Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 504 Academic Reputation
"Please give us some time to consider. It will take some time to gather the members of the Chamber of Commerce. We will definitely give you a reply."

It was as if the spring light, which had already passed, had returned and shone on her face again. Bellera's face suddenly showed a bit of brightness, like a field of flowers blooming in the warmth of spring.

"If you have no other plans, you may stay here for a while. The Dussel family will always do their best to be hospitable to guests who have come from afar."

As expected of a merchant, his change of attitude was faster than turning the pages of a book. However, Master Zhang naturally declined such scandalous matters as letting a widow stay overnight, at least not in broad daylight.

“I have other matters to attend to. If you are ready to negotiate, tear open this scroll and I will visit you again. You have a maximum of three days to consider.”

Uninterested in the beauty's favor, I turned and left.

After a long time, Zhang Yuan returned to the Vigilant Order Academy. The passing time seemed to have taken nothing away from this place. What he saw and heard was almost the same as before, as if it were yesterday.

After passing through buildings and groves, the monks arrived at the academy headquarters and presented a document to the reception staff.

Of course, it's not the student certificate from before.

"Welcome, Wizard from Neverwinter Academy. As a visiting scholar, you are entitled to accommodation and meals befitting your status. If you require use of the spell lab, you must apply in advance."

The female wizard in charge of reception was courteous and polite, and even added a friendly reminder at the end:
"Of course, these will all incur reasonable fees."

As he spoke, he casually handed over a form.

"Ok?"

The monk glanced at the list of services and prices, raised an eyebrow, handed the list back, and then slowly pulled out an ID.

"Here, this is my student certificate. How about a student price?"

Ah this?

The receptionist's face twitched as she received the certificate. "You've already become an instructor elsewhere, and you're still pulling out a student certificate to act young?"
"I'm sorry, your ID has expired and you do not qualify for student discounts."

The receptionist's voice became much more formal and official.

"Alright then, that's settled..."

"Your Excellency Chanem?"

Just as Mr. Zhang was about to reach into his pocket, a somewhat surprised voice reached his ears.

Looking to the side, one sees a female wizard in a robe.

"Good day, Ms. Elonia."

The visitor was no stranger; he was the high-ranking half-elf mage whose transformations he had once audited.

Recognizing his identity, Zhang Yuan first bowed, and the latter responded with the etiquette of a monk, then looked at the man with a hint of admiration:
"In just over a year, you have made significant progress in the study of variable systems. I have read your paper, and it has good insights, but the practical demonstration is somewhat weak."

"Are you referring to the chain reaction in the transformation of inorganic substances? I am also standing on the shoulders of giants."

"As for practical application, the limitations are unavoidable due to my own strength and mastery of magic."

Speaking of research on change systems, he had actually published a related paper while at Neverwinter Academy, but he never expected it to reach the academy in Waterdeep. It seems that at least in the Sword Coast region, or rather in the alliance of several northern city-states such as Waterdeep, Silvermoon, and Neverwinter, there is quite close interaction not only in commerce and military affairs, but also in academia.

"I understand, and I look forward to you going further on this path."

Elonia nodded, not surprised by the other party's answer, or rather, it was normal.

Those who venture into the realm of mystery are not lacking in geniuses, and their works often amaze the world with bursts of inspiration. While the accumulation of strength and experience often requires the sedimentation of time, the brilliance of a spark of inspiration is beyond reason.

Therefore, it is not surprising that a younger generation can write an insightful article, and it is also natural that there are some flaws. It would be strange if it were truly flawless and without any imperfections.

After all, a spellcaster's perspective will inevitably be limited by their own spellcasting skills and the level of magic network they can access. If a mid-level mage is to speak eloquently about high-level arcane spells or even high-level super magic techniques in a paper, then there are only two possibilities.

Firstly, it's all empty talk and boasting, which is nothing more than clown-like laughter.

Secondly...

Several years ago, a low-ranking mage studying at the Eltorchur Academy in Waterdeep suddenly made headlines one day.

On the resurrection effect of necromancy on oviparous embryos.

This topic is fine, after all, those powerful necromancers can even resurrect the dead, but there are some limitations.

In Faerûn, there are many ways to restore the body, but the difficulty lies in the soul, or rather, the greatest obstacle is how to retain the soul from or on the journey to the Kingdom of God.

This is why resurrection magic is usually in the hands of priests; with deities as their backers, they always have some confidence when dealing with death and other gods.

As for the mage?
Either act early and intercept the soul before it drifts to the underworld, or prepare contingency plans such as soul gems to lock onto the target soul and avoid future troubles.

However, the resurrection of animals is not so difficult. Once animals die, their souls either go to the land of beasts or the golden plains, or they are attracted by certain special geographical environments and transform into spirits wandering the earth.

The animal spirit groups in the Mulholland region and the resulting animism and shamanism are classic examples.

Aside from a few special animal species, no deity cares about the fate of their souls.

So, if old man Gallas could revive a horse with just an acorn, what about intelligent beings?
Even legendary druids wouldn't act like this.

That being said, the technical difficulty of reviving an animal, especially an animal embryo, is far less than that of bringing the dead back to life. But the dead are still a miracle, and there is no reason for a mere low-level mage to achieve it so cheaply.

Any spellcaster who understands its principles senses that there must be something fishy about it.

Strangely, the paper published by this low-level mage contained no errors or omissions. Its arguments were reasonable and rigorous, and its experimental data and effects were successfully reproduced and verified by several high-level mages. It seemed to be a truly imaginative and innovative article.

Could it be that another genius has emerged in the world of arcane arts?
However, things soon changed when a mid-level wizard raised questions.

"Although the spells used in the paper are indeed limited to low-level necromancy, I, as a fifth-level mage, still encountered insurmountable difficulties in the process of repeated verification."

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(End of this chapter)