Chapter 13

The cobblestone ground, though weathered by the elements, remained as level as ever.

Several Millelith soldiers stood guard at the city gate, dressed in uniform and wielding spears.

Xia Zhi walked past them with his head lowered, drawing neither their attention nor inquiry.

They didn't seem to check visitors' identities, only maintaining security in their assigned area.

Xia Zhi breathed an internal sigh of relief.

As a harbor where thousands of ships and merchants gathered, Liyue Harbor had too many strangers coming and going each day for thorough checks. The guards could only focus on maintaining order within the city.

This was both an advantage and disadvantage of such a prosperous port city.

Stepping into Liyue proper felt completely different from outside the city.

Ornate shops with carved railings and high pavilions, bustling crowds of people—what Xia Zhi could see within his twenty-meter "god's eye view" detection range far surpassed the scattered stalls outside the city in grandeur.

The bustle reminded him of crowded shopping streets during holidays in his original world.

The architectural style of the surrounding shops was remarkably similar to ancient buildings from his world, perhaps because Liyue was also a vast and powerful eastern nation.

Stone lions, paper lanterns, red wooden railings, round wooden beams, upturned eaves, cyan bricks and green tiles, square layouts, interwoven staircases...

Looking at these both familiar yet foreign sights, and listening to the cheerful voices of passersby, Xia Zhi's fondness for this city grew even more.

Liyue had many streets, making it easy for newcomers to get lost.

Unable to afford a map, Xia Zhi wandered around before politely asking a shop owner for directions.

The owner kindly pointed him the right way.

After thanking them, Xia Zhi followed their instructions, passing through several streets and turning multiple corners before finally finding the Adventurers' Guild next to a blacksmith shop.

A girl wearing a headband with straight bangs, dressed in a white and green dress, stood behind the counter as receptionist.

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild!"

"Hello."

"I'm Katherine. Are you here to accept a commission or complete one?"

"Neither. I'd like to learn more about your Adventurers' Guild."

"Were you referred by Sweet Flower?"

"Sweet Flower?"

"She's our Guild's recruiter, the girl who introduces us to people on the streets."

"No, I learned about it from the notice at the city gate."

"I see. What aspects would you like to know about? I can explain everything in detail."

"Mainly the rights and obligations."

"Joining the Adventurers' Guild requires no membership fee, nor do we force adventurers to fulfill any obligations. We simply provide a platform for adventurers to communicate and act as a bridge between clients and adventurers."

"No membership fee?"

"None!"

"Really none?"

"Really none!"

"I understand." Xia Zhi nodded, thinking for a moment. "I want to join the Adventurers' Guild."

"Welcome!" Katherine took out a form, presenting it with a professional smile. "You'll need to fill out some basic information first."

Xia Zhi didn't take the form, saying softly, "I apologize, but I can't see. Could you help me fill it out?"

"Ah..." Katherine seemed to notice his gray, lifeless eyes for the first time. She paused, then nodded. "Of course. May I ask your name?"

"Xia Zhi."

"Your age?"

"22."

"Your occupation?"

"Commoner."

...

Katherine only asked a few simple questions, not even requesting documents to verify his information, before putting away the form.

"Please wait a moment."

"Alright."

Shortly after, Katherine handed him a card: "This is your Adventure Handbook. Please keep it safe. Welcome again to the Adventurers' Guild, and may your adventures be fruitful!"

"Thank you."

Xia Zhi took the card, feeling its cool touch—surprisingly high-tech.

Instead of leaving, he continued asking Katherine: "I'd like to accept a commission. Could you help me check what's available?"

"Of course! What type of commission are you looking for?"

"Something involving Slime Condensate."

"One moment... I've found five different commissions. You can review the requirements before deciding. Sorry—I'll read them to you. The first and highest-paying commission requires five Slime Condensate within three days, with a reward of 5000 Mora..."

"...I'll take that one. Please help me accept it."

"May I see your Adventure Handbook... Done. Please complete the commission before the deadline. If you exceed it, the commission will automatically expire."

"I already have five Slime Condensate with me."

"Excellent. I've marked your commission complete. Here's your reward: 5000 Mora. Your Adventure Handbook has reached Level 1. Please continue completing commissions to level up and become an even more accomplished adventurer."

"Thank you."

Xia Zhi carefully stored his Adventure Handbook and reward, sincerely thanking her.

Katherine nodded, maintaining her professional smile.

Xia Zhi turned and left.

Walking down the street, he took out the Adventure Handbook card and felt its surface.

The card face was very smooth.

It seemed to be made of some kind of crystal.

Recalling how Katherine had used the card to read and write information on a strange device, Xia Zhi thought it resembled a bank card from his original world.

This high-tech aesthetic seemed out of place in Liyue.

While at the Guild counter earlier, Xia Zhi had used his detection ability to scan the room and noticed some documents.

They mentioned that the Guild's headquarters was in Snezhnaya, and referenced mass-produced synthetic puppets.

Snezhnaya's technology seemed quite advanced.

"It's strange that they'd accept even a blind person. Aren't they worried about not recovering the card costs?"

Xia Zhi shook his head and put away the card.

"An organization that does this either desperately needs new members or has greater ambitions... The Adventure Handbook's leveling system, aggressively expanding membership, all just to cultivate the most exceptional adventurers..."

"Ad astra abyssosque... I wonder if their true goal is the stars or the abyss... Or perhaps both?"

"Well, it doesn't matter to me anyway."

"I just want to earn enough to eat."

Xia Zhi stood at a street corner, watching the lanterns light up under the shop eaves.

"It's getting late. I should find an inn first—it's been a while since I've slept in a proper bed."