The brown-haired girl seemed to notice Nolan's hesitation, her lips curving slightly as she suggested, "If you register as an adventurer, such questions are free."
The brown-haired girl looked over with an expectant gaze.
Nolan's eyebrow twitched: "Can a single person also register as an adventurer?"
"Adventuring is a relatively dangerous job. Anyone can register, and there's no explicit rule about the number of people. But in reality, for safety, a minimum of two people is usually required."
"Of course, there's no explicit rule, you know."
The brown-haired girl lowered her voice and spoke softly at the end.
"How much does it cost to register as an adventurer?" Nolan asked expressionlessly.
"One silver coin!" The brown-haired girl raised a finger and wiggled it.
Nolan reached into his pocket as a cover, took out a silver coin from his toolbox, and placed it on the counter.
"I'll process it for you right away."
The brown-haired girl's eyes lit up, and she quickly spoke.
"No, it's the five copper coin question."
Nolan pressed his hand on the silver coin, still expressionless.
He now only had 2 gold, 6 silver, and 3 copper left. Upon reaching the border city of "E-Rantel," he would inevitably need to spend more money, so he naturally wouldn't waste extra money registering as an adventurer.
He didn't have time to take on Adventurer's Guild quests.
"There's an escort quest to 'E-Rantel' right over there. It's such a long distance, yet it's only the lowest 'Gold-ranked' reward. How stingy."
The brown-haired girl's expression fell. She pointed disinterestedly to the wall nearby where various quests were hung, complaining, seemingly with an ulterior motive.
"It should be taken by that 'Silver-ranked' adventurer party."
"Since you don't seem to know anything, let me remind you: if you want to follow these people, you not only need the client's permission but also the permission of the adventurer party that accepted the quest."
Hearing this.
Nolan looked in the direction the brown-haired girl was pointing and saw a four-person adventurer party, a flash of realization in his eyes.
These were the same people he had overheard discussing their plans to challenge for 'Gold-ranked' adventurer status when he passed by earlier.
Nolan released his hand from the silver coin and pushed the money towards the brown-haired girl.
The brown-haired girl picked up the silver coin, gently rubbed her finger over it, then placed it in the box below. She then picked out eight copper coins from inside and placed them on the table.
"Thank you."
Nolan nodded, put the copper coins in his pocket, and turned to leave.
Tha… thank you?
The brown-haired girl was stunned. She watched Nolan's retreating back, a complex, peculiar expression on her face.
Since she started working at the Adventurer's Guild, she had never heard anyone say thank you to her. After all, most adventurers were rough individuals.
Especially to a low-ranking receptionist like her!
"He's clearly poor… hmm, simple, but unexpectedly polite," the brown-haired girl murmured to herself.
Now that she thought about it.
His appearance was quite handsome, and most importantly, his black hair and dark brown eyes were quite rare.
Was he a foreigner… or from another country?
The brown-haired girl's cheeks flushed slightly.
Nolan walked to a corner of the hall, leaned against the wall, and sighed.
Things were more troublesome than he had imagined, or rather, he had initially thought too simply.
Requiring both parties' consent meant it was practically impossible!
Since the client entrusted an adventurer party for protection, they wouldn't want outsiders to join. And the adventurer party certainly wouldn't want to bring trouble upon themselves.
But traveling to the border city of "E-Rantel" was essential.
Whether it was the Great Forest of Tob in the north or the Katze Plains in the south, both were good places for leveling up. After all, the otherworld wasn't a game; there wouldn't be monster respawns.
If Nolan wanted to increase his level, he would inevitably have to go to places with a large number of magical beasts!
Additionally.
"E-Rantel," being at the border between the Re-Estize Kingdom and the Baharuth Empire, would make certain actions more convenient.
If it was merely for safety!
Within the Re-Estize Kingdom, even if there were dangers, they wouldn't be too high.
Most importantly.
Nolan's lack of understanding of the kingdom's situation, coupled with the presence of an adventurer party, could help him avoid unnecessary trouble.
Regarding the otherworld's situation, Nolan had a lot of information, but if he had to describe it, it was too high-level. He understood too little of the otherworld's basic information.
If he were strong, it wouldn't matter.
His current level was too low, making it even more important to avoid these preventable troubles.
Nolan lowered his head in thought.
According to the brown-haired girl, the long journey from the Royal Capital to "E-Rantel" was a "Gold-ranked" quest.
With the money he had, he couldn't afford to hire an adventurer party.
However, he might be able to use a compromise.
"E-Rantel" was at the easternmost border of the Kingdom, and between the two lay a large city called "E-Naeble," which was the territory of Marquis Raven, one of the Kingdom's six top-tier nobles.
If he were to go to "E-Naeble" first, and then to "E-Rantel," the price of the quest should be considerably lower.
However, this intermediate process would likely waste some time, and what Nolan lacked most right now was time!
Suddenly.
"Miss Daya, has anyone claimed the quest posted yesterday?" A familiar voice, tinged with a hint of nervousness, came from the reception desk.
"Oh, it's you."
"You've come at just the right time. Your quest has just been accepted by a 'Silver-ranked' adventurer party. I wonder if you're satisfied; if not, we can change it for you," the brown-haired girl's calm voice replied.
"No, no need."
"We don't have any special requirements for this."
The slightly nervous, familiar voice quickly spoke up.
Nolan looked up in surprise, his gaze turning towards the direction of the familiar voice.
Enri?
Nolan was stunned, not expecting to meet an acquaintance here.
Was the quest to "E-Rantel" posted by Enri?
His grandmother was a magic caster who could use third-tier magic; did she really need to hire an adventurer party?
While he was momentarily lost in thought.
Enri had already made contact with the Silver-ranked adventurer party. It seemed this quest had been officially accepted by their party.
Seeing this, Nolan thought for a moment, then got up and walked towards Enri.
Over here.
"Then, for the journey ahead, we'll be troubling you all. The trip might be a bit arduous."
Enri spoke softly to the four adventurers in front of him.
One of the four, who seemed to be the leader, patted the black light armor on his chest and said with a hearty laugh: "Don't worry, we've done quests like this several times. We can absolutely guarantee your safety."
Enri was already an introverted person. Hearing these words, a hint of awkwardness subtly appeared on his cheeks. He seemed to want to say something but didn't vocalize it.
He actually didn't mean that.
"Hello."
Suddenly, a voice came from behind.