Rituals and Mishaps

At this moment, the layout of the Temple of Wisdom was completely different from the night before. A circle had been drawn on the floor in the center of the hall with ink, forming a magic array embedded with numerous small patterns. Yet the thick black ink emitted a faint blue glow, resembling starlight flickering in the night sky.

Four tall lampstands stood around the magic array. Instead of candles or oil lamps, each held a magic crystal radiating a faint purple halo.

At the center of the magic array stood a square cabinet that seemed to be made entirely of gold. Intricate patterns were carved across it, though a closer look revealed them to be depictions of the deeds of the gnomes' chief god—the God of Wisdom, Garl Glittergold.

A tripod had been placed atop the cabinet. It was gold as well, its three legs joined to the golden cabinet as one. Resting on the stand was a gemstone held in place by a setting shaped like rose petals.

The moment his gaze shifted to the gemstone, he was captivated by that pure blue color, as if he had become lost beneath an endless sky or fallen into a cerulean ocean. The sapphire was about the size of a thumb, and a cross-shaped white light flickered at its center.

Starlight Sapphire! Zhang Yuan had never even seen such a magic gemstone before, yet at that moment, he was utterly certain.

A certain curious country bumpkin looked here and there, feeling that the entire ritual site was shrouded in the unknown and mysterious. Of course, that description was not wrong. This was, after all, an arcane ritual.

Jelana stood behind the altar, fiddling with something unknown, while old Banterley brought over a headband and gestured for Zhang Yuan to put it on.

What is this? A Golden Fillet? Though he kept grumbling inwardly, the man obediently took it and put it on his head.

"Come over here. Lie down in the center of the magic array, with your head resting against the ritual altar." The old mage instructed Zhang Yuan as he prepared for the ritual.

Once Zhang Yuan had lain down, old Banterley gave him a few more instructions before beginning the ritual together with Jelana.

At a gesture from Jelana, the Starlight Sapphire emitted a bright yet gentle radiance that happened to cover the entire magic array.

"Veritas, Credo, Oculos! (Truth, conviction, through the eyes alone)" Old Banterley began a lengthy chant. As the final notes rang out, Zhang Yuan, who had grown rather bored from waiting, fell asleep.

No one knew how long had passed before sensation and consciousness returned to Zhang Yuan. But when he opened his eyes—no, in his current state, the very concept of eyes no longer existed.

He did not rely on sight. Instead, he drew the outside world into his perception in a way that was almost instinctive. Within that perception, he seemed to be a shapeless cloud, changing constantly with his emotions.

Countless tiny existences drifted around his body. In Zhang Yuan's mind, they projected specks of light as small as dust, sweeping past like flowing water.

Zhang Yuan stirred his conscious existence, drifting through this sea of starlight like a cloud or a jellyfish. From time to time, he encountered larger clusters of light that resembled whirlpools in a river and pulled him toward them. Yet the moment he touched one, it was as if he had entered an absurd and bizarre dream, causing his entire consciousness to grow hazy and sluggish.

He hurriedly moved away and continued drifting until something familiar entered his perceptive range.

It was indeed very familiar, yet it differed somewhat from the spell structures he knew so well—the ones he prepared before bed every day. The difference was like that between two distinct works of calligraphy, rather than the stark difference between calligraphy and photography.

Only then did Zhang Yuan finally remember his situation and realize that what he sensed was precisely his target. Gathering his strength, he lunged forward, imagining himself as an octopus and extending the tentacles of his thoughts to wrap tightly around it.

The instant the two connected, wave after wave of information washed over his thoughts and consciousness like ocean waves. Zhang Yuan chose to accept it and clearly sensed countless pieces of knowledge surging into his mind without pause. Spell incantations that required repeated recitation and memorization, along with intricate and ingenious casting gestures, were all being instilled into his mind by the ritual outside.

Was this how I learned magic when I crossed over back then? For some reason, that thought suddenly occurred to him.

There was no concept of time in the world of thought. Perhaps only an instant had passed; perhaps a long time had gone by. Regardless, all the spell knowledge was successfully injected into Zhang Yuan's thoughts. At the same time, he learned the spell's name: Sleep.

The satisfied octopus floated upward, wiggled its rear, and prepared to hunt its next victim.

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

He flew at it as before, extended his tentacles as before, tied it up as before, and then...

It was completely different! Before Zhang Yuan, now Big Tentacles, could properly establish a deeper connection with his target, he felt as if someone had stuffed him into a toilet and violently flushed it. After a dizzying spin, he found himself sent to a place that was both familiar and strange.

As far as the eye could see, the marble floor was divided by lines into interlocking chessboard squares. The eight high platforms in the distance also revealed what this place was—the Void Chessboard.

The chessboard's layout and scenery had not changed in the slightest from before. Zhang Yuan was also surprised to discover that his formless spiritual body had once again condensed into the shape of his own body.

He paced aimlessly, guessing at the reason for his change in form and the system's purpose in sending him here. When he reached the center of the chessboard, that familiar twenty-sided die once again appeared before his eyes.

A thought struck him. Realizing that he had probably found the key, Zhang Yuan hurried forward, picked up the die, and held it in his palm. Just as before, the same scene repeated itself, giving him an absurd sensation of time and space becoming jumbled.

The moment it was picked up, the die began to burst with pale blue radiance. A familiar window appeared before his eyes:

"Corresponding summoning spell detected. Verification confirms it to be a first-circle arcane spell, 'Summon Monster I.' Confirm import into the DLTCEP system?"

"Accept/Reject"

He instinctively reached toward the window with his finger, only to discover that he did not pass straight through it. The window, which had always been untouchable, now seemed to possess physical substance.

With no time to think about the details, he hurriedly clicked confirm!

Light and shadows shifted, and another new window appeared:

"Under authorization from the administrator, the auto-chess piece system is being bound to the summoning arcana."

"Existing summoning spell: Summon Monster I—Effect: Summon a level-one chess piece."

"Existing energy: 11 (Piece cost: 10 × its level)"

"Pieces available today: Tiny, Crystal Maiden, Anti-Mage, Drow Ranger, Tiny"

"Rules: The chess player must spend energy to purchase pieces. The pieces refresh once per day. Twenty energy may be spent to lock the current selection or refresh it again. Due to the limitations of planar laws, pieces cannot be placed directly into reality. They must be summoned through a spell of the corresponding level; the spell's level must match the piece's level."

The system's explanation was exceptionally detailed. After reading every word, Zhang Yuan basically understood how the auto-chess piece system worked. It was simply replacing summoned creatures with chess pieces.

The only issue was the source of the energy. He already had eleven energy? Could it have come from the Digging Worm and the hobgoblin he had killed?

But that was something he could slowly investigate later. His immediate priorities were to decide which piece to purchase, leave this place, and awaken from the ritual.

After considering it repeatedly, he still chose Tiny as his first pick. First, Tiny was a stone elemental, so having it appear as a summoned creature would not be too abrupt. The appearance of a humanoid summoned creature, on the other hand, would be difficult to explain.

Second, Tiny's body was quite tough, and it also possessed control abilities. The other pieces were all fragile utility pieces. Given the current situation, it was better to choose something practical first.

Having given himself a mental thumbs-up for his cleverness, the man had already begun fantasizing about becoming the Chess Saint of Faerûn someday. (A moment of remembrance for the original title.)

Thank you all for your enthusiastic support with your recommendation tickets. I've released one of my few saved chapters especially so everyone won't have to wait too long for this cheat.