Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 16 Shirley Sable

Zhang Yuan, who was introduced to everyone by his own unscrupulous captain, was soon surrounded by his teammates who were surprised that a mage had joined the team.

"Hey, a mage has joined our team? Is he a real mage? I hope he's not that idiot who used a magical item to impersonate one last time."

"Oh, sorry, I can't afford the magical items you mentioned," someone thought to themselves.

"By the way, what mage level are you? Mages who are too high-level probably wouldn't even look at our team."

—You know too much. I'm not just not high, I'm only at level one.

"That's right, it's better to have something than nothing. Even disregarding magic, most mages have more knowledge than us swordsmen."

—I'm really sorry, but I'm just a guy from another world and I really don't know much. No, I don't even have common sense.

Zhang Yuan experienced the panda-like treatment, feeling both pain and joy. It was certainly a good thing that his teammates were so welcoming, but he was only a level one mage. What if his expectations were too high and his disappointment too great?
At this time, Zhang Yuan was still just a student. Although he had read many novels and books, he was still too young and naive, and needed to study harder and gain more life experience.

If it were someone like Yueting here, he would have been boasting and chatting happily with his teammates.

Better a short pain than a long one, Zhang Yuan finally revealed his spell level directly. His teammates were a little disappointed, but they didn't mind too much; it was better than nothing.

"Hey, newbie, what spells do you know? Can you show us?" a mercenary couldn't help but ask.

“This is his own business, don’t interfere. Besides, his name is Chanem. Didn’t you hear what the captain said?” Another teammate interrupted his curiosity.

"It's alright, I just happened to memorize a spell, which I prepared for today," Zhang Yuan took over the conversation.

Oh? Upon hearing that there was a magic performance, the team members who were about to disperse gathered around again.

Ska followed and said to one of the amateur magicians, "You don't need to waste your spells on performances. A magician can never have too many spells."

Knowing that he meant well, Zhang Yuan explained, "It doesn't matter when this spell is cast; I plan to summon my magical pet."

Ska stopped trying to dissuade him and simply watched the scene unfold before him.

"Facio, Voco, Ferre! (I create, I summon, weapon)" As the incantation ended, a beam of white light shot out from the ground in front of Zhang Yuan. When the light dissipated, a pure white creature resembling a bamboo rat stood upright on the ground.

This creature had large, dark eyes, and its expression did not reveal the ignorance and stupidity of an ordinary animal, but rather a very human-like cunning.

A small tail trailed behind it, and its fur was snow-white and fluffy all over. Fortunately, the people present were all rough men, so there was no scene of screaming and rushing to hug it.

"Is that a ferret?" Some of the more knowledgeable mercenaries had already recognized it.

Yes, a magical ferret, very clever, so clever it can steal your wallet, the mage thought unscrupulously, already knowing what he would summon.

With the appearance of the ferret, Zhang Yuan felt a strange and unknowable connection between himself and the small animal in front of him. Through this connection, he could not only sense the ferret's emotions, but also feel a gentle power supporting him.

Unlike protective spells, this power seemed to originate from the same source as him, born from within. It must be the feedback from this little creature. He stretched out his hands to the ferret, and the little creature, as if it already knew him, jumped straight into Zhang Yuan's hands. It even licked his nose with its pink little tongue as if to show its affection.

Overjoyed, Zhang Yuan, in a fit of chuunibyou (adolescent delusions of grandeur), hoisted the ferret onto a wooden platform beside the training ground, held the little creature up in front of him, and declared, "This is my magical pet. From now on, your name is Sherry!"

The teammates, who completely missed the Lion King reference, just thought the newcomer was a bit too excited, while Skar couldn't stand it anymore: "Get down, stop making a fool of yourself up there. Are you that excited about summoning a magical creature? I thought you summoned a dragon."

Unconcerned, Zhang Yuan jumped off the platform with his pet in his arms and ran to Ska: "Is there anything I can feed it? What do ferrets usually eat?"

Ska sighed and said, "You'd better feed yourself first. It's lunchtime now. You have one hour, or you're out of time."

“Normal ferrets are carnivores, but I’m not sure about the one you have.”

Zhang Yuan, who was also completely confused, simply decided not to think too much about it. He figured he would just put different kinds of food in front of Shirley when the time came, since his pet seemed quite intelligent anyway.

A newbie, unsure where to find food, simply bound himself to the team leader, going wherever the leader went.

Following the persistent Ska and the other teammates, Zhang Yuan arrived at the left side of the first floor of the dormitory, where he discovered that his team also had a canteen.

"This is our squad's mess hall. We usually take turns cooking, and the cost of the ingredients is reimbursed by headquarters. When we're really short-handed, we'll also order food from taverns outside," Ska explained.

That's great, isn't a free lunch tempting? Zhang Yuan, who was already starving, ran to the team member on duty and got a meal, and also asked for some food for Shirley.

Little did they know that Shirley was a very picky eater. She wouldn't touch any vegetarian food and only wanted to eat meat. Although her stingy owner felt bad, he couldn't bear to stop her.

After finishing the vegetarian meal, Zhang Yuan released the summons and sent his magical pet back to its own space. With nothing else to do and not knowing what to do, Zhang Yuan simply turned around and went to chat with Ska.

Along the way, his teammates greeted him warmly, and Zhang Yuan responded to each one as he walked up to his captain.

"Are mages really that rare in the Sword Bay region?" The person was secretly delighted, thinking that his popularity must mean he was a rare commodity.

"Rare my foot!" Ska ruthlessly shattered Zhang Yuan's dream. "In reality, there are plenty of low-level mages like you, or rather, no low-level profession is rare at all."

The dumbfounded person opened their mouth wide: "Then, why was I surrounded by so many people this morning?"

"What do you think they find strange? They're not surprised by mages, but by you, a novice mage, venturing out on an adventure and joining our team."

Ska explained further, “There are several mage towers standing at Baldur’s Gate alone, and the number of mages and apprentices living there is far greater. However, those who come out to train are mostly intermediate or at least close to intermediate level mages. They generally do not join mercenary groups, but instead recruit their own followers or become private magic advisors to nobles and are protected by private soldiers.”

“A newbie like you should be staying obediently by your mentor’s side every day, studying the classics and doing experiments. You wouldn’t have time to wander around like this.”

"Having encountered such an oddball like you, I'll take a second look," Ska's assessment was the final word, shattering the newbie mage's mood.

(End of this chapter)