Overlord: Welcoming the Birth of the King
Chapter 12: The Adventurer's Guild, Unspoken Rules

For a player, the most important thing is leveling up by defeating monsters!

But that's just in games!

In this real otherworldly realm, especially when one's level is extremely low, "safety" is what matters most to Tang Zheng.

The "Royal Tournament" had concluded, and the crowds of citizens and adventurers drawn by the event were beginning to disperse.

Tang Zheng held no status in the royal capital. It was only due to Gejiefu's duel that he hadn't faced any scrutiny yet.

Once the capital returned to normal, outsiders like him would easily attract attention. Moreover, there were no suitable places for monster hunting and leveling in the capital.

As for his next plan,

Tang Zheng intended to head for the border city of "E-Rantel" in the Li Yestige Kingdom. However, his knowledge about this world itself was severely limited.

The journey there would likely be dangerous.

Tang Zheng came to the Adventurer's Guild specifically to find a party also traveling to E-Rantel.

In the royal capital,

Apart from the luxurious buildings near the central noble district, the remaining large structures were the Adventurer's Guild and Mage Guild located in the commoner areas.

Thus!

Finding the Adventurer's Guild wasn't difficult at all.

The locations of these two major guilds clearly showed how little regard the kingdom's higher-ups had for both the Adventurer's Guild and Mage Guild.

There were noticeable differences between the Li Yestige Kingdom and Bahāruth Empire's national policies.

The Bahāruth Empire highly valued magical applications, while the Li Yestige Kingdom completely opposed this, instead glorifying brave warriors.

This stark contrast stemmed largely from

Fluder Paradyne of the Bahāruth Empire - titled "Chief Court Mage" and "National Trump Card", one of only four humans who had surpassed the hero realm.

Having lived over 260 years, Fluder had advised and assisted since the empire's first emperor up to the current Blood Emperor.

Such influence naturally led the Bahāruth Empire to prioritize magic.

Tang Zheng recalled Fluder possessed the high-tier "Sage" class and achieved "immortality" through magical rituals using this class.

"Another high-tier class to plan for when visiting the Bahāruth Empire in the future," Tang Zheng thought silently.

The Adventurer's Guild's location

stood in the outer commoner district - a conspicuously square, four-story tower.

When Tang Zheng arrived, he could clearly see people constantly entering and exiting through the guild's main doors.

After a brief pause, Tang Zheng stepped inside.

Instantly!

A wave of noisy atmosphere assaulted him.

The guild interior was unexpectedly spacious.

Though crowded, it didn't feel cramped since the hall contained almost no extra furnishings or furniture.

The entire floor was made of wooden planks, with a massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Directly facing the entrance stood a large reception desk where staff members conversed with several adventurer parties.

As Tang Zheng entered, he noticed multiple gazes turning toward him, though they quickly withdrew after brief observation.

Regarding this situation,

Tang Zheng could guess the reason.

With his shabby appearance, he neither resembled a powerful adventurer nor a wealthy client.

No wonder nobody paid him much attention.

This was exactly why Tang Zheng had deliberately dressed this way from the start - to avoid standing out.

"How about this commission?"

"The pay's too low. The guild takes 20%, then split among us - hardly any profit left."

"Should we pick this one instead?"

"Tsk, this requires a 'Gold-rank' party. We're not qualified, right?"

"No, this escort mission isn't actually dangerous, just a long journey..."

"Hey, the reward's actually low for its rank. If we complete this with our current mission count..."

"We might qualify for Gold-rank!"

Noisy discussions continuously erupted beneath the mission boards lining both walls.

Tang Zheng approached the reception desk, joining the queue behind other adventurer parties.

While observing his surroundings, Tang Zheng recalled information about adventurers.

The Adventurer's Guild classified parties into eight ranks - Copper, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, Orichalcum, and Adamantite!

These ranks didn't strictly indicate strength since all new parties started at Copper-rank regardless of actual power.

However,

unless intentionally hiding strength or refusing promotions, a party's rank generally reflected their basic capability.

The wait wasn't long.

Soon it was Tang Zheng's turn. The receptionist appeared quite young - a brown-haired, brown-eyed girl with slightly curly hair.

She looked about Tang Zheng's apparent age, maybe sixteen or seventeen.

"Hello, what's your party's name?"

The brunette asked politely, showing no reaction to Tang Zheng's foreign appearance or shabby clothes.

"I don't have a party. I just have some questions," Tang Zheng replied softly.

"Oh! Wanting to register a new party?" Misunderstanding his intent, the girl quickly bent down and produced a rough, yellowish paper form.

"I'm not registering a party."

"I just want to ask if there are any merchant caravans or adventurer parties heading to E-Rantel."

Tang Zheng waved his hand in explanation.

"Eh?"

The girl paused mid-motion, then took a closer look at the shortswords and leather water pouch hanging from Tang Zheng's waist, sudden understanding dawning in her eyes.

"You came to watch the Royal Tournament, right? I mean, traveled all the way from the borderlands?"

"Quite impressive coming alone from so far away."

"Five copper coins."

The brunette extended her slightly rough palm while constructing her own narrative.

"Five copper coins?"

Tang Zheng blinked in confusion.

Had he been literate in this world's writing, he wouldn't have needed to ask the receptionist.

Ironically, despite over a decade of education in his previous life, he was now functionally illiterate.

"Of course, this is the Adventurer's Guild."

"Non-members pay for all inquiries. Nothing comes 'free' here."

The girl put on an exaggerated serious expression.

As a transnational organization bound to no nation, the Adventurer's Guild's power didn't just come from strong adventurers.

Its true strength lay in the vast intelligence network formed by countless members.

Outsiders wanting information had to pay - some valuable intelligence couldn't even be bought with money.

This explained why despite being disliked by various nations' elites, the guild maintained covert collaborations with them!

Tang Zheng vaguely recalled the Adventurer's Guild might have connections to the Slane Theocracy.