Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 52 Knowledge is Money, My Friend

Looking up at Zhang Yuan, Andrei said slowly, "Given your situation, what big business could you possibly want to discuss with me? Besides, I'm not a businessman. You've come to the wrong person."

Suddenly he added, "Oh, right, you still owe me five silver coins from last time."

Zhang Yuan, who had completely forgotten about this, waved his hands repeatedly: "Why are you fussing over such a small amount of money? You'll be rich soon, don't get bogged down in these details."

Having no other choice but to patiently ask the shameless fellow in front of him, Andrei finally managed to get the answer right away: "What big deal is it? Tell me quickly."

The person chuckled twice, rubbing their hands together like a fly, and laughed like a fox who had stolen a chicken.
"You should know Grand Duke Iltan, right?"

"Nonsense, even if I've only been at Baldur's Gate for less than two years, I'm not unfamiliar with this person. What are you trying to say?"

"Don't rush, do you know that Grand Duke Iltan has a child?" These unexpected words came from someone's mouth.

"Grand Duke Iltan's child? That's quite an unexpected secret. But if he has a child, how come there's never been any rumors about him? How could he hide his child from so many people for over a decade?" Andrei was somewhat skeptical.

"Of course not, because his son disappeared ten years ago."

"To make the only son of a grand duke disappear without a trace? That's no easy feat."

“Iltan wasn’t a Grand Duke back then, but that’s not important. What’s important is that I need your help.” Zhang Yuan prepared to reveal his intentions.

"You just want me to predict the whereabouts of that missing child, right?" Andrei knew perfectly well that this guy was definitely trying to make a quick buck.

"So, I've been handling this from beginning to end, why should I give you a share of the money?" The prophet looked at the other person and smiled mischievously.

Zhang Yuan refused to let the other party take the initiative: "This matter cannot be resolved by prophecy alone. Even if you predict the child's whereabouts, can you find him and bring him back by yourself? If he is dead, do you dare to face the grieving Duke with his remains?"

"Moreover, Grand Duke Iltan would never believe a fortune teller who just popped up out of nowhere." Someone argued forcefully, trying to overwhelm the other party's momentum.

"That sounds nice, but what qualifications do you, an ordinary Flame Fist soldier, have to persuade the Grand Duke?"

"I may not be qualified, but I didn't come to you alone. This is a decision I made after discussing it with Captain Scar." Someone started to exaggerate.

Andrei had also heard of Ska's reputation. As a rising new commander and a confidant of the Flame Fist Duke, Ska's weight and status were far higher than that of the guy opposite him.

Having considered this point, Andrei accepted the other party's suggestion, except:

"Finding the whereabouts of a child who has been missing for many years is no easy task. At the very least, I need his birth time, place, and personal items that he has used, preferably those that are close to his body."

Then he added, "It would be even better if his blood relatives could help."

Now Zhang Yuan was really in a dilemma. These conditions were not excessive, but they basically required the permission of Grand Duke Iltan himself. Needless to say, the latter was not even known to Ska, and only the Grand Duke himself could provide the information and items listed by the former.

This damn trouble seems to come in one after another; one problem isn't even finished before another one comes knocking.

As Zhang Yuan stood up to leave, he said, "I'm going to talk to the captain. Wait for my news."

"Okay, I'll wait, but you have to give me something as a deposit next time you come."

"Deposit? What do you want?"

"Could I have one of those coins from back then?"

"You want my coin?" someone asked, somewhat surprised.

“This isn’t an ordinary coin. You should know that it’s a coin like mine, one that has escaped its fate.” Someone raised the price on the spot.

“I know. Give me that coin, and we'll split the profits 50/50. Consider it a favor I owe you.” Andrei took the bait. “It’s a deal!” Zhang Yuan turned and left.

Upon returning to their base, Zhang Yuan first participated in the morning training. During the lunch break, he found Shika:
"Captain, the Prophet has agreed to search for the whereabouts of the Grand Duke's son, but he still needs your help in some aspects."

“My help? How can I help him with divination?” Ska asked, puzzled.

So Zhang Yuan relayed Andrei's words verbatim, and Ska on the other side frowned deeply as he listened.

"Although this matter is not a major secret, after all, it happened ten years ago, but it is not something that can be discussed casually with the Grand Duke."

Skas was a little embarrassed: "I originally wanted to wait until you had some clues before bringing this up with the Grand Duke, so he would be more likely to accept it. But you don't have any evidence at all. How can you gain the Grand Duke's trust and get him to entrust you and that prophet with the task of finding his child's whereabouts?"

"This..." After going around in circles, the matter has returned to the starting point, and it's still the same unavoidable problem: how to gain the Grand Duke's trust?
Having exhausted all other options, Zhang Yuan had no choice but to ask the captain, "Don't you have any information about his child?"

Ska shook his head: "This happened many years ago. I only heard about it by chance from the Grand Duke. He didn't want to talk about it anymore."

All I know is that it was a boy named Gavial, who was nine years old at the time.

Feeling a chill run down his spine, Zhang Yuan had no choice but to take his leave and retreat to a corner to ponder silently.

"The current situation is a vicious cycle. Everything hinges on Grand Duke Iltan. The problem is how to find a breakthrough." Someone muttered to himself while drawing circles on the ground with his finger.

"There must have been more than just the Grand Duke in the know about what happened back then. At least the Grand Duchess was involved and must have been thinking about finding her child."

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuan ran to Ska again, only to receive an unexpected answer.

"The Grand Duchess, Lady Elizabeta Hidalgo, passed away not long after that turmoil, but it seems that one of her maids might know something."

Zhang Yuan immediately became excited: "Her maid must know a lot of things. What's her name? Where can we find her?"

“Don’t be in a hurry. I heard this news from people gossiping when I was at headquarters.” Ska remained calm.

"Wait until I go to headquarters tomorrow, and I'll tell you when I get back. It's been ten years, so I don't care about waiting a couple more days."

Zhang Yuan didn't say anything, nodded his thanks, and returned to the training field to continue his morning practice.

As Ska said, it's worth being patient. Now that the knot has revealed its thread, it's only a matter of time before it's untied.

The next day, Ska returned from headquarters with exciting news: the Grand Duchess did indeed have such a maid, and she lived near the Oyed Inn, not far from the Flamefist headquarters.

After finishing a day of training, the excited person quickly took a shower, changed into the trench coat he had bought in Belgost before heading out.

It wasn't that he was being pretentious, but since the other party was a lady, it was always good to pay attention to one's appearance. Besides, according to Ska, this maid named Nancy was once known as the Thorn Rose, and her swordsmanship and appearance were the talk of the town among the Flame Fist mercenaries.

It is said that one of the most popular fantasies among many Flame Fist soldiers at the time was that one day they would gain the favor of Count Iltan, rise rapidly to the rank of captain, and then be granted a marriage to Miss Nancy.

While inwardly cursing these otherworldly kings and hammers, Zhang Yuan, who had rushed to his destination, was somewhat confused.

The house in front of us doesn’t look dilapidated, but in the open space in front of the door, all sorts of clothes are hanging out to dry, and they’re not even women’s clothes.

What's going on? Is this the laundry room at the Oyed Hotel? Someone with a bunch of questions knocked on the door.

"Who is it? Do you have clothes to wash? Come in." A tired but clear voice came from behind the door.

(End of this chapter)