The Flaming Fist mercenary guild was responsible for the security and defense of all Baldur's Gate, and its headquarters completely overturned Zhang Yuan's previous understanding of the word "mercenary," formed from reading fantasy novels.
The towering headquarters building was laid out with a grandeur no less impressive than the Grand Duke's mansion.
As the guild headquarters, its architecture had an intensely military-fortress style. Every building was surrounded and protected by thick walls and several watchtowers.
Rather than a guild building, it was more like a sturdy fortress stronghold.
Just as Zhang Yuan was about to enter through the gate, a guard stopped him. "Show your identification papers." A tall, stern-faced, wooden-looking Flaming Fist soldier extended a hand, signaling him to stop.
They check residence permits in another world too? What do you think this is, the Imperial Capital or the Demon Capital? This country bumpkin was genuinely shocked. With no connections here, he was currently a complete undocumented resident. How could he possibly produce any proof of identity?
"What do you need as proof of identity?" Zhang Yuan asked carefully, intending to gather information.
"A letter of guarantee from a citizen of Baldur's Gate, a residence permit issued by the city hall, certification from a professional guild, or mercenary identification will all do." The guard recited the sentence without the slightest change in tone, as if he were reading from a book.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot to bring it today. Goodbye!" Having gotten nowhere, Zhang Yuan tossed out the words and prepared to leave. Just then, several young people dressed in mage robes passed by nearby, chatting and laughing as they entered a luxurious mansion.
We're both mages. I'm homeless while other people have luxury villas. Zhang Yuan felt miserable. Different people really do have different fates.
Wait, mages? Why can't I, a great mage myself, use magic to prove my identity?
Mage Armor had already been cast according to his memories, so that left only Lesser Malison.
Having made up his mind, Zhang Yuan looked around for a small animal he could use as a target. He had no choice—he couldn't exactly cast it on a person, could he? He had come to make inquiries, not cause trouble.
After searching the area for quite some time, he finally found a large rat hiding in a dark corner. Zhang Yuan turned around and walked back toward the gate guards. Pointing at the rat, he shouted, "Look at that rat!"
He then began chanting the spell, his hands tracing one casting gesture after another. Judging by appearances alone, it was enough to intimidate ordinary people.
"Vita, Mortis, Careo." As the final note fell, an eerie red sphere of light shot from his hand and struck the large rat before it could react.
The rat, hardly innocent, died on the spot. A pale white glow flew rapidly from its corpse toward a certain culprit.
As the white light merged into his body, Zhang Yuan felt as if he had drunk a minor healing potion. The skin that had been scraped raw in numerous places by his coarse clothing instantly returned to its former unblemished state.
"This must be the life force absorbed by the spell." As one of the few spells in the arcane school capable of healing, its effect made Zhang Yuan feel that it had been well worth the trouble.
After killing the rat with Lesser Malison right in front of the guards, Zhang Yuan stared at the guard without saying a word. This guy knows I'm a mage now. Shouldn't he respectfully escort me inside?
Who could have expected the guard to look at Zhang Yuan in confusion and say, "Thank you for eliminating a pest from our city, but we can't let you in just because you killed a rat, can we?"
??? Ten thousand grass-mud horses seemed to stampede through Zhang Yuan's heart beneath a cloud of question marks. Never having expected that answer, Zhang simply stood there like a wooden post, unable to say a word.
Fortunately, the clueless one was only the guard in front of him. Another guard hurried over and apologized on his companion's behalf, then turned around and scolded him. "Wasn't that spell just now cast by the mage before us? Could a genuine spell possibly be less convincing than a piece of paper?"
The tall guard who had been scolded looked completely stunned. He gave an embarrassed, foolish chuckle, bowed, and withdrew.
The guard who had come over explained to Zhang Yuan, "Mister Mage, my companion didn't mean to make things difficult for you. He's just rather slow on the uptake. By the way, my name is Kent. May I ask your esteemed name?"
Seeing how courteous the other man was, Zhang Yuan understood that this was perhaps a privilege reserved for mages. As a rare spellcasting profession, they always received preferential treatment, whether openly or in secret. If this had been some penniless warrior who forgot his identification papers and started waving a sword around at someone's gate, do you think they'd let him in?
Zhang Yuan thought for a moment, then had a little idea. "No need for formalities. You can call me Charnem."
"Master Charnem? Please, follow me." Kent found Zhang Yuan's alias a little strange but didn't think much of it, assuming that names in Kara-Tur simply differed somewhat.
Following Kent through the gate and straight toward the Flaming Fist guild office, Zhang Yuan learned during their conversation that the tall guard's name was Sorey.
After cautiously managing his conversation with Kent the whole way, Zhang Yuan finally arrived at the office. The thought of no longer having to make up tales about the customs and amusing anecdotes of his homeland, "Kara-Tur," to deal with the curious man beside him brought a sigh of relief.
After hearing Kent's introduction, the receptionist at the Flaming Fist office treated Zhang Yuan fairly courteously. "Respected Master Mage, to avoid today's trouble, you can obtain a certificate from either the Flaming Fist or the mage tower. However, our fee is much cheaper than theirs."
After asking about the price, Zhang Yuan reluctantly took out five silver coins to exchange for the document, then explained the original purpose of his visit.
The receptionist, having just made a tidy sum from him, did not immediately act as Zhang Yuan's real estate agent. Instead, he suggested, "Since you're a mage, you could easily join one of the mage towers or spellcasting organizations in Baldur's Gate. Alternatively, you could sign a contract with the Flaming Fist. That way, you wouldn't have to spend your own money on lodging."
The man's words were sincere, and Zhang Yuan could also hear the attempt to recruit him. However, he could only politely decline. "Thank you for your enthusiasm, but I'm not being modest when I say this: I'm only a novice mage. How could I possibly serve as a mage for the Flaming Fist? Please find someone more suitable."
Zhang Yuan continued, "I plan to take some time to consider which spellcasting organization to join. In the meantime, I hope to find a place to stay in Baldur's Gate. I can accept either renting a room or boarding with someone."
The rejected receptionist did not take offense. His mood was simply less enthusiastic than before. He nodded and said, "Boarding isn't handled by us, but if you want to rent some of the old houses south of the city gate, you can pay the deposit here first. We'll send someone to accompany you while you choose one."
When Zhang Yuan asked about the deposit and learned that the minimum was fifty gold coins, he sucked in a cold breath and immediately wanted to turn around and leave.
Seeing Zhang Yuan's predicament, the receptionist kindly suggested that he take on bounty missions from the Flaming Fist guild. "After all, plenty of fine young men here would be interested in forming a party with a mage. Earning enough of a bounty shouldn't be too difficult."
A penny can bring a hero to his knees. At present, this was the only relatively reliable way to make money, so Zhang Yuan decided to accept the suggestion. At the same time, he made up his mind to start with the simplest missions—preferably beating up goblins or fat monsters, those pathetic weaklings.
With the words "play it safe" practically carved across his face, Zhang Yuan naturally put caution first. But why didn't he simply refuse to take any missions?
Ever since learning that he had arrived in Faerûn, a world fraught with danger, Zhang Yuan had never dared hope that he could live out his life peacefully. No one could survive by hiding forever, not even a mage.
Whether it was the appearance of the Children of Bhaal or the emergence of other major events, each would become a catastrophe sweeping across an entire nation or even several nations. If he still lacked the power to control his own fate by then, he would be placing his life in someone else's hands. That was something he absolutely could not accept.
As for finding a mage tower and studying spells there until the end of time?
However, being a mage was not a profession one could master simply by shutting oneself away and studying hard. Without capital and experience, that path would only become more difficult. After all, the saying that poor people couldn't afford to become mages was no joke—it was stark reality.
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