Zane entered through the oaken double door. His eyes were greeted by the brightly lit interior. Looking up, the ceiling was high with old banners and flags swaying by the breeze from the slit window panels. His feet wandered closer to the reception table under the mezzanine. Slipping through the crowd of people who went on their days chatting and laughing with their friends and colleagues.

Yet the further he went in, the more eyes noticed his peculiar appearance. The blue-maned cloak hid his earthling attire, but the cloak itself was an eye-catcher, dark blue with a shade of white near the top. A few discerning eyes in the crowd knew what kind of hide was used and knowing was enough to draw their interest at the foreign-looking newcomer.

Zane noticed the noise dwindling a bit as well as the strong gazes that kept staring at him. Yet he moved on. Keeping his pace at the norm, while pretending they didn’t exist. For someone who hated being the center of attention, he learned that ignoring things was the easiest way to go.

“Salve,” he said with a smile. Greeting the receptionist with a dose of simple Latin for hello.

The honey blonde receptionist nodded back with an acknowledging smile of her own; a quick, practiced response to a customer’s greeting. She spoke a few gibberish with her smile not leaving that pretty lips of her. Yet before she could say more, a hand stopped her.

Zane showed his palm as if asking to wait. He pulled out his phone again, and place it on the counter. His words flowed into the device as it translated in a robotic-like voice. “Do you know how to speak Tigrisian?”

The stunned receptionist stared at his phone for a while before shaking her head. She was about to say something, but Zane beat her to it, he spoke in English, hoping she would at least recognize it. “How about this language, do you know it?”

Her head remained still, and it was a good sign. A smile started to appear on Zane as the receptionist let her words drift into the phone's mic. She got up and left her seat, hinting at him to stay put. Then the translation came through, “There is someone who might be able to speak in Atwellean.” Those words brought up hope in him.

Soon, someone emerged from behind the counter, guided by the blonde receptionist. The smile on Zane slowly vanished as his eyes looked up at the tall figure in front of him.

“You’re not Atwellean,” a deep voice came from the tall woman. At first glance alone, she was more or less two meters in height. Yet the big cleaver in her hand with the bloody apron was not showing a good impression for this tall lady.

“Um, hi?” Zane greeted. Flashing an awkward smile.

The tall woman stared at him for a while then turned to the blonde receptionist. “Do I really have to deal with this?” she asked.

“Sorry, Elodie, but you’re the only one who could speak Atwellean,” the blonde receptionist shrugged her shoulders.

“But he’s not Atwellean,” Elodie pointed at Zane.

“Well, he might be a Tigris since he speaks tigrisian, but he doesn’t look like one,” said the blonde receptionist. “So the closest thing I can call him is him being an Atwellean.” She patted Elodie by her shoulder while tip-toeing a bit on the end of her shoes.

“Think of it as doing a favor for me,” the receptionist winked. “And perhaps I could arrange a little date for you with that bard guy you kept staring the whole day.”

“I did not,” Elodie protested. Stomping her feet in place.

“Don’t worry girl, I’m rooting for you,” the receptionist whispered, nudging her elbow at Elodie. “So while I set up that date, how about you handle Mr. Fake Atwellean here.”

“Fine,” Elodie yielded. Her cheeks blushed a bit just from the thought of having a date with that bard.

“Then I don’t think you’ll be needing this,” the receptionist took away the cleaver with both her hands. Dragging it away, leaving behind Elodie and Zane.

She sighed looking at the smiling Zane. Taking off her bloody apron, she sat on her seat and took a paper and a quill pen. “So what kind of quest are you issuing?” Elodie asked.

“You’re mistaken, miss, I’m here to get an identification emblem,” Zane said.

She stared at him for a while. “You mean you want to be an adventurer?” she asked

Zane nodded.

“Fine by me,” Elodie said. “And I’m assuming you don’t know the common tongue?”

Zane nodded. For him, the situation right now was no different from meeting a lazy government employee.

“Name, age, and class?” she asked. Waiting to write it down. Zane complied and told her everything.

“Your emblem will be issued by tomorrow morning. And your rank will start at the lowest. If you’re not satisfied with your rank, you can issue a challenge that will be supervised by the union in inspecting your capabilities. The fee for the identification emblem is ten Rios and so, do you have any questions…” she paused for a while. “And please don’t ask any question.”

She wrote a few more things down the paper, and locked eyes with Zane once more. “So do you have any question?” she gave a forced smile.

“Yea, well, do you know…” he cut himself. Noticing Elodie’s strong gaze as if telling him to shut his lips. “No . . . I don’t.”

“Good,” Elodie grinned. Stamping the papers as she then rose to her feet. “The fee?”

“Um,” he rummaged through his bag. Searching for something. And rather than using the coins given by Isidora, he pulled out a sapphire the size of his thumb and placed it on top of the counter. “Can you deduct the fee after I sell this?”

Elodie narrowed her eyes. Picking the sapphire and inspected it at every angle. “You killed a pack leader?” she asked.

“I guess,” he shrugged his shoulders with a hint of a smile.

“The carcass?”

“Left it in the forest,” he replied. Noticing the frown on the tall woman that could no doubt compete in the WNBA.

“A pity,” she said. “If you bring it along it would have at least worth five times the price of this sapphire.”

“Really?” Zane leaned closer. As the talk of money was something he was always interested in.

“Of course,” she jerked back a bit. “I don’t know where you’re from, but it’s common knowledge that a beast’s carcass can fetch a good price depending on its rarity. And a blue-maned pack leader is something more than just common stuff.”

“Damn. Do you think I should get back and grab it while it still fresh?” Zane asked.

“I doubt it’s still there,” Elodie replied. “A carcass of that quality even monsters would like it.”

“What do you mean? Other than eating what else can they do with it?”

Again, Elodie stared at Zane. Having second thoughts about whether this man who spoke her language was for real or not. “You really don’t know a thing, do you?”

“Guilty as charged,” Zane raised his hands in surrender. But it seemed the lady across him didn’t understand him.

“I’m going to ignore whatever you just said just now,” Elodie brought both her boots up on the counter as she slid her ass to Zane’s side. She stood up and towered over him. Zane had to crane his neck fully just to make eye contact with her.

“Come,” Elodie said. “I’ll show you the ropes a bit around here. Wouldn’t want you to get dupe by some of the shitholes around here.”

Much to his surprise, the giant lady was kind of nice. She gave him a simple walk-through of the whole union. From not to mess with that guy to not put his dick in that chick at the corner. Yet the most useful thing was about the notice board. The place where jobs were commissioned. True to the things he knew about this particular setting, everything involved ranking. The higher your star rank the more difficult jobs you could take.

“Well that’s the gist of it,” Elodie said. Hanging her hands on her hips.

“Thanks, I really appreciate it,” Zane handed out his hand for a shake.

She accepted it and parted some words before she left. “I don’t know why you know Atwellean, but I do advise you to learn the common tongue. Not many people know a language from the mountain country, much less speak of it.”

“Duly noted,” Zane left the Adventurer’s Union with a pouch of silver coins which the native called as rios. He didn’t know whether he earned a lot or not, but five silver rios and a lot of bronze rios told him he kinda hit the jackpot.

“Now, what’s next?” he was getting excited. Looking around the vicinity as the day was still bright and the warp cooldown was still far from reaching zero. For the first time, his trip wasn’t all about blood, gore, and constant danger. Now he felt more like a tourist. Visiting the rich countryside of Europe with some coins to splurge.

“Sir!” a familiar voice rang from the back. He turned and locked eyes with Isidora. She smiled and waved her hand. Stopping in front of him as she caught her breath. “Thank . . . Goodness . . . I’ve . . . Found . . . You.” For someone who had high vitality, her stamina was pretty shit, thought Zane.

He handed over Isidora’s pouch. But the lass pushed it away, insisting Zane to take it. “It isn’t much, but I hope you accept my gratitude for saving us, especially Jaenis,” she said as the translator relayed her words to him.

“Don’t mind if I do then,” he wasn’t going to push away extra coins and stashed them in his bag. Then he noticed Isidora had been staring at him a bit too long. Why is she . . . Oh, the mask, Zane figured it out. It was a bit too late to hide his identity but what could he do? He could only accept it as it was.

“Vale,” he said goodbye to her. Yet she grabbed his arm telling him to wait. She articulated her words to his smartphone and told him she wanted to repay more for what he did to them. He declined. But the warrior gal insisted. She vowed to him that she would do anything that he wanted no matter what it was. Her eyes showed conviction, and Zane was convinced.

This girl is way too naive. She shouldn’t say that kind of thing that easily, Zane sighed. Then he asked how she found him. The goatee guard told her about Zane’s destination after splitting up at the Cleric Guild. He felt irked a bit of how his whereabouts were easily known, but he guessed it kinda made sense, considering Isidora was worried sick of her friend and the guard probably thought he and Isidora were in the same party of some sort.

Nonetheless, he wondered why she was here and not besides Jaenis. Yet the scene of Britta kicking both him and Bailey out reminded that Isidora might share the same fate. He gazed at her, noticing the eagerness behind those innocent eyes. From the look of it, she wouldn’t accept no as an answer, not before the debt was paid. So he had an idea in mind. Something that would surely benefit him the most.

“Since this is my first time here, you wouldn’t mind giving me a tour would you?” he asked.

“Absolutely, sir. It would be a pleasure of mine to do so,” she replied. Smiling ear to ear.

“And another thing,” he added one more. “I need you to teach me the common tongue.”