Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 444 The Art of Flattery
At that very moment, the shadow gap behind the altar seemed to be a field distorted by a magnet, its originally stable outline changing unpredictably, and countless tiny black needles sprouting from it.

Upon closer inspection, it was not due to the expansion of the shadow that the nearby light was swallowed up and annihilated in the deepest darkness.

The monks and servants watching remained silent, observing the female priest maintaining the ritual. A deep purple light emanated from behind the newly built statue of the Night Goddess, and her rock-carved eyes seemed to be shrouded in the night, sinking into an endless abyss.

The plan was to invoke the power of the Night Lady to regulate the opening and closing of the shadow gaps and the dissipation of shadow energy. However, a crucial part of the plan was the successful execution of the divine ritual.

Offering black opals, smoky quartz, obsidian, and other gemstones as sacrifices was commonplace; it wasn't what Shar truly valued.

The reason why this shadow gap in the High Cliff Palace is so difficult to deal with is the erosion and distortion of the Shadow Demon Network here. Without solving this problem, the idea of ​​a controllable Shadow Gate is just wishful thinking. Even if it is put up, it will collapse at any time. Who would dare to enter such a portal?

As the master of the Shadow Web, Princess Shar could easily manipulate this web of shadows with just a flick of her finger. However, why?

Unlike the ever-enthusiastic and restless Ransendall, who constantly sought to flaunt his power and glory, or the bloodthirsty Ross who reveled in the murders and infighting among his followers, the ever-silent Lady of the Night disliked showing her face and viewed the prayers and appeals of her believers with a more critical and scrutinizing eye.

This was especially true for Viconia, a self-taught, second-rate pastor.

Have you not seen what happened to the Drow priestess in another timeline? She betrayed the Spider Queen and worshipped Shar, went into exile on the surface, met and traveled with the Sons of Slaughter, and made a great name for herself. And what was the result?
He was repeatedly hunted and killed in his dreams by monster assassins sent by Rose from the divine realm, but the Lady of the Night did not offer any assistance or help. It should be noted that the Lady's authority extends to darkness, night, and loss. If she could not even protect the peaceful sleep of her believers, it would be a joke. It is simply a matter of whether she wants to or not.

Unfortunately, Lady Lost was not one of the few generous deities. On the contrary, this goddess, who always appeared secretive and indifferent, mostly looked down on the mortal world with her detached gaze, busy with her carefully woven net and chess game.

Ordinary jewel offerings were unlikely to please this discerning goddess, and simple blood sacrifices were too brutal to meet her approval.

To truly impress the other party, a meticulously planned and executed conspiracy or a successful spread of faith, drawing a large number of believers from a region to the lady's night, would be a remarkable contribution, enough to attract His admiring glance.

However, neither causing trouble nor recruiting people through pyramid schemes can be accomplished in a short time. It's like trying to quench a thirst with water from afar, not to mention the endless troubles that follow. It is truly the worst choice.

For now, we have no choice but to find another way, but fortunately, there are other options.

"Praise be to the Lost Lady, Lord of Shadows, Lord of Night, Source of Darkness, may all return to the primordial tranquility."

"The followers of night and shadow, the displaced and lost, offer here secrets lost to time and vanished from the annals of history..."

As the ceremony progressed, Viconia's voice grew softer and softer, almost a silent prayer, and her language shifted from common, everyday speech to obscure phrasing even within the Drow language. The mage couldn't quite make out her words, but he knew what she was conveying, for it was he who had given her this information.

Yes, another way to please the Lost Lady is through secrecy. Shar, who is responsible for keeping secrets and the power of loss, has a unique preference for rumors and secrets hidden in the past.

Just as Omar, the god of knowledge, appreciates the transmission and creation of knowledge, and Gonde, the god of craftsmen, encourages the invention and creation of new skills, this is not only a matter of the gods' own preferences, but also a part of the divine domain.

Compared to the other two options, a certain long-buried secret seems simpler and more convenient. However, in reality, most of the Night Lady's admirers would rather take the risk of causing trouble or recruiting people than try this "shortcut".

The reason is simple: it's impossible.

As one of the oldest beings in Faerûn, and even in Toril, Shar, a powerful deity, may not be omniscient or omnipotent, but the valuable secrets he has never heard of are certainly quite rare.

This isn't just about being strange and unusual; things like what so-and-so wore yesterday's underwear color are utterly disgraceful and would likely incur divine punishment before being shown, sending them to the Shadow Labyrinth to play deep dark fantasy.

Zhang Yuan had also given much thought to the selection of the secret sacrifice. As a transmigrator from another world and a fan of D&D games and novels, he was well aware of the secrets and rumors from various factions. Most importantly, after several years in this world, through repeated and comprehensive examination and deduction, he could basically confirm that even if the various plot rumors he brought from his previous life were not 100% accurate and had some errors and omissions, there were very few deviations in the main situation and character construction.

Therefore, the secrets are really nothing special to Zhang Yuan; the key is who to give them to.
The secrets involving the gods are undoubtedly top-notch secrets, but the question is whether they dare to reveal them.

For example, the bizarre relationship between the ancient sun god Amanatha, who fell shortly after the catastrophe, and the current Lord of Dawn, Ransendel; and the life and death of the mist goddess Lyra.

If such a level of secrecy were offered to Shar, the effect would be self-evident. The Lady of Shadows would probably be delighted at first, and then...?
How could you, a mere mortal, know such confidential information? Are you perhaps a pawn thrown out by some being to orchestrate a scheme? Perhaps we could invite your soul to the Lost Tower in the Shadow Plane for a pleasant visit and some tea?
That would really be the end of us.

The Neverwinter storyline is also difficult to touch. The ancient creation races awakened from their eternal slumber across the river of time, which is a major event, but how can this be fully revealed?

Who can unravel the Lost Lady's schemes hidden beneath the layers of mystery? Who can unveil the cloak of darkness she wears?

If, even just if, His Highness Shar suddenly had a wicked idea pop into his head and wanted to instigate or cooperate with these unearthed ancient artifacts to cause trouble in the northern part of Sword Bay, the first place to suffer would probably be Neverwinter City.

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(End of this chapter)