Erik covered the distance of 5 miles between Celera and the city of Duxelle in roughly 50 minutes. He could have used his light affinity or light magic spells to boost his speed but choosed not to, as walking was a hobby he always enjoyed.
The boundary of the city of Duxelle was covered with tall 10-meter-high walls for protection. It was a two-layered wall, the outer layer was 10 meters tall and made of heavy, thick black rocks, while the inner layer, standing 8.5 meters tall, was constructed from simple yellowish stone bricks. Between these two layers, at a height of approximately 8 meters, there was a patrol area for soldiers and city knights as part of the city’s defense. Every 4 meters, there was an arrow slit in the outer wall, and at all times, knights guarded the city, ready to alert everyone in case of an attack.
Erik’s walk came to a halt as he saw a long line of people standing in front of the city’s main entrance. Two guards stood by the entrance in knight armor, each armed with a sword, ensuring no one entered the city without permission.
Though long, the line proceeded smoothly. Merchants and common folk simply had to show their identification provided by the Kingdom to gain entry, while adventurers only needed to present their Adventurer Guild cards.
After a few minutes, it was Erik’s turn to provide his details.
“Can I get your identification?” a knight in silver armor with 2 blue feather like stripes on his left shoulder, denoting his position, spoke in a stern voice. He did not look at Erik, remaining focused on writing something in a register.
“Here, sir,” Erik replied in a low voice.
The knight looked up, and upon seeing Erik’s face, he returned the card without inspecting it.
“Erik, huh? Well, you are free to go,” the knight stated, looking at Erik.
“Thanks,” Erik replied briefly, glancing at the knight. I’ve seen him a lot of times, I should maybe try to find out his name, Erik thought as he walked into the city.
The city of Duxelle housed about 50,000 people and had roughly 9,000 houses, making it one of the larger cities in the Kingdom of Levilenia.
Erik began walking toward the Adventurer’s Guild as he entered the city, occasionally glancing around at the shops, houses, people, and everything else in between.
After about 10 minutes of walking, Erik reached the Adventurer’s Guild. He noticed it was as lively as ever, with several adventurers entering and exiting in groups. Some were alone, some were with there party, and laughter and chatter filled the air—it was the usual scene, one he loved about this place.
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The Adventurer’s Guild was a large building with a medieval-style appearance and a grand, symmetrical design. Its steep, red-tiled roof complemented its stone walls, painted a soft shade of brownish-yellow.
A simple yet sturdy wooden double door served as the main entrance, welcoming adventurers. Above the entrance, the wall was adorned with the official grey-colored guild emblem over a blue cloth, proudly displayed as a symbol of its authority. The emblem depicted a man holding a majestic-looking trident atop a broken castle.
Erik walked toward the entrance and stepped inside. A large cafeteria greeted him immediately. Alcohol, food, sweets—you name it, and it could be found here. The guild had its own cook, and the food was budget-friendly and tasty, catering to adventurer's preferences.
You could also order an extravagant meal if you were willing to pay the price. The cook, Sir Cyrus, as everyone called him, was an old man with white hair and a white mustache. His height barely reached 5 feet, but his well-toned body showed his obvious dedication to regular training despite his age. Above all, he was an expert chef.
He was always approached by restaurants and eateries in the city to work for them, but he would always refuse. His past was something secret from the adventurers, but rumors had it he was once a strong adventurer.
“Sir Cyrus sure does make good stuff,” Erik mumbled as the smell of food wafted into his nose, his mouth watering slightly at the sight of the delicious meat on an adventurer's plate.
Erik refocused himself. That’s not what I came for, he thought to himself as he glanced at the receptionist counter.
Most of the guild consisted of a seating area. Several square tables with four wooden chairs were arranged for adventurers and their parties to sit and enjoy their time in the guild.
There was also a large quest board at the center of the Adventurer’s Guild. Beside it, on the left side, was the receptionist counters, and on the right side, there was another wooden door. This door led to the storage area, which was used by the Adventurer’s Guild to store monster bodies. Monsters such as one-horned boars, minotaurs, orcs and others since they fetched a relatively good price in the market.
If an adventurer managed to obtain a wyvern or a dragon, they could probably earn enough money to live comfortably for two to three years without working.
Erik walked toward the receptionist counter. There were four different counters with separate female receptionist.
He approached the rightmost counter and looked at the lady, who was busy with a bundle of paperwork.
“Hey Alya, how’s your day been treating you?” he asked with a small smile, looking at the girl.
Alya was wearing the guild’s signature outfit. She wore a white shirt under an orange, V-neck designed top. She wore a long orange skirt that extended below her knees, complemented by blue stockings and black low-heeled sandals.
Her white hair was tied up in a bun, adorned with a large green clover-leaf-shaped hairpin.
Alya, who had been focused on the paperwork, turned her attention toward Erik. She glanced at Erik with her light blue eyes as she ran her hand through her long white hair and gave him a tired smile.
“Just like the usual, I would say, Erik,” she said in a low voice.
“Already tired, now are we?” Erik chuckled, looking at Alya. “Do you have any escort quests?” he asked with a curious expression.