Chapter 429: Adventurers Wanted

The Kingdom Headquarters had workers now, but Sage understood the problem the moment he entered the Grand Guild Hall the next morning. Receptionists stood behind counters. Mission clerks were sorting the first requests brought in by merchants who had heard the Guild was preparing to open.

Guards walked their routes. The kitchens were being stocked, smithing furnaces burned in the distance, and the Grand Medical Hall had healers preparing treatment rooms. Yet the vast waiting areas remained almost empty because the people all those facilities existed to serve had not arrived.

Employees could make the Headquarters function, but they could not make it an Adventurer Guild. For that, Sage needed adventurers.

He called Garran, Boren and Pax into one of the smaller meeting chambers and placed a fresh notice on the table. Unlike the employment notices that had flooded the Capital days earlier, this one contained no wages, work hours or promises of permanent positions. Across the top was a different announcement.

ROYAL CAPITAL ADVENTURER REGISTRATION

Boren read the notice before looking at Sage. "You’re opening registration already?"

"Tomorrow."

Garran leaned forward. "How many are you expecting?"

"After the last time I answered that question, I’m not answering it again."

Pax smiled slightly.

The challenge was different this time. Skilled workers had come because the Guild offered employment. Adventurers weren’t employees.

Sage couldn’t lure them with monthly wages because the entire point of the Guild was that its members remained free to choose missions, form parties, travel between branches and earn according to what they accomplished.

More importantly, the Capital already had countless ways for warriors and Mages to make money. Mercenary companies recruited fighters directly. Noble Houses maintained private forces.

Knight Orders offered prestige and stable positions to those who qualified. Merchant houses hired caravan guards. Independent monster hunters sold their kills wherever they found buyers, while established adventuring parties preferred keeping their freedom.

"We’re not asking them to abandon any of that," Sage said.

Garran looked at him carefully. "That will matter."

Sage nodded. Unless a specific Guild contract demanded otherwise, registration wouldn’t force someone to abandon an existing mercenary company, private party or independent work. The Guild wasn’t trying to own adventurers. It was creating a structure they could use. That principle had helped Evergreen grow rapidly, and Sage saw no reason to change it simply because the Capital was larger.

The announcement spread before noon.

This time, Sage deliberately targeted places frequented by warriors rather than ordinary workers. Notices appeared in taverns near mercenary compounds, weapon markets, training grounds, monster-material shops, inns used by traveling parties and public boards near the major gates.

Copies went to independent Mage circles and places where dungeon hunters gathered to exchange information. Guild workers also distributed simple handbills explaining registration rather than merely announcing it.

Reaction came quickly.

Pax’s people began sending reports throughout the afternoon.

At the Broken Lance Tavern, a group of mercenaries laughed at the idea of registering with an organization they knew mostly through rumors from Evergreen.

One asked why he should place his name in another organization’s records when his company already found work for him. At a weapons market, two independent hunters argued that Guild ranks meant nothing in the Capital because experienced warriors already built reputations through completed contracts and monster kills.

Elsewhere, a Mage reportedly asked whether the Guild expected him to pay membership fees simply for the privilege of being told what missions he could accept.

Sage had expected those questions. So instead of answering through rumors, he opened the Headquarters for an afternoon viewing.

Not registration, not yet.

Anyone considering membership could enter the public sections, ask questions and see what the Guild actually offered before deciding whether to return tomorrow.

The first visitors arrived cautiously. Some came in parties wearing matching equipment. Others were lone warriors, Mages or monster hunters who clearly had no intention of joining and had simply followed the crowd. A few mercenaries openly displayed the emblems of their companies, perhaps to make it clear where their loyalty already belonged.

Sage met the first large gathering inside the Grand Guild Hall.

A scarred warrior near the front raised his hand. "Let’s say I register. What exactly changes?"

"You gain access to Guild missions under your recognized rank," Sage replied. "Mission rewards are recorded before acceptance. Payment passes through the Guild where appropriate, so a client cannot simply decide afterward that your work was worth less than agreed."

That earned murmurs.

Another man called from farther back. "And if the client refuses to pay?"

"Then the dispute is with the Guild, not an adventurer standing alone outside his door."

Several heads turned at that.

Sage continued. Missions were evaluated before being posted whenever sufficient information existed. Known monster dangers were recorded. Dungeon reports could be consulted instead of every party entering blind. Adventurers returning with monster parts could have materials appraised rather than depending entirely on whichever merchant happened to make the first offer.

A woman carrying two short swords frowned. "Appraised by whom?"

"Guild appraisers. You can sell elsewhere if you dislike the price. The Guild isn’t forcing you to sell to us."

That answer seemed to interest her more than if Sage had promised the highest price in the Capital.

He led the visitors through the public sections.

The Grand Guild Exchange drew immediate attention. Empty merchant spaces were already being prepared, while appraisal counters stood ready for adventurers bringing monster materials, dungeon finds, herbs, minerals and other valuables. Sage explained that as branches expanded, the Guild intended to gather prices from different Regions so members could know whether the offer in front of them was reasonable.

The Smithing Complex produced another reaction.

Weapons could be repaired without leaving the Headquarters. Smiths could be commissioned using materials brought back from missions. The Monster Material Processing Hall could handle carcasses that ordinary hunters lacked the tools or space to dismantle properly. Valuable blood, hides, bones, cores, venom and organs could be preserved instead of wasted.

Then they reached the Grand Medical Hall.

One mercenary looked through an open doorway at the treatment rooms. "Guild members get healed here?"

"They receive access to Guild treatment and member rates depending on service and rank."

"Free?"

Sage looked at him. "Healers enjoy being paid."

Laughter moved through the group.

The Training Complex interested younger warriors immediately. Practice halls, weapon grounds and Mage chambers could be reserved by members. Instructors would eventually offer lessons, while parties could use certain grounds to train formations before dangerous missions.

Rank examinations would also take place through Guild facilities, allowing members to carry recognized Guild ranks instead of relying entirely on reputation.

A mercenary captain wasn’t convinced.

"Recognized where?"

"Every Adventurer Guild branch."

"Which currently means Evergreen and here."

"Currently."

The captain stared at Sage for a moment before giving a small nod. It wasn’t agreement, but it wasn’t mockery either.

Sage didn’t need everyone convinced today.

The Grand Adventurer Hotel was next. Registered members could receive favorable rates according to rank and availability, useful for adventurers traveling between Regions who didn’t want to search an unfamiliar city for trustworthy lodging.

Contribution points earned through certain Guild missions and services could also be spent on selected Guild facilities instead of being exchanged only for coin.

That caused another wave of questions.

"What can contribution points buy?"

"Depends on your rank and what you’ve earned," Sage explained. "Training time. Certain equipment. Services. Accommodation benefits. Some Guild resources won’t be sold for gold alone."

"So you’re creating another currency?"

"No. Gold remains gold. Contribution points measure what you’ve done for the Guild."

A young Mage near the rear raised his hand. "What about that?"

Sage followed his finger.

Through the enormous windows, the upper portion of the Mana Cultivation Tower rose above the surrounding buildings.

The room became noticeably quieter.

That tower had been visible across the western districts for days. People had watched it rise during construction, and rumors had apparently multiplied faster than accurate information.

"What is it?" someone asked.

Sage smiled. "The Mana Cultivation Tower."

"How many floors are there?"

"One hundred." Sage raised a finger and said with a smile.

The young Mage stared at him. "One hundred cultivation floors?"

"Mana density increases as you ascend. Lower floors are suitable for ordinary Warriors and Mages. Higher floors are intended for stronger warriors and Mages capable of enduring greater mana pressure."

Now everyone was listening.

Sage explained the public cultivation halls and private chambers. Registered adventurers received better rates than ordinary visitors. Higher Guild ranks gained greater access benefits, while contribution points could purchase cultivation time. Members who grew stronger could challenge higher floors as their ability to endure mana pressure increased.

"Can anyone enter the hundredth floor?" the Mage asked.

"If they can withstand it."

"Can you?"

Sage paused. "Not properly."

That answer caused more excitement than boasting would have.

The visitors began talking among themselves immediately. Mages who had shown only mild curiosity started asking about mana density. Warriors wanted to know whether the tower benefited those who cultivated mana through their bodies rather than spells.

Someone asked whether private chambers could be reserved for an entire party. Another wanted to know if mercenaries could register without leaving their companies.

"Yes," Sage answered again.

That spread quickly.

By late afternoon, the atmosphere surrounding the Guild had changed. People weren’t merely asking what the Adventurer Guild wanted from them anymore.

They were asking what they could get from joining it.

Registration would begin the following morning.

Sage ordered the gates closed at sunset so the workers could prepare. Registration counters were assigned. Rank assessments were arranged. Garran organized mission staff while guards prepared for another large crowd.

Before dawn the next morning, Sage climbed to the upper windows of the Grand Guild Hall.

He looked toward the main gates.

Then he stopped. The Western Crownway was already crowded.

Warriors carrying swords, spears, axes and bows stood beside robed Mages and entire adventuring parties. Some wore mercenary emblems. Others carried no affiliation at all. The line continued beyond the gates and farther down the road than Sage could follow from the window.

Behind him, Boren approached, saw the crowd and remained silent for several seconds.

Sage remembered the ten thousand job applicants.

This time, he didn’t bother guessing how many people had come.

The gates would open soon.