Inside the newly renovated Guild Hall, sunlight streamed through the tall windows, washing the marble floor in gold. The air smelled faintly of new wood and polish.
Sage sat lazily at the receptionist desk, one hand on his chin and the other drumming against the surface in boredom.
He was devastated. his face flushing with sadness. He didn't know what to do anymore; he didn't expect that this would be so difficult to do. Three days, and still not even a single fly had entered the Guild Hall.
Sage sighed deeply, "Looks like opening the world's first Adventurer Guild doesn't mean people will magically appear."
Frustration, disappointment, and desperation boiled inside him; he was totally clueless as to what to do.
"Ahh! This is so difficult. How can I register Adventurers just by sitting here? System, are you sure this will work?" Sage lay sprawled on the desk with his hands propping up his chin, his face full of complaints.
The system was still silent.
"Why is this so unfair to me? When the protagonists in those novels transmigrate, they all have good backgrounds, good daddy systems that give them what they want. Some are born into OP families and clans, and I am stuck in this godforsaken place!"
Sage kept banging his head lightly on the table, frustration bubbling in his voice. "How come I didn't get the same treatment as Asher Wargrave, Atticus Ravenstein, or even Knull Anthony? What a cheap system I have!" Sage's voice was dripping with envy when he mentioned those guys.
"Ah! I wish I were them!" Sage blinked his eyes, with tears threatening to spill out.
Just then, a figure walked into the Hall, catching Sage off guard.
"Am I dreaming?" Sage rubbed his eyes and looked again. He stood up from his chair and even pinched himself to see if all of this was real, but the pain confirmed that this was all real.
His body shook slightly as the corners of his eyes turned red, with small tears leaking out this time.
"Finally... Finally, my prayers have been answered!" Sage's voice trembled as he hurriedly walked towards the old man who had entered the Guild Hall.
"Welcome to the Adventurer Guild!"
Sage's voice was filled with excitement and desperation as he held out his hand for a handshake.
Edmund was taken aback and felt a slight chill running down his spine when he saw Sage's appearance. He took a few steps back and even had second thoughts about bolting out of the door.
"Why does this young man look so miserable and disheveled?" Edmund's mind was running with countless thoughts as he sized up Sage from head to toe, his turbid eyes full of confusion.
"Ahem...!" Sage coughed slightly, which quickly brought Edmund out of his reverie.
"Oh... sorry about that, young man!" Edmund quickly came back to his senses and shook Sage's hand.
"It's... okay, please come and sit!" Sage brought up the most heartwarming and pleasant smile he could muster and invited Edmund to sit.
He wiped the chair clean with his sleeve and motioned for Edmund to sit down as he quickly sat down as well.
"Ahem... my name is Sage, and I am the Guild Master of the Adventurer Guild. How may I help you?" Sage said in a calm voice, but the slight trembling in his voice suggested otherwise.
"My name is Edmund; I am the Chief of a village ten kilometers away from Greyvale City!" Edmund also introduced himself, his old eyes fixed on Sage, flickering with unknown thoughts.
Sage nodded with a warm smile. "Then once again, welcome to the Adventurer Guild, Village Chief Edmund!"
He paused for a moment, and then his expression turned slightly serious as he asked, "Village Chief Edmund, what kind of services do you want? I'm sure you have already read what was posted at the entrance."
"Yes," Edmund replied with a nod. "I've read it, and that's exactly why I'm here. I noticed it mentioned that you receive missions here, and that those can be completed?"
"Yes, that's correct. You can post any missions here, and we'll complete them as quickly as possible!" Sage nodded; maintaining a calm exterior while his heart raced with joy.
"That's good to hear!" Edmund replied letting out a sigh of relief. He looked at Sage with a serious expression. "But before that, can I ask you a few questions?"
"Yes, please go ahead. I will make sure to answer the questions to your satisfaction!" Sage quickly nodded.
Edmund raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Sage with a hint of suspicion. He quickly masked his doubt and asked, "How can I be sure the mission will actually be completed? What if I post it here and it never gets done?"
Sage took a deep breath and smiled reassuringly. "That's easy to explain. When you post a mission here, the person assigned to it is required to come back to you with proof of completion when it's done. They will also bring that evidence here to show that they have fulfilled their end of the deal. Plus, without completing the mission, they won't receive their payment. So rest assured, they will make sure it gets done!"
Edmund absorbed and mused over what Sage said; he totally understood what he was saying.
He looked at Sage and asked again, "How do I know you won't run away? I mean, I don't really know you, and there is no guarantee that you won't just take the money and disappear. Plus, I don't stay here. I need to be sure you're not some kind of fraud."
Sage's lips twitched at Edmund's words, but he didn't lose his cool; he maintained his professional smile. "Village Chief Edmund, rest assured that the Adventurer Guild is a legitimate business. We've been operating for over three months now, and during this time, none of our customers have left negative comments or complaints."
Inside, Sage was shouting, "bullshit!" The Adventurer Guild hadn't been around for ten days, much less three months.
He was clearly just lying with a smiling face; after all, this was his first customer, and he couldn't afford to let him walk away. Finding out how long the Guild had actually been in business wouldn't be easy; this wasn't Earth where information could be accessed with a few clicks.
Yet he knew better than to underestimate the people in this world; every place has its own tricks up its sleeves. He needed to mix lies with truths to make his story sound believable.
Still wearing his professional smile, Sage continued, "If you still have doubts about us, you can stay in Greyvale City until your mission is complete. There is an inn just a few steps away from here where you can monitor our operations anytime you want. If you notice anything suspicious, feel free to take action; after all, what could an ordinary person like me possibly do against a Warrior like you?"
Edmund's eyes flickered with surprise as he didn't expect Sage to sense that he is a Warrior.
But thinking about it, Sage is really correct; when he first entered here, he had sensed that Sage had no Mana at all; he was just an ordinary person sitting here relaxed, while he also noticed that it seemed he was the only one in the Hall; no one else was around.
"I suppose you are right. Then if you say so, I will stay here until the mission is complete!" Edmund's eyes flickered with a sharp glint as he nodded with a smile.
Sage's hanging heart finally settled back as he let out a sigh of relief. "Then let's get down to business. Can I ask you what type of mission you want to post?"
"System, are you there?" Sage called out to the system in his mind.