Chapter 18: Chapter 17: The Receptionist Laura
The Hunters Society in Gallowind occupied a small, one-story building tucked away in the outer area of the town. Its white walls were dull, like they hadn't seen a coat of paint in years. Even the wooden door seemed weathered and worn, but the faint gold lettering that said "Hunters Society" made it clear that this was no ordinary house. The building's humble appearance made it evident that not much money had been put into this branch of the Society.
Zephyr stepped into the dimly lit Hunters Society and a bell tinkled above him. An elegantly dressed woman in her late twenties leaned behind an old, mahogany desk, talking to a woman draped in violet robes.
"Two visitors in one day?" the receptionist looked in disbelief as if a miracle had happened. She pushed up her glasses and showed a professional smile. "How can I help you?"
The person before the receptionist looked over her shoulder, revealing a familiar scarred face. "Zephyr."
"Veronica."
The sorceress' face turned cold. "Why are you here?"
"I can't be here?" Zephyr looked around the guild with wide eyes. "Did your daddy Xander purchase this place for you? Wait, he can't even buy Tier 1 items for you! How will he pay thousands for this?"
"You…" Veronica's social skills paled in comparison to her sorcery. "You'll pay for this."
Her voice became shrill, enough to make one cringe.
"I didn't bring my wallet. Call your daddy Xander to pay."
Her hands trembled as she struggled to stop herself from blasting the young man. She snatched the book from the receptionist and stormed out of the guild.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?" The receptionist voiced her concern. Yet her eyes held amusement for the strange turn of events. "Veronica has drowned multiple hunters with her water element sorcery, coupled with her shrill tone, she earned the nickname Banshee among her fellow hunters."
"That nickname is well deserved. Don't be worried. I'll be fine."
Veronica hated him and Sherine the moment Xander tried to lure Sherine with Tier 1 items. The bridge between them was burned already. He may as well have fun shit talking to her.
Riven chuckled in his head. "That sorcerer can kill you as you are right now. What happened to your 'I'll do anything to survive' motto?"
'She won't try anything inside the town.'
"What about outside? Did you give up on leveling up?"
'I got Sherine.'
"Woah."
Zephyr dragged a chair and sat face to face with the beautiful lady. "Why is this place so dead?"
The receptionist sank back into her chair and sighed. "It's all because of Lady Achmea…"
The current ruler of Gallowind Town protected the town from every threat, whether it was an army of mindless monsters or the giant magic beasts lurking in the Star Ocean.
The receptionist named Laura looked reasonably pissed. "She bought thousands of fire keeper stones to stop high-ranked monsters from crossing the forest. She covered the entire road to protect carriages from monster attacks. Who spends hundreds and thousands of gold for this?!"
She ran out of breath listing the wasteful use of resources by Lady Achmea.
After she drank some water, she resumed her rant again.
Lady Achmea traded her quality potions for food, money, and other resources. The taxes here were nonexistent, so she also had to pay the hired soldiers and the sorcerers with her own income.
She spoiled these people rotten.
"My income is lower than a waiter in Altissia. I'm getting by because of Lady Achmea's lax rules on taxation. And I never have to worry about the broods… I'll give her credit for keeping this town safe."
The love and hate relationship between Laura and Lady Achmea were interesting, to say the least.
Zephyr glanced at the bookshelf holding numerous books. He could read the words just fine. "Drake told me you guys keep guidebooks. Do I have to register to get them?"
"Yes. Register!" Laura's blue eyes shone. "I'll give you a ten percent discount on registration fees."
Laura was desperate to get him to register as a hunter.
"I'm new here. Tell me about the Hunters Society."
Laura puffed her large chest and gave a rundown on the Hunters Society. Basically, the Hunters Society used to be a small group of people hunting down the dangerous magic beasts. It had an explosive growth during the Crimson Era, when magic beasts ran rampant. From a small city guild to a worldwide organization, the Hunters Society became the preferred platform for people to hire hunters.
The war against the broods changed the organization's priority from magic beasts to the brood monsters. The hunters were rewarded for completing quests like killing magic beasts and brood monsters.
The Hunters Society and the typical adventurer guilds had one minor difference. The organization of this world took a monthly fee from every hunter and a small cut from the quest money.
'A subscription model for service.'
Laura drank more water. "How was my explanation? Ask me if you don't understand anything."
"You did good."
As Zephyr praised her work, tears welled up and threatened to spill over. She quickly removed her glasses, the frames shaking in her trembling hands as she used her thumbs to wipe away the tears. The simple gesture of recognition after working long hours with little appreciation had finally taken its toll on her emotions.
Zephyr offered her a handkerchief. "Take this."
She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. After she was done, she blushed and returned his handkerchief. "I'm sorry to bother you with this."
"No, no. It's fine." He revealed a friendly smile. "I'll register as a hunter."
"What type of membership do you want? Normal or VIP? With VIP, you get access to more resources in the guild and the Ancient Device Sterk Sol."
She pulled up a boxed screen from under her table. A golden magic circle bloomed inside the screen, and a slick interface took over. Apparently, this device was created in Natalon, the Glorious Elven Realm that perished decades ago. This and all the hunter Sterk Sols were connected to the giant library of Altissia, the City of Blessings.
The hunters used this device to communicate to each other. It had saved many hunters from death's door.
'What the hell is a tablet doing here?'
Either someone from earth reincarnated in Natalon or the elves were ahead of the rest of the world.
"Sign me up for the VIP."
Laura grinned, her eyes narrowing to slits. He sensed a threat from the disturbing smile and unconsciously gripped his scythe. There was more to her than met the eyes.
"It'll be two silvers and fifty coppers from next month."
Two silvers equaled two hundred bronze coins, which roughly translated to ten weeks of inn and food cost. Sterk Sol's service was expensive, for sure.
Zephyr carefully filled out the registration form, the scratch of the pencil echoing in the crisp silence of the room. He handed Laura a handful of coins and watched her walk to a desk in the corner. After a few seconds, she returned with a round silver badge, with a wolf motif carved into it and his name gleaming in golden letters.
"This indicates your rank and your identity as a hunter. Take care of it. You'll be charged if you lose it!"
Zephyr stuffed the badge into his breast pocket. "Can you tell me about the ranks?"
Laura answered his question while fiddling with the Sterk Sol. According to her, the hunters were ranked according to their strength and achievements. The Hunter Society currently gave five ranks to the hunters.
Wolf, Hawk, Wyvern, Griffin, Dragon.
The Golden Siren Annalise and her party were the only Dragon-rank hunters in the entire world. Of course, they were. Theranhad Kingdom knew Annalise's party as heroes.
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