Ritual and Accident

The setup in the Temple of Wisdom was vastly different from last night. A circle, outlined with ink, was drawn on the floor in the center of the hall. It was a magic circle composed of many small, inlaid patterns. The deep black ink emitted a faint blue glow, appearing like twinkling stars in the night sky.

Four tall candelabras stood around the magic circle. Instead of candles or oil lamps, they held magic crystals that emitted a faint purple halo.

In the center of the magic circle stood a square cabinet, seemingly made entirely of gold. Intricate patterns were carved onto its surface, which upon closer inspection, depicted the deeds of Garl Glittergold, the gnome chief god and god of wisdom.

A tripod, also golden, was placed on the cabinet. Its three legs were integrated with the golden cabinet. A gem was set on the tripod, secured by a mount resembling rose petals.

As his gaze fell upon the gem, Zhang Yuan was instantly captivated by its pure blue hue, as if lost in the boundless sky or fallen into a deep azure ocean. The sapphire was about the size of a thumb, with a cross-shaped white light flashing at its center.

Starlight Sapphire! Zhang Yuan hadn't even seen this type of magic gem before, yet without any thought or hesitation, he was utterly certain in his heart.

A curious country bumpkin, he looked around, feeling that the entire ritual site was shrouded in the unknown and the mysterious. Of course, it wasn't wrong to describe it that way, as this was indeed a secret ritual.

Jelana stood behind the altar, fiddling with something. Old Banterley approached with a headband and gestured for Zhang Yuan to put it on.

What's this? A Golden Fillet? While grumbling internally, the person obediently took it and put it on his head.

"Come here, lie down in the center of the magic circle, with your head resting on the ritual platform," the old Mage instructed Zhang Yuan, signaling for him to cooperate with the ritual preparations.

After he lay down, Old Banterley gave a few more instructions before he and Jelana began the ritual.

With a gesture from Jelana, the Starlight Sapphire emitted a bright yet gentle radiance that covered the entire magic circle.

"Veritas, Credo, Oculos! (Truth, I believe, With my own eyes!)" Old Banterley began his lengthy incantation. As the last notes faded, Zhang Yuan, who had grown somewhat bored, fell into a deep sleep.

After an unknown period, Zhang Yuan's senses and consciousness returned. However, when he opened his eyes—no, in his current state, the concept of eyes no longer existed.

He didn't rely on sight but rather perceived the outside world through an almost intuitive sense. In his perception, he was like an amorphous cloud of mist, shifting with his emotions.

Countless tiny presences drifted around his body. In Zhang Yuan's mind, they projected as dust-like motes of light, washing over him like a flowing stream.

Zhang Yuan stirred his conscious existence, drifting like a cloud or a jellyfish in this sea of starlight. Occasionally, he encountered larger clusters of light, like whirlpools in a river, drawing him in. However, upon contact with these light clusters, it was as if he entered a bizarre, surreal dream, his entire consciousness becoming hazy and unclear.

Quickly retreating, he continued to wander until something familiar entered his range of perception.

It was indeed familiar, yet it differed from the spell structures he was accustomed to preparing before sleep every night. This difference was like the disparity between two works of calligraphy, not the stark contrast between calligraphy and photography.

At this moment, Zhang Yuan finally recalled his situation and realized that what he was perceiving was his target. Mustering his strength, he lunged forward, imagining himself as an octopus, extending the tendrils of his mind to firmly grasp the other.

The instant they connected, waves of information surged through his mind and consciousness like the tide. Zhang Yuan, choosing to accept them, could clearly feel much knowledge pouring into his mind with the ceaseless waves. Spell incantations that needed to be recited and memorized repeatedly, and intricate, complex casting gestures were being directly infused into his mind by the external ritual.

When I transmigrated, did I learn spells like this too? For some reason, a thought crossed his mind.

There was no concept of time in the world of thought. Perhaps it was an instant, perhaps a long time had passed. All the spell knowledge was successfully injected into Zhang Yuan's mind. Simultaneously, he understood the name of the spell: Sleep.

The satisfied octopus floated up, wiggled its posterior, and prepared to hunt its next victim.

Without much effort, he locked onto his target—another spell structure, or rather, the spell structure for Summon Monster I.

He pounced again, extended his tentacles, bound it again, and then...

It was completely different! Before he could properly interact with his target, Zhang Da-chu felt as if he had been stuffed into a toilet bowl and forcefully flushed. After a dizzying spin, he found himself transported to a familiar yet strange place.

Looking around, the marble-tiled floor was divided by boundaries into intersecting chessboard grids. The eight high platforms in the distance also indicated where he was—the Void Chessboard.

The layout and scenery of the chessboard were unchanged from before. Zhang Yuan was also surprised to find that his formless spiritual body had recondensed into the shape of his physical body.

He paced aimlessly, pondering the reason for his bodily change and the system's purpose in sending him here. As he reached the center of the chessboard, the familiar twenty-sided die appeared before his eyes once more.

A thought struck him, and knowing he had likely found the key, Zhang Yuan quickly stepped forward and picked up the die, holding it in his palm. It was a reenactment of the past, giving him a sense of absurd temporal displacement.

The picked-up die began to emit a light blue glow, and a familiar pop-up window appeared before his eyes:

"Detected corresponding summoning spell, verified as the first-ring arcane spell 'Summon Monster I'. Confirm import to DLTCEP system?"

"Accept/Reject"

He instinctively reached out to tap the pop-up window with his finger but unexpectedly didn't pass through it. The pop-up window, usually intangible, now seemed solid.

Without the time to ponder these details, he quickly tapped "Confirm!"

A flash of light and shadow, and another new window appeared:

"By administrator authorization, the auto-battler system is bound to summoning arcane spells."

"Existing Summoning Spell: Summon Monster I - Effect: Summons a level one chess piece."

"Existing Energy Points: 11 (Chess piece cost is 10 * its level)."

"Chess pieces available today: Tiny, Crystal Maiden, Anti-Mage, Drow Ranger, Tiny."

"Rules: Players must spend energy to purchase chess pieces. Chess pieces refresh daily. 20 energy points can be spent to lock or refresh again. Due to planar restrictions, chess pieces cannot be directly placed in reality. They must be summoned through the corresponding level of summoning spell, with spell level corresponding to chess piece level."

The system's explanation was thorough. Zhang Yuan, reading it word for word, basically understood how the auto-battler system worked, essentially replacing summoned creatures with chess pieces.

The only question was the source of these energy points. He already had 11? Was it from the Digging Worms and Goblins he had killed?

However, these were issues he could explore later. The immediate priority was to select a chess piece to purchase, leave this place, and awaken from the ritual.

After careful consideration, he chose Tiny as his first selection. Firstly, a Stone Elemental like Tiny wouldn't be out of place as a summoned entity, whereas humanoid summons would be difficult to explain.

Secondly, Tiny's physique was relatively sturdy, and it even had control skills. In contrast, the other chess pieces were fragile, utility-focused units. In the current situation, it was better to pick something practical.

Giving himself a pat on the back for his cleverness, he was already envisioning himself becoming the Chess Saint of Faerûn in the future. (A nostalgic nod to the original book title).

Thank you all for your enthusiastic support with recommendation tickets. I've released an extra chapter from my limited stockpile to prevent you from waiting too long for this cheat.