After a quick shopping montage, I had a bag, and half my inventory, filled with everything from daily necessities to things like candles and lantern oil. I did notice that there was a stack of firewood in my new home that seemed that it would last me at least a week or two, so luckily, I didn't need to buy any along with my haul of goodies.
Exiting the general goods store, I noticed that the sun was starting to decline, I guessed it was around 1pm, so I still had a long while until I could head back home. So, I paid a quick visit to a weapon and armour shop to buy myself some oils to maintain my weapons and armour.
Although, you don't have to do maintenance on your equipment, aside from the occasional repairs. Most players didn't bother with the maintenance as it only gives a small per cent bonus to their stats. However, as someone who had to do it before in real life, it had almost become part of my daily routine and since I haven't been keeping this routine, I've felt as if something was missing.
With my new oil in my bag, and another silver gone from my shopping spree, I decided that I should join the adventurer's guild as it was the quickest way of getting quests. However, it was quicker to level up by hunting monsters in the field than doing quests. But, for getting money and items, quests were the way to go. It I was in need of money more than anything at the moment.
As I walked down the main street, I spotted a building that had people dressed in armours, ranging from cloth to leather and metal armour. The obvious apparel of adventurers. Of course, there were people in plain clothes walking in and out of the building, but they were more likely people who put up the quests for others, or workers who just finished their shift for the day.
The building was a three-story, wood and stone construction. However, if you look closely, you can see mismatching wood colours and cracks in the stone. That was because the guild also doubles as a pub, so as you can imagine, the mix of people who make their living from violence and the mix of alcohol didn't have the best combination. And the building was the one that had to live with the scars from that dangerous mix.
Pushing open the door to the guild, I was already assaulted with the strong smell of stale ale, grilled meat and, strangely enough, blood. As I entered proper, I spotted why, your typical bar fight. It was between a big burly man who was built like a bear and looked like one too. The other man was a short, bald man, who looked like a furless beaver.
Paying no mind to the exchange of friendship punches, I walked over to the counter, which had a young man seated, with a business-like smile spread across his face.
"Good afternoon, sir, how can I help you?" He asked in a tone that was pleasant but had a slight 'don't waste my time' vibe to his mannerisms.
"I'm new in town and wanted to register as an adventurer." I got straight to the point, and it seemed that he appreciated that.
"Ok, well we can certainly process your application. All you'll need to do is complete this form." He answered with a practiced ease, while he pulled out a piece of parchment from under the desk.
"Over there, you will find our writing stations, where clients and adventurers can complete the required paperwork. Also, we have staff to help with writing and translation if needed." He explained as he handed me the form. I thanked him and headed over to the area he pointed out.
As expected from a staff member, his explanation was on point, there were two staff members dressed in business-like clothes. They stood off to either side, out of the way of people but close enough in case you need their assistance.
Even though there was only one language that was mainly spoken in Realms, it wasn't difficult to find tribes or different races that spoke another language. However, the main reason for this service was the local farmers or those who couldn't afford an education. This game was set in medieval times.
However, I didn't need their assistance as this game translates any language from the real world into the game world allowing you to read the common language. However, if you turn off the auto translator and learn the language yourself, you can find some hidden meanings and gain better context. Which was usually useful for learning skills recipes, or puzzles.
But back to the form. It was simple, it only asked for your name, age and a general description of you and your skills. I put down my alchemist skills and some magic, I didn't want to put too much down, in case they either think I've forged my application, or they ask too much from me. Either way, I finished the form and headed back to the man who wasn't attending to anyone else.
After a brief greeting, I handed over my completed form and he began to read through it. Even though one of his eyebrows raised once he got to my skill section, he didn't raise any doubts or objections.
"All seems to be in order. Your application will be processed, and you will be able to collect your ID tag tomorrow at the earliest." He said as he was wrapping things up. However, I had something to ask him.
"Do I have access to the guild services now, or do I need to wait until I receive my tag?" I asked.
The adventurer guild offers more than just a place to get quests. They offer a place to sell monster parts, sometimes there will be a bounty out for certain monsters, and the offered price will increase, to help nudge adventurers to cull the monsters. But what I was interested in was their information service. You can request certain kinds of information to assist with quests, however, I needed information about any ingredients in the local area.
"That depends, which service do you require?" He asked, slightly surprised by my question. But I simply told him that I wanted to know about the local flora. And seeing my application form, he instantly knew what I meant.
"Ah, I see." He said as he pulled out a plain piece of parchment and began to write on it.
"Here, take this and show the staff member at the far counter and tell them what information you are looking for." He said as he handed me the parchment with something written on it and what looked to be his signature.
I thanked him and walked over to the counter he told me to and greeted the woman who sat there. She wondered why I was there for a moment but accepted the parchment and read through it. She was surprised for a moment but asked what information I needed. After a brief explanation, she got up from her chair and disappeared into the maze of bookshelves behind her.
She was only gone for a minute or two but soon returned with a thick leather-bound book. Placing it on the counter, she opened it and began to thumb through the pages until she reached a certain page.
"Here we are. This page and the next are all the information we have about the local flora. You may read it at your leisure. But please, don't remove it from this counter, you may make copies, but please be considerate of your fellow adventurer." The woman said as she took her seat once again. I couldn't help but feel that she was watching me closely, as I stepped closer to read through the pages.
I didn't mind the watchdog, I simply began to read through the giant book. The information was on the basic side, it only had the name of the plant, a brief description and the most common location. I took it to mean that not a lot of people looked for herbs or plants, and this information was just a cursory notation. But that being said, it was better than not knowing anything about this area and at least let me plan ahead.
I wasn't sure how long I spent reading through the information, but I moved on to the pages after, which were about neighbouring areas and meant that I didn't need to come back anytime soon, seeing as there wasn't many plants located in the region and were easily memorised. Though, I probably should go to a bookshop to see if any books that go into more in-depth explanation of the plants and the area in general. But that's for another time.
Memorising what I could, I closed the book and slid it across to the eagle-eyed woman. With a quick word of thanks, I turned about and left the guild. I found that I had spent more time inside than I thought as the blue sky had turned yellow-orange.
'I better get back and see if Gladden has finished moving yet.' With that thought in mind, I began to head back in the direction of my new base of operations. Hopefully, I won't get roped into helping with the heavy lifting.