Chapter 23 : Chapter 23
Chapter 23: The Commercial Metropolis, Valencia
It had already been five days since Ryan left Lute Town.
He was now in Valencia, the Commercial Metropolis.
Valencia lay to the south of Lute Town and was the third-largest city in the Kingdom of Mia.
If he compared it to the geography of Blue Star from his previous life, then Lute Town would be the equivalent of a small rural town.
Valencia, on the other hand, was like Shanghai.
Whether in terms of size or population, the two were in no way comparable.
After arriving in Valencia, Ryan felt like a country bumpkin visiting a grand city for the first time.
He looked here, looked there, and behaved exactly like a provincial seeing the world for the first time.
Ryan did not care about other people’s looks. Instead, he worked hard to blend into the city.
And since he had more than enough Gold Coins, he certainly did not mistreat himself in daily life.
Money, after all, was meant to be spent.
To put it in the words of his previous life—
the most painful thing in life was when a person died, but their money had not been spent.
He had already handed the perfume business over completely to Mark and the family behind him.
Besides the four perfumes he had introduced when he was ten years old,
Ryan had gradually provided many more varieties over the years.
As a result, his wealth continued to grow.
As long as he did not start a business of his own, then no matter how extravagantly he spent, it would still be difficult for him to exhaust all of his money in this lifetime.
As a side note, the Kingdom Merchant Bank had upgraded Ryan’s card to a Black-Gold Card six years ago.
That meant Ryan had already become one of the Kingdom Merchant Bank’s most important clients.
With the Kingdom Merchant Bank’s Black-Gold Card in hand, many things became much more convenient for Ryan.
After spending two days wandering around Valencia, Ryan finally arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild.
He intended to register here as an adventurer and begin his journey.
The Adventurers’ Guild was located right at the center of the entire city.
The fountain in the city center stood ten meters tall. At its base was a circular stone pool about twenty meters in diameter.
The pool wall was built from gray granite, its surface marked by signs of wear. Around its edge were twelve drainage outlets, through which the excess water flowed into underground channels and eventually emptied into the river outside the city.
At the center of the pool was a three-tiered stone sculpture. The lowest tier featured eight stone beasts in different forms—a lion, a wolf, an eagle, and others. Their claws rested on a round pedestal, and each beast held a bronze pipe in its mouth. Clear water spouted from those pipes, falling into the lower basin with a constant splashing sound.
The middle tier consisted of four stone pillars carved with coiling dragons. Their bodies wrapped around the pillars, their heads lifted upward, and the water streaming from their mouths poured into the basin above.
At the very top stood a statue of a sword-bearing knight clad in armor. The front hooves of his warhorse were raised, and the knight held his sword pointed downward. Tiny holes had been made along the blade, allowing clear water to run down its length and drip into the basin below.
The fountain’s water came from underground springs beneath the city. It flowed all year round, and the temperature remained constant, so it never froze even in winter.
There were some small silver fish in the pool as well. Every now and then, they leaped out of the water and sent up tiny splashes.
Stone steps had been built around the edge of the pool so that people could sit down and rest.
The Adventurers’ Guild stood to the northeast of the fountain. It was a three-story structure of stone and wood. The outer walls were built from brown brick and stone, while the roof was covered in dark gray tiles. A wooden sign hung beneath the eaves, with the words “Adventurers’ Guild” inlaid in iron wire. The lettering was somewhat crooked, but it was extremely eye-catching.
The guild’s entrance consisted of two oak doors reinforced with sheet iron. Visible impact marks could be seen on them. The door knockers were bronze beast heads, each gripping an iron ring in its mouth.
When the doors were pushed open, the hinges let out a creaking groan. Inside was a spacious hall paved with stone slabs, some of which had already been worn hollow by years of use.
At the center of the hall stood a circular counter made of hardwood. Its surface was smooth, but it was also covered in scratches.
Behind the counter stood three staff members dressed in gray uniforms. In front of them were parchment sheets and quill pens. They were responsible for registering jobs and posting bounties.
Above the counter hung an enormous wooden board, with many parchment notices nailed to it. They contained all kinds of job information—hunting monsters, escorting merchant caravans, searching for lost property, and more.
On both sides of the hall were wooden benches. Some of their legs had already loosened and were tied in place with iron wire.
Beside the benches stood several iron torch stands, each bearing a torch. Even during the daytime, the torches remained lit, illuminating the darker corners of the hall.
Various weapons hung on the walls—swords, axes, bows, and the like. They were items that low-rank adventurers had pawned here, and each one had a tag beside it listing the redemption price.
The second floor was a resting area for adventurers, with more than a dozen rooms.
The third floor contained the guild’s warehouse and the office of the person in charge.
The guild building stood right beside the fountain. Once someone stepped out through the main doors, they only needed to walk a dozen paces or so to reach the edge of the pool.
There was also a small door in the guild’s back wall that opened into a narrow alley. In that alley were several blacksmith shops and taverns, all common haunts for adventurers.
Many adventurers were constantly coming and going through the guild entrance.
Some had just completed jobs and returned to collect their rewards.
Others had just accepted jobs and were on their way out to complete them.
Among those adventurers were people of many different races—Humans, Beastfolk, and others.
Ryan entered the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Hello, welcome to the Adventurers’ Guild. How may I help you?”
A female staff member in uniform spoke to Ryan.
“Hello, I’d like to register as an adventurer.”
“Certainly. Please come with me.”
The staff member led Ryan to a work desk and took out a form.
“Please fill in your basic information.”
“No problem.”
Ryan looked over the form. It only required some basic details.
For example: age, whether or not he was a Mage, what kind of weapons he was skilled with, whether he had experience killing monsters, and so on.
Ryan finished filling it out very quickly.
“I’ve completed the form.”
“Mr. Ryan, correct? Please pay the registration fee of 1 Silver Coin.”
Ryan took out 1 Silver Coin and handed it to her.
“You have now been successfully registered as an adventurer. Since you have only just registered, your current adventurer rank is D-rank. After you complete ten D-rank jobs, you may take the promotion exam for C-rank adventurers. Once you pass that exam, you will be promoted to C-rank.”
“I understand.”
Ryan nodded.
Aunt Kaya had already explained all of this to him before he came here.
“That covers the basic points an adventurer should be aware of. Here are the essential items the Adventurers’ Guild prepares for each adventurer: an Adventurer’s Handbook and an Adventurer Badge.”
“The Adventurer’s Handbook records information on most monsters, including where they frequently appear, their weaknesses, and the valuable materials that can be obtained from them.”
“The Adventurer Badge serves as proof of your identity as an adventurer. Your rank information and job records are stored in the badge, so please be careful not to lose it. If it is lost, you must come to the Adventurers’ Guild immediately to have it replaced. Replacing an Adventurer Badge requires another fee of 1 Silver Coin, so please keep that in mind.”
“Understood.”
“That over there is the job board. You may look there for a suitable job. Once you find one, bring it back to the counter, and a staff member will register the job details for you. After that, you may go complete it. Once the job is done, return to the Adventurers’ Guild to collect your reward.”
The staff member pointed toward the job board in the distance.
Ryan looked in the direction she indicated and saw many people standing in front of it, carefully selecting jobs that suited them.
“Yes, I understand.”
“Very well. Then good luck.”
“Thank you.”
After thanking her, Ryan walked over to the job board to see whether there were any jobs that suited him.
He was not short on money right now, so he would only take on jobs that interested him.
“Hm?”
“Hm???”
But the moment Ryan saw one particular job on the board, his eyes could no longer move away from it.
Because it was a missing-person job.
The job requested that a certain woman be found and brought to the Adventurers’ Guild. The details also included a portrait of the woman, her basic information, and the location where she had last been seen.
The other information was secondary.
What mattered most was the portrait.
The woman in the portrait was clearly Kaya.
Ryan had known Kaya for years. There was no way he could mistake her.
He did not know why Kaya’s portrait would appear in the details of a job posting.
He eagerly began reading the details more carefully.
But the more he read, the more confused he became.
Because according to the posting, the woman’s name was Carly, not Kaya.
Carly? Kaya?
A suspicion rose in Ryan’s heart.
But he still needed more information to confirm it.
He then took the job notice over to the counter.
“Hello, I’d like to know the detailed information on this Carly.”
The staff member looked at Ryan and explained, “You’re asking about Carly?”
“Yes, that’s right. Please tell me everything you know.”
“Carly is rather well known around here. As a Beastfolk, she’s quite strong, and she earned a high income as an adventurer. Unfortunately, she developed a gambling habit and lost all her property.”
“After that, she began borrowing money from the people around her. Once they learned that the money she borrowed was being used for gambling, no one was willing to lend to her anymore. In the end, she took a desperate risk and turned to theft. She would sell the stolen goods and use the money for gambling. This job was probably posted by the noble she stole from. I heard the stolen property was extremely valuable, and that noble has declared that he will catch her no matter what.”
Ryan asked, “Do you know whether Carly has any brothers or sisters?”
“I heard she has an older sister, but they were separated many years ago. Still, even if that sister knew where Carly was now, she probably wouldn’t want to acknowledge her.”
Ryan: “......”
After hearing the information the staff member provided,
Ryan was certain that this Carly was Kaya’s younger sister.
Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain why the two of them looked so alike.
Only, as for this Carly...
After thinking it over, Ryan felt the staff member was right.
Since this Carly had already become addicted to gambling, then it was better not to let her know about Kaya’s existence.
A gambling addict never comes to a good end.
No matter which world it was, once a person became addicted to gambling, there was bound to be no good outcome.
Not only would they ruin themselves, they would also drag their family down into suffering.
After thanking the staff member, Ryan returned to the job board and put the notice back where it had been.