Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 302 Strike from the Sea

In the end, Master Zhang obediently took out his wallet. Even with the friend's discount, it still cost nearly five gold coins per person. More than sixty gold coins flew away just like that. The stingy Master Zhang was so heartbroken that he kept clicking his teeth.

This expensive meal was justified. The old lechers of the Blood Sail Gang had drunk some alcohol beforehand, and their already unreliable mouths were even more unguarded. After being flattered by these well-trained professional technicians, they fell into a trap of gentle pleasure and didn't care about anything else.

It's not that there aren't other ways. If a mage is willing to take action personally, they can use enchantment magic to pry open their mouths and get them to answer all their questions.

However, this simple and crude method comes at the cost of subsequent troubles. Controlling illusion-type spells inevitably affects the mind of the target, especially since this enchanting system is not his specialty. The traces of the spell and its aftereffects after the effect ends will not be hidden from other experts. At that time, silencing the target will be the only option.

This has blown things up and made things look really bad. Why bother?
The intelligence was reliable, not only because of Bella's guarantee, but also because comparisons between multiple intelligence transcripts confirmed this.

Apart from the two guys who even go to a massage parlor together for a 4P session, the rest of them were in their own bedrooms and had no space to conspire.

"What do you mean by chronic poisoning? Are you trying to shift all the blame onto someone else?"

The mages who thought of this chuckled to themselves as they walked through the gate to the new location of the Shining Gold Coins in the storage area.

After closing the door, passing through the courtyard and garden, entering the hall, descending the steps, and turning around, I arrived at a secret room.

Stepping inside, I closed the door behind me, and suddenly all that remained was the soft, azure light emanating from the magic lamp above.

Zhang Yuan, who was sitting on the floor, took out a crystal ball and placed it on the coffee table in front of him. He looked somewhat similar to the "divination masters" who used to make a living in Baldur's Gate.

Instead of the mystical light and shadow effects emanating from the crystal ball, bright rays of light shot out, intertwining and merging in the air above. After a series of flashes and fluctuations, Grimwald's unkempt old face appeared in the secret chamber.

The communication projection crystal, made within the Neverwinter Academy, uses exquisite craftsmanship to project the upper body of the old dean across from them in a 3D image with remarkable detail.

Including the sauce on his beard.

"Oh, it's you, kid. What's up? Want to tell me about some progress?"

The old dean put down his roasted lamb leg, casually grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth haphazardly, as if he were coloring his white beard.

"We've been investigating in Luskan for so long, and we've finally made a discovery. The Bloodsail Gang is indeed the black glove, and the mastermind behind it is Brascalothron, the tower master of the Arcane Western Tower."

"Oh? It's this little thief." The old dean raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by his audacity.

"According to the intelligence we've gathered, the person in charge of the slave transfers with the Bloodsail Gang is Brasca's assistant, Marser, so,"

"Alright," the old dean interrupted Zhang Yuan's continued explanation, "Since you've come to Luskan to take charge of this matter, you can handle it yourself. I just want the results."

"Yes."

"By the way, I heard that Ophira arranged for two apprentices to go to Luskan as bait. What's the situation now?"

“Well, I used some methods to keep them at the Bloodsail Gang base, they haven’t been sent to the Mage Tower yet.” Zhang Yuan hesitated for a moment before revealing the deal he had made with Ophira. “Ophira can be a bit... well, you did a good job with this. Sacrifice is inevitable, but you should try to make the best of a bad situation.”

“I know. When should the plan be launched? Placing the beacon around the Arcane Tower is too dangerous. I have an idea.”

"Oh, tell me."

"Attack from the seabed!"

"Breaking news, quick report! The messenger brings you the breaking news: the Money Gang has pulled off another amazing move today!"

The next day, the refreshed Bloodsail Gang guards bid a reluctant farewell to Maginot's men and headed to their barracks early in the morning. After finishing their training in the afternoon, they wanted to dispel their loneliness and reminisce about the previous day. Suddenly, they remembered the melancholy of having no one to pay the bill tonight, so they wandered around the streets in twos and threes. There, they heard some news.

Perhaps tired of the tug-of-war with their two old rivals, or perhaps simply wanting to expand their own business, or maybe just on a whim, the Money Gang disregarded the fact that the port was about to freeze over in the depths of winter and, while other ships were returning to port and moving into dock berths, announced in a high-profile manner the establishment of a maritime fleet and the upcoming launch of a new type of armed merchant ship.

Before other gangs could even figure out what the Money Gang was up to, the ship was launched that very afternoon.

So fast? Could it be that they bought a used ship, repainted it, and launched it as a new vessel?

In a sense, their guess was not wrong. A certain ambitious mage did indeed find a second-hand ship in excellent condition to use as a base for modification.

What appeared before the onlookers was a medium-sized ship with an extremely bizarre shape.

Doubts arose in the minds of everyone who saw this monster. Please forgive them for using the word "monster" instead of "ship," because in their minds, a thing that can be called a ship should at least have a tall mast, a raised sail, and a swaying rudder.

Of course, the wooden deck, with its blend of the clean scent of tung oil and the fishy smell of moss and seaweed, is also indispensable.

Instead of the monster in front of me, which doesn't possess any of the aforementioned characteristics at all, it's a monster completely covered in metal from head to toe!

Amidst the crowd's attention, Lawrence, who had been appointed as the spokesperson for the shining gold coin at this ceremony, stepped forward.

Despite the strange, mocking, or curious stares, Lawrence remained unfazed, speaking eloquently and enthusiastically promoting this new concept ironclad alchemical ship, built in collaboration with alchemists, based on a completely new design philosophy, employing novel manufacturing processes, utilizing a variety of rare materials.

It has to be said that during his time in the gang in Luscan, the old pervert who was in charge of daily affairs really honed his eloquence and thick skin. He could spout nonsense that he himself didn't understand in public without batting an eye.

Even the spokesperson himself didn't understand, so the onlookers below were even more confused, either remaining silent or booing and jeering.

However you look at it, in the winter of Luscany, in a dry dock on the north bank of the Miral River, this new concept, groundbreaking iron boat—the Sea Wolf—gradually accelerated on the log tracks, and after splashing up a wave, sailed into the city's waterway.

I'm so sorry I couldn't update the other day because my internet was down. Please forgive me, everyone. *bows* Okay, it should be fine now, since I already bowed! Also: Thank you to Qi Guo-Gongzi Jiang for the monthly ticket and reward, and thank you to LEB, reader 1174299710196486144, Eric Jin, Alukard, Wanliu Tongyuan, Ye·Bingyuan, and Chuan Chuan Jun for their monthly ticket support. Thank you all!

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(End of this chapter)