Book 11: Chapter 48: The Islands

Qin Lun carefully examined the giant hippogriff beneath him. Its feathers were deep green, and it had two forked gray horns like a goat, along with a sharp beak and talons. An adult giant hippogriff had a wingspan that could reach five meters. Its broad back could accommodate a saddle, allowing up to two riders.

Giant hippogriffs were known as sky chariots—powerful, strong, and possessing enough speed and strength to transport various kinds of cargo and passengers. Some races trained them as combat mounts for aerial battles, though their combat prowess was slightly inferior to Griffins.

These specially trained giant hippogriffs were quite intelligent and could follow flight paths back and forth on their own. Their saddles were secured with sturdy leather straps, which firmly held the rider in place. So long as they weren’t afraid of heights, any adventurer could ride a giant hippogriff.

Because Qin Lun and his group were pressed for time, they didn’t opt for sharing mounts. Instead, each person had their own giant hippogriff, hoping to reach Candlekeep as quickly as possible.

Qin Lun looked down from the sky. Most creatures on the ground seemed as small as ants. Rivers looked like shimmering silver threads, glittering under the sunlight. A refreshing breeze blew past, making him feel cool and invigorated.

Sadly, this novel journey only lasted a little over three hours. Soon, a vast expanse of blue appeared on the distant horizon. It was the color of the sea; they had finally returned to the Sword Coast.

“The islands?” Lin asked. As the giant hippogriffs approached the coastline, more than thirty islands of various shapes appeared on the sea.

Most of these islands were steep cliffs, covered with thick vegetation and trees. Below the cliffs were numerous dark, jagged reefs. Beneath the surrounding waters, they could see coral groves tinged dark red.

This place was likely unreachable by any fishing boats. There were no places to dock or go ashore. The chaotic spread of reefs could sink any daring vessel, feeding them to the fish. Only flying mounts could land on these cliff-top islands.

The island closest to the mainland coast was the largest of the group. Though surrounded by steep cliffs, its peak was surprisingly flat. A massive, six-sided fortress stood upon it—this must be the famed Candlekeep.

Actually, besides the island holding Candlekeep, many other islands also held magic towers shaped like lighthouses. While their heights varied, sometimes they could be seen shimmering with magical auras—the protective shields commonly found around mage towers.

During their trip to Candlekeep, Linda had told the group about these magic towers.

The six towers on Candlekeep’s hexagonal ramparts belonged solely to Candlekeep. However, the towers on the surrounding islands were only partially owned by Candlekeep; the rest belonged to powerful magicians who had agreements with the fortress.

These powerful magicians, for various reasons, didn’t wish to stay long-term at Candlekeep. So, they only signed simple cooperation agreements. They provided Candlekeep with various services in exchange for the knowledge they sought.

Some of these services were for defense, while others were purely providing resources or research results.

With Linda leading the way, the seven giant hippogriffs flew in a neat line, circling once over the islands before descending towards Candlekeep’s island.

Because a No-Fly Magical Array protected the airspace above Candlekeep, only specially designated flying mounts could enter. Their giant hippogriffs had to land at the base of the island’s cliffs. Around the base were more than ten large aeries and visitor registration offices.

The main difference between Candlekeep’s island and the others seemed to be a manually paved gravel path. This path wound its way around the island’s cliff face upwards, ending at the fortress’s main gate.

The stone path wasn’t very wide, allowing only about three people to walk side by side. Riders weren’t permitted here; everyone had to walk up. According to Linda, this rule signified respect for this temple of knowledge.

Everyone except Linda began the climb up with a sense of curiosity. The path was short. After about fifteen minutes, they reached the enormous fortress at its end.

Far different from how it looked from high above, when standing before the gigantic stone fortress named Candlekeep, everyone realized just how huge and imposing it was.

The fortress’s walls were constructed from large blocks of jade-white stone, fitting together so tightly the surface was smooth like a mirror. Because a complex protective spell covered the entire fortress, no fungus or insects could live on the walls. This effect was similar to the Eternal Cleansing Spell, eliminating the need for any manual cleaning.

The walls soared over fifty meters high and were roughly ten meters thick. Their upper-middle sections featured rectangular, colored crystalline windows. The top was conical domes covered with glazed tiles, lacking the usual parapets.

Linda privately explained that Candlekeep’s outer walls weren’t just for defense. Inside lay two rows of private rooms, housing research scholars and guards. After all, the central library, the main repository, couldn’t accommodate everyone.

The castle’s main gate looked very grand, about ten meters wide. It was made of two massive heavy gates that required huge winches and chains to open. On either side of the main gate were four smaller side doors. This main gate remained closed most of the time; both visitors and residents needed to use the side doors.

Two four-meter tall Iron Golems stood guard beside each side door. Powered by Magic Crystal cores, these golems possessed a degree of artificial intelligence granted by runesmiths. They lacked faces, featuring only a single glowing green crystal serving as an eye.

At each end of the walls, two towering magic spires rose into the clouds, their lower parts connected to the fortress walls. Nearly a hundred meters tall, they looked entirely different from what they saw while on the giant hippogriffs.

Seeing newcomers, one of the four golems walked towards them with heavy steps. Linda quickly stepped forward, pulling out the identification plaque she just got at the registration office below, holding it out for the golem to scan.

Though the young girl was considered Candlekeep staff, these iron constructs didn’t care about connections. Without the plaque, they’d give three warnings before beginning to “remove” the problem.

After the golem inspected the visitor plaque, Candlekeep’s side door opened automatically. Passing through, everyone glanced around curiously.

Once inside, they saw Linda was right; Candlekeep’s walls were different from regular ones. Immediately beyond the side entrance was a wide corridor with closed doors lining both sides. This did not look like the interior of a wall at all.

“Linda! You’re back!” The group hadn’t walked far with Linda when a surprised voice called out to them.

It was a female magician wearing a black robe and a monocle. Her hair was messy like a bird’s nest, and she held a stack of books as large as any she could manage. While her robes weren’t filthy, they were deeply wrinkled and looked terrible. The thick lens like the bottom of a beer bottle made it seem she was wearing a tinted eyepatch, creating an image both tacky and unkempt.

“Honorable Lady Laini, I have returned!”

To everyone’s surprise, Linda, who had seemed carefree and indifferent throughout the journey, now bowed respectfully to this petite and unimpressive-looking magician. Not only that, she frantically waved her little hand behind her back, signaling everyone to follow suit.

Qin Lun and the others weren’t fools. They immediately understood and bowed deeply.

“Alright, Linda. Since you’re back, go see your Master right away. He seems a bit upset.”

Lady Laini freed one hand and waved it dismissively before continuing forward, her pile of books blocking her view. She stumbled often, yet somehow always managed to rock back to an upright balance without falling. It was rather agonizing to watch.

“Linda, that Lady Laini… who is she?” Mastashia tentatively asked.

“Lady Laini is one of Candlekeep’s eight Great Readers, surpassed only by the Keeper of Tomes and the First Reader. She is also the 17th-ranked seer and Great Sage in Candlekeep’s history!” Linda’s lips twitched as she replied expressionlessly.

Hearing this, everyone’s faces twitched. They felt any image they had of a kind, modest great figure completely crumble away…

However, as Linda led them further inside, they noticed that many passing scholars seemed unconcerned with their appearance. Some even wore robes with patches.

Most research scholars at Candlekeep were magicians; naturally, they weren’t poor. They simply couldn’t be bothered to shop in mainland cities. They invested all their time and effort in their beloved research pursuits.

Still, it was rare to find anyone as messy as Lady Laini. Being bookish was one thing, but the combination of bookishness and becoming a shut-in could arguably turn someone into one of the world’s most terrifying creatures.

“Where do we go next?” Qin Lun finally broke the silence after some walking.

“I need to see my Master first. See that magic door ahead?” Linda pointed towards an oval, mirror-like magical doorway about a hundred meters away. “That leads to Candlekeep’s payment counter. To enter the Underground Labyrinth and use the long-distance teleportation portal, you have to pay a sizeable fee.”

“Pay? Since we came with you, should we need to pay?” Mastashia asked, surprised.

“Of course! Candlekeep’s rules apply to everyone, even the Keeper of Tomes. I certainly don’t have the power to waive your fees!” Linda blinked slyly. “Alright, I’m off then!”

The young girl sped away like the wind, leaving the rest behind blinking at each other. A faint sense of unease settled over them.

“Ahem, Mastashia,” Qin Lun looked hopefully at the Highland Elf. “Since this mission is primarily for the Harpers Alliance… you do have the money, right?”

“Huh? Don’t you have money?” Mastashia widened her beautiful eyes, staring innocently at Qin Lun. “Don’t lie to me! I distinctly saw you taking out a huge pile of gold coins to give to Rick and Sif when we left Troll Claw!”

“Hahaha, trouble!” Qin Lun turned to look at Hill and Rand. The three men shared a bitter smile…