Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 229 Under the Crown of the North

Deepwater City is situated on a hillside overlooking the sea, forming a long rectangular highland with a wide north-south span.

The city's entire western and southern boundaries are bordered by the coastline and encompassed by the Sword Sea, while its eastern and northern sides are high cliffs tens of meters high, making the terrain treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack.

The entire city, and even the part adjacent to the coastline, is surrounded by a tall wall called the Troll Wall. This is not because the trolls suddenly decided to jump into the civil engineering pit, but rather because of the glorious past of the local residents resisting the troll invasion.

If this mountain city were in ancient times, it would truly be an impregnable fortress, with absolutely no possibility of being forcibly taken.

Deepwater Peak, located in the center, is the highest point in the entire area and is also the origin of the city's name.

Waterdeep Castle, the administrative center, the palace of Lord Piergalen of Waterdeep, and the mage tower of the legendary mage Kelben Blackstalker are all located on this mountain. Surrounding it, the families of the great nobles, military camps, and other important departments are mostly located in this area known as the Castle District.

This is undoubtedly a prime location, commonly known as the Deepwater City Second Ring Road!

North of the castle district lies the elevated and scenic coastal area in the northwest. Most of the temples and shrines of this glorious city, as well as the mansions of the less powerful nobles and the private villas of wealthy merchants, are located here.

The northern district in the northeast was also a private domain of the so-called "upper class," with minor nobles and wealthy merchants alike favoring it as a fallback option for property ownership.

However, the luxury hotels and inns in the North District, or other places for entertainment, still offer ordinary people a glimpse into the extravagant lifestyles of the wealthy, if they can afford it and are willing to spend the money.

South of Deepwater Peak, the terrain gradually slopes down and becomes flat, much like the social stratification and distribution of the city.

The area was divided into the Trade Zone, the South Zone, and the Dock Zone, from high to low and from north to south. The social status of the residents also decreased with each level. The Dock Zone, which was the most prosperous and busiest, also supported the most poor people and homeless people in the eyes of the upper class.

This region can be described as the shadow of this glorious city, a blemish on the crown of the North, where prosperity is accompanied by an equally prosperous black market, rampant gangs, and clandestine dealings.

It's a harsh reality, and even the legendary paladin Pilgalen, who is also one of the leaders of Waterdeep and the god of justice Tyr, is powerless to change this situation.

But now the Canaanites are heading to the seventh region—the Dead City.

The name sounds eerie and unsettling, but it is actually a beautiful, bird-filled, and lush cemetery.

It's Sham Shui Po Cemetery. Although it sounds awkward, it is indeed the largest green garden in the city and a top choice for residents to go on picnics and outings.

The Dead City is located east of the Castle District and north of the Trade District. As the group climbed the gentle uphill road, a clear and high-pitched cry came from above. Looking up at the sky, they saw a dark shadow spreading its wings and flying past against the light.

Tsk~ Griffin Knights, as expected of Waterdeep!

This ferocious beast, which often appears in various fantasy works from the previous life, is as tall as an adult at the shoulder and weighs nearly half a ton. Although it does not possess magic, its melee combat ability is remarkable, not to mention that it is a family-oriented creature.

Only young or even newborn griffins have the potential to be tamed, but these large animals often place their nests on the top of cliffs, and even if you manage to climb up with great difficulty, you will still face a frenzied attack from a dozen or so griffins.

Not to mention the astronomical expenses involved in raising, domesticating, and feeding them. Just one thing: griffins love to eat horse meat... Damn it, horse meat!
The cost of raising just one griffin could bankrupt most well-off small merchant families, and how many members does the Griffin Knights of Waterdeep have?
One hundred! Exactly!
Once Zhang Yuan got excited, he told everyone these interesting stories. Goodness, the dwarf brothers and Lawrence's eyes were the same color as Nancy's before. As for Nancy herself...

It's simply that the bright green ice jade has evolved into emerald.

That's all there is to it.

"Tsk tsk, nothing special," the mage chuckled, looking at his teammates who were practically vomiting sour water.

In his view, this was indeed unsurprising; it wasn't just sour grapes, but a genuine disdain.

Despite their intimidating appearance, the griffins are nothing more than beasts equivalent to ordinary low-level warriors. If I wanted to, I could easily field a whole squadron of dragon riders!

Dragon riders with powerful ranged breath attacks, Nether wyverns that unleash deadly poison, undead dragons that summon gargoyles, faerie dragons with area-of-effect spells, and winter dragons that heal—which one of them isn't stronger than a griffin?
Seeing his teammates gazing enviously at the figure in the sky, Zhang Yuan secretly wondered if he should find an opportunity to showcase his Dragon Clan Offensive and fulfill these leopards' dream of flying.
As they pondered this, the group arrived at the entrance to the Dead City, at the end of the Avenue of Sleepers—a rather interesting name indeed.

They weren't here for a picnic or outing. The teammates had made a promise with the survivors of Golden Clover to bring the remains of the victims here for burial today, and also to take this opportunity to meet Carrick's family and see if there were any other clues left behind.

Not far ahead, a group of people gathered at the entrance of the cemetery, sobbing and choking sounds filling the air. Standing at the front were the four survivors.

Upon seeing the Canaan team members arrive, the old man Sangil was the first to greet them, leading the team to the pre-arranged burial pit.

Zhang Yuan also took out the bones he had collected and burned that day from his storage bag. These bones were scattered and fragmented, with no complete pieces. They were all mixed together and it was impossible to tell which one was which. He placed them all in a large coffin and buried them together.

The funeral was presided over by the president of the Chamber of Commerce. As outsiders, the Canaan team members naturally did not interfere. However, seeing the merchants' families in such a miserable state, weeping and wailing, they were inevitably moved.

"These orphans and widows, I'm afraid their lives will be tough after losing the pillar of their families?" Zhang Yuan suddenly asked.

"From what I've heard, most of them are quite well-off. A few are in dire straits, but they receive assistance from other members of the Chamber of Commerce, so they don't end up homeless," Lawrence recounted some of the information he had gathered.

How many are there?

"Three."

“These three hundred golden dragons are my personal donations to those families. You can give them to their president.”

Zhang Yuan's sudden generosity surprised not only Lawrence, but also Kegan and Nancy on the side. When did their captain become so generous?

"What are you looking at me for? Hurry up!" The monk looked at the old lecher with a hint of exasperation and urged him on.

(End of this chapter)