Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 337 The Return of Neverwinter
Upon arriving at the college and seeing his teacher again, Zhang Yuan immediately handed Burke over to the old dean.

Seeing this unfortunate fellow, whose fate was almost sealed, being escorted away by special personnel, he felt a sense of relief, cleared his throat, straightened his collar, and knew it was time to get down to business.

"Congratulations on your triumphant return, teacher. These are all the relevant materials and evidence we collected at the Bloodsail Gang headquarters. Perhaps they can be of some help in the trial of those two noble families."

As he spoke, Zhang Yuan handed over all the letters, files, and other documents that he had analyzed and selected on the way back.

The old dean casually put it away without a second thought, but then became interested in asking about Zhang Yuan's personal affairs.

“I heard from Baras that your methods even tricked one of his archmages, and that you almost single-handedly destroyed the headquarters of a large guild and captured a high-ranking mage. This is not something an ordinary spellcaster can do. Moreover, I heard from Tyrantir that you have only been involved with magic in the last few years.”

"People inevitably view things from their own perspective. Perhaps the teachers' affection for me led them to have overly high expectations and evaluations of me."

Zhang Yuan made a few self-deprecating remarks before turning the conversation to the other person.

When it comes to flattery, Zhang Yuan may not be very good at it, but he has seen and heard a lot about it. Besides, the fight he witnessed before was truly captivating, so he felt no qualms about praising it.

"Only after witnessing the vastness of the sky can one understand one's own insignificance. Today, having witnessed the teachers' assistance, I realize that the path to mysteries is long, wide, high, and profound. I have only just begun my journey."

Then came a torrent of flattery, like a flowing river, saying things like "He can cover the sky with one hand and all realms are in his palm" and "He can shatter the void and cut through two realms with a single finger."

Anyway, he unleashed his full lung capacity, and what's even more ingenious is that he directly used the exaggerated tone and manner of his past life as Hong Mao Dong to describe things, and for a moment it was truly a whirlwind of words and a burst of golden lotuses from the ground.

Zhang Da Guanren remained unfazed, showing no embarrassment whatsoever, while Tyrantil, standing nearby, was almost unable to bear listening any longer.

His own apprentice's exaggerated and nauseating praise made his old face turn as red as a monkey's bottom; he simply couldn't bear to listen.

"Enough, Chanem. When did you learn all this flattery and sycophancy?"

Before Tyrantir could continue his criticism, the old headmaster beside him waved his hand to stop him and laughed:
"It's alright, let him continue. It's been a long time since I've met such an honest child."

"Teacher, this!"

Tyrandeur nearly choked. What? Continue? Haven't you heard enough yet?

Why bother with such pointless praise from wandering bards in the streets and alleys?

"Nonsense. How could a bard's words be so apt, or his emotions so genuine? You should go out more and broaden your life experience."

Barras joined in, teasing his senior.

"All you do is study these useless things. If you had spent more time on arcane magic, your path to becoming an archmage wouldn't have been so bumpy."

"How is it useless? If you had that kind of tongue back then, I might have given you a few more pointers if I was in a good mood, and you might already be a legend by now."

Tyrantir, who had just refuted Baras, was then ridiculed by his teacher, leaving him speechless with anger.

I'm a decent person, after all. Look at the kind of people around me.

From the oldest to the youngest, and even the junior disciples of the same generation are just as unreliable. As for advancing to legendary status, that's pure nonsense. If you can step into that threshold with just a few pointers, then it's too worthless.

After a brief standoff, the outnumbered Tyrantir was the first to give in, shaking his head and ignoring the unscrupulous fellow. The old headmaster chuckled at this, ceasing his provocation of his senior disciple, and turned to Zhang Yuan with a serious expression.

"You can stay at the academy for a while and get familiar with the place. Didn't you say you wanted to continue your studies and accumulate knowledge? Now is the perfect time."

"I guess you could call this a study tour. I've experienced a few of these things on my previous trips."

Unexpectedly, the old man laughed and said, "What study tour? This is more like a re-employment."

As he spoke, the old dean took out a badge from his sleeve and casually tossed it over.

Upon inspection, a large piece of sky-blue crystal was inlaid on a silver-white base. The crystal was engraved with the iconic Eye of Neverwinter, surrounded by four silver stars, representing the four founders of that time.

"This is?"

"Your mentor badge indicates you're a level nine mage; you can't just pretend to be an apprentice."

Zhang Yuan accepted the badge with some uncertainty and tentatively asked, "I myself have only recently grasped the basics, so I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to teach others."

"Who gave you permission to teach others?" the old dean said slowly and deliberately.

"This title is to facilitate your activities in the academy, access to literature and books, and you can also participate in some research related to the field of arcane arts. Of course, if you feel like it someday, you can also give a lecture to the little ones. Your tongue is much more eloquent than that of the average mage."

As Zhang Yuan thanked him, he carefully placed the badge away and said respectfully:

"Then I will have to trouble you for the time being."

"Don't talk nonsense. You're a newcomer, returning to the fold."

As for the aftermath of the matter and the handling of the two noble families, Zhang Yuan didn't ask, and the old dean didn't mention it at all. There was no need to waste time on such a pre-written drama.

And the subsequent progress was indeed as he had predicted, even a bit faster.

On the very night that Burke and the physical evidence were delivered, several high-ranking members of the two spellcaster organizations, the Covenant and the Starcloak, visited Lord Nash. The details of their meeting are unnecessary to elaborate on. Upon learning of the incident, Nash was shocked but also expressed his determination to uphold justice and severely punish the murderer.

However, considering certain factors, the lord still subtly suggested that while punishing the culprit, the two noble families should be allowed to continue their existence.

The envoy from the alliance, showing understanding of the lord's thoughts, then inadvertently mentioned some of Lord Grimwald's remarks, such as:

"I don't want to hear the names of these two scumbags mentioned in this city anymore."

Finally, he very considerately came up with a compromise for Nash, and seeing that the matter was settled, the lord would not defy the will of the legendary mage just for the sake of a little nobility's tacit understanding.

Regardless of whether legendary figures can do whatever they want, almost all the morality and initiative in this incident are in the hands of the academy. No one has the courage to distort the truth in front of a mortal being who has reached the pinnacle of power.

The next morning, the tranquil and solemn air of the Black Lake District was broken by hard iron boots. A column of soldiers dressed in blue robes and black armor marched silently forward, with several figures in dharma robes guarding the center of the column.

The private guards and bodyguards of the nobles watched with astonishment as the group of soldiers brazenly marched into the mansions of the upper-class gentlemen. They were somewhat concerned but not particularly alarmed.

Thank you LEB and Wanliutongyuan for your monthly ticket support!
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(End of this chapter)