After a good night of sleep that she obviously spent together with the still sleeping Aiden, Lily was back in the city and had arrived in front of the Guild Hall.
'So, I get my license, and I will be able to pick a 1-star quest! Can't wait!' with great enthusiasm, she pushed the door open, only to be t with a large crowd of people blocking the view.
"Woah, so many people, what the…" she muttered with great astonishnt.
Yesterday, this place was almost empty, but now…
"Wait for a second… Didn't Mary say that there's so kind of event taking place today? Don't tell , this huge crowd ca for that?!"
Deciding it's best to get ahead and ask the attendee herself, she slowly started making her way through the densely packed hall. Thanks to her lean stature and cute voice as she repeatedly said "Sorry, sorry" apart from receiving a few grumbles, she eventually got to the front, where another group of proud and armored adventurers stood facing them.
The guy in the middle, who was wearing a shiny golden breastplate with 3 stars etched above the Guild Hall emblem that was shining just above his heart spoke up. As he spoke, Lily could see a few green essence particles flashing and trembling.
Founding this sight rather peculiar, she looked at the man, who just started addressing the crowd. His voice bood in the hall, quickly silencing everyone. His golden helt that covered his entire face didn't seem to block any of his voice.
"Let be the first to welco you all to Higrove Guild Hall's monthly et-Up! My na is Michael Sonovan, and I'm one of the few 3-star adventurers our guild has. In case you don't know, our guild is using a ranking system, to track the strength and experience of our mbers, making sure they are safe and only do requests that they have a reasonable chance to complete without fatal injuries. Still, even with this much care, and attention, this type of work carries great risks, so before we proceed with today's event, I want all of you to think it through once more, and decide if you are really willing to risk everything just for so fa and money?"
He silently looked through the crowd with his penetrating, stern gaze. A few monts that felt like an eternity passed before he coughed to grab the attention and spoke again with the sa booming voice. The green essence particles kept flashing around his throat.
Lily looked around but it seed that either nobody noticed, or nobody cared for it, so she decided to ask about it later, and just kept listening to this loud man's introduction.
"We will be upstairs on the first floor waiting for everyone that will decide to take this step. Don't worry, nobody will think any less of you for wanting to not risk your life if you leave. While we will welco all of you in our ranks, it is much more important than you are comfortable with this choice and that you make it for yourself, and it is not forced upon you. Take your ti everyone!"
With his speech finished, the man turned around, and walked upstairs, with the group of armored people quickly following behind him. As soon as he left, the crowd erupted, and various discussions, exclamations could be heard.
"I will go, I will beco a great adventurer just like Sir Michael!"
"You will die you, idiot, I bet the first monster you face will eat you up!"
"Who said that?! Co and face if you dare!"
Lily smiled under the cover of her hood, and walked in front of the reception desk, smiling at Mary who seed to have already spotted her.
"Lily, I'm glad you are back! How are you?" she greeted with a great smile plastered on her face.
"Good Morning Mary, I see you are blooming today! Did you receive my Guild Card?" Lily asked, smiling back in return.
"Sure did! Give a second to get it for you!"
Crouching down, she started going through a big stack of papers when she eventually pulled out an envelope. Standing back up, she looked at Lily and with a large grin on her face, Mary handed the envelope with both of her hands rather ceremoniously.
"Here you go, Lily. The Guild mbership Card will be inside, and all the information you provided yesterday is already registered on it. Now, I did not ntion this yesterday, but there is a few extra neat features to this card that I'm sure you will like!"
Taking the envelope, Lily looked at Mary surprised.
"Oh, what are they exactly?"
Mary giggled in response for a bit before continuing.
"Ehehehe, well, you see, as an official registered mber of the Adventurer's Guild you are exempted from the entry fees to the town. Additionally, once you reach rank 3, or in other words, you beco a 3-star adventurer you can even use the Noble's entrance and avoid the long line as well!" she said smilingly.
"Ah, aweso! That is good to know! Thanks, Mary!" Lily exclaid happily. She decided that once Aiden wakes up and joins her, she will talk to her about that their first goal would be to work towards ranking up to Rank 3.
"*Khm*" Mary coughed to grab Lily's attention as she seed to have trailed off. "Also, the shops you can see around the Guild Hall, all have specialized equipnt that you can ask for with your card. Once you have the ti and the money you should take a look in their wares!"
"I see, thanks! One more question, can I pick from the 1-star quests now?" Lily asked excitedly about her upcoming adventure.
Mary gave her a wry smile in response.
"Normally you could, but as today is the et-Up, you have to wait until the event is over. During the event, as the parties form and if one of the higher rank ntors agrees, they have a priority to pick from them and even head out together to learn the basics."
"So, I have to wait once again?" Lily asked, dejected. She was so looking forward to embarking on her grand adventure and getting the head start so she could act like the proper big sister she always wished to be and help Aiden later.
"Don't be so sad Lily, instead, you should go up and join the others and try to find a group that would suit you. As I ntioned yesterday, you could even find girls-only groups as well. I'm sure you will find sothing that will match your taste! In addition to finding new friends, learning from an experienced adventurer could provide great benefits. Don't be shy, give it a try!" Once again, Mary tried her sales pitch, trying to convince this obstinate girl.
She couldn't understand why was she so adamant about going out alone. Whoever her brother is, he will also be an inexperienced boy, and they would just be running to their deaths without so proper guidance. How could she not understand that she is just trying to help her?!
Sighing dejectedly, she nodded.
"*Sigh* Fine! You are trying really hard to get to attend. However, if I don't join any groups in this event, can I still take a quest afterward?"
In return, Mary could only nod and sigh as well. 'This girl is just so stubborn!' she grumbled inwardly while showing the sa smile as always.
"Yes, Lily, if after the event you still have not joined any groups, you can pick a quest and do it yourself. You could even join up with your brother later on and create a new Official Adventuring Party."
"Official Adventuring Party? What is that? Is that sothing good?" she asked, surprised upon hearing Mary's words.
"Yes, you can form or join official parties if the mbers allow you entry. They are recognized by the guild and the people. In addition to the recognition, the party itself will gain ranks as you complete quests. You will hear more about this in the event, but once your party reaches the 2-star rank, you will be able to pick quests 1 rank higher than your party. So, for example, if your party is 2-stars, you will be able to select a 3-star ranked quest and do it together and you will all receive the credit for it. This has many benefits, you will earn much more credits than a 2-star quest. Anyways, once you join the eting, this will be explained in great detail." Mary explained, happy that she finally managed to grab this girl's attention.
Now she was sure that she will join up with soone and will not head out to face the dangers alone. Mary was imnsely proud of herself that she managed to save another poor unfortunate soul from the grueso future with her glib tongue.
Satisfied, she looked at Lily with a large smile on her face. Lily was pondering for a while when she finally realized sothing.
Excitedly, she looked at Mary and as her face gradually got pinker she happily exclaid.
"That is aweso! This way brother and I could be officially recognized as a pair! YES! YES! YES!"
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