Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 368 Returning home in glory
The familiar bunker-shaped outpost, the familiar walls, the familiar gate, and those familiar gilded copper nails—life's encounters are truly wondrous. Since leaving the Flame Fist outpost to pursue my studies, every reunion has felt like a long-awaited reunion.

Steve, who was on duty at the gate, recognized the person who had just arrived. A look of surprise appeared on his face, which looked a little older than before. He was about to say something, but all his words were glossed over by the other person's friendly smile.
"haven't seen you for a long time."

In the annex of Ska's squad's base, the mess hall, a space that was usually empty in the mornings, was filled with Flame Fist soldiers. They were gathered together to celebrate the reunion of old friends, instead of doing morning exercises.

“Chanem, or rather, Your Excellency the Mage Lord, I never imagined that you would be gone for more than a year. Not only did you complete the mission entrusted to you by the Grand Duke, but you also became nobles of Neverwinter. It sounds like a legendary story from the bards.”

The old captain had nothing to hide, and aside from matters involving legendary powerhouses and the evil god cult that were far too significant, he recounted his experiences on his journey to the North. Ska and Soter listened with astonishment, and if they hadn't already possessed some knowledge themselves, they would have almost thought he was just bragging.

"It's a pity that kid Münster didn't come back with you, and now that you have your own base in Neverwinter, I'm afraid you won't stay here for more than a few days, right?"

Zhang Yuan did not deny what the old captain said, and then talked about the difficulties in the development of the territory and the purpose of this trip.

"That's why my report to Grand Duke Iltan this time is not just to settle that old case, but perhaps I can get some support from the Grand Duke."

Upon hearing this, both Ska and Soter laughed:
"You haven't changed at all. You still won't do anything without a reason. We almost thought you came here to catch up with old friends."

"There's nothing we can do; the lord's household has no surplus grain either."

Master Zhang's expression remained unchanged; instead, he dragged out the last syllable of his name, feigning seriousness.

The group exchanged glances, then burst into laughter. After stopping their laughter, they looked at Nancy, who was shaking her head helplessly to the side.

Having learned the truth back then, Skaer straightened his face and said:

"Since we are going to visit the Grand Duke, we should set off as soon as possible, and then we can celebrate later."

"That's right, see you later."

Zhang Yuan nodded, stood up, and dragged the two dwarf brothers, who were bragging and spitting as they went, over as if they were carrying two large moles.

The Kegan and Bud brothers, who already loved to boast and brag, now had an even richer and more authentic source of material, so they were bound to unleash their full potential and exaggerate their experiences to the heavens.

Apart from the few things the monk repeatedly warned them about that they dared not reveal, the rest were exaggerated and fabricated.

Meeting vampires at night, the bloody battle at dawn, annihilating the troll tribe, visiting the kingdom of giants in the clouds, riding the clouds and dragons, forming alliances and dominating Luskan, and so on and so forth…

As it turned out, what was originally a perfectly real experience sounded even less believable than a poorly written troubadour's ramblings in the mouth of these two shorty-looking fellows.

The Flame Fist members all had a "let's hear your bragging" expression, which only provoked the two dwarves to bristle and glare.

The two brothers, who originally wanted to continue arguing, had no choice but to obediently follow their elder brother out of the camp after he lifted them up and glared at them, to pay their respects to Grand Duke Iltan, leaving behind a group of unscrupulous listeners who were clapping and cheering and making a fuss.

At the Flame Fist headquarters reception desk, the clerk who had been calmly sitting behind the long table couldn't help but straighten his knees, lean forward, and brace himself on the table with his hands, raising his voice by a octave:
"Meet the Grand Duke? Forgive my bluntness, but your status as an unofficial Flame Fist squad makes it difficult to pass. If there is anything important, feel free to inform me, and I can relay it to Commander Ska or Angolo."

Zhang Yuan smiled, not thinking anything of it. After all, the other party was just doing their job, and there was no malicious mockery in their words. However…

“We just came from Ska’s place.”

The monk spoke softly, and before the somewhat stunned clerk could react, he stepped aside, revealing a somewhat helpless Nancy.

"Here, it's your turf, your turn to step up." "Seriously, are you a new kid? Otherwise, Iltan's men wouldn't be so clueless."

As Nancy spoke, she raised her delicate eyebrows, narrowed her eyes slightly, and pursed her lips into a line. At this moment, the female thief finally regained some of the demeanor of her former boss.

The clerk, who was being stared at, had beads of sweat on his forehead, but he still met the gaze of the person in front of him without backing down, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

puff~
Nancy laughed first and casually tossed something over.

"You do have some courage, but you lack experience. Take a good look."

The young clerk caught the tossed object and saw that it was a shield-shaped badge depicting distant mountains surrounded by flames.

"This is?"

"This is the emblem of a family descended from a Grand Duke; it's not something an ordinary person can obtain."

The older companion who arrived answered his question. As the elder of the Flame Fist, he knew that the titles and positions of Flame Fist Leader and Grand Duke were obtained through power rather than bloodline inheritance. The Sandro family, whose emblem was the Burning Mountains, was the true background of Grand Duke Iltan.

“Ms. Nancy, welcome. Norrick, go and inform the Grand Duke.”

The young man stood up immediately and hurriedly walked towards the back steps, only to run back a short while later.

"Madam, the Grand Duke invites you."

The female thief simply nodded slightly, then turned to look at the mage, who dusted off his robes and strode toward the steps.

"Let's go, we've come to deliver good news."

Watching Canaan and his group of five disappear into the stairwell, Norrik asked his senior with some curiosity:

“Mr. Leo, who is this Nancy? Do you know her? I feel like she’s of higher status than us.”

“Don’t think about it, that’s it.” The older man called Leo clasped his hands together.

"Back then, she was the Duchess's close attendant, and her strength had long since advanced to the intermediate level of a wanderer. If it weren't for those years of self-exile, the internal structure of the Flame Fist would be hard to say now."

The young man looked surprised, glanced at the stairwell again, and turned back to ask:

"Wouldn't the mage she was following be even more powerful?"

"Probably, but those are beyond our scope of investigation." Leo then looked at his younger brother beside him:

"But your eyesight really needs to improve. Wait here, I'll go make a pot of coffee. I'll take advantage of the fact that there aren't many people around now and teach you a lesson."

Thank you to Yuezhimin and Ye·Bingyuan for your monthly ticket support!

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(End of this chapter)