Chapter 4

The sound of "Dong~ Dong~" echoed as the clock towers responded one after another, the long bell tones reverberating above the city.

"Chirp~ Chirp~" A series of cheerful bird chirps fell from the branches of the large white poplar, flew past the narrow windows of the attic, and struck Lu Yuan's ears.

" Bread! Freshly baked rye bread! " Someone called out under the window, throwing the newly baked bread into a willow basket, scattering some crumbs. Some of the bread split open, and a sweet aroma wafted into the attic.

" Sir Tom Rivel will arrive in the afternoon. Please have your taxes ready. Sir Tom Rivel will arrive in the afternoon. Please everyone... " A young herald in a black and white coat, wearing pointed-toe boots, shook a bell and loudly announced as he ran down the street.

Lu Yuan felt he had a dream, a very long dream.

In the dream, he was born in a small village, went to school during the day, and herded cattle in the afternoon. For some unknown reason, he was forced to attend school for over a decade, with exams every few months, and failing meant a terrible outcome. After that, he finally got into a prestigious university, found a job, got married, his parents passed away, he got a promotion, had a mistress, and was just about to seek a second spring when he woke up...

Waking from the dream, he rubbed his head hard, but it only caused a sharp pain. Lu Yuan carefully felt his head and found it wrapped in thick bandages.

"Did I get injured?"

Probably another accident, no wonder no one came to call me to work.

Looking at the burn marks on his hands and arms, Lu Yuan smiled bitterly. He had encountered accidents so many times that he no longer cared much. He gently pressed his temples, a massage technique to slightly ease the headache, a piece of knowledge from the dream.

Why was the dream so real? Lu Yuan lay in bed, using his fingers to draw a right-angled triangle, and easily performed a calculation using the Pythagorean theorem. This kind of knowledge, even a junior mage wouldn't know, and it shouldn't be something a mere apprentice like him could obtain. He was just a blacksmith's apprentice who later became a mage's apprentice through a relative. To be honest, he only knew a few tricks and had no chance to master such profound magical knowledge.

Circles, trapezoids, cubes, polyhedra... the more complex the calculations became, the more deeply etched these things called "geometry" were in his mind. Thinking of the surge model that the great mage Habaser had calculated for years, Lu Yuan shuddered. If Habaser knew he had this knowledge, the outcome would be unpredictable. He might be called to be an assistant, or be imprisoned as a spy, or most likely, be killed after his knowledge was drained.

And chemistry, physics, algebra, mechanics, electronics... Oh, all-knowing Oma, are you testing me?

This was no longer the knowledge of magic, but something broader and more comprehensive, yet completely unrelated to magic. This was called science.

Oma, why would you, the all-knowing and all-powerful, care about a small person like me?

"Hey?!" Lu Yuan suddenly sat up, almost hitting the wooden ceiling of the attic.

"Who am I?! I... I am..."

The true past of the boy named Lu Yuan, like a huge stone at the bottom of a pond, could not be lifted no matter how hard he tried. His memories, like those of decades ago, were fragmented and disjointed, and he struggled to piece them together.

By noon, he had pieced together bits and pieces, and his past gradually became clearer.

He was born in Nashike, a small town south of Baldur's Gate, the son of a Kalatur merchant who returned to the East when he was five and never appeared again. His mother was frail and sickly, and in recent years, she had supported him by washing miners' clothes in Nashike, earning a small income. At seven, he became an apprentice in a blacksmith's shop, learning some good skills. When he was twelve, his mother passed away. Before she died, she entrusted him to her brother-in-law's family, and he was sent to Baldur's Gate to be an apprentice at a magic goods store, which happened three years ago.

His cousin, William Gast, was twenty years old, a talented seventh-level mage, and the pride of his uncle's family.

William Gast studied under the great mage Ramasis in Baldur's Gate. After becoming a formal mage, he joined a group of mages serving the "Flame Fist" and chose to work in alchemy at the magic goods store. He continuously expanded his influence in the Commercial Alliance, befriended the powerful, and openly proclaimed his goal of joining the Baldur's Gate Council, openly displaying his ambition.

Lu Yuan's apprenticeship was obtained through the help of his cousin, William Gast.

William Gast was sociable and helpful. The young mage group "Blazing Flame" he organized gained the attention of the Duke of Baldur's Gate by providing free equipment repairs for the Flame Fist mercenary group. This led him into the Duke's power structure, and he was climbing the ranks. He was a rising star, and many people were optimistic about his future.

He appeared to be very concerned about Lu Yuan, arranging his work and accommodation, and often guiding him in public, so everyone knew that William Gast had a beloved cousin. However, this was just a facade. In reality, Lu Yuan had heard William Gast curse his appearance many times, even cursing him to his face.

Lu Yuan had the pure appearance of a Kalatur, black eyes, black hair, and yellow skin, a typical Chinese look. This appearance had a notorious name in the Sword Coast— "Children of the Devil"!

Now, as more and more Kalatur people from the distant East appeared in the Sword Coast, people learned that several countries in the East had people with such appearances, and their numbers far exceeded the total population of the Sword Coast. In the East, people from the Sword Coast were also seen as demons. So, people no longer associated this appearance with demons, except for some stubborn old folks who still held this prejudice.

Tragically, the majority of the ruling council in Baldur's Gate were such old folks, and they had all heard rumors of Gast's connection to demons. Therefore, William Gast felt that Lu Yuan was an obstacle and hated him intensely.

"Cousin! I heard you got injured! I told you not to do those dangerous experiments! Do you know how worried your family is about you?"

The sudden voice interrupted his thoughts. It was his dear and respected cousin, William.

He first loudly expressed his concern, making sure the neighbors could hear, before slowly walking up to the attic.

His cousin had beautiful blonde hair, a handsome face, and a tall figure. He would smile and show his bright eight teeth before speaking. Unfortunately, that mouth was now spewing venom, "Wow, the child of the devil is really tough. Honestly, I envy your luck of always escaping death."

He then threw two purple potions on the bed, "Don't bother me, I'll leave in fifteen minutes!"

William took out a soft leather book and leaned against the window to read. This was a fixed performance routine.

Lu Yuan was always getting injured.

He was just a low-level apprentice, and in a place like a magic goods store, no one would teach you anything substantial. At most, they would tell you a procedure, and then you would repeat it over and over. This was called "training." The highly developed alchemy had lowered the entry barrier, allowing apprentices to gradually take on tasks that originally required mages, further reducing costs and exploiting the labor of apprentices.

Since the survival rate of apprentices was low, everyone was accustomed to it, and the general view was to exploit them as much as possible before they died. However, magic apprentices, in order to obtain the mysterious knowledge of magic, had to be diligent and perform well, actively engaging in dangerous tasks to gain the favor of formal mages.

For example, Lu Yuan's work in alchemy, commonly known as magic potions.

Magical extracts were often uncertain products. From a chemical perspective, they were substances with unknown components, concentrations, and properties. During the final step of the potion-making process, "mixing," there was more than a ten percent chance of failure and a five percent chance of a severe explosion. Therefore, this step was usually performed by apprentices in a thick-walled and simple basement.

"Why don't you just kick me out? I think finding a reasonable excuse wouldn't be hard for you," Lu Yuan said.

"Oh?" William turned around, surprised. Since the first time Lu Yuan resisted and was severely punished by William, William had become accustomed to this relatively silent routine. After all, the two had no real feelings for each other, and even his parents, after sending Lu Yuan away, treated him like a burden they had shed. They quickly sold their sister's house and never asked about him again.

"Do you want to leave?"

"Of course, if you think I tarnish your reputation, wouldn't it be better if I left? I'll go back to being a blacksmith, and you can be your councilor. Isn't that better?" Lu Yuan said irritably, the new memories making him feel a strong sense of humiliation about his current life.

"So you do care!" William shook his head, "You always seem so wooden. I thought you had a head of iron from all the blacksmithing. If you don't like me making jokes about your appearance, I won't do it anymore. Forget about the 'Children of the Devil' stuff, it's just a joke. If you care, I can even apologize."

"What do you mean?" Lu Yuan asked, puzzled.

"You won't understand. Just know that you 'used to' be in my way, but I don't care anymore. That's all you need to know." William continued reading his book.

"Fine," Lu Yuan waved his hand, "It doesn't matter. I've already decided to leave."

"Why?!" William frowned, putting down his book and asked unhappily.

"No future, no guidance, constant danger, the teacher treats me like free labor, and he doesn't even know my name. What reason do you have to stay?"

"Hmm," William pondered for a moment, "That is my oversight... I'll try to get you a safer environment where you can learn something."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Do you want to know?"

"I must know."

"Alright."

William pressed his book on the table, thought for a moment, and said, "Do you know Anta Silvershield? One of the Dukes of Baldur's Gate, the most powerful among the most powerful. Two years ago, Anta Silvershield's youngest daughter, Lill Silvershield, was kidnapped and brutally murdered during negotiations. After the incident, the enraged Duke Anta Silvershield purged the entire Lower City, with over fifty criminals hanged, four powerful figures falling, and thirteen Flame Fist officers implicated. The incident was huge and completely changed the political landscape of Baldur's Gate."

He paused, then continued, "Before the incident, the Duke was slightly at a disadvantage. After the incident, the Duke had an absolute advantage!"

William picked up his book and stood up, saying meaningfully, "Every great person needs a weakness that can be attacked."

William left.

Lu Yuan fell back onto the bed, feeling powerless.

William thought he didn't understand, but with decades of memories and constant news bombardment, how could Lu Yuan not understand? He was William's obvious weakness, attracting malicious attention in normal times, and at critical moments, he could be sacrificed to gain greater political leverage.

This was terrible.

But he didn't want to give up. Lu Yuan knew he was very talented! He even thought he might be a genius. His body was always very agile, and his long blacksmithing career had made him very strong. He had an amazing memory, able to remember any story after hearing it once. Before his father, the Kalatur, left, as if knowing he wouldn't return, he orally taught the young Lu Yuan a set of meditation techniques and a spell, "Mage Hand."

So, like all children, Lu Yuan stubbornly believed that learning this would bring his father back. He meditated secretly every night after his mother fell asleep. Two years later, he finally cast "Mage Hand." He showed it to his mother, who only praised him and told him not to let others see. The young Lu Yuan meditated and practiced "Mage Hand" year after year.

From being able to move a single straw, to holding a red-hot iron ingot and flipping it on the anvil, to flipping iron blocks and using magic to swing the hammer... but his father never returned. As Lu Yuan grew up, he gradually understood that many Kalatur people, after their first long journey away from home, would never leave again, becoming loyal to their homeland. Although his father never returned, Lu Yuan continued to meditate, as it was the only joy of his childhood.

In this world, magic is divided into nine levels, from shallow to deep. Those who can cast first-level spells are called formal mages or first-level mages. After mastering first-level spells, they become second-level mages and can learn the next level of magic. Mages have 20 character levels, and beyond 20, they enter the legendary realm. Before 20, they gain a new spell level every two levels, up to 18. After 18, before becoming legendary, they only increase the number of spells they can cast, with the highest spell level being ninth, as determined by the Lady of Mysteries, the goddess of magic, Mystra.

Since Mystra wove the Weave and organized the chaotic and violent magical energies, it had an unparalleled impact on the entire Faerûn. Mages could cast spells more conveniently and quickly, and the possibility of ordinary people becoming mages increased exponentially. Following the division of magic, divine magic was also divided into nine levels, granted by gods to their priests. The Weave defined the levels of mages, and other professions, whether well-known warriors, rangers, and priests, or lesser-known psions and warlocks, were compared horizontally to mages to determine their own levels.

Before becoming a formal mage, as a mage apprentice, one could master some zero-level spells, which required minimal magic and had little effect, almost no power, and were called "cantrips." They were mainly used for mages to familiarize themselves with magic and to determine their talent and preferred school of magic.

It took Lu Yuan two years to cast "Mage Hand," indicating very low talent among mages, with little chance of becoming a formal mage. This once plunged him into despair after becoming an apprentice. As an apprentice, the "must-learn" cantrips were not many. Light for charging magic lamps, "Ray of Frost" and "Acid Splash" for making potions, "Mage Hand" for survival during potion-making, and "Mending" for cleaning up after explosions.

He watched others quickly master cantrips, and could only force a nonchalant expression, privately spending nearly ten times the effort to keep up. He never told William or anyone else about this, so William still had some expectations for him. As for his mentor? A person who couldn't even remember his name, how could he judge his talent?

After drinking the healing potion William brought, Lu Yuan fell into a deep sleep.

His head itched, and it would probably be better tomorrow.