Chapter 85: The Meet-up (2) (1/2)

Following Mary's advice, Lily walked up the stairs and walked to the meeting room. It had a large double door as the room was used for large-scale gatherings, like large party gatherings, strategy meetings, or events like these, where new recruits are welcomed.

Arriving in front of the big, stylish double door, Lily gasped at the motifs decorating the edges. They showed various moments where the stylized little heroic figure triumphed over its enemy. The enemy varied from scene to scene, but they were mirrored at the other side, giving the door a regal, almost holy feel.

Pushing the handles down, Lily slowly pushed the door open and gazed at the large ballroom that was filled with all kinds of people. Although she was sure that the huge crowd from downstairs had been trimmed down quite a bit, it was still an astonishing amount of new, eager groups of people hoping to become adventurers.

Luckily her face was hiding under the cover of her hood, as her mouth went agape just with the sheer volume.

As she kept standing at the doorway, a large man, similar to the person that introduced himself as Michael Solovan earlier came to her. He had long blonde hair that was resting atop his shiny silver shoulder pads. His silver breastplate had 2 roaring lion heads carved into it, with 2 golden stars shining proudly above the right one.

With a generic smile on his face, he looked at the hooded feminine figure and leaned closer. As his face came into Lily's view, she could see 3 large claw marks going through his left eye, most likely a reminder of a fierce battle of the past. How his left eye remained intact was a miracle of itself.

With a clear and plummy voice, he spoke to her.

”Welcome little one! Did you finally come to a decision and took the step towards the risky but rewarding future?”

Lily looked at the man not understanding how someone could ask such a question as an opener. Luckily the hood hid her shocked expression, however, the surprise was visible in her voice as she replied.

”N-no, it's nothing like that. Or, I mean yes, I did… but not because of the speech that man gave earlier, I was already registered. I just came, so I could learn more about forming parties and that I could finally pick a quest from the board.”

The man heartily laughed as he heard the response. A few groups that were quietly talking nearby looked at her as they heard the blonde man's boisterous guffaw.

”Oh, that was…” he started, but as he had no air left, his reply was ragged ”...that was awesome! Look, ehrm, little lady, right?” he looked at the feminine figure for confirmation, and as he saw the singular nod, he continued. ”Aight, so little lady, in that case, you have come to the right place! This guild-organized event is aimed for people that have just registered or are thinking about signing up as an adventurer in the future. Come, join us, and listen, Sir Michael will start soon!”

As he spoke, he grabbed the much smaller figure's delicate right hand and pulled her into the room.

Meanwhile as the enchanted and stylish double door closed by itself, Lily looked through the crowd as they were also looking at her direction. For the most part, the crowd consisted of males, but she could see a few ladies every now and then. She even spotted a few groups, most likely newly formed parties that consisted of only females.

Eventually, Lily's eyes rested on the golden armored man that introduced himself as Michael Sonovan who was stepping up to a small podium. Once again, Lily could see the momentary buzzing of the green particles around his throat. Taking a quick glance, she was sure that she was the only one noticing this.

Not sure where to put it, she once again reminded herself to ask Granny once she gets home. Unfortunately, all the events that happened yesterday, made her forget to ask about this when she got back.

Michael's booming voice resonated through each corner of the room, quickly silencing all the ongoing conversations and whispers.

”Once again, on behalf of Higrove's Adventurer's Guild, I welcome you all to this gathering! As I said before, my name is Michael Sonovan, and I'm one of the few 3-star adventurer's this city has.”

Stretching out his arms, he continued.

”My colleagues and I will make sure all of you have all your questions answered! However, before that, let's talk about a crucial and probably the most important aspect of being an adventurer.”