Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 211 So-talk
For a time, flattery and praise filled the air; everyone was concerned about everything, big or small, leaving Captain Zhang shaking his head in disbelief.

How come I never noticed these guys' sycophantic tendencies before?

The mage's true feelings are naturally unknown to his teammates, and even if they did hear them, they would just ignore them.

Just kidding, it's a legend right in front of you! Not everyone has a great mage as their mentor, so why are you being so smug? Most people only get one chance like this in their lifetime, so just catching a glimpse of him is good enough.

Just as everyone was showering him with attention and the old man was showing his approachable nature, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere, a thick white cloud quietly drifted in.

The old man, who was laughing happily, suddenly changed his expression, looked up at the sky, and the people who looked in the same direction saw only a white cloud, which was not only large, but also unusually low, much lower than the other clouds.

As everyone watched, the cloud drifted directly above the team and stopped, then grew larger and lower in their field of vision.

The cloud actually started to fall downwards!

A real, sky-high cloud?!

The Canaan team members were dumbfounded, and even subconsciously glanced at Garas, thinking that the master had caused the commotion. However, the latter smiled without saying a word, extinguished his pipe, and put it away.

Zhang Yuan seemed to be deep in thought. He had probably guessed the true identity of this cloud, which was probably the giant cloud with a beard.

It arrived silently and gracefully.

When the huge white cloud landed, it was as light as a feather, spreading out on the ground in a large blob like a cotton candy.

"What a huge lump."

“It’s a huge lump, cough! What nonsense are you talking about?” Galas glared at Zhang Yuan beside him, then turned to look at the clouds.

The white cloud began to writhe and twist, and the thick white wisps gradually formed a huge human figure. Then the cloud dissipated, revealing a giant before everyone.

Giants are not a particularly rare species in Faerûn. Half-giants, hill giants, frost giants, and other giant species are distributed throughout the continent, and there may be corresponding subspecies of giants living in almost any terrain.

However, if we were to say which subspecies could truly give us a glimpse of the legendary Titans' might, which were like giants, none could rival the Storm Giants and Cloud Giants.

The cloud giant before us, after revealing its true form, is at least eight meters tall, judging by a cursory glance.

Its body was like cast metal, or like a marble statue meticulously sculpted by a knife and axe. Its sky-blue skin was taut, and its clearly defined, bulging muscles highlighted the immense power contained within its massive body.

Moving the gaze upwards, one sees a middle-aged man's face, clean-shaven, with distinct features and a handsome appearance.

Their hair was like curly silver threads, shimmering and soft, and their pupils were a dazzling blue, somewhat like starlight sapphires. They were products of the Creator's complete favoritism, the definers and interpreters of Faerûn's physical strength. What was even more terrifying was that they possessed far more than just brute force.

None of the Canaan team members, including Zhang Yuan, had ever seen such an ultimate creation standing at the top of the species. They opened their eyes wide, but still could not fully take in this giant.

The cloud giant was too tall and too close to them, so close that when the cloud giant spoke, everyone subconsciously took a few steps back.

Because only now did they truly realize that the being before them was not a lie, but a real, living giant.

"Your Excellency, Wrath of the Sky, the Cloud Giant will forever remember your righteous act and the helping hand you extended. Your heart is as vast and profound as the sky."

The giant spoke, his voice like thunder.

Fortunately, this guy has good personal hygiene habits and doesn't have bad breath; otherwise, given the size of the situation, even wearing a mask wouldn't have been effective.

Right in front of the giant, facing its enormous, tunnel-like mouth, Zhang Yuan was thinking about this.

No joke, with the Cloud Giant's lung capacity and voice, when he opens his mouth and exhales, it's like a small hurricane is blowing right in front of him. If this guy eats a few more cloves of garlic when he goes out, what mask can withstand this?
Upon hearing this, Garas shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly. He reached out and picked up the little rascal mage. Looking at his thin arms, he realized that grabbing a grown man was no more difficult than carrying a kitten or puppy.

"That demon is incredibly cunning; even I was fooled for a moment." Garas placed Zhang Yuan in front of him and affectionately ruffled the mage's hair, turning his meticulously styled hair into a mess.
“So-Kouhu, you have to thank this little guy. If it weren’t for him stopping and severely injuring Grando, that cunning cave wolf, we would have had a lot of headaches in the future.”

The giant cloud was taken aback by what he heard. Its eyes, as big as windows polished from sapphires, looked at Zhang Yuan, and astonishment was written on its small house-sized face.

"Young friend, was it you who thwarted Grandor's cunning scheme? No offense intended, but even though this demon was already severely injured, he is not someone to be trifled with. You, young friend..."

Mr. Kouhu spoke tactfully, but the meaning was crystal clear, and it was the proper thing to do, so Zhang Yuan was not annoyed.

Zhang Yuan recounted everything that had happened, especially highlighting the scene where his opponent was ambushed by his expulsion technique:
"It was a coincidence. The banishment spell that was originally intended to deal with summoned creatures was used on this guy instead. Fortunately, it was a scroll made by my master, otherwise it would not have had the effect."

"Luck always goes hand in hand with wisdom and courage. Young friend, there's no need to be modest. In any case, you've solved a problem that has been troubling us, that's a fact." The giant's words were very polite, but his tone was somewhat firm.

“This little guy is the only disciple of that old man Tyrantir, so he’s kind of my junior. Come to think of it, I haven’t given him any decent gifts yet. I should thank him properly this time, so let’s include it in the gifts.” As he spoke, Garas winked at Zhang Yuan.

The shrewd Zhang Yuan knew perfectly well that the other party was using him as a figurehead—no, the old man himself was the most intimidating figurehead!
He immediately feigned politeness and said, "Although you are my master's close friend, I cannot take advantage of this to be greedy. Besides, the erosion of the abyss is the enemy of all living beings. Although this battle is difficult and consumes a lot of resources, it is our duty."

So-Kouhu was, after all, the leader of the Cloud Giant Tribe. He wasn't blind, so how could he not see that the old man and the young man were putting on a show?
He sighed inwardly: Isn't this bullying an honest person? But he felt helpless. It was true that the other party had solved his problem, and it was also true that the young man's background was extraordinary. This loss was probably unavoidable.

Ignoring the two comedians' banter, the giant spoke decisively: "The Cloud Giant has no concept of ingratitude in his conduct and character. I will definitely give you two a satisfactory answer."

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(End of this chapter)