Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 164 Departure Imminent, Checking Packing

As they chatted, they circled the oak tree a few times, using magic to stimulate the growth of its roots and tidy up the surrounding soil. After confirming that everything was alright, they returned to the cabin on the edge of the village.

As soon as he left the woods, Zhang Da Guanren headed straight for the Siren's Hut by the river. As the roar of the Chongsa River grew clearer, the three little ones who were playing by the river also noticed the arrival of their boss.

The eldest sister, Xier, led her two sisters ashore, shook off the water droplets, and then came to greet Zhang Yuan.

The siren girls' smooth, bluish skin looked as if they were wearing pink silk in the glow of the sunset. A mage reached out and used magic to wipe away the water stains on their bodies, then reached out and embraced Syl.

He patted the heads of the other two little ones, signaling them to follow, and together they went into the little house.

Zhang Yuan recounted the story of the tree spirit Alair to them in detail, especially emphasizing the benefits that druids would receive in the subsequent developments of this matter and the importance of befriending Alair.

Ariana and Caitlin, the two younger ones, were still a bit confused and just nodded in agreement. However, the eldest sister, Syl, was much smarter and realized the underlying scheming.

"Won't our teacher be angry if we do this?" With her arms wrapped around someone's arm, Sil's eyes held both expectation and unease.

Zhang, the official, twisted his arm, feeling it had found a comfortable position before relaxing and offering words of comfort:
“I’ve already discussed this with Jady. You just need to do it, but don’t forget to show respect and gratitude to your teacher.”

"Well, thank you, boss."

Syl obediently agreed and rested her head on the other person's shoulder.

While pleased with the docile and lovable nature of his sirens, there were some things he needed to explain to them:

"I started an adventure party at Baldur's Gate."

"Where is Baldur's Gate? Is it as big as that nearby village? Oh my~" Caitlin asked, tilting her little head up.

With a laugh, Zhang Yuan flicked the other person's forehead with his finger and explained, "Baldur's Gate, that's a city a hundred times bigger than this little village, with a population of over 40,000."

The little siren, her mouth agape in an "O" shape, had lost her train of thought and stopped thinking.

"Our team is basically complete, the only thing we're missing is a divine spellcaster and an archer, I'm counting on you guys."

The actual situation was certainly not as urgent as someone said, but he didn't mind giving the sirens a little encouragement.

Leaving aside the eldest sister Sil's ambition and the two younger sisters' bewilderment, after everyone, including Jady, had dinner together, someone, under Jady's ambiguous gaze, casually put his arm around Sil and moved into the riverside cottage.

Human desires and basic human needs are natural and legitimate; what's there to hide?
A gentleman is frank and open-minded—no, frank and open-minded Zhang Yuan simply couldn't be bothered to care about other people's opinions.

Nothing more was said that night.
The next morning, feeling refreshed, Zhang stretched and stamped the siren girl next to him with his big pig's trotters before they got up and dressed together.

The morning breeze, carrying the freshness and coolness of the morning dew, swept over us, bringing a slight relief from the scorching heat of midday in summer.

Walking along the forest path, Mr. Zhang, the boss of the Canaan Company's subsidiary on the banks of the Chowssa River, along with three siren subordinates, consultant Jady, and guest Alaire, were bidding each other a reluctant farewell.

The person was quite carefree at the moment of parting, but the various hints and suggestions given to Jady and Alaire just now inevitably revealed some good intentions.

The hired carriage had already left, so Zhang Yuan had no choice but to summon a Phantom Steed to travel the distance. Fortunately, there was not much of the journey left, and they arrived at the Flame Fist base at Baldur's Gate in the evening. As soon as he entered the training ground, he saw a lively scene. A group of Flame Fist soldiers were gathered in a circle, some cheering and some shouting and jeering.

What's even more outrageous is that Lawrence, that old fox, actually set up a small table with gold coins and slips of paper on it. And judging from his shouts, he was clearly setting up a betting pool!
"Sorry pays 1.6 to 1, Rick pays 2 to 1. Place your bets now, or the betting market will close soon!"

Sore and Rick?
Zhang Yuan stepped forward and squeezed out a spot. He looked around and saw the two men arm wrestling at opposite ends of a thick wooden table.

Tsk tsk, what a rip-off! Judging by the odds, it seems like Rick isn't favored, but is that really the case?

In terms of combat prowess or duels, Rick, a simple-minded guy, would have almost no chance against the experienced Thori. However, a contest of strength is a different story, and Zhang Yuan, having weighed his opponent's strength, knew him all too well.

Just kidding. A ruthless character who dares to go toe-to-toe with a bloodthirsty aura wouldn't lack strength. He's almost as powerful as himself when equipped with the power of the Hill Giant.

Things progressed as he had predicted. Sore was strong enough to boast about, but after a period of stalemate, the scales of victory inevitably tipped toward Rick's side, just like their clenched wrists.

With a shout of frustration or surprise, with Sorey shaking his head and grinning, and with Rick raising his arms high, the outcome of this contest was decided.

The person who was happier than Rick and those who bet on him was definitely the old pervert who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, business is good. But did you pump water for Rick?"

The man strode over with an air of arrogance, staring at Lawrence, who had just made a killing, with the look of a wealthy landlord eyeing his tenant farmer.

The old lecher, who was terrified by the sarcastic tone, quickly stuffed all the money into his pocket when he saw his captain and creditor arrive. Only then did he stand up and offer a forced smile.

"Just kidding, just kidding, it's just a little game, why are we talking business?"

"Hey, the team's funds are tight too. Just recently, we hired two big-bellied guys and bought several new sets of equipment. They're all made of shiny gold coins. You know, even the richest family doesn't have surplus grain."

This combination of offense and defense was truly difficult to withstand, and Lawrence wore a pained expression.

"Boss, it's less than ten gold coins in total. How about I give you half as interest?"

The person who had already turned and left waved his hand and said, "Never mind, you can treat them to a good meal another day."

After waiting for a while by the training field, Zhang Yuan finally saw Ska and Bard return. He then pulled the newly formed Canaan squad members and Ska into the conference room.

The discussion didn't last too long. With Ska's help, the team's supplies preparation work was completed yesterday, and now it was just a matter of checking and counting.

A small squad of eight members, traveling from Baldur's Gate to Neverwinter, a long journey across half of the Sword Coast, requires a considerable amount of supplies and provisions.

Fortunately, there were some towns along the way where they could stop and resupply, especially Deepwater City, the crown jewel of the North. Not only Zhang Yuan, but most of the team members were also quite interested in it, so it was only right to visit it along the way.

Dear readers, the first volume of this book is finally coming to an end, and tomorrow we'll welcome the opening of the second volume. I promise it will be a bloody start (lol). PS. Watching my drafts dwindle day by day... I'm so tired! Aaaaaah!

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(End of this chapter)