Chapter 6: Charlie’s promotional quest

"Well mister Charleston Fogsorrow, we have received great words from the elven village of Nitiunthon about your party's great endeavors and we are impressed. An iron-ranked party partook in close combat with a giant Roc and survived, then slain a hag with its minions, thwarting its plans to steal the Roc's egg." Charlie's guild receptionist smiled brightly, her hand was holding a piece of leather parchment, probably a letter from Elluin's hometown. The receptionist's neatly braided blonde hair bounced on her shoulder when she nodded each time she mentioned something Charlie's party had done, which was weirdly cute in his eyes. "Your helping with the Roc helped the merchant's guild trading route at the river outpost, kept the balance of wildlife in the forest of the Nitiunthon village and helped the survival of the centaur village of Troyriantos."

"Mmm yes I… vaguely remember the centaurs."

"This much is enough for the guild to promote you to Silver rank." The receptionist smiled satisfactorily.

"Really?"

"Yes! In fact, the rest of your party has been taking a promotional interview this morning. However mister Charleston, your case is a little bit… special."

"Hmm? What of it?"

"It's not even a month after your first appearance at Serepike and becoming an adventurer. Your skills are noted by the guild, especially in the Orc's horde quest and the Roc's incident, but you haven't had enough community recommendation yet for a promotion, mister Charleston." 

"Community recommendation?"

"Yes! Every adventurer must help out in the community, even in taking quests from the poor, help building the village or just general good deeds around town. Strength alone is not enough for a rank-up, an adventurer must show their willingness to help out others and not being a… how can I put it, a dangerous person."

"By ranking adventurers, the guild can also create a controlling system, those that are high ranked can get access to better supplies and quests and information, as the guild trusts them more. Even an average adventurer who specializes in parcel delivering can still make a good living as more people trust him to deliver their parcel."

"So… today the guild summoned you here, mister Charleston, to ask you to help out in the frontier village of Serepike. When our contact has deemed you fit for promotion, we will resummon you back here and we can proceed with the promotional interview. Is that okay?"

The receptionist smiled brightly before sending Charlie off with a word of encouragement "I believe in you!"

Well… what the hell do I do then? Helping around the town? Should I sign up for a guarding post? Hmmm…

Charlie sat on the stone railing in the front of the adventurer guild, pondering his choices of community service. His appearance was, putting it lightly, weird, but no one really batted an eye at him because adventurers were supposed to be equipped with weird items and trinkets. 

He was wearing leather armor with shoulder guards, a longbow and quiver hung on his back next to his leather backpack, a pistol holstered on his hip, with a pouch of metal bullets and a big black powder horn behind him. Normally, this much equipment would weigh down a human like Charlie quite a bit, however, after his coming to a brand new fantasy world, he was blessed with a level system, allowing him to grow stronger and learn more abilities that no normal human could learn. 

Charlie was currently a level 3 Ranger with a title of Colossus Slayer. He was proficient in firearms, simple and martial weapons. He could (somehow, magically) speak Common, Dwarvish, Elvish, Goblin and Halfling - an ability he considered extremely unique as in his old world, being bilingual is good enough for most people. Here, he could speak 5 languages - an insane thing to him.

Nah… standing guard is so boring though… Maybe I could open a free cooking class… hmmm… cooking…

Charlie found out this fantasy world, at least around the places he had gone to, had very simple and medieval-ish food. Grilled meat on a stick, basic soup, boiled rooted vegetables… The food was not terrible, but it was not… satisfying to eat. 

And when Charlie almost dozed off due to the warm sunlight and the cool breeze, a voice called out next to him.

"Oh, hi sir Charlie! What are you doing here?"

It was Roselie, Tressel Roselie - a human cleric girl, one of Charlie's friends and companions. 

"Oh hey Roselie, did you get your new rank yet?"

"Uwa! So… so you knew!" She was quite surprised, but the hint of red on her cheeks indicated that she was, in fact, happy that he knew. She shyly used her thumb to push out a piece of silver plate on her necklace, next to her holy symbol. "Y… Yes, I got promoted to silver this morning!"

"Mmmm… congrats!" Charlie smiled at her excitement, she almost seemed like a puppy showing its owner a stick it found in a bush somewhere "You deserve it! Your help was fantastic in our adventures!"

"Waaah… you, you don't have to say that!"

"No, I mean it. Your healing and your protection spells were vital in many battles. Your other utilization spells were amazing too."

If this world has beets - which Charlie hasn't found yet - it would be the color of Roselie's cheeks at that moment. Charlie thought he could've seen a puff of smoke coming out of her ears. And then, a flash of inspiration came to him.

"Say… Roselie, can I ask you a question?"

"Hmm… Yes, of course sir Charlie."

"Are there any… orphanages in town? Does your church have an orphanage?"

"Orphanage… why yes. My church does provide help to the misfortunate children whose parents were no more. Can I… ask why you are asking about it?"

"Well… The guild told me I had to fulfill some community service to become eligible for a promotion."

Roselie's eyes suddenly beamed with excitement as she grasped Charlie's hands and proclaimed "You are ranking up to Silver like us? That's so fast, you just got to Iron recently too!"

"Heh heh… I must have been carried by you guys."  Charlie smiled

"I can assure you that is not true, at all! You are part of the team, and your contribution is not something to scoff at! I believe Goddess Lathander has witnessed your deeds, so you have nothing to worry about, okay?" Roselie pouted and frowned, her small hands slightly squeezed his hands "Moreover, the guild has its own connections that evaluate adventurers on a daily basis, so their judgment must be based on your own skill! So stop depreciating yourself like that, okay? So, what are you planning to do at the orphanage?"

Charlie froze in surprise, just for a second due to the sudden outburst of the cleric girl. It was clear that she placed her trust on him, as a party member and as a companion. Knowing this made him a little happy. 

"I'll do what I do best. Cook."

===

Serepike currently had 3 churches for 3 different gods: Lathander, Gond and Tymora, a bit excessive as the town hadn't grown that big yet - it was still a frontier town, not an established city like the capital Niliphy. 

But followers were plenty, religion was something more tangible in this fantasy world than in Charlie's old world. Clerics and paladins borrowed their divine power straight from the gods they served, it was the gods who created the world, according to some elder elves - they had lived for more than 7 centuries, surely they would know who or what created the world. Additionally, there are those who were touched by the gods, granting them power and purpose for reasons unknown. They might become great heroes who would take on the chaotic side, to cull the pure evil creatures whose only goal is to overthrow the reign of the gods. Or some might stray from their righteous path and join the dark side, contributing to the brewing conflict between the gods and their creations.

And the headmaster of the Lathander church in Serepike also got a revelation from the goddess herself: To care for the weak and for those who lost their birth parents, to nurture the budding sprouts so that they could contribute to the cycle fairly and unhandicapped. That was the reason why headmaster Roath - a respectable Archdeacon of Lathander - opened the Blooming Rose orphanage within her church at the Serepike frontier village.

There were 12 children aged from 10 to 15 currently residing at the orphanage, and they were ecstatic knowing that Charlie and Roselie would come by and cook for them the whole day. The orphanage operated on the donation fund of the church, so the kids also have what the priests and priestesses have on the daily - rye bread, vegetables, a meager portion of meat and stew. Charlie was surprised when headmaster Roath revealed that the food expense for the whole church body cost less than a gold per day - Charlie's profit from selling chicken the other day would be enough to feed the church for a month. Philanthropists sometimes visit the church and donate food and money, but due to the inability to store perishable food for a long time, they could only donate grains, rooted vegetables and the like. On days like that, the kids would enjoy freshly baked wheat bread - a fluffy and soft bread, far surpass the black, dry and hard rye bread they usually eat. 

Charlie and Roselie met up early in the day to go to the market. Following Roselie's suggestion, Charlie would make thick cut bacon sandwiches for breakfast, a batch of macaroni and broth for lunch and a hearty stew for dinner. So the ingredients were clear for purchase - Pork ribs, bacon, beef, eggs, some veggies, flour, butter and half a dozen wheat bread loaves. The pair arrived at the church before the kids were up to start with breakfast. Sandwiches were easy - fry up the bacon and the eggs, wash the lettuce and tomatoes, mix up a homemade mayonnaise sauce with eggs, oil and lemon. Slather the wheat-baked bread slices with sauce, stack up the lettuce, tomato, bacon and egg and another slice of bread - that's a sandwich and a half. It seemed the alluring smell of frying bacon had roused the hungry children - 4 little heads poked through the kitchen door staring in disbelief as Roselie brought out a batch of finished sandwiches. And in less than 10 minutes, the dozen kids had crowded the kitchen, Roselie and the priestesses had to physically stop them from raiding the dangerously hot kitchen where Charlie was cooking. But the cooking was fast and soon, the whole church body gathered at the eating hall, with Roselie and Charlie as special guests. Headmaster Roath said a prayer to the god of renewal and birth, thanking her for guiding Charlie and Roselie to the church and thanking for the food before the children's army devoured the food greedily. Roselie's lemonade might have saved some kids from choking.

After breakfast, the kids were to join their classes. Charlie and Roselie took a small break in the main nave of the church while the priestesses cleaned up. It was not a luxuriously decorated main hall, but a functional one nonetheless. The giant marble statue of Lathander was the highlight of the nave - it might as well be the pride and joy of headmaster Roath and the church thanks to the majestic and holy atmosphere it provided.

Lunch came after the kids had joined the priests on some physical activities - exercising, gardening and building a fence around the dormitory quarter. Charlie quickly filled the giant cooking vat with buckets of water from the church's well to simmer the pork ribs he had cleaned thoroughly. After removing the scum that floated to the surface a few times, he added onions, carrots, leeks and other condiments to the broth, then on top went the lid and the whole vat was then simmered for another good half hour before the kids cleaned themselves up and joined the church members in the eating hall. Wooden bowls were filled with handmade macaroni and hearty portions of broth and ribs before the priestesses brought them out. The meal was quick and everyone enjoyed the food - evidently from the empty broth vat and multiple second or third servings.

The kids then got a 'compulsory' nap time before afternoon classes, consisting of some subjects Charlie found great interest in such as herbology and bestiary. Then came the reading period in which the children were to quietly sit out where they felt comfortable and read a book - mostly tales of the goddess Lathander or some fairy tales. Dinner was stew, but not the usual kind cooked by the church. Charlie made a creamy stew from the milk and cream he bought, accompanied with a delicious cut of beef, simmered in the stew until the meat can be pulled apart by hand. The stew was served with roasted vegetables and a drink of apple juice Charlie bought (with a high price) from the local tavern. 

Charlie felt quite fulfilled that day, bringing smiles and laughter to the orphaned children, even just for a brief moment of their life. He never got used to these kinds of charitable works before, back in the old world, but he liked it. The day ended early for the orphanage, all the kids would go to bed soon after the night prayer session. Before Charlie and Roselie departed the church, the headmaster came.

"Good evening, dear respectable adventurers. We thank you for the delightful day, the kids were more than happy to enjoy the great meals you brought to the church. Truly, you were a godsend, good adventurers."

"No no, think nothing of it!" Charlie smiled "And called me Charlie, you already knew Roselie right? Oh and before we leave, there's something I would like to give you."

He took out a small leather pouch filled with gold pieces that he had prepared beforehand, and before headmaster Roath could refuse, he pushed it in her hand and kept both of his hands on hers. "Don't say no to this. Consider this my donation to the orphanage, use this money to buy wheat flour and bake bread for the kids. Please promise me you will do that."

The headmaster hesitated, her eyes darted around from the pouch pressed in her palm, and landed on Roselie's to ask for help. But Roselie just smiled kindly as if telling the headmaster that nothing can help her refuse the bag of gold. Headmaster Roath frowned for a moment, averting her gaze from Charlie's. Then she sighed defeatedly and squeezed the pouch, only then Charlie released his hands from her. 

"Very well… I, headmaster of this church and director of the Blooming Rose orphanage, thank you for your donation towards the kids' well-being. We're… we're glad to have you helping us."

"Of course, don't mention it. And don't you fret about saving these gold, I'll send more, let's say, donations, along with Roselie when she visits the church in the future, so please let the kids eat their fill."

"You're… a very kind man, aren't you?" Roath exhaled and a smile crept on her lips

"N… No! I said don't mention it! Alrighty, I'll not take more of your time, headmaster! We'll be going now!"

The adventurer pair left the church ground onto the dark street of the Serepike frontier town. Headmaster Roath squeezed the leather pouch the young man gave her, smiled. Adventurers were fickle creatures, some good some bad, but most will travel far and wide. Some will be successful with their adventuring goals and retire, opening a store in a peaceful town, some will serve the crown and continue pursuing power, some will unfortunately lose their lives on the line, but such was the fate of adventurers. 

Roath chuckled slightly when the wind carried remnants of the discussion of the adventurer pair to her ears, then she retreated to her office, for the night was still young.