Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 75 The Rookie Turns the Tables

The most important magical items are extremely limited in number, and their distribution is the most difficult to determine.

Looking at the pile of scrolls, spellbooks, two staves, two robes, a ring, and a necklace in front of him, Skar scratched his head.

Those involved in distributing these items are either mages, priests, or druids—all powerful figures, and I can't afford to offend any of them, so I simply:
"You spellcasters can discuss and distribute these items yourselves; I won't get involved."

"Let them fight it out themselves. I'd better just stay out of it," a certain unscrupulous captain thought to himself.

Wait a minute, it seems like a newbie has snuck in? Our own newbie seems to be a mage too?

Skar began to hesitate and regret. Looking at his own mage's rookie appearance, he was afraid that he would be bullied to death by the others.

While Ska was hesitating about whether to shamelessly get involved to help his newbie gain some benefits, he was surprised to hear the words of several priests.

"This time, we will eliminate the evil forces hiding here, proclaim the glory of our Lord through victory, and please the heart of our God. This is enough. We will not participate in the distribution this time."

After they finished speaking, the pastors went off to find a quiet place to pray, completely ignoring the enviable spoils.

Fortunately, with a group of people gone, Chanem's chances are better; at least he can get some scraps. Ska breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Seeing that the priests had voluntarily withdrawn, the remaining clergy began to examine and appraise the items.

The two mages, being professionally trained, identified these items one by one without even using their appraisal skills much.

Both were staffs of fear, along with a high-grade combat robe identical to the one Zhang Yuan wore, a fire-resistant robe, a defensive ring, and a meditation necklace.

There were a few good items among them, such as the Battle Robe and the Meditation Necklace that adds 1 point to Intelligence, which must have been taken from that intermediate mage.

Zhang Yuan was pondering which item would suit him best and how to negotiate with the others when he noticed that they weren't making any moves; instead, they were all watching him.

What's going on? Someone was a little confused.

William laughed: "Everyone's been waiting for you. Without your shapeshifting ability, who knows how this battle would have turned out."

After saying that, he raised his eyebrows at Zhang Yuan and gestured for him to make a selection.

Having figured out the key point, Zhang Yuan no longer stood on ceremony and went up to browse through the books.

The scrolls were meaningless; he couldn't possibly go to Old Man Bartley every time to perform a ritual to learn magic. On the contrary, these spellbooks might provide him with some help and guidance on his path to becoming a mage.

But upon flipping through these books:
On the Dangers and Precautions of Using Teleportation Spells in Unstable Areas of the Magic Network

"Spear and Shield: Breaking and Resisting Magical and Protective Spells"

On the Marginal Effects of Spell Resistance and Saving Throw Stacking

On the Application and Value of Spell Maximization and Spell Power in the Evocation System

Hmm, very good. It's clearly a very profound magical theory, and it must be very valuable, though I certainly can't understand it myself.

Somewhat disappointed, I flipped through the pages, but suddenly my eyes lit up. The titles of the books underneath were much simpler and easier to understand.

There aren't any profound and obscure magical theories or unattainable advanced spellcasting techniques; instead, there are some introductory books.

Basic Alchemy: Material Identification and Potion Preparation; Basic Meditation and Magical Senses

A Study on the Practicality of Low-Level Spells and Tricks

This is truly an unexpected delight. I never imagined that the unknown mage apprentice would be so hardworking and eager to learn. I must pick a little red flower and put it on his tombstone to properly commend him.

Not afraid that the other party might come back to life alive, the person happily put away the introductory books and then turned their attention to those few items.

He already had the robe, and the defensive ring's effect overlapped somewhat with the robe, also creating a weaker deflection field for defense.

A staff of fear and a necklace of meditation—these were the spoils he had chosen for himself.

Seeing that Zhang Yuan had finished choosing, the others discussed dividing the remaining items among themselves.

The books naturally belonged to the two mages; these theories and notes were even more valuable to a legitimate mage than magical items.

The female druid, Zedy, chose a defensive ring and a staff as loot, while the remaining two robes naturally went to William and Webber, making everyone happy!

Seeing this harmonious and joyful scene, Ska's eyes widened so much that they almost popped out of their sockets.

As a warrior, Skar knew that the sorcery had changed the course of the battlefield, but he still didn't understand what the spell meant, or what the summoned creatures that could use it meant.

He was simply surprised that this spell was related to his own novice, and that the other spellcasters were so accommodating.

Before Ska could even press his bulging eyes back in, an adjutant hurriedly entered the tent.

"Captain, we found the ore that was looted last time and in the two previous times in the camp. It's all piled up in a cave."

Overjoyed, Ska disregarded his doubts and summoned his adjutant to lead the way, and the group followed to see what was happening.

Upon reaching the cave entrance, they found two earth goblins lying dead on the ground, both with knives in their backs and their heads facing outwards. They must have been killed by the Flame Fist soldiers in their panicked escape.

Upon entering the cave, the pitch-black cavern was illuminated by torches hanging on the walls. By the dim light, the iron ore piled up in heaps reflected a metallic luster, demonstrating its exceptional quality.

These dark, indistinguishable objects, except for their surface reflections, are almost identical to the roadside stones. In fact, they are the biggest find of this operation.

The treasures seized from the bandits amounted to just over a thousand gold coins. Although they had plundered many caravans before, these bandits, who lived for the moment and didn't know what tomorrow would bring, had no idea how to save or manage their money.

While the magical items were decent, they were barely enough to be of any use to a military group or even a city.

Regardless of its value in the current iron ore crisis, the iron ore before us is of the same significance to the iron smelting and forging industry of Baldur's Gate as a sweet water well found by a traveler in the desert.

Not to mention the benefits the city received in terms of military equipment, commerce, and other aspects due to its ripple effects.

Ska excitedly stroked the surface of the iron ore for a long time, his voice trembling slightly:
“Leave a small squad to guard this place, Your Excellency William. I request that you contact Master Habasser and convey the situation here to Grand Duke Iltan and Grand Duke Belt.”

"The rest of the Flame Fist soldiers, leave your rations and water bags to the brothers on guard. We're heading back to the city tonight. This is a true victory!"

The Flame Fist soldiers, who had been organizing their ranks, assigned guards and supplies, and temporarily stored their armor, weapons, and other spoils of war in the camp.

Apart from the soldiers who stayed behind, all the remaining Flame Fist members gathered at the camp gate, carrying the bodies of their comrades, supporting their seriously wounded brothers, and escorting the captured bandits. Bathed in the moonlight of Suren, they were filled with the joy of victory, roused their weary bodies, and set off for Baldur's Gate.

(End of this chapter)