Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 198 Uninvited Guest

The Way Inn.

Or rather, the Main Road Inn, which is where the Canaan squad will stay tonight.

Interestingly, this hotel was the first chain hotel Zhang Yuan encountered in Ferren. Of course, there are only two known locations of this so-called chain hotel so far.

This is clearly a branch store.

This is easy to tell, because the hostels here do not have stone walls that are four meters high;
There were no four towering watchtowers equipped with heavy crossbows;

Of course, there wouldn't be a protective ditch surrounding the city wall, which would be filled with sharpened wooden spikes.
It also lacks the so-called guardhouse, which, like the small castle, has a catapult on top that can launch incendiary bombs.

Yes, you can enjoy all of these special services at the roadside inn located not far from Dragonspear Fortress, also along the trade route.

However, it is understandable, after all, during the Second Dragon Spear War, that unfortunate roadside inn was the first to be destroyed by the black dragon's rampage.

The rebuilt hotel was practically armed like a steel hedgehog. While it couldn't be said that it could withstand the Black Dragon's offensive, dealing with ordinary bandits and thieves would be a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, Zhang Yuan did not check into such a stylish hotel that day. He only glanced at it from the outside and listened to Kegen boast about it for a while, which was just to broaden his horizons.

The branch where they stayed was a little worse; the perimeter was just a wooden fence with a few guards at the gate. However, it was clear that the local security situation was much better than the previous sections of the road.

An uneventful night passed by, and the next morning, just as everyone was about to go to the hotel to buy some food for breakfast, their team leader stopped them.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. My Southern Black Sesame Paste will be ready soon. You're in for a treat!"

What they saw was this scene: their captain and sorcerer was stirring a pot with a long-handled wooden ladle, and when they looked into the pot, wow!

A clump, or rather a dark mass, spun continuously as it was stirred with a spoon, spreading steam and a rich aroma.

The appearance is rather plain; it looks like an alchemical product, but the aroma is quite enticing.

Five parts sesame powder, three parts peanut powder, and two parts finely ground flour are mixed with water, stirred, and boiled to make a pot of fresh black sesame paste.

The teammates seemed to be enjoying the meal, but one nosy person asked:

"This tastes pretty good. How about you take charge of the meals from now on, boss?"

Only Rick, that idiot, could make such a stupid request. Zhang Yuan, who was about to grab the pot lid to hit Rick, was interrupted by a question.

"Interesting. Why do you, a mage, have Lord Bevin's aura on you? By the way, could I have a serving of that sesame paste too?"

Ok?
The team members, who were having a meal together in a corner of the restaurant, suddenly heard an unfamiliar voice and turned to look.

A tall, thin old man with white hair and beard stood smiling behind them, and politely took off his dog-skin hat and held it to his chest as a sign of respect.
"Greetings, unfamiliar adventurers, from Garas Salt." This uninvited guest was dressed in tattered clothes, even covered in grass and twigs, but his eyes were bright and piercing, and his mere presence gave off an indescribable feeling.

At first glance, they seem unremarkable and one might instinctively try to ignore them. But upon closer inspection, however, one finds them to be as unrestrained as a vast ocean, with an immeasurable presence.

Seeing the other party's polite demeanor and distinguished bearing, everyone returned the greeting out of courtesy. However, the old man's attitude immediately changed:
"Now we're acquainted, right? I haven't had breakfast yet, hurry up, hurry up!"

You're really not being polite!
While inwardly grumbling, Zhang Yuan still served the other person a bowl and handed it to him. The other person was probably no ordinary old man; an ordinary person couldn't see through his treasures at a glance.

Glug glug, and a bowl of sesame paste was gone in no time. Was Gallas drinking it like soup?
Zhang Yuan, who hadn't even taken two sips from his own bowl, stared blankly at the empty bowl that the other person had extended to him again, and at the blackened white beard around the other person's mouth, which looked like he had become young again.

The old man really didn't treat himself like an outsider. After finishing three large bowls, he wiped his mouth and was about to leave when Zhang Yuan, quick-witted and agile, grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait a minute, you're running away after you've eaten and drunk your fill? What are you even here for, old man?"

The other person seemed to suddenly realize something and stopped in their tracks, stretching out their hand and spreading their palm: "Oh, I had forgotten if you hadn't mentioned it. Then show it to me."

As Zhang Yuan guessed that the other party was after his Hidden Leaf, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands.

I wonder how long the old man had been wearing those clothes; they were so dirty and greasy.

"This is not the place to talk. Please come with me."

As he turned to signal Galas to follow, the mage also gave Münster and Kegan a wink. The four of them then left the crowded hall and went to their guest room.

Zhang Yuan didn't rush to reveal the treasure; instead, he first probed with a question:
“Your Excellency, we previously visited His Holiness Bevin’s sacred abode deep within the Misty Forest, and were blessed by the priests and elders. Perhaps this is the source of your misunderstanding.”

"Nonsense, are you trying to fool me like a goblin? Don't you know how many days it takes to get here from Misty Woods? Do you think I don't know what kind of level Elder Sena is? How could his blessing take so long to work?" Garas rolled his eyes and scoffed.

As he spoke, the old man pointed his withered, chicken-claw-like fingers at the monk's chest: "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and show it to me, I don't have time to argue with you."

So impolite? Not wanting to refuse directly, Zhang Yuan was trying to subtly probe their intentions, but unexpectedly, they attacked him directly.

Galas simply reached his hand towards Zhang Yuan's chest, preparing to grab the item he had sensed.

The monk, who was suddenly groped, was very unhappy and reached out to grab the other person's wrist to hold them down.

To my utter surprise, the other party looked like a withered old tree branch, and its appearance was no better than a chicken claw, but my pressing down on it did nothing!
This old geezer seemed completely unaffected by his own strength of nineteen points, comparable to that of a hill giant, and simply grabbed the hem of the mage's robe.

Just as Zhang Yuan was about to try to pry open the other party's clutches with his hands, Kegan and Münster, who were standing nearby, also noticed something was wrong and stepped forward to pull Galas away.

boom!
(End of this chapter)