Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 86: The Apprenticeship Begins Soon
Located at the intersection of Coastal Avenue and Lion Avenue, in the western part of Sharptooth Forest, is the renowned Friendly Arm Inn, famous among adventurers.

Some say that the Friendly Arm is the largest and most luxurious hotel in the Sword Bay area, or at least in the central and southern part of Sword Bay, where it is brightly lit day and night and bustling with traffic.

Some say the innkeeper is a legendary archmage, and no adventurer dares to cause trouble in the inn. Those who do offend him are all killed by the archmage's magic and sent to the bottomless abyss.

Old Bentley said, "Why isn't that bastard here yet? It's been more than six weeks since I received his letter. How much longer do I have to wait?"

"This kid better not drag this on any longer, or old Banter will make him pretend his spittoon is his bride and go to his bridal chamber," Banter vented viciously.

This is not empty talk or intimidation. As a level 11 illusionist, Old Man Terry has the confidence and ability to do so.

Jelana, who was standing next to her, just smiled. Her husband was already quite old, but sometimes he still acted like a child and liked to throw tantrums.

Just as Bente was jumping up and down in frustration, a carriage pulled up to the gate of the Arm of Friendship. Before even entering, Zhang Yuan signaled the driver to stop. Although the driver was a little confused, he did as he was told.

After stopping the car, Zhang Yuan jumped out but did not go to the guard of the Arm of Friendship. Instead, he walked into the woods next to him and found the tree where he had found the ring.

The tree hole is still there. Looking inside, you can see the little squirrel that brought you good luck is hiding inside, hibernating for the winter.

The squirrel was startled when it suddenly saw a big face appear at its doorstep. Its fur stood on end, fluffy and cute, like a little ball of fluff.

Just as the little squirrel was trying to shrink back in and hide itself in vain, it found that the face was gone and replaced by a small hole, a small hole from which nuts were flowing out!
A stroke of good fortune! The little squirrel, stunned by this incredible gift, never imagined such a windfall would happen. After a moment, it forgot its fear and lay down on the pile of nuts, rolling around and taking a nut bath. This was probably the most luxurious and happiest day of its life.

"Let's go." After repaying the little guy's kindness and showing the Flame Fist badge to the gatekeeper, Zhang Yuan instructed the driver.

As they drove up the steps to the main entrance of the hotel, Zhang Yuan got out of the car and immediately called out to Xiao Xiao.

Four large packages, one in each of Xiao Xiao's hands, one on his back, and one hanging around his neck.

In other words, they're bullying Xiaoxiao because she's not human; otherwise, she would definitely rebel.

Fortunately, Xiao Xiao was quite strong, and the package contained only daily necessities, so it wasn't heavy. He walked into the Arm of Friendship with just one stone.

Having been here many times before, Zhang Yuan knew the place well. He walked through the bustling hall, let the drunken travelers pass by, brushed past the charming waitresses, and headed straight for the Old Bentley counter.

This wouldn't have been a big deal in itself; Zhang Yuan looked like just an ordinary traveler. But the little thing behind him was quite eye-catching.

Most adventurers have only ever encountered low-level wandering mages in their daily lives. Mages of any standing would never go into this line of work, let alone traveling merchants. Unless they are members of a large merchant guild, they might not have ever seen a venerated mage. Ordinary merchants have only ever seen clumsy apprentices with magical tricks in circuses, or they have only ever heard of these mysterious figures from bards.

And now, a living, moving stone golem walked past them. Although it wasn't as tall as the legendary earth elementals and rock golems, those were just legends, so it was normal for it to chat.

Maybe this is actually the normal height of the stone elementalist.

The gazes of the crowd made the usually low-key person feel a little uncomfortable, but then he thought that he was a mage after all, and that Little was indeed summoned by his own hand, so he felt relieved and strode forward with his head held high.

Old Banter was waiting at the front counter. In fact, he had seen Zhang Yuan a long time ago, but the commotion he caused was so small that only a blind man could not see it.

As Zhang Yuan approached, he saw Bantel and noticed the unfriendly expression on his face. Remembering how he had stood Bantel up, Zhang Yuan's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stepped forward, forcing a smile, and explained in a polite tone why he couldn't come due to special training.

As Zhang Yuan spoke, he observed the other person's expression. He saw that Old Ban Teli still had a cold face, but it had softened slightly.

After he finished speaking, Zhang Yuan stood there with his hands clasped, pretending to be a good boy, without saying a word.

Bantley took several puffs of his pipe, exhaled a long breath, and blew out a large smoke ring.

"Kid, I don't care what difficulties you have, or what your reasons are. Starting tomorrow morning, I want to see your summoned creatures cooperate with me in related research."

He then slammed the pipe he had put down heavily on the counter, making the already charred and dented mark even deeper.

“If you want to learn something from me, the generous old Bentley won’t object. After I finish my daily research, you have some time, from about three in the afternoon to eight in the evening, to ask me your questions.”

“I’m telling you beforehand,” Old Bentley said with a serious expression, no longer glancing at people sideways, but looking directly up at Zhang Yuan: “You’d better not think about relying on me for everything, and treat yourself like a baby. I’ll give you a reading list. All the books are in my private library. You can read them yourself, and if you don’t understand something, come and ask me.”

"But if you dare to bother me with questions that even a turnip could understand, then this is the end of it. I have no interest in being someone's babysitter."

Without waiting for Zhang Yuan's reply, he tossed over a key that was strung on a wooden sign.
"This is your room. Get some rest tonight. You'll be busy tomorrow."

After accepting the wooden plaque and expressing his gratitude, Zhang Yuan went directly to the room indicated by the door number, unlocked the door, and entered.

As soon as Zhang Yuan entered the room, he was a little surprised. It wasn't that the room was particularly luxurious. For an Earthling who had stayed in five-star hotels and various resorts in modern society, the so-called luxury hotel in Ferren was just so-so.

No, Zhang Yuan didn't even believe that any inn in this world could be called luxurious, except for the massage and spa suites run by the Drow elves in the Underdark.

But everything is relative. Compared to the hotel rooms we stayed in before, this room was far more comfortable and luxurious.

On previous trips, in order to save money, I stayed in ordinary business class rooms. They were clean enough, and the beds weren't the bare kind. There was a thin blanket underneath, so they were okay to sleep on, but to say they were comfortable would be a joke.

This guest room, just the big bed alone gives people a very luxurious feeling. It looks comfortable. The big bed is made of red solid wood and its size is almost the same as the double bed in my previous life. Its shape is somewhat similar to a classic square bed with a wooden frame. The carvings on it are not complicated, but have a simple and elegant style.

The bed was covered with a down comforter made of silk fabric, with exquisite embroidery and vibrant colors. It was also warm and comfortable. The mattress was no longer a thin blanket, but rather similar to a modern Simmons mattress. Zhang Yuan pressed it with his hand and found it to be very elastic. However, it was definitely not filled with springs. Upon closer inspection, it was filled with a special kind of sponge-like substance.

The room was fully furnished with all the other furniture, including a desk, coffee table, dressing table, wardrobe, round table, bench, stool, etc., all in the same style as the large bed.

There is also a separate room on the side, separated by a screen, which contains a bathtub, a washbasin, and even a chamber pot.

"That old guy really went all out this time," someone thought to himself, then took off his coat and threw himself onto the bed.

Thank you to Ashes in Pairs and Book Friend 20170120120034273 for the donations, and thank you to all the book lovers for your support.

There are a few things I need to clarify. As the title of this chapter suggests, the protagonist's apprenticeship as a mage is about to begin. The following chapters will inevitably be somewhat slower and more uneventful, but this is a necessary transition. Before starting this book, I considered having the protagonist level up simply by defeating monsters, allocating stat points, and copying scrolls, but I decided against it. That would be too overpowered and wouldn't be reconcilable later. Therefore, the protagonist's abilities will all be acquired through his own learning, training, and practical experience. Especially the path to becoming a mage, which cannot be achieved overnight. I will try my best to make this learning and growth journey of the protagonist as interesting as possible.



(End of this chapter)