Flaming Fist Commander

Marvin's cautious approach had now won the gnome proprietor's full approval. He nodded. "You're right. Let's report this to the Flaming Fist Mercenary Company."

The Flaming Fist Mercenary Company was Baldur's Gate's primary military force, numbering around six thousand men and divided into ten battalions by number.

Its highest commander was the Marshal, a position generally held by one of Baldur's Gate's Grand Dukes. The current Marshal was Ulder Ravengard.

Below him were ranks such as "Blazing Colonel," "Flame Lieutenant," "Fire Sergeant," and "Gauntlet Corporal," as well as the professional title of "Magic Manipulator," reserved for spellcasters such as mages and priests.

About half of the mercenary company's forces guarded Baldur's Gate, while the rest were scattered across various regions.

Especially the distant Chult Peninsula in the south.

As Baldur's Gate's most profitable colony, the Flaming Fist Mercenary Company had established Fort Beluarian there and kept two battalions stationed year-round to strengthen control over the region and crack down on crimes such as smuggling.

The Flaming Fist Mercenary Company had stationed only one company in Friendly Arm, with its garrison located in a tower beside the Friendly Arm Inn.

When Marvin and the gnome proprietor arrived at the company commander's office, they discovered that the person receiving them was not some obscure Fire Sergeant, but the renowned Lianna Portyr.

She was a powerfully built, dark-skinned woman nearing forty, and she exuded the sharp, rugged bearing of a soldier.

Her uncle was Dillard Portyr, one of Baldur's Gate's four Grand Dukes.

Though she came from a noble family, her position had been earned sword in hand through bloody battles in the Chult Jungle.

Marvin remembered that when the original owner of this body had resigned from his job at the mage tower to become an adventurer, Lianna had still been the commander of the Flaming Fist's Second Battalion, stationed at Fort Beluarian.

Judging by her current rank, she had already been promoted from Flame Lieutenant to Blazing Colonel.

But why had Lianna been transferred from a crucial place like Fort Beluarian to a backwater like Friendly Arm, with only a single company under her command?

Did this blatant promotion in name but demotion in substance involve Baldur's Gate's power struggles?

A great many thoughts flashed through Marvin's mind.

However, he merely pretended not to know and stood quietly to one side, allowing the gnome proprietor to recount what had happened beneath the Friendly Arm Inn.

"I understand. Tomorrow, I'll send a squad of Flaming Fists to investigate the unknown tunnel you mentioned." Lianna's attitude was perfunctory, but she still agreed to the gnome proprietor's request.

A faint sense of unease rose in Marvin's heart.

Most adventurers had now gone to the Cloakwood Forest. If the Flaming Fist Mercenary Company suffered casualties due to carelessness as well, Friendly Arm's defensive strength would be weakened even further.

That was not a good sign.

"Please forgive my interruption. I believe we shouldn't rashly enter the tunnel to investigate before gathering more information."

Lianna sneered. "Mr. Unknown Mage, how do you think we should gather more information?"

"We can start with the many skeletons left behind by the Gelatinous Cube. If we piece those bones together, we can roughly determine what creatures the Gelatinous Cube consumed before entering the Friendly Arm Inn Cellar, and from that infer who dug through the tunnel.

"After that, we can take targeted action."

The gnome proprietor's eyes lit up.

Marvin's idea would take time, but it could indeed reduce the risks effectively.

As expected of my resourceful mage friend!

But Lianna clearly did not see it that way. She rejected him bluntly. "Kid, don't get carried away just because you killed a Gelatinous Cube.

"I've killed more dinosaurs in Chult than you've seen goblins! I don't have time to play puzzle games. Don't tell me how to do my job. Now get out!"

Clearly, this Flaming Fist commander was in a poor mood because of her reassignment.

Marvin could not be bothered to provoke her any further.

After all, he would not be the one left embarrassed when the time came.

Back at the Friendly Arm Inn, the gnome proprietor brought out the reward they had agreed upon earlier.

Originally, he was also supposed to provide Marvin with two months of free room and board. But given the current situation, Marvin decided to convert that into cash, for a total of one hundred gold coins.

He had no desire to stay at the Friendly Arm Inn when monsters might burrow up from underground at any moment.

If he had not been unable to abandon his ancestral property, the gnome proprietor would have wanted to follow Marvin's example and move somewhere else.

After bidding the gnome proprietor farewell, Marvin's cash on hand suddenly rose to five hundred gold coins, while his total assets exceeded eight hundred gold coins.

He headed straight for the Eastern Warehouse to buy materials for making scrolls.

Because he had the ability [Mage's Quill], he did not need to buy all sorts of magical inks. He only needed to buy magical parchment made by soaking it in special potions.

This kind of parchment could carry the energy of first- to third-circle spells. If he wanted to copy higher-level scrolls in the future, he would need rarer writing materials.

Seeing Marvin buy three hundred gold coins' worth of magical parchment in one go, the sickly-looking shopkeeper took the initiative to strike up a conversation.

"Most of the mages in town have joined adventuring parties and gone to the Cloakwood Forest. On the one hand, demand for all kinds of spell scrolls has surged. On the other, the number of people making scrolls has plummeted.

"If you hadn't suddenly shown up, this shop's supply-and-demand imbalance would have been hard to resolve for quite a while."

"You can only blame the Grand Duke's daughter for being too tempting." Marvin shrugged.

The two exchanged knowing looks and smiled at each other like men who understood.

After introducing themselves, the bald man named Borey asked, "Marvin, the gold coins you paid with came in many different varieties. Looks like you've been to quite a few places?"

"No, they were simply spoils seized after killing a Gelatinous Cube earlier..." Marvin said.

Given the gnome proprietor's personality, he would definitely tell every customer visiting the Friendly Arm Inn about what had happened in the cellar as if it were some grand adventure.

There was no point trying to hide it.

"A first-level mage and a commoner actually killed a challenge-rating-three Gelatinous Cube through targeted preparations and skillful use of spells! That's an incredible feat!"

Borey was filled with admiration.

"Cough, cough, cough... Forgive me. My body is like a rotten wooden house that could collapse at any moment." Borey's emotions had barely stirred before he began coughing so hard that sweat appeared on his bald head.

After catching his breath for a long while, he continued, "Mr. Marvin, if you're willing to let this shop sell all the scrolls you make, I can give you a thirty percent discount on the store's goods. I hope we can establish a good, long-term partnership."

A thirty percent discount on all goods was an extremely generous offer. Marvin naturally noticed the attempt to win him over in the man's words.

He glanced out the window.

Across from the shop stood the temple of Waukeen, the goddess of wealth.

No one would dare commit evil under the goddess of wealth's very nose under the guise of a business partnership. I don't know why he's showing me favor, but it shouldn't be dangerous.

After carefully weighing the matter, Marvin reached an agreement with Borey.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Marvin. I hope that the next time we meet, you'll bring me even more surprises." Borey watched Marvin leave.

As he looked at Marvin's departing figure, a bright light suddenly flashed through Borey's cloudy eyes, which had been dulled by illness—like a sword regaining its edge after being polished.