20: Moonless City, Adventurers' Guild

"Sir, I really didn't mean to lie to you. My wife is about to give birth at home, so I can't be back too late."

Along the way, the young man Parker kept apologizing to Ronan.

After realizing Ronan wasn't some heinous person, he gradually relaxed.

"Then why are you able to come out now?" Ronan asked back.

"Uh, isn't this—the Village Chief's request?" Parker chuckled sheepishly, almost letting the truth slip.

He couldn't exactly say it was the power of money.

Ronan didn't care; if he were in his shoes, he would probably do the same—better to avoid trouble if possible.

"Are you familiar with Moonless City?"

"I've only been to areas where ordinary people can enter... but I still know the locations of some major landmarks," Parker replied honestly.

"Many high-end places require an entrance fee, and in some places, even having money isn't enough."

"Oh? Tell me about those places."

"Places like the Chrysanthemum Fragrance Villa, the Ruby Dream Hall, and the Grey Elf Rose Hall; you have to pay 1 copper eagle just to enter, let alone the services inside..."

Doesn't sound like a very decent place... Ronan looked the young man over with suspicion. "What about the places where even money isn't enough?"

"There are even more of those!" At this point, Parker's gossip-loving nature was fully on display.

"The village's wealthy man, Fair, was thrown out onto the street by people from the Adventurers Guild last time. They said they were driving away a stinking beggar..."

"If even they are considered stinking beggars, who would dare go to such a place?"

Ronan looked at the young man with a strange expression once more. "Is that really what they meant?"

Parker nodded with absolute certainty.

"Does that Adventurers Guild you mentioned require a fee to enter?"

Ronan suddenly realized that all the money he had on him had been turned into food.

If he couldn't find Evil Axe soon, he would face a severe survival problem:

He was out of money... "Probably not... I remember the Village Chief went there with a few people before, and they definitely didn't pay," Parker said, tilting his head and thinking carefully for a moment.

"Then let's go. Take me to the Adventurers Guild."

Ronan felt relieved; he didn't want to be stopped at the guild's door because he had no money.

After walking for another half hour, he finally saw the towering city walls.

There was a long line to enter the city at the gate, mostly ordinary people. Soldiers were patrolling back and forth beside the line to maintain order.

Parker led Ronan to the end of the line and pressed an iron coin into his hand.

"Sir, this is the city entry fee. I know you definitely don't have such small denominations, but you can't give too much, or those blood-sucking soldiers will take advantage of you."

"Yeah, I really don't. You're very thoughtful." He was starting to regret giving 1 silver coin as a reward.

The line to enter the city moved forward slowly.

A patrolling soldier walked near the two of them and was about to turn around but stopped immediately.

He suddenly straightened up, stepped in front of Ronan, punched his chest in a salute, and bowed.

"Your Excellency, please forgive our negligence for making you wait so long. Please follow me."

The soldier stepped aside and made a welcoming gesture.

"Can he come with me? We came together." Ronan pointed to Parker in front of him.

"Of course, Your Excellency." The soldier's expression toward Parker instantly became respectful. "Sir, please come with me as well."

Hearing the word 'Sir' from the mouth of a blood-sucking city guard made Parker a bit lightheaded, and he followed along in a daze.

By the time he snapped out of it, he and the master had already been invited into the city.

"What are you standing there for? Lost your way?"

Ronan looked at Parker standing there blankly. He never would have imagined that just the small privilege of 'Adventurers don't have to queue to enter the city' had already made Parker feel like he had reached the peak of his life.

"I know it, I know it. Sir, please follow me."

Parker snapped out of it and immediately switched to fawning mode, leading Ronan toward the location of the Adventurers Guild.

People of various races flowed through the streets. The commercial districts were well-developed, and the architectural styles were relatively uniform.

In districts where there were many Dwarf merchants, the architectural style was basically Dwarven.

Similarly, districts with the most human merchants featured classic human architecture.

In the headquarters of some large organizations, the architecture of various races was mixed together, forming a unique cultural landscape.

"Sir, the Adventurers Guild is just ahead." Parker stopped in front of a magnificent building and turned to Ronan.

Ronan looked up, and what caught his eye was a giant rune that looked somewhat familiar.

He picked up the adventurers badge he was wearing on his chest and looked; the two were identical, one large and one small.

Two fully armed guards stood at the guild entrance. Judging by their build and skin color, their race should be Orcs.

"Do you want to come in with me?" Ronan asked.

"Sir, may I?" Parker was ecstatic, then immediately looked solemn.

"Even though it's my first time inside, I know what it's like better than anyone. Fair talks about it eight hundred times a day."

Theoretically, this wasn't Ronan's first time here.

But that part of the original owner's memory had disappeared, so he truly knew nothing about the situation inside the guild.

The two stepped forward. The two guards glanced at the adventurers badge on Ronan's chest and didn't react further.

Entering the building, the clamor of the guild hall hit them.

Adventurers of various races, professions, and squads were mixed together, bustling and coming and going.

A Grey Elf female receptionist approached with a sweet smile.

"Respected Adventurer, do you need me to provide any services? I'm a newly hired receptionist today, and my price is 1 copper eagle cheaper than my other sisters!"

"No need, I'm just looking around with someone."

Ronan was secretly glad he had brought Parker in, as it gave him an excuse to refuse paid services.

When Parker heard Ronan say this, he instantly felt a sense of mission and cleverly blocked the space between Ronan and the female receptionist with his body.

The female receptionist smiled, bowed, and continued to look for other clients.

Ronan looked around the vast guild hall, which was divided into many different areas.

There were inquiry desks, reception desks, registration desks, rest areas, quest areas, and even a free trade area, each distributed along the edges of the hall.

Six giant display screens hung in the center of the hall, connected in a ring, with information rapidly scrolling across them.

Ronan walked closer and realized he actually recognized these display screens.

"The primary material is Blackstone Magic Crystal, which integrates imaging and memory magic.

It is used to display posted Adventurer quests, including quest rewards, acceptance requirements, quest points, and other information."

The original owner must have studied these screens when he came here before.

Getting closer, the scrolling information on the screen became clear:

"Clear the Kobold nest on the outskirts of the Monster Forest. Reward: None. Points: 2. No acceptance conditions, no other restrictions."

"Purchase Goblin eyeballs. Reward: 1 silver wolf per eyeball. Points: 0. No acceptance conditions, no other restrictions."

...The various tasks were a feast for the eyes. Ronan's eyes felt extremely dry, and he couldn't help but rub them.

When he opened his eyes again, a bit of information had been added after the previous tasks.

"Clear the Kobold nest on the outskirts of the Monster Forest..." [wish power gain: 2]

"Purchase Goblin eyeballs..." [wish power gain: 1]

"This is..."