The brown-haired girl seemed to sense Adam's hesitation, her lips curling slightly. "If you register as an adventurer, inquiries like that are free." She offered.
Her expectant gaze met his.
Adam's brow twitched. "Can one person register as an adventurer?"
"Adventuring is dangerous work. Anyone can register, no strict rules on numbers, but for safety, teams usually need at least two."
She leaned in, lowering her voice. "Though, there's no hard rule."
"How much to register?" Adam asked, his face impassive.
"One silver coin!" She waggled a finger.
Adam reached into his pocket as a feint, retrieving a silver coin from his Item Box and placing it on the counter.
"I'll get it processed right away!" The girl's eyes lit up.
"No, I meant the five-copper question." Adam pressed the coin down, still expressionless.
With only 2 gold, 6 silver, and 3 copper left, and expenses looming in E-Rantel, he couldn't afford to splurge on adventurer registration.
He had no time for guild tasks.
The girl's face fell, her enthusiasm fading. Pointing to a wall covered in request notices, she grumbled, "There's an escort request to E-Rantel over there. It's a long trip, but only pays the minimum for a Gold-rank task. Stingy."
She seemed to hint at something. "It's probably getting picked up by that Silver-rank team."
"Since you seem clueless, a tip for you, to join them you'll need both the client's and the team's approval."
Adam followed her gesture, spotting a four-person adventurer team. A flash of recognition hit him, they were the ones he'd overheard earlier, aiming to reach Gold rank.
He released the coin, sliding it toward her.
The girl picked it up, rubbing it lightly before stowing it in a box. She placed eight copper coins on the counter.
"Thanks." Adam said with a nod, pocketing the coins and turning to leave.
Thanks?
The girl blinked, watching his retreating figure with a mix of surprise and curiosity.
In her time at the guild, no one had thanked her. Adventurers were usually rough types, and as a lowly receptionist, she was beneath notice.
"He looks poor… well, plain, but oddly polite." She murmured.
On second thought, the man was quite charming. Despite his shabby clothes, his demeanor that gave off an intelligent and educated aura made her think that perhaps he was a noble from another kingdom?
Adam found a quiet corner of the hall, leaned against the wall, and sighed.
This was trickier than he'd thought. He'd been too optimistic.
Needing both the client's and team's consent? Near impossible.
A client hiring adventurers for protection wouldn't want a stranger tagging along, and a team wouldn't invite trouble.
But E-Rantel was non-negotiable.
The Great Forest of Tob to the north and the Katze Plains to the south were prime leveling spots. Unlike a game, this world's monsters didn't respawn, so Adam needed areas teeming with magical beasts to grind.
Plus, E-Rantel, straddling the Re-Estize Kingdom and Baharuth Empire, was convenient for his plans.
If safety were his only concern, the Kingdom's interior posed little threat.
More crucially, his limited grasp of the Kingdom's culture meant an adventurer team could help him dodge avoidable trouble.
Adam knew much about the New World, but his knowledge was high-level, lacking the mundane details he now needed.
With his low level, avoiding pitfalls was critical.
He pondered.
The receptionist had implied that a trip from the capital to E-Rantel was a Gold-rank task due to the distance.
With his funds, hiring a team was out of reach.
A compromise might work.
E-Rantel was the Kingdom's easternmost border city, but between it and the capital lay E-Raebel, a major city under Marquis Raeven, one of the Kingdom's six great nobles.
Traveling to E-Raebel first, then to E-Rantel, could lower the cost.
But that detour would burn time, his most precious resource.
Suddenly...
"Miss Daya, has anyone taken the request I posted yesterday?" A familiar, slightly nervous voice came from the reception desk.
"Oh, it's you." The receptionist replied calmly. "Perfect timing. Your request was just accepted by a Silver-rank team. Are you satisfied, or should we find another?"
"No, no!" The nervous voice hurried. "We have no special requirements."
Adam looked up, surprised, his gaze locking onto the speaker.
Nfirea?
He hadn't expected to run into someone familiar here.
Was Nfirea the one who posted the E-Rantel escort request?
Her grandmother was a Magic Caster capable of third-tier spells. Why would they need to hire adventurers?
While Adam processed this, Nfirea had already met with the Silver-rank team, finalizing the request.
After a brief moment of thought, Adam approached Nfirea.
Meanwhile...
"We'll be counting on you for the journey. It might be a bit taxing." Nfirea said softly to the four adventurers.
The apparent leader, clad in black lightweight armor, thumped his chest with a hearty grin. "No worries! We've done escorts like this before. Your safety's guaranteed."
Nfirea, naturally reserved, flushed with faint embarrassment. He seemed to want to clarify something but held back.
That wasn't what he'd meant.
"Hello." A voice called from behind.
***
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