"Stop by the Cloud Palace Merchant Company when you can, Seran. I dare say you won't be disappointed."
"I'll do that. Thanks again for the ride, Eric." Seran waved his hand in farewell as he strode from the enormous Crane Transport, heading into the massive city that towered over the continent. Before he'd even managed to get very far, he was already mesmerized by the city.
Compared to all other forms of construction that Seran knew of in Aregard, Skyhaven was the closest to the modern style. Stores, houses, and many other buildings were all built more for functionalism rather than for decadence and gaudiness. A lot of exceptions, however, were the collections of planned communities, where every house was already designed and just needed to be put up. On Earth, one would usually think of such places as being a gated community, or as being built around a golf course. A number of retention ponds also took up space around the city, making it so that stormwater and snowmelt would be drained off and out of the way of most of the public. Only a few places were built more for fanciness than for purpose, a number of which were the compounds of the noble clans.
Walking down the rather well-made stone road, on a sidewalk that Seran was surprised to find, the white-haired demigod leisurely wandered his way through the city, taking in the new sights and sounds. Considering that it was about lunchtime, traffic, both on foot and on carts, had increased greatly, making it so it was a bit difficult for the tiny lad to get much view. Still, thanks to Eric, he'd learned that, other than the Crane Transports, or the other methods of transportation by air that were approved by the Imperial Court, one could not fly through the city, otherwise he would have. It was quite fortunate that he'd caught that ride, or he could have gotten in big trouble.
Once he was able to get a better view, by jumping straight up about 3m, Seran found a guard and quickly made his way over. Standing beside the guard, the young demigod half-shouted, "Excuse me, sir? Can I ask for directions?"
The guard was mildly startled, as the boy was only half as tall as him, so he hadn't seen him. "No need to shout, kid. I can hear you just fine."
"Sorry, my bad. Do you know how to get to the Adventurers Guild Headquarters? I've never been to Skyhaven before, so I don't know the way."
"Ah, the Adventurers Guild? Go up 5 streets, make a right on Moonbeam Avenue, make a left on International Drive at the end, it's a short street, then go up about a block or two. You'll find it pretty easily, it's hard to miss it. I don't have a map on me, or I'd show you. The guild should have some, and I recommend you get one."
"I see. Thank you very much for the help." Waving his hand again, Seran set off with purpose this time rather than leisure. Now that he had his destination, he could finally finish his third mission.
---
Sure enough, what the guardsman said was true: it was really hard to miss the Adventurers Guild, considering it was the size of a massive cathedral. How Seran had not managed to see it before was most likely because of his short stature, and the amount of buildings and people between him and there. The entire street around the guild was full of adventurers, a sight that made Seran feel at home, in a sense.
Dodging and weaving his way between pedestrians, Seran eventually managed to squeeze his way into the guild courtyard, where he stopped and let out a breath before making his way inside. While he was alone and very young compared to almost everyone, nobody bothered to stop him. The young nobles and imperial family members visit all the time, as they often take quests as a group for training. For someone as young as Seran to go to the Adventurers Guild wasn't common, but it wasn't uncommon either.
Seran patiently waited in line for a receptionist for a good ten minutes. When he finally got to the desk, he smiled, handed over his guild card and said, "I need to speak to Johann Juneau, is he in today?"
Smiling as she took the card, the receptionist replied, "Even if you're a noble, you can't just speak to the guildmaster just because you want to." Then, as per usual, she read his rank and immediately looked up in surprise. "Um... my apologies, I thought you were just another noble kid. I'll let him know now." She handed his card back in a semi-awkward manner.
Seran shrugged, "It's fine, happens all the time. Please, take your time. I'll go to the end of the desk and wait there, so I'm not in the way." He then casually walked away to the end of the desk, though he got numerous looks of curiosity.
--
Meanwhile, upstairs, Johann was doing yet more paperwork and business calls when one of the communication crystals whirred. The receptionist's voice came through clearly, "Guildmaster, there's someone here that wants to talk with you. Someone important."
"Important how? Unless it's an imperial family member or one of the elders or the leaders of the noble clans, I don't see how it could be important." He didn't even look up from his work at all, "Even if it's an S-rank Adventurer, I still don't see how it's important."
"Sir, it's Seran Greenwood."
A silent three second passed before Johann looked up, "You said Seran Greenwood, correct?"
"Yes sir, Seran Greenwood. His card checks out as authentic, so it is the real one."
"Send him up to my office. Use the teleporter in the back of the desk if you have to."
"Yes sir, will do." The crystal whirred and turned off.
Johann sat back in his chair and sighed, "So the little monster managed to make his way here after all, huh? This is going to be interesting." The old man's eyes stared at the teleporter in the corner of his office, which took all of a minute before lighting up. A young, white-haired demigod suddenly appeared on the teleporter, a smile on his face. "So, little monster, what are you here for?"
Seran giggled a little, "Well, to turn in the Hydra quest, first of all. As for anything else... I have to talk to the Founding Emperor." The last line was spoken seriously, as he continued, "I'm sure he wants to meet me as well."