Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 262 Serious People, Unserious Places
"What the hell? Are they playing Young and Dangerous movies so early in the morning?"

After bypassing the combat zone, Zhang Yuan, who was in stealth mode, couldn't help but complain under his breath. If he hadn't discovered it early and cast an invisibility spell on himself, it would have been another mess.

Fortunately, although Luskan was ruled by the mages of the Arcane Brotherhood, these spellcasters, who often hid behind the scenes, were busy with their own experiments, research, or conspiracies. They probably didn't have much time to observe and instruct their underlings on their monkey tricks.

Walking through several streets like a ghost, Zhang Yuan returned to the place where the man was posing and went inside.

Having deliberately found a corner to dispel his invisibility, the mage went straight through the gate and expressed his desire to meet Lady Bella to the maid who came to greet him.

"Please wait a moment, Ms. Bella is talking to other guests."

The monk, led to a secluded corner to wait, settled down to enjoy the dancers' hot and unrestrained dance. Compared to the biting cold and frost that had already set in during winter, the excitement and passion here made him feel as if he had returned to summer.

Even in other respectable taverns, the dancers' outfits and dance moves are sexy and alluring enough that showing off long legs is nothing special, let alone here.

The images are somewhat indescribable; simply put, everything that should be shown is shown.

As for what shouldn't be shown?

Hmm? You've come all the way here, what could you possibly be hiding?
It is said that Master Zhang was carefully examining and researching with a critical eye, preparing to write several academic articles such as the Guide to the Sacred Hearts of Cambridge.

As for references, Russell's younger brother's diary is just what you need.

Zhang Yuan didn't have to wait long. Just as he was concentrating intently on his critique without even blinking, a gentle yet dignified voice rang out.

"You must be Mr. Chanem. It's a pleasure to have you at my humble establishment. I wonder how I can help you?"

Bella, with her ladylike manners, was dignified and elegant, and her speech and behavior were graceful and appropriate. If you didn't know she was a leader in a certain technology industry, you would think that you were facing a noblewoman.

What Zhang Yuan didn't know was that Ms. Bella was indeed of noble birth, but Ophira would never reveal such a private secret to others.

"Dear lady, please forgive my abruptness, but there are some private matters that are really inconvenient to discuss in this setting."

Upon seeing the person in question arrive, Zhang Yuan averted his gaze, adopting a somewhat embarrassed expression.

“I understand completely. Please come with me.”

Bella nodded understandingly and led Zhang Yuan to a private room resembling a tea house before speaking:

"Now that there is no one else to disturb you, you can tell me what happened."

"I want to buy a mask."

The monk spoke of things that had absolutely nothing to do with this place.

Bella seemed completely unsurprised and asked calmly, "I have quite a few masks. Which one do you want?"

"The one with green wood and obsidian."

Bella's gaze sharpened as she looked at the other person and slowly said, "What's your price?"

The mage smiled and took something out of his pocket, but it wasn't a gold coin. "This is the token of the Moonstone Mask. Ophira sent you, didn't she?"

Bella took the token, examined it for a moment, and then handed it back, sighing.

After putting away the badge, Zhang Yuan said seriously, "Ms. Bella, we have no choice but to trouble you this time. We need to understand some of the situation and movements of Kurze and the Bloodsail Gang. As outsiders, some intelligence and suggestions are very valuable."

Bella paused for a moment, then spoke cautiously, carefully choosing her words:
"Given the tensions between the two cities, any action involving Neverwinter is quite sensitive here. My advice is not to rush into investigating them. The best approach is to blend into the city first and avoid attracting too much attention."

"Just like other foreign adventurers?"

“You understand correctly. As one of the four pirate captains who openly control Luskan, Kurzer has a huge and intricate power base. For an outsider like you to investigate him is not only extremely difficult and dangerous, but once exposed, it will also attract the attention of those behind him.”

This morning, the waitresses were unusually busy, because the usually charming and shrewd boss hadn't shown up for quite some time, busy entertaining a certain distinguished guest.

Could it be that she's fallen in love and is taking matters into her own hands? Several maids, their eyes darting around, had wicked thoughts popping into their minds.

Of course, this absurd thing did not happen. When Master Zhang, who had arrived refreshed, took his leave, he still walked with the stride of a dragon and the gait of a tiger, without the slightest sign of weakness.

After nearly two hours of detailed conversation with Ms. Bella, the mage, having gained a better understanding of his group's goals, decisively abandoned his previous plans.

Since straightforward action is likely to bring trouble, some pretense is indispensable. Zhang Yuan is already considering whether it is necessary to join in the monkey tricks of this group of stupid monkeys.

Although it feels a bit beneath me, it's understandable to be a little roundabout in order to avoid alerting the big tiger behind some big boss.

The mage, upon returning to the Northern Star, shared most of the information with his teammates and they discussed it at length.

Apart from the impatient Kegan, who was somewhat disgruntled about giving up the great opportunities of adventure to associate with a bunch of scoundrels, most people didn't have much of an opinion on the plan, although some specific details still needed to be considered.

"Since you're going to join the gang's covert investigation anyway, why not just join the Bloodsail Gang? Why bother looking for other rival gangs? Isn't that redundant?"

Nancy and Lawrence were somewhat puzzled when they heard that Zhang Yuan did not intend to infiltrate the Bloodsail Gang.

“Let me ask you,” Zhang Yuan said slowly, “Even if we join the Bloodsail Gang and even perform exceptionally well, does that mean we’re allowed to get involved in those clandestine human trafficking activities?”

"How could that be? Such confidential matters would never be touched by us newcomers." Lawrence realized.

“Exactly, especially since we’re outsiders,” Nancy added.

"More importantly, once we slip up in the Bloodsail Gang, we might be implicated in our connection with Neverwinter City. At that point, we'll be dealing with much more than just a bunch of pirates."

Zhang Yuan expressed his biggest concern.

"If we use the identity of an enemy gang as a cover, even if we discover them, they will only think that the other side is up to something, rather than suspecting an outside force."

Lawrence, being a seasoned veteran, is clearly no stranger to this kind of nested disguise tactic; in fact, he understands it immediately.

“That’s right.” The mage snapped his fingers and then pulled out a stack of documents. The Canaan team, having finally reached a consensus, began to select “host identities” for this operation.

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(End of this chapter)