I came to the Adventurer's Guild, but it wasn't what I expected.

As I entered the village, the hustle and bustle had already begun. Agricultural workers seemed to start their work at dawn, and people were sparsely scattered across the fields, swinging hoes. It appears that blacksmithing technology is advanced here, as they use hoes made of iron.

"There are no oxen nor horses, so there are no plows. I remember that the three-field system and basic elements of agricultural reform were related, but first, can large livestock survive the winter?"

Some stalls were set up, and the smell of food wafted through the air, stimulating my appetite. If there are residences, the need for stalls wouldn't be that great, so I assume there are many single people or travelers staying here.

"The number of residences and facilities seems sufficient compared to the size of the fields. I wonder why? Is this place some kind of hub?"

**Explanation:** The main industry of this village, called Turka Village, is agriculture. Additionally, it engages in gathering in the Southern Forest and hunting in the Northern Forest. Its location as an intermediate point provides a geographical advantage.
Moreover, there is a village called Ruse to the west and another called Merville to the east, making this village a hub for trade between them, which is why it is relatively more prosperous than other villages.

The knowledgeable "Sage Sensei" answered. Ruse Village and Merville Village, perhaps Rizatia's brother is on a business trip to one of them.

Anyway, I headed to an inn to clear my TODO list. I heard that Tishia had seen signs with bed designs, so I looked around and found about three inns. One of them seemed too high end to choose, so I entered a nearby two-story inn. The name was "Aozora Tei" (Blue Sky Pavilion).

Wait, I've been reading the text normally since earlier.
**Notice:** Akira's visual recognition is mutually complementary with his auditory recognition.
**Explanation:** During writing, it intercepts and modifies the notation.

Great job, Sensei. The conversation and descriptions are the biggest hurdles in an otherworldly story, so it's really helpful to have that resolved. Learning a new language at this age is really unreasonable. The company I had been working at was planning to take TOEIC tests starting this year, I even thought about seriously looking for a new job.

"Welcome. Are you here to stay or for breakfast?"
A well-dressed man in his 60s with a balding forehead and a good impression approached me. The lobby had a dining area and was spotlessly clean.

"I plan to stay in the Kingdom of Valania for the first time. Could you tell me about the currency and accommodation fees?"

The man was the owner, running the inn with his wife and two employees. Regarding currency, it's not a measured currency but a counted currency. Each kingdom has its own currency, so exchange is necessary. The exchange rate is set based on the country's trustworthiness, and currently, the currency of the Kingdom of Valania is slightly undervalued. This also shows the country's power.
Incidentally, the currency of the Kingdom of Valania is called "Waruru." General currency is uniformly made of iron, with denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 50,000. Each is about 2mm larger than the previous, and the denomination is engraved on the surface. On the back, there are images of the governing god and famous past kings. Honestly, I don't recognize any of the names.
There are also 100,000, 500,000, and 1,000,000 Waruru coins, which are gold coins used in large transactions and not commonly found in ordinary shops.
As for the iron coins, while they seem easy to counterfeit, they are protected by the governing god's power, and counterfeiters are immediately detected and punished by divine retribution. In the past, the punishments were so severe and affected entire families that counterfeiting is considered not worth the risk.
Well, having your face on the currency might make counterfeiting feel unpleasant. It also feels a bit childish, like the gods of Greek mythology acting out.

"One night stay with breakfast and dinner is 5,000 Waruru. Without meals, it's 4,000 Waruru. Except during peak times, the kitchen is available for self-catering."

Considering the Japanese yen, it's a reasonable price for a business hotel. There seem to be plenty of single rooms available.

"A bucket of hot water costs 500 Waruru. Candles are 1,000 Waruru per hour. Please ask the front desk if needed."

"Thank you. I plan to stay here, but I'd like to check other places too. I'll come back later. Thank you."

By the way, I asked about the toilet, and there are shared Western-style toilets on each floor, along with a washroom. Toilets are very important.

Anyway, checking my TODO list.

[x] Check currency value

Leaving the inn, I headed to another one located far from the center. The sign read "Daichi to Tsuchi Tei" (Earth and Hammer Pavilion). Opening the door, the front desk was combined with a dining area and bar. It seemed like a place where armored people were lying around drunk. The place wasn't very clean either, and the owner seemed a bit sly. I decided not to stay there and left without a word.

Checking my TODO list again.

[x] Check accommodation fees

It feels good to see the list getting filled. Now that the morning commotion has settled down, I'll head to the Guild.

In the center of the village was a relatively large building with a sign featuring a black background, a white shield, and crossed swords. It was the Adventurer's Guild, Turka Village Branch. Opening the door, the interior looked like a cross between a government office and an old unemployment office. I had imagined a stereotypical tavern with rough-looking men picking fights, but it was surprisingly normal.

I saw a counter labeled "Registration" and approached it. The person in charge was a simple village girl in her 20s.

"Hello. Welcome to the Adventurer's Guild. Are you here to register?"
"Yes. Please explain the rules and then proceed with the registration."

The explanation mostly covered what I had heard from Teesia.

"Regarding taxes, after registration, you will be a member of the Adventurer's Guild. Taxes are withheld from each request based on the country's tax rate. The tax amount is reported to each country, so you don't need to worry about it in your daily life."

Oh, it's withheld. It would be a hassle to file taxes every time, so this is convenient. Honestly, seeing the poor state of the previous inn, it seems like there's a lot of "Edokko" mentality here, so this system is more reliable.

"Additionally, adventurers are assigned ranks based on their contributions. The ranks range from 10th rank (lowest) to 1st rank (highest), in 10 levels."

Oh, adventurer ranks. The typical "I'm strong" trope.

"Regarding ranks, the essence is trustworthiness. Some people misunderstand it as a measure of strength, but it's about building trust through sincere mission completion. Please understand it as such. Also, the range of select-able missions increases with rank. However, there are promotion exams to determine if you can handle the corresponding missions."

For example, even if a mission at a certain rank includes escort duties, if you've never done an escort before, it won't go well. Specialists belong to their respective guilds, and adventurers are more generalists.

"Trustworthiness is literal. Accidents that prevent mission completion are taken into account. However, intentional or negligent mission failures result in appropriate penalties."

"For example, what kind of penalties are there?"
"In the past, there was a case where an adventurer on a delivery mission embezzled the goods. The adventurer was apprehended by the full force of the Guild, and the costs, replacement of goods, and losses from delays were imposed. The person is now deceased, but it's said that they lived only to pay off the debt."

That's quite harsh. There's a faint smell of blackness in the air. Well, without a foundation or options, there's no choice but to move forward.

"Regarding requests, you can only accept one at a time. However, if other events interfere with the request, they can be retroactively processed."

For example, if you accept a gathering request and defend yourself by hunting, if the hunted target is part of another request, it will also count.

"Details are documented in the library on the second floor. Please check it."

The building has three floors, with a document room on the second floor and a conference room for confidential discussions. Discreet clients also visit.

"Do you have the will to register?"
"Yes, I will proceed with the registration."

There's no point in hesitating if I want to make a living.

"Please fill in the necessary information here."

A sheepskin paper, about A6 size, was handed to me. My name is Akihiro, 35 years old, and my current address is temporarily at Asto's house.

"Please prick your index finger with this needle. Just enough to draw blood is fine."

I thought it was for a fingerprint, but instead, he brought out a white card with a circular mark and asked me to drop blood on it. The white card glowed faintly, and the blood disappeared without a trace. What is this?

"This is your Guild Card. It proves your identity and allows access to the database of your work situation. Please take good care of it."

Some futuristic item appeared. The civilization here is distorted.
"What powers it?"
"It consumes the surrounding magical energy and operates. The consumption is minimal, and it almost never fails."

Looking at the card, the information I wrote on the sheepskin paper appears. It also shows my rank as 10th rank.

"Also, this card is directly connected to your soul and continuously sends a ping."

In another world, the term "ping" feels out of place, but I guess it's a translation.
"If your soul separates, death reports are sent to all readers. This also triggers a free inheritance service."

A service that works until death. I'd rather not use it, but it's good to know.

"Explanation and registration are complete. Your trust in the Guild and in yourself will be your strength. Please take care and do your best."

The receptionist smiled kindly and urged me on.

"Thank you for the detailed explanation. It was easy to understand."

Feeling a bit tired from the long explanation, I went to look for a request.