Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 29 The continued journey

With the purchase target confirmed, a deep voice reached Zhang Yuan's ears: "Target: Quarry!"

A stone figure, made entirely of round stones, rolled down from above like a giant boulder, tumbling once across the chessboard-like surface before standing up and waving to Zhang Yuan.

"Does this chess piece have its own thoughts?" Zhang Yuan walked forward in astonishment and found that the stone man was less than his shoulder, only about 1.5 meters tall. "It would be better to call him Huang Xiang," he thought unscrupulously.

He reached out and waved his hand in front of the little one, but found that the other party had no expression (of course, the stone face also showed no expression), and only glanced at him before ignoring him.

Zhang Yuan, who was interested in testing the intelligence of the chess piece, issued several commands in succession, such as forward, backward, and jump, and Xiao Xiao executed them one by one.

"Use Throw!" he shouted, but there was no response. He stared at Xiao Xiao strangely for a while, and suddenly an attribute bar popped up above Xiao Xiao's head, showing that the health was full, the skill was ready, but the mana bar was empty.

That's right, the summoned pieces have no magic points at all. Zhang Yuan, having given up, began to try more complex commands.

Spinning around? No problem. Waving? No problem. Singing a song? Sorry. Dancing? I can't afford it!

After all, they were just pawns, not real heroes or units in the world of Dota or Azeroth. He sighed and stopped his test, instead clutching a twenty-sided die: "Leave! Quit! Quit the game! I'm leaving!???"

There was no response. He couldn't just stay trapped here, could he? Remembering the keyword, Zhang Yuan tried again: "DLTCEP, Exit!"

Another journey through the flushing toilet. Zhang Yuan woke up from the dizzying sensation and saw the old man, Bantley Mirror Shadow, as soon as he opened his eyes. The realism and warmth coming from his body and blood made him realize that he had returned to reality.

The old mage asked with some urgency, "Was the ritual successful? You've learned both spells, haven't you? My dream-spreading spell and Zylana's ritual couldn't possibly have gone wrong."

Zhang Yuan, who was already dizzy, was made even more disoriented by the barrage of questions, and remained silent with his mouth agape.

Jelana, who had followed, tugged at her husband's sleeve. "Chanem has just woken up from the ceremony. How are you going to answer so many questions at once? Be patient."

After sitting alone for a while, Zhang Yuan finally came to his senses. He thanked the couple in the mirror and then, somewhat embarrassed but firm, promised, "I will definitely pay the 500 gold coins for the ceremony. You just need to give me some time."

The person who had just activated his cheat code was now full of pride. Although it wasn't a world-shaking change, it was still a cheat code. Isn't the little finger a finger too?

The old monk took a noncommittal puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled a smoke ring: "Alright, I'll wait."

Knowing that the other party didn't really care about the debt, Zhang Yuan didn't say much, but simply kept the debt in mind.

"Chanem, hurry up and pack your things. The ceremony has been going on for over two hours, and your group hasn't gone far yet. Go on," Jelana kindly reminded him.

He bowed to the couple, picked up his luggage, and turned to catch up with the Flame Fist team, who had already set off.

The Mirror Couple, who remained in the main hall, began tidying up the ceremony site while discussing in hushed tones. Their voices were faint, with only the words "Baal," "Apodel," and "Candleburg" faintly audible.

The person who had long since left was naturally unaware of what happened next. Zhang Yuan, who had run all the way back to the team without showing any signs of fatigue, walked side by side with Shika without changing his expression.

Upon being informed that the ceremony had proceeded smoothly, Skar congratulated Zhang Yuan, then solemnly reminded him: "Beyond the Arm of Friendship lies the intersection of the Coastal Road and the Lion Road. Caravans and pedestrians heading to Candlekeep, Baldur's Gate, or Belgost all pass through here." "The dense flow of people also attracts an equally dense number of bandits. Attacks by robbers and monsters are commonplace in this area. It is said that the most dangerous monster to have ever appeared here was an ogre wizard!"

Ska then reminded the entire squad to be on high alert, and Zhang Yuan, who regretted not being able to cast a summoning spell today, also put on mage armor in advance.

As the group continued their journey, they encountered a few bandits and goblins, but were fortunate enough to avoid dangerous individuals such as packs of wolves and ogres.

The cunning Zhang Yuan obtained the power to execute almost all the monsters because he had made a request to the captain and his companions beforehand.

He gave up all the spoils of war in exchange for the opportunity to be executed and finish off the enemy, claiming that he was a newcomer who needed to see more blood and build up his courage.

Getting something for free is great, and someone who kept getting free things was even more so. He easily gained 31 energy points and, feeling quite pleased with himself, bought another Tiny and a Drow Ranger from the system chessboard, leaving him with 12 energy points.

Unfortunately, these gift packs were not endless. The rest of the journey was uneventful, and the Flame Fist Squad successfully arrived at Belgost, a major military town in Sword Coast.

Heading towards the city center, the buildings on both sides of the road are no more than three stories high. Looking around, apart from a few tall buildings, the rest are all ordinary residential buildings. Although they are not dilapidated or low, they are much worse than the inner city of Baldur's Gate.

Upon reaching the town center, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a small square with a tall stone monument standing in front of it, surrounded by a bustling crowd.

The hawkers' desperate cries, the messengers' loud announcements, and the soldiers' rude arguments, mixed with the distant strains of singing and the sounds of blacksmiths hammering and forging, created a noisy yet vivid symphony of life.

Without stopping in the square, the entire group headed directly to their designated accommodation – the Happy Street Performer Hotel.

Zhang Yuan, who knew about this inn, was not surprised. Unlike the luxurious Feld Inn, the Joyful Street Performers Inn was known for its good quality, low prices, and spacious layout. It had always been a place of refuge for Flame Fist soldiers and Temple Knights. In terms of safety and economy, it was indeed the best choice.

After settling into the inn, Zhang Yuan began to consider the potential profits he could gain in Belgost. He couldn't make up his mind, since most of the story takes place five years later, and at this point, there was probably no trace of it. For example, Tyrone's blacksmith shop hadn't even opened yet.

The only somewhat possible possibility is that early-game artifact in the game: Echinon's Cloak.

As a permanent item, it not only greatly increases the owner's charm, but also grants three daily charm spells.

This extra feature is something someone is really drooling over. The benefit of having three extra control spells every day is self-evident, not to mention that he's long been dissatisfied with his mere 11 points of charm.

"These numbers are far from enough to show my true charm," Zhang Yuan muttered to himself, while secretly making his own calculations.

As the saying goes, "Plan before you act." Zhang Yuan, who knew nothing about the target, dared not rush in recklessly. Putting aside the possibility of being tricked by the opponent's charm spell and suffering a humiliating defeat, what would happen to Flame Fist's reputation if they were openly robbed? Even if the team was currently operating under the banner of the Seven Suns Merchant Alliance, Captain Ska would never allow such a thing to happen to his team.

The person, burdened with concerns, felt as if they were a dog trying to bite a hedgehog, completely constrained and unable to make a move.

Regardless, let's wait until we get information about the other side before making any decisions.

(End of this chapter)