The voice belonged to a broad-shouldered old man with short white hair and a large greatsword strapped on his back.
The old man merely threw Cyrus a passing glance before he shook his head and continued towards the guild's gates, muttering under his breath something about how bad the guild seemed to have fallen these days, for even beggars to be huddling around its entrance.
Cyrus didn't know why, but he felt really irked by that particular comment, giving the old man a cold, long look as he watched him march forward.
Whether it was that disdainful gaze of his, the old man's assumption of him being a beggar, or just how well-fed the man was to have such a sturdy body, just because he was born with a little divine affinity, everything seemed to irk Cyrus for some reason.
Still, he didn't say anything and just watched as the man made his way through the lively crowd and into the guild's entrance.
Cyrus wasn't stupid. He knew better than to antagonize someone who was almost certainly an Ironbound warrior — if not stronger — just because that person looked down on him.
Besides, being called a beggar may not have been entirely accurate, but Cyrus knew it was hardly a stretch. He and Sylvie may not be out begging on the streets, but their current appearance would probably put most seasoned beggars to shame.
Sylvie's appearance wasn't overly bad if he were honest. Aside from a few cuts here and there and the faint smudge of blood on her black shirt and tattered pants, it was mostly her face that was dirty. Probably from all the rolling around she'd done in the Bloodpit.
But Cyrus knew that his own condition was a whole different matter altogether. At the very least, his appearance wasn't exactly a sight for sore eyes.
Giving his tattered clothes one last glance, Cyrus shook his head before following the crowd past the marble columns and into the spacious entrance of the guild.
Surprisingly, Sylvie remained deathly quiet as she followed after him, her head lowered and her crimson hair dropping by her sides as she stuck next to him.
...
The interior of the Adventurers' Guild was even more spacious than it seemed from the outside. At least that was the first thing Cyrus thought of as he took in his new surroundings.
Adventurers of all kinds were gathered in this place, forming big and small groups alike, and either eating and drinking merrily or seriously discussing their next jobs.
Cyrus wasn't educated as a child, by any means. He knew how to read most basic words but he didn't know how to write. He could probably work as a server in a small restaurant that didn't require writing down orders, provided he could just memorize things, but those jobs that were more demanding and needed further education, like being a spell assistant for example, were definitely out of his current capabilities.
Still, even with his limited education, he could clearly make out the words on those large signboards that occupied the majority of the first floor.
"Mission Hall?" The plaque of the first signboard had the words 'Mission Hall' in bold black letters, and was the first thing everyone saw the moment they entered the guild. Unsurprisingly, the majority of adventurers seemed to have gathered there, too, and Cyrus could faintly make out a few roars of excitement or gasps of astonishment, even among all that hubbub of noise.
The bustling crowd was one thing, but that gigantic bulletin board was like nothing Cyrus had ever seen before. It had hundreds, no, probably thousands of missions listed on it, and more than two hundred adventurers gathered around it, at least. Every so often, even through all the noise, Cyrus could make out the soft scrape of paper as adventurers tore down new mission notices, their voices laced with low curses or whispers of quiet excitement as they left the place.
If the first hall attracted 60% of the adventurers on the first floor, the second signboard lured almost everyone else, aside from a few dozen exceptions like Cyrus and Sylvie who were still looking around.
The Treasure Hall was a large crescent-shaped counter that seemed to extend all the way to the back of the guild. And yet, unlike the ruckus that overflowed the Mission Hall, things were vastly different here, as everyone joined one of the three long lines and orderly queued up to meet with the middle-aged man or one of the two adolescent women standing behind the counter.
"That's where adventurers come to collect their rewards whenever they complete a mission. As long as they can bring proof that their mission was a success and the guild verifies it, they can get their reward." Sylvie muttered quietly as she glanced at the large counter that seemed to draw most of Cyrus's attention.
The young girl had fallen eerily silent since they got in the vicinity of the Adventurers' guild and Cyrus had noticed it too. Still, he didn't say anything. Instead, he merely nodded and looked around for a while longer, before finally spotting it. The last of the three halls, and the reason he'd come all this way: the Registration Hall."
Unlike the other two halls, there was no large queue in front of the Registration Hall. There was just one young woman behind the counter, seemingly in her early 20s, with her hair tied in a ponytail, looking around in boredom.
When she spotted Cyrus and Sylvie approaching the counter, the woman raised an eyebrow before she asked with an amused smile
"Can I help you?"
Sylvie kept her head lowered and remained quiet, clearly uncomfortable under the woman's inquisitive gaze.
Cyrus had seen this type of amused smile numerous times in the past 3 years, too. A smile that was merely looking for some entertainment. Still, he looked at the young woman who seemed to be on eye-level with him and answered calmly
"I heard the Adventurers' guild gives a gold coin to anyone who manages to pass the test. Is that true?"
The woman's smile widened when she heard that before she answered in the sweetest voice she could muster
"But of course~!"