"Welcome! Well, well, a new face. You've come to register as an adventurer, haven't you?"
She regarded Limon with a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes, her appearance endearing in its charm.
Limon nodded in affirmation.
Perhaps it was the dilapidated state of Limon's robe that caught her attention, for she smiled and said, "Since the onset of the third magic tide, the ranks of professionals have swelled. It seems you've weathered many a trial on your journey to this point. I am Lalasa, the overseer here, responsible for handling commissioned tasks and parceling them out to adventurers."
As she spoke, Lalasa deftly retrieved a small notebook from beneath the counter and placed it before Limon.
"This is the adventurer's registration form. Once you've completed it, your details will be logged into the adventurer guild's internal network, accessible to all guilds across the Avenir continent. Remember, anyone has the potential to become a hero. Now, go ahead, adventurer."
Limon picked up a rather curious-looking pen that lay on the counter and began to fill in the form.
The script was familiar to him, and the information required was straightforward: merely name, hometown, and occupation.
The list of occupations presented several options, including warrior, priest, magician, berserker, fighter, warlock, windrunner, and knight.
There were a total of eight choices, and this array of options gave Limon pause as he considered his own classification.
Although "warlock" was among the nine selections, his calling was that of a demon warlock. Those two additional words, he knew, held a world of difference, yet he was in the dark regarding the exact disparity between his vocation and the warlock profession in this world.
But did he truly have a choice?
The answer was a resounding no. Without further ado, Limon opted for "warlock".
Once he had finished filling out the form, Limon handed it to Lalasa.
Scrutinizing the form in her hand, Lalasa's eyes widened in surprise. "Limon Darwin, what a fine name! A warlock? Why, that's quite uncommon in Arizela."
After stowing the form away, Lalasa's expression grew solemn as she imparted a word of caution to Limon. "The Star Wasteland has been in a state of unrest as of late. The rat tribe in the south is on the cusp of making a move, posing a constant threat to Arizela. And with the magic tide, all manner of formidable monsters have emerged in various corners. As a fledgling adventurer, you must tread carefully when choosing commissioned tasks."
At this moment, Lalasa's lips curled into a charming smile as she intoned, "This is but a kindness on my part. New adventurers would do well to heed my words. For while heroes are held in high esteem, few indeed are those who manage to ascend to such heights."
"Very well, as a new adventurer, I can offer you a complimentary commission. You'll need to make some preparations. Everything you require is at your disposal here. There's a large door on the left side of the rest area. Do you see it? That's a practice area where you can refine your various skills. It's a public facility and entirely free of charge. And on the right, there's a large door as well. Beyond it lies a clothing store. There, you'll find low-magic suits tailored to different professions. The Star Wasteland can be rather sweltering, so a set of attire capable of maintaining a comfortable body temperature is essential. Hehe, don't be stingy with your coin. In Arizela, learning to spend wisely is also a valuable skill."
With a dismissive wave of her hand, Lalasa hummed softly and said, "Off you go, then. Return to me when you're ready. But if you take too long, I can't promise I'll remember you."
Truly fickle...
Perhaps this was simply the nature of the elf.
Limon gave a slight nod and turned to depart in silence.
"What a taciturn fellow," Lalasa murmured softly as she watched Limon's retreating figure.
She had prattled on at length, yet he had scarcely uttered a single word throughout their exchange.
After leaving the counter, Limon made his way across the rest area and arrived at the door on the right.
Before the door, Limon paused and fingered the small cloth pouch at his waist.
Limon had yet to lay eyes on the currency of this world, but he could feel some hard objects within the pouch that resembled coins and surmised they must be the local tender.
With this thought in mind, he removed the pouch and opened it for inspection.
Sure enough, it was money. There were several yellow-orange coins, which he took to be gold coins, and interspersed among them were numerous silver coins.
Satisfied, Limon reattached the pouch to his waist with a sense of calm and entered the doorway.
Just as Lalasa had described, this was indeed a clothing store.
As he entered, a slender figure approached.
She had long, lustrous golden hair and was dressed in a flowing gray-white skirt. A pure human, she was.
"Good day. How may I be of service?" she inquired with a warm smile, her manner exceedingly polite.
Limon glanced around the store. Although it was spacious, not a single customer was in sight.
Come to think of it, while the equipment of professionals was consumable, it was not easily worn out. Naturally, they did not need to change their garments as frequently as ordinary folk throughout the year.
Moreover, the number of professionals was not overly large, so it was no wonder that business was slow.
After surveying the store, Limon addressed the proprietor before him. "I am in need of a set of 'warlock' robes and a staff."
The proprietor smiled anew and stepped aside, gesturing for Limon to follow.
"Please, do come with me."
Limon trailed behind the proprietor, threading his way through a veritable sea of clothing.
This clothing store was truly expansive, with garments of every color and style imaginable.
The craftsmanship was on a par with that of the world Limon remembered.
"Warlocks place great emphasis on'spirit'. Our store offers two sets of suits. The first is the more affordable spider silk suit. The robe is woven from the silk excreted by the sand scorpion spider and has the ability to maintain a constant temperature without the need for engraved runes. The material of the magic hat is the same as that of the robe and is inscribed with the 'focus' rune, conferring a mild concentration effect. The second is the fir silk robe. Both the robe and the hat are engraved with the 'listening' rune, which can enhance one's affinity for magic power and have a certain influence on spellcasting and magic power restoration."
The shopkeeper came to a halt before a clothes rack.
Limon's gaze followed, and he saw that the rack was filled with "warlock" robes and pointed wizard hats.
"The spider silk suit is priced at ten gold coins, while the fir silk suit commands twenty. Which would you prefer?"
Twenty gold coins...
Limon reckoned he had enough. Although he had only caught a glimpse of the contents of the cloth bag at the door, he believed there were at least twenty gold coins within.
While he was ignorant of the merits of these two warlock robes, he knew the age-old adage: the more expensive, the better.
Since he had the means, there was no need to skimp.
With this in mind, Limon said to the shopkeeper, "I'll take the black fir silk robe."
"Very well. Please wait a moment."
The shopkeeper retrieved a black robe from the hanger and handed it to Limon.
"There's a fitting room in the rear. You may try it on there, adventurer."
The shopkeeper had clearly noticed the tattered state of Limon's robe and was thoughtful enough to remind him.