Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 255 New Mission, Old Target

After showing his approachable side, the old mage's words became serious: "These things are a trampling and humiliation of the order of the North. Since you have chosen to expose this dark scene, then you don't need to have any worries. We and the Star Cloak are standing behind you."

“I’m just speculating, I don’t have any direct evidence, and besides,” Zhang Yuan likes to say things upfront.

"And what? The Deszel and Manuel families, those two idiot families?" The old mage raised an eyebrow, his tone calm and his expression composed, then countered with a question:
"What do you think Nash managed to secure his position as Lord of Neverwinter?"

The implication was obvious, and Zhang Yuan was no fool: "You mean, Nash's backers are actually two mage organizations?"

Unexpectedly, Grimwald shook his head and looked up as if trying to see through the ceiling to the heavens.

"Nine hundred and ten years have passed since our academy was founded. Nearly a thousand years have gone by."

The old man seemed to sigh and lament, swimming in his memories: "Since the four of us settled in Neverwinter, all sorts of people have come and gone, until the arrival of the Starcloaks and Nash, Neverwinter officially became a city-state."

"So you're collaborators?"

The old mage smiled slightly, his pride unspoken, and said, each word distinct and resounding: "The Mage Academy is the meaning of Neverwinter's existence, not a tool to be relied upon. We are the true masters of this place!"

Before the young man could react, the old monk said decisively, "There's no need to worry about those scoundrels. After all, a servant's steward is just a servant."

Goodness, that couldn't be more blunt. It means that your master mage will always be your master.

What a waste of my time worrying about these so-called old aristocratic forces. Is this all they are?
Seeing the young monk's fluctuating emotions, the old man put it more bluntly: "Don't let so-called society, relationships, or social classes blind you. See clearly who is the vine and who is the tree, who is the pawn and who is the player!"

"I've learned a lot!" Zhang Yuan was deeply moved by the old man's words and immediately expressed his gratitude.

"It's alright, but are you really that brat Tyrantir's apprentice?"

There is no falsehood.

"He's such a shy person, yet he took you in, an interesting guy. Hopefully, he's gotten over his inner conflict."

Shy? Is that a word to describe one's own mentor? Zhang Yuan couldn't connect the two in his mind at all.

Before he could even speak, the old master said, "Don't ask me about this. Let's talk about that other matter. I'm very curious where these parasites got the audacity to target our academy."

So Zhang Yuan took out Liszt's diary and handed it to the other party, and, based on Nancy's account, described the feud between the three families in as much detail as possible.

The old mage, having understood the whole story, remained noncommittal but did not interrupt him until he heard that the forces of the two evil gods were also involved, at which point he frowned.

But it was only for a moment. He quickly regained his composure, and after Zhang Yuan finished explaining his plans to travel to Luskan, he spoke in a firm yet sincere tone:

“We will handle all the matters in Neverwinter. You will get credit for it, and the Mandaen family will receive the compensation they deserve.”

Does this mean we can just sit back and win? Is there really such a good thing?!
"Then thank you for your generosity, Master. I wonder if our team could stay at the academy for a while? I am personally very interested in asking questions and exchanging ideas with your esteemed institution."

Master Zhang was calculating his options meticulously. Could there be a safer place in Neverwinter than the Mage Academy? No matter how desperate the nobles and cultists, whose secrets had been exposed, became, he remained unmoved.

Not to mention that the Wudong Mage Academy has a history of nearly a thousand years. You wouldn't know unless you were told. Although academic level is not necessarily proportional to the history of an institution, it undoubtedly has its unique merits.

Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, and experiencing different academic environments is far superior to traveling ten thousand miles.

As it turned out, the dean was very generous and refused outright.

"no!"

Zhang Yuan, who was about to express his gratitude, paused for a moment, thinking he had misheard.

“Child,” the old mage said, now appearing more amiable, “if you have the will, the academy’s doors will always be open for you, but right now I have to give you a difficult task.”

"Could I say no?" Zhang Yuan muttered to himself, but his face showed no sign of fear.

"Please give me your orders."

"Continue with your previous plan and head north to Luscan."

After saying goodbye to Aulong, who saw him and his companion off at the door, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly as he turned to leave.

This guy was born to be a workaholic, traveling all over the country. He finally found a great mentor and thought he could just sit back and cheer him on and win. But in the end, he still couldn't escape this ordeal.

Luscan was no good place. What kind of good place could a city of fugitives and pirates be?

His previous plan was to choose the lesser of two evils. He would rather act like a rogue in Luskan than play tricks on the nobles, but he considered himself a respectable man and would prefer to avoid this job if possible.

But there's no point in saying anything now. Although Grimwald's previous proposal was mild, it was also firm and brooked no argument.

Head to Luskan to investigate Kurze's collusion with the Nowinter Nobles in human trafficking and to find out who is behind it.

“Similar to Neverwinter, the true master of Luskan is also a spellcasting organization called the Arcane Brotherhood, which you must have heard of.” The old mage’s eyes narrowed into slits. “Without the backing of a certain tower lord, how could a mere pirate captain have the guts and qualifications to get involved in this matter?”

"I'll leave this to you." Seeing that the young man wanted to refuse, the old mage comforted him, "Don't think of it as too difficult. Your main target is still that captain. Just find out the clues behind them and then notify me. You don't need to take any risks."

Unable to understand why such a burden had fallen on his shoulders, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but ask the old master, but the old master only smiled, his words carrying a profound meaning:

"This task is of utmost importance, and I only entrust it to my own people."

What? We've only just met and we're already on the same side?
Having been instructed to proceed with caution and even to hold back some of his teammates' efforts, Zhang Yuan led a well-fed and satisfied Bud back to their lodgings.

Thank you for the monthly pass from Wanliutongyuan!
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(End of this chapter)