Not Going to Baldur's Gate

Although Friendly Arm was not in as bad a state as the report described, the threat of the mind flayers was very real.

So Marvin's top priority was to make a retreat plan.

If the mind flayers really came knocking one day, he needed to be able to slip away immediately and unharmed.

To live long and live well in a perilous place like Faerûn, one had to prepare for every possible accident in advance.

Marvin planned to find a safe place outside town and set up a teleportation anchor.

Meanwhile, after reviewing the report documents, Liana made another far-reaching decision. "I will personally take this report back to Baldur's Gate.

With those councilors dragging their feet, if I don't personally shove this report in their faces, it will be difficult to get anything done.

Marvin, I intend to hire you as a magical consultant. Three hundred gold coins a month. Are you interested?

Your level is not high, and your combat strength is limited. But your profound understanding of magic, along with your clever and cautious mind, will certainly prove immensely useful in a place like Baldur's Gate."

As expected of the Portyr Family. They were generous from the outset, willing to offer such a high salary to hire a Level 2 wizard.

However, serving a ducal family and going to Baldur's Gate did not align with Marvin's plans.

In Friendly Arm, he only needed to worry about the mind flayers.

In Baldur's Gate, there would be far more to consider.

Seeing Marvin's lack of interest, Liana continued persuading him. "Don't refuse just yet, Mr. Rodhart. You must have heard that Friendly Arm's situation is gradually worsening.

The supply situation in particular is becoming increasingly grim due to the disruption of Coast Way.

I will take all my men north and recruit another group of adventurers whose dreams of playing the hero and saving the beauty have been shattered. On our way back to Baldur's Gate, we'll restore the trade route."

"And how will the town's safety be guaranteed?"

"There are so many adventurers here. They can govern themselves." Liana spoke with a straight face.

She was not shirking responsibility.

As a free-spirited trading city-state, Baldur's Gate had always been favored by adventurers. Historically, whenever the city fell into crisis, adventurers had stepped forward as saviors many times.

Besides the elite [Watchers], who served the nobility, and the [Flaming Fist], its main military force, the countless adventurers scattered among Baldur's Gate's populace were also a force not to be overlooked.

"Mr. Marvin, I hope you understand.

Earlier, I promised that after dealing with the Cranium Rats, I would request reinforcements from Marshal Ravengard to strengthen the town's defenses.

But given Baldur's Gate's current political situation, if I do not return personally, I simply will not be able to secure those reinforcements.

I do not like playing word games. Since I have, in fact, broken my promise, I am willing to offer you a small compensation.

But I also hope you understand that following me—a seasoned Level 10 Battle Master and a company of elite Flaming Fist soldiers—is the safest choice."

With that, Liana handed Marvin a bulging purse containing at least several dozen platinum coins.

"You still have time to think it over. After all, I need to make thorough preparations before we depart. I learned that from you."

Having said that, the battle-hardened female officer patted Marvin on the shoulder and left briskly.

The gnome proprietor did not care much about the Flaming Fist leaving. Instead, he smiled. "Don't worry, my friend. The Harpers are far more capable than those Flaming Fist lot.

Hmm... the Emerald Enclave's camp is in Sharp Tooth Forest to the east. I might as well ask my father to send them a letter too. Mind flayers that devour souls—aren't they the most unnatural beings in the world?

I refuse to believe those druids will stand idly by.

And if Liana can restore the trade route, that will be good for the town as well. We've run out of cod at the inn lately. If we can't restock from Baldur's Gate, I won't be able to serve the specialty dish I'm so proud of!"

"The herb-fried fish with Moonshadow Island figs you mentioned last time? I'll definitely have to try it sometime..."

After chatting for a few moments, Marvin picked up the purse Liana had left behind, said his farewells, and departed.

When politics were involved, promises naturally could change at any time.

In the end, he could only rely on himself for his own safety.

Marvin had never expected that clinging to the Portyr Family would let him rest easy from then on.

At least Liana had handled herself properly and offered generous compensation.

That showed she truly valued Marvin. Even if their differing choices meant they could only part ways for now, she had still preserved their goodwill.

Besides, with the life-saving skill [Anchor Teleportation], Marvin's need for Flaming Fist reinforcements was no longer so urgent.

Upon returning to the Whispering Creek Inn, Marvin counted the coins in the purse and discovered that there were fifty platinum coins in total.

One platinum coin was worth ten gold coins.

This "small compensation" instantly increased Marvin's cash on hand by a third!

Previously, from killing the gelatinous creature alone, Marvin had obtained more than three hundred gold coins in cash.

After that, he sold two rubies for one hundred and ten gold coins.

The gnome proprietor spent a week finding buyers and disposing of all that weaponry and equipment, earning Marvin another two hundred and seventy gold coins.

Those weapons and suits of armor had all been fine goods crafted by gray dwarves. Although components such as wooden spear shafts and leather armor straps had been digested by the gelatinous creature, they could be restored to perfect condition with a little repair and reassembly, then sold for a good price.

Furthermore, thanks to the wave of adventurers snapping up supplies, Marvin's spell-scroll copying business had been booming, earning him four hundred and thirty-five gold coins so far.

Now, Marvin had more than fifteen hundred gold coins in cash.

That was fifteen hundred goats!

If Faerûn had no magic or gods and was merely an ordinary medieval otherworld, Marvin could have lived comfortably for the rest of his life on that money.

But now, he had decided to spend it as quickly as possible and convert it into actual combat power.

The next morning, Marvin, who had already developed a solid routine, woke promptly at eight.

Breakfast consisted of a garlic cheese bread bowl, a fried egg with a runny yolk, a slice of chocolate cake, and elven flower tea—still a drink without any alcohol.

Not drinking was a good habit the original owner had left behind as a wizard, and Marvin decided to keep it up.

Only after preparing his spells and tidying up his gear did Marvin leave.

The coins Marvin had on hand weighed more than twelve pounds in total, making them nothing but a burden to carry. He decided to leave the money in the safe in his room, then have merchants send someone to collect payment once he had chosen his goods.

Faerûn's metal currency system was truly inconvenient in Marvin's eyes, accustomed as he was to scanning codes to pay.

Fortunately, magic existed in this world.

So the first thing he decided to buy was a bag of holding, to make life more convenient.

However, Marvin did not go shopping right away. Instead, he went to the Friendly Arm Inn and rented an economy single room for one silver coin a day.

The gnome proprietor thought Marvin was moving back to the Friendly Arm Inn, but Marvin told him that he merely needed to conduct a magical experiment.

Entering the room and closing the door, Marvin spent half an hour firmly memorizing its layout. The moment he closed his eyes, the image of the room would arise in his mind like a conditioned reflex.

Then, using [Anchor Teleportation], he set the single bed in that room as his teleportation anchor.

A translucent white ship's anchor suddenly appeared, then broke apart into basic magical particles and gradually faded away.

The anchoring was successful.

After leaving the room, Marvin specifically instructed the gnome proprietor not to let anyone enter until someone swore in the name of Garl Glittergold. Only then did he leave in satisfaction.

A bustling place like the Friendly Arm Inn was not actually suitable for a teleportation anchor.

But for now, he could only make do.

At least he now had a second hideout. He lived at the Whispering Creek Inn openly, but could flee to the Friendly Arm Inn at any time.

He would find an ideal anchoring location later when he had the chance.

Only after finishing all that did Marvin begin his shopping trip.

Given the good working relationship he had established with the bald-headed Borey, he chose Eastern Warehouse as his first shopping destination.

Walking from the inn to Waukeen Street, Marvin could clearly feel that there were more and more dejected adventurers wandering aimlessly through the streets these past few days.

According to the gnome proprietor, they were failures who had suffered serious setbacks halfway through their attempts to play the hero and save the beauty, forcing them to retreat to town.

Thinking about it that way, that wild sorcerer was quite something. After suffering a crushing defeat, he had managed to pull himself together immediately without any cooldown and continue pursuing his dream of rescuing the female knight.

Of course, not everyone had his considerable wealth.

After an ordinary adventurer suffered one failure, even if they did not sustain serious injuries, the losses of equipment and consumables alone were enough to leave them unable to recover.

Fortunately for Marvin, since he could directly see a mission's success rate, the risk of failure could approach zero without limit.