Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 361 Curious Baby
"Your Excellency Chanem, oh, I should address you as the esteemed Sir Chanem."

After a pleasant conversation, this somewhat eccentric Ninth Guard, quite naturally friendly, made a joke.

"There will be a ball after the ceremony, which was originally intended to give newcomers a chance to get in touch with the circle, but you, buddy... hahaha."

Zhang Yuan chuckled inwardly, shook his head, and walked out of the hall, saying to Edmont who was following him:
"We're not on the same path to begin with, so why bother trying so hard to get in?"

"Heh, that's an interesting point. I wonder what kind of expression those guys will have when they hear that.

The two walked side by side through the hall, as if strolling leisurely, amidst the bewildered and strange looks from the others present.

Before they had gone far, a sweet, slightly excited voice, like that of a young girl, rang out from the left. Turning their head, they saw a sweet and lovely girl dressed in luxurious and glamorous clothes, with a gothic style reminiscent of their previous life.

Originally a well-bred young lady, and a wealthy young woman at that, her cheerful expression and freckles gave her a somewhat girl-next-door feel.

"You're the adventurer they're talking about who infiltrated Luskan alone? The newly appointed mage lord?"

"What's it like in Luskan? Is it really all pirates and scum like my parents say?"

"You managed to fight your way out of there, your magic must be amazing. Apart from the apprentices, no one has ever shown me real magic before."

"Could I also become a mage? My dream is to become a beautiful and powerful woman like Elasdra?"

Da da da da da da
The little girl spoke quickly and urgently, firing off a series of questions in a short time without pausing for breath.

"This is Miss Reese, the eldest daughter of the Bryce family. Sir Bryce only had this one daughter, and he spoiled her a bit too much, which caused his parents a lot of headaches."

Edmont, standing nearby, gave an amused introduction, gesturing slightly with his chin towards the girl. Behind Miss Spette, a couple who appeared to be her parents were awkwardly trying to pull her back, but their efforts clearly failed.

"Oh, my old friend, look what I see! A little lamb with a spirit?"

Mr. Zhang smiled gently at the curious girl in front of him. With his current charm, although he might not be able to make a young girl blush and have wild fantasies, it was certainly not a problem to make a good first impression rather than a bad one.

The mage, whose name sounded somewhat familiar, quickly recalled that this young lady was the foolish girl who had been fooled by a few cultists who lured her into a tomb to make a sacrifice, using nonsense about adventure, nobility of the night, and lost wanderers.

She's truly a pampered young lady raised in a honey pot. Her mind is no different from those young girls in my previous life who were crazy about chasing after popular celebrities. I reckon a book like "City of Light" would be enough to make her completely swayed.

"Being curious is not a bad thing; exploring the unknown is the driving force behind our progress."

Mr. Zhang, who had excitedly nodded repeatedly with just one sentence, ignored the unfriendly looks from her parents behind her and leisurely took out a book.

The book is very thin; it's more like a booklet than a book.

"Having dreams and curiosity is certainly a good thing, but while gazing at the stars, we must not forget to keep our feet on the ground."

The enigmatic Master Zhang exudes an air of sophistication, captivating the naive little girl with starry eyes.

"You might as well take a look at this book. If you can master all the contents, then you might have a chance to embark on this mysterious path like I have."

The little girl was incredibly excited, taking the booklet with both hands as if it were a priceless treasure. Touched by her eagerness to learn, Mr. Zhang smiled like a loving father, pointing to the cover and saying kindly:
"Open it quickly and see, there might be a surprise." "Enough, Sir Chanem. If it's just about magic, there's no need for you to bother. Our Bryce family is capable of hiring a mage advisor. Please don't use irresponsible words to interfere with Risbett's choice."

This is my real dad...

Seeing that his daughter was about to be completely fooled by this rascal, Sir Bryce could no longer help but step forward and stop him.

Not to mention that he was unwilling to let his eldest daughter go down that path, he was not a fool who could be easily fooled. Could a small booklet guarantee that he would become a spellcaster?
Faced with a father who was like an angry bull, Zhang Yuan smiled graciously and took a step back from the daughter.

Sir Bryce's vigilance remained undiminished, while at the same time, Lady Reese opened the book with anticipation.

"The origins of magic? An overview of the history of magic? A preliminary understanding of the structural characteristics of the magic network? The beginnings of meditation and the budding of the spirit?"

Huh?
The curious young lady saw nothing on the first page except for lines of book titles.

Turning the page, it's still the same; only the book title is displayed.

Turn the page again, keep turning it!
As she looked at the book titles, a bad feeling began to creep into Miss Risbett's mind.

This remained true until the very last page, unsurprisingly.

What are the titles of these books?

She asked with a mixture of doubt and hope, but that hope was quickly dashed.

"These are the book titles; these are the book lists you need to read."

The mage's words remained unhurried, but the implication in them chilled Risbett to the bone.

"There's a saying that goes, 'Three years of spellcasting, five years of simulation.' Before a mage apprentice can formally access the magic network and obtain a spell slot, they usually need about two years of theoretical study and meditation practice."

"From the moment they first learn the basics and acquire zero-ring magic, to mastering second-ring arcane arts and becoming a qualified mage apprentice, the journey often takes more than three years."

"This book list was compiled by me and several other monks. As long as you can study and master all the books and materials on this list, you have a chance to become a formal monk."

Mr. Zhang spoke so casually that the little girl stammered:

"So many books? How long would it take to read them all? There's no way we could ever finish them all!"

"It's not that difficult. You don't have to read them all at once. In the two years of preparation, you only need to memorize and digest about forty classics. The remaining hundred or so are for advanced learning later."

Master Zhang patiently explained, but Risbett was completely dumbfounded.

"Forty, over a hundred, and... you still have to memorize them?"

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(End of this chapter)