It was said that when the first monarch and ministers of Hilos planned the city’s size back then, they hadn’t considered that this city would have such a massive population centuries later, to the point that the area within those tall gray walls was barely enough for the wealthy and nobles to live in.
And now, that place was called the “upper district” by the people on the outskirts.
As for the ordinary people in this city, they could only live in the peripheral areas born after the first expansion, almost never allowed to approach those connected tall, gray walls.
Along with that, the adventurer profession, which wasn’t highly regarded, was also thrown out of the upper district.
Out of necessity, the adventurers had to establish an “Adventurers’ Guild” in the peripheral area to exchange information, accept commissions, and collect rewards.
What appeared before Ed’s eyes now was the current appearance of the Hilos Adventurers’ Guild.
Ed set down the “Hilos—Basic Introduction” he had bought from a roadside vendor and looked over from afar.
That tall building with ferocious angles stood out quite distinctly among the cluster of low houses.
Considering the nature of the Adventurers’ Guild, the eye-catching appearance was probably a deliberate consideration.
After all, no adventurer wanted to wander around half the day after entering the city without finding where the Adventurers’ Guild was.
Just like the tavern next to it.
Ed shifted his gaze from the Adventurers’ Guild and glanced at an unremarkable building across the way.
Even from dozens of meters away, the smell of cheap malt liquor still forcefully drilled into his nose, as if shouting loudly to the passing pedestrians:
Hey, come here—this is the best place in the whole city for drinking, you won’t find better.
Even in broad daylight, Ed had already seen a few adventurers in leather armor being carried out drunk from the tavern.
He watched with interest as a certain adventurer having a drunken fit was caught by the guards.
Unknowingly, Ed had approached that building with the ferocious angles.
At the entrance, a guard holding a spear was leaning against the wall, chatting and laughing with his companion.
His peripheral vision just caught the youth heading this way.
“Another new face?” he muttered puzzledly.
But his duty as a guard still made him straighten up.
He waved to his companion to indicate he’d handle it, then shouted at the youth:
“Hey, blond kid over there, how come I haven’t seen you? New here?”
Ed looked left and right, quickly realizing there was no other blond person here—Hilos locals seemed to mostly have black or gray hair.
Realizing the guard was calling him, Ed nodded.
“Yes, first time here.”
The guard’s eyes scanned the youth’s body, his brow raising.
“Nice equipment. What level?”
“What level?”
The guard looked at Ed more carefully, as if realizing something, and clicked his tongue in displeasure.
“Some rich young master.” He turned his face away, muttering softly.
“Whatever, none of my business.”
“Um—” Ed reached out and poked the guard’s shoulder.
The guard suddenly jumped as if startled, still gripping that spear gleaming with cold light tightly.
“You… when did you get over here?”
Ed puzzledly stepped back a few paces, returning to a relatively safe distance from the guard.
This action clearly eased the guard’s tense mood a lot—from how he no longer gripped the spear tightly.
“I mean no harm.”
Ed tried raising his hands to prove his innocence.
“You kid…”
The guard rolled his eyes, put away the spear, and became lazy again.
He realized this was the entrance to the Adventurers’ Guild—no one would be stupid enough to start trouble here, except for the drunk ones.
“What’s up? Speak.”
The guard said lazily.
He pointed with his chin at the tavern across the way.
“If you want to drink, go there. This is Adventurers’ Guild territory.”
“I don’t drink. I’m here to…” Ed originally wanted to say directly that he was here to inquire about the witch’s information, but remembering the old priest’s warning, he changed his words.
“I’m here to buy some information.”
“Information?”
The guard raised a brow.
“Then do you know the rules of the Adventurers’ Guild?”
Seeing the youth shake his head, the guard could only sigh helplessly.
“Fine, this kind of job isn’t supposed to be mine anyway. That guy Jess, who knows when he’ll be back.”
Ed thought for a moment and pulled a silver coin from his bosom, tossing it over.
The guard caught it with a swipe, looked at the silver coin in his palm, and immediately beamed with joy.
“Pretty sharp, kid.”
He put away the silver coin, cleared his throat.
“Listen up, newbie. The Adventurers’ Guild’s information generally isn’t provided to outsiders. If you want to get information from here, you have to become an adventurer first.”
“Then—” Ed raised his hand.
“How do I become an adventurer?”
“Simple.”
The guard smiled.
“After going in, find Miss Melina—the one with pink hair, easy to spot. Pay five silver coins there and you’re good. Remember to give your name, and if you have a title you want, tell her. Oh, and mention that Guard Hissman recommended you.”
“Sounds not too troublesome.”
“Of course, we’re not like those haughty mages’ territories where even registering a name is a pain.”
The guard seemed quite disdainful when talking about mages.
Ed smiled awkwardly.
As a “Grieves” who had trained in both swordsmanship and magic since childhood, he himself was half a mage.
“Also, be careful when choosing a title. If you don’t want to be laughed at in the future with names like 【Rotten Fate Dog】 or 【Shit Scooper】.”
“Are there really people who choose those titles?”
The guard pursed his lips.
“You’re new, so it’s normal not to know. Those people always try to make themselves stand out, even if it’s just a title.”
At that moment, a burly man with a pitch-black great axe on his back and an obviously quite heavy bag walked toward the guild entrance.
The guard’s eyes lit up, and he pulled Ed to point at the man.
“Look, that’s one of the guild’s current level four powerhouses, 【Mad Axe】 Morales from the north. How’s that? Doesn’t that title sound way more badass than the ones before? They say he wiped out a large bandit stronghold by himself and got a full five gold coins in bounty!”
“Hey, Hissman, I heard you mention my name from way over there. You badmouthing me again?”
The burly man called Morales shouted loudly, interrupting the guard’s introduction.
Unidentified gases even sprayed from his nose, making him look like not someone to mess with.
“This time I was praising you.”
The guard said dissatisfied.
“The kid’s new, I’m explaining the rules here to him so the newbie doesn’t cause trouble and make everyone unhappy.”
As he spoke, Morales had already reached them, looking at the guard with some surprise.
“Rare for you to actually work seriously. I thought all you did every day was drink or doze off at the entrance.”
“That’s slander, slander!”
The guard’s face reddened as he defended himself.
But his appearance really wasn’t convincing.
“Hmph, hope so.”
Morales snorted coldly, said nothing more, and instead looked at Ed.
“Hey, kid, new here? Want me, Lord 【Mad Axe】, to introduce you to the Adventurers’ Guild?”
“Morales, I’ve already done half the job—” The guard jumped anxiously.
“If you’re stealing the newbie from me, don’t forget the guild’s rules!”
The burly man was silent for a moment, then spoke faintly.
“Your share, I’ll compensate you.”
At those words, the guard became suspicious instead.
“You stingy guy, since when are you so generous?”
“None of your business.”
Morales clearly didn’t want to explain more.
The guard’s eyes darted around, then he looked at Ed, seeming to understand something.
“Fine, you take him in then. As long as you remember the rules, I have no objection.”
“Smart of you.”
Morales grinned.
He waved at Ed.
“Come on, newbie. Let me take you in for a tour.”
Ed looked at the guard, who just shrugged.
“All right.” He could only say.