Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 38 This is not over yet
Zhang Yuan was focused on getting to his destination when the veteran Steve suddenly came up to him and said, "Let's go talk to Ska. Our team can't go on like this."

Zhang Yuan didn't even look up: "What's there to talk about? The ore has been stolen, and the people are dead, so there's no way to prove anything. What else can we do?"

“Now I think your judgment back then was correct,” Steve’s words surprised him a bit: “I didn’t think it was the Iron Throne that did it, but I didn’t expect that not only did they do it, but they also dared to go to such extremes.”

"Oh, so now you think the Iron Throne is the culprit? What evidence do you have?" someone retorted, questioning the other person.

Steve said somewhat apologetically, "We were too hasty that day and didn't seriously consider your opinion, but it's different now. Goblins won't cooperate with human mercenaries casually, much less rob iron ore that can't be eaten or worn."

“There must be a force unifying them from behind the scenes, while simultaneously hoarding and plundering iron ore. The Iron Throne is the prime suspect,” Steve asserted.

"Oh, then tell me how they transported the iron ore to Baldur's Gate? I remember there were Flamefist soldiers patrolling the main routes." The person who was challenged last time turned the tables on the other this time.

"I've already apologized, why won't you let me off the hook?" Steve smiled bitterly as he heard his own words being returned to him. "You saw it yourself, they never intended to take the coastal highway. With enough troops and local help, they probably went around from the east."

Hehe, a certain nitpicker looked at Steve with great interest, just like watching a simpleton who could only babble suddenly become enlightened.

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Steve had no choice but to speak again: "So we're not without clues; on the contrary, we've caught a big fish, and besides,"

He paused for a moment and then said, "Besides, our team's morale has almost plummeted. If we don't find a target soon, we're afraid our morale will really collapse."

"Do you think you're Uncle Li?" Zhang Yuan thought to himself, his heart filled with discontent. However, he also knew the importance of things and was unwilling to let his mission end in failure.

Ska, who had been silently making his way after speaking, was wondering how to salvage the team's slump when he saw the veterans and newbies from his team appear before him.

Zhang Yuan remained silent, letting Steve speak. The latter glanced at Zhang Yuan helplessly and said, "Ska, our enemy has actually already exposed his identity."

The two then shared their deductions with Captain Skar, who, after listening, also began to have doubts about the Iron Throne.

“But what about evidence? We have neither evidence about the Iron Throne nor clues about those bandits.” Skaar expressed his concerns: “We can’t threaten the Iron Throne by just guessing and deducing; we might even be bitten in return.”

"Then the Westcare should know that the Iron Throne is behind Black Claw, right? Why won't they come forward to testify?" Zhang Yuan asked.

“Without survivors, we can’t prove that Black Claw did it. The Siegfrieds might even suspect that we’re just angry.” Skar shook his head. “Besides, the Iron Throne isn’t stupid. They won’t leave any evidence or leverage in the Siegfrieds’ hands.”

This won't work, that won't work, and everyone is starting to feel a bit lost. Things seem to have fallen back into the vicious cycle they started with.

Suddenly, Zhang Yuan spoke up: "What if we could find out where these robbers' hideout is?"

“If we could actually find the hideout of these bandits, then Flame Fist would teach them a lesson, and the Iron Throne behind them wouldn’t escape the judgment of justice.” Ska said sternly, but then slammed his fist on the table in anger: “The problem is there are no ifs. These guys have vanished without a trace, and we don’t even have a clue.”

"The convoy was attacked northeast of Nassica, and the bandits who robbed the ore headed north." Steve gestured on the map for a while: "From the location of the attack north to Valley Town, and east to Firewine Bridge, it is all part of the Wuercaster Ruins, all of which are Gobi and desert landscapes, without even a forest, making it impossible to supply water and survival for so many people."

Ska chimed in, "Besides, with so many bandits, given the desolate terrain of the Wulcaster region, there's no way they could have hidden themselves. They should have been discovered by the patrolling guards long ago."

"Then there's only one possibility: continue north past Valley Town, deep into the Sharptooth Forest. Only there is enough space for these bandits to survive." The two looked at the map simultaneously. The person beside them was dumbfounded. "I haven't even said anything yet! You've already deduced the bandits' headquarters in just a few sentences?"

Why haven't I seen you guys being this smart before?

However, the group then encountered a problem. Zhang Yuan, who already had some knowledge of the geography of the Forgotten Realms, at least the Sword Coast region, also understood the difficulty of the situation.

The Sharp Tooth Forest is no small grove; it stretches from the Chowssa River in the north to Valley Town in the south, running north-south through the entire eastern corridor from the Dragon Bridge to Belgost.

What does this mean? To put it simply, it's equivalent to the journey from Baldur's Gate to Belgost that took the group a full five days.

Finding a band of bandits in such a vast area? It's almost like finding a needle in a haystack, not to mention the hospitable wild beasts, monsters, and bandits in the forest who are always ready to visit, and even a bunch of blockheaded druids.

“I have an idea. We can find these guys’ hideout.” The other two looked at Zhang Yuan.

“What scouts can’t do, magic can. Prophecy spells can obtain information and clues about the other party under certain conditions.” Someone’s sense of pride as a mage surged.

"You specialize in divination? You can find our target with a level one spell?" Ska was somewhat skeptical, and his underlying meaning was clear: I believe in divination spells, but I don't believe in you.

Zhang Yuan, whose face was turning black, couldn't argue: "I can't do it, but there are people at Baldur's Gate who can. There are fortune tellers who are skilled in divination in the market in the city center."

Ska became increasingly suspicious: "You mean those fortune tellers who hold tarot cards and talk nonsense all day long? You haven't been scammed, have you?"

This matter was a bit difficult to explain, so Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and had no choice but to persuade (or deceive) him in a way that the other party could understand.

"Of course I know that most of those guys are frauds. Prophecy masters aren't like cabbages, sold off on the street. But please trust my judgment as a mage. Do you think I know better than you whether a spell is genuine or not?!"

This does involve using one's status to intimidate others, but it works very well!
As a weak melee class, a low-level warrior is naturally at a disadvantage when facing a mage. Usually, with the advantages of being the captain and having a higher class level, it's not too bad, and this newbie doesn't dare to be reckless.

In addition, there is usually no need for so-called spell advisors, so no one, including Zhang Yuan himself, really took the identity of a spellcaster seriously.

This time was different. Without a second mage in the team, even if they had opinions, they couldn't question this newbie's judgment. When faced with someone launching a powerful attack in their area of ​​expertise, poor Skar could only meekly agree.

Now that there was hope, they quickly set a plan and put it into action. After some discussion, a certain mage began to announce the instructions:
"Captain, go and inform Grand Duke Iltan of the entire process of this mission and the suspicion surrounding the Iron Throne. I will find the prophet."

"Once I get the answer from him, we'll go find Grand Duke Belt together. His merchant guild suffered the biggest loss in this matter, so it's unreasonable for us Flame Fist to fight this battle alone."

"Also, does Baldur's Gate have any druids? If not, we can go to Valley Town and ask their nature god, Priest Beven, for help. With their help, things will be much easier in the forest."

The barrage of words left the others bewildered and confused, and in their bewilderment, they could only nod along.

Zhang Yuan, who rarely gets to be a leader, felt exceptionally good. It turns out that giving orders is really not bad!
One day, when he has power in his hands, he will command all the working dogs in the world. Ever since the conversation ended, this person has not stopped, pointing fingers at everyone in the team. Although everyone was surprised, they tolerated it when they saw that Ska was following him.

As night fell and everyone set up camp to rest and sleep, it wasn't until Tiger Shi realized that this little fox was just a novice mage, so why was he afraid of him?
(End of this chapter)