Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 134 Reconnecting with an Old Friend
Seeing this, Zhang Yuan decided not to watch any more of the show. After all, Bard was his companion and friend, but as for Nancy, his cheap master...
Hmph, your disciple will show you some filial piety today!
Zhang Yuan nodded to Captain Ska, whose expression had slightly changed as he saw him, and began preparing his "thank-you gift."

To avoid alerting the other party, Zhang Yuan didn't use any second or third-level arcane spells. Instead, he used the inconspicuous level zero trick, Hand of the Mage.

A mage's hand, with only about five pounds of strength, is obviously no match for a mid-level professional. However, even though the power of spells is low, it depends on how you use them.

Someone shamelessly used a mage's hand to capture a small pebble, aimed at the gap in Nancy's movements, and quite considerately placed the pebble under the soles of her feet as she landed.

Nancy is having a great time right now. It seems that when she was giving someone special training, she awakened some incredible hobby, and now she is very interested in bullying others by taking advantage of her skills.

Spinning and jumping, I... suddenly stumbled and almost fell flat on my face.

Fortunately, as a wandering swordswoman, Nancy's skills were undeniable, and she regained her balance with a quick somersault.

However, Bard, who had been holding back his anger for a long time and whose face was flushed red, was not about to let this opportunity slip by. Taking advantage of the opponent's unsteady footing, he pounced on him without even using his axe.

Bang! Nancy was knocked to the ground by the dwarf. She was stunned. What made her even more dismayed was the dwarf's weight. Despite Bard's short stature, the dwarf looked like a barrel or a stone block. Even without armor, his weight was not something a rogue could easily bear.

Once Nancy was under control, she couldn't even do a simple somersault, let alone a somersault.

The dwarf brother, having avenged his great grudge, was truly triumphant. At this moment, he was not alone. All his teammates who had been bullied by Nancy cast admiring and encouraging glances at Bard. There was even a voice that said, "Quick! Quick, pull her hair! She said it herself, pluck her hair."

Following the sound, I saw that it was Lawrence, that old lecher, yelling. Judging from his disgusted expression, he must have been a victim of some hardship before.

Seeing that the farce was heading towards a public trial, Zhang Yuan quickly coughed twice to divert everyone's attention.

"It's been a long time, everyone! And Bard, aren't you going to come and welcome your old friend?"

There was a lively exchange of hugs and greetings, not to mention the playful banter. Bard and Münster, the two henchmen, were also very excited. Münster, who wasn't good at expressing himself, punched Zhang Yuan in the chest and then kept patting Zhang Yuan on the shoulder.

As for Bard? Aside from feeling a tap on his waist, he didn't see anyone else. The sadness of standing out like a chicken among cranes is truly... indescribable.

"You brat, you were the one causing trouble just now, weren't you?"

Upon hearing the sound, Zhang Yuan looked up and, sure enough, it was Nancy, who was glaring at him with raised eyebrows and a very unfriendly expression.

It's no wonder she was furious. What was supposed to be a relaxed and enjoyable "teaching" exercise turned into a humiliating experience. Although she wasn't actually stripped of her hair, the crushing pain left her ribs aching all over.

What a coincidence! There are so many pebbles on the ground, and I've never tripped over them before. But this brat's arrival has brought me such bad luck?

Thinking back to how this cunning sorcerer had the most tricks up his sleeve, Nancy was now convinced that he was the murderer.

"I just got here, okay? Besides, ask Ska and Sory if I just chanted a spell. Don't jump to conclusions and slander me out of thin air."

The man remained calm and composed, his right hand gently waving as if he were nothing more than a fart, casually brushing away the question.

Knowing she couldn't get any leverage over this guy, Nancy gritted her teeth and had no choice but to swallow her anger. Her face changed color, but in the end, she put on a beaming smile to welcome Zhang Yuan's return. Hehe →_→ Zhang Yuan was also outwardly excited, putting on an act of a joyful reunion between master and disciple, but inwardly he was increasingly certain that his cheap master would not let the matter rest.

After exchanging greetings and hugs with his teammates, Ska led someone to the dormitory they had been in before.

Looking at this familiar room, the desk and ceiling that I hadn't seen in so long, and the somewhat hard but still comfortable flat bed, everything was almost exactly the same as when I left.

This is his first home in the world of Faerûn, but the young man who returned here is no longer the stranger wandering in confusion and fear.

“After you left, since no new people came anyway, I just left this room empty. It’s perfect that it’s yours today.” Ska’s voice interrupted Zhang Yuan’s sentimental musings.

"What about Kegan? Where does he live?" Kegan had been introduced to the Flame Fist group during the earlier greetings, and with their old acquaintance Bard around, they quickly became friends.

“He shares a room with Bud, and they seem quite affectionate to me,” Ska said as he walked downstairs with Zhang Yuan.

Intimate? Zhang Yuan pursed his lips and said nothing.

As soon as I stepped out of the dormitory building, I saw Kagan and Bard, those two rascals, who were indeed having a very friendly fight. Just by looking at their bruised eyes and swollen eyelids, you could tell how passionate this brotherly and respectful exchange, where fists and toes were used to communicate, was.

The Flame Fist team members on the sidelines didn't try to stop the fight; instead, they watched with great interest, cheering them on from time to time. Zhang Yuan, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Nancy was the one shouting the loudest.

With a helpless shake of his head, Ska led Zhang Yuan forward to separate the two. Just as everyone thought there was no more drama to watch and was about to disperse, Zhang's words stopped everyone in their tracks.

"Anyone want to go to Elf Song? Dinner's on me tonight!"

With a whoosh, everyone turned around again, staring at Zhang Yuan as if to confirm something.

It wasn't until someone smiled and nodded that everyone cheered. It was Elf Song, one of the most famous taverns in Baldur's Gate. The prices there were quite high. Although it wasn't the kind of hotel that catered exclusively to nobles, if you were to eat and drink freely, it was normal for one person to spend more than a gold.

However, Zhang Yuan no longer cares about such a small amount of money. With his total assets approaching four thousand gold coins, not even counting those magical items, Zhang Yuan has the confidence to do so.

Besides, I was very fortunate to have been taken care of by my teammates back then. Now that I've made it big, it's only right that I treat them to a meal.

This wasn't my first time visiting Elf Song, but seeing such a large group of people arriving together was still quite impressive.

At the dinner party, a group of people ate, drank, joked, and laughed with each other. Not to mention that Lawrence, that old lecher, led a few like-minded people to stare at the dancers, cheering and whistling.

Nancy had some wicked ideas again, urging everyone to come and toast him under the guise of thanking him for treating them. However, Zhang Yuan simply and decisively turned them down, saying that he was tired from his journey and that it was not advisable for a mage to drink too much.

The man, who was also quite cunning, turned the tables on her, instigating Bard to challenge Nancy to a duel under the pretext of "continuing the afternoon's contest," forcing the latter to avoid the short man whenever she saw him.

(End of this chapter)