Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 141 Team Building

Although that's what they said, Skaarl and Nancy, who were well aware of the weight and significance of a great mage, would never really take it that way.
Are archmages really that worthless? Can they be so easily dismissed? By Tyr's hand, in the entire Baldur's Gate, only that strange old man, Habasah Delin, can be considered a genuine archmage. Skar has had the privilege of witnessing several grand dukes visit him.

“Chanem, you think too highly of us. The status of an archmage is no less than that of a noble duke. If you had revealed this connection back then, you would definitely have gained more support.”

Ska smiled wryly and shook his head repeatedly. In fact, he had already raised the bar by considering the face of the Grand Dukes. Last time, Grand Dukes Iltan and Silver Shield visited Old Delin together, but the other party was so engrossed in his experiments that the Grand Dukes and their party had been waiting in the living room for almost an entire afternoon.

And what happened? When the great mage came out, they still had to obediently smile and act as if nothing had happened.

Identity? If it were the leader of Waterdeep or Ascatra, they might be able to talk to an archmage on equal terms. After all, their leadership circles include magical masters like Kelben Black Staff.

Baldur's Gate? Such a "big city" with over 40,000 people? It's fine to brag about it in private, but if you tell others, people will laugh at you.

“I am me, and my mentor is my mentor. It is true that using the name of a great mage can make many things easier and simpler, but every seemingly free gift has a price tag attached to it. There are some prices that I cannot afford, and I have no right to pass them on to Master Tyrantir.”

Zhang Yuan said with a serious expression.

It's not that he's aloof; integrity is worth a pittance, isn't it? The problem is that the Grand Duke's goodwill is never without reward. For example, this time, his support was conditional on completing an investigation mission in Neverwinter.

While wielding the prestigious title of "Grand Mage" might bring unparalleled success, the hidden machinations and vested interests behind it are something a political novice like myself is unwilling to confront, and given Tyrande's character, he wouldn't wade into such murky waters.

He had no interest in doing something so foolish as to incur his supervisor's displeasure for the sake of a few small benefits.

Having calmed down, the two left the armory with Zhang Yuan and headed towards the training ground.

As they were walking, Ska suddenly asked:
Now that your team has been formed, what name are you planning to give it?

Zhang Yuan was surprised: "Does the adventure team need to register? Do we have to come up with a name? I don't think our team had a separate name back then."

“The two situations are different. We are a team directly under Flame Fist, a direct component of the Flame Fist Guild, but your team is actually an independent adventure team, only subordinate to Flame Fist.” Ska explained with a smile, then added, “Of course, you don’t have to give it a name if you don’t want to. If you make a name for yourself in the future, then it will be some nameless team subordinate to Flame Fist.”

Nancy, who hadn't said much until now, suddenly perked up.
"Naming it? That's something I'm good at. I was the one who spread the nickname 'Thorn Rose' back then."

Well, it's unbelievable that there are people in this world who give themselves nicknames. Zhang Yuan was truly amazed by the shamelessness of his cheap master.

Pretending not to see the wide grins on Ska and Zhang Yuan's faces, Nancy soon came up with a name that seemed pretty good.

"How about calling it Steel Rose?"

The name is not bad, but do you think I don't know that roses and wild roses are flowers of the same genus? You just took your nickname, changed it up, and used it as my team's name? Did you pay a naming fee?

Zhang Yuan inwardly cursed, not to mention that the name reminded him of the Woolly Rhinoceros Cavalry Regiment in a certain novel, which was also called the Iron Rose. The female commander of that regiment met a truly tragic end.

"This name isn't suitable, let's change it," Zhang Yuan immediately rejected.

At this point, Ska chimed in: "I think since so many members of your team are from the Flame Fist clan, why not give them a similar name, like: Blazing Heart?"

Dude, your idea is good, but do you know you're infringing on someone's copyright?
"I heard there's a paladin order with the same name. Wouldn't it be awkward to have the same name?" Zhang Yuan politely declined Ska's suggestion.

"How about Canaan?" someone suggested, a name that commemorated the book that introduced them to D&D, though that wicked baboon steward had vanished without a trace after entering the palace. This name was completely unfamiliar to the other two; they didn't even know the corresponding words and could only frown and ponder the pronunciation several times.

"Canaan? Does it have any special meaning?"

"Exactly, this name isn't as good as the one I just mentioned."

Zhang Yuan explained to them, "Canaan, in our language, refers to the legendary Promised Land, a rich and prosperous place flowing with milk and honey."

You can't exactly say, "This name actually comes from some grand eunuch's unfinished work."

Ska didn't say anything more, but Nancy jumped in again: "Who would know what this name means? Just call it Flaming Rose."

Are you obsessed with roses or what?

"Since we each have our own opinions, why don't we promote democracy and decide by voting?" someone said.

“Okay, Skater, tell me, which one is better?” Nancy quickly sought support.

"This is your team's business. Why should I interfere? You guys discuss it yourselves." Ska wasn't stupid; he wouldn't get involved in such a dispute.

Seeing that she couldn't get any outside help, Nancy could only glare at her cheap apprentice.
"One to one, it seems neither of us can convince the other today."

"Who told you it was a 1:1 scale?"

“One vote for you, one vote for me, isn’t that a one-to-one ratio?” Nancy asked, puzzled.

"I'm the captain, my vote counts as two votes," someone casually remarked.

"You!" The female thief was somewhat unconvinced, but she couldn't refute anything. After all, it was indeed the other party who had built the team, so it was understandable that their words carried some weight. Forcing equality for everyone wouldn't work in Faerun.

Still unwilling to give up, Nancy suddenly had a bright idea: "Wait, Bard and the others are on the training field. Since it's the team's name, why not let them give their evaluation as well?"

Zhang Yuan followed the two men to the training ground without any objection, and then, together with Ska, gathered all the prospective squad members together.

Münster, Bard, Kegan, Lawrence, and the others stood in front of the three men, their four pairs of eyes scanning back and forth between Zhang Yuan and Ska's faces.

It seems that Kegan let slip a hint, and the group had a premonition of what was to come.

Skar relayed Grand Duke Iltan's instructions to the three active Flame Fist members, and each of them reacted with a different expression after listening.

“Okay, I’ll call you boss from now on, but don’t stop me from teaching that bastard Kegan a lesson.” Bud was quite direct. Judging from his and Kegan’s bruised and swollen faces, they probably had their fair share of “exchanges and sparring” over this.

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(End of this chapter)