"What? You want to establish an adventuring team?" The receptionist who approached Fars to assist him was genuinely incredulous. A distinguished sorcerer wanting to register an adventuring party in a small town like Nordan? While it wasn't entirely unprecedented—strange occurrences had become more common over the past three thousand years since the New Era—this still seemed quite unusual.
The reason for her surprise stemmed from the fact that the Adventurers' Guild in Nordan was a small branch and lacked the authority to assign high ranks to newly established teams. This meant that registering a new team here would likely start at the lowest level. Of course, once they moved to a larger guild, they could have their team's rank reassessed.
Even as a sorcerer, Fars would typically receive a B-rank designation for his team, even if he didn't take on any tasks. The authority to assess the overall strength of an adventuring party and assign ranks varied by location. In a small place like Nordan, it was likely that the highest rank they could assign Fars's new team would be E-rank.
If Fars could walk freely in Elras, he would certainly prefer to register in a larger city's guild. Just like when he registered as a low-level mage in his previous life, he didn't receive a high adventurer rank immediately, but due to the unique status of mages, he could take on tasks below A-rank. However, this was limited to individual tasks, as only those seeking temporary help would post such tasks to gather strong adventurers. For team tasks, the team's rank mattered, not just the strength of individual members. The more difficult the task, the higher the rewards, which is why capable adventurers preferred to join larger teams for broader opportunities and better pay.
Fars understood her confusion but couldn't explain himself too openly. Besides, no one dared to question his current identity; at least in Nordan, everyone knew he was a powerful sorcerer, and who would dare interfere with his intentions?
"Please help me with the registration process," Fars replied firmly, waving off the receptionist, who was still trying to explain.
"Of course, esteemed sorcerer. Please find a place to rest while I take care of this," she said, reluctantly turning her voluptuous figure away and heading toward the area where the paperwork was processed.
At this moment, Yuna behaved more like Fars's attendant. She knew that registering an adventuring team wouldn't be a simple task, and Fars shouldn't have to stand around waiting. She scanned the now quiet hall, where the only sounds were the heavy breaths of patrons. She noticed that all the tables were occupied, but some had only one or two people.
Without needing to be told, Yuna approached a table occupied by a neatly dressed adventurer, unlike the drunken brutes around. Sensing that he was likely a higher-tier professional, she prepared to ask him to move. However, the adventurer stood up, sword in hand, not intending to confront Fars but simply to clear the table for him and Yuna.
"It's fine, you don't need to leave. This table is big enough for three," Fars interrupted, raising his voice slightly, though it was still quiet in the hall. "Feel free to continue your conversations; don't let me spoil your fun."
With a flourish, Fars produced a cup and filled it with wine from his spatial ring. He raised it to the crowd and drank it all in one go. His actions immediately broke the previous silence, and the hall erupted into chatter, laughter, and the clinking of glasses.
Having spent some time as a genuine adventurer, Fars understood that moments like these were rare for those who lived on the edge. After a night of revelry, they would awaken to face life-threatening tasks again. He didn't want to flaunt his status in front of these struggling individuals; he preferred to have those in power bow to him, flattering him and trembling at his words.
He poured cups for Yuna and the somewhat anxious adventurer across from him, and Yuna naturally filled them.
"What's your name?" Fars asked, taking a sip of his drink.
The adventurer, startled by the sorcerer's direct inquiry, quickly stood up. "My name is Berta."
"Sit down, sit down. No need to be so formal. I'd like to ask you a few questions," Fars said, hoping to gather some information.
Hearing this, Berta felt a bit more at ease and took a seat. He was relieved that Fars only wanted to ask questions. Given the peculiarities of powerful figures, one had to be cautious. Berta had made a name for himself in Nordan through carefulness.
He didn't dare claim to know everything, fearing that boasting might lead to embarrassment if he couldn't answer Fars's questions. After a moment of thought, he asked, "What kind of information would you like to know, esteemed sorcerer? I'll share everything I can."
Fars was pleased with his cautious attitude; careful people often had valuable knowledge. Since the matters he wanted to inquire about weren't secrets, he asked directly, "Berta, are you from Nordan? What significant events have occurred in the city or nearby recently?"
"I am indeed a native of Nordan. However, it's a small place, and not much has happened lately. The biggest news is that you, esteemed sorcerer, have come to town and performed magic to save the young lady from the count's household yesterday. Everyone in the city is praising your kindness."
His flattery sounded somewhat insincere; after all, who would help others without seeking something in return? Fars had orchestrated the entire situation himself, so it was amusing to hear it recounted. Still, compliments were pleasant to hear, and Fars enjoyed it.
"Then tell me about some recent significant events in the surrounding duchies or on the continent," Fars prompted.
This was easier for Berta, who finally found a topic to discuss. Given the pressure of speaking with Fars, he felt relieved to choose significant events to share.
As they spoke, Berta noticed a woman named Kallen approaching with a stack of papers. He paused his narrative to inform Fars. Kallen was the receptionist who had initially attended to Fars, and it seemed she had completed most of the registration paperwork.
"Alright, Berta, hold that thought. I'll finish the registration for the adventuring team first," Fars said, taking the documents from Kallen and examining them carefully, trying to ease Berta's tension.
For most people, especially uneducated adventurers, registering could be quite complicated. They often struggled to understand the various terms and conditions, requiring the staff to explain everything back and forth, which could be time-consuming. Sometimes, a group of burly men would take ages to complete the process. Fortunately, in a small place like this, where registering an adventuring team cost ten gold coins, there weren't many people doing it. When Fars arrived, the place was relatively empty. Moreover, some unnecessary steps had been eliminated for efficiency; after all, one couldn't have a sorcerer busying himself with paperwork. If he became displeased, it could lead to disaster.
Fars only needed to fill out two forms: one for the overview of the adventuring team and another for each member's information. He filled out one form, while Yuna filled out the other. Finally, he handed over the completed forms along with the ten gold coins to Kallen. He glanced at the information Yuna had filled out. In the name section, she had written "Yuna Wintusia." Since she was wanted, her name wasn't included in the wanted posters. For her profession, she had surprisingly listed herself as a level seven swordswoman, even producing a badge for Kallen to verify. Fars hadn't expected Yuna to be a swordswoman rather than a thief, but this wasn't the place to delve into such questions.
The adventuring team was named "De Yuna Sha Adventuring Team," a name Fars had crafted by combining several names, including Lilith's. He figured she would be pleased to hear it. Currently, the members were just Fars and Yuna. Normally, a minimum of five members was required to register a team, but Fars's esteemed status allowed him to bypass this requirement. After all, would anyone dare to anger a sorcerer over the formation of an E-rank adventuring team? Besides, once Fars recruited more members, who would know he hadn't met the initial requirements when he registered?
With the adventuring team registered, Fars wasn't in a hurry to take on tasks. An E-rank team could only handle menial tasks like running errands or gathering materials. He had no interest in such trivial work. Instead, he planned to spend some money tomorrow to pick up a few collection tasks, which would help him upgrade to a C-rank team, allowing him to take on escort missions. Although such tasks might not directly benefit his training, they would at least allow him to travel under the guise of an escort, avoiding the need to flaunt his false identity as a sorcerer. He could maintain a low profile in front of Yuna and Lilith.
Among the news Berta mentioned were just the recent happenings that had spread around. Fars was surprised to hear his own actions recounted. After all, he had angered the royal family of the Macas Duchy, and it was only natural for him to be wanted in the neighboring countries. The incident where he saved Yuna had likely not reached here yet.
Another piece of news that concerned Fars was regarding his homeland—the Oxi Empire. Due to some border skirmishes, they were about to go to war with several large nomadic tribes in the northern part of the continent. Matters concerning the continental situation spread quickly due to their sensitivity. Even though the Don Duchy was far from the Oxi Empire, they would still gather information about significant movements in the major empires.
In Fars's heart, that place would always be where his family had lived for generations. Losing his fief and title was one thing, but the attachment remained. He understood that during the years when the Deron family was still strong, before the great upheaval in the Oxi Empire, the north had already been unstable. After the internal strife from the coup, the unruly tribes likely saw an opportunity to strike while the empire was weakened. These nomadic tribes didn't understand the concept of building cities; they would capture a few towns and then sell them off.
Sighing inwardly, Fars realized that these matters were no longer his concern. As a vampire, he had become humanity's enemy. With a heavy heart, he left the Adventurers' Guild, or more accurately, the tavern filled with drunken patrons.
Breathing in the fresh air, Fars asked Yuna why she was a swordswoman instead of a thief. Yuna's explanation was simple: she had a natural talent for swordsmanship, having trained in it since childhood. Fars found this reasoning amusing; he wondered how a natural thief could still get caught. Fearing that Yuna might become upset and not serve him well that night, he suppressed his urge to ask further questions.