Chapter 37: A novice adventurer? A masked supporter?
Dawn gradually broke, and the sun slowly rose from the horizon, casting its gentle light upon the bustling plaza.
A light breeze, carrying a hint of coolness, swept through the lively crowd in front of Tower of Babel.
Fully armed adventurers, in groups of two or three, their eyes filled with excitement, gathered to eagerly discuss their adventure plans for the day.
Arthur skillfully weaved through the many adventurers and slipped into the Guild Hall.
He approached the counter and tapped the surface lightly with his finger, making a crisp sound, signaling the service window attendant, who was focused on organizing documents, to look up.
"Good morning, Miss Eina. I'm a newcomer who recently joined the Loki Familia. Do you still remember me?"
"Huh?"
Eina, busy with her morning duties, suddenly looked up and saw Arthur waiting quietly for her response outside the window.
A flicker of realization crossed her eyes; she clearly remembered this new adventurer.
Arthur possessed a unique charisma, and his calm and composed demeanor during registration was distinctly different from other newcomers, like a traveler who follows his own path.
After a moment, Eina's thoughts pulled away from her memories.
She quickly pushed up her glasses, cleared her throat twice, and resumed her professional demeanor.
"Of course, I remember, Mr. Arthur, right? Do you have any questions today that the Guild can help you with?"
Arthur's lips curved into a faint smile, and he shook his head apologetically as he explained.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I've come to add to your workload."
Meeting Eina's puzzled gaze, he reached into his jacket lining and pulled out a stack of record books.
"These are my past adventure records and details of my achievements. Please take a look."
"When I first arrived in Orario, I didn't understand much about anything here, so I seem to have registered as an adventurer according to the newcomer standards at the time."
'So that's it. No wonder I always felt that Mr. Arthur wasn't an ordinary newcomer.'
Eina mused to herself. After hearing Arthur's explanation, she reached out to take the records to review them.
Situations like Arthur's, though uncommon, did happen occasionally in the Guild.
After all, not all Gods were willing to stay in one city for long.
Some freedom-loving Gods would travel across the lands with their Familia members.
Gods didn't care about Orario's rules, and those adventurers who converted and joined local Familias naturally weren't aware of the intricacies.
Thinking this, Eina casually opened Arthur's record book.
However, the very first paragraph made her face change drastically, and she couldn't help but exclaim, "A Level 4 adventurer of the Thor Familia!?"
Her clear voice echoed through the bustling Guild Hall. Adventurers who were busy selecting quests all turned their heads, and discussions immediately broke out.
"What's going on? Is someone bothering Miss Eina?"
"Idiot, are you deaf? It's a master from outside the city!"
"Thor Familia? Has anyone heard news of God Thor?"
"What's the use of asking adventurers here? You might as well ask a gossipy God."
"...That's true."
Hearing the undisguised discussions around him, Arthur raised an eyebrow slightly, gaining a more direct understanding of this most popular Guild employee.
He turned his head to look at Eina, whose face was awkward and whose pointed ears were slightly flushed, and added unhurriedly.
"God Thor is a broad-minded Chief God. He agreed to my request to train in Orario and strongly recommended that I convert and join the Loki Familia."
"As for Goddess Loki—she is a free-spirited God, so much so that I'm only now learning many basic common sense facts. I apologize for the trouble."
Eina quickly waved her hand, "No, no, no, how could that be? As an adventurer advisor, it's my dereliction of duty for not clarifying the situation beforehand."
Arthur chuckled softly, not arguing further, but simply indicated the record book in Eina's hand with his eyes.
Eina's expression became serious. She quickly and accurately verified the contents of the record book, recorded them one by one, and then replaced Arthur's original record information.
Not long after, Eina handed the record book across the counter window and said softly, "Alright, Mr. Arthur, your information has been updated. There will be an additional note on the bulletin board tomorrow morning, please check it."
Arthur reached out and took the record book, nodding in a friendly manner.
"Thank you, I'll take my leave now."
With that, he turned and walked through the long line of adventurers, heading towards the door.
Meanwhile, Eina seemed to have encountered an unexpected situation again, as her clear voice once more resonated through the hall.
"No combat experience before becoming an adventurer!?"
"You child! You really need to get a good education!"
...
Arthur no longer paid attention to the subsequent commotion in the Guild Hall.
After exiting Tower of Babel, he carefully put away the record book that Loki had specially forged, and surveyed the gradually thinning crowd in the plaza.
Arthur raised a hand to tap his chin, falling into a brief thought.
The job of an adventurer was truly tough; not only did it involve getting up early and staying up late, but even though killing various monsters could yield profits, the corresponding risks were not to be underestimated.
With his current ability, it would indeed be a bit unfair to go and compete for monsters with those struggling adventurers in the middle and upper levels.
Moreover, with only one day, he could at most make a round trip to the deep entrance of the Dungeon.
If he wanted to explore deeper, it would take too long; it would be better to calmly wait for the Familia to organize its next expedition.
Just as Arthur was considering whether to return directly to Twilight Manor to read, a clear, childish voice came from below.
"Handsome adventurer, do you need a Supporter?"
Arthur lowered his head in the direction of the voice, looking at the self-recommending Supporter.
He saw a petite figure wrapped in a loose, floor-length robe, with a few strands of flaxen short hair faintly visible under the hood, and a backpack much larger than herself on her back.
"Hmm, standard Supporter attire, but..."
Arthur mused to himself, then squatted down, trying to keep his gaze level with the petite Supporter.
He looked at the sweet, fawning smile on her face, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved into an amused arc.
This kind of fake smile, it was truly nostalgic.
Didn't those people in Chaldea who disliked him but couldn't do anything about him always wear such a hypocritical mask?
Lily looked directly into Arthur's deep eyes, always keeping her seemingly pure and innocent big eyes open, feigning an innocent appearance.
But in reality, a panic of being seen through had already surged in her heart, and her muscles involuntarily tensed up.
Just as Lily was about to make an excuse to retreat, Arthur slowly asked, "I do need a Supporter to accompany me, but which Familia are you from?"
"Didn't your seniors tell you that recklessly teaming up with other Familias to explore the Dungeon could lead to problems with uneven distribution?"
Arthur's words made Lily's smile instantly freeze, but she quickly forced out an innocent smile again and responded softly, "To answer you, sir, Lily is from Soma Familia."
"Because Lily is a dedicated Supporter, it's hard to find teammates even within her own Familia, so naturally, she can't be picky."
Upon hearing this, Arthur's eyes flickered. He stood up and turned, walking towards the entrance of the Dungeon.
"In that case, then follow me."
"Thank you very much, Lily will do her best to help you!"
Lily gripped her backpack straps tightly and trotted behind Arthur, a hint of slyness flashing in her eyes.
Arthur, walking ahead, had a relaxed expression, a playful smile like Loki's on his lips, and thought to himself, 'I'm idle anyway, so I'll play along with this little girl.'