"Dang~dang~", bell towers echoed, and the long bells echoed above the city. 【Read the latest chapter】
"Chirp~chirp~" A string of cheerful bird calls fell from the big white poplar branches, flew through the narrow window lattice of the attic, and struck Lu Yuan's ears.
"Bread! Freshly baked rye bread!" Someone was shouting under the window, slamming the newly baked bread into the wicker basket, splashing some crumbs, some bread cracked, and a puff of A sweet aroma filled the attic.
"Your Excellency Tom Leavell will arrive in the afternoon, please prepare your taxes. Your Excellency Tom Leavell will arrive in the afternoon, please...", a young man wearing coated black and white clothes and pointed boots. The crier shook his bell and ran through the streets shouting announcements.
Lu Yuan felt that he had had a dream, an extremely long dream.
He dreamed that he was born in a small village, attending classes during the day and tending cattle in the afternoon. He was inexplicably forced to attend school for more than ten years and had to take exams every few months. If he failed the exam, he would end up in a miserable state. After that, I finally got admitted to a key university, worked, got married, passed away of my parents, got promoted, had a secret, and just when I was about to find my second spring, I woke up...
When he woke up from his dream, he patted his head hard, and felt a sharp pain in his head. Lu Yuan touched it carefully and found that there was a thick bandage wrapped around the edge of his head.
"I'm injured?"
Probably, it was just another accident. No wonder no one came to ask me to go to work.
Looking at the numerous burn marks on his hands and arms, Lu Yuan smiled bitterly. If you encounter more accidents, you naturally don’t care so much. Gently press the temples with your hands. This massage of the blood vessels in the head can slightly relieve the pain in the head. This is still the knowledge in the dream.
Why are dreams so real? Lu Yuan lay on the bed, virtually drew a right triangle with his fingers, and then easily performed a calculation using the Pythagorean theorem. Even a junior mage wouldn't know this kind of knowledge, and it shouldn't be something an apprentice like him could get. He was just a blacksmith's apprentice, and later became a mage's apprentice through relatives. Speaking of which, I only knew a few tricks, so I had no chance of mastering such advanced magic knowledge.
Circles, trapezoids, cubes, polyhedrons...the more the calculations become more complex, those things called "geometry" are as deep as being engraved in the mind. Lu Yuan shuddered when he thought of the surge model that Chief Habaser had been calculating for several years. If Habaser knew that he knew these things, his end would be really unpredictable. He might be called to be an assistant, he might be locked up as a spy, and most likely he would be drained of knowledge and then killed.
There are also chemistry, physics, algebra, mechanics, electronics...Omniscient Omar, are you testing me?
This is no longer magic knowledge, it is broader and more comprehensive than magic. But it has nothing to do with magic. This is called science.
Omar, why do you, the omniscient and omnipotent, care about a little person like me?
"Eh?!" Lu Yuan suddenly turned over and sat up, almost hitting the wooden roof of the attic.
"Who am I?! I...I am..."
His real past, the life of the boy named Lu Yuan, was like a boulder sunk in a pool of water that could not be lifted up even with all his strength. The memories seemed to be intermittent and incoherent as if they were separated by decades. He tried hard and panicked to piece them together.
A whole morning passed, and the pieces were put together, and the past finally became clearer.
He was born in Nasike, a small town south of Baldur's Gate, the son of a Karatur merchant who returned to the East when he was five years old and never appeared again. His mother was frail and sick. In the past few years, she earned a little money by washing clothes for the miners in Naxikai and supported him while he was growing up. After he was seven years old, he worked as an apprentice in a blacksmith shop and learned some good skills. When he was twelve years old, his mother died of illness. Before his mother died, he was entrusted to his uncle's family, and then he was sent to Baldur's Gate as an apprentice at the witchcraft grocery store. That was three years ago.
His cousin William Gast was 20 years old and a talented seventh-level mage, the pride of his uncle's family.
William Gast studied under Master Ramasis of Baldur's Gate. After becoming an official mage, he joined the mage group serving the "Flame Fist" and at the same time chose to engage in alchemy work in the witchcraft grocery store. . He also continued to expand his influence in the business alliance, calling friends and making friends with the powerful. He promoted his goal to join the Baldur's Gate Council, unabashedly demonstrating his ambition.
Lu Yuan's apprentice status was obtained through the help of his cousin William Gast.
William Gast was sociable and helpful. The young mage group he organized, "The Blazing Flame," received an interview from the Grand Duke of Baldur's Gate because it repaired equipment for the Flame Fist Mercenary Group for free. He also entered the power system of the Grand Duke and worked hard to climb up. He is the rising star here, and many people are optimistic about his prospects.
On the surface, he cared deeply about Lu Yuan, arranged work and residence for Lu Yuan, and often guided Lu Yuan in front of others. With all these things, everyone knew that William Gast had a cousin whom he loved deeply. However, since it is said on the surface, it is of course different from the actual situation. In fact, Lu Yuan heard William Gast curse his appearance more than once, and even cursed him directly to his face.
Lu Yuan has the appearance of a pure Karatu man, with black eyes, black hair, and yellow skin, a standard Chinese appearance. This appearance has a resounding title in the Sword Coast - "Son of the Devil"!
Today, more and more Karatu people from the far east appear in the Sword Coast region. Talents in the Sword Coast know that there are several countries in the East that have people with the same appearance, and the number even far exceeds the total population of the Sword Coast. Moreover, in the East, the people of the Sword Coast also appear as Rakshasa ghosts. So after that, people no longer associated this appearance with demons, and only some stubborn old guys still had this prejudice.
Sadly, most of the council that now holds power in Baldur's Gate are just such old guys, and they have all heard rumors of Gaster's involvement with demons. Therefore, William Gast felt that Lu Yuan was blocking his way, and of course he felt extremely disgusted.
"Cousin! I heard you were hurt! I told you a long time ago not to do those dangerous experiments! Do you know how worried your family will be about you!"
His memory was interrupted by a sudden voice, which was none other than his lovely and respectable cousin William.
He first expressed his love in a voice that was loud enough for the neighbors to hear clearly, and then he walked up to the attic.
His cousin had beautiful blond hair, a handsome face, and a tall figure. He would smile before anyone spoke, showing eight shining teeth. It's a pity that the mouth is spitting out venom now, "Wow, the devil's child is lucky. To be honest, I really envy your good luck in always escaping death."
Then he threw two bottles of purple potion beside the bed, "Don't bother me, I'll leave in a quarter of an hour!"
William took out a soft-covered book and leaned against the window to read. This is considered a fixed performance routine.
Lu Yuan will always get hurt.
He is just the lowest apprentice, and in a place like a wizarding grocery store, no one will teach you the real thing. At most, it just tells you a process, and then you work over and over again. This is "cultivation". The consequence of the highly developed alchemy is that the threshold for participation is gradually lowered, allowing apprentices to gradually take on the work that originally required mages to complete. Only in this way can costs be further reduced and the labor force of apprentices squeezed.
Anyway, the survival rate of apprentices is not high, everyone is accustomed to it, and it is a common view to squeeze as much as possible before death. However, in order to obtain mysterious magical knowledge, magic apprentices must not only work hard but also perform well and actively engage in dangerous work. Only in this way can you gain the favor of a formal mage.
For example, Lu Yuan is engaged in alchemy potion work, commonly known as magic potion.
Magical extracts are often uncertain products. From a chemical point of view, it is something with unknown composition, unknown concentration, and unknown properties. When this extract is "mixed" in the last step of the potion making process, there is more than a 10% chance of failure and a 5% chance of causing a serious explosion, so this step is usually done by apprentices in a heavy and simply finished basement.
"Why don't you just drive me away? I think it's not difficult at all for you to find a reasonable excuse." Lu Yuan said.
"Oh?" William turned around in surprise. Ever since he was severely punished by William for resisting for the first time, William had become accustomed to this relatively silent drama. Anyway, the two of them didn't have any feelings for each other. Even their parents felt like they had lost a burden since they sent Lu Yuan here. They never asked anything about their sister except selling their sister's house as soon as possible.
"You want to leave?"
"Of course, since you think I have tarnished your reputation, isn't it okay to let me leave? I'll be my blacksmith, and you will be your congressman, isn't it?" Lu Yuan said with some annoyance, Xinde Those memories made him feel a strong sense of humiliation towards his current life.
"So you care!" William shook his head, "You are always so stupid. I thought you had a hardened head. Since you don't like hearing me make fun of your appearance, I will I won’t say it anymore. Forget about those words like ‘son of the devil’, it’s just a joke. If you care, I can even apologize.”
"What do you mean?" Lu Yuan asked doubtfully.
"You won't understand. Just know that you 'used' did block my way, but I don't care now, so that's okay." William continued to focus on the book.
"Forget it," Lu Yuan waved his hand and said, "It doesn't matter, because I have decided to leave."
"Why?!" William frowned and put down the book, asking unhappily.
"There is no future, no guidance, and my life is in danger at any time. The teacher is just exploiting me as a free laborer. He doesn't even know my name. Now give me a reason to continue?!"
"Well," William pondered for a moment and said, "This is an oversight on my part... I will try to change you to a safer environment, where you can also learn something."
"Why are you doing this?"
"You want to know?"
"I must know."
"All right."
William pressed the book on the table, thought for a moment and said, "Do you know Anta Silvershield? One of the Grand Dukes of Baldur's Gate, the most powerful of the most powerful people. Just the year before last year , Li'er Silverdun, the youngest daughter of Anta Silverdun, was kidnapped and brutally killed during the negotiation process. After the incident, the angry Grand Duke Anta Silverdun purged the entire lower city, with more than fifty people A famous criminal was hanged, four powerful figures fell, and thirteen Firefist officers were implicated. This incident was so big that it even completely changed the political situation in Baldur's Gate."
He was silent for a moment and continued, "In the comparison of power before that, the Grand Duke was slightly at a disadvantage. After that, the Grand Duke had an absolute advantage!"
William picked up the book and stood up, and said meaningfully, "Every big shot needs to have a weakness that can be attacked."
William left.
Lu Yuan fell weakly on the bed.
William thought he didn't understand, but how could Lu Yuan, who had lost decades of memory and was bombarded with news every day, not understand? He is William's obvious weakness, which usually attracts malicious eyes. At critical moments, he can sacrifice Lu Yuan in exchange for greater political chips.
This is bad.
But he didn't want to give up. Lu Yuan knew that he was very talented! He even felt that he might be a genius. His body has always been very flexible, and his long career as a blacksmith has also given him a very strong body. His memory is amazing, and he can remember any story after hearing it once. Before his father, the Karatu man, left, as if he knew he would not come back, he dictated to Lu Yuan, who was still young at the time, a set of meditation secrets and a spell that could be cast, "Mage's Hand."
So Lu Yuan, like all children, stubbornly believed that if he learned this well, his father would come back. So he meditated secretly every day after his mother fell asleep. Two years later, he finally used the "Mage's Hand". He showed it to his mother, who only praised him and told him not to let others see it. The little Lu Yuan meditated like this year after year, and practiced the "Mage's Hand" year after year.
From just being able to move a straw, to grabbing a red iron billet and turning it on the anvil, to turning the iron block himself, and swinging the hammer with magic... But his father never came back. As he grew up, Lu Yuan also gradually understood that after the first long journey away from their homeland, a large number of Karatu people would never leave their hometown again, and they became loyal ruralists. Although he did not wait for his father, he still persisted in meditating because it brought him the only joy in childhood.
In this world, magic is divided into nine rings from shallow to deep. A person who can cast first-level spells is called a formal mage, or a first-level mage. After mastering the first-level spells, you become a second-level mage and can enter the next level of magic learning. The character level of a mage can be divided into level 20. A mage who exceeds level 20 will enter the legend. Before level 20, master one more level of spell every two levels, until level 18. After level 18, the number of spells that can be cast before legend only increases, and the level of spells stops at the ninth level, which is stipulated by the mysterious lady, the mother of magic, the goddess of magic Mythra, the controller of magic webs and spells.
Ever since Ms. Mystra weaved the magic web and sorted out the scattered and violent magical energy, it had an unparalleled impact on the entire world of Faerûn. It is more convenient and faster for mages to cast spells, and the possibility of ordinary people becoming mages increases exponentially. Later, following the division of magic, divine magic was also divided into nine levels, which were given to his priests by God. The magic network determines the level of magicians. Other professionals in the world, whether they are well-known warriors, rangers, priests, etc., or countless unknown professionals such as psychic rogues and warlocks, etc., They will make a horizontal comparison based on the level of the mage, and determine their professional level accordingly.
Before becoming a formal mage, as a mage apprentice, you can master some zero-level spells. These spells are weak in invoking magic, have little effect, and have almost no power. They are called "sleight of hand". It is mainly used to determine the magic apprentice's familiarity with magic, as well as their talent, qualifications and inclination towards magic schools.
It took Lu Yuan two years to display the "Mage's Hand". His talent was considered to be the lowest among magicians, and the possibility of becoming an official mage was extremely slim. This once plunged him into despair after he became an apprentice. As an apprentice, there are not many tricks that are "must master". The "Light Technique" used to "charge" the magic lamp, the "Freezing Ray" and "Acid Splash" used to make potions, the "Mage's Hand" used to save lives when preparing potions, and the "Repair Technique" used to clean up the scene after the explosion.
He looked at others mastering each trick quickly, and could only look stiff and meaningless. In private, it took him almost ten times as long to keep up with the progress. He had not told William or anyone else about this, so William still had some expectations for him. As for his mentor? How can a person who can't even be called by his name have such qualifications?
After drinking the medical potion William brought, Lu Yuan fell into a deep sleep.
There are bursts of itching coming from my head. It should be better tomorrow, right?
