Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 256 What I Saw and Heared

The rest of the teammates had not yet returned, and Nancy, who was under house arrest, was bored out of her mind. When she saw the two returning, she hurriedly went up to greet them and kept asking them questions.

Knowing the gravity of the situation, Zhang Yuan couldn't reveal everything. He only said that he had been commissioned by the academy to continue his journey north to Luskan, and that it wasn't time to expose the real story.

"Did they mention what to do about Neverwinter?" Nancy pressed.

“The Academy of Mages still holds some sway in Neverwinter. They will communicate with Nashel. As long as we make progress in Luskan, they can handle the rest.”

He didn't reveal the true significance of the academy, because even if he did, Nancy wouldn't believe him. This ancient academy had hidden itself far too deeply, so much so that most Neverwinter people thought it was just a wizarding school with some history. In fact, most people believed that the Starcloth, who was in charge of the academy, was the true master of this place.

As for the alliance?

It was nothing more than a shooting star streaking across the sky of history; the slight impact it has now is merely the trail of its afterglow as it passed away.

Today, when people mention the Covenant, they think of the soldiers stationed in the north and the diverse Usgard tribes. Her beginnings, however, are like a few scattered morning stars, faded from people's memories.

Therefore, even Nancy, who grew up in Neverwinter, had a huge misunderstanding of the Mage Academy and did not think deeply about her captain's veiled criticism.

Oh, so the mages of the academy can speak to the lord, but the final judgment still requires more evidence. Isn't that obvious? After all, Nashel is a lord, not your little brother, a mage.

When the teammates returned one after another and learned about the captain's explanation, they didn't think there was anything wrong with it. At most, they just grumbled about why they didn't go by themselves.

Lawrence, who returned from the Moonstone Mask, also brought the information that Zhang Yuan wanted.

“Just as you predicted, boss, Nancy’s wanted poster is on the underground blacklist, and,” Lawrence said, handing over two pieces of paper, “that priest also has a hefty bounty on his head.”

Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be two wanted posters, one of which was naturally a portrait of Nancy. It only looked about three-tenths like her, with shifty eyes and a suspicious appearance.

"Oh, it's you (°°)" Zhang couldn't help but exclaim.

"This isn't me, (ノ益)ノ"

"But this name is yours, and the profile picture is yours too."

"Screw you!"

The other one is quite interesting; it's actually the priest from Vesalon.

Marduk Blair—this was the first time their Canaan squad had learned the priest's name.

"This guy's wanted too. What, did his cultist identity get exposed?" Kegan curiously leaned over for a peek.

"Bullshit, this isn't a wanted notice, it's a trap." Zhang Yuan directly exposed the sinister intentions behind it.

"But attacking a small merchant guild in the Troll Mountains has attracted a bounty from all the way to Neverwinter?" Nancy sneered. "What's even funnier is that it was that old dog Steve Bannon who issued the bounty."

"Bannon?" The mage had never heard of that name before.

"This guy is the second-in-command of the Deszel family. He's usually in charge of liaison and reception. He looks kind, but he's actually extremely ruthless and hypocritical. Many of his shady dealings are done through him." The female thief smiled sarcastically as she spoke, "Too bad, he can fool others but not me."

"That should only be a pawn on the surface," Zhang Yuan said thoughtfully.

"How are you so sure?" Nancy asked, puzzled. "Look, he can't even fool you," the mage said seriously.

"Shut the hell up! (ノ｀Д)ノ彡┻━┻"

The air was instantly filled with a cheerful atmosphere, mixed with a few grinding teeth sounds.

Joking aside, if you think about it calmly, everyone can understand that such an obvious decoy could not possibly be the one in charge.

"Boss, what do we do now? Those nobles have indeed noticed that matter. Should we just set off?" Kagan was decisive. With his rich experience, he was extremely unwilling to deal with those so-called nobles who were actually scum.

"No rush, let's play around with them." The mage waved his hand, a playful expression on his face, and turned to the female thief: "Let's leave it at that for today, but you'll come with me tomorrow to see someone."

"What are you doing all this mysteriously?" Nancy kept looking herself over, examining her body and limbs, while questioning the culprit in front of her. "And why have I suddenly become so short?"

Nancy, who was originally nearly 1.7 meters tall, now gave Guo Bit confidence in her height, and her former agility had become petite and delicate.

However, it is much more agile than usual, which is actually an improvement for a wanderer.

This is certainly not because some female thief has mastered the secret technique of bone shrinking.

The first-level alteration spell, Shrink, combined with the spell delay feat, is simple, brutal, and incredibly effective!

"Let's go. This is to prevent you from exposing yourself. Cover your face and hurry up, the spell will only last for less than half an hour," Zhang Yuan urged.

The spell delay technique is a perfect match for the Transmutation tree. Why would the Evocation tree need a delay? One fireball is all it takes, and if that's not enough, just throw another one.

As for the spellcasting system, the main summoning spells have their own specific specializations and are not a perfect fit.

Of course, this skill also greatly benefits other specializations such as Protection or Illusion.

In just a moment, the female thief concealed her face and removed her usual long sword, keeping only two short swords wrapped in cloth.

Nancy remained silent after leaving the house, following the mage all the way to the Arcane Quarter. She then saw him head straight for the tallest mage tower in Neverwinter—the Tower of Stars.

"Have we found the real deal?" The female thief, who thought the Starry Cloak belonged to the ruler of Neverwinter Academy, wondered.

He showed the puppet guards in front of the tower a token he had obtained from the old dean, and the entrance gate opened automatically, allowing him to proceed unimpeded.

There is a reception area on the left side of the entrance. After greeting the welcoming monk, hand him a note.

The receptionist glanced at the note, nodded slightly to signal the two visitors to follow, led them to a room on the third floor, and then took his leave.

Sitting in the chair, Nancy began to survey the room around her with her "professional" eye.

The room wasn't large, but the decor was exquisite and elegant. Even to Zhang Yuan, who had a straight-male aesthetic, it was far more tasteful than the old master's actually extremely luxurious but messy living room.

As for the female thief? She was already mentally assessing the value of these works of art.

Thank you for the monthly pass, Flying Skies!
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(End of this chapter)