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Gigantia smiled warmly as she watched the beautiful scenery around her. The lush green grass, the vibrant forests, the clear blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds, and the little princess Elizabeth in her human disguise all created a picture of pure innocence and joy.
Elizabeth was playing happily with her new friends in the park. After enjoying a delicious ice cream cone, the young girl started running around energetically, chasing her new companions. They even played with some light magic during their games.
This could have easily led to disaster if not for Elizabeth's incredibly polished control over her own abilities, which made accidents a rare occurrence. After playing for a while, all the children grew tired and settled down together on the soft grass to chat.
"So where do you come from, Eli?" asked Alfie curiously.
"Um, not from too far away," Elizabeth replied, pretending to know very little.
"Ah well, my family owns a restaurant!" said the Fire Giant boy, who introduced himself as Fausto. "You should come visit it sometime!"
"Sure, what is it called?" Elizabeth asked with genuine interest.
"It's called the Fire Giant's Cave!" replied the young boy, the tallest in the group. "Anyway, I think I have to get going or my mom's going to nag at me again. Bye!" He waved and ran off quickly.
"Alfie! Son!"
Just as the conversation was starting to flow more freely, a pair of elves approached, calling out for their son. Alfie stood up right away and hurried back to his parents.
"Sorry, gotta go!" he said. "Bye, see you someday!"
After he left, Elizabeth felt a little awkward among the remaining kids, but they quickly welcomed her back into their conversation. The black-haired, green-eyed human boy was named Lucas, while the cat beast folk girl with soft pink fur was named Eureka.
Elizabeth carved these names deep into her heart, determined never to forget them.
"School's about to start soon, Mom says," Eureka mentioned. "I don't want to go to school. It sounds so boring!"
"Me neither," Lucas agreed. "But it's what we have to do. It's like our duty or something."
"If we don't go, then we won't learn much about the world," Eureka added, nodding thoughtfully. "I guess it's necessary…"
"Yeah," Elizabeth muttered, a hint of sadness touching her voice. She felt a quiet longing because she could not attend a normal school like the others. "It sounds fun though. You'll get to meet lots of new kids and make plenty of friends!"
"Aren't you going to school? You're seven, right?" Eureka asked innocently.
"Uh…" Elizabeth sighed softly. "No, my parents pay for tutors so I can learn at home."
"Oh…" Lucas murmured, clearly impressed. "Wow, you must be really wealthy then! That's amazing!"
"Sounds so fun! I wish it was like that for me too!" Eureka said with a laugh. "I'm jealous now! Heheh."
"Hahaha," Elizabeth giggled along. "Why don't I add you both to my Social Account?"
"Sure!"
"Okay!"
The children tapped their smart watches, and a friendly connection was established with Elizabeth. A small holographic shaking-hands emoji floated above them, symbolizing their new friendship.
She had already done the same with Fausto and Alfie earlier. No matter their different backgrounds, it seemed everyone in this world had these devices. They were as essential as smartphones had been in her original world. Even the poorest people carried them because they were necessary for daily life.
"Nice, we're friends nyaaaa!" Eureka exclaimed happily. She purred with delight and hugged Elizabeth tightly.
"Heheh, yeah," Elizabeth giggled, gently petting the girl's head.
"Let's meet again," Lucas said with a smile. "Look who's back, Eureka."
"Eureka! Ah, there you are."
A tall, muscular wild cat beast folk man approached. He had a majestic mane of golden fur and bright emerald eyes that shone with strength. His body was covered in various scars, evidence of a hard life, and Elizabeth could sense his powerful core and well-developed muscles. He carried abundant internal energy, marking him clearly as a warrior—most likely an adventurer or hunter.
"Daddy!"
Eureka ran toward her lion-like father and leaped into his arms. He caught her easily in his large, muscular arms and laughed heartily.
"Hahaha, aren't you cheerier than usual?"
"I made a new friend! Her name is Elizabeth!"
"Oh? Ah, like the princess? Hehe, I've heard it's a popular name nowadays! Thanks for playing with my daughter!"
"It's no problem, sir. Eureka is a lovely friend!" Elizabeth replied politely.
"Ah, and she has manners to match her name, eh? Nyahahaha!"
He patted Elizabeth's head with a rough but friendly hand, messing up her hair. Gigantia nearly stepped forward, but she relaxed when she saw that Elizabeth was fine with it.
"Lucas, want me to ride you back home?"
"Sure, thank you sir."
"Come then, kid. Oh, are you Elizabeth's parent?"
"I'm her… big sis."
"I see! She's a good girl! I hope she can get along with my little princess."
"Hiii!" Eureka waved her little paw cutely.
"Hello. Yes, she will, I'm sure. Thank you," Gigantia replied warmly.
After they left, Elizabeth turned to Gigantia with a slightly annoyed expression.
"Gigantia, don't get angry when people touch me. It wasn't anything bad. He's just a rough man, but he meant no harm," she said.
"I-I know. I apologize. I almost released my killing intent," Gigantia admitted. "Nonetheless, he looked like a strong warrior, perhaps an adventurer or something."
"We might see them again," Vlad added from the shadows. "For now, young lady, how about we hurry to the adventurer guild? I believe you've had enough respite for today."
Elizabeth nodded eagerly. "Yep, we should get going! I can't wait to become an adventurer and go on adventures!"
"I don't think those things are as related as you may think, young lady…" Vlad sighed. "But I like your spirit."
"Aw come on, Vlad. She's fine," Gigantia laughed. "Let's move!"
They walked past the peaceful park and headed toward another bustling section of the city. Leaving Ice Heart Station behind, they entered the open, lively area of Central City filled with tall business buildings and busy offices.
"Welcome to Central City, the heart of this district," Gigantia explained. "This is where many people come to work every day. The Adventurer Guild building is located here. As you can see…"
"Right!" Elizabeth said excitedly. She looked into the distance and spotted a massive building that blended modern architecture with the medieval charm and grandeur of Yggdrasil. "It looks like a castle!"
"Yeah," Gigantia laughed. "A lot of people are coming and going today. It's a busy day. I had just returned from a mission involving a large Beast Tide in the northwest wild lands. We handled it, but I've heard more are coming, so adventurers are preparing. They'll likely have to cooperate with the hunters this time."
"I see. That sounds fun! Maybe I can join them!" Elizabeth said, almost jumping with excitement.
As they approached the grand building, Elizabeth admired the adventurers around her. Each one looked strong, capable, and gifted in their own way. Their expressions revealed the rich lives they had lived.
Thanks to her Spiral Ability, she even caught brief glimpses of their memories, some filled with amazing adventures, others dedicated to helping people through small requests, a few focused on alchemy and selling products, and even older veterans who had experienced deep sorrow after losing friends along the way.
Sorrow, joy, friendship, adventure, and challenges. These were the words that embodied adventurers in Elizabeth's mind after witnessing those fleeting memories.
"Excuse me, coming through…"
Gigantia led the way into the building while Elizabeth followed closely. Vlad remained hidden within her shadow, as the detection devices inside were not advanced enough to sense his high-level stealth ability.
"Here we are!" Gigantia announced.
"Woooow!" Elizabeth gasped. Her eyes widened in pure amazement as she took in the sight.
The interior was far larger and more impressive than she had ever imagined. Hundreds of people moved busily across every level, with second, third, fourth, fifth, and even sixth floors visible above. At the front stood the classic guild receptionists, ready to assist the steady stream of adventurers.
Elizabeth watched as adventurers brought out large prey from their system inventories or storage items. They sold butchered materials, crystals, metals, and anything else they had gathered, then received payment in System Coins or direct deposits into their System Points accounts.
Large request boards stood on both the left and right sides, where dozens of people constantly browsed. The requests appeared as colorful holographic papers complete with photos, videos, and detailed information. Weaker requests were mixed among the biggest and best-paying ones, which were also the most dangerous.
"What request should we take today, man?"
"Don't take anything too annoying. I don't want to spend a whole week outside again like last time!"
"Oh, what about this one? It says they just need some Spirit Grass!"
"I wonder if there's a request suitable for me, an Alchemist?"
"I am placing a request here, everyone! Whoever can bring me a pair of Golden Behemoth horns will receive a hefty reward!"
"The Glass Pyramid is always full of requests, but the monsters inside are so tough though."
"Who the hell put a request to gather materials in the Yggdrasil Labyrinth?! This is Earth!"
"Snowland Dungeon… Oh, if we bring some Ice Elemental Cores, we get this much?! Girls, let's do this!"
"For everyone listening! I am offering a whopping one hundred million system points to whoever can bring me the corpse of a Tyrant Forest Bear! If it's a King size one, double the reward!"
"I am offering my services as a Beast Tamer! Anyone interested in learning Beast Taming Skills? It's not as hard as you may think!"
"Hah, Necromancy is the way. I offer a thirty percent discount just for today! Learn how to commune with the dead and ask for their services!"
There were even professionals from different fields offering to teach their skills. Some seemed more desperate than others.
"Wow, Gigantia. Can you learn any skill if they teach you?" Elizabeth asked curiously.
"Not always. You still need the proper affinity and other requirements," Gigantia explained. "And even with affinity and talent, you won't learn a new skill in just weeks. It might take months or even years of direct teaching… unless, well, you're an exception."
"And the young lady is one," Vlad noted quietly.
"Haha, nah," Elizabeth giggled, acting humble.
They walked toward the receptionist counter but had to wait in line for quite a while. Nearly half an hour passed before it was finally their turn.
The receptionist was a beautiful young woman, a Moonlight Elf with pale pink skin, bright white eyes containing silver irises, and short silver hair that reached her shoulders. She had a cute face and long elegant ears decorated with delicate silver earrings.
"Wow… Pretty lady…" Elizabeth muttered softly, but the receptionist heard her with her sharp elven hearing.
"Fufufu, am I pretty?" she chuckled warmly. "Well, you've made my day, little lady. I have long, sharp ears, so I can hear from veeeery far away."
"Eh?!" Elizabeth gasped, realizing she had been caught.
The receptionist chuckled again, clearly fond of children. "Anyway, welcome to the Adventurer's Guild! My name is Frederica and I will be your receptionist for today. Are you her guardian?" she asked, turning to Gigantia.
"Yes, I am. I've come here to register her in the Adventurer's Guild," Gigantia replied. "I'm already a member. I originally registered in Yggdrasil. Here."
Gigantia quickly summoned a golden card from her inventory and showed it to the receptionist. The elf's silver irises widened noticeably at the sight.
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