Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 158 The Great Oak

To enhance credibility, Zhang Yuan even took out the badge his teacher had given him, engraved with the name of Highhold Fortress. After activating its magical effect, it shone brightly and projected an abstract mage tower emblem.

Upon hearing this, Morty, who had initially been eager for this plague to disappear, hesitated. After a moment's thought, he asked with a hint of anticipation:
"Really? Will we even be able to get enough to eat?"

Without saying much, Zhang Yuan immediately took out two parchment scrolls and a pen and ink from his storage bag, quickly drafted a contract, signed his name, stamped it with his seal, and handed it to the other party.

But Morty didn't answer, saying, "I can't read."

Left with no other choice, the person had to read it aloud to the other person word by word, especially emphasizing the parts about the monthly salary of thirty gold coins and the provision of room and board.

Morty, his eyes practically shining, nodded repeatedly, almost blurring his vision. His enthusiastic attitude made someone feel a little embarrassed, as if they were taking advantage of an honest person, or trying to lure a simpleton.

Only after asking did I learn that although that old codger Ramasis had a bad reputation, he was quite generous and was one of the few good employers who didn't deduct money from the two ogre brothers' wages.

Of course, it's more likely that they just don't care about such a small amount. How could they possibly ask for 60 gold coins from a tree spirit?

Just as the two were having a great chat, and Morty was about to put his fingerprints on the document to sell himself out, he suddenly remembered that his silly little brother was still around.

The two looked over at the same time and saw Rick still tightly wrapped up by Little, looking pitifully at his older brother, while the tree spirit not far away, tied up like a dumpling, kept twisting its body and occasionally humming to let off some noise to let off some noise.

Zhang Yuan told Xiao Xiao to let go of the other person, then gestured for Morty to explain to Rick, while he led Xiao Xiao toward the tree spirit.

He casually untied the tree spirit from its restraints and checked its injuries; they weren't serious.

“Thank you, powerful mage. If it weren’t for you, Alair would have faced death after being taken away from the Mother Tree. Alair will repay you.”

The released tree spirit hurriedly thanked the unfamiliar mage before him, then stretched his stiff body and cast curious and grateful glances at him.

"So how do you plan to repay me?"

Zhang Yuan didn't bother with any of those empty formalities. The other party was a tree spirit who had never been influenced by human social etiquette and rules. If he were to be polite and the other party took it seriously, wouldn't that be awkward?

"I have some things I've accumulated at the Mother Tree, you may..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by two loud voices shouting.

"Boss, boss, you said Rick and Morty can get enough to eat if they follow you, right?"

"Yes, I've told you so many times."

"I'm not asking you, boss, I'm asking the boss."

"Damn it, you've confused me. Which boss is it anyway?"

Following the sound of the voice, the two half-ogre brothers walked over, arm in arm, swaying their heads. Only when they walked side by side did it become clear that although Morty, the older brother, was also tall, he was still a few feet shorter than Rick.

However, the much taller Rick was being reprimanded by Morty, who was tapping him on the head. Rick covered his head in grievance and dared not fight back.

Upon suddenly seeing these two villains, the tree spirit, who had just been trapped, looked so miserable that it was almost about to cry.

Looking at her scrunched-up face, Zhang Yuan comforted her, "Don't be afraid, they've reformed now. Once I take you back to the oak tree where you live, I'll take these two with me."

Alair, who had been staying nearby, had no choice but to trust the other party, but still hid behind the mage to avoid the ogre brothers' sight.

However, Rick and Morty couldn't be bothered with the tree spirit's affairs. In their simple minds, since they had already sent it away, what did it have to do with them anymore?

"Boss, Rick wants to join your team too. Rick needs to eat his fill."

What the heck? Big Boss? I'm a mobile phone maker?
"Wait, you can call me Captain, what's this 'Big Boss' thing?"

"If you can feed Rick, you're Rick's boss, and Morty will be his little boss."

The monk was speechless upon hearing this address, but considering the other party's limited brain capacity, he had no choice but to accept it reluctantly.

With a press of his handprint, the guy opposite him was now considered one of his team members. Putting everything else aside, he gave him an advance on next month's salary.

A total of sixty gold coins were handed to the overjoyed Morty in a bag, and Rick had no objection to it. In his eyes, anything that couldn't be eaten was just garbage, no different from the grass and trees by the roadside.

"Is this the oak tree with which you share a symbiotic relationship?"

Having reached the base of the tree, Zhang Yuan looked up at the canopy. Good heavens, it was so tall! If he hadn't been certain it was oak, he would have thought it was spruce.

The trunk of this large tree is so thick that it would take nearly five people to encircle it. A rather thick branch extends from the middle of the trunk, and upon closer inspection, a small nest made of twigs and sticks is hidden among the dense green leaves, making it look like a large bird's nest.

"How could Rick and Morty catch you when you live so high up?"

The two half-ogre brothers didn't seem like they could fly no matter how you looked at them, and besides, shamans didn't have many offensive spells in the early stages. Could it be that Morty was exceptionally gifted and had mastered Sky Shock on his own?

"Grandpa Pine Tree in the south has been troubled by insects lately. I went to help him get rid of the insects and treat it. On my way back, I ran into these two big bad guys. Otherwise, how would I have been caught?"

Ariel's expression held a hint of resentment; as the daughter of the oak tree and a fairy of the forest, she had never been so disheveled.

“Your luck is indeed…” Zhang Yuan shook his head, then suddenly thought of something:
"This tree is far too conspicuous. Even if the two ogre brothers weren't around this time, it would have been coveted by others sooner or later, especially by some unscrupulous spellcasters."

Upon hearing this, the tree spirit's two pointed ears drooped, and it said weakly, "When we moved here, we never thought about all this. We originally thought that the Taysl Forest was too crowded, so a druid brought us to Sword Bay to find a place to settle down. In the end, it would have been better to just stay in Taysl."

"Can your symbiotic oak trees move?"

“Well, as long as we condense our natal oak essence and plant it in a new place, we can summon the oak tree through a divine ritual.” Alaire became even more disheartened as he said this.

"My acorns have re-condensed, but the druid has run away, and I can't go too far from the oak tree, nor can I find anyone to help me."

Speaking of druids, it seems that maybe I can find a new friend for Jady and Sylph?

“I happen to know a druid who has recently reached the intermediate level. I wonder if he could do this?” Zhang Yuan asked the tree spirit beside him.

(End of this chapter)