Chess Mage of Faerûn

Chapter 11 I Have an Apartment in Another World

"You mean two thousand? Is that in gold coins?" Zhang Yuan asked, clinging to a sliver of hope that he had misheard.

The earnest bartender ruthlessly shattered someone's illusions, "This is the price. The inner city has a reliable Flame Fist mercenary group patrolling day and night, and all the major temples are located here. Moreover, apart from that eccentric old Habaser who likes to stay in his general store, the other mages have all built their mage towers in the inner city."

"Another name for the inner city is the Noble District. Anyone with a bit of status in Baldur's Gate will choose to buy property here and live a respectable life. And apart from that mysterious Candlekeep, there is no safer place in the entire Sword Coast."

"Then can't people settle down in other districts? How can so many residents all live in such a small area of ​​the inner city? I don't think other areas are a problem." Zhang Yuan, who was already a little discouraged, tried his best to argue.

"Oh? I thought some distinguished guest who only knew about Elf Song only stayed in mansions?" The bartender's voice suddenly became light and cheerful, a departure from his previous deep tone.

Damn it! Realizing he'd been tricked, Zhang Yuan glared at the bartender, gritting his teeth as he squeezed out each word: "Dear Mr. Nan Qu, do you think there's any affordable housing for a poor, unrespectable out-of-towner like me in the outer city?!"

"Ahem!" Realizing he had gone a bit too far, the bartender stopped rambling and said seriously, "The situation in the outer city is much more complicated. Different areas have different ecosystems and different groups of people. But generally speaking, you get what you pay for; the cheaper the location, the less safe it is."

Anyway, there weren't many customers at the moment, Nan Qu continued, "In the commercial district of the southwest, the headquarters of the Flame Fist Guild is located there. The safety and order are not much worse than in the inner city, so many mages and merchants gather there. The house prices there are not much cheaper than in the inner city."

"The southern dock area is a bit worse. Although the Iron Throne headquarters and the Sea Master are there, they are not as reliable as the Flame Fist, not to mention the unruly factor of the Queen's Temple."

As the bartender took a sip of his drink to moisten his throat, Zhang Yuan, seeing this, simply started drinking the jade liquor he had just bought at the bar. The liquor tasted similar to rum; the spicy liquid had a sweet aftertaste reminiscent of sugarcane, suggesting it was likely brewed from sugarcane or similar sugar-producing plants.

"Are there any other locations? What's the environment like in the east?" Zhang Yuan asked after he had drunk some wine.

“The east side is hard to say. The city gate area is a mixed bag, with all sorts of people from all walks of life. I’ve heard that members of the Thieves’ Guild often hang out there.” The bartender lowered his voice as he spoke. “Actually, what’s even more frightening is the northeast corner of the inner city. Although it’s part of the inner city, it seems like no one can see this dark corner. Nobody knows what’s going on there. There are only some poor people and beggars there. Maybe it’s because the Temple of Ilmat is located there.”

Ilmat? Isn't that the suffering god, the protector of beggars and the poor? Thinking about the possible living conditions near the temple of Ilmat, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but feel troubled.

It wasn't that he looked down on the deity or his followers; on the contrary, he deeply respected Ilmat's beliefs and admired his actions.

To be able to locate one's temple in a slum or even a beggar's nest, to shelter the weak and poor year after year, without adorning its facade with any splendor or luxury, cannot be simply dismissed with a flimsy doctrine.

Zhang Yuan himself acknowledged that he was far from being able to match such integrity and conduct, and for this reason, he could only admire it but had no way to emulate it.

It has nothing to do with discrimination against the poor; Zhang Yuan simply did not want to risk being placed in a dangerous environment when he was still weak.

He hadn't forgotten that the hideout of the underworld and the meeting place of the assassins were in that area, and almost all murder-related missions couldn't avoid this shadowy place.

As the saying goes, "A son of a wealthy family will not sit under a dangerous roof," and avoiding risks to the best of one's ability is Zhang's code of conduct.

With that in mind, Zhang Yuan had a preliminary idea and was about to ask the all-knowing man in front of him, "I think the City Gate District is more suitable for me. I wonder what your opinion is?" "If you want to settle there, my advice is to try to choose a location in the south. There are fewer residents in the southern part of the City Gate District, and most of them are warehouses rented by the Chamber of Commerce."

At this moment, Zhang Yuan suddenly remembered the shabby house where he first woke up. If he traced the route he took to the tavern backwards, it should be located in the area between the dock area and the city gate area.

“There do seem to be fewer people in that place you mentioned, and there are some abandoned houses.” Zhang suddenly had a “good idea”: “Those houses are unclaimed, so why doesn’t anyone just move in?”

"Do you think those homeless people don't want to get a bargain?" The bartender scoffed and explained, "Although they're abandoned, those houses and warehouses are registered with the city hall and managed by Flame Fist. If you want to move in, you'll not only have to pay a fee to the city council, but you'll also have to pay for subsequent repairs."

"How much do you want?" the stingy man asked reluctantly.

The bartender had already turned to serve other customers, leaving behind the words, "I don't know either, go ask the Flame Fist people."

As the sun rose high and it approached noon, a few customers began to arrive at the once-empty tavern. Zhang Yuan felt he had gathered enough information and it was time to take action.

After changing into a set of coarse cloth clothes he bought at the general store, Zhang Yuan picked up his package and left the tavern, asking for directions as he headed towards the Flame Fist Guild in the southwest district.

Having never worn such cheap clothing before, which looked like it had been taken from a medieval museum, Zhang Yuan felt as if he were wearing not clothes but instruments of torture used for slow slicing.

"Damn it, could this be clothes invented by Minister Geng?" Zhang, who was extremely annoyed, hadn't even taken two steps before he felt an urge to tear this tattered garment, which felt like a devil rubbing against his body, to shreds.

But since he was already on the street, no matter how thick-skinned he was, he was too embarrassed to rip his shirt in public and had to force himself to endure it.

Wait a minute, don't I have mage armor on me? Why can't I adjust the armor to be flush against my skin? Zhang Yuan gave himself a thumbs up for his cleverness upon realizing this.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. As someone who was completely ignorant of magic, Zhang Yuan, whose spells were all directly bestowed by the system, could neither cast nor retract them. Trying to adjust the size and range of the armor was like a dog trying to drag a tortoise—he had no idea where to begin.

The person who canceled the like is now gritting their teeth, scratching around like Sun Wukong while quickening their pace.

Zhang Yuan, who happened to be near a clothing store, could no longer resist and rushed inside.

About fifteen minutes later, Zhang Yuan, who had changed into a set of cotton clothes, breathed a sigh of relief, at the cost of two silver coins that had disappeared from his pocket.

Although it hurts a lot, even a stingy person knows that some money can't be saved!

With the landlady's radiant smile and guidance, Zhang Yuan finally arrived at the headquarters of Flame Fist.

(End of this chapter)