Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 469 Soul Transfer Coffin

However, self-confidence is not the same as arrogance or conceit.

It was precisely because of his clear understanding and rational thinking about the path he was on that he was able to comprehend just how difficult this step was.

Is he a genius?

Count! We absolutely must count! Otherwise, wouldn't that be disrespectful to our own golden finger?

With a mind and memory ability vastly different from your previous life, and an almost instinctive affinity for arcane magic and the magic network, you'll go from a mediocre apprentice to a rising star. All you need is more than just hard work and sweat.

But even so, so what?

Is my mentor, Archmage Tyrantir, considered a genius?
The answer is undoubtedly that for someone who has reached this level, almost the pinnacle of ordinary spellcasters, the almost cliché term "genius" is not even enough to describe one-tenth of their abilities.

It's impossible to measure exactly how much resources, fortuitous opportunities, the favor of fate, and personal struggle are required for this.

Even with such a reputation, Master Tyrantir remains stuck at the threshold of legend, having wasted nearly thirty years since becoming an archmage.

He might not know about others, but having spent more than half a year with his teacher, how could Zhang Yuan not know about the other's erudition and wisdom? The quick wit and sparks of inspiration built on a solid foundation made even this self-proclaimed modern person who had experienced the information explosion feel admiration.

If we take his mentor as a benchmark, it's not that Zhang himself is destined to catch up with and surpass him one day, but he has never dared to underestimate his teacher, much less become arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

By the way, I'll also copy down the knowledge and materials on the Arcane path and give them to my teacher, so that if he still hasn't broken through to the Legendary realm by then, he won't end up in a situation where he's fallen from grace.

Thinking this, Zhang Dashanren felt that he was truly generous to be able to take this virtuous and talented disciple into his fold. It was as if the old man Tyrantir was a reincarnation of Tamora's old lover who had earned this blessing.

After gathering and organizing all the information, the mage finally understood Drezan's final plan and the reason why the other party was so magnanimous.

This is indeed Drezan's tomb, where his departed body was also buried, and the metal coffin he was wearing earlier was indeed his sarcophagus.

However, it is not entirely a coffin; to be precise, it is a soul separation and transfer device, commonly known as a soul transfer coffin.

This rather high-end alchemical device, as its name suggests, separates the spirit from the body. And what are the effects?

It can almost perfectly realize the concepts of virtual consciousness mentioned in those science fiction works from my previous life, such as consciousness uploading and mechanical ascension.

Perhaps there is no concept of soul code or self-consciousness data stream in Faerûn, but the idea of ​​transcending the physical body and using the mind to control matter has many similarities.

Having arrived here with the core nexus, Drezan, having completed the final assembly of the golem in the tomb within this mountain, took this ultimate step as he had wished and planned.

From then on, they were freed from the constraints of their fragile bodies and took refuge in the cold, steel alchemical constructs.

Using the Soul Transfer Coffin, the aged Drezan shed his physical body and, in his spirit form, made final adjustments and unifications to the entire Soul-Possessed Golem. The high-ranking arcanist's abundant and resilient mind and soul, like the roots of an ancient tree, resided within the coffin. His mental tendrils, through the cable circuits connecting the Soul Transfer Coffin and various alchemical facilities, manipulated the inscription and fitting of each node circuit until the golem was completed.

The eyes of the Soul Golem glowed with a ghostly blue light, projecting the will of the soul within. The old arcanist channeled his entire consciousness into it, continuing his existence in another form.

This is also the final image left by Drezan.

All that remains here are these mechanical devices that completed their tasks, as well as the memorials and legacy items that the tomb owner built for himself. Rather than a tomb, it is more like a cenotaph or memorial hall that he deliberately left behind, because the old arcanist did not even leave his fading body here.

After completing the follow-up arrangements, Drezan left the dungeon. His body was as powerful yet graceful and light as the Shadowsteel Golem. The mithril-forged parts of his body brought him superior performance without compromising his agility.

As for his physical body? Drezan himself took it with him.

Zhang Yuan was unsure what the original owner of that body intended to do. Perhaps it was to keep it as a keepsake to commemorate the past, or perhaps it was to use magic to keep it alive as a backup.

In short, it's impossible to leave it in this soul-transferring coffin. Just because it has the word "coffin" in its name doesn't mean it's actually a coffin. How could such a high-end and precise alchemical instrument be stuffed with a corpse? And left there for hundreds of years?

How can it be!

This isn't a pickling jar for making sauerkraut; the dirtier it is, the less you care about it. If you were to use it as a coffin, that would be a complete waste. Using a centrifuge as a spittoon is a different story.

Drezan was a man of principle. He chose to end a part of his life's journey with dignity and departed gracefully. He didn't care much about these material possessions, and the underground palace that witnessed the change in his way of life was sealed away.

As for why we left behind such a large amount of knowledge and information to pass on?
There's no need to speculate; both the inscriptions on the obelisk and the messages conveyed by the stone convey a very clear sense of melancholy and crisis.

"How could the glory of the former empire vanish in a single night? How could the stars that rose up by our forefathers fall and return to dust? How could we, their descendants, be left to wander in foreign lands?"

This is just a small part of Drezan's many feelings and worries. While receiving the knowledge he inherited, Master Zhang also listened to a lot of these rambling musings and the old arcanist's reminiscences and longings for the past.

Even though he never personally witnessed the collapse of Netheril, the fact that the arcane empire, which his parents and teachers described as a blazing sun overlooking the earth, was destroyed overnight left a deep impression and a knot in Drezan's heart from a young age.

This longing, disillusionment, regret, reminiscence of the past, and the oppression of the present—all these intertwined emotions created an apocalyptic melancholy that made Zhang Yuanzhi grin, almost thinking the other person was casting a spell through NetEase Cloud Music.

Goodness gracious, but you can't say the other person is being overly pessimistic, because if the sky really did fall...

A hundred floating cities crashed down from the sky, a scene no different from the collapse of the heavens and the earth.

As the only city in the Shadow Plane to survive the disaster, Ghost City was awarded the title of Imperial Orphan. Although they said they would restore the glory of Nether, even the Ghost Princes of Tanshur couldn't help but have doubts. A broken dynasty, a changing era, a brand new order—how could all of this be so easily reversed?
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been trapped in the shadow plane for over a thousand years without returning to the main plane.

Thank you to Congxin Suoxinglu, Wanliu Tongyuan, Ssczy, Wang Tingqiu, Yanmie Guichen, w Tianxia Youshan, Lanlan de Shuishu, and Alukard for your monthly ticket support!

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(End of this chapter)