Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 25 Gains and Losses

Zhang Yuan, who still retains his rationality, would not go on a treasure hunt adventure in a fit of madness, but his actions were not without purpose.

As a veteran player, finding Easter eggs in Baldur's Gate is a piece of cake for him. Coincidentally, there is a little treasure waiting for him to discover near the Friendly Arm.

Although the area around the Arm of Friendship was relatively safe, just in case, he cast a deliberately reserved mage armor on himself, held up a torch, and headed toward the possible location.

The location I remember was a sparse grove of trees directly south of the Arm of Friendship, the only landmark being two large round stones below.

After searching the possible locations, Zhang Yuan found a tree with two rocks below it. However, since it was already night, the dim light of the torches made it impossible to conduct a more detailed search.

Fortunately, Zhang Yuan was prepared and had determined the approximate location, so he decided to use a spell he had specifically prepared for it:
“Scio, Didici, Pecto!” (I know, for I have pondered with my heart.)
As the chant ended, a beam of light shone directly forward from his hand. Zhang Yuan planned to use the effect of his identification technique to trigger the magical aura of the treasure to pinpoint its location.

To everyone's surprise, there was no reaction. No magical light was reflected from the pile of stones; all that could be seen was his own blank, wooden face under the torchlight.

That's impossible! Am I mistaken? Could it be that identification techniques can't be used like this, or is there simply no Easter egg here?

A mix of speculation and anxiety overwhelmed Zhang Yuan, making his head spin. Just then, a squeaking sound came from the tree trunk.

A squirrel poked its little head out. Startled by the light of the identification spell, it saw a tall creature standing at its doorstep, muttering something to itself.

Someone who was annoyed saw the little thing and was about to wave it away, but then remembered his magical pet and changed his waving hand to gently stroking it.

To his surprise, the other party didn't give him any face at all, and turned around and went back to their little nest.

Hey, it's an honor for you if I, the great master, want to favor you. Do you dare to resist?

Furious, Zhang Yuan stubbornly reached his hand into the squirrel's hole, determined to give it a good smack.

"I'll skin you alive!" he muttered to himself as he rummaged around in the burrow. He didn't catch the squirrel, but he did manage to scatter the little guy's winter food everywhere.

Suddenly, Zhang Yuan felt his fingertips touch something. Unlike the dry warmth of twigs and pine cones, it was a cold, hard, metallic touch, as if a lightning bolt had struck his mind. The possibility it represented made his whole body tremble.

He immediately moved the torch toward the cave entrance, ignoring the little guy who was trembling with fear at the light, and frantically searched through the pine cones and branches with his other hand, completely unaware of the scratches on his hand.

Perhaps Lady Bensaba was satisfied and had left, and fate did not play tricks on him again. Zhang Yuan finally found his target at the bottom of the tree hole.

This was a ring made of a bright yellow metal that resembled gold, set with rubies. Zhang Yuan, who had been searching for it for a long time, couldn't wait to put it on his left hand.

At the same time, he suddenly felt a strange power surge from his left hand into his mind, and the volume within it was greatly expanded and extended.

His sea of ​​consciousness, which could originally only hold two sets of level one spell models, can now contain a full four sets of models. This means that his spell slots have doubled, which is almost equivalent to directly leveling up.

After experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, the person leaned against a tree, took several deep breaths, and silently recited "not to be elated by external gains, nor saddened by personal losses" several times before finally calming down.

Zhang Yuan, having regained his footing, was surprised to see the little squirrel glaring at him angrily. Feeling a little embarrassed, he glanced at the mess he'd made of the tree hole and the pine cones scattered on the ground. This little creature was his lucky charm, and besides, it had suffered losses because of him. So, Zhang Yuan did what he could to pick up the fallen pine cones and put them back in the tree hole, smoothing out the messy little nest with his hands.

"I'll thank you properly later." Without waiting for the little squirrel to understand, she turned and went back to the inn.

Everything was so perfect. Although there were some minor setbacks, the magic ring had finally fallen into his hands. With the newly purchased scrolls, as long as he learned all the spells on them, he would be a powerful first-level mage by tomorrow morning.

The idea was good, but things went wrong right from the start. When he picked up the Shadowcraft Scroll to add it to his system's spellbook, the system didn't react at all.

This really confused me. After all, in the game, you can automatically learn spells just by clicking to copy them. Besides, didn't the system give me so many spells at the beginning? Why isn't it working?

No matter how many times Zhang Yuan examined the scroll, it was to no avail. If he weren't so reluctant to part with it, he would have torn it up and eaten it.

In desperation, the person had no choice but to try to decipher the scroll on their own, but unsurprisingly, they failed.

As a complete novice with no prior knowledge or training, and not even a self-taught mage, I had no idea about the structure and principles of the unknown spells, how they worked, or how they could be replicated in my mind.

Helpless and unable to give up, Zhang Yuan had no choice but to seek help. He went downstairs to the counter, and fortunately, the owner, Banteli, was still on duty. Under the old mage's curious gaze, Zhang Yuan stepped forward and frankly told him about the difficulties he had encountered while copying the memory spell.

Now Bantli was genuinely surprised. He stood on tiptoe and looked the novice mage up and down, asking with a questioning tone, "Are you saying that you suddenly awakened magic without any foundation or related knowledge? Four spells?"

Fearing that it would be too shocking, Zhang Yuan concealed several spells that he had never used in public and replied, "Yes, I have never been exposed to spells before, nor have I ever studied related knowledge."

Bantley asked uncertainly, "Are you sure you've truly awakened the mage class? If you're a warlock, then everything makes sense."

Zhang Yuan was about to defend himself, but before he could explain his situation, he was interrupted by the other party.

“No, you’re definitely not a sorcerer.” As he spoke, Old Man Bartley stared at Zhang Yuan’s face and shook his head repeatedly.

Zhang Yuan was stunned for a moment, then cursed inwardly. He knew all too well what Banteli's reaction meant.

(In D&D, mages and warlocks use the same magic, but their casting methods differ. Mages must choose and memorize the spells they need the next day the night before, and this cannot be changed after they go to sleep. Warlocks, on the other hand, don't need to learn; they automatically learn new spells upon leveling up, and can freely cast their spells upon waking each day. Generally, mages have a wider range of spells but are more cumbersome to prepare and have fewer spell slots, while warlocks have easier casting and more spell slots, but their spell pool is limited. However! This isn't the most important point. The most important point is that warlocks don't rely on intelligence to cast spells, but on charisma! In other words... all warlocks are attracted to good looks.)
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, why are you shaking your head like that? Are you looking down on this handsome guy?" Zhang Yuan was cursing wildly in his mind, his square face turning into a long, drawn-out expression.

The old master, sensing the man's displeasure, laughed and said, "Men, what's shameful about earning a living through your own abilities? Look at me, I achieved what I have today through my own efforts, and I even married the most beautiful girl in our village."

She glanced sideways at the old mage and asked, "You? The prettiest girl in your village?"
Completely unwilling to imagine what the so-called village beauty of the dwarf tribe would look like, Zhang Yuan went straight to the point and asked his question: "Lord Bantley, I am certain that I have awakened the mage profession, but I have no foundation at all. How can I learn new spells?"

Old Banter was also in a dilemma. He grabbed the pipe on the counter and started smoking, which made Zhang Yuan frown. He thought to himself, "Why do old mages like to smoke pipes? According to background information, a certain legendary old rascal also always had a pipe with him."

The old monk, who was deep in thought, suddenly raised his head: "I remember now."

(End of this chapter)