Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 494 The Capable Female Apprentice
The rune combination of Du-Raka and Jeha-Da, one for sturdiness and the other for magic resistance, is self-evident in its purpose. The magical protection it provides is sufficient to further enhance the physical and magical defense of the tower.

Furthermore, the Du-Owo rune, with its stable form, greatly enhances the inertia of rock and soil walls when they are twisted and shaped by magic. Special monsters with the ability to dig and pierce through rocks would be exhausted if they tried to infiltrate.

Jaha-Mandu, the anti-spirit rune, protects the tower from invasion by wraiths or certain special ethereal shadows. In the Shadowlands, where wraiths roam freely, troublesome uninvited guests are not just those with physical forms.

But that's all there is to it. The outer walls of Shadowfang Keep are still not completed, and the autonomous defense system, the overall enchanted magic circle, and the dimensional locking system are all just concepts on paper.

Dealing with some ghosts and earth monsters is fine, but if you encounter a big boss like the Giant Insect Nightshade or the Earth Elemental Elder who comes to plunder you, or even if an earthquake spell hits you on the head one day, who knows what might happen.

Therefore, before the mage left, he also left the Shadowsteel Golem, the Shadow Fiend, and the Soulbreaker behind to guard the dungeon, the rotunda, and the spire, respectively, for defense.

"Go and inform everyone that everyone must attend the work meeting tomorrow morning."

The mage, who had just stepped out of the Shadow Gate and arrived at the main hall of High Cliff Fortress in the Prime Plane, spoke to Morty, who was on duty that day. Morty nodded his thick-necked head in a muffled "Yes," and then turned and left.

The monk went up the stairs to his bedroom, threw himself into a rocking chair, and enjoyed the long-lost relaxation while planning the details of tomorrow's meeting.

As his thoughts were racing, he heard a soft sound of a door opening. He didn't need to open his eyes to know who it was.

The newcomer gently strolled up behind the monk, her slender, soft hands lightly caressing his shoulders, skillfully kneading and massaging them.

Master Zhang seemed to be enjoying it immensely, his nostrils flaring as he let out a soft hum, his eyes remaining closed.

"Sier, how are you doing with the books I gave you?"

Upon hearing this, the siren's busy, delicate hands paused for a moment before resuming their work.

"I read through all the books you gave me the day before yesterday, but there were some parts I didn't understand. However, seeing that you are busy and we haven't had many opportunities to meet in the past few months, I put them aside for the time being."

Oh?
Upon hearing that Sir had indeed read through all the books he had been given, the monk opened his eyes, straightened up from his chair, and gestured for the other person to come around to his front.

The sorcerer raised his arm and pulled her around. The siren maid, gentle and charming, sat on his lap, her soft body seemingly nestled into his embrace.

Amidst the ambiguous scene of mutual affection, Master Zhang seriously began to test his "female apprentice" with questions.

"Wait, let me go get the notebook."

Just as the siren was about to get up, the old sorcerer grabbed her back again:
"You've only just finished reading it, and you're already going back to look through those notes? And you're telling me this right here? It's not like you're going to be expelled for failing the exam, what are you afraid of?"

With a mix of coaxing and comforting, the mage pulled Sir back into his arms and gently tested him on the key points and difficult sections of the dozen or so books.

These books were all ones that Zhang Yuan had read and studied in the past. With his current level of expertise and photographic memory, his commentary and analysis were naturally effortless.

While Siren Sylph's performance may not be considered exceptionally gifted—she was able to understand and comprehend the meaning of words as Zhang Yuan had done before—she was far from mediocre, and her presentation was well-organized.

As for the minor errors or omissions, he, as a good teacher, would naturally help fill in the gaps. "Not bad, you did a really good job!"

Zhang Yuan was also secretly pleased. He knew that the intelligence of the siren was even higher than that of ordinary humans, but the ability to learn was something that could only be truly tested in practice.

Some seemingly clever and cunning little devils, when they actually sit in front of classic books in the classroom, look as miserable as if their fathers have died and their mothers have remarried.

Moreover, the accumulation of knowledge is not something that can be achieved overnight. If it weren't for the fact that Syl had already acquired a certain level of cultural literacy while following Jadi in her training, frankly speaking, she might not have been able to understand this book even if it were placed in front of her.

To think that one can determine arcane achievements solely through intelligence is to be oversimplifying things.

Fortunately, at least in terms of learning ability and attitude, Siel's aptitude is indeed worthy of her intelligence. Even by Zhang Yuan's standards, Siren has already met the basic requirements to become a mage apprentice.

The fact that she could complete such a demanding apprenticeship in less than half a year, acquiring knowledge that would take an ordinary person several years, gave Master Zhang ample reason to be optimistic about his little maid's future prospects.

While it's far from the time it took him less than a month to master the basics, Sear didn't use any cheat codes.

Perhaps, the female apprentice he took in not only fulfilled the siren's dream of becoming a mage, but also holds great promise for the future.

“Very good. It is fitting that you have this opportunity. Once I have sorted out all those matters, it will be time for you to formally enter the sect.”

While taking advantage of the man, he made promises to the beauty in his arms. The latter simply hummed in agreement and nestled her head in the monk's arms.

There was nothing to say at the time, and so the night passed.

"A mage tower? We have a mage tower in our territory?"

"Where is the Mage Tower, boss? I haven't seen any new buildings on our territory these past few days of patrolling."

"What mage tower? Is it like the Highhold of Archmage Tyrande?"

At the meeting the following day, Mr. Zhang dropped a bombshell right from the start, causing an uproar in the hall. Some attendees were surprised, some were delighted, some were skeptical, and of course, there were the cannibal brothers who seemed completely oblivious to the situation.

What kind of mage tower? Is it edible?

The one who cared the most was Viconia. Unlike the others, this former second daughter of Deaver understood all too well the significance of a mage tower.

A mid-level wizard in the Underdark, where spellcasters make up a large proportion of spellcasters, is like throwing a stone into a pond, causing no big fuss. However, to the weak Rivendare on the surface, he is probably equivalent to the matriarch of a small family in a Drow city.
Moreover, this human wizard's methods and background far surpass those of ordinary family wizards. Just the fact that he was apprenticed to an archmage was enough to dispel many of the drow priestess's ulterior motives.

Now that we've finally found such a powerful backer, how can we just give it up? Are we going to go back to those miserable days where we don't even know where our next foothold will be?

Although Viconia was quite unwilling to accept her current awkward position in this dilapidated human territory, she had at least managed to get a chair in the council hall, hadn't she?
Thank you to Brother A-Yi for the generous donation, and also thank you to Beidi Dingxiang, Si Da, Eric Jin, Alukard, Tianyuan Kugou, Xiong Jiu Bu Shi 9, and Shu Ji Wu Ming 2 for the monthly tickets. Thank you everyone!

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(End of this chapter)