Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 84 Objective: The Arm of Friendship

But Zhang Yuan was ultimately unwilling to accept this. He had come into this world all alone, and the only thing he could truly rely on was his own system.

Having experienced confusion, complaints, hard work, and struggle, Zhang Yuan is no longer the clueless stranger he once was.

He knew what he wanted and what he was capable of, and it was precisely because of this that he understood the difference between the two.

With the help of the system, he might become an excellent soldier, but when the tide of fate comes surging a few years later, he will be nothing more than a small boat in the whirlpool, and his life and death may be out of his own hands.

Conversely, the talents and foundations bestowed by the system are fully embodied in the warrior class, from which one has already reaped countless benefits. Therefore, there is no reason why such a gift should not exist on the path of the mage.

Moreover, in reality, there's no need to talk about balance. If a spellcaster is strong, then they are truly strong. Unless there are some dramatic changes related to the magic network in the future, the spellcaster's advantage cannot be easily shaken or negated.

The warrior class is always dancing on the edge of a knife; their margin for error and survivability are simply incomparable to those of mages, who have an endless variety of tricks up their sleeves.

Don't you see, isn't the dual-wielding ranger Twisted Fate strong? But he still needs a mage to back him up, otherwise he wouldn't even be able to get his equipment back after being ganged up on by the Charnems.

Even setting aside combat strength, how many years can a human warrior live? How many years can he be at his peak? Unless he encounters a low-probability event like becoming a chosen one, or some other even more unlikely miracle, being able to maintain his condition for thirty years would be considered extremely fortunate.

Heroes and beauties are not allowed to grow old together in this world. Zhang Yuan did not want to come to this world with infinite possibilities, only to end up dying old and frail after giving so much.

After silently finishing his dinner, Zhang Yuan got up to say goodbye to Ska.

Having already made up his mind, he merely sighed, showing no intention of backing down.

Since the goal is in the distance, let's just brave the wind and rain to get there!
"Come in." Ska's door was open, and he immediately saw Zhang Yuan standing at the door, about to knock.

"Captain, I've come to say goodbye. I may be leaving for a long time this time."

"You don't have a fixed contract with Flame Fist, so I can't stop you or force you to stay in our team. But may I ask what your plans are?"

"Learning magic, nothing more."

Sighing, Ska didn't know what he could say or from what standpoint he should speak; he just felt a little regretful.

He had witnessed the sparring between the rookie and Nancy before. As Zhang Yuan's mentor in the warrior class, he already had a direct understanding of Zhang Yuan's talent. However, the rapid progress the rookie made under Nancy's special training this time refreshed his understanding of the word "talent".

Even Ska, who had made a breakthrough after his last battle with Taugs and had almost reached the ceiling of an intermediate warrior, felt that his talent was somehow indistinctly related to the word "mediocre" in comparison to his opponent.

If possible, Ska really hoped the other person could stay. The other person still had youth and endless potential. Perhaps their Flame Fist would also produce a great warrior who would be sung about by bards in the near future.

pity.

“Alright, I know you haven’t given up on your dream of becoming a mage, that’s your freedom, but the door to Flame Fist is always open for you.” Skar didn’t say much more, afraid that if he spoke again he would be unable to resist trying to dissuade the other person.

Ska didn't want to do that, precisely because he knew the other person's talent, he was unwilling to interfere with the other person's infinite possibilities.

As usual, I patted the other person on the shoulder and saw this newbie off—this special newbie.

After saying goodbye to Ska, Zhang Yuan also went to see Münster, Bard, Lawrence, and Steve, his close companions.

There were no tearful farewells, no drunken revelry, and no melodramatic scenes of people embracing and sobbing.

A man's farewell doesn't need so many tears to embellish it.

Saying goodbye and wishing you a safe journey is enough;

Though the mountains are high and the roads are long, the day of reunion is still to be seen. That night, after tossing and turning for a long time, Zhang Yuan finally temporarily cast aside his thoughts and anxieties and drifted into his dreams.

In his dream, he met many people. Zhang Yuan could no longer remember their faces, or rather, he didn't see them clearly at all. But Zhang Yuan inexplicably knew their names.

Karsas, Iolham, Lavock, Ilminster, Samassen...

Wait, what's with the masked man? Oh, you said your name is Irenicas, never mind then. Wait, what's with the scalpel and hemostat in your hand?

Stop! I'm not Baal's son, no! How do you know I'm from another world?

Ah ~
Zhang Yuan, who had just woken up with a start, was panting heavily, completely unaware that the cold sweat on his forehead was running into his eyes.

"I must learn how to use mental barriers in the future," someone thought bitterly.

"I'm going to kidnap those tree spirits of yours someday," someone thought with a chuckle.

The next morning, the pre-arranged carriage arrived as scheduled. Ska, the two generals Heng and Ha, and Old Sepi and a few others came to see off their companion who had been with them for nearly four months.

He waved goodbye and left gracefully, after which he embarked on a long and arduous journey.

As the sun rose, the carriage swayed and wobbled out of Baldur's Gate and drove across the winding Dragon Bridge.

The faint light of dawn shone through the carriage curtain onto a guy who was lazily curled up in his seat. Zhang Yuan simply lifted the curtain and peeked out.

The frost and mist of the winter morning had not yet dissipated, and there were only a few pedestrians and vehicles on the bridge at this time.

The howling north wind seemed to steal even the last bit of warmth from the pedestrians' bodies. This rampant and tyrannical force forced people to wrap themselves tightly in their coats, fold their hands, and huddle together to resist it.

As a soldier with a strong physique, Zhang Yuan was not very sensitive to the weather. Even the biting winter wind was just a gentle breeze to him, adding only a slight chill.

The coachman, who was working hard to get on the road, was not so lucky. While braving the cold wind, he was also sneezing and coughing from time to time.

Seeing how hard the other person was working in this weather, someone felt a little sorry for them, so they silently put on their own mask.

Of course, Zhang Yuan still kindly handed over a bag of wine, saying, "Take this, have a couple of sips to warm yourself up, but don't drink too much, it's dangerous to drive under the influence."

Although he had never heard of the term "drunk driving" before, he understood its literal meaning. Finding it novel and interesting, the driver thanked him profusely, took the wine flask, drank a couple of mouthfuls, and prepared to return it.

Zhang Yuan waved his hand, indicating that the bag of wine belonged to the other party. He was a bit of a germaphobe, and besides, a bag of wine wasn't anything valuable.

Without mentioning that the driver put even more effort into the journey, looking at the somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar scenery along the way, they unknowingly arrived at the village of the digging worms from last time.

As the sun set and dusk approached, a carriage slowed down and gently entered the small village.

After encountering unpleasant guests like Flame Fist and Zhang Yuan several times, and then being wiped out several times by Flame Fist soldiers who came at Jiedi's request, the unlucky insects are no longer a threat. In fact, because their numbers have decreased, Jiedi has deliberately let them go, but they don't dare to show themselves for the time being.

Compared to its previous desolation, the small village has regained much of its vitality after the insect plague was resolved. The smoke from the farmhouses at dusk, the laughter of the men returning from the fields, the playful running around the huts, the women's smiling scolding, and the calls of various poultry and livestock once again filled this land.

As Zhang Yuan got off the bus to find a place to stay, he saw someone who surprised him.

Thank you LEB for the donation, and thank you to all the readers for your recommendations and support.

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(End of this chapter)