Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 359 Appearance
"The Lord will hold a celebration and investiture ceremony for you in the Neverwinter Castle Hall the day after tomorrow..."

She paused, seemingly recalling the mages' strange schedule and sense of time, and hesitantly added:
Please make sure you arrive on time.

Eribes' expression was serious, and her words were formal, however…

Although she wasn't exactly short, she was still quite petite. Her face, typical of a half-elf, was remarkably youthful, and coupled with her serious and dignified demeanor, she always gave Zhang Yuan a strangely endearing contrast.

Master Zhang's mind was churning with cunning schemes, but on the surface he maintained a dignified facade. He accepted the invitation, glanced at it briefly, closed it, and put it away, returning the greeting with a monk's salute.

"Thank you, Ms. Irebeth."

Upon leaving the temple and on the way to the academy, Barras, noticing someone beside him looking somewhat distracted, teased:

"What? Still thinking about that female paladin? Your newly granted territory needs help anyway, why don't you ask Nashel to send her to support you?"

Upon hearing this, the two accompanying mages chuckled. Both were disciples of Balas and had become quite familiar with Zhang Yuan at the academy recently. Given this relationship, their conversation was quite casual.

Zhang Yuan didn't respond to that, but instead asked:
"What exactly did His Majesty the Eye of Vigilance mean by 'the Ancient One' in his words?"

The Grand Master continued on his way despite hearing this, seemingly unconcerned.

"The fertile land of the North holds a history buried like pearls in a vast ocean. It is impossible to say which civilization or race, long buried by the dust of time, suddenly surfaced."

"The arcane civilization of the Nether era, the ruins of the ancient elven kingdom, and even those ancient civilizations from even earlier times have all left their mark on the Northlands. And there are the Nether Mountains and the High Forest to the east, who knows what kind of strange things are hidden there."

Zhang Yuan nodded. The question he asked earlier was just a test. Now it seems that it won't be so easy for Heim and Tyr to find out the group of Saruk serpents hiding outside the timeline.

Fortunately, even if things proceed as originally planned, it would be several years later. If the crisis still exists by then, we can simply find an opportunity to divert the church's attention to those lizards.

In a world where crises rage like waves on the sea, and the turmoil never ceases, it is far too extravagant for Faerûn to worry about things so far in the future.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye. The thin morning frost in the Black Lake District was broken by the robes, and a dark figure walked along the stone path toward the castle not far away.

Behind him were two attendants, one tall and one short, none other than Münster and Bard, the two henchmen.

"Boss, will our deal go through today? Will there be any unexpected changes?"

The usually carefree Bud became unusually anxious, tiptoeing closer to ask in a low voice.

"The real decision was made long ago; the so-called ceremony was just a formality."

Zhang Yuan remained calm; what was meant to be his would come to pass.

Before long, the three of them arrived at the castle entrance, and after showing their invitations, they were allowed to pass without any problems.

This was his first time entering Neverwinter Castle. The castle's exterior was simple and unassuming, but its interior decoration was both elegant and dignified, yet luxurious.

Passing through several seemingly silver-plated iron gates and down a corridor into the hall, one is immediately struck by the predominantly blue and gold color scheme. The overall tone is somewhat cool and solemn, yet not oppressive. The decorative details are primarily adorned with relief murals depicting epic legends such as battles, triumphs, and heroes.

Apart from the irises and oak leaves outlined in silver thread on the door, there are few openwork patterns.

Even though I had seen many palaces and castles of all kinds in the East and West in my previous life, the scenery in front of me still had a unique charm and style.

There's no way to compare their merits; they each have their own strengths.

The monk stood at the entrance of the hall, looking at the spacious and noisy hall in front of him. A number of men and women dressed in luxurious, even exaggeratedly flamboyant, clothes were gathered in groups of three or five, exchanging greetings and chatting.

Every now and then, waiters and maids would come and go carrying trays filled with stemmed wine glasses, replacing their empty glasses with goblets overflowing with golden nectar.

“Lord Chanem, I am here on the orders of Lord Nash. You may call me Edmont.”

A man who seemed to have been waiting there came forward. He was also dressed in gorgeous clothes, but his unmistakable aura of a battlefield warrior made him stand out from the crowd.

"You are the star of the show today. Many celebrities from Neverwinter have also gathered here. If you are interested, you might as well get to know them."

Seemingly oblivious to the mage's scrutinizing gaze, Edmond skillfully and naturally introduced him to the distinguished guests who were already peering over.

Those who knew the main figure of today's ceremony was present cast scrutinizing, curious, envious, or contemptuous glances at the monk, but none of them stirred the slightest ripple in his heart.

"Thank you, but there's no need for introductions. May I ask when the ceremony will begin and how long it will last? I deliberately postponed my planned spell experiment, not to chat."

Ignoring Edmont's slightly surprised gaze and the way some of the ladies pretended to cover their mouths with handkerchiefs, Zhang Yuan asked bluntly.

"We cannot give you a precise answer, but please rest assured that your request will not be ignored."

After saying this, Edmont turned to a waiter and whispered a few instructions. The waiter acknowledged and immediately turned to the side of the hall and quickly walked away.

"Even if you have no intention of getting involved with these families, it's never a bad thing to learn more about them. Besides, there's still some time before it officially begins."

The gentleman remained smiling, seemingly unperturbed by Zhang Yuan's blunt words.

Having handled numerous interpersonal matters for Nash and maintained connections with various factions, Edmont understood perfectly well that the newly appointed mage lord's feigned aloofness and coldness were merely an expression of an attitude.

However, it would be rather unseemly to leave him standing alone here, and Sir Edmund, who is known for his shrewdness and diplomatic skills, would certainly not neglect his guest today.

This person is quite remarkable. He can give detailed explanations of the various families, recounting their historical origins in detail, interspersed with anecdotes to keep things interesting, and sketching out the grudges and feuds between the families with just a few strokes of his pen.

Master Zhang was not some ignorant bookworm; his attitude was simply to show that he did not want to get involved in the mess. Since the other party understood his meaning, it would be pointless to put on airs any longer.

(End of this chapter)