Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 90 Fish in the Water

It has to be said that Zhang Yuan is sometimes incredibly lazy and likes to come up with all sorts of clever ideas and tricks, but at other times he knows better than anyone what he should do and is also ruthless enough to do so.

I'm not young anymore. So what if I'm exceptionally talented? I'm already far behind others from the start, and my background is even worse—I'm an undocumented immigrant.

Compared to those who have received orthodox magic education from their mentors since childhood, or those who have powerful backers and receive all kinds of resources to cultivate them, these guys who win at the starting line, I, who have only just found where the starting line is, am just like the tortoise in the tortoise and the hare race. I even took a nap and let the hare run half the race ahead of me.

If he could, Zhang really wouldn't want to take this path. Things have come to this point, why bother running away? Let whoever wants to go, go; I'm not going!
However, fate—to put it bluntly—the system ultimately did not abandon him. The system told itself, "Don't be fooled by your slow pace; lift the cover on your back, and you'll find a nitrogen acceleration and rocket propulsion system."

This is where his true trump card and courage lie. Otherwise, no matter how unwilling he was, it would only be unwillingness, which would be of no use to his predetermined fate and future. It would have been a foreseeable ending for him to live an ordinary life as a mediocre mage or mercenary, or even suffer a tragic death.

Even if one is the little fish that has seen the direction of the long river of fate, if one is not big enough and tries to jump out of the tributary of one's own fate, the result is often that one is crushed to pieces.

He wasn't that arrogant, thinking he could control his own destiny just because he'd only seen a glimpse of it. If things were that simple, then the most common professions in Faerûn would be divination mages.

Zhang Yuan knew, and many others in this world also knew, that there were many treasures in the dungeon and the mage tower, but who dared to take them?

The Observer Fortress is filled with opportunities and countless treasures; who would dare to go in?
Any opportunity to defy fate inevitably comes with a price and a great deal of difficulty.

The most realistic and practical path for him right now is this path of becoming a mage, which is also the "step he wants now"!
Having identified his direction, Zhang Yuan would not hesitate or waver. As an outsider who had stumbled into the world of magic, he had finally found an acquaintance willing to teach him. Once he grasped this crutch, Zhang Yuan would not let go no matter what.

Days passed by, and on just the fourth day, he had finished reading all 25 books on the reading list.

After the usual explanation and Q&A session by Old Banter, Zhang Yuan, who was finally relieved and in a good mood, noticed that the other man looked somewhat worried, unlike a few days ago when he would enthusiastically tell Zhang Yuan about his research findings after finishing his explanation.

"With a disciple as talented and exceptionally intelligent as me, what else do you have to worry about? People are just never satisfied," Zhang Yuan thought to himself.

When he looked up, he found that his old teacher, Terry, was staring at him intently, his face extremely sour.

"You shameless brat, I'm starting to regret teaching you magic. Who knows what kind of trouble you'll cause in the future?" Old Bentley was furious. He was already annoyed, and now the other guy was acting all innocent after getting the better deal. Was that something a human would do?

The old monk regretted praising him so much recently; this brat deserved a good lesson.

"Hey, did you just use your psychic powers? How did you know what I was thinking?" Zhang Yuan asked, somewhat surprised.

"That's a sixth-circle divination spell. I can't cast it silently yet. Besides, you've been talking to yourself and blurting out what you were thinking!" Old Bentley almost jumped up.

Ahem~ Zhang Yuan, feeling awkward, tried to change the subject:
"How's your research going? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Get out of here, what are you cooperating for? If I were a necromancy specialist, I'd make you lie on the operating table and cooperate right now." The old mage vented his frustration for a while.

After being thoroughly ridiculed by his teacher, Zhang Yuan rubbed his nose and still offered his suggestion:

"If this path is blocked, let's try another one. What do you think of that mechanical construct from last time?"

When Bantley, who had been absent-minded, heard this, his eyes lit up immediately.

Ever since this cheap apprentice came here, he'd been so busy studying his stone golem that he'd forgotten the guy had another, even more interesting summon. Old Bentley slapped his forehead: "Why didn't you say so sooner? Summon it for me tomorrow, no, right now!"

"Why don't you slap your own head? I'm so tall, why did you jump up to slap me? Is it really necessary?"

So annoying! This old bastard secretly added a feline elegance to himself and jumped up to slap Zhang Yuan on the back of the head.

While rubbing the back of his head, Zhang glanced at the receding hairline on Old Banter's head. He was somewhat eager to try his luck, but a glare from Old Banter forced him to give up in disappointment.

"I'm just a beginner mage, where would I get so many spell slots? I've already used up all my summoning spells for today, how about we start tomorrow?" Zhang Yuan, who had already prepared an excuse, started to scheme: "By the way, I've finished my introductory course, could you teach me how to sense the magic network now, so I don't have to bother your research tomorrow?"

"You've thought of everything quite thoroughly, haven't you? Should I thank you, you little rascal?" Old Banter retorted irritably, but still turned and walked towards the door.

"Aren't you coming up? Meditation isn't something you can just do casually."

"Hehe, the teacher is so thoughtful."

"Shut up, I already told you I'm not your teacher."

"Yes, teacher, I understand, teacher."

While bickering with Old Banter, they followed each other into another room.

The room in front of us is much smaller than the library. Although it doesn't take up much space, it has a lot of complex facilities.

The most eye-catching thing is the circular magic circle on the floor, which occupies almost the entire floor of the room. The inside of the circle is inlaid with countless small magic circles and rune patterns.

The magic circles come in various shapes, including stars, triangles, and circles, and are all interconnected and interlocked.
The runes vary greatly in shape; some resemble numbers, some resemble letters, and some are even like abstract paintings or oracle bone script.

"Could this be a summoning or sacrificial array?" Someone blurted out their thoughts again.

Pia~ The effect of the cat's elegance hadn't worn off yet when Zhang Yuan's head was hit hard again.

"You uncultured brat, I'm not one of those magic users. Besides, even if I were stupid, I wouldn't set up a sacrificial circle next to my bedroom. This is a meditation room, specifically for meditation!"

"Can't you meditate anywhere? Do you need a special room?" Illiterate Zhang came online again.

Considering that the other party was just a novice four days ago, Old Banter didn't dwell on it and patiently explained:
"Meditation, or rather, contemplation, can indeed be done anytime and anywhere, but the effects vary depending on the environment or conditions. For example, those who use divine magic have certain requirements for the conditions of meditation. Druids are used to meditating in the forest, or at least near plant life, in order to communicate with nature; while the priests of Losanda meditate and pray at dawn."

Then he pointed to the magic circle on the ground: "This magic circle is not a necessary condition, but it can help you enter a state of focus and deep meditation more quickly, and it can also slightly strengthen your mental power and resist the impact of suddenly exiting a state of meditation in an emergency."

Then Banteli walked to a golden chest. Zhang Yuan found the chest familiar and, upon reflection, realized it was the same one he had seen during the initiation ceremony.
Thank you to readers 20201212172845580 and LEB for their generous donations.

Just a heads-up, the next chapter will contain some non-D&D settings, which are my own secondary creations. I hope you'll understand.

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(End of this chapter)