How can a mage's actions be considered stealing?

As the season on Faerûn turned, the desolate Fallen Leaves Month of whistling autumn winds had long passed, replaced by the gradually chilling and increasingly evident decay of the Rotting Moon.

Though the Sword Coast region, situated on the Tropic of Cancer, was not yet plunged into the frigid darkness of Neverwinter or even Icewind Dale, it had nonetheless settled into the rhythm of winter.

Despite the Flaming Fist squad arriving around 4 PM, the sky was no longer bright. The clouds were gradually being dyed red by the setting sun, and under this dim light, a figure walked directly towards the Feld Hotel.

The owner of this figure was naturally Archmage Zhang Yuan. Since the team was to rest for the night in Beregost, Skaso decided to give the lads a break, as long as they returned for the night.

Zhang Yuan, who had politely declined invitations from the Dwarf Shield Axe Warrior Bard and the Great Swordsman Minsc, intended to scout for enemies alone. However, at the entrance, he unexpectedly encountered Lawrence, that old lecher.

Speaking of which, he and Lawrence were no strangers. The lecherous old man, who always had a silver tongue, met Zhang Yuan, whose knowledge of erotic literature was as vast as the ocean and as uninhibited as a wild horse, and it was a meeting of equals. Perhaps "fellow travelers in depravity" would be a more fitting description.

Lawrence, who had only ever heard of things like "noble ladies' outing adventures" and "countess's secret gardens,"—literary works with cliché plots and dry writing—was utterly captivated when someone recounted masterpieces like "Golden Scale," "Lamp Grass," and "Ali," finding them so profound that he couldn't forget them for days.

During their usual chats, Lawrence lamented that they hadn't met sooner. He answered almost every question Zhang Yuan asked, providing a good deal of valuable intelligence. Of course, whether it was true or not was another matter.

Lawrence also spotted the great literary figure Zhang Yuan. Seeing the latter wave him over, Zhang Yuan couldn't pretend not to see him. Joining Lawrence's group, he took a look at the two companions Lawrence had brought.

One was a somewhat frail young man, shorter in stature, who greeted Zhang Yuan proactively. The other, a tall, well-built man with a stern face, nodded after Zhang Yuan offered a friendly greeting.

"Let me introduce you. These are two friends I knew from before. This is Duncan, and this is Mal."

After some pleasantries, the four entered the Feld Hotel together. The hotel, unimpressive from the outside, held a different charm within. Its luxuriousness was in no way inferior to Baldur's Gate's Elven Song, though its size and liveliness were somewhat less.

The group ordered some drinks and sat around a square table, chatting about all sorts of topics while watching beautiful dancers perform to the accompaniment of a seven-stringed zither.

Duncan incessantly pressed Lawrence for details about his experiences in Baldur's Gate. Lawrence could only fob him off with odd anecdotes or gossip from the Seven Suns Merchant Alliance. It seemed this old lecher wasn't as unreliable as he appeared; at least he had some sense of discretion.

Mal, on the other hand, was not interested in any of this. Only when asked did he reveal a hint of unease about the surrounding situation and worry for his son.

Zhang Yuan, with other matters on his mind, offered a few perfunctory responses and didn't join their conversation. Instead, his eyes darted around, observing the hotel's surroundings. It was indeed luxurious. Not to mention the soft, comfortable carpets underfoot, even the vibrant pigeon-blood red velvet cloth covering the tables was worth a week's income for some poor soul.

Not far away, several noblewomen in exquisite long dresses, adorned with dazzling jewels, sat far from others, quietly listening to a minstrel's song. No one dared to intrude, as if acknowledging the existence of this VIP area.

Finding the minstrel's performance rather mediocre, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but maliciously speculate: Could they be here to keep young gigolos?

Suddenly, a small incident occurred. A middle-aged man, dressed gaudily and corpulent, wearing a golden-yellow coat, with a pink cape draped over his back, a receding hairline, and a belly of fat that unashamedly bulged out, opening his shirt slightly.

Yet, this garish and greasy man unceremoniously sat in a chair next to the noblewomen. Although the noblewomen ignored him, they didn't object.

Zhang Yuan, marveling at the sight, inquired about this peculiar man from his companions. Lawrence and Mal shook their heads one after another, but Duncan chuckled:

"You mean this guy? His name is Aginon. He started as a down-on-his-luck merchant, even mortgaging his assets, and could only stay here temporarily. Later, somehow, he rallied and persuaded several guild members to do business together and turned his fortunes around. He's quite a figure in Beregost now, and everyone is willing to give him face."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan roughly understood what was going on. It turned out Aginon was quite talented, using a cape of charisma to achieve the effect of a fruit of influence. He couldn't help but raise his evaluation of this item, and of course, his desire for it grew.

With a plan forming in his mind, Zhang Yuan subtly asked Duncan about the situation of the noblewomen. As expected of Lawrence's friend, this little lecher had information about these ladies readily available.

After a while, having drunk a few cups of wine, Zhang Yuan excused himself to use the restroom, but instead, he took a detour to a waiter, pulling out a silver coin:

"Lady Garian's husband has some questions about recent events at the Feld Hotel, or rather, the knight is very interested in some matters concerning this merchant who is always bothering his wife."

He pointed to Lady Garian, the most voluptuous of the noblewomen, and handed over the silver coin.

The waiter took the silver coin without a word and, lowering his voice, whispered into Zhang Yuan's ear: "Go upstairs, turn left, the first room."

As if to justify the silver coin, he added: "Han Feizi's performance will end in about three quarters of an hour. He'll also return to his room to rest then."

Three quarters of an hour, that's about forty-five minutes. Enough time!

Returning to his seat, Zhang Yuan first asked Duncan for the location of the town's clothing store and then calmly excused himself, claiming he needed to buy clothes.

Zhang Yuan left the Feld Hotel and headed straight for the clothing store. He couldn't be bothered to haggle and bought a pink cloak similar in style to Aginon's, and also a grey outer robe.

Feeling the pinch of spending a full eight silver coins, he could only consider it an early investment. "To think I got a magic cloak for less than a gold piece, it's a huge profit!" After comforting himself, Zhang Yuan felt much better.

Back at the Feld, wearing his new robe, he made a show of it to his companions, basking in their compliments, and then continued to pretend to drink and brag.

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, calculating that the minstrel's performance was almost over, he once again excused himself to use the restroom, leaving behind the strange looks of the old lecher and the young lecher.

After a bit of wandering, he went to Aginon's room on the second floor. At this moment, the room's owner was still downstairs, eagerly accompanying the noblewomen while listening to music. It was the perfect opportunity to set things up.

Hiding in a corner of the room, Zhang Yuan released the key player in this plan—Shirley!

Shirley was no ordinary snow ferret; as a magical familiar, she possessed innate stealth, hiding, and pickpocketing abilities comparable to a rogue. Coupled with her small size, she was incredibly effective at dirty work.

It was rather strange, though, that such a master thief was a familiar of a lawful alignment... Hmmmmm.

Through the telepathic link between the familiar and the mage, Zhang Yuan gestured and explained the upcoming plan to Shirley. Everything was ready; all that was left was for the protagonist to appear, and the show was about to begin.