Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 183 The Story of Neverwinter (Part 2)

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yuan understood. The Silver Shield family controlled almost all of Baldur's Gate's naval power, and few dared to provoke them in the entire Sword Bay. That was why, no matter how the political situation in the city changed, the Silver Shield family remained steadfast.

“That explains it. Baldur’s Gate is practically the central hub of the entire Sword Coast, the nexus of maritime trade.” Zhang Yuan stroked his chin as he spoke. “No disrespect intended, but has such a vital relationship been broken because of Elizabeth’s death?”

Nancy lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers, and said, "When Gavial disappeared, and then the lady passed away not long after, even the key link of an heir was gone. Coupled with the suppression from the other two families, the weakened Mandane family no longer had the basis for equal cooperation with Baldur's Gate."

Sigh! Zhang Yuan, who wasn't particularly interested in the subsequent rise and fall of these families, pointed out a key issue:
"Regardless, the Mandane family was one of the most powerful families in Leicester back then, but even such a powerful family couldn't protect the Grand Duchess and Garrick on that day?"

“It was Gavial,” Nancy corrected, also somewhat confused. “That day, it wasn’t just the Mandane family; Hidalgo’s elite soldiers were also there to provide protection, yet they were still broken through by those bastards who appeared out of nowhere.”

"Later, when Hidalgo questioned the Mandane family, they swore that they had not detected any military movements around Leicester during their previous vigilance, especially Deszel, who was being closely watched."

Zhang Yuan, however, had a different opinion: "Not necessarily. High-level mages can use group teleportation or dimensional portals to directly bypass your outer perimeter defenses and deploy troops directly, not to mention..."

He paused for a moment, then asked, "Why do you think that young lady from the Deszel family got acquainted with the Manuel family's influence?"

"The families in Neverwinter all know each other's secrets. I've never heard of any high-level mages in the Manuel or Deszel families. And the one who ambushed us was not any of the forces in Neverwinter."

As she spoke, Nancy recalled the attackers from that day: "And the two most powerful among them were the two black-armored warriors. If they hadn't held back Iltan and Geralt, our defenses wouldn't have been so easily breached."

"Geralt?"

"He was the head guard of the Mandane family more than ten years ago. He had already reached the threshold of becoming a high-level warrior. Unfortunately, he died in battle that day. After that, the military force of the Mandane territory lost its backbone."

"Have you captured any prisoners? What makes you so sure they are?"

“There were no prisoners. When the family’s reinforcements finally arrived and joined us to defeat the enemy, apart from the two black-armored warriors who suddenly disappeared, the rest of them all died instantly. There were no survivors. Afterwards, we couldn’t tell anything from their physical characteristics. They came from all sorts of places.” Nancy shook her head.

"The City of Exile?" Zhang Yuan uttered Luscan's nickname, a reputation stemming from the city's welcoming attitude towards exiles and criminals from outside.

Seemingly surprised by the mage's swift reaction, Nancy glanced at him and nodded: "That was also our initial suspicion. The Luskans have sufficient motive and capability. They could easily organize such a diverse group of bandits, and the power behind them is enough to teleport such a group here and block the Starcloak Arcane Tower's prophecy afterward."

The logic seemed reasonable, but when it came to gods, especially evil gods like Vesalon, nothing was simple. The skull emblem remained like a thorn in Zhang Yuan's heart.

"Then why couldn't it be that Manuel and Deszel colluded with Luscan to do this from the inside?"

Nancy frowned. "We've had that thought before, but we had to give up because we didn't have any evidence. But now it seems..."

As she spoke, she glanced at the diary in Zhang Yuan's hand: "How dare these behind-the-scenes bastards commit such a treacherous act? Aren't they afraid of Nash's wrath?"

Nash's wrath? Thinking of the various noble families' behavior during the Great Plague of Crying Deaths six years later, the mage's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Moreover, these two families probably think they've found a powerful backer, and their audacity has grown considerably.

Looking around the carriage, Zhang Yuan saw that Münster was still focused on driving, while Lawrence had already fallen asleep like a chicken pecking at rice. Only then did Zhang Yuan take out the holy emblem and show it to Nancy. "This is... a holy emblem?" Nancy, who was not an expert in this field, obviously could not recognize the emblem of a certain Mao god who had not been in the business for long.

“It is the Lord of the Tomb.” Zhang Yuan dared not call him by his name directly. “The guy hiding behind the troll is His priest.”

“Wei~”

Upon hearing the name, the female thief's pupils contracted as if she had thought of something, and she almost cried out in surprise. Fortunately, she managed to restrain herself, thus saving the mage, who had half-extended his hand, from the rude act of covering her mouth.

"Do not call the gods by their names directly," Zhang Yuan warned.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Nancy nodded with lingering fear, catching her breath as she said, "You mean, those two families were backed by that lich leader? How dare they? Are they insane?"

"Given enough profit, it's not surprising that they'd go crazy. Besides, they covered up almost all the clues about what happened in Leicester Port ten years ago. They must be quite proud of themselves. What a pity."

As he spoke, Zhang Yuan's lips curled into a smile: "It's a pity that they overlooked the hidden danger planted by a scapegoat. Just when they realized it, it fell right in front of us. Tsk, what luck."

"Maybe Lady Lucky just doesn't like that skull face." He chuckled.

However, Zhang Yuan now had a better understanding of the situation. He hadn't known about the implications of this matter before and was always worried about being drawn into some deadly conspiracy. But if it was just an old incident from ten years ago, it probably wouldn't have alarmed that old lich.

If they really valued it that much, there would have been more than just one mid-level priest this time.

The carriage continued on its way, passing through meadows and sparse woodlands, where the trees gradually grew denser, making it impossible for the vehicle to pass.

After getting out of the car, the group met and discussed the matter. Lawrence and Münster were put in charge of guarding the vehicle, while the rest of the group continued on their way.

According to the vision transmitted from the Winter Dragon in mid-air, this place is not far from the troll cave, and the group of trolls seems to be busy preparing something, going in and out constantly.

Although the remaining enemy force was small, only about ten people, and they were likely mostly the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled, Zhang Yuan still led out a small team as usual, just to be on the safe side.

I come on the light!

"Beautiful as ice!"

"Let everything burn!"

"I am an ogre mage!" "Who isn't?"

"My current is surging!"

Thank you to Qu Luo Man Tian Xing, Lan Ren Mei Mei, Yu Zhong Hao Bu Ba Ba, ok2001, Hao Hao Qi Wen Ping Dian, and KahnAn for your monthly ticket support! Thank you everyone!

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(End of this chapter)