Max and Sophia both came out of the alchemy guild happily and went towards the Exploration guild with happy smiles on their face.
Walking down the street once again Max and Sophia felt the huge traffic on the street and felt the city was interesting.
As they walked, they saw many ship captains roaming the street. Some approached them to talk, but Max and Sophia simply greeted them and politely excused themselves, explaining that they still had things to do.
Soon they reached the Exploration guild and found it was as grand as the Alchemy Guild which they have visited.
Unlike the Alchemy Guild, the Exploration Guild doesn't have multiple rooms on the ground floor but is instead divided into two sections.
One part of it was turned into a pub for Ship Captains, Adventurers, and others to drink and unwind, while the other part features desks for registration and quest assignments.
Max and Sophia entered the Exploration guild, and a waitress soon came towards them and asked whether they would like to have lunch as they have just got fresh meat to cook which they just got from the merchant guild.
Max and Sophia asked her to book a table for them as they were registering at the exploration guild, and as soon as they finished, they would come to dine.
The waitress happily agreed and directed them towards a counter where registration is being done.
They reached the counter, and the receptionist asked them the purpose of their visit, which they stated and provided the credentials which were provided by Iris before they left the castle.
The receptionist checked the credentials for accuracy, initiated the process, and asked about the ship's crew size and dimensions. Then, they were handed a black iron tag etched with the person's name.
After the tag was handed over, she proceeded to hand out a booklet containing the guild's rules and another booklet with information for novice captains which included details on identifying ocean monsters and descriptions of precious materials along with their market prices.
She then asked whether they had registered with the merchant guild. If not, they didn't need to, as they could still buy materials for explorers at the same cost and purchase items at discounted prices based on their guild rank.
Then the receptionist asked if there are any queries they can come to her, she will clarify their doubts, which Max and Sophia agreed and asked what the fee was required for Joining the guild.
The receptionist smiled and said the explorers are valuable heroes who brave the harsh ocean, gathering resources while exploring the world. As a result, the guild doesn't charge a fee for registration but instead takes a commission from the quest rewards for managing the quests.
Max and Sophia thanked her for her help and headed to the pub to grab a bite, realizing they hadn't yet experienced the city's cuisine. The extravagant meals at the castle didn't quite reflect the cultural flavors of the city.
Soon they were seated at the prebooked seat and asked the waitress for menu and asked her for a Pub specialty and glass of cold beverage.
The waitress happily took the order and went back to the kitchen to inform about the order while Max and Sophia began observing the Pub and saw many ship captains have already seated as it was already time for lunch and the pub was noisy with everyone drinking or eating with joy on their face.
"Did you hear the regional number one has landed on the island yesterday?" one of the persons sitting near them started talking.
"Well, it's old news as all who attended yesterday's party knew about it." another person tried to strike down the conversation.
"Well, everyone might know that, but I heard he has connection with the city lord, as they were seen close during the dinner gathering as even though they were surrounded by guards my friend saw that seen through the gaps between."
"Later, he was not seen among the people leaving the castle to go to the accommodation provided for them by the Island Lord's mansion. They were seen exiting through the main gates of the castle this morning," the person informed others.
"Is it true? Yesterday, I was a bit far from that person, so I couldn't see him because of all the people blocking my path. Later, the guards in the mansion pushed through and moved towards him that pushed me even further away, so I didn't get to see the scene you described," a fellow seated behind the gossiping person asked.
"It is true." The person confirmed with confidence.
The others who were sitting around them gasped in wonder, and thought it was nice to know someone from the Island Lord mansion as it will make them get the Favour and make their survival in the ocean easier.
"Then I guess maybe he will settle down on the island after surrendering himself to the island Lord, which will vacate the world's first rank and we can compete for the rank," Someone from the last row said in excitement.
"Compete for the first rank? Even if he doesn't want to sail again, do you think you can take the rank from the top 10 members who have advanced so far and created such a huge gap between themselves and the normal explorers? Even I, who am in the top 1000, have no hope of reaching rank 1 in a region with 10,000 ships. You're dreaming if you think you can get rank 1." Someone nearby sarcastically chided the person who spoke about conquering rank 1.
"Come on, if I can't even dream of getting rank 1 in the region, what's the point of remaining an explorer of the ocean? Instead, I might as well pack up, surrender my ship to the island lord, and let them take care of me while I enjoy the island's welfare by opening a shop or something here," the one striving for rank 1 explained passionately.
While Max was listening to the talk in the pub, the food and drink were served. Max raised his glass and shouted "Cheers!" to encourage the person to strive for the top rank in the region. This gesture inspired others in the pub to simultaneously raise their glasses, cheer for themselves and each other, and happily chug their drinks, filling the pub with laughter and lively energy.
Sophia, sitting beside him, let out a small laugh, raised her glass with a cheerful "cheers," took a sip of her drink, and then began eating.