Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 433 The Lingering Shadow

The Shadow Plane Gap is the name given to its troublesome origin by the Institute's archives.

Perhaps it was the unique geographical location of High Cliff Castle, or perhaps it was a coincidence of fate, but when the corrupt guardian of Ilfalan passed through High Cliff Castle with his twisted power, he not only destroyed all life in the place, but the echoes and resounding sounds left behind still linger here.

It is a distorted existence that is the source of the Shadow Demon Network's power. After resonating with the space where the castle is located, not only the space itself, but also the magic network connected here was torn open, and the source of the power of the shadow plane poured into this space. The tentacles of the Shadow Demon Network even interfered with the normal operation of the magic network.

This is no small problem. Unlike the natural shadow portals that appear in some weak points of the spatial barrier in Faerûn and connect with the shadow plane, the plane gaps that were forcibly torn apart deep within High Cliff Keep are like broken wounds that are difficult to heal, and the blood of the shadows continues to flow out from there.

It's not that it can't be repaired; if we really put our minds to it, we could organize the manpower and set up the scene and fix it. The question is, how?
In the end, High Cliff Fortress was nothing more than the private territory of a noble lord of Neverwinter. Was it so easy to forcibly repair and smooth out the spatial damage under the distorted magic network?
The fee for this deal was astronomical, especially since after the accident, no one was willing to take over such a mess as Gaoyaling, which meant that all the hard work and effort put into it would go unpaid or uncompensated.

Commonly known as voluntary labor, or to put it bluntly, being taken advantage of.

Obviously, no one was willing to suffer such a loss. Even the temple was unwilling to waste its manpower on such a desolate and ruined unclaimed land. Although it was indeed a pity for a territory to become desolate and ruined, the tug-of-war between civilization and barbarism was commonplace, and Neverwinter City could not be responsible for all its territories.

The vast High Cliff Territory, with High Cliff Castle at its center, radiates out into a large area now known as the Northwest Territory, which occupies about three-quarters of the entire territory.

From a once fertile land, it has fallen into a neglected and unproductive place, with only the southeastern region, sheltered by mountains and rivers, still considered prosperous.

The remaining fat meat naturally wouldn't fall into the hands of the mage, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It had long been regarded as food by the powerful nobles and devoured. If Zhang Yuan hadn't been confident enough in his methods and hadn't had powerful backers, he wouldn't have been willing to pick on this tough nut to crack.

The mage lord, who already had a plan for how to handle the matter, sent the Word Bearers to investigate, not hoping to solve the problem in one go.

Relying on their advance and cover, the invisible assassins, directly within the mage's vision, were able to bypass the enemy and successfully infiltrate the hall. Although they were eventually discovered and forced to return to the Void Chessboard, it was enough for the mage to clearly see the true nature of the dimensional rift, and…

The source of Viconia's unease and fear at that time.

The last thing the invisible assassin saw before retreating into the chess piece space was a gaping maw, five feet in diameter, filled with fangs, looking as ferocious and terrifying as a grinder or a lamprey.

Beneath the gaping maw lay a colossal, dark body, resembling a giant worm, but unlike any natural creature. Its shadowy form carried the distinctive features of a shadowy being, with two rows of sharp, claw-like legs growing from its abdomen.

The giant insect's shadowy skin almost blended into the deep darkness, and without the mage's night vision and arcane vision, it would be impossible to discern the entirety of this behemoth.

Giant Insect Shadow in the Night.

It wouldn't be accurate to say it was the whole picture, since the giant insect only had half of its body sticking out of the ground, with the lower half still buried under the floor in the center of the hall, which looked like it had been dyed into an ink pool.

Its stealthy and secretive behavior resembles a corrupted version of the Burrowing Worm, only much larger. Moreover, as a cross-dimensional shadow creature, the Giant Worm Nightshade's methods are far beyond what the former can compare to.

Compared to the earthworms' burrowing method, the giant night shadows have long since shed their arduous physical labor. They utilize their innate shadow talents to permeate and project shadow realm power into the surrounding area, forming a realm similar to a shadow plane—their home turf. The current situation is even more extreme; given the existence of shadow gaps, the entire underground hall can essentially be considered a shadow zone, and the giant night shadows are like fish swimming in a sea of ​​shadows, ignoring obstacles, the ground, and even spatial barriers, allowing them to traverse freely.

If an enemy with such high mobility and ambush capabilities is already quite troublesome, then what if it also unfortunately possesses powerful melee abilities, resistances, blasphemous energy, spell-like abilities, energy drain, and is proficient in vicious techniques such as seizing and devouring…

Avoiding a fight is generally the wise thing to do.

But Master Zhang didn't think so.

It wasn't that he had lost his mind or become overconfident, but for a mage, a clearly defined enemy who foolishly stayed in his own lair and whose characteristics and weaknesses had long been thoroughly analyzed...

Unless there is an insurmountable gap between them, such a slight aura is not enough to intimidate a prepared mage.

While the Giant Insect Nightshade was powerful, it was still within the capabilities of a high-level professional, and it was fundamentally different from those legendary monsters.

Although it might seem a bit like a toad yawning for a mere level ten mage to say such things, Zhang Yuan had immense confidence in the strength of the pawns and Kaguya's allies.

With so many chess pieces, there's bound to be one that can really frustrate the enemy.

Moreover, the real troublesome thing about the Giant Insect Night Shadow is its home-field advantage, which is also the source of its mobility. Once it loses its ability to traverse within the Shadow Realm, it is just a tough and thick-skinned monster insect.

A gigantic worm that can bring death to even high-level professionals~
For a sorcerer, temporarily altering or suppressing the properties of a plane is nothing new, but the addition of Viconia, the Lady of the Night's Chosen, is an unexpected bonus, further increasing the sorcerer's confidence in this operation.

There aren't that many cases of the weak defeating the strong. Most of the time, it's about achieving asymmetrical competition through reasonable spells and strategies, thus allowing the strong to defeat the weak. It may seem thrilling, but in reality, there's little suspense.

The mages, including Master Zhang, wanted this kind of smooth, predictable, and uneventful victory.

Having passed the initial accumulation period, he understood that stability should be the priority.

"Three days later, we will begin to pacify High Cliff Fortress. Kegan, Rick, and Morty will accompany me, and the Word Bearers squad will be responsible for sweeping and supporting the operation."

"The remaining personnel will continue to oversee and execute the current tasks, especially the blacksmith shop and the brewery; development and construction cannot be halted."

Ultimately, it was the mage lord who made the final decision and set the tone.
Thank you Eric Jin and Book is My Fate 2 for your monthly ticket support!

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(End of this chapter)