Chapter 43

When I realized it, my bookmarks had reached 200... Thank you.

The adventurer's guild in Faina is more ornate than the one in Fast's city.

It seems more ornate because the color of the counters and floors is a slightly lighter brown than in Fast, and there are magical lights here and there. I called out to the receptionist, a woman with short blonde hair and slightly upturned eyes. Her uniform makes her look like a soldier.

"I've brought a request from the guild in Fast. I need you to sign this document."

"Understood. Please wait over there for a moment."

She disappeared through a door behind the counter.

I sat in a chair by the wall as indicated and waited for about five minutes. Other residents of the city were also called to receive documents. Some of them didn't look like adventurers.

Perhaps the adventurer's guild in the capital handles more administrative tasks, such as issuing certificates, compared to Fast, I thought. Just as I was considering this, a voice called out from a different reception desk in front of where I was sitting.

"Thank you for waiting, here it is."

It was probably the document I brought, but the seal wax had changed to a golden hue. They must have resealed it after signing.

"Can I use the reference room?"

"It costs money, but if you have a guild card, you can use it freely."

So it's a paid service.

I thought about copying a map, but considering whether I could leave the reference room before other players arrived, I decided to do it later. I would come back with a "I came by carriage" look.

I thanked them and left the guild.

The boatman told me it was at the opposite dock. However, it seems the Black Lily is moving through the waterways, so I decided to go by land. If I walk, I won't run into them unless something extraordinary happens.

I made this judgment and started walking on the cobblestone streets.

In other towns, the guild and the temple are usually along the main street, so I could arrive without turning here and there. However, the main street in this city is not grid-like. Sometimes I had to take a detour to cross a bridge because the road was blocked by a canal.

I walked along a road parallel to a wide canal, heading for the temple. After walking east from the guild for a while, I followed a road that continued northeast, with a large bridge to my right. The streets along the canals, which spiral around the castle, also have a spiral-like layout.

Every time the residential area was insufficient, they extended the canals to secure more land, and the number of spirals increased over time.

I don't know if it's easier to expand the city by building new walls or if the capital has a generous budget for city expansion, but the land use is more luxurious than in other cities. There are many green spaces, and I also saw many parks, which might serve as firebreaks.

When the canal stretching straight from the castle moat blocked my path, I crossed a bridge to the north, which led to the grounds of a different marquis's estate, according to the boatman.

...I want to eat lobster. If it's a Rank 2 regular fish, I could catch it without any skills, but unfortunately, I'm not good at fishing. It would be fun if I could catch them easily, but waiting for a bite while being mindless is difficult. I end up holding a book and getting absorbed in it.

In this world, I'd rather swing a sword to be mindless.

I turned right, crossed a bridge, and crossed another bridge to finally reach the district where the temple was located. The main entrance was on the opposite side, so I had to go around the back, but I couldn't see inside the grounds, which were covered by large trees. However, I could see the roofs of several imposing buildings from time to time.

When I went to the front, it was a grand and magnificent building, fitting the description of a white marble temple. Many white columns stood in a row, and despite the rain, many people were coming and going.

The buildings I saw from the back were practical, but the front, which could be seen from the plaza that also served as a path to the temple, had decorations on the lower and upper parts of the columns, with gold accents on the white, emphasizing the appearance. I later learned that royal weddings and other ceremonies were held here, and the entrance was indeed designed for ceremonial purposes.

I finished my worship at the main hall and quickly completed the registration, then returned to Fast.

I thought the water god Fal was popular in this port town, but it seems the god of commerce and craftsmen, the gold god Rusha, is more popular, as the number of flowers offered to him was greater than to other gods. This made me curious about the goods sold in the city. I decided to take my time with sightseeing and shopping on a sunny day!

When I returned to the adventurer's guild, several adventurers were in the dining area, around the request board, and near the reception counter. It was hard to believe how crowded it was at the entrance right after the game started. There were mostly men.

"Hello."

"Hello, thank you for the snacks!"

"I need to report on a request."

Since Plum's reception desk was free, I asked her, and she thanked me for the snacks.

"I defeated the boss today! I sold the materials and made some money. How about having a meal together?"

"Congratulations, but I'll pass on the meal."

"Hey, I'm going to be great in the future! It's important to cherish encounters!"

I could hear a player next to me trying to invite a receptionist with large breasts to dinner. I didn't mean to listen, but my attention was drawn to their conversation. Not just me, but other players nearby were also listening.

Occasionally, whispers like "Emel wouldn't go out with you..." "Those big breasts are mine," and "If not for Nana, I don't care" could be heard from the surroundings.

Could it be that the men hanging around here are after the receptionists...?

"Then I'll take the documents. I'll check them in a separate room, so please go to the reference room, the room at the end of the corridor on the second floor."

"Ah..."

While looking at Plum, my ears were half turned to the side.

I thought I saw Emel glance at me for a moment.

"...That's right, if you deliver 'Lenguard's sweets' to me every day for a week, I'll consider it."

It wasn't just my imagination.

Wait, did she realize I made them...? No, that can't be it. She must have liked the snacks. Curious about the continuation, I impulsively submitted a report on the materials I delivered at an empty reception desk.

"Lenguard's sweets?"

"Yes. They were delicious, but I couldn't get them anymore. I looked for a female staff member selling them in the guild, but couldn't find one. If you deliver them to me, I'll have lunch with you once."

She smiled and told the man in front of her.

Got it, I won't sell any sweets for a while, then? I decided to stop selling sweets to prevent a date, as it seemed she had thought of the condition after seeing me.

"Under that condition, a few might accept a meal during the day."

The receptionist in front of me, who was giving me the reward for the request, also smiled and chimed in.

"Whoa!"

"It has a name, so it must be a consignment!"

"The right to have a meal with Emel is mine!"

"Plum!"

"Hey, you guys! Don't cut in line! I accepted it!"

In no time, the players near the counter were gone.

The adventurers in the dining area, who hadn't heard the conversation, were stunned as they watched the men rush out. After finishing the material delivery, I thanked the receptionist who processed it and went up to the second floor.

Hmm, until now, the receptionists had only eaten sweets from the residents' shops with a rating of 4. I think they can now buy high-rated sweets through consignment sales. The taste might be enhanced because it was the first time they tried a high-rated sweet. The sweets I gave were a collection of things I tried making, with ratings of 6 to 8.

While thinking about this, I went up to the second floor and found Plum waiting at the end of the corridor.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, please."

I wondered if there was a staff staircase in addition to the one by the counter as I passed the reference room and entered the room I was shown.

Inside, there was a man in his middle to late years.

"I'm Marcos, the deputy master of the guild. You must be Homura. Congratulations on your C-rank promotion."

His hair was more gray than white, with a mustache, and he was sturdy for his age, probably a former adventurer.

Many former adventurers work at the adventurer's guild. Most of them are not good at sitting still or paperwork, so they mainly handle sorting and dismantling deliveries, and delivery tasks, with only a few tough men at the buyback window in Fast for requests outside of the guild. Some who retired in good health and with all their limbs intact are hired as mentors for new adventurers. Additionally, high-ranking adventurers with charisma and contributions to the country and people are integrated into the organization as executives. I've never met him, but the guild master in Fast is famous.

"Thank you."

I shook his hand and thanked him.

"Now, can you give me your guild card?"

Plum was waiting with a thin stone plate-like card, the same one used during registration. I handed over my guild card, and Marcos placed it on the black plate Plum offered, along with the document I brought from Faina.

The plate glowed faintly, and text-like symbols appeared and disappeared. Marcos returned my guild card. The document I glanced at was blank, but when it was stacked, something was written on it, so it must have been transferred to the guild card.

"Are you curious about the document? The one you brought from Faina is a permit to move between countries. With that guild card, you can go to Baron, Ail, and Fagat, which have diplomatic relations with the temple. Of course, you can also cross the border on foot, but your life is not guaranteed on the way."

You can go through the temple? I thought there would be a boss battle at the border. I've heard of the labyrinth city Baron and the magic nation Ail, but Fagat is new to me. I'll look it up later.

"By the way, this is a request from me. I'd like you to come back to this guild from time to time. The monsters in this country are weak, so it's a good place to live, but adventurers tend to change their base and don't come back after reaching C-rank, which is a problem."

When I agreed to Marcos's request, Plum congratulated me as the conversation ended. I thanked Plum and left the room, but before I did, I gave her some sweets.

"Please share them with everyone. I heard some people were betting on something downstairs, so feel free to give them to your crush secretly."

"Oh! I'm sorry. I mentioned you because someone has been sticking around the counter without taking any requests recently. The sweets were really delicious, and we were looking for the person who made them, but I'm sorry for bringing it up in a strange way."

"No, it's fine. I started consignment sales recently, so I don't think it will bother anyone, probably. It would be troublesome if they followed me to find out how I got them, so I'd appreciate it if you didn't say they were from me."

"Yes, of course!"

I made a promise with Plum and left the room this time.

I hope the city's pastry shops haven't been stormed. I feel like apologizing to the residents for causing trouble as a foreigner.

It's about time for lunch, but I should look for a restaurant in this new country.

Where is the rice?

So, at the temple's teleportation gate.

Until now, the current location was gray, and the others were white, showing Faina, Fast, Sekan, Sar, and Fos. Now it shows:

- Dears Kingdom

- Capital Faina, Fast, Sekan, Sar, Fos

- Tarkant Principality

- Capital Baron

- Ail Kingdom

- Capital Arsn

- Fagat Kingdom

- Capital Navi Grande

It seems to show the capitals of other countries. The further you are from the capital, the stronger the monsters, which makes sense. It would be difficult to settle and increase the population in areas with aggressive monsters.

Where should I go?

Ail is a country known for magic and holy arts, where Galahad and others found their mounts. Tarkant Principality is famous for the labyrinth city Baron, which is so well-known that people rarely call it Tarkant. I don't have much information on Fagat.

I decided to go to Ail, which suits my profession.

I'm looking forward to what I'll find. By the way, the cost of using the teleportation gate varies by distance within the country. This time, it cost me 40,000 silver. I'm not sure if it's expensive because of the distance or because it's between countries.

While thinking about whether it's a waste to spend money on sightseeing in Dears, I went through the teleportation gate.

[Announcement: A player has crossed the border. As a result, the functions for affiliation, clans, and houses have been added.]

[Affiliation can now be chosen from organizations such as the guild to which you or your clan belong. Each organization offers different benefits, so please check. Even without affiliation, you can receive equivalent treatment if you gain the trust of the organization. Conversely, if you lose trust, you may be expelled, so please be careful.]

[A clan can be formed by people with the same profession or aspirations, or more casually by close friends. Benefits include the ability to use telepathy with multiple clan members simultaneously and share a house.]

[A house allows players to own a home in this world. Players registered with the commercial guild can also rent buildings as shops.]

[For more details, please check the menu.]

[You have obtained the title "World Traveler."]

As soon as I exited the gate, an announcement was made.

I got a title, but more importantly, a house!! ...But it's probably expensive? I want one!

Where can I get one, at a real estate office?

I'm sure Ochazuke, who isn't the guild master but the clan master, will take the lead in forming a clan. It probably costs money and has conditions to form one.

Can I build a house wherever I want?

I'm so excited. I want to read the menu carefully at a restaurant.

I have more things to do!

□ □ □ □ □

- Added -

Title

[World Traveler]

□ □ □ □ □

Homura Lv.32

Rank C

Profession Magic Swordsman, Alchemist (Assassin)

HP 1057

MP 1335

STR 44

VIT 24

INT 71

MID 20

DEX 26

AGI 45

LUK 25

NPCP 【Galahad】【－】

Title

■General

【Communicator】【Cyclical Power】【Mystery Solver】

【Economic Pioneer】【Lone Adventurer】【Nine Lives】

【Sage】【Elegant One】【World Traveler】

■Blessings of the Gods

【Blessing of Tasha】【Favor of Val】【Blessing of Verna】

■Titles from the Gods

【Disciple of Tasha】【Time of the Gods】

■Slayer Series

【Lizard Slayer】【Bug Slayer】

【Beast Slayer】【Gel Slayer】

【Bird Slayer】

【Dragon Slayer】

■Master Rings

【Sword King】【Wise King】

Skills (3SP)

■Magic and Spells

【Wood Magic Lv.7】 【Fire Magic Lv.7】【Earth Magic Lv.7】

【Gold Magic Lv.7】 【Water Magic Lv.7】【☆Wind Magic Lv.8】

【☆Lightning Magic Lv.12】【Light Magic Lv.16】【☆Dark Magic Lv.21】

【☆Air Magic Lv.10】【Time Magic Lv.2】【Druid Magic Lv.1】

■Healing and Holy Arts

【Healing Lv.6】

【Illusion Lv.1】

■Other Magic

【Magic Shield】【Stacking】

【☆Area Magic Lv.2】【☆Chanting Action】

【☆Chanting Shortening