"*Sigh* I understand, but while your brother is not here, you are alone. Even if you are strong, you shouldn't be alone, especially as a woman, Lily. Anyways, before we continue, let's sit down at the table you just used, and I will go over the basic information we give to everybody, okay?" Mary answered with a sigh.

She saw the unshakable confidence Lily had in her brother and herself, and that it would be pointless to argue. She hoped that after going through all the basics, and by mentioning the weekly grouping event that actually would happen tomorrow, she could be swayed.

Sitting down at the table next to Lily, Mary, took a deep breath and started the practiced speech that she gave multiple times already.

"As you may already know, the Adventurer's Guild is a multinational organization that has a contracted branch office in almost every city in the continent. This here is the Higrove Adventurer's Guild. The basis of every branch office and the Adventurer's Guild, in general, is the extermination of monsters and the safety of our contracting city. In our case, Higrove." Pointing towards the east wall, which was filled with tons of papers in various sizes, she continued. "Over there on the Mission Board, you can find all the requests our Guild currently has listed. While most of them came from the citizens, there are some requests from the nobility, the ruling lord, or even the city guard themselves. They come to us, set a request, and after we categorize them, it will be posted on that wall."

Standing up, she motioned for Lily to follow. "Come with me, Lily, before I continue, let's go there and check how a valid request looks like."

Arriving at the wall, Mary and Lily walked towards the section closest to the Guild's counter as she spoke. "All the requests here are sorted by their difficulty. As you can see..."She picked up one paper and quickly checked it. Seeing it is good for her example, she continued. "...for example, this request here, which is a gathering request probably to a local alchemist, has 1 star, meaning it's an easy request for our newest members, on the first rank."

Then, placing the request back to its place, she picked one from the second section. "This request here, has two stars, meaning it is for those that have more experience, and have already advanced in the ranks. Make sure to remember that until you rank up, you can only pick quests from the 1-star section!"

She placed the request back to its set, then while motioning for Lily to follow, they walked back to the table they were at. Sitting down, she continued the speech.

"Now, to the last part of the introduction, the ranking system. When we finish the registration procedure, you will receive a Guild Card, showing that you are a member of the Adventurer's Guild. Make sure you don't lose this item! While it can be replaced, all the progress you made since your last rank-up test will be lost!" She paused momentarily, to breathe in some fresh air. "Sorry, it's quite lengthy, but all of this information is important for you to know. So, the guild categorizes its members in a ranking system, ranging from one all the way to ten. When we finish your registration, you will be a Rank 1 or most commonly known, a 1-star Adventurer, meaning you have just started. You will be able to pick any quests with a 1-star difficulty. When you complete a quest, you have to come back here and show proof of your completion, and we will credit it on your card. Once you complete enough quests, you will be eligible for a rank-up, earning another star to your name. It's actually simpler than it sounds, don't worry you will quickly get the hang of it!."

As she finished, she looked at Lily for a short while, and after a few seconds of silence, she asked.

"Did you get everything so far, Lily, or do you have any questions?"

Listening to everything, Lily shook her head as she replied with a bright smile on her face.

"No, thank you for the introduction, Mary, I got it. So, I will be a rank one adventurer, and as such, I will be able to pick from the 1-star quests that are placed on the wall. Once I completed the quest, I should come back here so you or another attendee can credit it on the card you will give me. Hmm, actually, I do have a question. Do I need to pay you for the membership card?"

Mary shook her head as she answered.

"No, the first card will be free of charge. If you happen to lose it and will require a new one, then there will be an increasing fine. The first replacement will cost you one gold; the second will be ten, and so on. I would advise you to hold onto the card, Lily."

"I see. Everything is clear now! Can I get the card and then pick a quest?" Lily asked as she jumped up from her seat.

Creasing her eyebrows, Mary raised her right hand as she continued.historical

"About that, your card will need a day before it is ready. Also, there is a weekly group-up event we hold at the first floor in this building. It is designed for new adventurers just like you. There you can meet up with others that, just like you, just started and has no fixed group. There you can meet up and hopefully find a group for yourself. Also, there will be several veterans there to help answer any questions you may have and even provide mentorship services."

Mary looked Lily in the eye, grabbed her shoulders, and with a stern tone, she continued. "Once again, Lily, I HIGHLY advise you to go to this event and try to find some friends there. You don't need to group up with men, there will be girls there, so if that's what you are worried about, you can group up with them. Please, don't be rash, and at least give this meet-up a chance. Okay?"

Lily gently grabbed Mary's hands and pulled them from her shoulders. Then with a gentle smile on her face, she replied.

"Thank you for your concern, Mary. I will go to this gathering and see if there are any friendly faces there, okay?"

Changing the subject, she looked at the Mission Board, as she asked.

"So right now, I can't pick any quest, right? I have to wait until I get my membership card?"

"Yes, I am sorry, but wait for tomorrow when you get your card. Then, you can pick your first quest, Lily!" Mary smiled sympathetically.

Grabbing Lily's hands, she squeezed it lightly, as she shook it.

"You are such an incredibly pure girl, Lily. Make sure you watch out for yourself; there's a lot of nasty figures out there that would want nothing but cause harm to you! Please, be careful, okay?!"

Lily giggled happily, remembering her run-in earlier.

"Haha, don't worry, Mary, I can defend myself! I will be going now, but I am delighted to have met you!"

---

After saying their goodbyes, Lily turned around and left. As it was still quite early for her to start going back home, and with nothing better to do, she decided to go and check up on some old friends.

Once again, back on the streets, Lily continued her leisurely stroll while taking in all the sights. She loved watching as the residents haggled, talked, or even just simply greeted each other.

Stopping in front of a street stand, she ordered one portion of frozen sweets in an edible cone. The elderly man that sold it even gave her some extra chocolate frosting on top for free.

"Thank you, sir; you are very kind!" Lily thanked the man as she took her candy.

"Ahaha, don't mind me, dear, you are so sweet, you remind me of my granddaughter! Enjoy your sweets!" The elderly man answered with a hearty laugh.

Now, with her candy in hand, and with renewed vigor, she strolled towards her next destination, a small little General Store, at the northern end in the Marketplace. Many years ago, it was the home of a kind elderly couple, the Norton's.

Lily hasn't met with them ever since. Granny kept up the business with them through all these years. Now that both Lily and Aiden were back, she wanted to check up on the kind elderly couple that invited them to a friendly lunch all those years ago.

---

Meanwhile, in an underground place, at an unknown location, sitting on a throne made of skulls and bones, a dark-robed figure looked at a corner in the dimly lit room. Although its face was covered with a faceless black mask, the red flash in her eyes briefly illuminated his surroundings.

"Speak." it spoke with an unnatural hollow voice.

A female figure stepped out from the shadows and knelt in front of the throne. She was Number 3.

"Grandmaster, I came with a request. I need.." She started stating her request, however, she was quickly silenced with one finger raised from the Grandmaster.

"I know.. Take it." It then waved his gloved right hand. The large skull-shaped ring's eye sockets briefly flashed in red, which was briefly repeated by the smaller, but similarly designed ring that Number 3 was wearing. As the flash slowly faded, Number 3 bowed once again, and with deep respect in her voice, she briefly spoke.

"Thank you, Grandmaster!"

The grandmaster did not respond and returned to its previous position, ignoring Number 3.

Number 3 bowed once again, and in the next moment, her figure vanished from sight.

As Number 3's presence completely vanished from the chamber, the eyes of the Grandmaster lit up once again, and with its otherworldly voice, it muttered.

"Interesting.."