Chapter 6: Kara-Tur Person Mu Yan

Leaving the foul-smelling Troll exhibition tent, Xia Duo returned to town from the other side of the circle of tents surrounding the circus.

He had only seen half of this ring when he arrived, and there was still the other half left unseen; it was perfect to take a look on his way back and gain some more knowledge, but as for the area in the middle surrounded by the tents, Xia Duo was not prepared to waste 1 Gold Coin to see any spectacular performance.

With 1 Gold Coin, there were plenty of better things to do; if he could successfully enter the Mage Tower as a servant in three days, there would be many places where money was needed. He had no kin to support him in Savile Town, so he had to rely on himself for everything.

The other half-circle of tents was not much different from the half he had seen when he arrived; it was still all kinds of sundries.

From fishhooks, sewing needles, Parchment, and glass bottles costing a few Silver Coins, to Magic Items and artworks worth hundreds of Gold Coins, everything was available, truly opening Xia Duo's eyes.

Looking past the tent stalls one by one, Xia Duo finally stopped in front of one; what attracted him was naturally not the lifelike small wood carvings on the stall, but the stall owner.

This stall owner was somewhat different from the managers at the previous stalls; those managers basically all wore a uniform style of Leather Armor, with a lion roaring in flames engraved on a conspicuous part of the armor.

But this stall owner wore only a yellowish linen robe, with a gray cloth belt tied around his waist, and a short flute half an arm's length long tucked into the belt, seemingly because it was used frequently.

The entire body of the flute glowed with a smooth luster.

However, these were not the point; the point was that this stall owner, like Xia Duo, also had black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin, with soft facial features. If Xia Duo hadn't still possessed basic rationality, he would have almost shouted in Chinese—"Fellow countryman, you came here too?"

Heaven have mercy, having survived in this other world for more than half a year, Xia Duo wanted so, so badly to return to his original home; at least on Earth, one didn't have to live in fear all day, terrified of being snatched away by a passing Mage.

Now, suddenly seeing a stall owner who was a suspected fellow countryman, one could imagine how excited Xia Duo was inside.

"Purification Wood Carving, 1 Gold Coin each; don't touch if you aren't buying." The stall owner's words made Xia Duo calm down immediately.

Only then did he notice that these wood carvings were basically shaped after the same object, only in different forms. As for the purification function, Xia Duo couldn't see it. Just as he was preparing to leave, he didn't expect the stall owner to call him back—

"Are you from Kara-Tur?"

Xia Duo was stunned and immediately reacted; the stall owner was talking about 【Kara-Tur】, the legendary eastern continent. In the game Xia Duo played before transmigrating, there were two theories about Kara-Tur: it might be in another crystal sphere, or it might be on the same Toril planet as Faerun.

As for the reality of it, Xia Duo did not have enough knowledge to judge.

But being able to meet someone from Kara-Tur could be considered rare, because in the game before he transmigrated, it was never mentioned that there were people from Kara-Tur on the continent of Faerun during the Netheril era.

Although people from Kara-Tur also had black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin, Xia Duo would not admit that he was from Kara-Tur, especially in front of someone from Kara-Tur, but he did not completely deny it either; after all, his appearance was right there.

"I don't know if I am from Kara-Tur either. I came here because of an accident, less than half a year ago. Boss, are you from Kara-Tur?"

"Yes, I am from Kara-Tur, but Kara-Tur is what the Netherese call it; we call ourselves 【Daxia People】." The stall owner said a word that sounded very strange; Xia Duo could be certain it wasn't Chinese, but it seemed somewhat similar.

Xia Duo tried saying a sentence in Chinese, and to his surprise, the stall owner immediately became happy, "What you said should be 【Great Xia Language】; it might be a dialect of Great Xia Language. Although I don't understand it, I can be certain it definitely has to do with Great Xia."

The 【Daxia】 the stall owner spoke of should be the true name of his hometown, but it was a pity that Xia Duo was not a Daxia person. However, he irresponsibly guessed that it was probably because the setting of Kara-Tur in the game originated from China.

He didn't expect that after transmigrating, he would also be able to experience this sense of similarity across time and space.

Afterwards, the stall owner also said a few sentences in Great Xia Language, but Xia Duo didn't understand a single word, so the two could only continue to communicate using Netherese Common.

In the conversation, Xia Duo learned that this stall owner was named Mu Yan, and he had also come to Faerun for some unknown reason, but he was luckier; when he first arrived, he was still young and was adopted by a kind-hearted Bard.

From then on, he wandered everywhere with that Bard. Besides the Netheril homeland, he had also been to some non-human kingdoms, such as Cormanthor to the east, the Eaerlann Elf Kingdom to the west, and even traveled west along the Narrow Sea north of the Empire, seeing barbarians and Dwarf kingdoms.

He could be called well-traveled and knowledgeable.

Xia Duo and Mu Yan hit it off quite well. Of course, in most cases, Mu Yan spoke and Xia Duo listened. The Bard's eloquence made his wandering experiences sound moving and engaging. Xiao Nier couldn't help but be attracted by those fantastic experiences, and both of them had already forgotten about the need to rush back to the inn to help.

And upon learning that Xia Duo was participating in the Mage Tower assessment, Mu Yan offered a suggestion—

"Xia Duo, the path of a Mage is not so easy to walk. I have long heard of the Mage Lord of Savile Town, but after the disappearance of the Great Arcanist of Savile, the Saville Family began to decline. The current Lord didn't even successfully advance to an Advanced Arcanist. If you are willing, I can guide you onto the path of a Bard; I consider myself not inferior to that Mage Lord."

Xia Duo's eyes lit up, but his heart also felt a jolt of awe. That Mu Yan could say he was not inferior to a Lord meant he must have some confidence; it was just that Xia Duo couldn't see it.

However, becoming a Bard could indeed grant the power of Magic, and with Mu Yan's protection, in the absence of other choices, Xia Duo was naturally one hundred, one thousand times willing. But the problem was, was this Mu Yan trustworthy?

The Lord of Savile Town had his Mage Tower located in the northwest corner of the town. His own reputation within the Territory was also quite good, and he was quite friendly to Commoners. Although he was often obsessed with Magic research, he did not delay the governance of the Territory at all.

Emotionally, Xia Duo was willing to believe in this Mage Lord.

But this Mu Yan, a wandering Bard—how much of what he said was credible? If he were to follow him to learn Spells, he would inevitably have to continue wandering with him. How many dangers would be encountered along the way, and how could one calculate that?

Xia Duo fell silent. If he could pass the Mage Tower assessment, then staying in town was naturally more appropriate. If he failed, and wanted to obtain the power of Magic, it seemed the only way was through this Mu Yan.

Xia Duo did not refuse on the spot, nor did he dare to refuse on the spot; heaven knew if this Mu Yan would casually cast a Spell on him. "Mr. Mu Yan, may I learn a bit about the situation of Bards?"

Mu Yan pondered for a moment, "Bards, ah, Bards cast Spells by reciting poems, chanting, singing love songs, humming melodies, whistling, playing musical instruments, or playing and singing at the same time. Although not as comprehensive as a Mage, it is definitely not weak. Would you like to hear me play a tune?"

During the time the two were talking, a few more people had come to the side of the stall. Xia Duo's curiosity at this moment outweighed his vigilance, "Of course I would, is that okay?"

"Of course it is, consider it a small gift from me to a fellow countryman."

Mu Yan did not use the short flute tucked into his belt, but instead took out an Elven Harp from behind his waist, leaned it against his shoulder, and casually strummed it a few times, emitting an ethereal sound that cleansed one's body and mind.

After a short prelude, Mu Yan sang—

"Beautiful Daxia, my hometown!

"Great rivers flow, mountains stand tall!

"The hardworking Daxia people love life!

"..."