Adventurer Guild

A thick, intoxicating scent hit him before the woman did.

He instinctively reached out to steady her.

The woman leaned into his arms and breathed, "Thank you, sir."

As He Xi withdrew his hand, he felt a warm finger lightly trace across his palm.

She shot him a suggestive, flirtatious glance, then turned around.

With a sway of her waist, her hips drew a provocative curve as she sauntered toward the alley entrance.

Only when she reached it did she stop and look back at He Xi with a smile, her eyes glimmering.

He Xi smiled and nodded, as if he understood.

Deeper in the alley, several other women dressed just as scantily watched with interest, thinking the deal was about to go through.

He Xi called out to Bruce, who was still licking his lips, and continued west along Rose Avenue.

He had no intention of following her into that suggestive little alley.

The smile on the woman's face at the entrance stiffened at once.

He Xi saw right through her little game.

Her tricks were clever. That fleeting physical contact and suggestive behavior could certainly attract many travelers who needed a little comfort after a long journey.

But He Xi had been waiting to see if the glowing orb in his mind would display a Favorability prompt. After all, he'd only steadied her.

Unfortunately, nothing happened.

It seemed he'd already squeezed every last point of Favorability out of basic acts of kindness back in Plint.

He mentally labeled the woman "stingy"—she wouldn't even give him a single Parsing Point!

Of course, the main reason was that after traveling alongside a young lady as beautiful and graceful as Annis, He Xi's standards had unconsciously risen quite a bit.

At the moment, he was practically immune to streetwalkers like her, who had a strong air of the red-light district about them but only average looks.

"Still..." He unconsciously compared them. "She's bigger than Annis, at least."

After walking along the avenue for just under an hour, He Xi finally spotted the destination the peddler had mentioned.

It was a three-story stone building with a huge oak notice board standing outside the entrance.

It wasn't the tallest building among Rose Town's tightly packed structures, but its sturdy stonework and constant stream of visitors set it apart.

A striking emblem hung over the stone building's entrance—

A simple iron crown burned fiercely within a stylized frost flower, as if its flames would never die.

This was Rose Town's Adventurer Guild.

People of all kinds came and went, carrying weapons and wearing the weathered look unique to adventurers.

He Xi's curiosity was drawn to the enormous oak notice board at the entrance.

He stepped closer and saw that it was densely covered in writing.

"...The Adventurer Guild, now spread across the continent, was once known as the Hearthstone Stronghold.

Its founder was the legendary warrior of the Frost Winter Kingdom, Viran Ironcrown I, former Grand Duke of the North, known as the 'Winter Iron Wall.'

About two hundred and forty years ago, during the calamity later called the 'Endless Winter,' the Winter Kingdom was nearly destroyed by the bitter cold and the rampaging Frost Trolls.

Grand Duke Viran drove back the powerful enemies with unmatched courage, but he knew that scattered resistance by ordinary people would eventually crumble before a natural disaster.

He heard the desperate cries of refugees driven from their homes, and saw the plight of countless powerful adventurers who had strength to spare but no cause to fight for.

So, in the year 120 of the Kingdom, he raised his voice in Rime City and founded the Hearthstone Stronghold. He swore that, amid the endless winter night, he would kindle a shared hearth for every resilient soul and raise a beacon of hope.

The original stronghold quickly became a lifeline, uniting people, issuing assignments, and offering shelter. In the end, it helped the kingdom survive the calamity.

Later, the Viran Family worked with forces across the continent to establish uniform rankings and management rules. The Hearthstone Stronghold eventually became the Adventurer Guild, now found throughout the world.

Grand Duke Viran's foresight and compassion have been remembered by later generations as an immortal legend, every bit as great as his peerless courage."

After reading this stirring account, He Xi couldn't help but feel a hint of respect for the organization.

It hadn't appeared out of nowhere; it had arisen from the struggle to survive and the conviction to protect others.

He took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and headed for the doors that marked the beginning of countless adventures, with Bruce beside him, just as curious as he was and looking around.

As He Xi stepped through the Adventurer Guild's doors, the first thing he noticed was how spacious it felt.

The hall had a vaulted ceiling, with a clear view from the first floor all the way up to the wooden dome on the third. The space felt remarkably open, and even with the hall packed full, it wasn't too oppressive.

A long oak counter stood in the center, with two attendants in matching uniforms seated behind it, busy handling guild business.

Curving wooden staircases on either side led to private rooms and a lounge on the second floor.

The first-floor hall was packed with all sorts of people.

He Xi quickly surveyed the crowd.

Most of the adventurers had gathered in pairs or in groups of four or five, talking and laughing loudly.

There were also a few lone wolves standing silently beside a huge wooden board on the wall, seemingly studying the assignments posted there.

He tried to sense the auras of the people around him.

If he took Kadan, the captain of Plint's guard and an entry-level warrior, as his baseline, then most people in the hall had auras of similar strength, and some were even weaker.

By the adventurer ranking system Annis had mentioned, that meant most of them were below level 20 and hadn't yet become full-fledged professionals.

Of course, a few people in the crowd clearly stood out from the rest.

It was easy to tell by their equipment and bearing.

The truly powerful adventurers wore finely crafted gear, some of it faintly shimmering with magical light, a silent testament to its considerable value.

The heavily armored warriors stood out in particular. They wore gleaming, heavy plate armor that most people would struggle to stand upright in, let alone move freely.

There were also attendants around the mages who shimmered with elemental light, and contract beasts beside the rangers, their fierce eyes making it obvious that they weren't to be trifled with.

He Xi's gaze swept over the others' dazzling weapons and armor, then dropped to his own faded, coarse clothes and Bruce, who was panting at his feet and looking around curiously...

The stark contrast made him feel like he wasn't there to register as an adventurer at all. He looked more like he was applying for a job chopping wood in the back or helping out in the kitchen.

Of them all, the one who made him feel the most pressure was the "Iron Tower" standing against a wall not far away.

He stood nearly two meters tall, his entire body concealed by a set of dark plate armor in a simple, old-fashioned style.

He Xi had no doubt that the armor was wide enough to fit two of him with room to spare.

The man stood there in silence, yet a heart-pounding sense of oppression washed over He Xi.