Treats! Prices! Apprentice Mages!

"Five gold pieces isn't pocket change, are you sure you want to treat?" the artist, whose ambitions were short due to poverty, muttered.

"It's nothing, about the price of a Silver Scale Mail."

"What quality of armor is that? Even regular armor is only around 5 or 6 gold. Hey, slow down, wait for me!" Wiles, who had also been starving all day, quickly gathered his belongings and trotted after him.

Zhang Yuan walked and stopped, arriving at the entrance of the previous bakery and said to the auntie frying meat patties, "Three meat-stuffed breads, please." "Okay, sir."

"Wait, make it four. I want two too," Wiles unceremoniously added to the order.

It seemed the painter was also extremely hungry, his impatient self already salivating.

"Alright, four meat-stuffed breads then." Zhang Yuan took the four breads and produced a gold coin to pay.

The slightly surprised auntie took the gold coin, examined it carefully for a moment, then put it into her coin purse, and began to count out some coins.

"Here are your nine silver coins and two copper coins. Please keep them well." As he received his change, Zhang Yuan gained a rough understanding of the prices in Sword Coast and the purchasing power of gold coins.

Zhang Yuan didn't let Wiles go after leaving the bakery. Being in an unfamiliar place, having a guide was always a good thing, especially since the guide fee had already been paid.

Feeling at ease, he pulled Wiles along and began asking about Baldur's Gate.

The inquiry wasn't very smooth. It wasn't that Wiles was intentionally hiding anything, but he was too busy dealing with the bread in his hands to have any extra time to be a free tour guide for some outsider.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuan decided to taste the exotic fast food he had just bought. The freshly baked bread had a crispy exterior yet was incredibly fluffy inside. The sandwiched, freshly fried meat patties were golden brown, their alluring aroma mingling with the steam, tickling the craving in his stomach.

Paired with fresh, crisp green lettuce and a tangy, savory yogurt sauce, Zhang Yuan lost the desire to speak after the first bite.

After devouring two breads like a whirlwind, his throat felt a bit dry, so he suggested going to a tavern for a drink. "Are there any reasonably priced inns or taverns nearby?"

Hearing that there was alcohol, Wiles perked up and responded, "I know this place well. Just a short walk north is Three Old Barrels, diagonally across from my uncle's mage tower."

The two then set off. Before they had gone far, they saw a building that resembled a multi-story pagoda from ancient China.

"That's Ramasith's mage tower. It's the most conspicuous building in the entire city," Wiles said, pointing at the tower and turning to Zhang Yuan who was following him.

"How magnificent. I wonder if I'll have the chance to visit."

"Don't even think about it. I've only been inside that tower twice. If you went in, you'd probably be taken in as experimental material," Wiles said grumpily.

Zhang Yuan laughed it off as if he had just made a casual remark, looking around at the surrounding cityscape.

Before long, the two arrived in front of a three-story building. Seeing three massive wine barrels, each as tall as a person, placed at the entrance, Zhang Yuan knew they had reached their destination without needing any explanation.

Following Wiles inside, a wave of heat mixed with a "fragrant" odor rushed towards his face.

The smell, a blend of wine, sweat, foot odor, and vomit, immediately changed Zhang Yuan's expression. He suppressed his nausea and put back on the mask he had taken off earlier, then approached the bar.

Wiles unceremoniously slammed his hand on the counter, "Two glasses of Ximen Ruby Wine!"

The bartender clearly recognized Wiles and said with some surprise, "Has Waukeen kissed you today? Are you sure you want Ruby Wine?"

Sensing something was amiss, Zhang Yuan quickly intervened, "Give us two glasses of whatever you sell the most. I'm treating this scoundrel today."

The bartender, understanding the situation, didn't mind and said with a chuckle, "I recommend our Dragon Brand Beer. Brewed with fresh malt, it's refreshing and not expensive." At the same time, he patted a wooden sign hanging next to the bar.

Zhang Yuan looked closely and found it was the price list for alcoholic beverages. Dragon Brand Beer was two copper coins a glass, the cheapest Shadow Ale was only one copper coin, and Ximen Ruby Wine was a staggering eight!

"Two Dragon Brand Beers, please. Thank you!" Zhang Yuan replied to the bartender, but his eyes remained fixed on Wiles. Wiles became a bit embarrassed under his gaze and said, "Sorry, I just wanted to try it. I haven't had it in a long time."

Zhang Yuan didn't press the issue. He picked up two glasses of beer and found a secluded corner with few people, then slid one of the beers across the table to Wiles. "Here's yours."

Watching Wiles take the beer and drink two large gulps, Zhang Yuan, who had been studying at Hans's place, also eagerly tasted the beer of this world.

The Dragon Brand Beer on the palate wasn't as heavy and bitter as a stout, nor did it have the dense foam of a wheat beer, but beneath its fresh taste, there was a charred aroma from being smoked over charcoal.

While drinking, Zhang Yuan continued their previous conversation, engaging Wiles about local customs and traditions, all while thinking about how to broach the subject of mages and magical items.

He asked the bartender for two more beers. By the time Wiles's face was flushed red, Zhang Yuan casually asked, "Your uncle is a great mage, haven't you ever thought about becoming an apprentice mage?"

Wiles slumped back into his chair, his speech already slurred, "Why wouldn't I think about it? But I've tried so long and can't even sense the Weave. Ramasith, that old ~ guy, kicked me out."

"I don't care to be an apprentice to an old geezer like you!" Wiles, fueled by alcohol, became agitated. "You, you don't know, being an apprentice to that old cur is no different from being a slave. ~Hic~. I should have tried Old Delrin's place back then. Who knows, maybe I would have, would have ~"

With that, Wiles slumped forward, falling onto the table and becoming motionless. Looking at Wiles, who was now mumbling incomprehensible nonsense, Zhang Yuan felt a little overwhelmed. He still hadn't gotten the information he most wanted.

Where exactly should he go to get proper spellcaster training? Pondering this question, he dragged the heavy Wiles towards the bartender, rented the cheapest room, and then headed to his reserved room with the wooden sign.

Once in the room, Zhang Yuan unceremoniously dumped Wiles on the floor and covered him with a blanket, considering it his good deed done.

Damn it, to think that my first night in another world would be spent with this drunkard, not to mention the absence of a beautiful woman.

After getting hot water from the cook to wash his face and feet, Zhang Yuan lay on the wooden bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

The excitement of arriving in a new world, the fear of being in a strange place, the bewilderment about where his future lay—a myriad of thoughts and emotions swirled within him all at once.