Adventurer’s Guild 

There might be some problems since I directly copied it from grammarly without checking it, so watch out.

***

Walking in the city, Aerin saw different people from all walks of life going here and there for all kinds of different reasons. Indeed, this place was worthy of being called the Economic Hub of Teyvat.

He thought after some exploring, he would naturally find the Adventurer's guild in some time without being lost. But he failed to account for the additional buildings and shops that came due to the size of this city being more extensive than in the game.

He roamed the city for hours and noticed that this city was almost 20 to 50 times bigger than its game counterpart.

'Well, that was a silly mistake on my part. It's supposed to be a city, after all. So naturally, it would have a size befitting of it.'

As a result, he found himself at the topmost part of Liyue Harbor, where he was able to see the tall mountains on one side and the famous Guyun Stone forest on the other. After some eavesdropping in between people's conversations, he concluded that this place was the 'Yujing Terrace,' where the famous Rite of Descension is held annually. 

Not knowing where to even start searching, he decided to ask for some help. Looking around left and right, he noticed a small, unusual stall where, some distance away, an old grandmother was tending to some flowers. 

Approaching her, he asked, "Hey, grandma?" 

No reply. He stood there for a few seconds, thinking she must be busy, which is why she wasn't answering, but she didn't turn back no matter how long he waited. 

"Hello, grandma? I'm talking to you. Can you hear me?" He asked her again, this time his voice a bit louder than before. 

Still no reply. He thought maybe it was because she wasn't able to hear at such a distance. This time, he walked closer, stood in front of her, and did the same thing again. 

The result was no different from the rest of the times. After that, he tried a few more times before giving a big sigh and sitting on the footpath beside her stall in frustration. 

'Is she acting or is she really like that? What should I do now?' 

He looked around and saw no one he could actually ask for help without being awkward: a puppy and small kid playing, some Millelith trying to capture an insane beggar running around everywhere, a street performer with no audience, and a couple kissing in broad daylight. 

'Should I go and try somewhere else—' 

"I'm back granny, oh...who are you?" Just as he contemplated going elsewhere, he heard a voice coming from behind. Turning his gaze to the direction of the voice, he saw a salmon-haired woman carrying a thick book, fastened by two leather belts on her right hip, where her Vision was affixed. 

She had a pale complexion, bright teal-green eyes with ovoid pupils, and salmon-colored hair that went past her shoulders and faded to a pale peach at the tips. 

Her outfit consists of a dark red and black backless cropped top accented with gold, a white scarf-like wrapped collar accented with dark red, and a pair of detached, long, puffed white sleeves with black cuffs, a large white pom-pom attached to each. She wears a large, dark red xiezhi hat accented with black and gold. Her collar and hat are both adorned with gold tong bao-shaped buttons. As well as this, she wears a short dark red skirt lined with gold swirls, fastened with a yellow ribbon tied in a bow on her left hip over a pair of uneven black shorts with lace trim. 

The hair around the sides of her head is chopped short at ear length in a fringe, revealing a pair of cream-colored antlers and a...WAIT, ANTLERS!? And wait, are those white diamond-shaped markings at the back of her hands and ankles scales!? 

Aerin blinked his eyes and looked at her again to see if his eyes were seeing wrong. But sure enough, they really were there. 

"Nice to meet you, I'm Aerin. And you're Ms...?" 

"Hello, I am Yanfei, a legal adviser. But besides that, what are you doing here?" 

He then told her his situation and how this grandma wasn't responding to him. 

"Oh, is that so? I...think I know what's the problem." 

"Really?" 

"Yup. Just wait a minute." After saying that, she got closer and brought her mouth closer to that grandma's ear. Cupping her hands around her ears, she positioned her mouth in front of her and shouted really loudly. "WAKE UP GRANNY!!" 

As if she was brought out of her stupor, she looked at her and said, "Oh, its just you Yanfei. Have you brought the materials I asked for?" 

'What the...' He looked at the duo, slightly surprised at what had just happened. Is this how they interacted on a daily basis? 

Yanfei sighed, holding her temples, "Seriously, I always tell you to stop going in your inner world often. Why don't you listen to me?" 

In reply, the grandma gave a sweet smile. "Hohoho, what can I say now Yanfei? I've grown old now." Then she turned to look at me. "Oh, and who's this gentleman?" 

"Nice to meet you grandma. I am Aerin." 

Yanfei also chimed in. "Yeah, and he's been standing here for sometime like a fool trying to ask you the directions. But here you're, just lost in you own world, without any care for reality." 

'Um...that part about 'fool' wasn't necessary, to be honest. But whatever...' 

"Hoho, then it seems that an apology is in order, Aerin. And by the way, I am Madame Ping, nice to meet you too." 

"No, no grandma. No need to apologize. I just wanted some directions for the Adventurer's guild, and I would be on my merry way." 

"Oh, Adventurer's guild. Seems like you aren't from here, young man?" 

"That's right, grandma. I've come from Fontaine." 

"Is that so? So that's why your clothes looked peculiar. Hoho, then don't you worry about that. Yanfei would accompany you till there, won't you Yanfei?" 

"Eh, is that alright?" 

"It's fine. Who knows, you may get lost again. And besides, it would also serve as some form of apology from my side." 

Sighing, Yanfei agreed. "Alright, alright, I'll go. But first here, take this. Some Smaragdus Jadeite which you wanted." 

"Thank you very much, dear. May Rex Lapis bless you. Now, I think both of you should be going on your way." 

"Yeah, alright." After saying that, she looked at me and gestured to follow her. "Come on now, Aerin. Let's go." 

He just nodded and started following her. 

*** 

As they both moved amidst the crowd to their destination towards the Adventurer' guild, Yanfei suddenly started speaking. "Liyue's streets can get pretty confusing for a foreigner. I recommend you get a Liyue guide book as soon as possible." 

"Yeah, I plan to do just that." 

"That's good then. Oh, maybe you should also buy a map of Liyue since you're a foreigner, but wait, you'd already have that, since you're a foreigner. Maybe 'that' would be useful...?" 

"Miss Yanfei, if it's not too much of a bother, can I ask you a question?" 

"Oh, ask away." She said that and let out a sweet smile. "And please, there is no need to be stiff around me, so don't use that stiff tone. I'm pretty chill. Just call me Yanfei." 

"Alright, Yanfei. I'm sorry if I am intruding on your personal space but are you an...adeptus?" 

The Adepti are beings in Liyue that consist of both illuminated beasts and gods. Most of them are bound by a contract to protect Liyue from demons and evil gods and are led by the Prime of Adepti, Rex Lapis himself. They are often worshipped like deities by the people of Liyue. 

Yanfei just threw a nonchalant look at his face in response. "An Adeptus? I guess... kinda? My old man said he was one, anyway. He mentioned that he once campaigned with Rex Lapis himself for a long old time, and after that was all over, he went back and married my mom. 

They had me, and once I was all grown up, the two of them upped and left on a journey, leaving me with Granny, whom you met just now." 

He asked confusingly, "That's...a bit casual for an adeptus! From what I have heard, aren't you guys supposed to sign solemn contracts to protect Liyue Harbor and all that stuff? What do you mean, he just went back to get married?" 

"Well, my dad did say that he talked it through with Rex Lapis and that he was fine with it. Even contributed towards the wedding gift, apparently. Anyway, let's not dwell on that too much. Look, we've almost reached our destination." She pointed her finger towards a large building in the distance, with some people going in and coming outside. 

As they reached there, their steps started moving slowly and stopped just beside the Adventurer's Guild building. 

"Oh yes, here's my business card. You'll find it has my contact details and office address. Keep it handy! If you have an urgent issue, just leave me a note at this address. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention — I offer a very generous discount for first-time customers..." 

"Umm...thank you for this, but I don't think I'm in any dire need of legal assistance at the moment." He said as he accepted her card and placed it in his pocket. 

"One never knows when they would find themselves in need of a legal adviser. So, I would take it pretty seriously if I were you. Besides, I've been looking into the laws of other nations as well. If you should ever bump into any trouble with the law, come find me directly. Regulars get discounts too!" 

He sighed, "Alright, I'll definitely come find you if I have even the tiniest problem regarding law." 

"Well, if we're all set, Aerin, I'm going off now. Got a ton of clients waiting for me back at the office." 

"Yeah and thank you for the help by the way. Who knows, without your help, maybe I'd still have been stuck somewhere on the streets." 

"Hehe, no worries. I'm off then, bye!" And then, she started walking away. But only after taking a few steps ahead she turned her head again and waved her hand. "Oh yes, Aerin, make sure you don't lose the business card I gave you." 

He cupped his mouth and shouted a bit louder. "Don't worry, I won't." And then he, too, waved his hands back in response. 

Seeing that she was finally gone, he exasperatedly mumbled to himself, "Really, she sure talks a lot." 

'Was she some kind of playable character in the game?' He didn't know that since he had never interacted with her in the game before. But then again, he didn't play the game that much. It's just that he is getting a feeling that he had seen her in some poster before. 

Turning his head, he finally got a proper picture of the Adventurer's Guild. And it sure was a copy, as he remembered. It was located on the 1st floor, so wooden stairs led to it. The reception was just at the front, and the only part of the guild adventurers could get access to generally unless they were required to report urgent matters directly to superiors or if they themselves were of high enough rank in the guild. 

There, seated at the front desk of the reception, was the same old Katheryne, just like in every nation. To be honest, he wasn't sure if she was even a human to begin with. And he did hear something from Rain that she was some kind of bionic puppet made by Snezhnaya. Otherwise, it just isn't possible to have so many Katherynes at so many different places at the same time. 

Putting a stop to his monologue, he went up the stairs and finally came face to face with her. 

She had black hair with bangs, gray-blue eyes, and fair skin. She wore a white dress with a black corset, green accents, and a red bow on the back. She wore green sleeves which reached the back of her hand. Her skirt had a black hem, with green panels on the back and sides and a red bow on the left. 

Sensing someone nearby, she turned her face and saw Aerin approaching her. Immediately putting a professional smile on her face, she greeted him. 

"Ad astra abyssosque! Welcome to the Adventurers' Guild. I'm Katheryne, the receptionist here at the Adventurers' Guild. How may I assist you today?" 

And here it was, probably the most infamous line in Genshin—Ad astra abyssosque, which actually meant 'To the stars and abyss' in Latin. 

"Nice to meet you, Miss Katheryne. I want to register here as an Adventurer." 

"Oh, so you're here to register? No problem. Just wait a moment." 

After saying that, she returned inside and came back a few short moments later with a registration form and pen. 

"Here, fill out this form, and read the terms and conditions carefully." 

"Are there any registration fees or as such?" 

"There are no such fees required. You just have to read and fill all the sections of this form carefully, and you'll become an official adventurer." 

"I see." 

He read the form, and to be honest, it was straightforward. Only some basic information and nothing personal was required to be written, such as name, age, nation of origin, weapon, any prior experience, party members (if any), specialty (if any), type of Vision (if you have), and some other things. 

He wrote a knife in weapons since he was pretty proficient with it. In the specialty, he wrote about close-quartered combat. He wrote 'None' in prior experience and type of Vision.' 

Looking down, he also noticed some essential points, such as: 

1.) The adventurer must complete a specific no. of quests in a particular period of time. 

2.) The adventurer guild won't be responsible for the death or injuries of the adventurer during a commission. 

3.) In case of an emergency quest, the adventurer has no right to refuse a commission. 

4.) There is no limit as to how much commissions Adventurer wants to take in a particular period of time. 

He glossed over some more details before handing it back to Katheryne. After checking all of the details were correct, she recorded all the data in a thick folder, put it away, and took out a box instead. 

After opening the box, she got a sort of badge and did some tinkering with it before giving it to Aerin. 

"Mr. Aerin, first take this badge. It serves as authentic proof that you're affiliated to the Adventurer's guild. It has a stamp on it which fades after a week. You have to come yourself to renew this stamp every week here. If you lost this badge or misplaced it, you have to submit an application and pay 3k mora for the renewal. This system is here to prevent any impostors from coming up." 

'They've really thought it out well. But some problems can still be seen.' As he thought this, he took the adventurer's badge from Katheryne. 

"All right, Mr. Aerin, since that is sorted out, I'll tell you about the Adventurer's card. 

You can choose to buy an Adventurer's card, which will act as proof that you're affiliated with Adventurer's guild no matter where you go. It will also act as proof of authenticity, as some impostors might arise. This card not only serves as a badge of honor for individuals associated with the guild but also acts as a tangible testament to their skills and accomplishments." 

"How will it do that?" 

"It's simple. There are 'levels' for this very purpose. Each person starts with Level 1 and can advance to the next levels by working out on commissions. So, their level serves as proof of their skills. Besides that, we carefully review the danger level of each commission and give out the corresponding EXP for clearing them by which you can advance levels. We also take note not to give high danger level commissions to lower-level adventurers." 

Contemplating over it briefly, he posed another question. 

"So, you don't take charges for registration, but for Adventurer's card, huh?" 

"That's right. It will require 2k Mora for applying for the Adventurer's card. It may take up to 1 week until we deliver it to you. Additionally, if you happen to misplace or lose it, it will require 2k Mora for you to apply for it again. So, it's best if you consider it carefully." 

"Alright, I'll apply for this card. Here, 2k Mora." Saying that he handed over a total sum of 2k Mora to her. It may come in handy to him in the future. 

Nodding, she opened another register and scribbled something on it after taking the sum from him. 

"That's done. You've now applied for the Adventurer's card. This card will be delivered to you in 1 week at the latest. You can collect it from here only." 

"Now, can you tell me about what type of commissions there are?" 

Still keeping her professional smile mode on, she stated, "Sure. There are several types of commissions such as collecting materials, helping people with their problems, killing monsters or treasure hoarders, fixing the Ley Line and sometimes working for authorities etc. depending on how high your level is." 

The Ley Lines are a mysterious network of elemental energy and memories of everything that has lived in this world, both on the surface and down in the Abyss that links the whole world together, within which flow the elements. It's said the ley lines remember all things that happen in this world, from the surface down to the deepest depths. 

Sometimes, due to an overwhelming elemental energy surge through the network, the ley lines get blocked, and it causes the ley line disorder, which attracts the nearby monsters due to the high concentration of elemental energy there. 

That's why adventurers are required to fix this disorder. When the issue is resolved, the excess elemental energy converts into Original Resin or Condensed Resin (simply a more condensed form of original resin), serving as a reward for adventurers. 

Katheryne continued, saying, "Besides that, we also have Weekly Commissions. When the adventurers complete all 4 of them within a week, they also get a bonus reward. Rest assured, all these commissions that I'm talking about are based in Liyue since every nation has its own Adventurer's guild, which will provide them with commissions in their respective regions. 

One more thing: We generally give weekly commissions first to encourage Adventurers so that they can get a bonus reward before giving out regular commissions. But if you want, we can also give them first." 

Aerin just stood there, supporting his chin with his hand, as he completely absorbed all the information. 

'Sure enough, there are some noticeable changes. Like the daily commissions changed to Weekly commissions. I reckon it is like that because in reality, Teyvat is much bigger. So, travelling would require much more time.' 

"So now, what kind of commissions would you like to take?" 

"I would prefer something along the lines of collecting materials or capturing or killing treasure hoarders." 

"Got it." After saying that, she opened another register and continued turning the pages for a few seconds until she stopped on a particular page, and her fingers roamed there. 

He could hear her murmuring, "Where is it...where is it...where—Ah, found it." 

She tore that page from the register and gave him his first assignment. "Here are your weekly commissions. Please report here with the proofs of your commissions to get your rewards." 

Taking the page, he nodded. "One last thing, Miss Katheryne. Can you give me the directions on where I can find a map of Liyue and Liyue's adventurer's guide along with a good restaurant and a blacksmith's shop?" 

"Sure. You can probably find both the map of Liyue and Liyue's adventurer's guide in one place. Here, I'll write it out for you." She took some time, but she drew directions that were at least understandable from a glance. 

"Here, have a nice day ahead." 

"Thank you." Giving a small smile to her, he walked off from there and searched the place to get the things he needed from the directions Katheryne had given him.

***

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