Gond's Followers Are Fiercely Competitive

An elemental pool was a special reserve of energy gained after taking the [Elemental Artisan] class and establishing magical connections with the four elemental planes.

A level 1 [Elemental Artisan] could open one elemental pool.

At level 10, they could possess four elemental pools and fully command the four basic elements.

The four types of basic elemental energy stored within elemental pools could be used to create elemental runes, strengthening spells or crafting magical items.

Magical items crafted with the elemental runes unique to Abeir's elemental bloodlines could achieve stronger effects at lower cost.

For Marvin, who preferred to lie low and develop slowly, it was quite a useful ability.

He could forge himself a full set of divine equipment, get a company of elemental constructs as bodyguards, and then head out to crush his enemies...

The thought was a little exciting.

Besides the basic elemental runes of wind, fire, water, and earth, more varieties of elemental runes could be created by combining two elements.

For instance, combining water and fire could create force energy runes, which could strengthen force-based spells such as Magic Missile.

"The elemental pool system seems somewhat similar to a sorcerer's metamagic abilities..."

After reading the introduction to the [Elemental Artisan] class, Marvin came to a preliminary conclusion.

However, leaving aside the fact that his current Intelligence did not meet the requirements for becoming an [Elemental Artisan], even if he managed to reach 16 Intelligence, whether he should continue leveling [Scribes Guild Mage] or multiclass into [Elemental Artisan] would depend on the circumstances.

According to the character panel's rules, he could choose to increase two attributes every four levels.

Whether he should prioritize raising [Scribes Guild Mage] to level 4 to gain 2 Intelligence, or multiclass into a new profession for new abilities, was truly a difficult choice.

"Since I can't decide for now, I'll take it one step at a time. I still have a task to complete." Marvin looked at the two firearms bestowed by Gond and decided to start practicing his marksmanship tomorrow.

At the same time.

In Baldur's Gate's Upper City stood a magnificent building funded by the Church of Gond, known as the Hall of Wonders.

It was a museum dedicated to displaying all manner of marvels created by Gond's followers, open for all citizens of Baldur's Gate to visit freely.

After the Spellplague caused Lantan to shift to Abeir, Baldur's Gate became the center of Gond's followers' activities in Faerûn.

The city was free-spirited, open-minded, and conveniently located, making it easy to acquire all sorts of materials and new knowledge.

For engineers and inventors, it was an ideal city—if only its crime rate were lower.

The mechanical orchestras, steam dragons, magic airships, submersibles, and other great inventions displayed in the Hall of Wonders all testified to the glorious history of Baldur's Gate's Church of Gond.

However, after Lantan returned to Faerûn during the Second Sundering, the Church of Gond in Baldur's Gate began to feel the pressure.

The followers of Gond from the two dioceses began an intensely competitive struggle for the favor of the god of invention.

To deal with the Lantanese, who had returned from another world with new technologies, Rolian Fischer—the head of Baldur's Gate's Church of Gond, a level 11 cleric and level 4 wonderwright with a total level of 15, known as the "Platinum Gear"—came up with many methods.

For example, starting the year before last, the Church of Gond in Baldur's Gate had begun hosting an annual "Miraculous Inventions Competition" to encourage invention and innovation, offering better tributes to Gond.

Rolian had even thrown himself into massive construction projects, preparing to build an unprecedented large-scale base beneath the sea.

When the gear assembly upon Gond's shrine in the Lantan shop in Friendly Arm turned under the influence of divine power, Rolian, in Baldur's Gate's Hall of Wonders, sensed it as well.

"Our lord is greatly pleased! Our lord is greatly pleased!" Rolian spread his arms and carefully felt the joy flowing from the Court of Wonders, Gond's divine realm.

A high-ranking cleric like him could already establish a relatively stable spiritual connection with the deity he worshiped.

"Our lord must have obtained from the Material Plane an invention great enough to alter the course of civilization. That is why he is so delighted."

Before long, the spiritual sensation brought about by Gond's divine power gradually faded.

Amid his joy, however, a sense of urgency arose in Rolian's heart.

He could sense that the direction in which Gond had projected his divine power toward the Material Plane was not far from Baldur's Gate—less than a hundred miles south of the city.

That was Friendly Arm.

Within the Church of Gond, due to the fierce rivalry between the Baldur's Gate diocese and the Lantan diocese, Lantanese had never been permitted to open shops within Baldur's Gate.

Thus, the Lantan Church of Gond could only settle for opening their shop in Friendly Arm.

But Rolian had not expected that despite all his precautions, he had still miscalculated.

A great invention that should have been born in Baldur's Gate and personally offered to Gond by him had actually been snatched away by the Lantanese!

"The invention can't be recovered, but that inventor must be taken from the Lantanese! At any cost!"

Rolian's gaze immediately became incomparably resolute.

He raised his left hand and issued an order through his communication ring. "Send [Explorers] to Friendly Arm. We must find the inventor favored by our lord!"

Let us turn our gaze back to Friendly Arm.

At that moment, Marvin put the two firearms into his storage ring, bid Midock farewell, and headed for the Friendly Arm Inn.

The town's "female knight craze" was now beginning to subside, and the gnome proprietor's business had gradually improved.

Over the next few days, Marvin planned to practice using flintlock guns with [Enhanced Mage Hand] while gathering information on Blue Creek Valley, preparing for his herb-gathering mission.

The Friendly Arm Inn, where adventurers gathered, was an excellent place to gather intelligence.

"Mr. Marvin, welcome. What would you like for dinner? Although seafood has been scarce lately, we have plenty of game from the forest.

Those adventurers may not have had the ability to rescue Miss Ailei, but they are quite good at hunting. Would you like your usual seat?"

As soon as Marvin entered the first-floor hall, a young waitress with freckles and a round face came up to greet him.

The gnome proprietor had specifically instructed the staff to provide Marvin with the warmest service whenever he visited, and they always saved him a quiet seat in the corner.

"Yes, thank you."

Marvin went to his familiar spot. After sitting down, he began ordering. "Do you have any recommendations?"

"I recommend dread wolf liver stewed with apples. Today, an adventuring party called Sacred Ever-Sun killed several dread wolves in Blue Creek Valley and cut out three sets of dread wolf livers. The proprietor bought them all.

Dread wolf liver is difficult to preserve, and few people know how to cook it. If you miss this chance, you may not be able to taste that unique delicacy again for a very long time."

The waitress's words whetted Marvin's appetite, and he ordered a dish of apple-stewed dread wolf liver.

At the same time, he became interested in the Sacred Ever-Sun adventuring party.

Since they had been to Blue Creek Valley, they likely knew some useful information.

Moreover, traveling from Friendly Arm to Blue Creek Valley would take two days. Marvin would inevitably have to spend the night in the wilderness.

For a low-level mage, the wisest choice was to find an adventuring party to travel with.

With teammates sharing the various chores, he, as a mage, could rest properly and maintain his best spellcasting condition at all times.