Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 2 Prologue: Chessboard? Dice? Cheat Code?
Zhang Yuan, who had just accessed the old version of Baldur's Gate collection, was still preoccupied with the new Baldur's Gate game. Looking at his save files, he lost interest in clicking on them.

"Men are always fickle." Zhang sighed, unsure whether to continue playing or go back and play a couple of rounds of Auto Chess.

Why not start a new character save file? So Zhang Yuan opened a new game and pondered which class he should play this time.

But looking at them all, I've already mastered these professional classes to the point of exhaustion; there's nothing new about them anymore. Ah, wouldn't it be great if there were a class that could summon those auto-chess pieces?
Wait a minute, even though there aren't any, why don't I try making one myself? There are quite a few amazing modders on 3DM and Tieba, aren't there? Zhang Yuan suddenly had a new idea.

Think of it and do it! Of the four guardians of Baldur, Cyvoraud and Shadowguard are undoubtedly the most well-known, but the masters DEBUG and DLTCEP should not be overlooked. Especially DLTCEP; most Chahn's have no use for his power. But for veteran modders, he's a powerful tool for weaving their own fantasies.

Zhang Yuan, who majored in computer science, wasn't intimidated. After downloading and installing the software, he read its instructions and searched for tutorial videos from other experts, completely forgetting about playing games.

But once Zhang Yuan got started, he realized things weren't so simple; it wasn't just about adding a new sect and summoning spells. The key question was, what to do with the summoned creature?
This isn't a universal Warcraft editor that can directly set any model and import appearances. He's been pulling out handfuls of hair trying to solve this problem for the past two days but still hasn't come up with a satisfactory solution.

After some thought, I opened Auto Chess and created a single-player room, browsing through these diverse chess games in an attempt to find some similar alternatives in the world of Baldur.

The result was naturally unsatisfactory. How could the differences between two completely different worldviews, art styles, or even simply 2D and 3D dimensions be so easily resolved?

Enraged by his momentary burst of enthusiasm but unable to move due to the game's glitch, Zhang Yuan frantically clicked on the DLTCEP window, yelling, "Damn it, transform! Transform! Transform! Transform me into Baldur's Gate 4: Chess Skill (Riding a Prostitute) Bro."

Before long, whether it was because it was too old, because the multi-threaded tasks were too heavy, or because it hadn't been cleaned of dust for a long time, the computer, unable to bear the burden, shut down and died on the spot.

Still furiously abusing the keyboard, Zhang Yuan angrily slammed his fist on the innocent keyboard, then stood up and jabbed the power button on the computer with his left hand.

Perhaps it was a short circuit in the main unit, or perhaps it was some other unknown reason, but this time it was Zhang Yuan's turn to close his eyes, kick his legs, and fall to the floor of his own house.

Lifting his heavy eyelids slightly, a sliver of dim, murky light entered his vision. After struggling and panting for a while, Zhang Yuan finally managed to stand up, only to find that he was no longer in his small, cramped apartment.

Looking around, wisps of obscure and chaotic energy, like smoke or ocean currents, swirled and gathered like eddies, stirring up waves, only to vanish like the wind in the blink of an eye.

Zhang Yuan was no longer dumbfounded; instead, he resembled a rooster with its neck being choked, its mouth agape like a hippopotamus struck by lightning, turning its head to survey its surroundings.

This unprecedented scene not only brought a strong sense of unreality, but also triggered his deep-seated fear of the unknown.

Fearing that the ground beneath his feet was also shrouded in this chaotic mist, Zhang Yuan quickly looked down at the ground, only to find to his surprise that it was actually quite stable. He jumped a few times, and...hmm? It didn't shake or collapse.

Relieved, Zhang Yuanfang finally had the mind to carefully examine his surroundings. It was a piece of ground about the size of a basketball court, floating in the chaotic mist like a city in the clouds in his imagination.

Carefully approaching the edge of the flat ground, fearing he might fall, Zhang Yuan unexpectedly discovered that this seemingly misty chaos actually possessed a solid form, like a karaoke room cushion, gently yet firmly resisting his fingers' attempts to penetrate. Seeing this was futile, Zhang Yuan turned to look at the ground and was surprised to notice a detail he had overlooked: the marble platform was divided by a dozen lighter-colored lines, resembling a crisscrossing chessboard. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed, and then it dawned on him—damn, wasn't this the chessboard of Auto Chess?
Seeing the eight disc-shaped stone platforms at the other end, my certainty grew. Could it be? I've been chosen by the so-called auto chess system?
Having frequented Qidian for many years, Zhang Yuan was a seasoned veteran, having seen countless styles, including system-based, cheat-based, and extreme-path styles, which he was already very familiar with.

However, after looking around for half a day, Zhang couldn't find the so-called main god or old man. Instead, he unexpectedly found a stone the size of an egg in the center of the chessboard. Upon picking it up and taking a closer look, he discovered that it was not a pebble at all, but something that TRPG players would be very familiar with.

A twenty-sided die! This core item of D&D and many other board games thus fell into Zhang Yuan's hands.

Wait a minute, Auto Chess isn't an RPG game, nor is it its ancestor Mahjong, so why would it use dice?

After a moment of doubt, Zhang Yuan recalled the scene before he lost consciousness. Could it be that I really combined Baldur's Gate and Auto Chess? Could it be that I can really go to Forgotten Realms with cheats and uphold justice?

Mr. Zhang was overjoyed, and then praised DLTCEP with great satisfaction, "You have finally become a mature editor, and you have edited the cheat MOD by yourself."

Since he was already there, he decided to make the best of it. Having seen it all, Zhang was too lazy to think about those conspiracies, like possession or fishing.

Putting aside the fact that I myself played a significant role in the development of this cheat (referring to: opening the program, crashing, and violently restarting), I didn't gain anything from my own 100-odd pounds of weight.

No matter what the future holds, seizing the present moment is paramount. Zhang Yuan will never forget the trials Richardm faced in Baldur's Gate on his journey through the Ascatra sewers to the ruined temple. We cross the river of time via the bridge called life, and the most important step we take is this very step.

Having spent my youth in mediocrity and a daze, I would never give up this cheat code.

Just then, the dice in his hand began to shake on their own, and a bright light shone into Zhang Yuan's pupils. A pop-up window appeared before his eyes: DLTCEP Auto Chess System activated, initiating automatic binding. Yes? No?

Zhang Yuan frantically waved his fingers, trying to click the button in the pop-up window, but it was all to no avail. The pop-up window projected onto his pupils was like a mirage; he got nothing but air.

Wait, could it be mind control? Zhang Yuan silently chanted "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!!!" The pop-up window jumped up as if it had been poked in the anus, then disappeared without a trace.

As Mr. Zhang waited anxiously, the dice began to spin on their own. A horizontal beam of light emanated from the dice, sweeping over him from head to toe. Then, a new window popped up:

Owner: Zhang Yuan
Race: human

Identity: Auto Chess Messenger
Occupation: None
Age: 24
Alignment: Lawful Neutral

Power: 12
Agility: 8
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 14
Intelligence (Perception): 10
Charisma: 9
(PS: The attribute templates above are based on the third edition of D&D rules and differ from Baldur's Gate 1.2. It's a bit odd that 25 attribute points is the maximum.)
(End of this chapter)