Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 182 The Story of Neverwinter (Part 1)

But another question arose in Zhang Yuan's mind: Since Lister had realized that something was wrong with his ex-girlfriend and had collected this potentially useful intelligence, why was this diary locked in a secret box and never seen the light of day?

As Nancy said, the Deszel family and the Mandane family, from which the Grand Duchess came of age, were at odds, and Lister and Serena's acquaintance occurred before that incident.

Serena's arrangements in Leicester Harbor were clearly deliberate, and Lister must have had some idea of ​​her motives.

However, the reality is that this notebook, which may contain information related to the events of that year, is now unknown and buried under the dust of time.

Countless possibilities and guesses flashed through Zhang Yuan's mind, but the current information was too limited and one-sided, making it difficult to make any meaningful judgments in a short time.

The complex political landscape and intricate power struggles among various families in Neverwinter, an old northern city, were beyond the comprehension of an outsider like him.

Fortunately, Nancy, a local, was nearby as well as someone who knew about the incident from back then.

Nancy eagerly flipped through the diary after receiving it, her expression changing repeatedly as she read. From initial sneer to indifference, then to a serious expression and gritted teeth, she nearly popped her eyes out of their sockets by the end.

Snapped!
Nancy slammed the diary shut, gripping it tightly with her claws. Gone was her usual carefree self; her expression was terrifyingly gloomy, and her fingernails dug into the cover.

Just then, the stone house shook and made a creaking sound like stones rubbing together, signaling the end of the Leomon Shelter's duration.

"Let's go out first. We can talk on the way."

He got up and went out, followed by Nancy, who kept her head down and remained silent, and the old lecher who had returned to his usual carefree manner. In just a few minutes, the huge stone house disappeared as if it were a bubble, leaving only a few tremors and echoes behind.

After having lunch together, including a sumptuous whole lamb feast, the Canaan team set off again.

However, instead of continuing north towards Waterdeep, the team turned southwest.

Before setting off, Zhang Yuan dismissed all the chess pieces, leaving only two falcons, which were battle pets summoned by the two-star beast king in the previous battle. They possessed both flight and ranged attributes and survived unscathed.

When the trolls scattered earlier, he ordered these two war eagles to fly high in the sky and each track a fleeing troll soldier, hoping to find the troll tribe's hiding place by following the clues.

This seemingly insignificant move also came in handy. Both Zhang Yuan and Nancy were eager to know who hid the secret box among the caravan's goods and how.

The war eagles, soaring high in the sky, shared their aerial view with a certain mage, giving him a clear view of the scenery below.

The two war eagles eventually converged on one place. Looking down from the high altitude where they circled, a small group of trolls was gathered near a hill, and trolls were constantly going in and out of the cave.

Fortunately, the camp wasn't too far away. However, the summoning time for the war eagle was about to expire, and losing the aerial view and trying to circle around this forest wasn't a good idea. He casually summoned the Winter Dragon again. Although its flight altitude wasn't as high as the war eagle's, hovering in mid-air was barely enough. Zhang Yuan had already memorized the overall view of the forest, so he wasn't worried about getting lost.

The team's two carriages were traveling across the grassland. Inside the swaying carriages, Zhang Yuan looked at Nancy, waiting for her to speak.

The female thief clasped her hands together, burying her head in her arms, and only raised her head after a long while:
“I should have thought of that.” Her voice trembled slightly. “The Manuel family had always stayed out of the conflict between the Mandan and Deszel families, but after the Grand Duchess was assassinated and the relationship between the family and Grand Duke Iltan cooled, the Manuel family formed an alliance with that group of Deszels.”

“At first I just thought it was kicking someone when they're down, and that the Manuel family wanted to take advantage of the situation to make a profit. But now it seems they've been secretly colluding all along. The shipping channels controlled by the Mandan family have really impressed quite a few people.” Nancy said, gritting her teeth and sneering.

Zhang Yuan was somewhat skeptical. It was perfectly normal for nobles to form alliances and plot against each other in order to compete for interests. At first glance, it didn't seem wrong. But what about the previous attack?

A Visharun priest led half the tribe's trolls to intercept and seize intelligence information about some trivial power struggle between three noble families? He just couldn't believe it.

Even assuming the worst, when did Vesalon become a legitimate faith in Neverwinter? What are they trying to cover up by rushing to destroy evidence and even silence witnesses?
However, these are all speculations without any supporting evidence. For now, we can only hope that the entire caravan has not perished in the mouths of the trolls.

The carriage continued its bumpy journey, just like Nancy's intermittent narration and soliloquy.

"The nominal ruler of Leicester Harbor was Harromes, a low-ranking warrior who started as a stonemason and was elected as the 'Commander' as the leader of the Stonemasons' Guild, the largest power in Leicester Harbor at the time."

"In fact, with his abilities, if it weren't for Lord Nash's support, he would probably have been devoured by the coveted nobles of Neverwinter or the Luscans long ago. Even so, Harromes has almost been turned into a mascot by those merchant guilds and noble private soldiers."

Zhang Yuan suddenly spoke up: "What is the state of the defenses at Leicester Harbor?"

"The composition is very complex. Only a small team is directly under Harromos's command; the rest are private soldiers infiltrated by various families, as well as mercenaries from the merchant guild." After a slight hesitation, Nancy continued:

"The Mandane family's territory is not far south of Leicester Harbor, and they have always interfered in this port. Some of the fleets from Neverwinter City docked at Leicester Naval Base are from the Mandane territory or are even from collateral branches."

"That's why the Mandane family was able to get a piece of the huge pie in the shipping industry."

Nancy nodded, a hint of reminiscence on her face: "Back then, the lady married into the Baldur's Gate, to the Earl of Iltan. From then on, the Mandane family and the Hidalgo family formed an alliance, and the banner of the Silver Gull and Golden Clouds was able to travel freely throughout the Sea of ​​Swords."

"Back then, Iltan wasn't yet the Grand Duke of Flamefist, and besides, Flamefist's influence wasn't at sea. How could they guarantee the passage of the Mandaen fleet?"

“Iltan’s family was one of the leaders of the Flame Fist, and the key is that the Hidalgos and the Silver Shield family have always been very close.”

(End of this chapter)