From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 509 Dusk is Falling
The knowledge contained in the "Governor's Secret Codex" is almost entirely related to necromancy, but compared with the "Necromantic Codex of Sel", its content has a stronger personal style.

However, it is still evident that the person who wrote this legendary grimoire was a spellcaster with unique insights into the field of necromancy.

If it were in the hands of someone else, the most important part of the "Governor's Codex" would probably be used to circumvent the protective measures of the "Necromantic Codex of Sel" in order to avoid being driven mad by the wailing of the dead souls that are entangled in it.

But for Ivy, a master of black magic and necromancy, the curse of the dead was hardly a threat.

Similar to *The Red Knight's Strategic Guide*, studying *The Governor's Codex* can still grant Ivy a new feat called "High-Power Necromancy," which provides additional saving throws and caster-level bonuses to all his necromancy spells. It possesses unassuming yet powerful strength.

In addition, it offers a necromancy spell with great potential for expansion, the fifth-ring Death Dance, which creates four ghouls.

In the mage's spell list, a similar spell is the sixth-circle spell "Create Undead," which can turn three corpses within range into ghouls. If the ascending-circle spell effect is used, the number of undead created will be further enhanced.

In comparison, the fifth-ring Death Dance not only summons more ghouls than undead, but also requires more flexible spell slots. If this spell could be extended to higher rings, it would completely outclass the necromancer's signature spell.

However, the time constraints prevented Ivy from focusing on studying this book, which could also provide expertise.

Ivy closed the book, put it back in the display case, and thoughtfully added a protective spell as before.

The sorcery general store is merely holding them temporarily; Lorokan is a lowly and incompetent sorcerer who has long occupied the Ramages Tower.

These treasures are naturally meant for the virtuous, not to mention his delusion of imprisoning Irene, the Song of the Night, and using the divine life force of the daughter of Serene to prolong his own mortal life.

As the warrior who dispelled the curse of Shar's Shadow, it was only natural for Ivy to stop such a despicable act and then take over the Tower of Ramages and the sorcery general store.

Luo Ruokan is just temporarily holding onto property that doesn't belong to him, so what's there to worry about?
"We need to go back and discuss the matter of the Song of the Night. I believe we will soon reach an agreement with Master Lorokan." Ivy, as a legendary spellcaster, maintained his composure and still wore a warm smile as he spoke to Torna. "Please allow me to say in advance that Stryhaven welcomes you to its school, Miss Torna."

“Oh! That’s my honor! Master Doom… oh no, Professor Doom!” Tolna bowed with delight. All that running around for so long was for Ivy’s promise.

After thoroughly browsing the vault of the sorcery shop, Ivy and Gale returned to the ground and met up with Minsk, who was alone in the sorcery shop.

"Mistra's underwear! Why did you do this?! Those are items I haven't sold yet!"

The three had just stepped out of Tolna's office when they heard a question coming from the lobby of the sorcery general store.

Minsk then retorted confidently, "Liar! That's an evil ghoul! Minsk has four eyes in total, and they can all testify to that!"

"The goods I sell are ghouls!" The shop assistant shouting was a gray dwarf spellcaster. Next to him stood an elf customer in a silk robe, and opposite him was Minsk with his arms crossed, and a hamster named Bu on his shoulder making the same gesture.

Between Minsk and the grey dwarves, there is a pool of broken flesh and blood, which should be the ghoul mentioned in the conversation, or the remains of a ghoul.

"Korderlain, what happened?" Thorna, who also recognized her colleague's voice, quickly leaned over the railing and asked loudly.

Gale, who also recognized Minsk's voice, whispered to Ivy, "Perhaps we shouldn't have left Minsk here alone..."

“Minsk isn’t ‘alone,’ his kind-hearted partner is standing on his shoulders!” As a ranger, Minsk had received some basic listening training, which enabled him to accurately capture Gale’s voice in noisy environments.

“Yes, I saw Little Brooks.” Gale sighed, walked down the stairs to Minsk’s side, and asked, “What exactly happened?”

"Your companion destroyed my product with a single punch! I hadn't even finished explaining its features!" said the gray dwarf, Cordrein, angrily.

“Don’t be so rude, Cordrein. This is Master Doom, and that is Master Decarios. They’re here to discuss something with Master Lorokan,” Thorna quickly stopped her colleague’s scolding.

"Masters?" The gray dwarf glanced at the two mages suspiciously. "I didn't know so many archmages had come to Baldur's Gate! Even if you really are archmages, you still have to compensate me for my goods."

“Minsk has never believed in places like this. There’s too much magic power to take away. Especially the power of evil magic.” Minsk muttered under his breath, his voice loud enough for everyone in the sorcery shop to hear.

"Of course, except in Minsk. When he comes across a lot of delicate little jars, and evil ghouls, the mage will yell and glare angrily!"

“Don’t worry, Minsk. You have two mages with you, and they’ll definitely encourage this curiosity. You’ll adapt well.” Ivy casually reassured Minsk, then made a few hand gestures, summoning sinister necromancy.

Under Ivy's guidance, the scattered ghoul flesh and blood reassembled, transforming into an even larger, more powerful, and robust undead creature.

This is the spell Death Dance that Ivy just learned from the "Governor's Codex," except that he used all the necromantic power that could summon four ghouls on a single ghoul, making it appear twice the size of a normal ghoul.

Ivy waved her hand, then took an arm from a human skeleton specimen by the wall and connected it to the ghoul in front of her.

This technology is inspired by the Witch Ethel's Wand of Sorrow, which allows summoning spells to become perpetual. Although it reduces flexibility, it is certainly a suitable pastime for the ladies of the upper city.

The expression on the gray dwarf necromancer's face, which had witnessed Ivy's series of spellcasting actions, had changed from doubt to shock, and from shock to eagerness.

He had already decided that once Ivy returned the wand to him, he would refuse the elven lady's request to buy it, keep the wand for himself, and study the magic on it carefully.

He could tell that Ivy possessed a stronger spellcasting ability than Archmage Lorokan of Baldur's Gate, at least in terms of necromancy.

When Ivy finished casting the spell, the gray dwarf necromancer already wore a shrewd and obsequious smile, spreading his hands to accept Ivy's "compensation."

"Lady Elf? Are you still planning to buy the Necromancer's Wand? It's the same price as the original, but definitely a better deal." No one expected that Ivy would actually offer the wand as compensation to the indecisive elven noblewoman.

"How could you!" The gray dwarf necromancer's smile vanished. He wanted to angrily question Ivy, but then he remembered his colleague Tolna's words and could only stand there awkwardly. "Of course I could." Ivy's smile was quite amusing. "I protected the reputation of the witchcraft general store and even brought you a customer."

Having seen this, how could the elven noblewoman not understand?

She immediately untied the purse from her waist and tossed it into the gray dwarf necromancer's arms without even glancing at it. At the same time, she stretched out her hands, ready to take the necromancer's staff from Ivy's hand: "I am Alice Orcia, esteemed Master Doom. I am certainly delighted to buy this wand! The rumors in town have been growing increasingly fierce lately, and no one knows what will happen, so I thought I'd come to the witchcraft general store to buy something for self-defense. Many of my friends also have this need, and I wonder if you…"

Ivy shook her head slightly, declining the elven noblewoman's enthusiasm: "I have no shortage of gold; making magical items is just a hobby of mine."

He stopped paying attention to the gray dwarf necromancer and his client, and turned to his companion, saying, "Alright, this matter is temporarily settled. Let's go back."

Even after returning to the guild hall, Ivy still had a lot to do.

He needed to prepare the culture tanks and nutrient solutions for Gale's cloning, and also discuss the plan to attack Qazador's palace with the Harpists and Flame Fists.

And, dealing with a white-bearded old man who suddenly appears in the guild hall, clamoring for cheese and red wine.

“Elminster?” Gale stared in astonishment at the old mage sitting at the bar, munching on a cheese salad.

“Nice to meet you! My good boy!” Elminster swallowed what was in his mouth and reached out to pull up a stool for Gale. “Don’t mind me—my lungs are just enjoying the fresh air of Baldur’s Gate.”

"Fresh air?" Gale sat down, looking around at the dark, sunless underground structure of the guild hall. It was clearly a water reservoir, with moss growing on the pillars supporting the ground. Although it was slightly cleaner than other places filled with sewage, it was obviously not fresh air. "Here?"

“You can’t deny it has a distinctive fragrance, though perhaps not worthy of being bottled.” The old sorcerer ordered another drink for Gail from the bartender. “I heard from your companions that you just browsed the most prestigious shopping center, the witchcraft general store. Please satisfy my curiosity—what wonders did you discover there?”

"You mean the Calsas Almanac?" Although it was a question, Gale used a declarative tone. "Reading it really enlightened me."

"So, you now know the truth about the enemy we are facing. It was the creator of this tool, who eponymous, who revoked the magic itself."

"Now perhaps you understand the stakes involved, my child. Although Mystra's demands on you are very harsh, they are not entirely without merit, nor are they an easy task."

“What exactly are you trying to say?” Gale interrupted Elminster, frowning. “Is there anything else you haven’t said?”

“Mystra knows everything. He’s been watching you, Gale.” Elminster put down his knife and fork and turned to face Gale. “She commands you to go to her sanctuary at Baldur’s Gate and find her shrine. There, she will grant you one last audience.”

"Mystra is willing to talk to me again?" Ivy sensed that Gale was throwing a tantrum, like a couple in the throes of a cold war, but considering that his lover was the goddess of magic, it made the situation seem even more terrifying. "Is this all your doing, Elminster?"

Elminster was silent for a moment, then took out the pipe that was shimmering with powerful magical light from his pocket. Ivy frowned and suppressed his arcane vision.

Arcane Vision is indeed a convenient spell, but when powerful magical objects are too close, the magical aura in one's field of vision can become as dazzling as a flashlight.

“She knows very well what I see in you.” Elminster exhaled a string of smoke rings. “You know I wasn’t born a senile mage. I know all too well what it feels like to be filled with longing for a goddess.”

“Looking at you is like gazing into a mirror that reflects scenes from centuries ago.”

Gail's behavior toward this elderly man who was both a teacher and a friend could be described as rebellious, like a child seeking independence facing their parents.

"The past is the past, and the future is to be decided by myself and my friends, not by Mystra." Gale's expression was firm. He had much more confidence in Ivy's plan than he did in his own life, thanks to Ivy's performance along the way. Gale had personally witnessed this mage from another world complete one seemingly impossible magical research project after another. Now, what stood in their way was just another problem. And it was a problem whose difficulty was halved by the involvement of two geniuses.

“If your mind is made up, Gale, then go for it. Use your own quill to finish the story.” Elminster picked up his wizard's hat from the bar, nodded slightly, and vanished without a trace.

“Like you said, Mystra has been watching me. Or maybe it’s the Almanac of Calthus…” Gale took a sip of his drink, somewhat annoyed, and complained to Ivy, “An audience? Maybe she just wants to apologize! Apologize for asking me to die.”

"She sent out her most famous errand boy, which at least shows she's serious," Ivy joked.

“I agree.” Recalling Elminster’s earlier complaints, Gale smiled. “This conversation should have taken place a long time ago. No matter how it ends, I should have let her finish what she had to say.”

Two glasses of red wine were placed in front of the two people by a pair of hands, one of which was missing a finger.

Ivy looked up and saw Nine-Fingered Keane standing behind the bar.

"That old man... is he really Elminster?" Nine Fingers swept aside the old mage's leftover cheese salad and asked suspiciously.

“Absolutely the real deal.” Gail shrugged. “What do you want with us? Or what do you want with Ivy?”

"Did you get what I asked for?" Ivy asked before Nine Fingers could answer.

"We're rats in the sewers, not wishing wells," Nine Fingers said, looking displeased. "What you need is a pass to the upper city, not something that can be done so quickly!"

"To be more precise, what I want is the convenience of not being disturbed by the guards in the upper city. I don't care about the specifics of how it's done." Ivy tapped her finger on her glass, and a layer of white frost quickly climbed up the glass. "At the latest, we'll be moving to Qazador's palace in two days, that Gothic building on the hillside. After that, I don't want to be wanted by the guards the moment I step out the door."

“Attack a nobleman is a serious crime,” Nine Fingers warned. “Those guards will hound you relentlessly!”

“It’s just to rid the people of a scourge. Kazador is a vampire lord who has been entrenched in Baldur’s Gate for at least two hundred years. Think of all the innocent citizens he has devoured.” Ivy reached for her glass and gestured slightly to Nine Fingers. “I believe you can do it, Astir.”

(End of this chapter)