19 Chapter 19 - You're An Adventurer, Ivan

After climbing the first large set of stairs in the hillside city, Ayaka and Thoma said their goodbyes before splitting off toward the Komore Teahouse. While those two walked away by following the side street leading to their destination, Ivan glanced over at the teleport waypoint floating above a patch of grass just to the side of the intersection. 

'Now that I think about it, I wonder if I can activate it now that I can use the elements?'

He considered trying to activate the device, but eventually shook his head. If it really did work, he didn't want to draw much attention from the many onlookers who already couldn't help sparing a glance at the famous Guuji Yae. Trying to activate the waypoint at the shrine or elsewhere outside the city sounded better to him. Just let the Traveler attract any potential aggro from activating the ancient devices in public areas.

Turning away from the waypoint, Ivan followed Yae Miko and resumed walking along the main street. Above the buildings ahead of him, Ivan could see the large castle where the Tenryou Commission operated. It stood tall and imposing in front of the backdrop of the midday sky and distant storm clouds, making for a striking landmark.

One flight of stairs later, Ivan saw the familiar kiosk for the Adventurer Guild as well as the public face of the Guild, Katheryne. Her white dress and black corset that had green accents and a red bow on the back made her stand out from the Inazuman locals. Her shoulder-length black hair and gray-blue eyes gave her a simple but attractive appearance without being constrained by the graphics like her video game counterpart. 

'Makes me wonder how her creator looks in this real world.'

Thinking that, Ivan glanced at Yae Miko. The pink-haired fox woman looked far more attractive as a real person standing in front of him than a game sprite now that he thought about it. Under his gaze, Yae Miko's ears fluttered a little.

"You wanted to join the guild, correct?" Yae Miko asked upon noticing where he was looking until now.

"Yeah. I don't think I'll take a lot of quests, but I figured it would be a good way to get extra income from time-to-time."

"It certainly could be, but considering your curses, you may find yourself in many difficult predicaments."

"I'm aware."

"Hm… I get the feeling that you have another reason for becoming an Adventurer?" Yae Miko probed while crossing her arms.

"Can't hide anything from you, eh? Let's just say that the guild is connected to the future of this world in some ways, and I just want to make sure things don't go too terribly wrong since I want to live."

'Just my existence alone could ruin things for the Traveler's quest when or if they arrive, I bet. Better safe than sorry, especially if this happens to be a world where they don't show up or something.'

Eyes flickering with a strange light, Yae Miko studied his face for a second or two before chuckling and saying, "Well, aren't you a mysterious one. I sense a story there."

Lips rising into a wry smile, Ivan replied. "I guess so. If you're curious, maybe I'll tell it. Anyway, do you mind waiting a moment for me to sign up?"

"Go ahead."

"Thanks. Be right back."

Watching Ivan's back while he approached the kiosk, Yae Miko raised a hand in front of her mouth to mask a subtle frown. She pondered the young man's words that implied an impending danger of some sort. He seemed so confident in a negative future, too, all while seemingly taking it in stride. 

Altogether, the young man's existence was an enigma, one that should not be able to exist. Cursed to a degree that would seal a man under an eternity of torment or even death, obtuse knowledge spouted at random that nobody his age would normally know, and an instinctual understanding of elements merged together in this unusual visitor from a foreign land. 

Some ancient legends she had read about in hidden scrolls left behind by her predecessor, or perhaps somebody older than her predecessor, passed through her mind. They contained knowledge she shared with no one for the sake of their own well-being. She even burned everything afterwards. Perhaps only a handful of people alive today other than her might be aware of the things contained in those old parchments.

'The type of person who can change the world, for better or worse.'

Frown morphing into a smirk, she mumbled, "How fun."

Unaware of the many thoughts running through the mind of the fox woman behind him, Ivan walked up to the Adventurer Guild kiosk. Briefly, the brooch adorning the neck area of Katheryne's outfit caught his eye. It depicted the eight-pointed star symbol of the Adventurer's Guild that looked similar to two Primogems overlaid atop each other.

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild."

Ivan struggled not to roll his eyes after hearing that for the three thousandth time. No, perhaps the ten thousandth. Maybe the millionth?

'I feel like I've already reached the Abyss after hearing that phrase again.'

Setting aside such thoughts, he smiled and nodded before asking, "Am I able to sign up to be an adventurer?"

Katheryne nodded and answered, "You may. However, I must warn you that the profession of an adventurer is filled with danger. If you still wish to join, then you may fill out an application form."

"I'm fine with that."

Pulling out a sheet of paper from behind the kiosk, Katheryne slid it toward Ivan along with a quill and ink. The moment he saw the foreign language, he sighed. He recognized it from the game, but he couldn't read it. While looking at the words, however, a silvery-blue glowing text slowly manifested and floated above the paper in his own language. He briefly looked back up at Katheryne, but she didn't seem to have noticed anything. 

'Very convenient. Thanks constellation cheat.'

In the empty space where he needed to fill in his name, red text in the language of Teyvat outlined what he wanted to write alongside a translation in his own language in smaller font. Tracing the symbols, he inked his name onto the paper. 

"Your name is Ivan, then? Are you from Snezhnaya?" Katheryne asked.

"No."

"I see."

'My dad was from a similar place, though, but I guess it doesn't really matter. I was adopted, anyways, so I don't even have his blood to claim that I'm Snezhnayan as a technicality. Or maybe I still could? I'll think about it.'

Another section required that he specify any notable skills useful for an adventurer, whether it be combat related or otherwise. At first, the glowing red text spelled out both his Iwakura Sword Arts and Electro abilities. However, he didn't want to let the guild know about his Electro powers until he got his hands on a fake Vision, so he only wrote down 'sword skills' and 'camping/travel knowledge'. 

In the final section asking about his history, he mixed truth and lies together to make up something about living in the forest with his parents until they passed away in accidents and that signing up to be an Adventure was to find ways to remove a curse from his body. 

When Ivan slid the paper back toward Katheryne, she read through all of it in a glance and said, "An interesting reason to join the Guild. I hope you succeed."

"Me too."

"I am Katheryne, by the way. Anytime you need to interact with Guild affairs in the future, you may speak with me."

Then, she handed over a handbook that Ivan recognized at a glance.

"This is the Adventurer handbook," Katheryne explained. "It contains a magic that will automatically update Guild-issued commissions equivalent to your Adventurer Rank in your current location at the beginning of each day. Completing them is optional, but it will be worth your time."

"It tracks my location?" Ivan inquired, lips curling downward in a displeased manner.

Nodding, Katheryne answered, "Essentially, yes, but it is not perfect. At best, it can determine the general region you are currently in. Aside from determining missions for you, it can also be used to aid in the retrieval of your corpse should anything untoward happen to you during a commission."

"...I see."

'I guess it's no worse than a smartphone. If it still gives them my location from my inventory, then I'll just leave it somewhere if I ever have to go against the Fatui or do something important.'

"Another useful part of the handbook is that it will detail information about monsters or enemies discovered by your fellow adventurers. It will include methods of fighting or avoiding them in some cases."

"Gotcha."

"Do you have any questions?"

"No. Thanks for the explanation. Is that all I needed to do to join?"

"Yes. Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild, Ivan."

"Thanks. See you around, then."

"Goodbye."

With that, Ivan turned and walked over to Yae Miko. Her eyes that observed him in an amused manner unnerved him a little. 

"So, you're an adventurer now, Ivan."

Due to the strange tone of her voice, Ivan slowly replied, "Yeah…"

'Is she planning a prank on me or something?'