Zhang Yuan had been focused on hurrying along with his head down when the veteran Steve suddenly came over. "Let's go talk to Skar. We can't let our group continue like this."
Zhang Yuan didn't even look up. "Talk about what? The ore's been stolen, and the dead can't testify. What else can we do?"
"Now I think your judgment back then was right." Steve's words surprised him a little. "I didn't think the Iron Throne was responsible at the time, but I never expected them not only to do it, but to go so far."
"Oh, so now you think the Iron Throne is the culprit? What evidence do you have?" The other man had started questioning him in return.
Steve said apologetically, "We were too arbitrary that day and didn't seriously consider your opinion. But things are different now. Bugbears wouldn't casually work with human mercenaries, much less rob iron ore that can't be eaten or worn."
"There must be a faction coordinating them from behind the scenes while stockpiling and plundering iron ore. The Iron Throne is the prime suspect," Steve declared.
"Oh? Then how do you think they transported the iron ore to Baldur's Gate? I remember the Flaming Fist soldiers had checkpoints and patrols along every major route." The man who had been argued against last time was now arguing back.
"I already apologized. Why won't you let me off?" Steve gave a bitter smile after hearing his own words thrown back at him. "You saw it yourself. They never planned to take the Coast Road. With enough men and local help, they probably went around from the east."
Heh heh, the argumentative man watched Steve with great interest, as though watching a simpleton who could only babble suddenly have an epiphany.
Steve felt a chill under that gaze and had no choice but to continue. "So it's not that we have no leads. On the contrary, we've caught a big fish. Besides—"
He paused, then continued. "Besides, our group's morale has nearly hit rock bottom. If we don't find a target soon, I'm afraid everyone's hearts will truly fall apart."
Do you think you're Uncle Li or something, talking about everyone's hearts falling apart? Zhang Yuan grumbled inwardly. Still, he understood the importance of the matter, and he was even less willing to let his mission end in failure.
Skar had been silently marching since he finished speaking, worrying about how to salvage the dispirited mood within the group, when he saw the veteran and the rookie from his team appear before him together.
Zhang Yuan said nothing and let Steve speak. The latter gave Zhang Yuan a helpless look. "Skar, our enemy has actually already revealed his identity."
The two of them then explained their deductions to Captain Skar, taking turns to speak. After hearing them out, Skar also began to suspect the Iron Throne.
"But where's the evidence? We have neither evidence against the Iron Throne nor any leads on that band of thieves." Skar voiced his concern. "We can't threaten the Iron Throne based on suspicion and deduction alone. They might even turn the accusation back on us."
"Nashkel should know that the Iron Throne is behind the Black Talons, right? Wouldn't they be willing to come forward and testify?" Zhang Yuan asked.
"There were no survivors. We can't prove the Black Talons did it, and Nashkel might even suspect that we acted out of humiliation and anger." Skar shook his head. "Besides, the Iron Throne isn't stupid. They wouldn't leave evidence or leverage in Nashkel's hands."
Nothing worked, and nothing else worked either. The few of them began to feel helpless, and the matter seemed to have fallen back into the same dead end as before.
Suddenly, Zhang Yuan spoke. "What if we could locate the bandits' lair?"
"What if? If we really manage to find those bandits' hideout, the Flaming Fist will make them pay, and the Iron Throne behind them won't escape justice either." Skar spoke harshly, but then he slammed his fist against the table in frustration. "The problem is that there is no 'if.' Those bastards vanished without a trace. We don't even have a lead."
"The caravan was attacked northeast of Nashkel, while the bandits headed north after robbing the ore." Steve gestured repeatedly across the map. "Everything north of the attack site as far as Valley Town, and east as far as Firewine Bridge, belongs to the Wulgarst Ruins. It's all badlands and desert terrain, without even a forest. There's no way it could provide enough water and supplies for so many people to survive."
Skar picked up the thread. "Besides, with so many bandits, the wilderness around the Wulgarst Ruins couldn't conceal them. The patrolling guards would have discovered them by now."
"Then there's only one possibility: they crossed Valley Town and continued north into Sharp Tooth Forest. Only that place could provide enough room for this band of bandits to survive." The two men looked at the map simultaneously.
The man beside them was left dumbfounded. I haven't even said anything yet. How did you two deduce the bandits' base in just a few sentences?
Why didn't you ever seem this clever before?
However, the few of them soon found themselves in a difficult position. Zhang Yuan had already gained some understanding of the geography of the continent of Faerûn—or at least the Sword Coast region—and he understood just how troublesome this would be.
Sharp Tooth Forest wasn't some little grove. It stretched from the Chou Sa River in the north to Valley Town in the south, running through the entire eastern corridor from Dragon Bridge Mouth to Beregost.
What did that mean? To put it in more concrete terms, it was equivalent to the five-day journey everyone had just made from Baldur's Gate to Beregost.
Finding a band of bandits in such a vast area wasn't much different from searching for a needle in the sea. Not to mention the hospitable beasts, monsters, and bandits in the forest, all of whom would be waiting to welcome visitors at any time. There was even a group of thick-headed druids.
"I have an idea. I can find those people's lair." The other two turned toward Zhang Yuan.
"Scouts may not be able to do it, but magic might. Divination magic can obtain information and clues about a target under predetermined conditions." A mage's pride surged within him.
"You specialize in divination magic? A first-level spell can find our target?" Skar was dubious. His unspoken meaning was obvious: I believe in divination magic, but I don't believe in you.
Zhang Yuan's face darkened, but he had no way to argue. "I can't do it myself, but someone in Baldur's Gate can. There are diviners specializing in divination magic at the marketplace in the city center."
Skar grew even more suspicious. "You mean those people who hold tarot cards and spend all day acting mysterious? You weren't swindled, were you?"
This was becoming difficult to explain. Zhang Yuan took a deep breath and had no choice but to persuade him in terms he could understand.
"I know most of those people are scammers. A grandmaster of divination magic isn't common enough to be sold by the pound on the street. But please trust my judgment as a mage. Do you really think I can't tell whether a spell is genuine better than you can?"
He was using his status to pressure Skar—but it worked wonderfully.
As a disadvantaged melee fighter, a lowly warrior was naturally beneath a mage. The advantage of being the captain and having a higher class level usually helped, and the little rookie also didn't dare act too arrogantly.
Besides, they generally had no use for a so-called magical adviser, so everyone—including Zhang Yuan himself—had never taken the identity of a spellcaster particularly seriously.
But this time was different. With no second mage in the group, the others had no way to question the rookie's judgment, even if they had their doubts. When someone struck hard in his own area of expertise, poor Skar could only nod submissively.
Now that they had hope, they needed to set a plan and carry it out immediately. After discussing it for a while, the mage began issuing orders.
"Captain, go report the entire course of this mission and the Iron Throne's involvement to Grand Duke Iltan. I'll go find the diviner."
"Once I get an answer from him, we'll go see Grand Duke Belth together. His merchant guild suffered the greatest losses in this matter. There's no reason to make the Flaming Fist fight alone."
"Also, are there any druids in Baldur's Gate? If not, we can go to Valley Town and ask Reverend Bevin, their natural god's priest, for help. With their assistance, things will be much easier for us in the forest."
The barrage of words left the others dizzy and bewildered. Unable to make heads or tails of it, they could only turn into nodding fools.
Zhang Yuan rarely got to play the leader, and he felt exceptionally good about himself. So this is what it feels like to give orders? It's pretty great.
Once I hold power in my hands, I'll command every wage slave under heaven. After the conversation ended, the man didn't stop for a moment, pointing out what everyone from top to bottom should do. The others were surprised, but seeing Skar go along with it, they endured it.
It wasn't until night fell and everyone made camp and rested for the night that the old tiger Skar finally came to his senses. No matter what, this little fox is only a rookie mage. Why was I afraid of him?
Before you continue