Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 230 Team Meeting
Since the host didn't mind, Lawrence didn't bother to think about it either. He took the gold voucher and went to the president of Golden Alfalfa to explain and communicate.

The president was a somewhat portly old man named Darius. He had escaped the disaster because he hadn't traveled with them that day, but the sorrow and grief on his face were no less intense.

This might be a genuine loss of a limb, a feeling of shared sorrow, or simply a performance by an old fox—the monk didn't care about any of these, and the money he donated was unimportant to him.

What the monk wanted was to use this relatively small amount of money to maintain a better image for himself in front of the family members of the Chamber of Commerce. If he could achieve his goal, these were all minor matters.

Darius was somewhat surprised to receive the gold voucher. He had already learned from Zangil and the others what a powerful team the other party was, and what kind of terrifying power and connections the mage possessed.

That's why the other party's gesture of goodwill was far beyond his expectations. Overjoyed and even a little apprehensive, the chairman accepted the gold voucher and specially invited the three families to the stage, handing it over to the relatives of the victims in front of everyone else.

At the same time, he did not forget to express his sincere and touching concern and heartfelt gratitude for the helping hand extended by the Canaan Squad.

After the funeral ended and most of the people had left, Darius tactfully introduced the Grand Master Zhang to Mrs. Bellera Dussel, who was Carrick Dussel's wife.

Looking at the fresh-faced, charming young widow in front of him, dressed in a black dress, her face veiled in black gauze, revealing her fair chin, and even her hands adorned with long-sleeved black gloves, Zhang Da Guanren suddenly felt that Lao Cao was truly a lifelong confidant.

Although one could tell from the lower half of her face alone that she was an absolutely charming and lovely woman, the master was not, at least not in the mood for, any kind of fitness game involving the seduction of a widow.

Zhang Yuan, feigning heartfelt condolences, first offered words of sympathy and comfort, then steered the conversation toward Carrick's murder, subtly revealing that the killer was suspected to be a cultist.

The young widow possessed a sharp mind befitting her stature. As soon as she grasped the implications of the situation, she understood the gravity of the matter. She subtly expressed that as a lonely widow, she was powerless to help and did not ask any further questions about the deeper secrets.

However, she also figured out the general intention of the mage opposite her, and immediately and generously invited him to come to her home as a guest:

"Your Excellency, I am extremely grateful to you for eliminating the wicked and avenging my husband who was tragically murdered. I usually do not interfere in the affairs of the merchant guild and know very little about Carrick's affairs outside. However, with your wisdom, perhaps you can gain some insights from my late husband's belongings."

The message was clear: cooperation is fine, but please don't bother me.

Zhang Yuan readily accepted the offer, arranged to visit the next day, and then took his leave without further ado.

After reuniting with their teammates, they weren't in a hurry to return to the hostel. Instead, they found a secluded spot in the vast cemetery and sat in a circle, with Rick and Morty sitting outwards to keep watch.

Although the name "cemetery" sounded a bit awkward to Zhang Yuan, in Waterdeep, or rather Faerûn, cemeteries and burial grounds weren't considered taboo. Due to their faith and the real existence of the divine realm, and with Kranvor overseeing the underworld, the death and burial in the cemetery were seen as somewhat sacred.

This is somewhat similar to Europe in my previous life.

Besides, as the saying goes, "Since we're already here!"
This venue is perfect for a small meeting, and there's no risk of it being overheard by others. It's much better than a crowded and noisy hotel.

"Boss, the memorial service is over, what else is there?" Kagan shouted as soon as he sat down.

“Lawrence and I have already declined the proposal for cooperation with Golden Alfalfa,” Nancy added. Zhang Yuan nodded first, then got straight to the point: “That’s a minor matter. The real issue is how to deal with the forces behind those evil god followers we encountered on the road.”

"Hey boss, what does this have to do with us? We just had a skirmish and that's it. Why do we have to go looking for trouble with them?" Several teammates were puzzled, and Bard couldn't help but ask.

Captain Zhang didn't rush to reply, but first glanced at Nancy, his eyes questioning.

The female thief hesitated for a moment, but then gave the other person a firm look.

"This all started with our mission." Zhang Yuan paused for a moment, then took out Liszt's diary from his pocket.

"Wait, boss, isn't our mission in Neverwinter?" Bard was increasingly puzzled.

After calming Bud and the rest of the team down, Zhang Yuan gave them a brief overview of what happened in Leicester and the key information from the diary. He then pointed out the possible motives behind the night raid. After the teammates discussed it for a while, he spoke up:

"The problem now is that if we want to investigate the truth of what happened back then and uncover the conspiracy behind it, we will inevitably touch the sensitive nerves of those behind the scenes."

Pressing his palm down to signal his teammates who were about to ask questions to calm down, the mage continued, "But if we were to ask the temple for help, with this amount of evidence alone, it would be difficult to pose any threat to those powerful nobles in Neverwinter. On the contrary, the temple's actions would expose some of our plans and intentions, creating additional difficulties and obstacles."

After speaking, he looked around to indicate that everyone could speak.

“Boss, if you ask me, this intelligence is enough to take back and report. As for the rest, let that Grand Duke of Baldur’s Gate negotiate with the temple himself, right? Why should we take that risk?” Kegan was indeed a seasoned veteran, very shrewd and tactful in this kind of matter.

Regardless of the thoughtful or approving attitudes of his teammates, Zhang Yuan himself had certainly made the same decision.

The undercurrents beneath the surface of Neverwinter's order and the infighting among the nobles are already a headache, not to mention the major problem of cultists.

But are we just going to go back to Baldur's Gate like this?

"If we go back with just this little bit of evidence, how are we going to explain it to Flame Fist and the Big Boss?" Nancy, one of the people present back then, deeply involved in the events, and the initiator of this plan, spoke frankly, expressing Zhang Yuan's concerns:

"Our team, Canaan, was only established with the support of Flame Fist. No matter what, there's some friendship involved, right?"

After saying that, she looked at her teammates from the Flame Fist Guild. Bard and Münster were both calm and composed, but Lawrence, who had just had a happy look on his face, was a little embarrassed and coughed a few times to cover up his embarrassment.

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(End of this chapter)