The entrance to the adventurer's guild was much more dilapidated than Bell had imagined.
The wooden door frame was covered in cracks, and a faded iron plate was nailed to the door, engraved with the words “Adventurer's Guild · Royal Capital Branch.”
Bell pushed the door open.
A wave of air mixed with the scent of alcohol, sweat, and blood rushed toward him.
The hall was very noisy.
Dozens of adventurers dressed in leather or chain mail were gathered in small groups, some drinking, some bragging, and others arguing.
Bell’s gaze swept across the hall.
The faces of these people carried a coarse, wild edge.
They were completely different from the pampered noble children at the academy.
“Master.”
Lilian’s voice came from behind him.
She followed behind Bell, her silver hair tied in a low ponytail, wearing a simple black traveling outfit.
Her blood-red eyes scanned the surroundings alertly.
“It’s fine,” Bell whispered.
He walked toward the front desk at the end of the hall.
A woman sat behind the desk.
She looked to be about thirty years old, with fiery red curly hair draped casually over her shoulders. She wore a low-cut white shirt with only half of the buttons fastened.
She was looking down, writing something in a heavy ledger.
Bell walked up to the desk.
“Hello.”
The woman looked up.
Her eyes were amber, with a few fine wrinkles at the corners.
But the moment she saw Bell, those eyes instantly lit up.
“Oh my!”
She stood up abruptly, leaning her hands on the desk, her entire body almost lunging forward.
“What a cute little brother!”
Bell’s body stiffened.
The woman’s gaze swept over his face, her eyes filled with a certain maternal fervor.
“How old are you? Twenty-five? Twenty-six?”
“Twenty-three.”
Bell’s voice was a bit dry.
“Twenty-three!”
The woman’s eyes grew even brighter.
She reached out, wanting to pat Bell’s head.
Bell instinctively took half a step back.
The woman’s hand stopped in mid-air.
She froze for a moment, then laughed.
“Sorry, sorry, big sister got too excited.”
She withdrew her hand and sat back in her chair.
“I am Veronica Beccas, the receptionist in charge here.”
She adjusted the collar of her shirt, and the expression on her face became serious.
“You’re here to register as adventurers, right?”
Bell nodded.
Veronica took a piece of parchment from a drawer and placed it on the desk.
“Registration is simple. Just fill in your basic information.”
She paused.
“But there is one thing.”
Her gaze fell on Bell’s face.
“Those under thirty cannot register alone.”
Bell’s heart sank.
“You must form a team.”
Veronica pointed to the adventurers in the hall.
“You can go to those teams and see if any are willing to take you in.”
Her tone became somewhat helpless.
“However...”
She looked at Bell, then at Lilian.
“Most teams won't want people coming out of an academy like you.”
Bell’s fists clenched.
“Why?”
Veronica sighed.
“Because you have no experience.”
She leaned back against her chair.
“The mortality rate in this profession is very high.”
“Most teams have crawled their way out of piles of corpses.”
“They won't carry dead weight.”
Bell didn't speak.
He turned and walked toward the hall.
Lilian followed behind him.
Bell walked to the first table.
Three men sat there, all wearing worn leather armor, their faces covered in scars.
“Hello,” Bell began.
The three men looked up.
Their gazes swept over Bell once before returning to their ale mugs.
“Beat it,” one of the bald men spat out.
Bell’s throat tightened.
He turned and walked to the next table.
“We don't want academy trash.”
“Kid, go home and find your mommy.”
“You think adventuring is playing house?”
Again and again.
Bell asked over a dozen teams.
The answers he received were all rejections.
Some didn't even bother to look up at him.
Bell stood in the middle of the hall.
The surrounding noise surged around him like a tide.
His fingers curled up.
His nails dug into his palms.
“Bell.”
Lilian’s voice came from behind him.
She walked to Bell’s side and reached out, gently pulling on his sleeve.
“Let’s go.”
Bell took a deep breath.
He turned and walked toward the door.
Veronica watched his back, a trace of sympathy flickering in her eyes.
“Little brother.”
Her voice called out.
Bell stopped in his tracks.
“Don't lose heart.”
Veronica’s voice was soft.
“That’s just how this business is.”
“Take it slow.”
Bell didn't look back.
He pushed the door open and walked out.
The sunlight was blinding.
Bell squinted.
His mind was filled with the indifferent gazes of those adventurers.
“Trash.”
“Kid.”
“Beat it.”
Bell’s fists clenched even tighter.
He had to find a way.
He had to earn money.
He had to get Mithril.
On the way back to the academy, Bell didn't say a word.
Lilian followed behind him, also remaining silent.
The two of them passed through the academy gates and entered the area of the Terra Branch.
“Junior Bell!”
A familiar voice came from the side.
Bell turned his head.
Tia Astane was standing not far away, holding a stack of heavy books.
When she saw Bell, a smile immediately appeared on her face.
But in the next second, her smile froze.
She saw the expression on Bell’s face.
That suppressed, almost desperate expression.
“What... what happened to you?”
Tia Astane walked over quickly.
The books almost fell from her arms.
Bell shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
“Liar.”
Tia Astane’s voice suddenly became stern.
She set the books down and walked in front of Bell.
“You clearly have something on your mind.”
Bell was silent for a few seconds.
“I need money.”
His voice was very low.
“A lot of money.”
Tia Astane blinked.
“How much?”
“Two hundred gold coins.”
Tia Astane’s breath hitched.
Two hundred gold coins.
That was a year's worth of expenses for an ordinary family.
“Why... why do you need so much money?”
Bell didn't answer.
He just lowered his head, staring at the ground.
Tia Astane bit her lip.
“I... I can lend you some.”
Her voice was very soft.
“But I only have fifty gold coins.”
Bell looked up.
He looked into Tia Astane’s worried eyes.
“No need.”
He shook his head.
“I can't owe you.”
Tia Astane’s eyes reddened.
“Why?”
Her voice trembled.
“Why do you always carry everything alone?”
Bell didn't speak.
Tia Astane suddenly thought of something.
“Did you want to go to the adventurer's guild?”
Bell’s body stiffened.
Tia Astane’s eyes lit up.
“I knew it!”
She grabbed Bell’s wrist.
“You can find classmates to form a team!”
“There are many people in the academy who want to go to the adventurer's guild to earn money, but they aren't thirty years old yet either.”
“You can form a team together!”
Bell was stunned.
Form a team.
How had he not thought of that?
“I...”
Bell’s voice was a bit dry.
“I don't know who to look for.”
Tia Astane smiled.
“I’ll help you ask!”
She let go of Bell’s wrist and turned as if to run off.
“Wait.”
Bell called out to her.
Tia Astane looked back.
“Thank you.”
Bell’s voice was very soft.
Tia Astane’s cheeks flushed.
She lowered her head, her voice so small it was almost inaudible.
“No... no need for thanks.”
Then she picked up her books and ran away quickly.
Bell stood where he was.
A surge of warmth suddenly rose in his heart.
But in the next second, that warmth was suppressed by cold reality.
He turned and walked toward the dormitory.
Reaching the dormitory door, Bell stopped in his tracks.
He took a deep breath.
Then he gently pushed the door open.
The door opened a crack.
Bell poked his head in.
The room was very quiet.
The familiar iron box wasn't on the table.
That slender figure wasn't on the bed.
Bell breathed a sigh of relief.
He pushed the door open and walked inside.
The moment he closed the door, he leaned against it and closed his eyes.
“Why didn't I see her today?”
Bell muttered to himself.
Then he opened his eyes.
He walked to the desk.
On the desk lay that book, 《Soul Construction》.
There was also a pile of scattered parchment.
They were covered in complex runes and magic circles.
Bell sat down.
He picked up his quill.
He began to write and draw on the parchment.
Mithril.
He had to get Mithril.
Rate on N.U.
