Baron Bisadas

The tall man jogged up to Punk, performing a mock noble servant's bow that was completely off. As he tried to bend his waist deeper, his inelastic burlap clothes creaked.

It was obvious his routine was based on hearsay; he probably hadn't even seen a real noble servant bow before.

Punk had no intention of acknowledging his bizarre etiquette. He wasn't surprised the man recognized him as a Mage; the glow on his robe was visible to anyone with eyes. However, the man's fawning, sycophantic demeanor and his sudden approach made Punk deeply uncomfortable. Punk was currently in a state of caution, and any object that approached him suddenly would provoke an urge to attack.

"Hon... Honorable Mage, this is Baron Bisadas's fief. Do you... do you have any... any commands!"

The tall man seemed to sense Punk's displeasure, taking two steps back and becoming even more timid.

"Take me to your Baron!"

At this moment, half of Punk's face was hidden by the hood of his robe, making him appear as a mysterious and noble Mage.

The tall man seemed to want to ask something else, but he could only manage to twitch his throat, awkwardly squeezing out a voice crack.

"Please... please follow me, Mage Lord."

Punk was somewhat surprised by this answer. Logically, a noble of the Baronial rank should reside in a town, even in a small kingdom, and their fief should encompass dozens of villages surrounding the town. Punk had expected the tall man to name a town. But judging by his current reaction... this Baron actually lived in this very village.

It wasn't until Punk "interrogated" the tall man bit by bit, like squeezing toothpaste, that he learned the Baron's full name was Aikland Bisadas. He was now over fifty years old and was a declining... no, a ruined minor noble. He had also heard that he had been suppressed for offending some "big shot." Currently, he only had three villages as his fief, and his Baronial mansion was built on a small hill south of Mok Village. This tall man was a servant responsible for managing the commoners at Baron Bisadas's mansion.

So he was just a fallen noble. Punk felt he had overreacted. On the Faerun plane, any Professional could theoretically converse as an equal with any noble, including kings. Although in reality, "theoretically" was influenced by various factors to varying degrees, Punk was still a third-level Mage Apprentice (he had leveled up through constant meditation and spell practice along the way). A powerless, ruined Baron posed no threat to him!

However, he still needed to come up with a surname for himself so as not to lose face. In this world, only nobles and Professionals could have surnames; commoners were not allowed to.

Treading on the uneven country dirt road, Punk arrived at what was clearly a dilapidated "villa." But as Punk approached, his expression grew more solemn. He could sense a Professional at the same Apprentice Level as himself within the villa, whose iron fence was even rusted.

After Punk indicated that he didn't need the tall man to lead him any further, the tall man, who had been trembling with fear from the mysterious Mage all along, practically fled. This made Punk stroke his smooth chin.

"Am I that scary?"

Just as Punk was about to tap the Baron's fence gate with his staff, the main door of the house suddenly burst open. A figure clad in steel armor, carrying a knight's shield and lance, leaped from the doorway, covering more than ten meters. He landed precisely outside the iron fence. With a crisp clang of armor, a cloud of dust spread from the Knight's landing spot!

"Wow, a rare Ma~ge! To think there'd be another Professional in this kinda place besides me, how... unbelievable!"

After speaking, he casually kicked a clod of dirt, raising another small cloud of dust.

This Knight who "popped out" was a young man with blond hair. His build seemed about the same as Punk's, but he wore a set of heavy-looking knight's armor with apparent ease.

This sudden turn of events caused Punk to almost instinctively begin constructing an Apprentice-level Abjuration spell model in his soul – Lesser Haste. He only paused when he saw that the crazy Knight made no further hostile moves.

Punk looked at the surrounding terrain and found that the Knight's landing spot was precisely in an open area that was advantageous for both attack and defense. If his landing spot wasn't a coincidence... then he wasn't as unreliable as he appeared!

"Kane, is this how you entertain guests from afar? Where did the noble etiquette I taught you go!"

A middle-aged man leaning on a cane walked out from the doorway. This middle-aged man had blond hair styled immaculately, every strand perfectly in place, forming a stark contrast to the messy, fluttering strands of the blond youth beside him. He was wearing a simple, ancient gray formal suit, its edges neatly pointing towards the ground.

The middle-aged man strode out of the doorway and performed a perfect noble bow, as if carved from a mold:

"I am Baron Aikland Bisadas. My unruly eldest son, Kane, has made you laugh."

"Hey, hey, how am I unruly? My style is super~ cool, you know..."

The blond youth Kane beside him retorted noisily, only mumbling a few times and falling silent after the Baron shot him a glare.

"I am Punk Saian, a traveling Mage, and I was hoping to visit the nearby city."

Punk returned a Mage's bow of equal standard. He didn't forget to keep an eye on the seemingly unreliable Knight. The Baron's evaluation of his son just now held no hint of reprimand; instead, it was filled with immense pride.

"These father and son are probably playing good cop, bad cop, trying to throw me off balance. Little do they know, this trick is ancient history on Earth."

Punk thought to himself as he calmly said, "It's alright, I think your eldest son is quite 'energetic'!"

Tit for tat, no holds barred.

Punk was very displeased with Kane's sudden, provocative behavior. Now was the perfect time to use the Baron's words to retort.

"You're only a few years older than me, kid, and that look on your face is so infuriating!"

Kane's body language seemed very expressive. His gestures were grand, and the clanging of his armor sounded crisp, making him look like he was about to charge into a fight. However, Punk sensed that the battle qi within him had calmed down.

"Haha, young people are so full of spirit."

Finally, the Baron, with his seasoned experience, seized the moment and laughed it off.

"If you don't mind, please stay and try our simple fare. You know, the wheat from Mok Village is exceptionally fragrant."

"Then I shall not impose."

Since the other party had shown goodwill, Punk didn't mind reciprocating with some sincerity. He still needed to obtain information about the city from the Baron. When the power gap between the two parties was not significant, it was necessary to sit down for a "friendly" exchange. After all, Punk had already analyzed through the System that Kane was also a third-level Professional. Without any conflict of interest, there was no need to provoke a dispute. Moreover, Punk was quite curious how a Professional, a Knight no less, who was only slightly less rare than a Mage, appeared in such a remote and impoverished place.