Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 556 The Seeker of Destiny

Nereif, hailed as the Oracle, Grand Astrologer, and Supreme Fate Interpreter, is undoubtedly talented; the only concern is…

This guy is the number one jinx in the Kaguya-sama world.

From the ivory nest where he was born to the kingdom of Simri where he served; from the pale witch who raised him to adulthood to the last Great King of Ming, all were victims and unfortunate souls of Nereif's prophecy.

Whether he accurately foresaw those cruel and absurd futures, or whether the ethereal fate was solidified into a predetermined destiny through the words of the oracle, is difficult to say.

"Manager, I want to witness the starry sky above this firmament with my own eyes."

The Oracle, who had finally been given a rare chance to get out and about, was unwilling to let things end so abruptly and return to the Mad Moon to continue serving his prison sentence.

It had only been half a day since Luskan returned to the high cliffs, and it was still afternoon, but Nereif was prepared to stay out all night.

"Yes, but relying on the naked eye to observe the stars is neither scientific nor magical."

The monk, who also had his own reservations, readily agreed and even made exceptions for him:
"But there are no star towers or star orbiters on the territory. How about this, I'll do you a favor and send you to visit the astrology tower at Neverwinter Academy for two days, how about that?"

"That would be wonderful, I'm extremely grateful, but how long will my stay be..."

The oracle was overjoyed to hear this, but he couldn't help but worry about the situation.

"The oath circle in the summoning hall beneath the castle is enough to extend your stay by two days, even if you leave its coverage area."

While Nerif and his party were still adrift at sea, Master Zhang had already made clear arrangements for them in his mind, just waiting for them to speak up.

Territory building and military development have made great progress, and all that's left is the Oracle, this human radar!

Just thinking about the cost of building an astrological tower...

The monk scratched his head, pretending he hadn't even considered this nonsense. Having a telescope was already amazing; what more could he want?
You're short of money, but I'm short of money too. The alchemy factory and the necromancy laboratory have already squeezed Mr. Zhang's wallet almost to the point of being a thin pancake. And you still want the astrology hall?

For now, all we can do is let the oracles take full advantage of their initiative and overcome the rudimentary objective conditions.

"Requesting access to the Astrology Tower? No problem, but when did you become dabbling in divination?"

Upon connecting to Neverwinter Academy, the response was not the usual sweet voice of the assistant, but rather the esteemed Vice Principal Balas, who was unusually free to occupy his private office.

The archmage shifted his equally noble buttocks, allowing them to sink more comfortably into the luxurious chair below, and asked, half curious and half teasing.

"It wasn't me, but a fortune teller friend of mine."

"Oh? So you're also from that Kaguya world? The master craftsmen you sent last time really benefited the Alchemy Society guys a lot. They were even asking a while ago if we could have another exchange meeting."

In terms of seniority and lineage, he was his own uncle. Barras had heard a little about his nephew's extraordinary opportunities, which were amazing but not unimaginable.

Communicating with other dimensions to explore and discover, and exchanging information, resources, and even population through force, interests, or contracts, is a specialty of sorcerers, which is perfectly normal.

As for a mid-level mage finding a previously unknown new plane, that's very lucky, but also normal.

This dimension can also provide powerful combat assistance.

Even more remarkably, this plane possesses highly advanced and unique civilization and technology, which is quite...

What the hell is this considered normal?
The inner workings of Kaguya's world are unknown, but even a glimpse of it is enough to show its magnificence. While comforting himself with the luck of a novice, Barras was also sour grapes.

“Exchanges are always beneficial, and I’m sure Nerif would be very willing to participate.”

Zhang Yuan smiled and handed the crystal to the Oracle who was watching eagerly. The Oracle quickly took it, nodded his thanks, and said as calmly as possible:

"Respected Dean Wudong, Your Excellency Grand Master, just as celestial bodies separated by billions of miles still have moments of intersection and entanglement, I too have come here through a sliver of chance amidst the chaos of fate."

"I wish to witness the wisdom and destiny of this world."

“You prophets always love to talk such mystical nonsense,”

The archmage on the other end smiled, his tone filled with delight: "Then, Neverwinter Academy will always keep its doors open to those who sincerely seek the path of knowledge and truth."

After sending the eager Oracle to the academy, Master Zhang, now free, got up and went to the main hall of the castle, looking at the drow who had just returned from Luskan.

He already knew the general situation through the oracle's perspective. The matter was accomplished, and although there were some oversights, they were not serious.

The sorcerer could easily guess what tricks were about to unfold, and as he predicted, the subsequent events proceeded in a series of dramatic scenes involving reprimands, shifting blame, suppression, explanations, and cries of injustice.

"Everyone, just shut up."

The monk gestured with his hand, stopping his subordinates' infighting, and then pressed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

“Achronis, the trouble started because of your negligence. Although there were some remedies and it did not become a major problem, you should still be punished.”

"All subsidies and holidays for this mission were deducted, and he was flogged ten times."

"Your Majesty!"

"Snapped!"

After announcing the punishment, Master Zhang immediately pulled out his leather whip and cracked it. The female Zhuoer who was called out quickly stepped forward, knelt down, and obediently accepted the punishment.

The latter forced a pitiful expression onto her face, looking as delicate as a flower about to be ravaged, but inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief.

Subsidized holidays and such—to put it nicely, they're shadow guards and assassins; to put it bluntly, they're just prisoners and cannon fodder. What difference does it make whether they get these things or not?
Fortunately, it was the monk who personally carried out the flogging; it wasn't that wicked woman, Viconia, who did it.

Just kidding, when it comes to wielding a whip, which drow pastor isn't an expert?

If someone deliberately targets you, ten lashes would probably take half your life.

As for whether the other party will target...

Aejonis stealthily glanced over, only to meet Viconia's cold, piercing gaze.

The former shivered, and as she trembled, she tried to lift her pert buttocks, making them appear even rounder, and her gaze toward the lord had a more wet look to it.

The latter, noticing the change in his fellow clansman's gaze, gritted his teeth, untied the long whip coiled around his waist, and volunteered to share the burden and do the work for his leader.

"Oh?"

The mage remained noncommittal, merely gazing at the eager female priestess, his whip still striking the ground repeatedly, the tip of the whip slowly moving away from Aejoris.

"Your will, Your Excellency."

Before the whip finally pointed at her, Viconia bowed down in submission.

Thank you for your monthly pass support, "Drinking Alone with Cold Wine"!
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(End of this chapter)