The speaker had no intention, but the listener took it to heart. The moment the words "Time of Troubles" left Tylon's mouth, they seized Zhang Yuan's full attention.
As a veteran D&D player who also enjoyed reading D&D setting novels, Zhang Yuan had specifically studied some of the historical background of Faerûn, the setting of those stories. Naturally, there was no way he could fail to understand what this term represented.
The Time of Troubles began when Ao, the Overgod, ordered the gods to descend upon Toril in mortal form, and ended when the gods returned to the Outer Planes.
The event occurred in 1358 DR, the Year of Shadows—that is, the year 1358 of the Greenfield Reckoning. When people later established the new calendar, the Current Age, they designated this year as Year 1 of the Current Age: 1 PR.
The Trio of Death—the gods of strife, Bane; death, Myrkul; and murder, Bhaal—wanted power surpassing that of the other gods. Thus, they stole the Tablets of Fate from Ao, the Overgod, hoping to uncover the secrets of the three tablets.
When Ao discovered that the tablets had been stolen, he was enraged. He punished Helm, who had been guarding the tablets, and banished the gods to the Prime Material Plane. He left only Helm, the god of guardians, a Lawful Neutral deity, behind to guard the passage between the Prime Material Plane and the Outer Planes. Ao decreed that each god could possess only one Chosen—"one mortal body, one human life"—and ordered them to retrieve the Tablets of Fate. This was known as the Time of Troubles. (The above information came from Baidu.)
The most famous events of that year were undoubtedly the fall of the Trio of Death, including Bhaal's Fall—the cheap old man of Baldur's Gate's protagonist—the murder of Mystra, Goddess of Magic, and the meteoric rise of Cyric the Lucky.
The Time of Troubles referred to far more than the gods descending into the mortal world or falling from godhood. Even more terrifying were the series of reactions and consequences that followed after the entire order of the world had been fundamentally overturned.
Countless ambitious people emerged, and countless conspiracies began to reveal themselves. What followed was an endless cycle of conflict and upheaval, bloodshed and wailing. It was a feast for warlords, but a calamity for commoners.
It was no wonder Tylon had sounded so anxious and anguished when he mentioned the term. For those who had lived through that disaster, five years was far too short—so short that it was nowhere near enough to soothe the scars in their hearts.
Zhang Yuan had no interest in learning about Tylon's personal experiences or emotions, but the information that five years had passed since the Time of Troubles had given him a landmark for establishing this other world's timeline.
Thus, the final piece of the world's puzzle had been found.
Zhang Yuan had wanted to learn the exact date for some time, but he had never found an opportunity to bring it up.
Not knowing the exact date could still be explained by saying he had been too busy to keep track of it. But not even knowing the year? How could he explain that?
He vaguely remembered that Bhaal's Son—the game's protagonist, Abdel Adrian—had been born ten years before the Time of Troubles: 1348 DR.
Bhaal the Murderer, the Great Lover, truly had lofty ambitions. Ten years before his own fall, he had already begun his grand undertaking of sowing his seeds throughout the world.
According to the official setting, Bhaal's Son began his magnificent adventure as the protagonist of an era at the age of twenty: 1368 DR, ten years after Bhaal's fall.
Not bad. At least he had five years to prepare for all the upcoming events and upheavals. Now, all he could do was hope that reality's timeline had not deviated too far.
However, there was still a five-year discrepancy. Whether some of the events that had occurred or items that had existed in the original game world could still be found by following the same clues remained unknown.
There was no use thinking about that now. Zhang Yuan did not even have a place to settle down, and what he needed at present was a stable residence—a small house of his own.
As he watched Maz and Tylon help the Mediterranean man away, Zhang Yuan slowly stood up as well. He walked to the bar, laid out fifteen copper coins, and said, "A jug of Seren Jade Wine."
Surprised by the customer's generosity, the bartender did not immediately take the money. Instead, he asked seriously, "Are you sure? This is the second-most expensive wine here, after Evermist Wine. Of course, it'll definitely make you feel that it's worth the price."
"Yes. Please give me a jug of Jade Wine." Zhang Yuan repeated his confirmation.
The bartender swept the copper coins from the counter into the cashbox, then turned around and carefully took a small keg from the wine rack behind the bar.
Next, he took a silver-like wine flask from a cabinet beneath the bar and slowly poured the wine from the keg into it.
"Your Jade Wine. Please enjoy it." The bartender placed the flask and a matching small cup on a tray and handed it over.
"Thanks." After taking the tray, Zhang Yuan asked the question he had prepared in advance. "I only arrived in this city the day before yesterday. Aside from the half-true rumors told by street minstrels and the drunken boasts of mercenaries, I know practically nothing about it."
Hearing this, the bartender said as if out of goodwill, "Why don't you stay at our tavern for a while? Not to brag, but I, Nan Qu, can tell you that you won't find a more comfortable inn than ours in Baldur's Gate."
"Oh?" Zhang Yuan gave a suggestive—or rather, sly—smile. "What about Elven Song?"
The bartender swallowed the words he had been about to say. There was no way he could continue boasting that his tavern was more popular than Elven Song, the most luxurious and comfortable establishment in Baldur's Gate.
"Since you know so much, sir, there's no need to make fun of old Nan Qu." Realizing that the outsider before him was not the ignorant bumpkin he claimed to be, the bartender offered an awkward smile, and his tone became much more serious.
Having given the other man a small jab, Zhang Yuan did not press the advantage. He said just as seriously, "I've been spending the nights at your tavern these past few days, and I have no complaints about your inn. But I'm sure you can understand that everyone needs some personal space."
He paused, then continued, "I intend to live in this city, and I also need a house of my own. I wonder if you could give me some advice?"
With that, Zhang Yuan tried his best to put on a sincere and earnest expression as he looked at the bartender, Nan Qu.
Unexpectedly, he had been throwing seductive glances at a blind man. After hearing Zhang Yuan's request, the bartender lowered his head and wiped the glasses on the counter while pondering something.
The corner of Zhang Yuan's eye had gone sore from staring, so he could only blink his innocent eyes. He lowered his head as well and admired and toyed with the wine flask on the tray.
They said you got what you paid for. Compared to the old wooden cups used for serving beer, this wine flask was practically a work of art.
Its slender, elongated neck resembled a dancer's narrow waist. It gradually narrowed from the top downward until, at roughly two-thirds of its total height, it suddenly swelled outward in a smooth, graceful curve, making the entire flask resemble a woman with a supple figure.
The silver body was covered in exquisite, delicate raised engravings. Judging by the patterns of surging waves and tridents, they seemed to be praises dedicated to that lecherous queen.
Just as Zhang Yuan was about to examine it further, the bartender's deep voice reached his ears. "Baldur's Gate has never lacked beautiful, comfortable residences. They simply aren't prepared for everyone."
"Two thousand gold pieces! That's the lower limit. If you want to own a house in the inner city, you'll need at least that much." The bartender spat out a figure that made one particular miser's heart leap into his throat.
Before you continue