Chapter 266 – The Hall of Seekers

Chapter 266 – The Hall of Seekers

 

Used to the pristine squares, pastel houses and blooming promenades of Sylspring, Kai found Varsea quite gray and dusty. By the look of it, the only one sweeping the streets outside the wealthy district was the rain—and from the dry mud, it hadn’t clocked in for some time.

Well, they aren’t trying to sell the idyllic tourist destination…

Rumors and stories had made his expectations of the mainland balloon. He read about castles soaring among the clouds, shrouded elven forests and sprawling metropolises of glass and magic. If the books hadn’t lied, those sights all waited out there.

They also say the Talthen continent is unreasonably vast…

“This should be it.” Flynn’s veiled excitement caught his attention as they stopped in front of their destination.

The Hall of Seekers was located just outside the center of town, a towering building of bricks and plaster marred by the dirt of years. Despite the poor presentation, Kai was thrilled to see where actual adventurers gathered. This was the perfect place to find information about the contract Kea took and find a way to reach Limgrell.

“So this is where land hunters gather.” Rain strode forward with the fascinated smile he reserved for human curiosities.

“Yup.” Flynn hurried after him. “I’ve always wanted to see it for myself.”

Moving last, Kai almost crashed into a bearded man with a scar over his left eye. Instead of starting an argument as stereotypes demanded, the guy apologized and went on his way.

Hmm… I almost wished he had challenged me to a duel.

One of his childhood’s biggest disappointments was discovering adventurers weren’t a thing in the archipelago. His journey to the mainland had been more troubled than he foresaw; it was time to get things back on track.

Inside the Hall of Seekers, Kai craned his neck to gawk at the warm atmosphere. It was an actual hall, the ceiling over twice the height of a normal building. Tables filled with chattering adventurers on one side while more lined before a counter manned by three clerks on the other.

Yeah, this is more like it.

“I didn’t think you’d like it this much.” Flynn looked at him amused.

“I’ve wanted to visit this place for a long time.” He crossed his arms—too embarrassed to explain Earth’s fantasy tropes.

“I see…” Flynn pointed to the rowdy crowd and what looked like a bar. “I’ll go check if anyone knows anything interesting. Can you handle the information desk? We’ll save time by splitting up.”

“Sure.” He readily agreed to divide tasks. Making quick friendships and extracting information had never been his forte; he’d much rather deal with a professional clerk. “What do you want to do, Rain?”

“Hmm…” The siren observed the hall like a kid on his first outing at the zoo. “I’ll come with you.”

Kai raised an eyebrow, quickly containing his surprise not to be rude. He hadn’t expected to get picked, though he didn’t mind his company.

“Great. The first to finish can check on the other.” Flynn clapped their backs and headed toward the group of boisterous adventurers.

The two joined the line at the service desk. The clamor of the bar became muffled when they crossed an invisible array.

No way. Kai gaped at another sight.

There was an actual quest board affixed to the wall. It took all his self-control to not dash over and check it.

“Rookie,” someone sniggered behind him.

Kai couldn’t care less and squinted to read. The wall was covered in square sheets of paper, detailing several quests. Catching a red seagull that had been stealing food at the market, exterminating a nest of flesh-eating slugs in the cemetery, gathering ten leaves of sylphian kelp from the edge of the bay. There was even a notice for sweeping the main streets—from the yellowing paper, it wasn’t a popular task though.

If he had been born here, he might have spent his childhood doing those chores. Among the hundred or so quests, most involved the management of the town, taking care of pests, finding mana ingredients or scouting. There was no mention of any beasts higher than the peak of red.

Spirits! Boards must have tiers too. Where are the others?

He stood on the tip of his toes, looking for a flight of stairs or a door. Considering the size of the building, there should be at least another floor, if not two.

“Mat, it’s our turn.” Rain pulled him out of his thoughts, approaching the desk. A second ward cut off the sounds of the hall to an indistinguishable murmur.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. And I wouldn’t forget your face.” A young brunette woman smiled behind the counter—to Rain in particular. Her red blouse seemed to be missing a few buttons. “Is this your first time at the Hall of Seekers?”

“Yes.” The siren gave a smile that could light a room up. “Is it that obvious?”

“Just a little bit.” She giggled. “You can call me Melisa. What can I do for you? You don’t look like the type who comes personally to post a task.” She gave Kai a once-over as if he were some sort of servant or lackey who should have taken care of such chores.

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Uh, I could have done without being dismissed.

“We’re looking for information about a case of missing people in Limgrell.” Kai rested his hands on the counter. “Anything you can tell us would be extremely helpful.”

Melisa pursed her lips at the interruption. “Limgrell? I don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

“Is there nothing you can do?” Rain raked a hand through his pale hair and slumped in obvious disappointment.

“I… I could check our internal registry. Cases of missing people are shared inside the same province.”

How do you know Limgrell is in the same province if you’ve never heard of it?

“That’d be great, thank you,” the siren beamed.

“Yeah, I— I’ll be back in a minute.” The clerk disappeared into the backroom.

Kai gave him a side eye. “You’re doing it on purpose, right?” He couldn’t tell where the friendly teen ended and the cunning siren began. His fascination for life on land was undoubtedly real, but that didn’t make him naive.

“What do you mean? I just asked her to help us.”

“Forget it.”

“Just let me do the talking. I don’t need charms to deal with sapients.”

Damn siren.

Kai hadn’t had the chance to respond when Melisa came back carrying a folder in her arms. She placed it down on the counter but didn’t let them take a look.

“You’ve found it.” Rain brightened up. “That was very quick.”

“Yes.” She bit her lip, putting both her hands on the folder. “But I’m afraid I can’t share this. Contracts above Red ★★★ are only for seekers of the appropriate rank.”

“Oh, I see. Can we sign up?”