"Mr. Rodhart, since you're a mage too, do you happen to know the 'mysterious white-bearded man'?"
Inside a carriage traveling north from Friendly Arm, a plump halfling merchant was enthusiastically chatting with Marvin.
News had arrived yesterday that the army led by Lianna Portyr had defeated a battalion of goblin raiders at White Stone Bridge, reopening the route between Friendly Arm and Baldur's Gate.
Upon hearing the news, many merchant caravans stranded in Friendly Arm had set out for Baldur's Gate.
Marvin paid 4 gold coins to join a caravan that dealt in metal materials.
That way, caravan guards kept watch at night, and three decent meals were provided every day, saving him quite a bit of trouble.
After learning that Marvin was a mage, the halfling caravan owner had specifically invited him into his own carriage and spent the journey gossiping about all manner of things.
The halfling owner talked most about the battle between the Harpers and the mind flayers' minions.
He firmly believed that the key figure who decided that battle's outcome had been an old wizard in gray robes and a pointed hat, with a long white beard.
"I heard that mysterious white-bearded wizard used a single [Time Stop] to freeze four Baphomet minotaurs in place, turning those terrifying monsters into living targets..."
Marvin had actually wanted to explain to him that the principle behind the ninth-circle spell [Time Stop] was not to stop everyone else's time, but to accelerate one's own flow of time until everyone else appeared to be frozen.
It was, in a sense, an application of Einstein's theory of relativity in the world of magic.
But forget it. Rather than patiently explaining things to laymen, he might as well maintain a polite smile and pretend to listen attentively.
The halfling owner continued