Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 598 Release
"what?"

Xiao Ai's wide eyes were filled with astonishment:
"Mr. Chanem is a very nice person, isn't he? Could it be a misunderstanding?"

Yes, yes, yes, your Mr. Chanem is willing to let you play with his bird—my sir, of course he's a good person, right?

The thief bird inwardly scoffed, but didn't dare say it aloud. Otherwise, the mage's bird might be fine, but the mage's bird might not be so lucky.

"I'm not saying that guy is that bad. Although these mages like to tinker with all sorts of strange things, he's not bad to me."

"Why is that?"

The girl's little ears twitched, almost forming a curious question mark.

"cough,"

The thief bird imitated someone clearing their throat, striking a solemn pose:

"Little girl, do you know that there is something more precious than life, more beautiful than love? That is..."

“I know, gold coins!” the girl replied immediately.

"Gah?"

The script doesn't seem to go like this? The boss's monkey tricks are really unreliable; he can't even fool a little girl!
"I mean the kind of pursuit that's higher and farther!"

"Oh!"

Little Ai Meng suddenly realized:
"It's something that transcends life itself, something you have to pursue no matter what."

"Yeah!"

"Knowledge!"

(д╬)
What you said actually makes a lot of sense!
The thief bird couldn't finish its sentence and was unable to utter another word.

It took a lot of effort, and Dover's beak almost cramped up, to convince the girl that not everyone (the bird) was as vulgar or rigid as Winthrop and the readers of Candleburg.

For example, Big Bird Duoduo is that maverick "son of freedom" who refuses to be bound by contracts.

"But if you sneak over here, won't Mr. Chanem be angry?"

"Tch, there are plenty of spineless cowards willing to be magical pets and live a life of luxury (like me~), I'm not indispensable (nobody can take me from here!)"

"Besides, he'll leave after tomorrow. He's not going to pay another fee just to come in and arrest me, is he?"

The thieving bird, with its confident and arrogant demeanor, made the girl wrinkle her nose and grab its head.
"You naughty fellow, are you using me as a shield against Mr. Chanem?"

"These are just little tricks I've already used up, hmph~"

Aimon recalled the little trick she had used to pull Grian out to deal with her adoptive father's anger.

It was completely useless; in the end, I still got a spanking from the slipper, while the old man just stood by, stroking his beard and watching the show with a smile.

After spending the day exploring the library, the monk returned to the inn to find himself greeted by a scene that left him both amused and exasperated:
Little Ai Meng twisted the thief bird's two wings and, like pulling a goose, presented it to the monk as a treasure.

Our lovable Mr. Dover, on the other hand, drooped his head like a chicken that had been infected with the plague, barely managing to look up at his boss.

The man and the bird looked at each other in silence.

"Hey, Dodo's trying to hide, hehe, Mr. Chanem, how are you going to thank me?"

Do you want this?
The monk thought to himself, but on his face he made a complex expression that went from surprise to disappointment to gratitude.

If it weren't for the familiar, oppressive feeling emanating from its gaze, the thief bird would almost have thought that the other party was a shapeshifter, a local specialty of Candlekeep, in disguise.

"This is a very serious issue,"

Mr. Zhang looked very serious:
“I don’t like to force others, especially when it comes to making such close contracts with each other.”

"If one party resists, the agreement loses its meaning."

"Since you are unwilling, I will not force you."

As he spoke, he glanced at the thief bird, which fluttered as if trying to argue, but was immediately silenced by the mage's piercing gaze. The perceptual pressure emanating from the exposed spirituality of a high-level spellcaster was, if it had any tangible form, more than just a descriptive term.

"As you wish, you are free."

The monk took the thief bird from the girl's hand and pretended to toss it up and release it.

Somewhat bewildered, the thief bird instinctively took to the air, its little head ringing with the former's telepathic message:

'Everything is going according to plan; now it's your turn.'

'No matter what, I'm sticking to you no matter what.'

If plans can't keep up with changes, then it's better not to make plans at all.

Master Zhang placed great trust in the thief bird's silver tongue and thick skin. As long as this fellow fully exerted his initiative and highlighted his three major advantages of persistence, shamelessness, and persistent shamelessness, he shouldn't fail to manipulate a little girl, right?

'Why aren't you going up?'

The thief bird wanted to ask a question, but dared not act rashly, so it found a branch nearby and nested there.

"Mr. Chanem, are you really going to give up on Dodo?"

"Yes, I said I wouldn't force others, since it..."

"That's not what I said!"

Aimon stood with her hands on her hips, her cheeks slightly puffed out:
"Mr. Chanem, why didn't you say so sooner? If I had known, I would have caught Dodo and kept him as my pet!"

"..."

The girl's chatter left Mr. Zhang speechless. Why did she never follow the script?

The monk, suddenly feeling somewhat weary, sighed:

"Alright, if I run into that stupid bird after I leave Candlehold, knock it out and throw it in here."

"No way! What if Duoduo gets brain damage from the beating? That wouldn't be fun!"

The monk pinched the bridge of his nose, deciding to end the conversation that was gradually going off-topic.

“My dear Miss Aymond, your optimism is commendable, but what I said was only a possibility, not a promise…”

Buzz~buzz~buzz~
Just as the monk was using words to fob off the girl, the communication crystal in his arms suddenly heated up and emitted three short vibrations.

Under the curious gaze of the child, a beam of light was projected from the crystal in the mage's palm into the air above, and a miniature tower rose up amidst the light and shadow, with a wheat and gear emblem atop the tower.

The unique emblem indicates that the call request originated from the territory's main castle and was initiated by one of the core ruling circle members.

"Little girl, goodbye."

With his slender fingers pressed together to conceal the spiritual light, the mage gripped the crystal and hurried toward the guest room, disappearing from Aimon's sight in the blink of an eye.

Is the monk's leg movement so nimble?
The girl, seeing that the other person was moving even faster than she was, unconsciously lowered her tiptoes.

The spellcasters are all strange.

She thought so.

Just as strange as old man Gregory!
"Chanem, Flamefist and the others have arrived in the territory and settled into the military camp,"

"But there aren't any tasks for them to do right now. In less than a week, they've already had several clashes with the militia. If it weren't for Bud and the others stopping them, they probably would have already started throwing punches."

Nancy grumbled for a while, a little annoyed, before asking about the return date.

"I'll go back tomorrow."

The mage, after understanding the situation, was not surprised. It would be strange if a greenhorn didn't spark when he met a seasoned veteran. While calming the female thief down, he decided to teach her a lesson.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year!