The mental energy of the Mind Flayer tadpoles formed a network for transmitting information between them, sharing what Will saw and heard in his mind.

That was the scene of Zariel's champion warriors violently killing in the bloody battle of hell.

"Okay..." Asdeln rubbed his temple and took out a brass telescope from his back. "It seems that I have indeed seen her. She is in the cliff cave north of the camp... I originally wanted to see if the red dragon had discovered the tiefling camp... But below the cliff, next to a stream, the fire on the demon's body attracted my attention - I thought it was the flames spewed by the red dragon... Her name is Kalak? She really looks like the tiefling in the camp."

"That must be a demon in disguise!" Will said seriously, then smiled again, "I just joined this team and got the news about her. It seems that luck is on my side... Maybe we can launch a surprise attack from the cliff. One round of attack will be enough to chop off her head!"

“So, in addition to escorting the tieflings and finding the Githyanki breeding house, our mission list now includes hunting down devils?” Evil Thoughts clapped his hands in silence and said sarcastically, “There are too few clues to this matter.”

"That's not all!" Gale raised a finger, drawing everyone's attention back. "There's also an alchemist from the southern swamp in the camp. Her medical skills seem to be very advanced - at least the potions she sells are all top-quality stuff... Most importantly, she spotted the mind flayer tadpole hiding behind my eyes at a glance! She said she lives in the southern swamp, and there are some special collections there. Maybe she's hinting to us that she has some treatments she can provide. In any case, this can be a backup option, especially if we might encounter a red dragon."

"Good news! Brought by a wizard?" Asdeln raised his voice, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the sweat off his face pretentiously. "Why can't I believe it? Could this be another fire pit or trap? The kind that explodes as well?"

"We do need to be wary of uninvited kindness. However, we should indeed go meet Aunt Ethel." Gail ignored Asdeln's sarcasm and earnestly put forward his suggestion.

"Okay, okay, there's one more place waiting to be explored. At least there's hope that we may be healed." The apple crunched in Xie Nian's mouth. Sweet juice flowed from her scarlet lips, leaving a transparent mark at the corner of her mouth.

"Next, let me tell you what I got from the druids." Xie Yi wiped the apple juice from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "The druids are preparing for the thorn ceremony. You all know this. It is the magic that will drive everyone out of the forest. The core of the ceremony is the statue of Silvanus. Some tieflings are planning to steal him. A child has already made an attempt. Unfortunately, she failed and was caught by the druids of the forest. When I arrived, they were planning to execute her with a poisonous snake."

"Oh my God! Tell me you saved that child." Gail exclaimed, "Maybe the child is not innocent, but the mistakes made in youth can be forgiven."

"It seems that you are still thinking about reconciling with the goddess of magic? The Archmage of Waterdeep?" Xie Nian asked jokingly, but after seeing Gale's eyes, she quickly changed the subject, "Although the bloodthirsty desire in my mind urged me to watch the execution, I still managed to help the child escape punishment. To be honest, my head still hurts now."

"Where's the part about druids? Why haven't I heard the point yet?" asked Asdeln.

"The next step is this. I met a doctor in the druids' territory. She knew about the existence of the Mind Flayer tadpoles. I even saw a corpse parasitized by the Mind Flayer tadpoles at her workplace. It was a drow elf! And I saw this on her workbench!" Xie Nian said solemnly, and at the same time took out a bottle filled with salt water. The ugly Mind Flayer larvae were floating quietly in it. The tentacles with suction cups and the round mouth full of sharp teeth were not moving, but all adventurers infected with the Mind Flayer tadpoles could notice that the larvae in the bottle were still alive. "I think it must be useful, so I 'borrowed' it back... You are an inventor, Ivy, can you research something with it?"

"I need clean instruments, such as a scalpel and glassware... Maybe we can find a place in this woodland that can provide a research environment. In short, I will try my best." Ivy tapped the bottle with his fingers. The Mind Flayer tadpoles inside squirmed for a moment, and then immediately calmed down. "If we can find a living experiment, maybe I can perform a craniotomy on you."

"These professional terms are really reassuring. If you could get some disinfectant and gauze, I would have thought I was sitting in a hospital now." Asdeln's eyes never left the bottle containing the Mind Flayer tadpoles, but his mouth still automatically uttered some irrelevant witticisms.

"So when we encounter the next victim of the Mind Flayer Tadpole, should we knock him out first and hand him over to the bard as a test subject?" Yingxin touched the back of his hand, "Forget it... It's better for others to die than for ourselves..."

"We can't harm innocent people! What's more, they are in the same boat with us!" Will frowned in disapproval.

"That's exactly what I'm going to say!" Xie Nian stepped forward to stop the quarrel. "There's another bard in the druid's territory... or rather, a guy who looks like a bard. I don't think he's as professional as you, Ivy. Anyway, this bard who calls himself Valor is planning to go to a goblin camp, and according to his description, there's an abandoned Selune Temple there, and the creatures entrenched there include goblins, ogres, and drow... and the corpse that was also infected by the mind flayer tadpoles is also a drow elf."

"You mean we can find innocent experimental subjects in the goblin camp?" Will asked. He nodded slowly. "As we all know, drow are basically evil guys, so I don't mind using them for experiments."

"Well, this has the same goal as the tiefling escort mission Ivy accepted. It seems that we have to go to the goblin camp..." Yingxin frowned and thought for a while, then said, "In this case, I also have a piece of news to share with you. There is a goblin captive being held in a cell in the woods. She seems to believe in a guy called the 'Supreme True God'... I have never heard of this strange god, but she believes that the priestess in the camp can provide corresponding treatment..."

"K'chakhi (Githyanki: idiot), seeking help from a stinking goblin. I really doubt how the mind flayer tadpole in your brain survived. It should have been drowned by the water in your brain long ago." Laizel rolled her eyes. Although her eyes were not big, this action became extremely conspicuous compared to the black eye shadow around her eyes.

"In the face of the possibility of turning into a mind flayer at any time, we should not give up any possible hope. Since we must go to the goblin camp, why not find out the methods of the Supreme God Priestess as told by the goblin captives?" Yingxin asked back.

"What Shadow Heart said does make sense," Xie Nian nodded, "and the Archdruid of the Forest is also in the goblin camp. He is the guy abandoned by the three mercenaries at the door. It is said that he is a master healer, and he was the first to discover the Mind Flayer tadpoles in the drow's brain. Maybe he has obtained enough information from the goblin camp and asked me to heal us?"

"Oh, about the three mercenaries. They came here to find a divine artifact called Nightsong. They were hired by Baldur's Gate Archmage Lorokan." Asdeln took out a piece of folded paper from his pocket. "We can look for it in the goblin camp."

(End of this chapter)