Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 23 The Arm of Friendship
The journey to the Friendly Arm went unnoticed except for a few wandering goblins and mad apes. These poor monsters were less of an attack and more of a diversion for the soldiers during their boring journey, like the old pervert's jokes.

Zhang Yuan, taking advantage of the situation, seized the opportunity to kill a goblin. When the poor creature, desperate to escape the pursuit of other soldiers, stumbled upon him, Zhang Yuan swiftly brought down his sword, ending the encounter with a single blow.

The person who had just gotten the kill showed no joy, no sense of luck, and the attribute panel remained unchanged.

With his last glimmer of hope shattered, Zhang Yuan finally gave up, cleaned his longsword, gathered his spoils, and continued on his journey.

As evening approached, just before the last rays of the sun dipped below the horizon, the group finally arrived at the Arm of Friendship.

Perhaps due to its strategic location, or perhaps because the nearby Sharptooth Forest was too restless, the Friendly Arm was quite different from ordinary inns. The tall, square building was constructed of solid granite blocks, and a stone wall nearly three meters high surrounded the entire courtyard, stables, servants' quarters, and a temple of wisdom.

Yes, and there's also the temple. The high priest of the Temple of Wisdom is Galana Mirrorshadow, the wife of the innkeeper Bantley Mirrorshadow. No wonder it's so famous; the Arm of Friendship almost meets all the needs of merchants and adventurers.

By the time Lady Night, Shar, made her grand entrance, the group had already entered the Inn of the Arm of Friendship.

Pushing open the door and rolling up the hanging curtains, a romantic scene, almost overflowing with the atmosphere of travel, adventure, tranquility, and joy, comes into view.

Red lanterns hung from the high ceiling of the hall, surrounded by colorful ribbons; round tables were laden with tempting food and fragrant wine; and maids flitted among the guests and tables like butterflies, occasionally letting out a coquettish grope when they were touched.

A bright flame blazed in the fireplace on the left, the burning charcoal crackling and sparks leaping restlessly onto the grill, while the golden-brown roasted chicken released its enticing aroma, which, combined with the warmth of the fireplace, spread throughout the hall.

To the right is a small stage made of wooden planks, where a beautiful woman in a brightly colored dress is dancing a passionate jig, while a bard on the side plays his lute to accompany her.

The cheers of the surrounding audience, the toasts of the diners at the banquet, the banter and laughter among the adventurers, and the polite smiles and compliments exchanged between the merchants.

This is what a stranger saw and heard on his first visit to the Arm of Friendship. This fortress-like inn is far superior to the inns of Baldur's Gate.

Even though I had been to Elvensong, the most luxurious inn in Baldur's Gate, I had never seen so many noisy guests, such a grand and magnificent layout, and such graceful and beautiful women.

Weaving through the crowd weren't just waitresses; there were also alluring women dressed in flamboyant attire, some flirting with their targets, others scanning the room for potential clients, and still others...

"You old fool, you want to save even this little bit of money? Go home and find a cow to live with." A disheveled woman grabbed a man with slightly graying hair.

"No, other people only get 3 or 4 silver coins at a time, how come you get a gold coin in just one afternoon?" the poor man who was being yelled at tried to explain.

"What does that have to do with me? If you're any good, I won't mind if you come a few times. You spineless coward who can't even last one time, pay up!" This worker in the special industry has a very fiery temper and won't suffer any loss.

Seeing that everyone's attention was gradually drawn to the woman's roar, and people started pointing and whispering about him, the old man, who couldn't bear the embarrassment, quickly paid up and slunk away.

“Men without the ‘capital’ shouldn’t come looking for me. But if there’s any confident, good man…” the woman said, letting out a long, alluring, nasal sound, “I’ll play along to the end!” She then deliberately leaned forward, her loose collar barely concealing her two soft, lively mounds of fat. Immoral! Utterly immoral! Zhang Yuan, watching this scene intently, inwardly condemned the woman’s wanton behavior.

As a well-educated and upright person with sound values, he was almost itching to give the woman a pep talk and to severely criticize and correct her behavior.

But he stopped in his tracks because he had no money.

Money, the root of all evil, has once again hindered the spread of advanced ideas and culture, and has once again caused the already low moral standards of the continent of Faerûn to slide into the abyss.

The chairman of the otherworldly discipline committee, who left in resentment, could only wait with his teammates for the captain and the innkeeper to continue their negotiations.

Zhang Yuan, who thought he had nothing to do, was still looking around aimlessly with his teammates, commenting on the beautiful women, when Shika suddenly approached him. "Kid, have you had your fill of beauties? There's something even more interesting waiting for you." He patted his rookie on the back of the head as he spoke.

With nothing else to do, Zhang Yuan followed Ska to their destination only to find himself standing by the counter, behind whom stood the owner: Bantley Mirror Shadow.

The cheap captain next to him stepped forward and chatted with Bantley for a few words, then beckoned Zhang Yuan over.

Someone who had been honest and straightforward thought to himself: "Why would I look at an old male dwarf instead of beautiful women? What's so interesting about this?"

"This is the owner of the Arm of Friendship, Lord Bantley Mirrorshadow, who is also an 11th-level Archmage," Skar solemnly introduced.

"Hey, stop bragging about Old Man Bartley. What kind of grand mage am I? I've only just touched the threshold of advanced mage," the innkeeper explained modestly. "Is this the young mage you mentioned who went to become a mercenary, Chanem?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan first nodded to Ska, and then respectfully replied to Bantley, "I am Chanem, it is an honor to meet you."

After speaking, Zhang Yuan felt a sense of anticipation. This was his first opportunity to interact with other high-level spellcasters. What if they saw his outstanding talent and entrusted him with their mantle? Should he accept it, accept it, or accept it?
But there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Bantley said, "I also sell some magical items here. As a novice mage, you might as well buy some scrolls for self-defense. I can give you a discount; you won't find this kind of treatment anywhere else."

It was an unexpected surprise. Zhang Yuan had considered buying spell scrolls, but the price was beyond his means. The cheapest level one scroll cost five gold coins, and he only had enough for three scrolls with all his savings, not to mention robes and other magical items.

Bantley didn't say much, just tossed over a scroll. Upon taking a look, he realized that this enchanted scroll was remarkably similar to the electronic menu from his previous life.

On a small piece of parchment, as you slide your finger across it, various items appear in alternating patterns. Not only are there detailed descriptions of the items, but you can even browse them by category.

The various items on the scroll dazzled Zhang Yuan, making him want to buy everything. However, upon glancing at the prices, he immediately calmed down.

"Let's look at the scrolls," Zhang, who was poor but had a lot of money, decided to skip the other items and check the spell scrolls section.

(End of this chapter)