From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 476 Morning Star
The moment the mithril staff touched the ground, the rubble and debris of the ruins of Resven town trembled.

The robes embroidered with stars and various mysterious magical runes fluttered without wind, starlight and magical auras projecting the embroidery onto the robes as materialized patterns. As the legendary spellcaster from the astral plane turned his staff, a rumbling sound of rock slabs shattering and reforming echoed from the depths of the earth.

The chanting of the incantation grew louder and louder, and the onlookers—Flame Fist, Harpist, and Tiflin refugees—couldn't help but step back, looking at the young mage floating in mid-air with awe.

The overlapping rings of magic gradually covered the original ruins of Resven, and with the first spire breaking through the ground, the magnificent fortress of the eighth rings, enhanced and modified by Ivy, was officially unveiled.

The castle's base is a star-shaped structure made of basalt, with a pointed tower standing at each star's tip. These towers are not the usual square or round shapes, but rather have sloping angles facing outwards. The slightly curved walls have many firing holes to maximize the advantage of covering firepower.

Every few seconds, a section of the crenellations of the city wall is protruded from the earth, and the dark basalt reflects the sunlight in a somber color, adding a sense of majesty and solemnity to this newly built structure.

The tributaries of the Chongza River churned with countless bubbles, as if some ferocious beast was about to rise. Arabel, held atop the head of the Shadow Destroyer, immediately recognized it as not a beast or giant serpent, but a section of city wall rising from the riverbed.

After the river was briefly blocked, the water, lifted up by the city wall, poured down from the crenellations, forming small waterfalls.

When the river water at the waterfall dried up, the crowd finally saw the true face of this section of the city wall—it was actually a water gate spanning the river.

The winding tributaries of the Chongsa River flow into the main river from the mountains, while the castle that Ivy raised with magic leans against the foot of the mountain. The flowing water that runs through the city divides the inner city in two, becoming the second barrier of the castle and also a natural dividing line between the city and the surrounding area.

The river flows under the covered walkway of the inner city and then merges into the westward-flowing Chongza River through the water gate of the outer city wall. The giant iron gate suspended above the water gate is raised and lowered by gears and crankshafts, which can not only block enemies who want to go upstream, but also protect the inner residential area from disturbance.

However, the spell "Magnificent Fortress" does not create city buildings; pushing the walls outward by three hundred feet is already the limit that Ivy can achieve.

Therefore, apart from facilities such as stables, blacksmith shops, and granaries that could serve the war effort, there were no other buildings inside the city walls that could be used as civilian houses, except for the flat ground.

However, almost all the cities in Faerûn were expanded from a single castle, so Ivy wasn't worried that her future territory would consist of only this one lonely star-shaped spire castle.

Once the influx of residents from all over fills the interior of the city walls, they will spontaneously begin construction work in the outer city. With a little guidance and preferential treatment from the castle lord, new districts will spring up like mushrooms after rain.

Baldur's Gate is a city that grew up in this way.

Originally, apart from the port and the High Hall Castle used for defense, there were very few buildings in the city taller than twenty feet. But prosperous trade eventually allowed it to grow into a behemoth with two large districts and twenty smaller districts, and a population of over one hundred thousand.

While this scale is nothing compared to the Muggle world of Hogwarts, it is a premier and prosperous place in the magical Middle Ages.

By simply copying the urban planning and infrastructure of the Muggle world, Ivy believed he was fully capable of creating a more vibrant city than Baldur's Gate.

The decision to build the castle across the river was made by Ivy after careful consideration. This is because the tributary of the Chongza River flows north-south, while the Chongza River itself flows east-west.

The original city of Reisven was located in the fourth quadrant of the land coordinate system, which is divided by the cross-shaped waterways, a location that was also uniquely advantageous.

However, besides the new city on the surface, there's also the Adamantite Forge deep within the Underdark. The Adamantite Forge's surface entrance is an elevator built by the followers of Shar, located in the third quadrant, closer to the Inn of the End of Light than to Old City of Reisven. This geographical location is the main reason Jasira was able to discover Ninna's exploration team at the Adamantite Forge.

In order to find out the true intentions of Ninner and the Supreme God, Jahira even sent out the few remaining Drow Harpists as spies to infiltrate the Adamantite Forge.

Unfortunately, none of them bore the mark of the Supreme God or the Mind Flayer Tadpole, and were eventually exposed by the Grey Dwarves, becoming corpses in cages.

The once isolated End of Light Inn has now been enclosed within the inner city by a wall raised by Ivy's magic. Presumably, its future customers will shift from travelers from the Path of Ascension to sailors and captains traveling on the Chowssa River.

In conclusion, the new city of Reisven, built by Ivy using a magnificent fortress, ultimately presents a double nested structure. The outermost layer consists of towering walls and defensive spires spanning both sides of the river, while the inner layer is a star-shaped castle surrounded two-thirds of the way by the winding river. In addition to the magically created walls and castle, the tributary of the Chowza River forms the second dividing line of the new city.

The castle and walls are mainly made of basalt formed from cooled lava. From the outside, it looks more like a giant beast lying between the mountains, evoking nothing more than coldness and solemnity.

However, Ivy was quite satisfied, because he was confident that once he moved in, he would use magic to decorate this cold building.

Dispersing the wind elements that had been swirling around him, Ivy slowly descended, extending his palm to invite the stunned audience: "Don't just stand there, come in and take a look."

“Magic can bring not only destruction, but also new life…” Halsin carefully observed the wizard statues standing opposite each other at the city gate, nodded, and said, “I have learned another lesson.”

As previously mentioned, apart from a few isolated war-era buildings, there is nothing beyond the city walls except for flat ground.

But the dark city walls were enough to give the Tifflin refugees who would be living here an extraordinary sense of security.

"You are free to cultivate farmland outside the city. Once the reclamation is complete, you can use the land freely. However, there is a maximum limit to the land each household can use, and you will need to pay two-tenths of the tax to the lord. After paying taxes for fifteen years, or by purchasing ten years' worth of taxes at once, the tax rate will be reduced to one-tenth." Ivy began to explain his reclamation policy. "This portion of the tax revenue will be used to repair the castle roads, or to hire construction teams from elsewhere to expand the city's infrastructure, or to help build new residences and functional buildings." "Of course, I will leave you with enough tools and building materials before you officially head to Baldur's Gate. Until your own houses are completed, everyone can temporarily live in my castle." Before Sefro could even speak, Ivy knew what he was worried about. "Don't worry about the land not producing enough food. I have already discussed it with the nature spirits of this land, and they will help promote crop growth. Of course, necessary tending to the crops is still essential. The nature spirits are merely your helpers, not your servants."

Ivy has always possessed the air of someone in a position of power because he understands that the essence of power is violence. In the past, this violence was built upon trust and distance between people; there was no fundamental difference between a head of state and ordinary citizens, so as long as one could gain trust, one could naturally seize power.

But for Ivy now, magic means absolute violence. When he can easily take someone's life with a single spell, the aura of a powerful being naturally arises.

To him, these Tifflins were no longer fellow travelers, but his own subjects.

“Thank you for your mercy.” Commander Sefro, the Hell Knight, led a group of Tifferin to bow to Ivy. For these commoners living in the magical Middle Ages, a tax rate of two-tenths was a rather low figure, even lower than the tax rate they enjoyed before the fall of the holy city of Eltoril.

Moreover, Ivy has made it clear that this portion of the tax revenue will be used for city construction, which can be considered as taking from the people and using it for the people in a certain sense.

After all, gold was already the least of my worries. He built the city here only for the underground mithril mines and the forges that could refine mithril into refined gold.

Ivy nodded, accepting the greetings from the new citizens. Then, he gently lifted them all up with the power of the wind element, before he could finish speaking.

“As you’ve probably already heard, I’m a magic school professor from the Astral Plane.” Ivy paused, noticing the expression she wanted on the faces of the parents in the crowd. “This place will not only become my own city, but also a recruitment point for Streihaven in Faerûn. If any of my citizens are qualified enough to enroll, I will personally provide them with financial assistance after enrollment.”

A commotion arose in the crowd, and everyone couldn't help but look at the Tiftlin family of three huddled together.

“That’s right, Camilla, Loki,” Ivy said to the Tiftin couple in the crowd. “If Alabel is willing, she will become my apprentice. However, it’s too early for her to learn Strychnine; she may need some other arcane enlightenment and basic guidance. But all of this will have to wait until I’ve dealt with the Baldur’s Gate cultists.”

“She’s willing! Of course she’s willing!” Camilla lifted Arabella from beside her legs and casually placed her on her father Rocky’s neck. The brat who stole the idol blushed and nodded rapidly, agreeing with her mother more than ever.

“This is a great opportunity, Roland!” Lia, a Tiflin warrior standing in the crowd, said to her brother. “I don’t know how good Master Lorokan’s magic is, but it’s definitely not better than Master Doom’s! If you can learn from him, we can live with our own people!”

The three Roland siblings were the only group that did not accept Sefro's invitation to stay. As a mage apprentice, Roland was determined to learn and was determined to go to Baldur's Gate.

As the youngest brother, Karl was very good at reading people. He had already noticed that his somewhat arrogant but kind-hearted older brother was interested: "You've taken his classes, so you should know Master Doom's teaching level, right?"

“What he’s talking about is just the very basics! It’s all for children’s early education!” Roland argued.

"Really? I seem to remember that besides not missing a single class, you also took a lot of notes?" Leah teased.

“That was just… just a sign of respect for a great mage!” Roland blushed, but fortunately, as a typical Typhoon, his reddish-brown skin made it difficult to detect the change in his emotions.

“Yes! I am Master Lorokan’s apprentice, and that will never change. Unless…” Roland snorted twice, reaffirming his conviction, “otherwise I will absolutely never betray Master Lorokan! Just you wait and see, I will definitely break the record for the fastest Archmage to become a Grand Mage on the continent of Faerûn!”

Lia and Karl exchanged a smile, deciding not to embarrass Roland any further. After all, they had traveled such a long way from Eltoril to reach Baldur's Gate in search of Lorokan. Giving up halfway wouldn't be a good thing, and angering an archmage would truly be a greater loss than gain.

“It seems that soon the Lords’ Alliance will have another powerful lord,” High Duke’s advisor, Floric, remarked. “But before that, I suggest you give your territory a new name. Rasven is practically tied to the Somme family, and as the hero who dispelled the shadows, you have the right to give this land new life.”

A new name certainly helps to usher in a new era for this territory.

However, Ivy had never considered this issue before Florick formally brought it up.

He glanced at the dark, star-shaped castle and the still-cloudy sky over Rasven, and suggested, "What do you think of the name 'Twilight Star'?"

“Very fitting…but…” Florick hesitated for a moment.

A synthesized mechanical voice sounded behind them: "I think 'Morning Star' is a better name."

The visual sensor above the Shadow Destroyer's head was flashing incessantly: "This name not only symbolizes that your combined efforts with Losanda dispelled the Supreme God's conspiracy, but also that this land has finally seen new hope."

“Your iron brain is quite clever.” Minsara was the first to agree. “‘Twilight Star’ is more suitable for our underground city.”

That makes perfect sense. In that case, Ivy's idea for the name wasn't wasted, and it even corresponds to the two cities, one above ground and one below, which is quite interesting.

Ivy nodded, and with a wave of her hand, she used magic to carve a solemn string of words on the city gate—Morning Star City.

(End of this chapter)