Leaving Town (Part 2)

Aps City was not very large, but compared with Rika Town, it was more than ten times bigger.

Although this was his first long journey in this world, Romon had flown all over the place on Earth. What great city had he not seen?

So all he showed now was freshness and curiosity, without the slightest look of being awestruck. To him, this was perfectly normal, but to the rest of the caravan—especially Barnel—it came as quite a surprise.

After all, when Barnel had first left home to make his way in the outside world, he had been deeply shocked upon seeing such a large city. Yet this little fellow had come from Rika Town to a small city without showing the least bit of stage fright. It truly made people look at him in a new light.

This youth had great potential. That was all Barnel thought at the moment. Merchants valued profit above all else; after doing some calculations, Barnel's attitude toward Romon immediately became much warmer.

Romon pretended not to notice, but he understood perfectly well inside. He sighed. "What a realistic world!"

Then he turned his gaze toward the small city outside.

Perhaps because it lay in a remote location, Aps City covered quite a large area. Yet whether it was the streets or the buildings, everything looked half-old and half-new. There were quite a few shops along the streets, but most sold only a single type of goods. Naturally, it was still far better than Rika Town.

This could be seen from the city gate they had passed through earlier.

From the outside, the gate tower looked quite tall and imposing. At least, to country folk who had never seen the world, it certainly seemed so. But upon closer inspection, one would notice that the soldiers guarding the city were dressed rather shabbily.

Their clothes being half-old and half-new would have been one thing, but it was already the depths of winter, and some of them were actually wearing single-layer shoes. This showed that the city lord of this small city was not financially well-off. Of course, it was also possible that he was simply stingy and unwilling to issue new uniforms to these soldiers.

Even so, it still somewhat proved the poverty of this place. After all, to a wealthy noble, soldiers might be lowly, but they represented his face.

As Romon traveled along, he made a rough estimate. He felt that this small city had a permanent population of around ten thousand.

He suddenly thought of Eileen's Lineage. The father of that angelically adorable young lady did not possess a particularly wealthy territory either. No wonder the baron stayed in his castle year-round and never came out.

Who would not feel depressed after going out every day and looking upon their own stretch of impoverished land?

Thinking of this, Romon somewhat understood why Eileen worked so hard at studying the knowledge of priests. Yet in this world, he was merely a low-ranking Druid who did not even possess his freedom. For the time being, there was nothing he could do to help that adorable girl.

As Romon's thoughts ran wild, the caravan suddenly came to a stop.

"Romon, the Adventurers' Guild isn't open to the public at noon. Come have a drink with us first." They had arrived. Barnel stood beneath the carriage, warmly inviting him.

Romon also felt hungry after the bumpy journey. Smiling, he said, "Then I'll have to trouble you." Then he carefully jumped down from the carriage. His legs had gone a little numb, and only after hopping around in place a few times did he recover.

He secretly missed the cars on Earth, but his face was full of gratitude. Only after getting down did he realize that the caravan had stopped at its destination: the entrance of a trading house.

According to Barnel, this trading house was the largest in the small city, and its prices were fairly reasonable. That was why he had been working with them recently.

Goods were continuously unloaded. Romon felt that they had truly helped him greatly by giving him a ride here, so he joined the busy group.

Although he only helped a little, the caravan members' impression of him immediately improved considerably.

Thus, at the meal that followed, Romon received even better treatment. He sat at the same table as Barnel and enjoyed a delicious lunch for free.

After eating and drinking his fill, the caravan members arranged a room for him. They would rest here for the night and only return tomorrow morning.

At noon, Romon had a wonderful nap. Because everyone had toasted him and he had drunk several extra cups, he slept rather deeply.

It was not until Barnel personally came to shake him awake that he suddenly remembered that he had yet to complete the task for which he had come.

"Romon, you can really hold your liquor. You woke up so quickly." Barnel patted his shoulder and chuckled.

Romon blushed slightly, annoyed that he had actually gotten drunk.

What he did not know was that, at his age, being able to hold out until the end amid everyone's toasts and still wake up completely clear-headed that afternoon was, in Barnel's eyes, absolutely miraculous.

This showed that Shennong Horn's continual transformation of his body was gradually taking effect. His body was no longer as weak as when he had first arrived in this world.

But Romon had no mind to think about such things. After washing his face and dressing neatly, he followed Barnel's directions and headed for the Adventurers' Guild of this small city.

The Adventurers' Guild was located in the bustling district of the small city. Hawkers cried out on the streets, while passersby came and went in every kind of dress. Though it was not as crowded as the cities he had seen in his past life on Earth, it was just right.

He easily found the Adventurers' Guild. It was somewhat different from what Romon had imagined; this Adventurers' Guild had actually been built quite luxuriously.

Of course, the luxury mentioned here was only in comparison to the surrounding buildings.

Amid a cluster of half-old, half-new buildings stood a clearly newly constructed structure. It was as high as a three-story building, and its floor area was no smaller than the temple in Rika Town.

He walked toward the main entrance.

"You are?" The moment a guard-like man saw him approach, he immediately came over to question him.

"Hello, I'm Romon, a Druid from Rika Town. I came here this time to register." Romon hurriedly explained.

"So that's it." After clarifying the matter, the man stepped aside.

Romon walked in. The cold outside was immediately shut away, and the moment he entered the building, a warm aura wrapped around his entire body.

At the same time, his sharp eyes caught sight of something flashing the instant he stepped through the doors. Green mist immediately appeared around his body.

What was this...? Romon looked at the green mist around his hands in confusion.

"Hello, welcome to the Adventurers' Guild." At that moment, a middle-aged man walked out from a corner with a smile.

Romon nodded and smiled. "Hello, I'm a Druid from Rika Town..."

"Yes, you are indeed a Druid. You have just passed our inspection. Please come this way; we can talk as we walk." The middle-aged man smiled and pointed toward the entrance.

Only then did Romon see clearly that there was actually a small hexagram array at the entrance. Anyone stepping through the doors would step directly into the array. From what had just happened, this array was likely used to inspect identity energy.

"Is this your first time visiting the Adventurers' Guild?" After learning Romon's purpose, the middle-aged man asked in a knowing tone.

Romon nodded.

"It seems you have already learned a little about our guild before coming, but I should still give you a comprehensive introduction." The middle-aged man's role was probably similar to that of a company receptionist on Earth. As he led Romon toward the guild hall, he skillfully introduced the guild's circumstances to him.

Romon listened carefully and occasionally raised questions, which the other party answered swiftly. He inwardly sighed that the Adventurers' Guild truly produced capable people. As they talked and walked, they soon arrived at the place where business was handled.

Passing through a doorway, Romon found a spacious hall with numerous service windows before him.

Some people stood before the windows making inquiries or handling business. The staff sat behind the windows, communicating with people through the half-open openings.

The scene was extremely similar to the service halls of banks and post offices on Earth.

Seeing the surprised expression on Romon's face, the middle-aged man greatly enjoyed it. Seeing that his task was complete, he led Romon to a window and said, "This is where registration and record matters are specifically handled."

Romon did not show any stage fright. There were still two people in front of him, so he stood in line while considering how to repay his debts as quickly as possible. With debts, he could not become a free man. Without becoming a free man, he could not open a shop. Without opening a shop, he could not accumulate strength. To Romon, it had become a vicious cycle.

"Sir, what business would you like to handle?" Suddenly, a polite and sweet voice pulled him back from his thoughts.

Looking ahead, he saw a capable-looking young woman inside the service window, smiling at him.

Romon returned her smile. Then he explained the account he had prepared beforehand and presented the Adventurer's License that the squad captain had helped him obtain last time.

"Your identity has been confirmed. This is a Temporary Adventurer's Permit. Since you are a Level 1 Druid, you have the right to immediately apply for an official Adventurer's License without undergoing assessment. If you wish to obtain a permanent Adventurer's License, please fill out your information further—start by filling out this form." The woman handed Romon a sheet of parchment densely covered in writing.

Romon took it and carefully read it over. After confirming there were no problems, he picked up a pen and began filling it out. After signing his name at the bottom, he passed the form back through the window.

After checking it, she took a metal plaque from a cabinet. Then, using a method unknown to Romon, she swiftly imprinted Romon's information and the guild's certification into the plaque before handing it to him.

"The processing fee is three silver coins." The woman smiled as she looked at this young but handsome youth with a strange charm.

Romon had already learned about this from the middle-aged man, so he immediately handed over the silver coins.

"Very well. From now on, you are officially a member of the Adventurers' Guild. Your reputation is 1 point, making you a Level 1 adventurer. We welcome your next visit, Mr. Romon!" The woman smiled. "Each time you complete a mission, the guild will increase your reputation points and deduct 20% of the payment you are due. At the same time, it will pay roughly 10% tax to the local lord. If you obtain a tax-exemption certificate from the lord, you will not need to pay it."

Thirty percent tax? The guild was quite black-hearted too. The Adventurers' Guild did not value strength; it was a money-making organization, and what it valued was reputation—reputation points were determined by completing missions and contributing to the guild.

Even if you were a master, if you did not make money for the guild, you would have no reputation points. No wonder the Adventurers' Guild was so rich. It was practically a monopolistic corporation. Still, the local lords probably all held shares and received dividends.

Seeing his gloomy expression, the woman smiled again. "Of course, adventurers above Level 5 receive a 5% reduction in the taxes due. Adventurers above Level 11 have the taxes due reduced to 10%, and by then, you can basically obtain a tax-exemption certificate from the lord."

After hearing this, Romon calculated that it was acceptable. Above Level 5, the actual tax would be 25%; above Level 11, it would be 15%. He politely returned her smile, put away the metal plaque, and walked out of the Adventurers' Guild. Outside, the sunlight was bright and beautiful, just like his mood at that moment. And his future, too, would grow ever brighter through his efforts.

In theory, once he obtained an official Adventurer's License and accumulated reputation, as long as he rose to around Level 5 in reputation, even if the lord had not granted him the full rights of a free citizen, he would automatically obtain them and be able to travel freely throughout the continent.

This was also why most lords would grant the rights of a free citizen in advance. Since they could not stop it and it would happen sooner or later, they might as well grant it now and earn a favor.

Thinking of this, Romon silently made up his mind!

!!