Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 384 Taking the bait
Having seen precedent, Jady didn't think this item was really that simple. However, after examining it for a long time, turning it over and over in her palm, she still found nothing. This situation made her frown deeply, and her gaze towards the mage conveyed only one meaning: [The rest of the text is missing, likely due to an error in the original source.]
Are you here to make fun of me?
Master Zhang smiled, stepped forward, pinched the blade with two fingers, and uttered a short start command.

“Wut des Himmels”

A crystal-clear, verdant light emanates from the stem of the leaf, extending and spreading along the veins to the entire leaf surface. The once ordinary leaf now resembles a fine emerald or a flawless green gem, appearing unlike anything ordinary.

This is? !
Seeing that the monk gestured for her to leave after letting go, the woman, in her haste, didn't care about anything else and grabbed the leaf to examine it again.

The leaf, which has been identified and activated, revealed some information:
"Bell's Hidden Leaf"

Natural camouflage, enhanced perception, and advanced restoration—the previous divine camouflage abilities disappeared as the Wildwalker's divine power was extracted, replaced by the natural resonance that Garas himself solidified.

Its effect is equivalent to a powerful Owl's Insight, but it lasts for eight hours, almost like a semi-solidified effect.

As Jady tried to further probe and sense the object in her hands with divine magic and spiritual perception, she felt as if she were an ignorant fisherman trying to explore the eye of the deep ocean. The abyss-like aura around her enveloped and oppressed her spiritual tentacles, making it impossible for her to see the inner essence and true nature of the object.

"hu~hu~"

Jadi, regaining her senses, gasped for breath. After calming down, she looked at the mage and asked urgently:

"What is the origin of this item? Who made it? And how did it end up in your hands?"

Faced with this barrage of questions about female virtue, Zhang Yuan didn't keep them in suspense:

Have you ever heard of the name Galasold?

"Lord Garas, the Wrath of the Northern Forests, the Legendary Druid of the Sky?"

As a fellow druid, how could Jeddy be unfamiliar with this pinnacle figure in her own field?
She never imagined that this young mage could be connected to someone of such high status.

"You visited Elder Galas? You met him? He gave you these items?"

"Oh, just a coincidence," the monk said with an affected nonchalance.

"You happened to run into him?"

"No, he approached me on his own initiative, thinking that I was exceptionally talented and had extraordinary potential, and wanted to take me as his successor."

"..."

Jady was too lazy to even speak. She put her hands on her hips and stared at the mage, as if to say, "Hurry up and finish your fart so we can talk about serious business."

Mr. Zhang was somewhat frustrated because no one believed him when he told the truth:

“My mentor Tyrandeil and Garas are old friends, so I suppose that’s part of the relationship.”

"That's really..." The woman of virtue stammered out a single word through gritted teeth after a long pause: "Good luck."

Jady examined the green leaf she held in her palm for a long time before reluctantly returning it to the other person, asking with some expectation:

"Are you saying that as long as I go to the North with you, I can meet Lord Wrath of the Sky and even receive his guidance?"

"How could that be? Do you think Garas is my follower? Someone I can summon and dismiss at will? This old man wanders around without a fixed abode. How can I guarantee anything?"

Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes upon hearing this, but still offered words of comfort: "However, if you do run into him, I can introduce you and say a few good words for you. I have a feeling about it."

"I will meet that old man again someday, and it won't be long before we meet again."

Although he spoke words that sounded like prophecy or divination, the monk showed no embarrassment on his face, but rather absolute certainty and determination.

It's uncertain whether the other party is genuinely confident, relying purely on intuition, or simply shamelessly boasting, but in terms of their lineage, it's indeed possible they have a connection with a legend.

Moreover, what the other party brought out was not only two strange items, but also a bark scroll inscribed with the name of Garas. This thing was originally given by the old man to Talinda as a talisman in case she returned to the tribe, but it was taken away by Zhang Yuan, that unscrupulous boss.

As for the enchantment effects?

No!

The signature of a legendary figure is a guarantee of intimidation. Anyone with the knowledge to recognize this mark would be too foolish to bother arguing with a mere elf.

However, this thing now adds a significant weight to the credibility of Master Zhang's words.

To the average person, it's just a roll of freshly peeled bark, with the only difference being that the handwriting and signature have a rustic charm and emit a faint green fluorescence.

However, as soon as she unrolled the bark scroll, Jadi's gaze was irresistibly drawn to the line of words that seemed to pulsate with life. The green light written on the bark flickered and swayed, and when she tried to observe it with her spiritual perception, she felt as if a part of her consciousness was being bathed and caressed in the forest and mountain mist, and she was stunned for a moment.

Silently handing the scroll back, Jady bit her lip lightly, then raised her head, her eyes gradually hardening:

"You've probably thought it all through, haven't you? You won't let Cel and the others, me, the villagers of Riverside Village, or Alaire and her oak tree go, will you?"

"Of course, as the saying goes, a family should be together all the time."

Master Zhang showed no embarrassment at being caught out; his self-righteous demeanor left the woman covering her forehead, speechless.

Once the most crucial step was resolved, things didn't encounter many further complications.

Just as the mage had predicted, the villagers, upon learning of this, were skeptical of the conditions offered by the man dressed as a mage who claimed to be the Lord of High Cliff.

On one hand, there was an instinctive skepticism towards the words of strangers, and on the other hand, there was a reluctance to leave their existing homeland, especially since they had never even heard of the place called Gaoya, and the Northland mentioned by the other party seemed as distant as another world.

On the other hand, the various preferential policies promised by the monk were truly tempting. If that were the case, weighing the pros and cons, relocation would be the best option. However, it concerned one's very livelihood, and trust is not something that can be easily obtained.

A flood of dissenting voices came, and despite the mage's various explanations and the female druid's assistance, most villagers still held a conservative and opposed attitude.

Tsk, I still need to improve my eloquence and charm.

Thinking this, Mr. Zhang turned around and exchanged a glance with Jadi.

It's time to unleash our trump card!

As expected, when Jadi told the villagers about her decision to go to the North with the monk, the whole scene was like water splashed into a pot of boiling oil, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as boiling over.

Thank you to Naval Project No. 23, Hundred Bones Membrane, I Can't Be Reckless Anymore, Black Tea of ​​Silver Bow, and Green Card Noble Phantasm for your monthly ticket support! Also: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival to everyone, and may your families be reunited.

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(End of this chapter)