"I am Rose's favored one, no one can restrict my freedom!" Santila tried her best to argue for her future.

The demonic fire leaping in the temple shone on the drow girl's pretty, angry face.

She was travel-stained, and her magic elf boots were stained with the dust and filth from the trading bazaars.

"My father can arrange the best magic training for me. There is no need to go to the Warlock Academy." Santila quickly glanced at the chief mage, hoping that he could say a word to help her.

But the other party's cold and tense expression was clearly telling her not to count on her help.

This made her speaking momentum gradually weaken.

Matron Elizabeth of the Tux family swept across Santila's angry face with her scarlet eyes, and a smile crept onto her mean lips.

"In fact," she said softly to the drow girl, "just because you are Rose's favored one, many people hope to see the day you enter the academy."

Mentioning Spider-Queen Lolth.

Santila's heart sank, but she knew that there was no way she could escape this disaster.

After all, Rose's favor is a double-edged sword, and she must use it properly.

All right.

She took a deep breath, adjusted her breathing, and thought stubbornly: At least this is not the worst case scenario.

It's hard to lose her freedom, but she really likes to study magic, and she can do it in the Warlock Academy.

The most important thing is that she can be unaffected by any conspiracy and betrayal for a whole year.

In a sense, she can also use this identity to change the style of the boring Warlock Academy, which is also a kind of fun.

"When are you going?" After thinking about it, she asked directly.

"There's no need to be in a hurry." Mistress Elizabeth pondered for a moment, her red eyes suddenly flashed with vicious amusement, "You can do it tomorrow."

"Follow your orders."

Santila nodded slightly, "I will report to the Warlock Academy on time tomorrow."

The Chief Archmage, who was watching on the sidelines, raised his eyelids and said nothing in the end.

"I'm afraid you misunderstood me, dear child." Mother Elizabeth smiled, her voice full of false kindness, "You should report to the Spider Academy."

"What?!"

Santila looked shocked and blurted out in anger and confusion.

She shook off a strand of hair from her forehead and suddenly turned to the chief mage.

At this moment, she suddenly understood what the purpose of Mistress Elizabeth, an old spider, was in suddenly calling her father here.

Just as Santila guessed, the Chief Archmage looked at her with a pair of light-colored eyes that made her irritated, showing an intimidating expression.

He raised his hand and said bluntly in a tone that required silence to hear clearly, "This is the tradition of the ancient city of Orens, and it is also the will of the goddess Rose."

Santila swallowed down the protest and dissatisfaction in her heart and nodded with great difficulty.

She finally understood.

If what she expected was true, Rose's favor on the day of the Founding of the City must have been a trap set by her father.

Because she thought about it, except for the Chief Archmage, who had a motive worthy of taking action, and others were eager to have this kind of grace bestowed on themselves, how could it be possible for her to take advantage of it.

At the same time, she was extremely angry at Matron Elisabetta for transferring her to the Priest College.

But he was also angry that he had fallen into the shameless little trap designed by this old spider so easily.

Elisabetta deliberately seduced her into thinking that she was going to the Warlock Academy, but the mistress had always planned to send her to the Spider Academy.

If she refused at this time, she couldn't imagine what would happen if she angered Rose.

This made her extremely angry at the trap set by the Chief Archmage.

Without Rose's grace, she could even leave on the spot.

After all, she never thought about serving that eight-legged female spider, or even becoming her bullshit priest.

Santila couldn't imagine what she would face next. Asking her to kneel in front of an eight-legged spider and pray devoutly was even more uncomfortable than killing her.

In her chaotic thoughts, she almost didn't notice what Matron Elizabeth said next, nor did she hear the words to leave.

In her daze, she felt the chief mage's hand on her shoulder, and then he pushed her out of the temple without any gentleness.

This old bastard, Khadrov, has actually started plotting against me, she thought through gritted teeth.

When she reached the door of the shrine, Mother Elizabeth stopped her.

Santila turned to face the old spider. By the standards of the drow, this old woman was not particularly attractive. No wonder she couldn't even find a mate.

Her white hair is long and sparse, tightly braided, and coiled on top of her head like a pile of Lothian dung.

Her attire is also very simple, a long piece of elf mail and a priest's robe.

Matron Elizabeth does not need traditional decorations to show her loyalty to Lolth. She is the highest-ranking priest in the city and enjoys the greatest favor of the goddess Lolth.

Santila finally saw that the old woman had stripped away all the pretense of politeness on her face.

At this moment, what was displayed in front of her was a pair of narrowed eyes, showing smugness and malice.

This made her want to raise her foot and kick her hard on her old face.

There will definitely be a chance, she thought calmly.

"Listen up, my child. As the favored one of Rose, you must abide by the same rules as other trainee priests and further win the favor of the goddess Rose. Otherwise, your end will be death!"

Matron Elizabeth gave the chief mage a teasing look happily, and then gave Santila a cold smile, "However, you still have one last night to indulge in carnival, so enjoy it."

"enjoy it......"

Santila sighed feebly and felt the Chief Archmage passing by her. She deliberately sarcastically muttered to herself:

"I don't know if this suggestion was made by some guys who like to whip people with snake heads for fun, or if they were hiding in caves..."

"You must learn to control your mouth." The Chief Archmage stopped and reminded coldly, "Remember, the life of drow is a cold and serious art, and no priest of any sect has a sense of humor.

"

"Do you really want me to become a priest?" Santila looked at him suspiciously, trying to arouse his self-esteem with words, "Isn't my magic talent worth your efforts?"

as usual.

Khadrof Pumour wore the Chief Mage's illustrious drow cloak, a piece of magical equipment with many hidden pockets.

It is said that he possesses more magical materials and weapons than most drow wizards will ever see in their lifetime.

Two wands hung conspicuously on his belt, and no one suspected that he had more weapons hidden on his body.

Because it is a symbol of his identity and strength.

After all, he has survived in the betrayal-filled ancient city of Orens for nearly ten centuries, relying on his magical talents and matching cunning and shrewd tricks.

He is still alive, but thousands of years have made him harsh and cold. Even among the drow, he is extremely famous for his evil and cruelty.

It was hard to imagine that her ambitious father, who had already made it clear to everyone that he had almost no devotion to serving Rose, would now succumb to the power of the female spider.

The proud Chief Archmage will also endure the provocation and ridicule of the Mistress of the Tux Family with frustration.

"I admit that you are indeed very talented in magic."

The chief mage didn't care about Santila's profound words, and said calmly, "After all, you possess powerful spiritual and magical power. As a priest, you can easily achieve greater success than magic. I am very optimistic about you."

The potential, don’t let me down.”

A ridiculous lie that didn't even bother to cover up, Santila looked at him with disappointment.

She had completely confirmed in her mind that her father had set a trap for her on the City Founding Day.

"You doubt me?"

The chief mage saw through her thoughts at a glance, "Very good, so your judgment has really improved."

"Sure enough, it was you." Santila's heart sank, her face instantly turned cold, and she blurted out.

"Precisely."

The Archmage was unmoved, and there was no trace of emotion in his gentle voice.

"I really want to do this, but obviously, someone has done it better and more perfectly than me. If I know who it is, believe me, I will definitely thank him for his enthusiastic help."

not him?

A new doubt arose in Santila: Who could it be?

The Archmage looked at his child who was deep in thought. He was silent for a while, as if he was considering whether he should say the following words.

After hesitating for a moment, he said in a softer voice, "Do you know why the drow society tolerates the existence of our wizards?"

"Help them prepare a happy potion? Or make magic props for flirting?" Santila glanced at him alertly and answered casually.

"Put away your black humor and stop talking nonsense to me!" The archmage looked at his child angrily, with obvious sullenness in his tone.

"This is very important to us wizards, you must think about it carefully. Look, in the ancient city of Orens, Rose is the only god believed in, and her priestly rule has no challenge. In addition to breeding more priests for them

, why do they need men? Why do they tolerate men having the power of magic?"

Realizing that the other party didn't seem to be joking with her, Santila began to consider the issue carefully.

"That's because... divine magic has certain limitations compared to arcane magic." She reasoned:

"The magic we master is a kind of mystery, and it is a powerful force that countless arcane seekers have spent their entire lives trying to understand. The power and knowledge brought by arcana can even help us solve all obstacles."

For some reason, she remembered what Brian said, so she simply gave it her own answer.

"It seems that your understanding of magic is more thorough than I thought, but not all priests are willing to admit this. Wizards have power that Rose's followers cannot control. Although this power is closely monitored by the matrons,

Their expansion cannot be separated from the support of wizard magic."

When the Chief Archmage heard his child's answer, a smile appeared on his lips, but his pale eyes were as cold as ice:

"Remember, never forget that you are a wizard. Next, I will do my best to teach you the knowledge of magic.

Chaos is coming, and the power of magic will soon come in handy.

If the city of Ancient Orens falls into chaos, we wizards are the best option to save the city, and we must be prepared to take over the power, or... seize it!

After all, this kind of alliance is not unheard of. The dark elf city of Shamas is under the rule of the Drow Wizards Alliance. If necessary, we wizards of Ancient Orens can also do the same thing."

"Then what do you need me to do?" After hearing these words, Santila's heart became cold. She met the cold and ruthless eyes of the Chief Archmage and said bitterly.

"You don't need it now, but maybe one day, I will tell you how to truly fulfill your obligations." The Archmage showed her a cold smile, "What you need to do now is to become a priest peacefully.

And grab every power you can."

After saying that, he left the young drow wizard behind and walked away without looking back.

"My loyalty only belongs to me, no one can take it away." Santila stared at the Archmage's leaving figure and whispered to herself, "No one can take it away... not even Rose.

Not leaving."

She returned to her room, lit a candle for study, then sat at the desk, put several books and scrolls in front of her eyes, and prepared for new study.

However, once again, she was so eager for magical knowledge that she was unable to focus on learning spells as usual.

Too many things have happened recently, and they are constantly replaying in her mind:

Brian disappeared without a trace, and he didn't know whether he was dead or alive. He didn't know who the person who plotted against him was. He had to report to the Spider Academy tomorrow, and there was a strange dream about two goddesses playing chess on a chessboard.

Especially Brian.

He promised himself that after escaping, he would find a way to tell her about 'Walking in the Temple'.

However, through investigation of the trade bazaar, it was discovered that Brian did not use the teleportation scroll he gave him at all, which means...

Santila lowered her head and buried her hands in her thick white hair. She didn't dare to imagine any more.

When she finally got rid of this terrible thought, the strange dream about the Spider Queen and the Dark Girl came back to her mind, like a continuous melody with a long aftertaste.

A long sigh...

It was only at this moment that Santila realized that she was so lonely.

This kind of loneliness made her miserable, hopeless and helpless, and the silent time tortured her heart as slowly as a crawl.

This made her think of Brian unconsciously and the short time they spent together.

After several futile struggles and no clue, she finally gave up studying and prepared to throw herself on the bed.

In her opinion, even staring at the ceiling stupidly would be better than sitting stupidly like this.

She pushed away all the books and scrolls in front of her, and when she was about to stand up, she inadvertently turned around and noticed three more unfamiliar books on her messy desk.

As a wizard, her memory is naturally quite outstanding. How could she not know what she has more and what she lacks?

So, driven by various uncertainties and curiosity, she forced herself to sit back on the chair, held these three unfamiliar books in front of her, and read through them boredly.

"Survival Guide to the Forgotten Realms", "Waterdeep: Leymaze Speed ​​Run Guide", "On the Nature of Teleportation Spells".

Santila's eyes widened and she looked at the words on the black cover with disbelief.

"Could it be..."

Some kind of speculation emerged in her mind, and she couldn't wait to read the contents in the book.

Gradually...as her reading speed increased, the curve of the corners of Santila's mouth became wider and wider, and her depressed and boring mood was swept away by the knowledge in the book.

She leaned back in her chair with a smile on her face, reflecting on her incredible discovery.

Because the content described in the book is all the knowledge she needs to prepare for her future journey to the surface.

"The Survival Guide to the Forgotten Realms" records the major kingdoms and regions in the surface world.

Such as the forest kingdom of Cormyr, the commercial kingdom of Sembia, Amn, which is ruled by a multi-person parliament, Silvermoon City of the Northland Alliance, Sel's Red Robe Wizards' Council, Leatherman's Witch Council...

Especially Waterdeep in the Sword Coast region.

In addition to recording detailed information on the public lords of Waterdeep City, it even contains extremely detailed information on the masked lords who have never appeared.

The book "Waterdeep: Leyline Maze Speed ​​Guide" is even more exaggerated.

It describes in detail the important things to note when traveling through the 20th floor of the underground maze, as well as the approximate distribution of monsters and all the forces entrenched here.

Even the secret base of the Githyanki in the crystal maze on the sixteenth level has special notes.

Mysterious crypts, Sargus layer, twisted caves, Forest of Moon, Eternal Tomb Shadow, Core of Spells and other strange names filled her mind, which made her look for a place to walk in the temple in the future.

Provided unimaginable help.

However, what excited her the most was the last magic book, "On the Nature of Teleportation Spells," because this book gave her a freedom she had never enjoyed before.

Otherwise, with her personality, Spider Academy will definitely drive her crazy.

Santila happily hugged this precious book tightly to her chest, as if she was hugging the owner who gave it to her.

After all, it was almost impossible for her to learn the knowledge of portals in Ancient Orens City.

It's like teaching a dungeon prisoner how to pick a lock.

Looking at this magic book that recorded the knowledge of building portals and teleportation spells, Santila firmly believed that as long as she mastered the knowledge about teleportation spells in the book, she would be able to travel freely between the underground and the surface.

Just imagining it can make her jump for joy.

She flicked her long hair behind her ears, quickly flipped through the magic book, opened the first spell, browsed the pages, and looked at the meaning of those magic symbols. She was so excited that she couldn't believe it. It was like

It's like a dream.

At this moment, a piece of paper slipped silently from the pages of the book she had opened.

Santila was startled, and in a daze, she felt some kind of wonderful premonition emerging in her heart.

An ordinary piece of paper gave her a sense of ceremony that a great mission was waiting for her.

Her expression moved, and her fingers automatically picked it up as if out of control, and then carefully examined the contents:

"On the surface of the realms, in the colorful and shining land, a great mission is waiting for you. Return peacefully to the surface and bathe in the sun again, where the trees and flowers grow."

Staring at the content on the note, Santila bit her lip.

For some reason, she felt that a certain nerve in her heart suddenly spasmed, and her heart was filled with some kind of sad, tender, compassionate, and exciting emotion.

She finally understood why it was said that the human heart is like a harp. Once it is plucked, the heartstrings will vibrate for a long time.

At this moment, she could no longer tell whether she was sad or happy, worried or worried. She could only feel that her internal organs were churning and throbbing.

Finally, she resisted the tears that were about to well up in her eyes and turned her blurred vision to the signature:

"Walking around the temple will always be in your heart if you let it."

"Thank you, Brian."

The drow girl took a deep breath, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, put her long hair back on her shoulders, and forced out what she thought was the strongest smile.

"I can't cry, because the dark girl under the moonlight is full of melancholy and sadness. She seems to have been sad all her life, and it's time to smile. If she could choose again, I would prefer her to choose the bright starry sky...

....Self-proclaimed: Daughter of the Happy Star.

Because you told me: In the vast starry sky and universe, there will always be a star of its own, which will guide us through the unknowable darkness."

At this moment, she vaguely felt that she had something extra, but also seemed to lack something.

An indescribable melancholy made her sigh unconsciously.

Unconsciously……

Santila's pupils shone brightly like stars.

This is a beautiful look that can only be found in star sapphire.
Chapter completed!