Chapter 21
(Author's POV)
"What a large town"
"And beautiful also"
Kanade and Tsubaki stated in awed, as they entered the nearest settlement in this island, [Town of the Last]. Far from the ghost city, kilometers away from the once stronghold. Using Tsubaki's Golem to carry them - as even though its sluggish, it can at least take twice of their steps as they walked - they then saw some travelers going by to the town, and followed them. Canceling her summon, the crew then took a hitch to one of the carriages for easy entry.
"Here we are"
Said the peddler as he drive their carriage. Looking outside of the *covered wagon they are riding, they then saw from afar the town they are heading, located near the edge of the island. A beautiful town with hovering structures, coated in both worn yet polished mahogany roof, and a cloud gray walls. Towering walls were erected around the town, guarded by men atop.
4 guards were stationed upfront the huge wooden gate, checking and making the area clear and settled. As their turn came, the peddler then showed his ID pass, and then explained the company his having in his carriage, before they were let in. Thanking for his service, Kanade then offered some gift - 2 [Gold Ore], and 4 fangs from a {Black Wolf} - which the peddler respectfully declined. As they left, they then headed towards the [Adventurer's Guild]
"The town is quite flourishing than I thought"
"I agree"
Unknown, or they just didn't have time to care, folks and travelers can't take their interest away from the beauty of these 4. Elizabeth with her porcelain skinned and model like beauty, were an attraction for many, though pale compared to Elizabeth's glow skin, Sarah's height and graceful appearance still shook those men's gaze.
Tsubaki's elegance and light brown skin, coupled with Kanade's charm and beige skin tone, they were like a sculpted art piece. And when some tried their luck on hitting on them
"...." (whisper)
"...." (whisper)
"...." (murmur)
Rather than a pleasant smile, they meet their unfriendly and hostile gaze, backing anyone that dares to approach them, making them divert their sight in scurry.
.....
From the Plaza, which is located at the center of the town, taking a turn to the left then right, and then straight ahead, they then arrived at the guild. A 2 storey building, with 4 pillars that supports the portch. Two radius windows upfront, and a round one on top, with a signboard at the center displaying a symbol of two crossing arrows in front of a compass
Creak
Murmuring tone, and whispering voices were then heard as they entered, and unexpectedly, unlike the rowdy tavern like place, it was serene yet busy, as the station was filled with people collecting their rewards from the Quest they finished
"We would like to report the completion of the Quest, [Rat Extermination]"
Tackling for a new Quest to take
"Should we take the [The Wondering Ghost], or the [The Missing Peddler]?"
"Either of the 2 is quite far, and we don't have the spare money to go for such journey, let us just take the [Nightshade Dandelions] Quest, simple yet it fetch some good cash"
Asking some info from the receptionists desk
"A-ahem! I am- I mean, we are the [Cordelia n' Lilith] group, and if possible, can we ask for information regarding this Quest?"
"Certainly"
And some of them also were debating in the corner
"We should just take the north route, idiot!"
"Like. I. Fucking. Said! We don't have time to take another route. We need to get as fast as possible to the village in the [The Proclaimed Islands] as soon as possible, go that?"
"You goddamn son of arrgh!"
For a guild
"... This seems, unexpected"
".... What do yo- oh, well, unlike those ones you see often in the novels and animes, here, guilds are divided into 3 kinds"
Realizing what Kanade was so shocked about, Tsubaki then started explaining.
"The organized site like this, we call it a 'Station Guild', while the one you often sees in series and books are 'Tavern's Guild', operated by a tavern owners, or bartender-receptionists, and lastly, a combination of 2 with an inn on its own, a 'Lounge Guild'. Though they might be different, they are still a guild that focuses on supporting the adventurers, in their own different way of course"
"I see"
They then made way towards the reception area, where 3 receptionists were stationed. At the center, an old lady then attended them
"Welcome to the [Adventurer's Guild], how may I help you?"
"We would like to reregister ourselves as adventurers"
"Reregister... ? If you're already an adventurer, but have retired or taken a break for a year or so, your ID is still valid for use, unless of course you've lost it"
"Unfortunately, we did"
"Then in that regard, you need to file the application for lost ID. Please head upstairs for questioning and other matters, but if you felt the information being asked is quite sensitive in your part, you have right to not disclose the information. It will take an hour or so for your new ID to be prepared, so you can either wait here, or you can just come back"
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
With such detailed instruction, the 4 simply thanked her as they go up, and quite surprised too. Arriving at the 2nd floor, another reception desk then greeted them, one at each side, with a room at the center. Still quite early, or there aren't that much people to begin with, the place was empty. Going towards the receptionists at the left, Elizabeth then ask the young clerk
"Is this where we can apply for missing or lost ID?"
"That would be behind you, ma'am"
Turning, they then went to the other side.
"How may I help you?"
"We would like to apply for missing or lost ID"
"Then please head inside through the door on your left, we will be asking you for information and such, it won't take long. The fee will be taken right after"
.....
"I would like you to confirm if the information in your ID is accurate"
She said as she handed them their ID's.
}×<<><><><>[|ADVENTURER'S ID|]<><><><>>×{
[Name: Elizabeth] [Crew Identifier: in a party]
[Rank: Silver]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Witch]
[Request taken: 0/ 24]
[Guild Associated: None]
[Skills:] {please drop your blood to disclose}
}×<<><><><>[|××××××××|]<><><><>>×{
The ID was quite simple than they tought, crafted from an ancient tree, and polished by a great alchemist, coated in a dark paint with a gold lining. After paying their fee, which is thanks to the peddler who brought some of their loots that they got from the monsters they fought, they then left.
During the process of making their ID, they were asked by a lot of questions by an {Elf} and an old man. "How did you lost your ID?", "When did you 1st took your registration?", "Who are you?", "What is your class?", "Your race?", "Do you live here?", "In which [Adventurer's Guild] did you 1st receive your identification?", "Why did you leave?", "Any reason for your return?", "Have you killed anyone?", "Associated by any [Dark Guild]?", "What is your purpose?"
Were all the questions they bombard at them, one by one, with the last one quite vague and ambiguous. The {Elf} woman is the only one asking, while the old man was watching them, and only ask when he felt that the answer was quite dubious. Afterwards, they then asked them to leave and wait, until ghey then received their ID.
.....
(Sarah's POV)
} ~~~<>[]×{[Spider Extermination Quest]}×[]<>~~~ {
Exterminate the {Spiders} that were nesting the old Mine in the [Village of Graven].
Rewards:
20 big silver coins
} ~~~<>[]×{[××××××××××××]}×[]<>~~~ {
After we have gotten our ID, we then took our 1st Quest in this world, an [Extermination Quest]. {Spiders} are silver rank, but as a group of them is nesting to that mine, the Quest was a bit higher and placed in [Silver II tier]. For a group of silver, it is quite risky take, but if they are in a party, the party's rank will be the average strength of the whole party, and as for us, we are labeled as silver II party, so we are allowed to take on this Quest.
] <×>><><+>>>[Group Rank]<<<+><><<×> [
3 - 5 tier I = tier II (same rank)
6 - 7 tier II = tier III
8 tier III = tier I (new rank)
[Note: there's an occasion where 2 tier I = tier II, or 1 tier II = tier III, but they are a rare bunch]
] <×>><><+>>>[××××××××]<<<+><><<×> [
(Author's POV)
After they have brought all the necessary things they need, and also some information regarding the monster they about to face, they then headed to a local inn in this area, located at the top right of the guild. It's a 3 storey building with a 2 balconies at the left side, 4 square windows in each floor, and a wide dormer window at the top floor.
A candle chandelier placed at each floor, with a receptionist desk at the bottom floor. 8 rooms at the bottom floor, while 16 rooms in the 2nd and 3rd floor, each could occupy 3 to 5 people in. And at the back was a wide dining area with a kitchen upfront.
After paying 8 silver coins per head for a 1 night stay, they then went to the 3rd floor, and took their rest for the 1st time in a comfy bed, and slept in peace.
.....
Knock Knock
"Guild master?"
"Come in"
Creak(open) Tang(close) Click(lock)
"What is it?"
In a deep voice she asked, as she sat down, organizing all the piled documents in her desk.
"The 4 convicted criminals, were here"
Halting, she then stared at the old woman
"..... Who?"
In a serious tone, she then answered
"[The Witch of Madness, Maria], [The Inferior Child, Kuna], [The Legion's Chimera, Setta], and [The Banished Murderer, Ithil], those 4 who should have died 60 years ago, just came in to register as an adventurer, with the excuse of 'we lost our ID"
"....."
Relaxing herself as she lean her body to the chair, she was lost in thought
"What should we about them, guild master?"
"..... Just observe them, find someone to tail them. Do not engage, just stay close to them"
She then grab something in the lower drawer, which is tightly locked by a magic circle.
"We don't know how they are still alive, so simply observe them. Contact me if something happens."
She then started writing in this blank paper she took from the drawer. The old lady then bow, and before she could leave
"Elena, try not to do anything stupid. I beg you"
"..... I will try"
Creak
Sighing, she then gazed at the starry sky in the window behind her, and muttered
"Being a guild master is easy, my ass"
.....
Stomp Stomp Stomp Stomp Stomp
Gulp
"Nhnmmm~.... Delish!"
Tsubaki muttered in delight, as she and Kanade ride in the Golem's hand, while on the side, Elizabeth and Sarah were discussing as they travel
"So which direction are we heading?"
"Based on the information we have, if we want a shortcut to the village, we can transverse the [Great Den Forest], which will take us 2 days, and 3 days if we take the route back to the ghost city, then head northeast"
".... Which one is safer?"
"The long route, though we can still encounter monsters in our way, but it is much more safer than going through the forest, where higher rank monsters reside"
Elizabeth then gazed above and added
"But the most pressing matter is, where do we stay during the night?"
".... {Swallowing Night} ha, if we are strong enough, we could fight them"
Sighing, Sarah then lean her back to the Golem's chest
"In this phase, can we expect to reach our destination, perhaps a bit closer to the village?"
"Though our Golem has thrice the stride length than humans, we still can't... Unless of course"
Elizabeth then looked at the side of Tsubaki, and yelled
"Tsubaki, tell you Golem to speed up!
"Why sho- oh!"
"The faster we get to the village, the better"
"Got it!"
Tsubaki, munching the last bread she have in hand, she then ordered her Golem to start running. The Golem then used its right hand as a flooring, while the left hand acted as a shield upfront, to make sure its master and her companion are safe during this journey
Stomp
Stomp
Stomp
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
<<×><{[|×FYI×|]}><×>>
Thousands of years ago, literate people only numbers to a quarter of the quarter of the whole population, and among those are royalties or people with wealth. And with the whole world being overpopulated with people who can't write nor read, a, let say a good Samaritan adventurer, took the liberty to educate those who needed to be educated, amassing a number of people and supporters, garnering almost half of the world population. With such changes, the world's economy and people's view also changed, causing more friction and animosity than before
Though educated, they are still inferior compared to those royalties as the education they received is just "average" or "essential", which is basically just something they needed to manage their life.
<<×><{[|×××××|]}><×>>
[For those who are curious about the guild]
The 1st floor, or ground floor is wide, accommodating 40+ adventurers daily, though sometimes there's 10 or less people in some days. The Quest board is located at the left, with 2 staircase at each side of the reception desk, which is a rectangular room with 3 receptionists, and 3 guards. 4 indoor plants is placed at each corner, with some paintings in the area.
At the 2nd floor, there's an area where 20+ people can sit and wait to be called out. 2 receptionists inside each room, with 4 guards inside. Has 4 toilet, 2 at the ground floor, behind the reception desk, and 2 at the top floor, at each side of the guild office.
[××××××]
*It took them 10 hours to reach the town, with 3 hours of the golem running, 5 hours of walking, and 2 hrs for the carriage, which lead to the reaching the town in 4pm
*Covered wagon are your typical fantasy horse carriages, that you see all the time in isekai and Tensei series, either for merchant, peddler, or a ride for the characters