NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14 – Vale Pavilion
“I will try, but I can’t guarantee I will be able to prepare the money.”
I warn Alan as I follow him down the stairs.
“I think you can; I heard you defeated a bunch of thieves, and should have an income of around 20-30 gold in just a few days.”
He was fairly accurate with his guess, I had 35 gold.
I wonder where he got the confidence, but making around 30 gold in a day probably is impressive. We arrived at the first room pretty quickly, and then I sat on the couch across from him.
The slave dealer explained to me the main ways of making money.
The first one is, of course, to go into the Dungeon.
Dropped items can sell for a lot of money, if you get lucky and go to the lower floors. But it also comes with a lot of danger--both from Demons, and from Humans.
While the Demons that are found in nature drop one item at a time, ones found in Dungeons can drop multiple.
The other main way of getting money is being a Bounty Hunter, hunting down thieves and bandits--unfortunately, I have some problems with that one, because killing Humans is difficult.
Back when I first did it, back at the village, I thought it was a game--I was also saving people; but to purely kill for money…I probably couldn’t do it, and there was no reason to force myself.
I double-check with him, “So, I can make money through the Dungeon?”
“Yes--but the danger is proportionate. If you stayed at the higher floors, you would be less likely to die, but also less likely to make money.” He pauses, “The loot can be sold at the Adventurer’s Guild. If someone is looking for a specific item, it can be sold for much more.”
“Where can I find the Guilds?”
“Explorer’s Guild is on the main street, and has yellow signboards nearby. The Adventurer’s Guild in the west side of the town--but it has a bad relationship with the Explorer’s Guild.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Well, the Explorer’s Guild was founded when an Adventurer was exiled and formed it, it has much more lax laws, and doesn’t stay out of political struggles. They both explore the Dungeons, as well act as transport for hire.”
I wonder if there is an Explorer Class as well?
“However, I don’t suggest that you aim to be a Bounty Hunter. The only Bounty Hunter’s Guild is in the Capital. To officially get the class, you need to have a lot of experience as a Soldier, and only the Guild can unlock the Class.”
Well, it seems that hunting down thieves will be a last resort--I will try out the Dungeon first.
“I see. Well, I plan to stay in this town for a while--at least the next 10 days; could I ask the name of a good inn to stay at?”
Alan looked at me with a grin, “Usually, I’m not so helpful…unless building their trust to lead them into a trap, to increase my stock--but, you are a friend of Bikka and saved his life…we used to, run together, a long time ago. Anyway, good inn? I would suggest the Vale Pavilion, which is in the southwest side of the town centre, it’s pretty easy to find.”
“Thank you, I will go there.” I stand up and everything has been decided and my business here is done for now.
“Well then, I shall wait 10 days.” He sees me off as I leave the building.
The sun is still high in the sky, and I go west--I think it’s a bit after noon.
Going down the main street, I find the Explorer’s Guild; I chose them because the lax rules makes it sound more attractive to me. I ascended the four stone steps and opened the large wooden door in front of me. Inside, there is a large room, with a bar in one side and a counter to the other--there are a lot of people.
Explorer - Lv12
I glance at one of the heavily armoured, rather menacing, men who walks past me.
A board is attached to the brick wall, next to the counter--it is covered in fliers. If my knowledge of fantasy worlds is accurate, this should be a Quest Board.
There are several people waiting in line in front of the counter--one of which places a bag on the counter.
“Someone ordered this.”
“Alright, thank you for your business.”
The two people talk more, exchanging money and paper.
I walk up to the board, and glance at it. At first, I couldn’t understand the letters--but then again I got the strange feeling in my head…a surging migraine caused me to almost fall over.
When my eyes finally cleared--I could understand them.
My Character Screen appeared, and a new language appeared next to Brahim…my Bonus Points, however, decreased by 2; settling at 10 BP.
“Here.”
A loud thump and jangle drew my attention back to reality--it was the Guild Employee paying the man.
He walked off, and the others were quickly finished as well; I walked up and stood at the counter.
A beautiful woman with shoulder-length purple hair sat on a tall stool. She was wearing a uniform, with a name tag that read ‘Colarine’; she looked surprisingly bored.
“Good morning, how can I help you?”
“Morning, I would like to ask some questions.”
She nodded, “Ask away.”
“Are there requests for hunting Horned Rabbits?”
I knew I could easily and quickly kill Horned Rabbits, and if I could, I would use them to make the money.
“Sorry, there are requests for the meat, to sell at a restaurant--but normal hunting, or fur sales…there aren’t any.” She quickly flipped through a thick book.
“I understand. I will come back when I have looked through the requests on the board. Sorry for bother.”
She actually smiles as she nods, pulling out another book.
On the board, there are a lot of requests. There are boring ones, like helping the guards patrolling the slums, or being hired as bodyguards at shops. However, there is one thing I am looking for--information on the Dungeon that appeared two days ago.
I am curious about the timing…I appeared in that barn around two days ago--and a new Dungeon appeared two days ago.
“I have decided I will explore the Dungeon later.” I say in passing to Colarine as I leave the Guild, she looks up and waves.
I head towards the center of the town, and as Alan said, the Vale Pavilion is very easy to locate; on entering the inn, it looks like a fairly cheap motel…not seedy, but not high class.
The lobby seems to be a restaurant, with a lot of tables and chairs, but there aren’t many people sitting and eating; there doesn’t seem to be the concept of lunch in this world.
“Greetings, how can I assist you?”
Hotel Receptionist - Lv8
There is a receptionist class, which I found out when I examined the receptionist at the Explorer’s Guild. Her Class was purely Receptionist however. So maybe this man’s Class is specialized or a higher grade Class.
He was wearing rather ordinary clothing, instead of a uniform. This definitely is not a high-class hotel.
“Is it possible to book the room for a long period of time?” I asked him.
“I take it that you are planning on diving into the Dungeon? Well, is a single room good, or do you want a shared room?”
For safety reasons…and other reasons, after I purchase Roxanne--don’t want a room with others.
“A single room, please.”
“Mhm.” He nodded and opened a book, running his finger down a list, “So, what grade of room do you want?”
“Regular please.”
“Would you want dinner included? You can buy it separately, but there is a discount if you have it included.”
“How much is it?”
“10 copper if included in the cost of the room--25 copper if bought separately.”
Damn, that is a huge price jump.
“I’ll have dinner included.”
“Alright. I will check your Intelligence Card, to make sure it’s all good.”
“I don’t mind.”
He takes a quick look at my Intelligence Card, and with a nod and business smile, spoke again, “The cheapest room is 26 copper, with 10 copper for dinner--so 32 copper per day, total. It has to be payed every morning, and it is your room for the rest of the day.”
“I understand.” I put down my rucksack and pull the coins out of my bag.
“You will have your meal in the dining room. Breakfast is also included in the room fee. It is served 30 minutes after the sun rises; dinner is served 30 minutes after sunset. There won’t be any food later, and the light in the dining room goes out two hours after sunset.”
“Okay. Can I pay for multiple days?”
“You can--but you can’t get a refund if you change your mind.”
Well, I will pay for the 10 days, I guess.
“Well, here is 3 silver and 20 copper.” I give him the money.
“Alright, that’s 10 days worth,” He nods to me, and writes down information in the book on the counter, “I will guide you to your room.”
He nods to me and circles the counter, leading me up two sets of stairs--my room is on the third floor, it seems.
“If you’re going to the Dungeon, we can buy some ingredients from you. It might be troubling if you sell a lot, but a reasonable amount is all good.”
It seems that we have arrived at the location, he opens the door with a key, “If you wish for hot water to wash, please request it when you return. Hot water is 10 copper, and it will be brought to your room and picked up in the morning. You can borrow a lantern with an hour worth of oil for 5 copper. You may add your own oil, if you have any, but please don’t start a fire.”
The room is rectangular, around 10 meters in size; there is a desk and chair, a bed against one wall and a closet against another--near the desk was a window with wooden shutters.
It is actually a good room.
“The closet is locked and can be used for valuables. Employees clean once a day, around noon--if you need washing done, please ask an employee. When you go out, leave your key at the front desk and your room number is 311.” He passes me a key.
“I see.”
“Enjoy your stay.” Waving, he leaves.
I try sitting on the bed, and while it’s not really soft, it’s not too hard either--it’s a good bed.
Getting up again, I place the rucksack on the floor, I can leave my previous clothing here, since I’m not too worried if they get stolen. I also place the sandals in the closet.
I look at the room key and stand up, slinging the now emptied rucksack on my back.
It’s now time to go to the Dungeon.