From Hogwarts to Strixhaven.

Chapter 515 Van Sampure Estate

The guild's Upper City pass still hadn't arrived, but time was running out for Ivy to stay in the vampire lord's palace any longer.

As one of Baal's chosen ones, Orin was undoubtedly a very dangerous individual. Her unstable emotions gave her even greater destructive power and were the reason why the God of Murder inexplicably lost a loyal offspring.

If she were to obtain the Shield Knight's divine shield, who knows what bizarre things she might do.

Although Salamara Van Sampur is dead, the family's name will not fade from people's memories anytime soon. Not to mention that their entire family has been exposed as the devil's lackeys.

High Duke's advisor, Floric, was deeply impressed by Salamara, a former duke who also claimed to have come from humble beginnings. Therefore, he easily located Van Sampure Manor on the map of the Upper City that the vampire lord had collected.

It's very close to the High Hall Castle, where Gotash is based, making it a very sensitive location. At the same time, Van Sampur Manor is quite a distance from the adventurers' current stronghold.

Although both are part of the Upper City, the long and narrow urban structure divides the Upper City into several distinct areas. Qazador's Palace, located near the crowded gates of the spacious district, is the highest point in the Upper City, and with the watchtowers built by Qazador himself, it offers a panoramic view of the entire Baldur's Gate.

Normally, the wide streets are the busiest parts of the Upper City. Starting from Qazador's Palace and heading west, you'll reach Baldur's Gate's largest market area after crossing two streets. Because the market area is filled with itinerant vendors, this area is marked as empty space on the map.

After paying their taxes, vendors from the lower and outer districts could enter the upper district to sell their goods under the strict watch of the guards. At sunset, the guards would ensure that all vendors left the market without exception, and then a curfew would be imposed.

However, due to the ban, there are almost no citizens from the lower city left in the upper city. Apart from Zong Gui and the city guards who have been granted special permission, no one can pass through the various gates between the upper and lower cities.

As a result, the once bustling market is now just a desolate and empty space.

“We must defeat the Supreme God and restore the city to its former glory,” Minsk said quietly. Before setting off, Ivy had prepared invisibility potions for everyone, but keeping the Leathermans quiet was not an easy task. “This is Minsk’s favorite place. He and Little Bu have been standing here for almost 100 years.”

"So this is where you became a statue?" Karak asked with interest. "In a sense, isn't this also your territory, Stone Lord?"

“Minsk has discovered that you are a clever berserker, Karak,” Minsk said somewhat dejectedly. “Perhaps before long, you won’t need Minsk as your mentor anymore.”

Somehow, evil thoughts successfully confused the concepts of "friend" and "spiritual mentor" in Minsk's mind. The good news is that Jashira no longer needs to worry about being Minsk's only spiritual mentor, but the bad news is that Minsk has so many spiritual mentors that you can't count them on two hands.

Because Karak's class is a berserk barbarian, Minsk considers himself, a ranger, to be her mentor.

“But you have Little Bu, Minsk!” Karak said with a laugh, “a great hamster sage! He can teach me a lot too!”

"Hahaha! You're right!" Minsk lifted the little cloth from his shoulder. "Minsk thinks you also have your own hamster!"

“I won’t deny that…” Karak nodded, “but what I really want to ask is… how old is he, Minsk?”

“He’s clearly in his prime. In his prime, like a miniature giant space hamster,” Minsk replied.

Karak then asked, "Has he always looked like this? Is it possible that Jahira changes his jack every few years?"

Minsk was clearly taken aback by Karak's whimsical idea: "Karak! Minsk and Little Bro think you'd be better off not caring so much about your appearance."

Their conversation made Gale, who was traveling with them, laugh: "Have you heard of Sannasa? The leader of the Thieves' Guild in Waterdeep. Just think of him as Nine Fingers of Waterdeep. He's a passionate pet lover, just like Minsk."

“Nine Fingers from Waterdeep! People who like small animals aren’t bad people!” Minsk exclaimed. “What animals does he like? Can he communicate with his companions?”

“It’s a goldfish, the kind that needs to be kept in a fish tank.” Gale’s expression was no different from when he went to Minsk with the dictionary. “As for communication… I haven’t heard anyone mention it.”

"So, that's all?" Karak said with little interest. "The guild leader and his goldfish pet?"

Gale held up a finger, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Of course not. I just meant that being Shanasa's pet is a high-risk job, because Shanasa is an Eye Demon. And Eye Demons can't distinguish between fish, so his minions have to replace the goldfish before Shanasa realizes it's dead. Otherwise, the thieves of Waterdeep will be in big trouble."

Karak's laughter, which was described as hyena-like, was extinguished by Ivy with a single finger before it could even begin.

"Quiet, there are guards ahead."

The market square, devoid of vendors, stretched as far as the eye could see, so the sentries didn't deploy any extra patrols. They simply needed to glance at the square whenever a patrol passed by to find out if anything unusual was happening.

The Upper District has far fewer residents than the bustling Lower District. Now that the guards have sealed off all the city gates of the Upper District, there are fewer tourists and vendors coming to visit and set up stalls, and the flow of people in the Upper District has also decreased significantly.

Apart from a few noble servants walking briskly through the streets, Ivy and her companions had hardly seen any nobles from the Upper City dressed in finery along the way.

Of course, it's also possible that it's still early and the salon activities for the nobles haven't started yet.

Beyond the wide market square, the silhouette of the Ramakis Tower grew ever more imposing. This mage tower, commissioned by the sailor mage Ramakis, stood at the boundary between the spacious streets and the temple. As the tallest building in Baldur's Gate, the Ramakis Tower was always very conspicuous. Six stories high, it was a cylindrical pagoda-style building constructed of greyish-white stone. Its architecture didn't quite align with the overall style of the upper city, further emphasizing its exotic charm.

This is why many people consider it an eyesore, but many more regard it as another landmark of the Baldur's Gate because of its height and fame.

But now the adventurers are quite clear that the mage hiding in the tower is nothing more than a worthless covetous covetous of the immortal life force of divine beings. If it weren't for the fact that Ivy isn't yet ready to fully expose herself to Gortash, this mage tower would have already changed hands long ago.

Continuing east across a street from the foot of the Ramakis Tower, adventurers enter the Temple District, which houses the High Hall of the High Duke, the Temple of Supreme Miracles used by the Gonde followers to display their inventions, and the Temple of the Gods revered by the elites of the Upper City.

Owning a sizable manor here is proof enough that you've joined the core ruling circle of Baldur's Gate.

“The guards are more numerous now…” Will looked worriedly toward the High Hall, the fortress built inside Baldur’s Gate that was originally his father’s command post, but now it had become a place where he was imprisoned.

"And everywhere is... flashy." The evil thought glanced at the sentries and Flame Fist who were hanging banners, preparing for Gotash's coronation ceremony.

For a corrupt city like Baldur's Gate, the Grand Duke's inauguration ceremony was not only a political event but also a social one. No matter how much Gotash wanted to gain supreme power in Baldur's Gate, he had to at least maintain a facade of peace with the nobles of the upper city.

The coronation as Grand Duke would grant him the nominal authority to rule Baldur's Gate, but in reality, he would already be its ruler. Since the coronation ceremony would not confer any real power upon him, Gortash had no urgent desire to complete it.

However, under the guise of decorating the High Hall for the coronation ceremony, he could allow more cultists belonging to the Bane Order to infiltrate the power center of Baldur's Gate, and incidentally strengthen the security of his fortress by smuggling smoke powder from various places.

Olin, who could change his shape, was a threat to everyone. Gotash believed that if he revealed a weakness, Olin would be more than willing to plunge his dagger into his back.

“Gotash is not our target,” Ivy urged the team to keep going, “at least for now.”

Gortash established his headquarters in the High Hall of the Upper City, unlike the Dragon Rock Fortress in the game. Ivy wasn't sure what prompted this change, but he certainly wouldn't underestimate this man who was just one step away from completing the Supreme God's plan.

Ivy won't act rashly until she fully understands her opponent's hand.

“You made it very clear in the war council, Ivy…” Will sighed, “I’m just… too worried about Duke Gao…”

“Gotash’s coronation ceremony. Perhaps we can try to sneak in and investigate the Bane Order, but it must be done discreetly. Simply using invisibility magic is clearly not a suitable method,” Ivy said casually. “At the very least, we need to ensure that someone is legally present at the ceremony to keep an eye on Gotash and cover the others who are infiltrating in the shadows.”

“This plan sounds very clever…” Yingxin praised. “When did you start planning this?”

“After seeing the situation in the High Hall,” Ivy didn’t think it was a particularly clever plan, because in Hollywood movies, at least eight out of ten movies with infiltration scenes follow this formula. However, Ivy had to admit that although it was somewhat clichéd, it was indeed a very practical plan, especially since Ivy could use telepathy instead of wireless communication devices.

"Alright, we're here." Floric, who had been leading the way, stopped.

Van Sampure's estate is very close to the High Hall, just across the street, which gives you an idea of ​​just how much influence the family had in Baldur's Gate when Salamara Van Sampure was still a duke.

This is why, when Salamara was exposed as a henchman of the devil, the public's anger naturally destroyed the political reputation of the entire Van Sampur family.

Today, Van Sampure Estate is a building whose dilapidated state is evident from its exterior alone.

The green spaces surrounding the large mansion were poorly maintained; some trees had withered completely, while others, such as lawns and shrubs, were so lush that they even obscured the stables in a corner of the estate, where not a single horse was present.

The main gate of the manor was secured with two thick iron chains, locked with a rusty padlock. Weeds had completely buried the cobblestone path behind the gate.

"Is anyone still living here?" Will asked skeptically. "It's so different from the glamorous Duke's manor we knew before."

“And it also contradicts the intelligence we received from the Zantalin Society.” Gale agreed. “The Van Sampure family has the resources to buy Beholders from Eltugard, but not the money to mow their lawn?”

“Perhaps only in this way can we meet people’s expectations of the Van Sampure family.” Ivy mobilized the power of the air element, sending her teammates one by one into the manor’s courtyard.

Van Sampur Villa is a sizable stone building with only two floors in the main structure, but a towering tower stands above the entrance hall, offering views across the courtyard walls.

The stone building has a gable roof that is slightly sloping and covered with slightly faded red tiles. The oil lamps hanging on the eaves and walls are swaying and making a series of annoying noises because they are not well maintained.

The villa's windows and doors were tightly closed, making it impossible to tell whether they were locked or not. There were no patrolling guards in sight, as if the place had truly been abandoned for a long time.

“Tell me about Van Sampure on Orin’s murder list.” Ivy led her teammates into the villa, asking for information about the target.

“Thrusville Van Sampure? He’s a thin, unpleasant man, unlike his robust mother; he looks like he could be blown away by a gust of wind.” Floric answered Ivy’s question. As the High Duke’s advisor, she knew the relatives of every member of the Council of Four, and after arriving at the Guild Hall, she updated her understanding with Nine Fingers. “Incredibly, Thrusville is a priest of Tom, and he insists he has nothing to do with Salamara and is trying to use divine magic to prove his innocence. Regardless of the truth, the judge presiding over the case has no intention of escalating the matter. However, both the Guild and Nine Fingers believe the Van Sampure family has paid a heavy price for this.”

(End of this chapter)