Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 366 Ancient Night Owl Well
It must be admitted that these adventurers and nobles' private soldiers did indeed possess a certain level of combat capability and were not as easily defeated as ragtag minions.

However, one thing must be made clear: an adventure group like the Canaan Squad, which Master Zhang himself assembled, is an anomaly among anomalies, and its combat strength is far beyond what its personnel composition can explain.

The armed forces privately funded by the nobles would inevitably be significantly inferior to regular armies such as the Flame Fist and the Winterless Grey Robes in terms of organization and strength.

As for the official Neverwinter, has Lord Nashel ever coveted the mineral deposits near the Ancient Night Owl Well?

The answer is yes. How could Neverwinter, which is not known for its abundant mineral resources, not have its eye on the mineral veins within its territory?

The Winterless Garrison at the Ancient Night Owl Well is a direct manifestation of this will.

Unfortunately, as the saying goes, the more dreams you have, the more difficulties you'll encounter than solutions you'll find.

Located in the eastern mountainous region, the ancient Night Owl Well is already remote and desolate. Coupled with its geographical and ecological environment, both construction and supply have been major problems. How can the army be supported?
Even the poor outpost that exists today was built at great cost, with the help of the local dwarves.

Incidentally, while Neverwinter didn't gain any advantage, these dwarves were the ones who suffered terribly.

A certain dwarf clan that originally settled in the mountains guarded their small territory. Although they were occasionally harassed and attacked by those savage creatures, they could still cope. Compared to their fellow clans who had wandered into the wilderness, lacking both strategic terrain and mineral veins, they were better off.

For some reason, the orcs and trolls in the mountains seemed to have ushered in their own thunderous year. Not only did their numbers increase rapidly, but their heads also seemed to have been opened up. These few small tribes that occupied a corner of the mountain suddenly produced a number of spellcasters such as orc priests and troll shamans.

Relying on their superior weapons and armor, formidable martial prowess, sturdy fortresses, and the notoriously stubborn and inflexible nature of the dwarves, the Ironforge Clan withstood the enemy's harassment and oppression, refusing to migrate.

The two sides fought countless battles, and the Ironforge Clan's Book of Hatred must be filled with the names of Greenskin and Skinny Bamboo.

It wasn't until the savage forces within the mountains began to affect the regions beyond the Ancient Night Owl Well that the Iron Forging Clan, finally unable to bear their own blood loss, began to reveal to the outside world the mineral deposits hidden beneath their old enemies.

These short men truly lived up to their reputation as professional geologists; the accuracy and reliability of their exploration were beyond question. Without even venturing deep into the enemy's lair, they were able to analyze the general distribution of the mineral veins simply by surveying the surrounding areas.

As they had anticipated, the various forces that entered the mountains one after another caused considerable trouble for the green-skinned natives and greatly improved the situation of the dwarves.

However, a war without the benefits of war is ultimately unsustainable. After many days of fierce fighting, they still could not break through the enemy's stronghold. Even when they were forced to unite briefly and finally conquered an orc cave, they were driven out by the counterattack of the enemy and other tribes before they could even establish a foothold, let alone explore and mine.

After several rounds of back-and-forth, even those who coveted the mineral deposits could not withstand such bottomless losses and expenditures, and the hoped-for profits seemed a distant prospect.

Later, the intervention of most forces became unsustainable, leaving only the Winterless Official Expeditionary Force stubbornly stationed at Ancient Night Owl Well, the gateway to this mountain range and the front line of civilized territory.

Forget about mining; the real job is to guard this gateway outpost, monitor the movements in the mountains, and peacefully serve as our sentry and defense line.

The mineral deposits in the mountains remain like long-forgotten treasures waiting to be discovered.

However, this distant water cannot quench immediate thirst, and this trip to Baldur's Gate is bound to reach an agreement on the ore.

After giving some instructions on the details, the meeting was adjourned, and everyone went to prepare for their departure.

Two days later, at dawn, at the entrance of the spellcasting tower of the Wudong Magic Academy.

"Captain, I don't understand human matters, and I can't be of much help if I stay here. Why don't I go with you? I can also ask Sister Trish for advice on archery." Little white-haired Tylinda tugged at Captain Zhang's sleeve, her little face looking charming and pitiful.

Wait, this thing has learned to act cute?

Wait a minute, are Little White Hair and the Drow Ranger getting along so well now? They're even calling each other by name, and calling her "sister"?

Is this a matter of compatibility between white-haired individuals? Or...? Hmm?

"Stop fooling around." Old Master Zhang reached out and patted the little boy's head; it felt wonderful.

“You won’t have much to do in Bodø; we’re not going there for sightseeing.”

"It's a pity we weren't just passing through the Adip Forest, otherwise I could have tried to persuade some of my former companions to join us."

Little White Fur hummed, her ear tips drooping. The few people she was usually quite familiar with had all left to go far away, making her feel rather lonely.

"Then we'll see how you perform when we form the Ranger Squad."

The mage patted the other person on the head with a smile, then turned around and gave Münster a few more instructions. The team members hugged and smiled as a farewell, and Zhang Yuan led his four teammates into the tower.

The brief separation was for a longer reunion. Apart from Telinda, the rest of them were all seasoned veterans and had no worries or sadness.

The tower was heavily guarded, with sentries every three or five steps, but multiple checkpoints consisting of rotating mages and guard golems were also in place.

With his faculty and staff credentials and the dean's token, Zhang Yuan passed through smoothly and led the group to the central circular hall on the fifth floor.

The hall was spacious yet densely packed, with a large arched door standing in the center. The ground was engraved with intricate array circuits. Near the wall on the outer ring of the array, there were twelve pillars, each over two meters high. However, they were not upright; instead, they resembled crescent moons, curving inwards. Each of their tips was inlaid with a deep blue gemstone, from which azure light shone, making the hall appear as mysterious and distant as the deep sea.

Although Zhang Yuan had never used the teleportation hall he was in, he was familiar with its principles.

With the help of ritual arrays, the teleportation spells cast are greatly improved in terms of distance traveled, stability, accuracy, and even the number of people and weight that can be carried.

That's practically elevating teleportation to the level of advanced teleportation!

What if the spellcaster has advanced teleportation abilities?

Why not just handle it himself? Why come here and get stabbed?

Using this thing comes at a high price. If it weren't for the convenience it offers as an academy member, Master Zhang would rather tolerate the slight errors in the teleportation technique than be such a sucker.

As for the advanced teleportation scroll that he managed to get from the teacher?
Advanced teleportation, which allows for unimpeded movement across a plane regardless of distance, accurate positioning, and minimal interference from other factors, is undoubtedly a life-saving trump card; it's not something to be squandered like a long-distance bus ticket.

Thank you to the readers 烟灭归尘, 1174299710196486144, 飞之飘扬, chen1111hao, 懒懒的睡鼠, and 刷吐仓鼠 for their monthly ticket support!


(End of this chapter)