The Journey Begins

The next morning, just as the first rays of dawn touched the distant land, the entire squad had already assembled and was ready to depart.

Without even time for breakfast, everyone silently checked their luggage and equipment, collected their rations, and then marched towards the city gates.

Skarr led the way, of course, but Zhang Yuan, with his sharp eyes, noticed that their cheap captain wasn't wearing the full plate armor he so cherished, maintaining with oiling every three days. Instead, he was dressed in a dusty set of chainmail, like a common mercenary.

Looking around, Zhang Yuan saw that almost all Flaming Fist insignia were removed or covered, and the flag raised at the front of the procession wasn't the fiery red Flaming Fist, but the emblem of the Seven Suns Merchant Alliance.

Zhang Yuan, understanding that the squad was operating in secret to conceal their identities, was also silently wondering who the Flaming Fist's opponent might be.

Since his transmigration, Zhang Yuan had gained some understanding of Baldur's Gate's political landscape through his in-game observations and conversations with teammates.

Baldur's Gate had four high-ranking leaders:

Grand Duke Anta Silver Shield, representing the traditional nobility and deeply entrenched in the city's maritime trade;

Grand Duke Eltan, who commanded the Flaming Fist, the city's largest military organization, responsible for maintaining order and security in Baldur's Gate;

Grand Duchess Lilarra Jenness, a mage herself with good relations with other mage organizations, responsible for coordinating with them and facilitating exchanges of interest;

And finally, Grand Duke Belt (Waist), who had close ties and intricate financial dealings with the merchant alliances.

This structure of cooperation and mutual checks and balances among the four high-ranking council members had been in place for a considerable time. Even with inevitable conflicts of interest, they were merely internal disputes. Compromise and negotiation were the norm, and outright betrayal and violence were unheard of.

Moreover, this mission was a commission from the council itself. What would be the point of them staging it themselves?

After basically ruling out the possibility of other Grand Dukes being involved, Zhang Yuan, without much thought, set his suspicions on the Iron Throne.

Compared to their peak five years later, when they would dominate Baldur's Gate and even influence many regions of the Sword Coast, the Iron Throne at this time was merely a fledgling.

But even as a fledgling, they were a robust one.

In the shadows of the Grand Dukes' imposing stature, the Iron Throne was constantly accumulating strength and expanding its network.

Whether it was buying up the mining and iron manufacturing industries or hoarding vast quantities of ore and weapons, or befriending and currying favor with minor nobles, or engaging in diplomacy with Chambly and Amn in the distance, all revealed their restless ambition.

However, to put it plainly, the current Iron Throne was just a commercial organization. The only difference between them and other merchant alliances was their greater wealth and power. Zhang Yuan couldn't understand where the Iron Throne got the audacity and confidence to tamper with the Grand Dukes' interests.

He hurried to catch up with Skarr ahead and asked the question weighing on his mind.

"You actually guessed it was the Iron Throne? Should I consider that a Mage's intuition?" Skarr's surprise made Zhang Yuan feel both proud and slightly annoyed.

"However, you got one thing wrong. We're just guarding against the Iron Throne interfering in this matter, not assuming they are the culprits," Skarr explained without stopping. "Besides, the Iron Throne alone wouldn't dare to clash with the dukes, not even with the corrupt elements they've bought over. But the Iron Throne organization isn't as simple as you think; it's different from other commercial organizations."

He paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts. "If ordinary merchant guilds are composed of merchants and commoners, driven by money and profit, then the Iron Throne is entirely different. Its high-level core is almost entirely composed of nobles, even great nobles. What they desire goes far beyond mere money."

"Great nobles have joined them? For what?" Even Zhang Yuan, aware of the Iron Throne's ambitions, was somewhat surprised.

"Why? The influence of the Four Grand Dukes extends to every aspect of Baldur's Gate. But the more this is the case, the more some people become discontented. There will always be those who will do anything to seize any opportunity to break through their current ceiling."

Skarr's tone became serious. "Be careful of Gern, Cloudwolf, and the Greensman family of Reta."

His doubts cleared but replaced by even more questions, Zhang Yuan didn't return to the rear of the formation. He walked alongside Skarr, chatting idly with his cheap captain.

For the past month, he had basically been confined to the encampment for training. Even when he had free time, he lacked the energy to wander around. Since there was nothing else to do on the road, he might as well try to gather some information or rumors about Baldur's Gate.

The Flaming Fist contingent had reached the main city gates. After presenting the Seven Suns Merchant Alliance's documents, they passed through smoothly. At this moment, two men emerged from the side, waving them over.

Skarr seemed familiar with these two, directly signaling them to join the squad. Zhang Yuan asked curiously, "Are they Flaming Fist too?"

"No," Skarr denied. "But they are Clerics of the Temple of Helm, invited by the Duke to join this escort mission."

It made sense after a moment's thought. The squad he had joined had a balanced personnel configuration, complete with melee fighters, ranged attackers, and rogues. There was even Zhang Yuan, the mediocre mage. The only missing piece was a Cleric.

After a subtle observation, Zhang Yuan found that these two men perfectly fit his perception of Clerics:

Tall, sturdy figures, clad in enchanted full plate armor, with holy texts hanging from their belts, and carrying shields and maces on their backs. They looked like capable Clerics, ready to charge into battle and smash enemy skulls, or to cast divine spells and heal teammates.

As if sensing someone's gaze, one of the bald Clerics shifted his attention towards him.

Zhang Yuan quickly put on a smile. He breathed a sigh of relief after the other nodded and looked away. After all, healing classes were the daddies of melee fighters.

Not far from the city gates lay the Wyrm's Bridge. The rushing Chou Sa River beneath the bridge originated from the Dragon's Well and flowed westward into the vast and boundless Sea of Swords. It had been like this a thousand years ago, and it remained so a thousand years later. Three towering bridge arches stood like ancient legendary Titans, supporting the bridge, which was entirely constructed from dark brown giant stones. The bases of the piers were cast in the shape of stone ships.

The entire great bridge, at a glance, resembled a dormant black dragon, lying quietly on the Chou Sa River, allowing the bustling crowds on both banks to tread upon its back.

Crossing the Wyrm's Bridge, they traveled south along the Coast Road. The Coast Road, connecting the north and south of the entire Sword Coast, was like the main artery of this commercial region, carrying the lifeblood of merchant guilds and the blood of wealth.

On both sides of the road, as far as the eye could see, were vast plains and scattered farmsteads. In November, the continent of Faerûn had entered the embrace of the winter goddess Oghma. A slightly chilling wind howled from the World's Spine in the north, rushing towards the distant land and whistling and circling over the plains of the Sword Coast, causing the abandoned straw on the farmlands and pastures to lie fallen or scatter in the wind.

This was the outskirts of Baldur's Gate, the area where the Flaming Fist's power could still reach. Zhang Yuan, who rarely ventured out, gazed into the distance, appreciating the foreign scenery and enjoying this last bit of tranquility.