Within High Hedge Castle

The three people trailing the golem dared not look around. Even so, what they saw and heard along the way was overwhelming for these country bumpkins, opening their eyes wide.

Take the Golem Workshop they had just passed, for instance. At first glance, the two-meter-tall Flesh Golem was merely the most unremarkable of the constructs. Others like the Clay Golem, Stone Golem, and even Iron Golems were listed, and apart from the legendary Diamond Golem and Mithril Golem, most of the mainstream golems in the mage world were present.

The golems in the workshop were not assembled and mobile like the one before them. Some were missing one or two parts, quietly waiting on the workbench for assembly, while others existed merely as components, lacking even a humanoid form, identifiable only by their material.

Passing the workshop, a cultivation room on the left caused the trio further astonishment. The ceiling of this cultivation room was higher than that of other rooms, with a light source suspended from it, emitting a bright but not dazzling glow onto the various plants below. This must be Faerûn's unique greenhouse and artificial light source.

The plants in the greenhouse competed in beauty, with vastly different species. There were tall trees with sword-shaped leaves that drooped like willows, their trunks and branches emitting a faint blue fluorescence.

There were vibrant, giant flowers as large as washbasins, their petals like flames, burning with an intense red, and their centers cupped inwards like volcanic craters, holding golden stamens.

There were vines that snaked and crawled like snakes. If not for the small yellow flowers and branches distributed along them, Zhang Yuan would have almost mistaken them for pythons.

Having seen all sorts of strange and peculiar things along the way, the trio, their curiosity greatly satisfied, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and fear towards the unknown and powerful forces. After all, admiring from the outside was interesting, but if they were the ones lying inside, no one would find it amusing.

Following the counter-clockwise spiraling stairs, the group followed the golem to the third floor of the tower. Upon entering, they found themselves in a grand hall. The magnificent and tidy furnishings brought to mind a temple or the mansion of a great noble, though it lacked some of the extravagance and had a bit more simplicity.

Archmage Tylanthyr stood beside a long bench, his white hair revealing his advanced age, yet his straight back showed no sign of stooping.

He stood there, his head slightly bowed, as if pondering something, his right index finger tapping slowly and rhythmically on the back of the bench.

As soon as the three arrived, they saw the silent Archmage. No one dared to disturb the master's contemplation; in the profound silence, it felt as if even breathing was an effort.

Without much waiting, the Archmage before them suddenly raised his head. "A group of curious adventurers? Or greedy mercenaries? Or half-baked mages? It doesn't matter."

"What I need is a reason, a reason sufficient for a mage whose research is being disturbed to waste his research time to meet a group of adventurers." Tylanthyr's voice was not loud, but as the deep tone reached the three, it sent a shiver down their spines.

Zhang Yuan quickly stepped forward to explain, "Respected Master Tylanthyr, we are adventurers from Baldur's Gate. Your great name is spoken of throughout the Sword Coast."

"We apologize for taking up your valuable time, Master, as we urgently seek to learn from your profound wisdom."

Tylanthyr nodded, seeming to appreciate the words.

Then his expression changed. "But it's all nonsense. Seeking wisdom? Wisdom is acquired through one's own efforts, not given by others. If you wish to learn, my first lesson for you is to speak human language!"

"I don't know where you learned this nonsensical, half-baked noble accent. Do you think this foolish and empty flattery can impress a rational mage? If you were a mage, wouldn't you know that we pursue truth, not worldly praise?" The Archmage, without mercy, lectured until the person was so embarrassed he wished he could disappear into the ground.

This was more than just eccentric; it was downright peculiar!

This lecture also served to sober up Zhang Yuan. Dealing with mages, the rule of "no harm in being too polite" might not be as effective as being straightforward and direct. They might be ancient foxes, so there was no point in reading ancient tales.

Calming himself and reorganizing his language, Zhang Yuan became much more direct. "Master Tylanthyr, I heard that the master of High Hedge Castle is an Archmage, and I've come to seek tutelage. I am an Innate Awakener, without a mentor, and I was recommended by Master Banterley the Master Mirror Image, so I've come seeking an opportunity."

"Innate Awakener? That is indeed rare," Tylanthyr showed a flicker of interest for the first time. "Indeed, if you weren't an Innate Awakener, it would be a strange thing for you to become a mage with your intelligence."

You're still insulting me? Zhang Yuan gritted his teeth and endured.

"But even if your talent is great, what does it have to do with me? I have never taken disciples. Why should I make an exception for you?" Tylanthyr composed himself.

Stumped by the question, Zhang Yuan didn't know how to respond. After much thought, he couldn't find anything to impress the Archmage. If others were determined not to take disciples, no matter how great one's talent, it would be futile.

Gifts? What could an Archmage possibly lack? And if he did lack something, they probably couldn't afford it even if they sold themselves!

Catering to his tastes? What were his hobbies? Growing flowers and plants? Crafting golems? Wait, golems? Golems?

Thinking of the Archmage's preference for golems, he couldn't help but look over.

He saw that Tylanthyr's gaze wasn't on the three of them at all; instead, he looked at Tiny, the Pawn, with great interest.

With the conjecture in his heart, Zhang Yuan spoke, "This is my summoned creature, similar to an Earth Elemental or a Rock Golem."

"Summoned creature? You say you summoned it with a spell?" This time, Tylanthyr was truly taken by surprise. He had thought it was a new type of puppet, or a beggar's version of a Stone Golem.

From the beginning, Tylanthyr hadn't considered it to be any kind of Earth or Rock Elemental. Not to mention that as an Archmage, how could he not recognize the characteristics of elemental beings? Furthermore, spells to summon Earth Elementals or Rock Golems required at least a sixth-level spell from the Conjuration school.

He didn't believe that the little mage before him, exuding an aura of being a novice, could possess a casting level of at least 12.

"Otherwise, why do you think I would let you clueless adventurers in? If every adventurer could enter my mage tower, and if I had to spend time fending off idiots every day, would I still have time for research and experiments? Buying magic items? Do you think I'm like Habasser, that shopkeeper?"

Although reprimanded by Tylanthyr and feeling his intelligence had been diminished, Zhang Yuan, relying on his thick skin, managed to rally. Since he had something the Archmage was interested in, there was still hope.

"I named this Stone Golem 'Tiny.' I did indeed summon it using the Summon Monster I spell," Zhang Yuan tried his best to explain Tiny's origin without revealing his cheat, "While studying this spell with Master Banterley's help, I suddenly connected to a plane with different mechanical golem creatures, and Tiny was summoned from there."

Zhang Yuan didn't dare to lie from beginning to end, as the spell for detecting lies was too easy for an Archmage. It was possible that the mage tower itself had this spell permanently inscribed.

"A plane of machines and constructs? Could it be the Clockwork Mechanical Plane of Absolute Law?" Tylanthyr began to speculate. "But your spell probe couldn't possibly point to another outer plane without reason, unless someone tampered with your spell beacon, or some entity from the mechanical plane has placed a temporal anchor on you, turning your summoning spell into a specific signal."