Chapter 526: Community-Based
The day after being asked to accept a request from the Guild Master of Sheftent.
Fran was on a small boat. Next to her was the Guild Master, Grandma Jill.
We were aiming for a medium-sized s.h.i.+p called an adventurer’s s.h.i.+p that was docked about 100 meters away from the port.
At first, she tried to bring Urus.h.i.+ with us, but Grandma Jill stopped her. She said he would only cause panic in there. As there was no way for everyone in there to know about him, there would certainly be a risk that they would mistake it for an attack by a magic beast.
If a panic broke out in this kind of place where s.h.i.+ps were so densely packed, there was a possibility that the damage would be tremendous. Like a s.h.i.+p that would try to escape only to hit another s.h.i.+p and they might sink each other.
「There’s an Adventurer’s Guild there?」
「Yes, that’s right. They didn’t use a large s.h.i.+p so that it can turn around in an emergency」
「Is the s.h.i.+p just used as a Guild Branch?」
「Well. There are also the Adventurer’s Quarters, training grounds, a dismantling site, and a weapons shop. Just think of it as a s.h.i.+p with everything an adventurer needs」
「So it’s also the training grounds where they do the tests?」
「Yes, you’re right」
The request from Grandma Jill to Fran was for her to be an examiner for an Adventurer’s Promotion test. She wouldn’t be the one to determine who pa.s.sed or failed, but to be a witness.
Normally, they would have called in people from remote towns in the country for the test to measure their combat power. However, due to the war commotion and incidents that have occurred in the country, it has been postponed for half a year.
The reason why they need to go to the trouble of inviting outsiders was to make them feel less naive and to give them a sense of the vastness of the outside world.
Unlike the other regions, many adventurers in this region were born and raised around Lake Vivian and became adventurers as they were.
In a normal region, they would travel to improve their skills or to find a dungeon with a difficulty level that suited them. Even if it wasn’t as exaggerated as a trip, if they were interested in a dungeon or magical areas, it was normal for them to move their base when they were young.
However, the number of settled adventurers has surprisingly increased as a result of the community-wide efforts to train adventurers, especially in the commercial fleet. Or should I call it a community-based Adventurer’s Guild? Since they were from this area, they were well-behaved and knew the rules around here. All in all, it was a good thing.
At the same time, however, there was a downside in that, it caused people to get used to each other. A particular problem, she said, was the lack of a sense of urgency and compet.i.tion among lower-ranked adventurers.
Many of the adventurers were familiar with each other, and many of the higher-ranked adventurers were like heroes they had admired when they were young. Because of this, even when they were beaten in the exams, many of them would think “Well, it couldn’t be helped if I lost to you” and didn’t feel frustrated at all.
「I don’t want them to be looked down on by the people from other regions. So that’s why we call in strangers as an examiner whenever possible」
「Nn. Understood」
「Oh, you sure?」
「Me too, I hate it when the Black Cat kin gets looked down upon」
「Yeah, it may be a feeling close to that. So, go ahead and beat those brats」
「Okay」
「Hihihi. The guy who wants to pa.s.s this is out of luck」
It seems this grandma Jill’s personality was quite bad. But I agree. Those adventurers who lose to Fran would be quite shocked. She was a girl, an outsider, a Black Cat, and doesn’t look very strong after all.
Mmm, I’d cry if I were them. If they’re going to hold a grudge, please hold that grudge against Grandma Jill for knowingly asking Fran to do this. Should I ask Fran to go easy on them? Haha, it was impossible, of course.
「Besides, I want the others to see what you’re capable of」
「Why?」
「As a reminder and a goal」
「?」
「Well, just show them what you’re capable of」
「Okay」
「Woof!」
「I see, what great magic power. I’m looking forward to this. Urus.h.i.+ too, please take care of them」
As expected, her personality was bad.
Five minutes later.
From a small boat that had come alongside, Fran teleported to the adventurer’s s.h.i.+p.
『It looks like a normal s.h.i.+p to me though』
「Nn」
「Woof」
Other than the Adventurer’s Guild flag on the mast, it didn’t look much different from the mid-sized s.h.i.+ps that were docked nearby. But once inside, it looked so different.
The reception lobby of the Adventurer’s Guild existed directly inside the s.h.i.+p after all. Many adventurers were hanging out here and the atmosphere was very lively.
A good number of adventurers must have landed at the Sheftent, but there were still so many aboard.
All the adventurers’ gazes turned to us as Jill led us in. The adventurers, all of whom were skilled in their own right, were observing Fran as if they were evaluating her.
Many of them have suspicious looks on their faces. They seem to be looking at Jill, and then at Fran.
I guess they already know that Grandma Jill was bringing the examiner. But they didn’t know that it was this girl. Since it was Grandma Jill, I’m sure she did it on purpose.
The adventurers who were evaluating Fran were those who sensed that she was not a small fry. The ones who were puzzled were probably the ones who see Fran just like a normal girl.
「You’ve finally come huh, old hag?」
「Thanks for picking me up, old man」
Just like Grandma Jill, a small, wrinkled old man greeted us in front of the reception desk. This old man must be the Guild Master of this place.
「I am Galfiran. I’m the Guild Master here. You can call me Grandpa Gull」
「Okay」
「Hmm. Then come with me so I can explain things to you, you’re welcomed here」
「Thanks」
Grandpa Gull must have understood that she was an examiner because he accepted Fran as normal. The high-ranked adventurers nodded their heads in understanding, while the lower-ranked adventurers shouted in surprise.
Then a young man with an unconvinced face stood in front of Fran and the others.
「Grandpa Gull, is she’s today’s―」
「You fool!」
「Hiii」
「What kind of att.i.tude is that towards an adventurer who took the trouble to respond to our request! Don’t you even know how to be polite!」
His friends then tried to help the young man who was shouted down by Grandpa Gull.
「I’ll introduce her later. Shut your mouth if you can’t even judge her abilities!」
「B-but…」
「In the first place, don’t you understand that the fact that I greeted her politely means that she is an important person? It looks like those dumba.s.ses who can’t even realize that need to be retrained…! Be prepared for that later!」
Was this another one of the bad sides of being familiar with each other that Grandma Jill was talking about? He had interrupted the conversation between the Guild Master and a guest and then treated him with a lax att.i.tude. If this had been Eliante, whom we had met in the Royal Capital of Kranzel, He would have been cut down on the spot.