As evening approached, Yamamoto made his way to the back of the inn where the bath house was located.
The attendant—a bored looking young man—showed him around the place, well not exactly, just explained everything to him. "Private sections are through there. You get a bucket of hot water, a sponge, a towel, and a bench. Take as long as you need, but if you use more than one bucket, it's another 50 copper."
'50???' Yamamoto could not understand this price, but without arguing, he nodded and entered.
He had even thought that the bath house was going to be some king of actual bath, like some artificial hot spring setting like the ones from all the anime he had watched… alas, it was not.
The bath house was divided into individual stalls, each with a wooden door for privacy. Inside his stall, he found exactly what had been promised: a wooden bucket filled with steaming water, a rough sponge, a reasonably clean towel, and a bench.
No soap. Interesting.
As he stripped off his clothes that were now filthy from all the travel and everything, he thought of all those isekai stories where the main character would bring products from modern world into medieval world and make a fortune. Well, that would be possible if the world still stood, he needed to focus on that first.
Once he was done, he took his seat and began bathing, first by pouring a bowl of water over his body. Thankfully, the bucket was quite big, so running out of hot water was impossible. He used the sponge and hot water to scrub himself clean, and for the first parts, he watched the water turn almost gray and murky as days of accumulated grime washed away. It had been a long travel.
There was no proper bath to soak in, no scented soaps or oils. Just hot water, a sponge, and the simple pleasure of feeling clean again, but after everything he'd been through, it actually felt incredible, if only psychologically.
"Seriously, how is there no soap in this world?" Yamamoto couldn't help but ask this question as he thought about things.
How developed was this world, really? In some ways, it seemed advanced—magic existed, there were spatial bags that defied physics, healing potions that cured injuries in seconds, but in other ways, it lagged behind even medieval Earth. This world had alchemy, so how come something like soap had yet to be developed?
It was a strange patchwork of advancement and stagnation.
'Maybe they just have yet to see the need for it?' He couldn't figure it out.
Anyway, that was enough for the time being, as he didn't want to think too much on the matter.
After drying off and dressing in his slightly-less-filthy spare clothes—he'd need to find a laundry service or buy new clothes entirely. All he had now were all picked up—Yamamoto returned to the common room for dinner.
The meal was simple but filling. He ate alone at a corner table, listening to the conversations around him and absorbing potentially useful information from the adventurers around and merchants.
After dinner, Yamamoto returned to his room, locked the door, and finally allowed himself to relax, soon drifting off and falling asleep.
…
The following morning, he woke up early, washed his face in the basin, and made his way downstairs. Breakfast was ready—some kind of porridge which he actually enjoyed—he ate patiently, settled his account for another night's stay, then headed out into the city.
Finding the Adventurer's Guild headquarters was exactly as easy as Kenneth had promised. The building was impossible to miss.
Kenneth was already there. "Right on time! I like that. Come on, let's get you registered first, then we'll hit the market." He said.
"Lead the way," Yamamoto said.
Kenneth pushed open the heavy wooden doors, and they entered the Adventurer's Guild headquarters together.
The interior was buzzing with activity—adventurers of all types checking quest boards, clerks processing paperwork behind long counters, groups gathered around tables planning their next runs.
It was incredible, and yet confusing.
"Can adventurers run around without belonging to a guild? Why do these guys still need to come here for quests?" Yamamoto asked, rather confused at the sight.
"Hahah… While an adventurer can, most of these guys, if not all of them, actually are affiliated. The association just some times have special quests and things like that." Kenneth explained as they made their way through the hall.
"I see."
"This way," Kenneth said, guiding Yamamoto toward a counter labeled "Registration and Licensing."
Behind the counter sat a woman with graying hair pulled back in a severe bun, her eyes sharp and assessing as they approached.
"Name and business," she said without preamble.
Kenneth smiled. "Registration for a new adventurer. This is Odinson, Swordsman class. I'm vouching for him—Kenneth Lamb, Iron Vanguard Guild."
The woman's eyes flicked to Yamamoto, evaluating him with the practiced eye of someone who'd seen thousands of would-be adventurers. "Identification papers?"
Yamamoto's mind raced. Identification papers? Of course there'd be identification papers! He didn't have any—hadn't even thought about it—
"He's from a small town, didn't have proper documentation," Kenneth jumped in smoothly.
"That's fine, we can work with that. Standard verification will take two days and cost 5 gold, or expedited verification can be done in two hours for 15 gold."
Yamamoto took out a coin pouch and placed his hand inside, pulling out the exact amount and placing on the table. "Expedited."
Kenneth's head spun to look at him in awe, "oh wow, you really have been working hard for so long…"
"Haha, I won't be stranded once we sell the loot." Yamamoto remarked, straightening his focus.
The woman nodded, pulling out a thick ledger and a form. "Fill this out. Name, age, class, current level, and any guild affiliations. Once that's done, you'll proceed to the verification chamber for assessment."
Kenneth nudged him. "I'll help you fill it out. Don't worry, it's straightforward."