Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 162 Preparations for the Ceremony
Jady's eyes widened as she stared blankly at Luna, the summoned Moon Knight, her little hands constantly stroking the black panther beneath her.

Feeling the soft texture of the black satin-like fur against her palm, if it weren't for her druid instincts, she would never have believed that the other party was an alchemical creation.

But her senses didn't lie; her animal affinity and communication had no effect on this lifelike black panther, which wasn't even a living being.

This reminded her of the legendary animal sculptures that had been blessed or sculpted by archdruids or even gods. They looked like handicrafts, but once activated, they transformed into formidable hunters.

After riding for a while, as we went deeper into the forest, the trees became denser and the paths became narrower.

The two had no choice but to dismount, switching from four legs to two, and have the two knights wait in place.

Fortunately, we had already covered most of the journey, and after walking a short distance, we came into view of that conspicuous big oak tree. It was impossible not to see it. It was like a group of kids having a party, and Yao Ming had also shown up.

Finally arriving at the base of the tree, Jady was incredibly excited as she pressed her hands and cheeks against the trunk.

Unlike laymen like Zhang Yuan, who would only utter meaningless comments like "Holy crap, it's huge!" upon seeing the giant oak tree, she, as a druid, felt an irrepressible appreciation and awe for this creation, which could be described as a natural wonder, and her determination to transplant it to her woodland grew stronger.

Just as Jadi's expression shifted with her thoughts, Alaire, who was hiding in the treehouse, heard Zhang Yuan's call, waved his hand, and appeared in front of the two of them with a green light.

After a brief introduction, Jady said directly:

“Ariel, it’s too dangerous for you to stay here alone. How could the druid who brought you here allow a darling of nature to be in such a situation? Come with me.”

The little tree spirit nodded, but couldn't help but offer a few words of explanation: "Osmady isn't that kind of person, but I don't know why the connection with him broke down. I don't know..."

Her voice trailed off towards the end, and she stopped talking.

Looking at Jady, who was busy comforting the tree spirit, Zhang Yuan immediately asked three questions in a row: "What is needed for this ritual? Are all the preparations complete? When can it be carried out?"

When it came to business, Jady didn't mince words and responded crisply and decisively:

"I have already set up the summoning ritual in the woodland I manage. There is an open space not far from my treehouse, so I can start it as soon as I get back."

“As for Alaire, I’ll draw a magic circle later to strengthen the connection and resonance between her and the oak tree, so as to increase the success rate of being summoned synchronously. Alaire, you’d better stay inside the oak tree, understand?” As she spoke, Jady looked at Alaire beside her.

The little tree spirit nodded obediently.

With Jadi already prepared and Zhang Yuan assisting her, a simple three-ring divine magic array was set up in no time.

As the female druid finished casting her spell, the divine spell of Natural Symbiosis was released, and with the aid and guidance of the magic circle, it connected Ariel and her natal oak tree even further, like an invisible thread.

This effect can only last for three days at most. During this time, Jadi must return to the woodland by the Chongsa River as soon as possible to preside over the pre-arranged summoning ritual, otherwise everything she is doing now will be in vain.

Zhang Yuan was also decisive. He took out several "good things" that he had embezzled while studying alchemy at Gaolibao from his storage bag, and instructed Alair to hide them in the oak tree. He then carefully arranged them around the big tree.

Yes, they're traps, the kind with magical spice added. Aside from fire traps being unsuitable, they'll use all sorts of other traps—electric shock, paralysis, frost—they'll find a variety of them. Anyway, in such a remote place, they won't have to worry about harming innocent people in just a few days.

Afterwards, the soil around the tree will be transported there along with the roots, and you can collect it later without losing anything.

After repeatedly telling Aleil, who was staying in the tree, to hide well and not come down, the two quickly walked out of the dense forest, met up with the waiting Luna Riders, and then hurried back to Belgost.

The speed was limited by the knights carrying the passengers, so someone who didn't mind the cost of the carriage hired a horse-drawn carriage and headed north along the coastal road. They arrived at the riverside village by noon the next day, which was much faster than Jadi's walking a few days earlier.

After taking all the spellcasting tools and materials from her hut, Jedi led Zhang Yuan southward into the woods. Before long, they arrived at an open space where a circular spell circuit had already been drawn.

"Fortunately, the effect of the spells I set up to ward off wild beasts before I left is still working, and the magic array is still intact."

After a thorough inspection, the female druid breathed a sigh of relief.

"Let's get started. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Just keep watch around for me, I'm worried the strange phenomena caused by the ritual might alert those guys deep in the Sharptooth Forest." Jady's face showed some worry, but when it came to the upcoming ritual, she was full of confidence:
"I've made all the preparations, this time it's sure to be foolproof~ Ouch!"

But it was a mage who tapped Jade on the head.

"Why did you hit me?" she asked, puzzled.

"I'm telling you not to make promises you can't keep."

“Flag? What does that mean?” Jadi asked, startled.

"FLAG is a term in divination, which means to reverse cause and effect, to determine the outcome of a matter before its future is clear. However, such an act of forcibly distorting the cause-and-effect line will inevitably suffer the backlash of fate. Even if the original trend is as predicted, it will deviate from the original convergence line in this situation and head towards an unknown and terrible future."

Zhang Yuan spoke with great conviction, his elaborate and convincing arguments, like an old sow wearing a bra, completely fooled the other party.

Not only the female druid, but even the system jumped out and gave him a thumbs up:
"Ding~ Detected that the administrator has learned the skill of bluffing without being taught and successfully bluffed someone once. Bluffing +5."

Sigh! Saying someone is self-taught is too much of a compliment. He actually learned from Master Klein back in the day. This person casually shifted the blame to a place dozens of kilometers away.

Although she didn't understand, Jady felt that the other person seemed very capable and made a lot of sense, so she decisively pursed her lips and began the preliminary steps of the ritual.

Her confidence was not unfounded. The necessary ritual implements were quickly and accurately placed on each node of the magic circle, and special volatile magic paint was taken out and precisely applied to the corresponding spell circuits with a flick of her wrist.

With everything ready, Jadi took a deep breath, steadied her steps, and slowly made her way around the lines and loops on the ground to a reserved casting position at the edge of the magic circle.

She looked up at Zhang Yuan, but the sudden turn of events caused a look of astonishment to cross her eyes.

(End of this chapter)