Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 170 Praising the residence

Night had already fallen when we were still quite a distance from the valley.

The silver moon hangs high like a jade plate, and the breeze ripples like water. The summer heat has passed, but the harsh winter is still far away. The pleasant temperature is mixed with the dryness unique to autumn.

The Canaanites, having struggled out of that previous quagmire, finally felt the beauty of autumn.

What's even more delightful is the venison licking golden-brown from the campfire atop the grill. This poor elk probably only glanced at Rick and Morty in the crowd before giving up the rest of its life.

These two lovable brothers were not exaggerating. Despite their large size, they were not clumsy at all when hunting. Moreover, a certain unscrupulous mage gave Rick the Angel's Eye, so even if the deer saw that things were not going well and wanted to escape, it was too late.

Rick showcased his javelin-throwing skills today, giving the onlookers a real eye-opener.

With immense force, precise and keen eyesight, and anticipation, a deer attempting to leap away was pierced through the neck by a javelin before it could even take off, pinning it firmly to the ground.

The deer is so big that it cannot be contained in one pot.

Kegan and Morty were both experienced at handling game. After cleaning and cutting it up, a large pot and a grill were set up over two campfires.

Over the past few days, everyone has had enough of the taste of dry rations. In the Death Swamp, which is filled with negative energy and the smell of decay, there is nothing to eat.

Who knows what deadly stuff is inside those fat but strangely shaped and deformed toads and venomous snakes?

The fragrant roasted venison and stewed venison soup were now ready, and everyone was enjoying themselves immensely, wiping their hands and faces until they were covered in grease.

After a hearty meal, everyone prepared to set up tents for the night. However, their captain showed no intention of taking out his storage bag to retrieve camping gear. Instead, he walked to the open space reserved for the tents and began chanting a spell.

The spellcasting lasted a full ten minutes, which made the teammates who were gathered around it a little bored.

Fortunately, the effects of the spell gradually became apparent after about seven minutes.

On the open ground in front of the sorcerer, a magic circle drawn with white light appeared, growing brighter as the spell continued.

After a sudden flash, stone walls rose from the ground, gradually increasing in height, constantly changing shape and spatial structure in the process.

As the incantation drew to a close, the stone wall, having reached the height of a one-story building, stopped rising. A phantom image then covered its top, gradually solidifying to reveal the roof's appearance.

Thus, the spell – Leomon's Sanctuary – has been cast!

This arcane creation branch of the Four Rings spell system, invented by the famous Travelling Sorcerer Leomon, works just as we just saw: it conjures up an ordinary stone house of about ninety square meters, designed by the caster himself.

For the sake of the team members, the house was divided into two small single rooms and three slightly larger bedrooms, with two additional bathrooms. Each member had an average of ten square meters of space, with the remaining ten square meters used as a washroom, which was quite reasonable.

The onlookers were dumbfounded by the spectacle. None of them had ever witnessed such a sight before, and now they were fortunate enough to have a mid-level mage cast such a spell right in front of them, and for the benefit of their own team.

The team members, who had endured wind and rain all the way, were overjoyed. They all stared eagerly at their captain, who was examining the creation he had summoned.

It's not fair to say they're spoiled; these hardships are nothing out of the ordinary for them. But then again, given a choice, who would want to suffer for themselves?

With a command, the door opened. Zhang Yuan tilted his head, gesturing for everyone to enter, and then went in first. The rest of the team rushed in, leaving Rick still gnawing on the deer bone by the campfire, which he had almost polished smooth.

The team members inside the house, including the monk himself, looked around the interior of the house with some curiosity, occasionally stroking the stone surface on the wall with their hands or tapping it lightly with their fingers.

This house is unassuming in appearance, with only a dusty gray stone exterior, but it is sturdy and stable. The walls are made of large stone slabs, six inches thick, rising from the ground, and no matter how much they are pushed, they will not budge.

Having such a nice house to shelter from the wind and rain is more than ten times better than a tent. Especially after someone showed everyone the existence of two bathrooms, Nancy, who was almost crying with joy, came up and gave him a hug.

No one could know how much trouble personal hygiene and urination, seemingly insignificant matters, caused her during her arduous journey.

Especially in the Death Swamp, not only do you have to search for a secluded corner to use as a temporary outhouse, but you also have to be on guard against those damned poisonous insects launching fierce attacks on your delicate bottom.

Not to mention something as luxurious as taking a bath.

Now that all these embarrassing troubles have been resolved, Nancy feels that bringing her cheap captain along on the journey to Neverwinter was the wisest decision she ever made.

Zhang Yuan took out sleeping bags, blankets, and other items and distributed them to everyone. After everyone chose their rooms and tidied up, Zhang Yuan cleaned up the remnants of the campfire outside and determined who would keep watch. Then, he took out two modified water elemental jugs and hung them in the washroom.

These two alchemical items are naturally the work of a certain mage's teacher.

With his current rudimentary level of alchemy and artifact crafting, he couldn't even make a spittoon, let alone a water elemental pot.

Similar to the Water Elemental Basin, this silver pot can continuously draw pure water from the Water Elemental Plane. What's even better is that it is engraved with a constant temperature magic array, so that the water flowing out is clean water at a suitable temperature, eliminating the trouble of boiling water for bathing.

After taking turns to resolve their personal hygiene issues, the Canaan team members returned to their rooms to rest. The rooms were fully furnished with beds, tables, chairs, and other furniture. Although they were made of stone and somewhat simple, it was fine.

Even night watch was much easier than before. The house, made entirely of rock, was like a solid fortress, living up to its name as a shelter. The night watchman only needed to pay attention to the traps and alarms around the house and observe the situation outside through the ventilation vents. There was no need to worry about a repeat of the last night raid.

After a good night's rest, the team continued their journey. After what happened yesterday, the team's morale was completely different. It makes sense, because any adventure team that can carry an inn that also serves as a fortress will definitely have a lot of confidence.

However, the group's good mood did not last long. A pungent smell of blood and stench carried by the breeze made the Canaan team frown. Zhang Yuan even stopped the convoy and cast the Pengyu Angel's Eye on himself to look ahead.

(End of this chapter)