Early the next morning, in the faint light of dawn, Midir bid farewell to the small inn where he had stayed.
He had heard from the innkeeper that due to the frequent monster outbreaks lately, the number of people flocking from all over to seek refuge in the city had surged. Sometimes, one might have to wait in line for an entire day just to enter the inner city.
The reality was exactly as the owner had described. By the time Midir could see the towering walls and gates of the inner city in the distance, he already saw a bustling crowd. People were packed across the entire road like a swarm of ants.
After waiting in line for nearly two hours, he finally reached the city gate.
Watching the people around him prepare their identification documents, Midir realized he didn't have anything to prove who he was.
“Sir silver-hair, please show your identification documents,” the guard at the gate said, looking at the bewildered Midir.
I don't even know who I am, so how am I supposed to prove it to someone else? This is a bit awkward.
Under the guard's questioning, Midir had a sudden flash of inspiration and remembered the badge the elven girl, Aila, had given him a couple of days ago.
He recalled her saying that this badge would be helpful in Lionheart City. He quickly pulled it out and handed it to the guard.
“Will this work?”
The guard took the badge with doubt, but after just one look, his attitude shifted instantly, becoming extremely respectful.
“So you are a member of a major adventuring group. This can certainly serve as identification. However, don't you usually use the dedicated passage? Why are you using the civilian lane alone today?”
The other guard beside him was also somewhat puzzled.
“Uh... a special mission! It’s a special mission!” Midir laughed awkwardly, making up a reason on the fly while silently praying they wouldn't realize he was a fake.
Fortunately, the two guards didn't ask too many questions. After a brief discussion, they let him through.
By the time he actually entered the inner city and found his way to the Adventurers Guild, it was already nearly noon.
“What a grand place! As expected of the Royal Capital, it’s completely different from everywhere else.”
Midir looked at the massive building standing dozens of meters tall, marveling as he followed the crowd into the Royal Capital headquarters of the Adventurers Guild.
“Hello, sir. I am Yas, Receptionist No. 28 of the Adventurers Guild. Are you here to post a commission or to accept one?”
In the hall of the Adventurers Guild, a cute girl in a uniform noticed Midir looking around and stepped forward to inquire politely.
“Hmm... I’m looking for information regarding missing persons. Specifically, anyone from the last few months.”
After a moment's thought, Midir stated his request to Yas.
“Certainly. Please wait a moment while I check.”
Yas nodded and led him to a service counter.
She pulled a thick book from a nearby cabinet, placed it on the table, lightly tapped the spine, and spoke to it formally.
“Search for missing person commissions. Time range: six months.”
While Midir was confused by Yas's actions, the thick, dictionary-like book on the table suddenly began to flip its pages automatically. A series of rustling sounds followed, and it stopped after a few seconds.
A mechanical voice emerged from the pages. “Search for missing person commissions within six months complete. Found 372 entries. 105 completed, 267 pending. Please provide further details.”
“It can do that?” Midir was startled by the talking book.
He then provided his supplementary requirements to the book.
“Silver hair, male, around thirty years old, from the eastern region of the continent. Profession should be... a mage.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the book began rustling through its pages again. A moment later, the mechanical voice spoke once more.
“No corresponding data found. Would you like to add a new commission?”
“There’s nothing?” Midir scratched his head. Just as he was about to say something more, he noticed Yas tilting her head as she watched him.
“Sir, aren't the keywords you just searched for exactly like yourself? After all, silver hair is quite rare. Or perhaps it's a relative?”
Yas looked at the handsome man before her, feeling a bit confused, and asked hesitantly.
If I say I’m looking for myself... will people think I’m a fool and kick me out?
Thinking this, Midir explained, “It’s my brother.”
“Oh, I see.” Yas finally showed a look of realization. “Then, would you like to add a new commission now?”
“Oh, alright. Help me add a commission.”
“The search criteria will be registered according to your previous description, is that correct? And the name?”
“Ah? The name? Uh... the name is Sam. Yes, Sam.”
Midir's lip twitched slightly. Feeling like he was only digging himself deeper, he just threw out a random name to Yas, who was busy with the registration.
“Then please add a price for this commission. There is no upper limit for search-type commissions, but the minimum is one gold coin. 10% of that will be taken by the Adventurers Guild as a posting fee. Please sign here after confirming the payment.”
Spending my own money to find myself... how did things get so messy?
After signing his name on the document, Midir wryly pulled out a gold coin and handed it to Yas, who still seemed to have some doubts. He quickly changed the subject, looking at the large talking book in front of him.
“Miss Yas, may I ask what this book is? I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
Yas smiled as she verified the document and answered his question.
“You aren't a local, are you, sir? This is called a Magic Intelligence Book. I heard it was invented a hundred years ago by the great dwarven inventor, Mr. Stark. Due to improvements in price and the manufacturing process, it only gradually started coming into use in recent years.”
“But since the headquarters spent a fortune to bring this in, our workload has decreased significantly! You know, in the past, commissions and data were piled up like mountains. If I had to go through them one by one to find matches for you like before, it would have been a massive project~”
“A Magic Intelligence Book? That’s a very practical invention. What kind of content does this book usually record? Where is it generally sold? And what about the price?”
Looking at the Magic Intelligence Book, Midir seemed to think of something and asked a series of questions.
“As for the content... it doesn't seem to have fixed content. It mainly depends on the actual needs of the user. After all, a Magic Intelligence Book isn't cheap; they are more like custom-made books. As for where they are sold... I remember there’s a shop on Scenic Street. If you’re interested, you can go there and take a look.”
Yas replied after thinking for a moment and handed the successful commission document to Midir.
“Now then, Mr. Midir, is there anything else I can help you with?”
“What are the procedures if I want to accept commissions in the guild?” Midir asked, looking at the few dozen gold coins left in his pocket.
“If you want to accept commissions, you must become a registered adventurer! Of course, I can handle the registration process here as well. Would you like to register as an adventurer, Mr. Midir?”
“Is there anything I need to be aware of after registering?”
“Not much. The guild’s management of most members is quite loose. Except for members of large adventuring groups, ordinary people have no mandatory missions. However, some missions require your rank to reach a certain level before you can view them. A newly registered Grade 1 Adventurer can only take simple commissions like escorts or errands.”
As Yas spoke, she pulled another Magic Intelligence Book from the shelf behind her and spread it out on the table in front of them.
“To complete the registration, you just need to place your hand on it and think of your intent in your heart. The book will automatically retrieve information and make the corresponding record. As for the name, you don't have to use your real name; a nickname is also fine.”
Without much thought, Midir extended his right hand and pressed his palm against the blank page of the book.
A faint red light flashed where his hand touched the page, and then several lines of small characters appeared in flowing script.
Midir
Human Male
Registered Name:
Age: Unrecorded
Class: Unrecorded
Grade 1 Adventurer
Commission Points (0/100)
...
Rate on N.U.
