Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 240 Anecdotes of Romance
This is the surprise!
Zhang Yuan was inwardly roaring. When he first got his hands on it, the big shot didn't give any explanation or instructions. He just gave him an activation spell to figure out on his own. As a result, Zhang Yuan, who was busy with his studies, only had time to figure it out now.

It was truly a pleasant surprise. The biggest regret for the mage who left Highhold Castle to embark on an adventure was that he had to say goodbye to those well-equipped research facilities and could only engage in almost purely theoretical magical research. This sense of loss became even more pronounced after experiencing the academic journey and once again gaining and losing.

Seeing Note 2 in the instructions, Zhang Yuan, who still doesn't have his own magic laboratory, felt a pang of heartache.

It's truly remarkable that the giants of the clouds were willing to offer this thing as a reward. But thinking about it, it makes sense. The original device, intended as a backup, hadn't even been put to use, let alone this backup of a backup. It's probably been sitting in a corner collecting dust for who knows how long.

The Cloud Giants have gone to great lengths to provide such a valuable item that perfectly suits the needs of a new mage, yet is of relatively low practical use to them.

Of course, it's impossible to say that the old man's face didn't play a role in this, after all, Zhang Yuan, who is the spellcaster himself, certainly understands how much this whole process costs.

Even disregarding the equipment and instruments that, although secondhand, are still far from cheap, the space gate itself is an invaluable treasure.

Looking around, I estimated that the laboratory I was in was at least 200 square meters. Various devices and instruments were arranged in an orderly manner. Although it was not spacious, it did not feel crowded either.

Based on his expertise in spells and transformations, Zhang Yuan was fairly certain that Mr. Lazel had either captured or torn apart a tiny fragment of a dimensional space and then transformed it into the current room.

It's even possible that because the original fragment was too large, in order to avoid wasting it, they developed and built another instance based on the idea that if you don't use it, you might as well.

This skill is not something an ordinary mage can possess. It is a level above the craftsmanship of making storage bags, and its difficulty is naturally much higher. At least the latter has a price and a way to acquire it, but the former...
Every single one of them was processed internally; none of them flowed out!
It's like a dream come true. I had just built a theoretical framework and accumulated a lot of knowledge, and then I opened a gift package and won the grand prize. It's not much different from winning the lottery.

Of course, considering Zhang's connections, this is quite reasonable. A legendary bigwig personally acted as a pimp, so what's wrong with you winning the jackpot?
After calming himself down, the monk couldn't wait to check the condition of each instrument and adjust the parameters. Before long, the quiet place became bustling with activity as he ran around.

Fortunately, these cloud giants were honest. Although the equipment was not brand new, there were no signs of wear and tear, and all of its functions were in perfect working order.

No wonder Lazel preferred to shrink himself down and squeeze in rather than build a giant laboratory that matched the size of the cloud giant. If he had done that, not to mention whether there would be enough space fragments available, just consider the equipment. How much would it cost to build instruments that are at least five or six times larger than those used by ordinary mages?

It's not that I can't afford it. If it were for my own mage tower, that would be one thing, but for a portable laboratory? Even if you have money, you shouldn't waste it like this.

Time always seems to pass ten times faster than usual when you find something that truly interests you.

Master Zhang, whose attention was completely captivated by the newly acquired large toy room, finally managed to find a moment to check the time after completing a series of adjustments and tests, only to find it was already past midnight.

Knowing he couldn't rush things, Zhang Yuan reluctantly turned back one last time before leaving the lab. He then uttered a command to shrink the silver door again and put it into his pocket. After memorizing a few spells for tomorrow's research, he climbed into bed contentedly; lack of sleep was a major taboo for mages.

The next morning, the Canaan team members, who were gathered together waiting for the oatmeal porridge to be cooked, were all a little puzzled. Their captain, who was usually an early riser, was nowhere to be seen. They also wondered what he had been up to all night.

"Ugh~~~" Zhang Yuan stretched lazily as he walked towards the crowd, then noticed the scrutinizing and curious looks in everyone's eyes, and was somewhat puzzled:

"What's wrong? Did I not wash my face properly? Why are you all staring at me like that?"

After exchanging bewildered glances, Kegan spoke up first: "No, boss, who cares if a man's face is clean? We're the ones who want to know, hehe~"

The short guy's laughter suddenly turned lewd, and his eyes kept darting towards someone's groin: "It's rare for you to get up so late, boss. Did you overwork yourself last night?"

"That's right, boss. If you want to go out for a casual fling, you can call me. I know the ins and outs of this place very well. I guarantee you won't be fooled or disappointed." As a seasoned lecher, Lawrence couldn't possibly stand idly by. He immediately stepped in and offered to be the experienced driver, trying to get customers on board.

The interests between men are truly quite pure. Once the floodgates are opened, there's no way to shut them up. All sorts of true and false romantic tales and anecdotes come out in an instant. The male team members present seem to have all become pioneers in the realm of romance, letting loose and boasting as if afraid of being less impressive than others.

Amidst such a grand spectacle, not to mention the timid and shy female elf, even the usually brash female thief couldn't quite handle it. She spat at the group of stinky men and then, along with Talinda, carried the bowls of porridge back to their own rooms.

Even the usually honest Münster joined in, and eventually even Morty, who always appeared as a Slowpoke, chimed in with a few words.

Yes, that was about a one-night stand with a female orc and a female ogre. It should be true, after all, the descriptions such as: strong body odor, skin as green as wild leeks, and lion-like canine teeth were so vivid that there was no flaw in them.

Of course, the others present had absolutely no interest or courage to learn about or even experience this kind of thing. The truth is, the reason Morty spoke last was that his very words effectively ended the conversation.

In fact, when this real big shot spoke, the expressions of the others quickly changed from excitement to twitching faces, and they inevitably ended up trembling and swaying.

Even Kegan, the pseudo-cult leader who vehemently advocated that women with beards were the real women, couldn't resist, and his face turned the same color as the orc's.

(End of this chapter)