17 Chapter 17 (1/2)
The lobby of the building was pretty quiet. A few rugged looking people, likely adventurers, talked among themselves and some sat at a table drinking. Past the main entrance of the lobby, a small section that looked like a welcoming desk took Wilfred's attention.
Walking over, he then greeted the female clerk behind the counter.
”h.e.l.lo, aww, what are you doing here?”
Wilfred almost pouted, he hated being treated like a little kid but he resisted, people tended to be much more forthcoming when they thought he was only a kid.
”Hey there. So what is this place exactly?”
He had a good idea but it never hurt to get another opinion. Also, this way, he would get an unbiased opinion.
”This is the Adventurer's Guild silly! We help manage the requests for adventurers and a.s.sist in managing how to send out people. We're very proud of our 87% success rate! It's the highest in all three kingdoms. ”
Ouch, that means 13 % of adventurer missions ends in failure and/or death?
”Oh, I see. But I mean...how does it all work?”
She tilted her head to one side and thought about it.
”Well, people come and register to be adventurers, usually cultivators but also mages rarely. Once everything is done and they're registered, they get an identification. When we get a request that they qualify for, we created a system to determine optimally what an adventurer is capable of doing at their current strength, we pa.s.s it on to them. After the request has been successfully completed, they report back and get paid after everything is verified.”
”So anyone can register?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
”They must be at least 16 years old. Initially, the pay isn't great and there aren't a lot of requests for newcomers. Many quit after a few months due to it. It helps weed out those not very interested and only looking for an easy way to make money. ”
”But how does the guild make money out of it, are you taking a commission?”
”Very smart of you! Yes, we take a cut from the person making a request and also from the adventurers when they complete the request. This way, we can say we're impartial, we want the highest success chance so that we make the most money. Still, fighting dangerous monsters isn't always easy. Even with simple fetch requests, adventurers can get ambushed by much stronger foes. Did you want to become an adventurer when you grow up?”
”I had thought of it a bit but I think joining the Mage Corps will be better. It's still early so I can't quite say yet. ”
”Oh my, are you a student at the academy? Please wait here for a moment.”
Before Wilfred could cut in and mention he was wondering if they could exchange some of his gold coins for smaller ones, since they probably have a bunch on hand to pay out the adventurers, she darted off in the back.
A short time later, she came back with a small girl in tow. Wilfred rolled his eyes and spoke before they reached him.
”Oh, I'm sorry. I don't have time to tutor students for magic today, perhaps another time?”
”Oh, you misunderstand! This is the guild leader, Solana. She looks young but she's an elf, in reality she's closer to 60.”
With the large top hat she was wearing, Wilfred had not noticed how her ears curved upwards and were pointy. Before he could apologize, a long staff suddenly whacked him on the head with moderate force, causing him to wince.
”Hmpft. Such disrespect towards your elders!”
Rubbing his head gently, Wilfred lifted his head to look at her once more. Her narrowed piercing red eyes were staring intently at him while her face was frowning. Her long blonde hair went down to about half her body and she looked no older than 6 or 7 years old. Her skin was very pale and her body frame was quite small, Wilfred could have lifted her without much trouble even while still only being 9 years old. Curious, Wilfred muttered an [a.n.a.lyze] very silently.
Solana Elharice [Lv. 26]
Health: 275/275
Mana: 4120/4120
Str: 18
Con: 53
Agi: 44
Dex: 46
Int: 120
Wil: 95
Wis: 102
Lck: 24