Zhang Yuan did not rush to accept a mission after arriving at the bounty board. Instead, he looked around, planning to find a party to join first.
As a newcomer who had never even killed a chicken, let alone received any survival training, he knew his own limitations.
As he looked around, a familiar, towering figure caught his eye. Zhang Yuan walked over and patted the big man's shoulder. "Hey, Sorr, it's me, Charnem."
The big man turned around and froze for a moment when he saw Zhang Yuan. He scratched his head, then lowered it to look at him. "Oh, you're that mage, right? What do you want?"
"I plan to take on some missions to earn money. Do you have a regular mercenary party?" Zhang Yuan had learned from Kent that although the big man was somewhat slow-witted, he was extremely reliable in both strength and character, so he extended an invitation.
The big man blinked his tiny eyes, looking unexpectedly adorable, and said in a deep, muffled voice, "I already have a regular party. I can't join yours."
Seeing that the other man had misunderstood him, Zhang Yuan got straight to the point. "Does your party still need anyone? Would you welcome a mage?"
The big man looked extremely hesitant. "I don't know. I have to discuss it with the captain and the others."
Just as Sorr was explaining, a man clad in full armor and carrying a longsword and shield suddenly walked over. He slapped Sorr on the head and laughingly scolded him, "By the time you're done thinking, he'll already be gone. Couldn't you invite him to our base to discuss it?"
The big man chuckled twice after being smacked on the head. He did not argue, simply stepping aside and leaving the newcomer to speak with Zhang Yuan.
"Hello. I'm this fellow Sorr's captain. I'm glad to hear that you intend to join our party. My name is Skar." The man extended his hand in a gesture of friendship.
Zhang Yuan froze for a moment when he heard that name. Of all the many members of the Flaming Fist, Skar was one of the few names he could still remember from the game.
Coming back to himself, Zhang Yuan shook Skar's hand and replied, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain Skar. You can just call me Charnem."
"Very well. Then may I know your class level and school of magic, Mr. Charnem?"
When the subject of his spellcasting level came up, Zhang Yuan spoke with some embarrassment. "I'm a level-one mage of the universal school. At present, I know seven first-level spells."
Afraid that his low class level would get him rejected, Zhang Yuan hurriedly added, "But my physical abilities are pretty good. I can undergo melee training."
That was true. Although there was no way to measure exactly how strong his body had become after being modified by the system, he could clearly feel the difference. Whether it was the more defined muscles on his body or his lighter steps when walking, even after eating poorly and sleeping badly since crossing over, he still woke up full of energy every morning.
The system had not lied to him after all. Whether it was the spells he had successfully cast or his improved physical abilities, the Bladesinger class he had taken must truly exist.
After joining the mercenary party, he could have its professional warriors train him and see whether he could develop his Bladesinger class. Zhang Yuan secretly schemed as he considered how to persuade them to accept him.
"No problem. Welcome to our party!" Skar made his decision without hesitation.
"Uh... thanks." Zhang Yuan had not expected him to agree so readily and did not know what to say. All the reasons he had prepared had become useless.
"Is it unusual for a mage to join the Flaming Fist?" Zhang Yuan asked, genuinely curious that he had been invited so easily.
Skar sighed. "Do you think those mage lords are that easy to hire? Either they're nobles with so much money that they don't need to worry about it, or they've been raised by mentors since childhood and have no need to come earn this kind of bounty."
"Only wandering mages without roots in the area would accept missions from the Mercenary Guild. What's more, quite a few of them simply become spell advisers to nobles," Skar continued.
"But I only know first-level spells. Aren't you worried that I won't be strong enough?" Since the other man was so easygoing, Zhang Yuan became much more straightforward as well.
Skar chuckled, then said, "First-level spells can already provide some assistance. Besides, let me ask you this: do you have a fixed salary?"
Zhang Yuan understood somewhat. "No. You mean the party's income distribution?"
"Exactly. You catch on quickly. You're not a member of the Flaming Fist, and you don't have a fixed salary, so we only need to give you a share of each bounty." Skar straightened his expression and seriously reminded Zhang Yuan, "Aside from the members' fixed salaries, all our party's other income is divided according to performance and contribution. So as an outside member, if you can't keep up, you won't receive any special treatment even if you are a mage."
Zhang Yuan did not feel any resistance toward those words. If anything, he felt more at ease. After all, he did not think he was important enough to be admitted so easily and given generous treatment.
If something like money falling from the sky happened, there were usually only two possibilities: either your secretly billionaire parents had specially set up a company for you to practice with, or you had run into some organization whose members greeted everyone by asking, "Have you heard of Amway?"
And so, Zhang followed Skar and the big man to the party's base, filled with curiosity, anticipation, and the nervousness of someone going to a job interview.
Calling it a base was a bit of an exaggeration. It was actually a private residence with its own small courtyard. After they pushed open the door, they found all kinds of training equipment laid out inside: stone weights, barbells, archery targets, and everything else one could want. It was practically a small training ground.
After crossing the training ground, the group arrived at the entrance of the residence. It was a two-story, flat-roofed building constructed entirely from large, sturdy stones. The windows were all very small, and a low wall surrounded the flat roof. That low wall even had little crenellations...
Zhang Yuan grimaced. Did I really come to a mercenary party's base? This looks more like a Japanese pillbox!
This architectural style, which was of the same lineage as the Flaming Fist headquarters and even the Grand Duke's residence, could only mean one thing: Baldur's Gate, and indeed most of the Sword Coast, rarely dared to hope for peace. As a result, every important building was designed with military use as its first consideration.
Thinking of this, Zhang Yuan felt his heart grow even heavier. He shook his head, forcing the jumble of thoughts out of his mind, and followed Skar into the building.
Once inside, however, he found the base unexpectedly quiet. Aside from a few members still training hard in the courtyard, there was practically no one in the dormitory.
Skar seemed to notice his confusion. "Today, apart from Sorr and me being assigned to guard headquarters, the other members are either on leave or out on missions. Enough about that. Come with me."
Skar led Zhang Yuan upstairs, then pointed at several empty rooms. "All the rooms downstairs are occupied. There are still a few empty rooms up here, so pick whichever one you like."
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