Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 59 Fabian Helvin
Fabian Helvin was an old mage who had experienced a turbulent and exciting period in his youth.

After ending his adventures with Grian and his other companions, he chose to live a secluded life in this small town, spending his days like an ordinary old man, reading books, chatting, and visiting friends.

Even the magical research and experiments that were once considered vital are now like fleeting clouds.

Having seen and experienced too much, Fabian no longer regards magic and power as the only truth in life as he used to.

Sure enough, Fabian had just stepped out in the afternoon, intending to have a couple of drinks at the Feld Hotel across the street and perhaps hear if Han Feizi had any new works published, when a naked man suddenly appeared in front of him—or rather, he was wearing pants, and a cloak too.

The man dressed as a Spartan was none other than Zhang Yuan. He ran all the way from the Red Roll Inn through the town center to the vicinity of the current Feld Inn, attracting countless eyes in the process.

Having seen it all, what kind of spell effects hadn't Fabian witnessed? A quick observation revealed that this was the effect of a fear spell.

"You're lucky to have a spell that resists fear, kid," Fabian thought, then cast a spell on Zhang Yuan's head.

As a pale blue light enveloped his head, the person awoke as if from a dream.

Zhang Yuan, who had just come out of the almost endless nightmare, was covered in sweat and was bent over, holding his knees and panting heavily.

With his head down, he suddenly saw a pair of cloth shoes appear in front of him. Zhang Yuan looked up and found an old man in a Buddhist robe standing in front of him.

Still somewhat dazed, he only heard the other person's words.

“You were under the control of a fear spell, and I happened to have a memory-breaking spell, so I helped you out.” Fabian then asked slowly, “What happened to you? How did you get involved with a mage? Also, that cloak on your back looks familiar. Have I seen it somewhere before?”

Zhang Yuan, realizing what had happened, quickly thanked him and touched the cloak tied around his neck. Thankfully, this treasure that had once again rendered great service was still there.

He couldn't explain Fabian's question, so he could only say that he found it in a grocery store. After hesitating for a moment, he told him about the Valley Wind Orchestra.

Fortunately, Fabian didn't ask any further questions, but simply reminded them: "Although there aren't any particularly outstanding figures in the Valley Wind Orchestra, there are a few thieves and assassins among these bards. Be careful."

He turned and left, leaving Zhang Yuan to thank him again.

"Ah~, Achoo~" After sneezing twice, the person pulled the cloak on their back to wrap themselves up, intending to visit the clothing store again.

Just as he turned to leave, someone patted him on the waist.

In winter, having someone pat your bare waist with icy hands—that feeling is truly...

Zhang Yuan jumped up on the spot, his whole body covered in goosebumps.

"Who?" he called out, looking around, only to see a dwarf right beside him.

"It's me. Put it on, don't embarrass yourself here."

It was his former teammate, the dwarf Kegan, who handed him his clothes.

While thanking him with snot running down his face, Zhang Yuan put on his clothes, only to find that he was still barefoot, wearing only a pair of socks.

“There’s nothing I can do. Your shoes are nowhere to be found, and I can’t see them in the crowd.” Kagan shrugged.

"It's nothing, thank you." After thanking them, Zhang Yuan hurried back to find Nancy and Garrick: "Sorry, I have to go back to find my companions. Also, where can I buy shoes?"

After buying a pair of cheap cloth shoes from a nearby vendor with Kegan, Zhang Yuan bid farewell and returned to the Red Roll Inn. As for the more expensive leather boots? Flame Fist had replacements available, so why buy them himself? Upon arriving at the Red Roll Inn, Zhang Yuan pushed through the crowd of onlookers, walked around the messy tables and chairs, and entered. He saw Nancy, who had already stood up, lecturing Garrick, while Little, the Tinker, and the bewitched guard stood dumbfounded to the side.

Poor Garrick was scolded by Nancy and looked like a wronged wife, while Nancy looked at him with a disappointed expression.

Zhang Yuan could also see that Nancy wasn't really that angry or furious. She had a rather strong personality, but she just couldn't stand Garrick's weak appearance, especially since he was the child of her benefactor, which made her even more dissatisfied.

Having seen enough, Zhang Yuan stepped forward and interrupted Nancy's lecture: "We should also take Garrick back to Baldur's Gate. What should we do with that prisoner? The charm spell's effect will wear off in a little while."

It's not that I'm afraid or unwilling to kill, but the matter has already been resolved. Leaving behind a harmless prisoner would be pointless, so I might as well test how people in this world handle such situations.

"What else can we do? Keep him? Tie him up and send him to the nearest police station."

It seems that this world still has order and rules after all; it's not an abyss, and some basic order still exists.

Of course, you need to have enough strength to ensure your own survival before you can talk about whether or not you should obey the order.

The two men took Garrick and delivered the tightly bound prisoner to the security post, conveniently accusing him of being greedy and turning against him. Then, they flashed the Flame Fist badge, and that was it.

On the second night, the group arrived at the Friendly Arm Inn to rest, while a certain mage secretly went to find the innkeeper, Bantley.

"You little liar, when will your mission be over? Old Banter has been waiting for your stone golem for over a week, don't tell me you've forgotten!" Banter shouted as soon as he saw Zhang Yuan.

"What's your rush? The mission hasn't even started yet," someone said shamelessly.

Just as Old Bentley was about to explode, he quickly calmed the old mage down to prevent him from actually firing a powerful acid arrow into his face and disfiguring him.

"I have a new construct summon. Would you like to see it?"

"What? Lucky kid, are you the illegitimate son of the Mechanical Singularity? You probably don't even know level two summoning magic yet, and you already have a new summon?"

Too lazy to respond to Old Man Bentley's fuss, Zhang Yuan directly began summoning the Goblin Tinker.

"Watchmaker form." The Tinker jumped out of the summoning circle, clutching his laser gun and missile pod.

Compared to the tiny creature made entirely of stone, resembling a stone elemental, the goblin tinker with its all-metal shell is undoubtedly more unique and eye-catching.

At least Old Bentley immediately pounced on him, incredulously hammering and banging on the tinker's metal armor and weapons, while someone standing nearby was genuinely afraid he'd accidentally detonate the missile.

Undoubtedly, for most people in Faerun, missile laser guns, as a form of "modern technology" or "advanced firearms," ​​must have been a source of great novelty.

The old mage, who kept examining the laser gun, almost wanted to break it from the repairman's hands.

"I'm going to report to Flame Fist tomorrow. If you're interested, you can study this Goblin Tinker. I won't unsummon it."

Old Banter didn't even look up, just waved his hand to signal him to get lost, and the sensible guy went to sleep without saying another word.

The next morning, with Bantli having gained nothing but dark circles under his eyes and a sense of reluctance, the three continued their journey toward Baldur's Gate.

(End of this chapter)