Chapter 37
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Arthur's journey from Armana to Celestia could be characterized as generally uneventful. Arthur thought he could run into some danger like bandits prowling the road to test out his newly acquired ability but the whole journey was smooth-sailing.
There was only one detail of note. As Arthur neared Celestia, he noticed a carnival ground far down the plateau. The place looked exciting. filled with the townspeople and the music was fun and light. If he was not on a time crunch, Arthur felt like joining the festivities. With plans to perhaps return after he got his ranking upgraded, Arthur turned his head away and continued on his journey to Celestia.
Celestia was one of the bigger cities so the place was much bigger than Armana. Compared to Celestia, Armana was like a hovel. This was the first time Arthur had been to a place of this scale and he could not help himself from being in awe at the size of it all.
Unlike the wooden huts back at the village, the townhouses were mostly made from bricks and two storey tall. The city was also a hive of activity. For example, Armana only had one tavern, which was Ol' Smith's place but Celestia had a whole street dedicated to pubs and taverns. The hustle and bustle of the crowd was quite a spectacle for Arthur as well. He had not seen such vibrant life back at the countryside.
However, Arthur also found himself being uncomfortable inside the city. Back in the village, there were large and open fields between houses but in the city, all the buildings were squeezed together. It gave Arthur a claustrophobic feeling like a mouse trapped in a tin can.
The size of the place confused Arthur's sense of direction and it was compounded by the fact that the bustle of the crowd made Arthur's sensitive sense of hearing quite uncomfortable. He never thought he would miss the quiet of the countryside but here he was.
Eager to get a move on, Arthur approached one of the city guards and asked him for the direction to the headquarters of the adventurer's guild. The guard was very friendly and kind. He gave Arthur the directions in clear details probably because he saw how Arthur was dressed and realized he was not a local.
Furthermore, like Billy mentioned, it was the season for the guild's advancement tests. There had been many adventurers who came from nearby villages to attend the tests so the guard had been answering similar question for the past few days.
Arthur thanked the guard for his aid and made his way to the headquarters following the directions given.
The headquarters was much larger than Arthur anticipated. In fact, the young man believed the headquarters was as big as Armana. There was a large arena in the middle and it was surrounded by buildings on all sides, making the headquarters the shape of a rectangle. The buildings were used to house the records of many adventurers held as well as house the staff that kept the place running. Other than that, the headquarters also had a hostel that was made available only for registered adventurers to stay overnight. Even though the headquarters did collect a fee and the comfort level was not that high, the price of accommodation was much lower than the fee charged by the city inn, and that was the most crucial criteria for most adventurers.
Arthur made a mental note to pay the hostel a visit later. He also needed to find a place to stay while he was at the city. Granted he still had plenty of gold left from the quest he completed with Felicia, Arthur decided it was not a good idea to splurge. He might have need for the money during a later emergency.
Arthur believed the arena was the location where the advancement tests and other examinations were held.
Billy said this was the period for advancement tests but when Arthur arrived the arena was relatively empty. Looking in from the room that acted as the lobby, Arthur noticed there were only a few individuals wandering about.
When Arthur approached the lady that sat at the counter, the lady provided him with the reason why. "I'm sorry, today is the last day for the adventurer's advancement tests. The day is only reserved for the closing ceremony and we are not taking any new candidate. I'm sorry but please come again next time."
Arthur knew the lady had misunderstood him so he took out the letter and handed it to the lady. The lady gave it a quick read and she turned up to smile at Arthur. "I'm sorry, Mr. Arthur. I have no idea it was you. Actually, you have come at the right time. Please follow me."
The lady walked out from the counter, grabbed a stack of documents and exited the lobby to head into the arena. Arthur did what he was told and followed the lady.
As the lady moved through the arena, she caught the attention of the people that loitered the area. They stood up from their seats or exited the buildings that lined the arena. They followed behind her and a group started to form.
Arthur was curious what they were up to but from the looks of it, the lady had something important to announce.
The lady walked to the end of the arena where a small stage was erected. She got onto the stage and started to give a speech. "Congratulations for passing the advancement tests..." She droned on.
Arthur looked around and the number of adventurers were lower than he thought. There were only around 100 adventurers that passed the test.
Arthur wondered how difficult the test was to have eliminated so many people when someone called out in the crowd, "Miss Morgan, I'm sorry to interrupt but I have a question."
It was a young man about Arthur's age who raised his hand. Then his hand lowered to point directly at Arthur. "Who is this guy and why is he here, trespassing into this ceremony?"
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Arthur's journey from Armana to Celestia could be characterized as generally uneventful. Arthur thought he could run into some danger like bandits prowling the road to test out his newly acquired ability but the whole journey was smooth-sailing.
There was only one detail of note. As Arthur neared Celestia, he noticed a carnival ground far down the plateau. The place looked exciting. filled with the townspeople and the music was fun and light. If he was not on a time crunch, Arthur felt like joining the festivities. With plans to perhaps return after he got his ranking upgraded, Arthur turned his head away and continued on his journey to Celestia.
Celestia was one of the bigger cities so the place was much bigger than Armana. Compared to Celestia, Armana was like a hovel. This was the first time Arthur had been to a place of this scale and he could not help himself from being in awe at the size of it all.
Unlike the wooden huts back at the village, the townhouses were mostly made from bricks and two storey tall. The city was also a hive of activity. For example, Armana only had one tavern, which was Ol' Smith's place but Celestia had a whole street dedicated to pubs and taverns. The hustle and bustle of the crowd was quite a spectacle for Arthur as well. He had not seen such vibrant life back at the countryside.
However, Arthur also found himself being uncomfortable inside the city. Back in the village, there were large and open fields between houses but in the city, all the buildings were squeezed together. It gave Arthur a claustrophobic feeling like a mouse trapped in a tin can.
The size of the place confused Arthur's sense of direction and it was compounded by the fact that the bustle of the crowd made Arthur's sensitive sense of hearing quite uncomfortable. He never thought he would miss the quiet of the countryside but here he was.
Eager to get a move on, Arthur approached one of the city guards and asked him for the direction to the headquarters of the adventurer's guild. The guard was very friendly and kind. He gave Arthur the directions in clear details probably because he saw how Arthur was dressed and realized he was not a local.
Furthermore, like Billy mentioned, it was the season for the guild's advancement tests. There had been many adventurers who came from nearby villages to attend the tests so the guard had been answering similar question for the past few days.
Arthur thanked the guard for his aid and made his way to the headquarters following the directions given.
The headquarters was much larger than Arthur anticipated. In fact, the young man believed the headquarters was as big as Armana. There was a large arena in the middle and it was surrounded by buildings on all sides, making the headquarters the shape of a rectangle. The buildings were used to house the records of many adventurers held as well as house the staff that kept the place running. Other than that, the headquarters also had a hostel that was made available only for registered adventurers to stay overnight. Even though the headquarters did collect a fee and the comfort level was not that high, the price of accommodation was much lower than the fee charged by the city inn, and that was the most crucial criteria for most adventurers.
Arthur made a mental note to pay the hostel a visit later. He also needed to find a place to stay while he was at the city. Granted he still had plenty of gold left from the quest he completed with Felicia, Arthur decided it was not a good idea to splurge. He might have need for the money during a later emergency.
Arthur believed the arena was the location where the advancement tests and other examinations were held.
Billy said this was the period for advancement tests but when Arthur arrived the arena was relatively empty. Looking in from the room that acted as the lobby, Arthur noticed there were only a few individuals wandering about.
When Arthur approached the lady that sat at the counter, the lady provided him with the reason why. "I'm sorry, today is the last day for the adventurer's advancement tests. The day is only reserved for the closing ceremony and we are not taking any new candidate. I'm sorry but please come again next time."
Arthur knew the lady had misunderstood him so he took out the letter and handed it to the lady. The lady gave it a quick read and she turned up to smile at Arthur. "I'm sorry, Mr. Arthur. I have no idea it was you. Actually, you have come at the right time. Please follow me."
The lady walked out from the counter, grabbed a stack of documents and exited the lobby to head into the arena. Arthur did what he was told and followed the lady.
As the lady moved through the arena, she caught the attention of the people that loitered the area. They stood up from their seats or exited the buildings that lined the arena. They followed behind her and a group started to form.
Arthur was curious what they were up to but from the looks of it, the lady had something important to announce.
The lady walked to the end of the arena where a small stage was erected. She got onto the stage and started to give a speech. "Congratulations for passing the advancement tests..." She droned on.
Arthur looked around and the number of adventurers were lower than he thought. There were only around 100 adventurers that passed the test.
Arthur wondered how difficult the test was to have eliminated so many people when someone called out in the crowd, "Miss Morgan, I'm sorry to interrupt but I have a question."
It was a young man about Arthur's age who raised his hand. Then his hand lowered to point directly at Arthur. "Who is this guy and why is he here, trespassing into this ceremony?"
Arthur's journey from Armana to Celestia could be characterized as generally uneventful. Arthur thought he could run into some danger like bandits prowling the road to test out his newly acquired ability but the whole journey was smooth-sailing.There was only one detail of note. As Arthur neared Celestia, he noticed a carnival ground far down the plateau. The place looked exciting. filled with the townspeople and the music was fun and light. If he was not on a time crunch, Arthur felt like joining the festivities. With plans to perhaps return after he got his ranking upgraded, Arthur turned his head away and continued on his journey to Celestia.Celestia was one of the bigger cities so the place was much bigger than Armana. Compared to Celestia, Armana was like a hovel. This was the first time Arthur had been to a place of this scale and he could not help himself from being in awe at the size of it all.Unlike the wooden huts back at the village, the townhouses were mostly made from bricks and two storey tall. The city was also a hive of activity. For example, Armana only had one tavern, which was Ol' Smith's place but Celestia had a whole street dedicated to pubs and taverns. The hustle and bustle of the crowd was quite a spectacle for Arthur as well. He had not seen such vibrant life back at the countryside.However, Arthur also found himself being uncomfortable inside the city. Back in the village, there were large and open fields between houses but in the city, all the buildings were squeezed together. It gave Arthur a claustrophobic feeling like a mouse trapped in a tin can.The size of the place confused Arthur's sense of direction and it was compounded by the fact that the bustle of the crowd made Arthur's sensitive sense of hearing quite uncomfortable. He never thought he would miss the quiet of the countryside but here he was.Eager to get a move on, Arthur approached one of the city guards and asked him for the direction to the headquarters of the adventurer's guild. The guard was very friendly and kind. He gave Arthur the directions in clear details probably because he saw how Arthur was dressed and realized he was not a local.Furthermore, like Billy mentioned, it was the season for the guild's advancement tests. There had been many adventurers who came from nearby villages to attend the tests so the guard had been answering similar question for the past few days.Arthur thanked the guard for his aid and made his way to the headquarters following the directions given.The headquarters was much larger than Arthur anticipated. In fact, the young man believed the headquarters was as big as Armana. There was a large arena in the middle and it was surrounded by buildings on all sides, making the headquarters the shape of a rectangle. The buildings were used to house the records of many adventurers held as well as house the staff that kept the place running. Other than that, the headquarters also had a hostel that was made available only for registered adventurers to stay overnight. Even though the headquarters did collect a fee and the comfort level was not that high, the price of accommodation was much lower than the fee charged by the city inn, and that was the most crucial criteria for most adventurers.Arthur made a mental note to pay the hostel a visit later. He also needed to find a place to stay while he was at the city. Granted he still had plenty of gold left from the quest he completed with Felicia, Arthur decided it was not a good idea to splurge. He might have need for the money during a later emergency.Arthur believed the arena was the location where the advancement tests and other examinations were held.Billy said this was the period for advancement tests but when Arthur arrived the arena was relatively empty. Looking in from the room that acted as the lobby, Arthur noticed there were only a few individuals wandering about.When Arthur approached the lady that sat at the counter, the lady provided him with the reason why. "I'm sorry, today is the last day for the adventurer's advancement tests. The day is only reserved for the closing ceremony and we are not taking any new candidate. I'm sorry but please come again next time."Arthur knew the lady had misunderstood him so he took out the letter and handed it to the lady. The lady gave it a quick read and she turned up to smile at Arthur. "I'm sorry, Mr. Arthur. I have no idea it was you. Actually, you have come at the right time. Please follow me."The lady walked out from the counter, grabbed a stack of documents and exited the lobby to head into the arena. Arthur did what he was told and followed the lady.As the lady moved through the arena, she caught the attention of the people that loitered the area. They stood up from their seats or exited the buildings that lined the arena. They followed behind her and a group started to form.Arthur was curious what they were up to but from the looks of it, the lady had something important to announce.The lady walked to the end of the arena where a small stage was erected. She got onto the stage and started to give a speech. "Congratulations for passing the advancement tests..." She droned on.Arthur looked around and the number of adventurers were lower than he thought. There were only around 100 adventurers that passed the test.Arthur wondered how difficult the test was to have eliminated so many people when someone called out in the crowd, "Miss Morgan, I'm sorry to interrupt but I have a question."It was a young man about Arthur's age who raised his hand. Then his hand lowered to point directly at Arthur. "Who is this guy and why is he here, trespassing into this ceremony?"
