Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 6 Waste Paper? Paintings? Turning Waste into Treasure!

The customer saw a small piece of paper, about the size of a palm, being taken out of his coat pocket and presented to him with both hands.

"What can you draw on such a small piece of paper?" With a hint of disappointment, the man took the paper and examined it for several minutes.

When he held the small piece of paper in his hand, he realized its special nature. It was completely different from ordinary parchment and papyrus. The paper was thin yet tough. The crisp sound it made when shaken and the delicate texture he felt when stroking the paper with his fingertips all indicated its extraordinary nature.

The paper, painted in a deep blue hue, depicted a magnificent window with intricate carvings on both sides. It reminded him of the floor-to-ceiling windows he had seen in temples and ducal mansions. Scattered across the paper were strange runes of varying sizes that he had never seen before.

"The painting is not bad, but the size is too small." The man finally finished admiring it and said, "However, the material and the coloring technique of this painting are unprecedented."

"There's something fishy about you ever seeing a twenty-dollar euro note like this," Zhang Yuan thought to himself, but said aloud, "This is an artwork I brought from my hometown. I usually use it as a bookmark in my books. I only have two left on me."

The man remained noncommittal, continuing to examine the banknotes in his hand. "Name your price. This item is certainly worthy of being part of my collection."

It's done! But Zhang Yuan was a little unsure about the exact price to offer. Having no knowledge of the cost of living and prices in Ferren, he couldn't help but regret not checking with other shops for reference.

“This is a souvenir I brought from my hometown, and I never thought of selling it. A refined nobleman like yourself would surely not overlook the value of this painting.”

Although he never revealed his identity, his clothes, which were as clean and smooth as silk, and the cane in his hand, which was inlaid with a green gem the size of a coin, were clearly not something that ordinary people could afford. Even if some adventurers or merchants could afford it, they would hardly possess such taste and temperament that required time to cultivate.

Besides, it's never wrong to be polite, and he might not necessarily fly into a rage just because I flattered him.
The "aristocrat" Zhang Yuan mentioned neither denied nor corrected anything, but turned his head to gesture to the middle-aged man next to him.

The middle-aged man, who appeared to be the butler, took out five gold coins from his pouch and handed them over, saying meaningfully, "This is enough to buy top-quality pearls. You should thank the Claude Wolf family for their generosity."

Zhang Yuan, sensing the implied warning in the other person's words, did not respond. Instead, he politely complimented the other person's magnanimity, feeling that he had heard the surname somewhere before.

Watching the young nobleman leave with his entourage, Zhang Yuan clutched the gold coins tightly in his hand, refusing to let go of the fist tucked into his pocket. In this unfamiliar world, these gold coins were his lifeline.

Don't be fooled by the game's extravagant spending, where thousands or tens of thousands of gold coins come and go without batting an eye. Just from the tone of that butler, you can tell that gold coins in this world aren't so cheap.

Just as he was about to buy a hamburger to satisfy his hunger after making a fortune, the young painter, whom he had ignored the whole time, suddenly pounced on him.

Thinking he had been robbed, Zhang Yuan was so shocked that he put his hand on the hilt of his dog-leg knife, ready to defend his life savings. You down-on-your-luck painter dare to be tempted by money and temporarily switch to being a bandit?
But things didn't go as he expected. The painter rushed up to him, put his hands on his shoulders, shook him, and pleaded, "You still have those kinds of paintings, right? Can I take a look at them, just one look!"

Zhang Yuan frowned and pushed his hand away, his tone slow but firm. "This is the only souvenir I brought from my hometown. Selling just one piece has already made me very sad. I'm sorry I can't let you appreciate it." Judging from the impoverished appearance of this down-on-his-luck painter, Zhang Yuan didn't think he could offer a good price.

Unexpectedly, the poor painter uttered a startling statement: "I am the nephew of the Archmage Ramasis!" Zhang Yuan, who had stopped in his tracks, looked the painter over carefully from head to toe, but he just looked like a down-on-his-luck art seller, with nothing special about him. "I've heard of Ramasis's name. If you're his nephew, you wouldn't have ended up like this, would you?" Zhang Yuan asked bluntly, showing no mercy.

The painter rubbed his hands together, revealing an awkward yet somewhat ingratiating smile, and said, "Although I am his nephew, our family lineage is vast, and I am nothing special."

"Besides, if you've heard anything about his reputation, you should know that my uncle isn't exactly a generous person." Even though the painter was trying to restrain himself, a hint of resentment still crept into his voice.

Oh? This is interesting. I didn't expect there to be this kind of thing. Zhang Yuan started to make some plans in his mind.

Ramesses is a minor boss in the game, and while his character isn't great, his mage tower has a lot of good stuff. Even though I'm just a newbie, what if I grow strong enough to take advantage of him someday?

Besides, it's a minor move anyway, so laying a line can't hurt, right?

Of course, Zhang Yuan would never dare to make a move against Ramasis at the moment. Regardless of whether this guy was a real archmage or not, he would not dare to underestimate a spellcaster who had his own mage tower in the city.

Zhang Yuan, his mind in turmoil, remained expressionless as he asked the painter, "You say you are the nephew of the Archmage Ramasis? What is your name? What can you prove it?"

“My name is Wiles. I can’t provide proof if you want, but Lamasses has a few apprentices who sell magical items, and they know me.”

Without rushing to verify his words, Zhang Yuan took out a pink ten-euro banknote and handed it over, secretly wondering if this unintentional connection could be of any use.

It wasn't that he valued those few banknotes that much; he'd just had a sudden inspiration to reuse them. If he could connect with someone who could buy magical items, that wouldn't be bad. "Are you familiar with those apprentices? Could you give me a discount when I buy magical items?" Zhang Yuan asked hopefully.

Wiles, engrossed in studying the banknotes, replied without looking up, "No way. If I had that skill, I wouldn't need to be out here selling paintings."

Speechless, Zhang Yuan could only wait for him to finish admiring the banknotes in his hand before asking him, seemingly with admiration, "Making a living off your hobby must be quite carefree, right?"

"Do I look carefree? I might not even earn enough for food every day!" Wiles replied irritably.

“That’s not right of you. How can art be measured in money?” Zhang’s casual remark left Wiles speechless.

Unable to utter a single word for a long time, he could only stare intently at Zhang Yuan with wide eyes.

The shameless man chuckled dismissively and invited, "It's already evening. I made a little money using your place today, so how about I treat you to dinner?"

(End of this chapter)