Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 208 The Devil's Proposal

At first, Zhang Yuan couldn't figure out the female elf's background. He thought she was some unlucky elf who had gone mad or was cursed and came to offer treasures. It wasn't until she was severely injured by Nancy and underwent some kind of dramatic change that she revealed her flaws.

That howl, almost instantly unleashing a blasphemous spell—what does that represent? Anyone with some knowledge of lower-dimensional beings has a pretty good idea.

If any low- to mid-level demon possessed such abilities, the Abyss would have already launched a counterattack against Hell and Heaven Mountain.

The evil aura that the opponent unleashed at that moment might not have been understood by the other teammates, but in the eyes of the mage, it completely exposed his identity as a Tanaribara from the lower plane.

However, the other party seems to be in a very bad situation.

If it were a normal high-level demon visiting, Zhang Yuan would definitely only be able to hold out for two rounds before everyone could escape, while he would teleport back to Highhold to get reinforcements. But what is the situation now?
The demon residing within the female elf's body seemed to have exhausted its power after uttering a blasphemous remark, unable to even form a physical projection; it was simply extremely weak.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been completely stunned and in excruciating pain by the mage's subsequent combo attacks.

A dragon stranded in shallow water is mocked by shrimp; a tiger fallen to the plains is bullied by dogs.

Although there is no such sentence in the Abyss or Toril, the feelings it describes were personally experienced by a certain demon.

First, targeting beings from the outer plane, the banishment spell from Master Tyrantir almost banished him directly back to the abyss. Although he managed to forcibly exempt himself from the spell by virtue of his own power and status, his soul and the host's body were completely separated.

That wasn't the end of it. His efforts to retract the body it had taken over were thwarted by the subsequent protective evil, and then that damned beam of positive energy nearly killed him.

Could this guy on the other side have recruited a sub-space god messenger in human skin?

With this space locked and solidified by the dimensional anchor, the advanced teleportation techniques that the high-ranking demons are so proud of are out of the question.

A thunderclap from a clear sky, and a mouse in the corner appears in the blink of an eye.

Just moments ago he was the attacker, but now he was trapped and unable to advance or retreat. Grando was filled with hatred, and all sorts of vicious curses and abyssal slang terms flooded his mind, each one unique.

He hated those meddlesome cloud giants. He was just playing his own game in the forest, but instead of staying put in his cloud tower, they had to come and make things difficult for him, and they even had the nerve to call for help.

He hated that damned old druid, a legendary powerhouse, who had the nerve to come and bully someone who wasn't even a minor lord. If his projected body hadn't been shattered by that terrifying thundercloud storm, he wouldn't have ended up like this.

In the face of death, the commotion of the incineration explosion covered the escape of the remnant soul. It secretly possessed the body of a moon elf ranger, not daring to even take over and control the original owner's consciousness. It could only guide the already somewhat fearful person away from the battlefield by hinting at it. It was not until it reached the edge of the forest that it dared to temporarily take control of the body. A dimensional portal led it to the main road.

Grando didn't want to use advanced teleportation to escape, but a mere wisp of consciousness remaining on the prime material plane was like a rootless duckweed, causing too many inconveniences and being extremely conspicuous.

If he dared to break free from this temporary host, it was uncertain whether the power left behind by this projection would be enough to find and parasitize another host. He hadn't had enough "playing" in the Prime Material Plane yet and had no intention of returning home now. As a result, this idiotic female elf ran headfirst into this steel plate. Her original plan to infiltrate a convoy or steal vehicles to slowly recover her strength was completely ruined. Being forced to reveal her physical form only made matters worse, and she was on the verge of completely dissipating.

It's one thing for a mighty demon to be ganged up on by a cloud giant mage and a legendary druid—after all, he's a top-tier powerhouse in the prime plane—but even he managed to escape, only to fall into the hands of a mid-level mage.

Very angry!
"Insignificant mortal, what lies before you is a magnificent being from the abyss, the projection of Lord Grandor, the Shadowflame. Your pathetic attack cannot affect Grandor's powerful true form in any way."

The silent projection of consciousness directly communicated with the mage's thoughts, conveying his attitude. The shadow, like a burning flame, swayed and twisted incessantly, like a candle flickering in the wind.

“However, merciful Grandor has forgiven your offense, mage. We can certainly make a deal. By sacrificing some insignificant, frail lives, you will gain unimaginable benefits.” The burning shadow flickered more violently, urging on relentlessly:
"So what if you banish me? What will you gain besides the wrath and revenge of a great demon? A true spellcaster should not be bound by those hypocritical dogmas."

Flames lit up around the demon's eye sockets, and the demonic whispers entering his mind sounded increasingly seductive and convincing.

The monk's eyes flickered, and after a moment of contemplation, his fingers twitched, as if he were seriously considering the suggestion.

The wise Grando was about to gain another mortal follower, and the Shadow Demon was not without pride. As a variant of the Balrog, he considered himself to be almost on par with the true Balrog of the Abyss.

While they might be slightly weaker in direct combat, the Balrogs couldn't possibly retain a portion of their consciousness projection to escape after their incineration explosion.

Although I still have some tricks up my sleeve, if I can achieve my goal with words, why risk revealing the last few cards I have left?

"What can you give me? And what do I have to give in return?" Zhang Yuan asked hesitantly.

"Knowledge, power, wealth—I can give you all these things," the shadowy voice said, still full of sincerity.

“But you also know the saying that everything has its price.” The other party paused for a moment, then continued, “In exchange, you also need to help me find a suitable body so that I can regain some of my strength.”

"This is not only good for me. Once I can summon and communicate with my seductive minions, you can even gain the right to use the Wish spell through a ritual. This is a ninth-circle arcane spell. You should understand what this means."

"Then... let's sign a contract!" The mage, who seemed to be interested, had some concerns, after all, the reputation and credibility of the Tanaris were notorious.

“It’s a real name contract!” Zhang Yuan emphasized.

"Impossible, you lowly mortal, how dare you covet the true name of the great Grandor!" The shadowy figure spoke fiercely, his anger barely contained, yet his heart was filled with cunning and treachery.

An unprecedented battle!
The intensity of this battle was like the verbal sparring between aunties and street vendors in a vegetable market, or the fierce competition between buyers and sellers in an online store. Zhang Yuancai, who had even drunk a whole bag of water, finally reached a preliminary agreement with the other party.

Thank you to Naval Project No. 23, Tumen 9, Hu Tianshu Zhai, Tiramisu Generation 3, and Wanliu Tongyuan for your monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)