Chương 389: Chapter 378 - The Adventurer Guild

After leaving the Dungeon's garrison with the written clearance in hand, they met the others waiting outside the walls. To avoid drawing attention, they agreed that only the seven of them would head toward the nearest settlement, while the rest remained in the forest, keeping out of sight until more information could be gathered. Cloaks pulled low, the seven followed a forest trail toward Riviera and soon reached the small town's entrance at the edge of Gura Forest.

The wooden palisade rose unevenly around the gate, which stood open and was watched by two guards resting against their spears. Both men straightened when they noticed the approaching figures, weathered faces breaking into easy grins. One nudged the other as they stepped forward.

"Well now, look 'ere, travellers already," the first guard said, thick old-British accent rolling like gravel.

"Come on then, no loiterin'. Day's burnin'."

"Aye," the second added, adjusting his helmet that was far too large for his head.

"Mind yer step in there. Market's a bit rowdy on spring days." The group nodded in greeting. Lukas offered a brief thanks, which earned a satisfied grunt from both guards. Inside the gates, the settlement opened in warm, steady colour. A medieval European town stretched before them, cobbled paths threading between timber-framed houses. The beams were dark with age and the windows glowed with soft firelight.

The air carried the scent of fresh bread, roasting meat and the slow drift of woodsmoke rising from stone chimneys. Alonso eased his pace. There was something about this place that drew at him. Perhaps the simplicity or the worn charm, or the sense of history shaping the walls and roofs around them. He breathed in the cold air, catching hints of earth and hay beneath the smoke. It felt steady. Familiar in a way he could not explain. A faint smile touched his mouth.

Ayu, walking just behind him, nearly paused as they passed a tailor's shop. Dresses of bright colour hung from a wooden beam by the window, each stitched with fine threads that caught the light. Her eyes widened with an almost childlike spark.

"Look at those," she whispered, drifting close to Alonso's arm without noticing.

"Look at that. And that one!" Alonso glanced at the price tags written neatly on small wooden slats. They ranged from one 120 to 500 Coppershards. He had no idea if that was expensive or not for clothes, but he filed the numbers away for later. It reminded him that beneath the fighter's edge, Ayu still liked things like this. She still kept the dress Lukas had made for her, the one she had worn back on the second stage for their dance.

He followed her gaze, noting the pieces she lingered on, committing each to memory. As they moved on, she kept stealing looks at the window, her steps half a beat lighter than before. Across the street, a line of stalls worked in steady rhythm. Spices hissed in iron pans. Jars of honey shone gold in the sun. Fresh bread cooled on wooden racks, steam drifting from their crusts. Lukas breathed in deeply, his shoulders easing with pure satisfaction.

"Oh yes," he murmured.

"That is the smell of happiness." Chiara touched two fingers to the bridge of her nose.

"Let's not get too distracted."

"Oh, I absolutely will," Lukas said, giving her a teasing blink.

"But first we need coins and information, and if my gaming years count for anything, I would place my bet on the Adventurer Guild."

"Should we not sell some gear in the market first? We don't have enough coins for the registration."

"Even if we have a rough idea from what that bandit said, there is only so much he would know about market prices, and we could get ripped off without realising. I am fairly sure the Adventurer Guild will offer appropriate, fixed rates without the pain of haggling." Chiara fell quiet, considering it, then nodded.

"That sounds reasonable."

"Right then. That will be our first stop. Although, walking in all together will feel strange, since none of us are Adventurers. And we do not have a single Silvermark between us, only assets to sell. So I suggest Alonso and I go in first and see how the place works."" Why not me and Alonso?" Leonie sent the thought across privately." You draw too much attention, sis,"Lukas said with a soft laugh that made her press her lips together." And, not to puff myself up, but this is my area. Trust me.""

As you wish, Lukas," she replied. She did not sound fully convinced, but she had no argument ready.

"Alright then. See you all in a bit. Try not to stand out too much," Lukas said.

"Last thing we want is trouble with the local powers." They broke off with quiet nods. After asking for directions from a friendly looking local, they headed deeper into the town. It was not a large place, and a few turns took them towards the centre. The guild building was much less grand than Alonso had imagined. The roof sloped unevenly, the walls built from old timber with fresh patches of repair, and a painted wooden sign hung above the entrance with a sword crossed over a quill.

All that said, the building still gave off a friendly, lived-in feeling. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work! A soft bell chimed as Lukas pushed the door open, and the two of them stepped inside. The interior was quieter than Alonso expected. A few wooden tables stood scattered around the room. Most were empty, though one near the back held two men hunched over a faintly glowing trinket.

The object pulsed with a soft blue light as they whispered to each other, barely looking up except to give Alonso and Lukas a brief, curious glance. Alonso let his eyes travel across the place. There was not much to see. A counter. A few shelves. Dust caught in the warm light from a lantern by the window. The only thing that stood out was a large board mounted on the wall to the right of the entrance. Several tasks were scrawled across it in rough handwriting.

Under each one sat a small device that reminded him of the Xayen information carriers from the last stage. He sent a light pulse toward one of them and received a clear visual in return. Task details. Location. Coordinates. Contact information. Each person had offered their unique EM signature to be reached. He found the system amusing. It seems this world treated EM signatures almost like phone numbers back on Earth. A quick scan showed most tasks fell into familiar patterns.

Several were simple caravan escorts to nearby villages, with routes marked across crude maps. Others requested small teams to clear out lingering bandit groups along the forest edges. And nearly half of the postings involved preparatory work for new Gura Dungeon expeditions. Some asked for porters, others for competent fighters, and one detailed a full raid team forming for the week's end. They made their way to the counter.

The young clerk behind it, a very British-looking lad who had clearly been close to dozing off, straightened at once and lifted a polite smile.

"Welcome to Riviera's Adventurer Guild. What can I do for you?"

"Hello there. We are here for one Adventurer registration," Lukas said, offering an easy smile.

"Very well. To begin the process, I will need proof of a Dungeon clearance and the registration fee of three Silvermarks," the clerk said, tone calm and steady. Lukas rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"About that, before we go one with the registration, I have a few things to sell. Care to take a look?" The clerk's gaze dropped briefly to their backpacks, assessing the weight and shape of them before he nodded.

"I can, however, I must warn you in advance that the Guild only deals with Dungeon drops and our prices are fixed."

"Perfect," Lukas said, sounding more than satisfied. They unpacked part of the loot from the recent raid and laid it neatly on the counter.

"This will be our batch." The clerk's eyes flicked across the items. He did not lift a single one, yet Alonso noticed the faintest shift in the EM field around him. Less than a second later he looked up.

"We can offer 6 Silvermarks and 140 Coppershards."

"We have a deal," Lukas replied, smiling pleasantly. The clerk lifted a hand and sent a small pulse across the counter. A nearby set of crates trembled, then slid forward along a metal track. Tools inside them clicked, sorted themselves, and pulled each piece of gear down into the storage slots with quiet precision. To the side, a metal quill scratched across a sheet of parchment, writing in a compact coded script as it recorded the transaction. Alonso leaned forward slightly.

The Guild resembled the ones he had seen in stories and games back on Earth, but the way they used EM waves for simple tasks was a pleasant surprise. He should have anticipated something like it, yet the smooth practicality still caught his attention.

"Alright, here you go," the clerk said. He placed six silver coins on the counter along with fourteen copper ones. Each copper piece bore a carved ten, marking them as ten Coppershards apiece.

"Splendid," Lukas said as he gathered the coins but left three Silvermarks on the counter.

"So this is for one registration. As for the proof…" He produced the scroll the baron's men had given them after clearing the Dungeon and passed it to the clerk.

"This should cover the clearance requirement." The clerk unrolled the parchment and scanned the names. None were familiar, and the signatures beside them matched no registered adventurers.

"Very well. Which one of you is registering?" Alonso stepped forward.

"That will be me… Alonso."

"Alonso," the clerk repeated as he checked the name and noted the EM signature beside it. He then reached under the counter and brought up a small disc-like device.

"Please send a pulse into this receiver." Alonso almost smiled. So this was like an ID check? He sent a brief pulse. The device hummed faintly. The clerk nodded and finally swept the three Silvermarks into the storage box.

"Right. Before I can issue your token, I must confirm you understand the rules and benefits of being part of the Adventurer Guild. Please review the recorded details here and sign your acceptance on this document." He set an information storer on the counter beside a scroll and a waiting quill dipped in fresh ink. Alonso focused on the storer, and a wave of structured information surged into his mind as he processed it. It was far more organised than he expected.

It detailed the rank system, from Copper at the lowest to Adamantite at the highest. Each tier required a combination of verified achievements, merit points, and completion of sanctioned challenges.

It outlined Guild rules like: respect Guild staff and property no falsification of achievements no unauthorised use of Guild authority mandatory reporting of Dungeon anomalies aiding fellow members when death is imminent when feasible adhering to local laws while on assignment Each offence carried clear penalties, from merit deductions to temporary suspension. It also explained merit accumulation.

Merits were earned through completed tasks, Dungeon clears, escort jobs, investigations, retrieval missions, and the such. Merits unlocked new permissions, including access to advanced information archives, restricted notices, and better-paying contracts. With each rank came broader authority and deeper access to the Guild's network of knowledge. There were brief mentions of foreign authorities and high courts, suggesting the world was divided into several kingdoms and domains. Nothing explicit, though.

Only hints that the Guild operated across a far broader human sphere than this small frontier settlement. Alonso nodded, surprised by how detailed all of this was, especially for a world that, at first glance, resembled the Dark Ages. Was this level of structure a consequence of EM wave control shaping how society functioned? With that thought lingering, he leaned over the scroll and signed where indicated.

"All good then," the clerk said.

"I will now issue you a Copper-rank Adventurer token. You must keep it with you at all times, especially when visiting the Guild. It holds your name, merits, and EM signature, and it is recognised throughout Brithelm and neighbouring kingdoms."

"About that… the manual states that it is possible to register at a higher rank if one has the appropriate feats. Is that correct?" Alonso asked. The clerk blinked, slightly caught off guard.

"Well… yes. Yes, it is. Do you have any referral from a senior member of our Guild, or any confirmation of a feat that would justify such an exception?" Alonso was not entirely sure, but it felt worth trying. The difference between ranks was no joke, and any head start they could secure would help. He unsheathed one of his blades and held it out calmly.

"Would this serve as proof?" The clerk stared. He froze for a full second before his mind seemed to catch up with what he was seeing. A hard swallow followed. He straightened as much as he could and bowed his head slightly.

"I apologise for any misunderstanding, sir. That weapon is more than sufficient proof. However, my position only allows me to issue up to Iron-rank tokens. For a Silver-rank registration, I will need to summon the Guild Master, if that is acceptable." Alonso nodded.

"Sure."