Being an adventurer is both lucrative and dangerous, as expected

"I see. You must have traveled quite the distance if you came all the way from Inazuma."

"That's right."

Yes, I indeed had to travel quite the distance. Levitating all the way from the camp near Stormbearer Mountain to Mondstadt is so very exhausting. So please, kind sir, dispense with all the bullshit and kindly let me in.

"In that case, welcome to Mondstadt, dear traveler, although you might not have picked the best time to visit."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Better start getting used to pretending not to know things. Don't want to accidentally spill national secrets after all.

"Recently, Mondstadt has been attacked by the Stormterror. It occasionally flew by the city and attacked it, but please do not worry. The Knights of Favonius will do their utmost to protect Mondstadt."

Considering the threat is a literal dragon and most of the knights are not vision bearers, that's not very reassuring, dear knight.

"In the event of an emergency, please do not panic. Cover your head with both hands, and crouch down to protect your vital parts. Then, follow the instructions given to you by the Knights of Favonius crew, who will lead you to safety in a swift and orderly manner."

An explanation straight out of a textbook. Glad to see the knights are following protocols, if nothing else.

"I see, then I'll be sure to rely on the knights should such a situation occur."

I should probably ask for directions and whatnot. There are bound to be changes, and I don't really want to waste time getting lost.

"Do you mind answering some of my questions, mister knight?"

"Of course, traveler. And, pardon my manners, I have yet to introduce myself. Knight Lawrence, at your service!"

He said, as he did a salute towards me. I reciprocate his gesture with a tip of my hat.

"Do you have a recommendation on where to stay?"

That big hotel is probably already booked out by the Fatui, not that I want to stay there anyway.

"Normally I would recommend the Goth Grand Hotel, but currently it's been reserved by the Fatui delegation. Instead I would like to recommend the inn right next to Good Hunter. It's not as big as the Goth Grand Hotel, but the accommodation is still very good. And, if you're looking to take a break, to the inn's right is the famous Cat's Tail Tavern. The drinks made by their bartender, Diona, are so good that they rival the drinks from Angel's Share."

Mister knight, please refrain from salivating when you're describing the taverns, I'm pretty sure you're breaking several rules right now.

'But still, an inn right between a restaurant and what basically is a cat cafe? Sign me up.'

"Does Mondstadt have a branch of the Adventurer's Guild?"

"Why of course! It's just down the street, up the steps to your left."

"Thanks Mr. Lawrence. May Barbatos bless Mondstadt in these trying times."

"Thank you, traveler. Once again, I welcome you to the City of Mondstadt."

After parting ways with Lawrence, I entered the city proper.

At first glance there doesn't seem to be much of a difference. However, the fact that an inn just exists between Good Hunter and Cat's Tail means that there is, in fact, a change in the grand scheme of things. I suppose this is confirmation that any map knowledge beyond their general area is useless to me.

It's not all bad though. I can just think of it as a reason to explore the city once again. Probably not until the Dvalin issue is dealt with though. Don't want to get hit by a stray wind attack after all.

First order of business should be signing up in the Adventurer's Guild, get some commissions, and when I have enough Mora, rent a room in the inn for a week for now. I can extend it later when I have more Mora to spend. Other than that, buying adventuring supplies is a must now, given that I have no inventory system or anything of the sort. Backpack or something similar should be priority number one.

I should also visit the Cat's Tail. Getting some drink while petting some cats sounds like chicken soup for the soul right about now. And who knows, given that I'll only be ordering non-alcoholic drinks, I could probably get in Diona's good graces. Maybe she'll give me a discount just for not being an alcoholic.

'Gotta take every opportunity I can to save Mora.'

After taking in my surroundings, I headed towards the Mondstadt Adventurer's Guild.

The guild booth where Katheryne gives out commission is connected to a building that looks like it's selling adventurer's supplies. Right next to the booth there seems to be a display of adventurer gears of sorts. It seems that I don't have to look far for the things I need.

"Excuse me, is this the Adventurer's Guild?"

After hearing my voice, Katheryne, who seems to be busy filling out forms, turns towards my direction.

'Wow, she's right in front of me and I can't even tell that she's a puppet, if not for that keyhole on the back of her neck.'

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. I am the guild's receptionist, Katheryne, how may I help you?"

"I would like to sign up as an adventurer."

"Of course! All you have to do is provide me with your name and I can get you registered right away."

Huh? That's it? No registration fee, no combat assessment test, or anything? Isn't the Adventurer's Guild being too lax?

"Just my name? Is this the case for every adventurer? Does the guild not test the applicants to make sure that they're fit to be an adventurer?"

Katheryne looked at me with a wry smile.

"That would normally be the case, but currently Mondstadt's Adventurer's Guild has a severe need for members. The branch master, Cyrus, has been going on a recruitment spree, spreading around recruitment ads all over Mondstadt, particularly Angel's Share. A newcomer registering as an adventurer is pretty much a non-existent case in this city, especially after the Stormterror starts its reign of terror on Mondstadt."

Ah, I remember the guy. He's the one that designed the entrance exam too. I remember at one point he considers killing three ruin guards to be a good idea for beginners. No wonder no one is willing to sign up.

"That's why we're pretty much accepting anyone that wants to be an adventurer. Of course, we don't just accept anybody. The Adventurer's Guild has its own intelligence department responsible for gathering information.

"Since signing up as an adventurer is basically a big deal in this city, information about them is usually spread around quickly by word of mouth, and the guild will collect and process that information and decide whether they're truly capable or not. It's not really indicative of their capability, but it works wonders as a preliminary assessment of sorts."

"I see. What about foreign travelers like me?"

"A case like yours rarely ever happens, considering people usually sign up on their own country's branch, so we generally do not accept them unless they manage to pass the entrance exam. Of course, the situation being the way it is, we're a lot more lenient right now. Especially for people like you."

"By that you mean…?"

"Vision bearers."

Ah, that's right, I keep forgetting that vision bearers are not exactly common.

"I see. In that case, my name is Kamiyama Yuu, from Inazuma."

"Please wait a moment Mr. Yuu, I'll get started on your registration right away."

I waited patiently while Katheryne filled out my registration form. Looking at her reminds me that although I can speak just fine, reading and writing is probably a different matter entirely.

'I should probably get my hands on a book about Teyvat's script. Hopefully the store connected to the guild has one, otherwise I might have to pay a visit to the library. Are they even open to the public though? It's located on the Knights of Favonius Headquarters after all.'

"Here you go, Mr. Yuu. Your adventurer's identification."

"Thank you Ms. Katheryne."

"Just Katheryne is fine Mr. Yuu, I am merely a receptionist after all."

"If you insist."

Taking the card into my hand, I closely examine it.

'The only thing written on the card is my name and my adventurer's rank. Looks like they're using the alphabet as a way to measure the rankings. Currently I'm a D-rank.'

"Does my adventurer rank affect the commission that I can take?"

"Normally it does. The organizers of the intelligence department ranks the commission by difficulty, from S-rank to D-rank, to help new adventurers adjust to the adventurer's lifestyle, while also supporting veteran adventurers and allowing them to adventure more freely.

"But right now, since most of the knights are busy protecting Mondstadt from the Stormterror, we have a lot of urgent commission building up, and none of the present adventurers are willing to go outside the city at all, and some that do, are too busy helping the Knights of Favonius."

Urgent commission, huh. And no one is taking it. Doesn't that mean that I can just take them all? And since it's urgent, wouldn't that mean the pay is higher?

'Wouldn't I be drowning in Mora then?'

"Mr. Yuu?"

"Sorry, I spaced out a bit there. Does that mean that right now, I could just take any commission I want?"

"Currently most of the urgent commissions are hilichurl extermination, in particular, the ones that have made camp close to the city. So yes, if you want to, you can take them. You are wearing a hilichurl mask, are you not? That tells me enough about your combat capability."

"You flatter me Katheryne. In that case I'll be taking all the extermination commissions."

"Certainly. These are the four commissions that you'll be working on. The details are written right here."

"Ah, could you read them out for me? I'm ashamed to admit it, but I'm currently illiterate."

I really need to learn how to read this damned script.

"That's fine Mr. Yuu. Though I would recommend you to learn how to read and write as fast as possible. Thankfully, the adventurer's guild is selling learning materials for new adventurers. We also sell adventurer related supplies, should you need them. Are you interested in purchasing something Mr. Yuu?"

Sorry Katheryne, but I'm flat broke right now. The rewards from the commissions should be enough Mora though. Fifty-thousand Mora each… damn, hopefully the Traveler won't arrive in Mondstadt for a while.

"Maybe later, after I finish these commissions."

"That's fine. In that case, the location of these camps are…"

After learning their locations from Katheryne, I thanked her and got ready to depart.

"Oh, before I forget. Katheryne?"

"Yes, Mr. Yuu?"

"How would the guild know whether or not I have finished the commission?"

"You don't have to worry about that Mr. Yuu. The client, which in this case is the Knights of Favonius, will send someone to confirm your deed. If you're worried about late payment, then please rest easy, you'll be paid upfront upon your completion. But if you did lie about it, we will have no choice but to take back your payment."

"I see. I'm off then. Goodbye Katheryne."

"Farewell, Mr. Yuu. Good luck!"

After waving goodbye towards Katheryne, I moved towards the city gate. Thinking about the Moras that I'll be getting, I couldn't help the smile forming on my lips.

'I'm going to be rich.'