Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 553 Following
“Tell your captain, forget it, I’ll go find him myself.”

With a stern expression, Viconia wrapped herself tightly in a thick overcoat and rushed out the door, squeezing into the captain's cabin along the wall.

Lars was calculating how much he would gain from this trip to Skane, since he was using the Black Rose Merchant Guild's name and it was only natural to make some extra money when he suddenly saw a figure wrapped up like a soul-binding corpse dart in.

"We're being followed."

The captain had just realized that this was one of the strange passengers on the trip when the other man launched into a tirade against him.

"track?"

Lars frowned. Knowing a little about the methods and ways of the lord he served, he did not question the other party's abrupt warning. However, Luscan Port, which had just passed the winter ice-covered period, was now in a busy time, and the number of ships coming and going was already showing the beginnings of the city of a thousand sails.

He didn't doubt whether there were truly malicious individuals involved; such an incident was quite common and perfectly reasonable in a bandit city like Luscan, but so what?

Having made a living at sea, he had encountered similar situations many times, and the simplest course of action was to flee.

In the vast ocean, once you've gotten rid of the other person, there's no guarantee that you'll meet again someday.

Moreover, given the speed of the Auerbach after its massive modifications, there are few ships in the entire Sword Bay that can even catch up with it, let alone be exposed to its exhaust fumes.

Escaping is not shameful, and it works, so Zhuoer, who always prioritizes utilitarianism, certainly wouldn't mind.

"It's not impossible, but turning back directly after already being entangled in tracking spells might be a bit troublesome."

Vicania had more to consider. What was supposed to be a covert mission had ended up with a mess to report back to. This was the first time she had gone on a field mission and this was the result. It was not a good look for her.

"Then accelerate towards the open sea, lure them out of their shipping lanes, and then sink them."

Lars was equally decisive, piloting the Auerbach, now upgraded to a magic gunship, with the old captain possessing the confidence to traverse the Sea of ​​Swords.

Encounters at sea are different from skirmishes on land. Who will engage you in close combat? Once you've created enough distance, even magic might not be effective.

The battle came down to the projectile weapons on board, and Lars, with his 105mm cannons, was brimming with confidence and wasn't afraid of any sea chase.

Along the outline of Sword Bay, ships sailed southward from Luscany one after another, and the Auerbach was just a tiny speck among the many warships racing across this precious sea.

To her left and behind, an ordinary little merchant ship was mixed in with the various sailboats, its sails a dull gray with a blue fish embroidered on them.

"The cunning little mouse seems to have sensed something is wrong?"

Adams Relando, just entering his forties, is a minor leader in the Dark Blood faction under the Sea Demon Gang. He doesn't usually show off much, lacking both the imposing presence of pirate captains and the comfortable life of local gang leaders who extort money and favors.

Most of the time, Adams had to travel far from the city to a small island in the Luscan coast, doing things that were best kept secret from others.

Just yesterday, having finally found some free time, the young and energetic Adams went to a glamorous club to relax, only to make an unexpected discovery. The scarlet wine swirled in the stemmed glass, much like the alluring and graceful dancers on the stage before him.

The middle-aged man, pretending to sober up with the affected mannerisms he'd picked up from the nobles of Deepwater City, was thinking about which lovely lady he should invite to dinner for a casual chat, while also racking his brains for excuses he'd almost used up and might need to come up with again to prepare for his wife's interrogation the next day.

Snapped!
A couple of ordinary-looking, short-statured people sitting next to me seemed to be having some kind of argument. A bright red five-finger mark appeared on the man's face in a very endearing way.

Tsk tsk, this tigress is really not to be trifled with. Adams' face showed a complex smile that was a mixture of schadenfreude and remorse, with a hint of lingering fear.

After slapping the woman across the face, the man turned and left, sullenly following behind. The barely perceptible and ambiguous shouts and muttered complaints between them were like ripples in a vast ocean in the noisy club, disappearing in an instant.

If a certain gentleman who is not only sharp-witted and perceptive but also possesses a certain amount of unnecessary, ridiculous curiosity is not around.

"IBLITH! rath'argh Rothe, Doeb!" (Get out of here, you useless, incompetent Rothemon!)
"Elg'caress, Ssussun prinen De'gal."

(The light shines on your head, you damned wicked woman)
Oh? Interesting~ I ran into a guy who speaks Drow while just out for a bird walk, it feels like I'm working overtime!

Driven by his boundless curiosity, Mr. Dogpis thought to himself, his mind filled with doubts.

He couldn't help but be suspicious. Drow were not a universal language on the surface. Ever since the end of the Crown War among the elves, when the Illustrious who worshipped Aros were swept into the Underdark as the losing side, their language had become drastically distorted along with the changes in social structure and the customs of their people.

Complex yet crude, elegant yet malevolent, the original Elvish language has long since lost its original form due to the long evolution and the infiltration of underground scripts and even Abyssal languages. There is no longer any misunderstanding caused by similar dialects on the surface.

If not for the special requirements of his work, Adams would not have had the opportunity to deal with this language in the first half of his life.

Mr. Dogpis's mind raced with countless thoughts. The other party's words and actions basically confirmed their racial identity. However, he himself had to sneak around like a thief when he came into contact with exiles from the Drow society. How did these dark-skinned people suddenly appear out of nowhere like rats?

Perhaps I can…

Thinking of the few fine things bestowed upon him by the mages, Adams downed his drink in one gulp and left with a strange smile.

On the sea surface where the sword fluttered in the sea breeze, Adams' smile returned. The prey that was locked on was quite alert, first using a spell to counter it, then trying to escape by sailing out of the channel. However, how could these little tricks get rid of the lock on the spell scrolls that had leaked from the Brotherhood?

Moreover, he had come prepared. Apart from his unassuming sailboat, the other two ships were top-notch fast vessels, making it difficult for the enemy to escape...

Hey, why the hell did you run away?!
The other vessel made a turn and swerved, speeding away from the route at a speed impossible for an ordinary sailboat, and sailed away swaggeringly.

As Adams's smile froze, barely managing to stay on his face, he was caught completely off guard by what happened next.

Thank you to 似夕雨晨, Hawkhand, and Jakiro_J for your monthly ticket support!

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(End of this chapter)