Guild

After a strict inspection, they were allowed into the town with the help of the goddess's Familia status. The atmosphere changed abruptly. Perhaps it was because morning had just arrived: countless adventurers were heading toward the town center. Zhang Ruofeng looked ahead and saw a gigantic tower rising into the clouds several kilometers away, standing majestically in the city, imposing and dignified.

"That's Babel Tower!" Flora said, watching Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu gaze up at the towering structure. "A lot of gods live inside Babel Tower, though plenty prefer to live in town. After all, quite a few gods are curious about their children."

After admiring the tower, Zhang Ruofeng began studying the bustling adventurers on the streets. Most carried various weapons. Few wielded staffs, while swords and axes were much more common. Some wore fine clothes, others were dressed more shabbily, and quite a few concealed themselves beneath oversized cloaks, making it impossible to see their faces. Still, fine clothing probably meant they had more money and greater strength.

"Come on, stop standing around. You'll probably be looking at this scene for a long, long time from now on." The goddess led the two of them to a two-story stone building in the southeast and stopped. Zhang Ruofeng took a closer look. It was a simply decorated flower shop, with no special embellishments, yet it was bright and uncluttered. The colorful flowers in the clear display windows made it feel even more welcoming.

"I... I can actually read this." Zhang Ruofeng stared at the words he had never learned, yet the name Flora Flower Shop appeared in his mind.

"Well, I am a goddess, after all. Convenient, isn't it?" Flora laughed happily.

"It really is convenient." Xin Mu nodded seriously.

After chatting as they went, they entered the building, crossed the flower-filled hall on the first floor, and sat down in the kitchen. Then—they ate breakfast made by the goddess. Zhang Ruofeng was left in a daze. He hadn't expected... a god's fried eggs to be charred and still in their shells.

"I-I couldn't help it! I hardly ever cook. The children I used to have even called me the Destroyer of Ingredients." Flora's eyes welled with tears. Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu glanced at the blackened food on their plates and had to agree that the title suited her.

"Well, my cooking is just okay." Zhang Ruofeng scratched his head. "But I don't know if you'd like Chinese food."

"Chinese food?" The goddess's eyes lit up. "I've never tried it. I want some!"

"Ah, I almost forgot that gods are endlessly curious about new things," Zhang Ruofeng reminded himself again. He couldn't underestimate a god's curiosity.

"Now that we've finished breakfast, would you like to rest a bit or visit the Guild?" Flora suggested. "Adventurers need to register, so I think it's best to go as soon as possible. You can also learn more about the Dungeon there. Gods entering the Dungeon might anger the Black Dragon beneath the ground, and they can't use their full power in the mortal realm, either. In short, gods aren't allowed to enter the Dungeon. The Guild will be able to give you more detailed information about it."

"Sure, let's go take a look." Zhang Ruofeng glanced at Xin Mu, who always seemed indifferent to anything unimportant, and felt a headache coming on. They could go into the Dungeon on their own, but if they wanted to get home, they had to become powerful adventurers. Aside from her initial excitement, Xin Mu seemed remarkably calm. Zhang Ruofeng knew from their long time together that she was always like this, even getting excited about sucking blood. She barely worried about the future at all. It was frustrating.

"Come on, Xin Mu. Let's go have a look." As soon as Zhang Ruofeng finished, Xin Mu stood up, thanked Flora for breakfast, and walked out first.

"The Guild's over by Babel Tower, right?" Zhang Ruofeng turned and asked Flora.

"It's hard to miss. It's a huge white building." Flora smiled brightly. Zhang Ruofeng noticed that she smiled a lot; she seemed to wear a smile most of the time. A goddess with a good personality? he muttered to himself as he headed out.

"So this is the Guild? It's really..." Zhang Ruofeng stared at the enormous white building, about five stories tall, and couldn't help feeling surprised.

"Like a medieval church," Xin Mu said flatly as she looked at the building. Zhang Ruofeng knew her family was well-off and had seen photos of her trips abroad, so he understood why she didn't seem very impressed.

"You two look unfamiliar. Can I help you with something?" asked a mature-looking demi-human woman, who seemed to be around twenty-five, holding a clipboard.

"Ah, sorry," Zhang Ruofeng said. "It's our first time in Orario, so we're just curious about everything. We've just joined the Familia of the Flower Goddess Flora this morning. What do we need to do to register as official adventurers?"

"The Flower Goddess?" The female employee glanced at the adventurers who had turned curious eyes toward Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu at the mention of her name, then sighed. "So it's the goddess Flora."

"Did you hear? They're new members of the unlucky goddess's Familia." The onlookers whispered among themselves. They were so close that Zhang Ruofeng couldn't help hearing them. He frowned, but Xin Mu had never cared much about such things. She could stay up all night playing a game she liked. She was a goddess, yet sometimes she'd wear slippers and wake Zhang Ruofeng in the middle of the night to play games with her until morning. When it came to things she didn't care about, she paid no attention to what others thought of her.

"It's not very convenient to talk here. Come inside with me. You'll need to fill out some information, anyway." Zhang Ruofeng studied her appearance, wondering if she was a werewolf, then followed the sway of her white tail into the Guild.

When they filled out the forms, the employee couldn't understand the writing because the characters were different, so they had to ask her to fill them in for them.

"People from another world... Could it be because of what happened a few days ago?" The female employee looked at their information and thought to herself. "Did that magic succeed in the end?"

"That thing?" Zhang Ruofeng noticed that the female employee had fallen into thought and asked quietly.

"Oh, it's nothing. I've finished filling in the basic information. I've also confirmed with the others that you two belong to the goddess's Familia. From today on, I'll be your Dungeon guide. I'll help you until you reach Level 2 or decide you no longer need my assistance. I'll answer any questions you have." After that, an employee entered the consultation room and handed each of them a dagger about fifteen centimeters long. It was an ordinary-looking iron dagger, slightly dull, and appeared to be made of common materials.

"These are beginner weapons for new adventurers. Everyone gets one," the female employee explained. "Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Herocrista, a Guild receptionist. You can just call me Heluo."

"Nice to meet you, Heluo," Zhang Ruofeng and Xin Mu said, formally shaking her hand.

"Let me warn you first: since you're members of the Familia of the Flower Goddess Flora, whom people jokingly call the unlucky goddess, do you know where that ill-omened nickname came from?" Herocrista asked, twitching the ears on either side of her head.

"Of course we know, but neither of us really believes in it." Zhang Ruofeng smiled unconcernedly.

"Good. Since you chose to join her Familia knowing the details, I have no objections." Herocrista spoke calmly. "Being an adventurer is an extremely dangerous profession. According to Guild statistics, of those who registered as adventurers over the past ten years, nearly three-fifths have died or been permanently injured. Please be careful in everything you do. You're welcome to return to your Familia or look around the Guild, but I hope you won't rush into the Dungeon. Without proper preparation, you could get into trouble even on the first floor. That said, I've prepared maps of the first five floors, as is customary. If you go to the Dungeon, you can exchange the Magic Stones you obtain by killing monsters at the trading post to the left of the Guild entrance, or sell them yourself. If you have any other questions, just come find me in the reception area. Now, if you'll excuse me." Herocrista straightened her long, pure-white hair, stood up, and left the small reception room.