Droplet Amidst the Guild's Noise

As I weaved through the crowd, the subtle gurgle of the fountain grew louder.

It gently splashed, and droplets bounced and plunged around the water surface. Several ripples collided against each other, changing their rhythm.

I began climbing the staircase on the right, my shaky fingers trailing the rough stone railing.

Clinks and jingles came and went as people in armour passed by. Wooden staffs scraped faintly through the chatter.

Everything seemed so new. Even after two months in this world, this city’s atmosphere was unlike anything I had encountered.

As I approached, I tried peeking through the windows. However, a ripple-like pattern on the glass, forming from the centre of each pane, made it difficult to see through.

I could vaguely make out wooden interiors and several figures standing up.

I stepped towards the doors. As a group of people left the building, loud chatter shortly echoed from the inside before the door closed behind them.

Reaching the door, I grabbed the handle. My hands trembled, slick with sweat.

Lifting my head and looking straight at the closed door before me, I nervously pulled the handle.

The inside was brimming with people, most hanging in groups, looking at written pages nailed to a wooden board on the right, which looked like the quest board. Others talked and drank on the left.

The interior was mostly wood, with a railing splitting off a lowered section that looked like a bar or restaurant and a staircase leading to an upper floor on the right.

Amidst the laughter, sharp clinks of the glass mugs and sloshes of what seemed to be beer resonated as people toasted, followed by the hollow thud of the empty glass on the table.

A symphony of soft chimes rang as the waitresses hurried trays of glasses and other ceramic or metal wares.

Instead of sitting by the tables, some sat alone next to the counter, chatting with the waiters.

Metal clunked as people moved around, and high-pitched shrieks echoed through the high ceiling from the hinges of the door by the counter as waitresses came and went.

However, the most important part of the building was what lay before me. In front of the door, on the other side of the crowd, sat what looked like the reception.

As I crossed the stairs and the bar to my left, I reached a less crowded area, with two empty tables to the left and a single door on the wall under the stairs to my right.

The reception counter was divided into three desks by two vertical wooden beams. In each one, a female receptionist waited for people to approach.

There were already two groups being served on the right and middle desks, so I decided to go for the leftmost, open one.

Trembling, I forced myself forward. Talking to someone for help felt more nerve-wracking than facing the Armoured Guy or even Etaxuos.

How should I even try to talk with her? Would I be able to gesture what I wanted?

Actually, why did I need to talk to them to begin with?

By the time I reached the desk, my mind had gone blank.

“Tari lut!” said the receptionist with a smile as she craned her head to see me.

I remembered those words. They were the same words people in Mida said as they passed me. This was clearly a greeting of some sort.

“Tari… Tari lut,” I stuttered, awkwardly forcing a smile and waving at her.

I couldn’t go back now. She had already noticed me, and I even answered her. I had to keep walking towards her.

As I reached the counter, she asked, “Da ta ar gokare~ fankorer?”

I paused, petrified. I hadn’t understood a word she said.

Should I say yes or no? Was it even a yes-or-no question?

I glanced at her, awkwardly avoiding eye contact.

Her head tilted faintly to the side and her brow slightly furrowed. Her smile was fainter beneath her confused expression.

I couldn’t make her wait for an answer any longer.

“No…” I muttered, shaking my head. I already knew that “gar” meant “no” from previous interactions.

She raised her eyebrows. Probably not expecting my answer.

“No?” she echoed, half-smiling.

Perfect. I had fumbled it.

My stomach sank.

Should I… have said yes?

“Ye-yes… Yes,” I nodded and stammered.

I nervously glared at her, my lips tightly pressed together. I was sweating profusely.

“Yes?” she asked, turning to the right and giggling.

This clearly wasn’t a yes-or-no question. It was obvious I didn’t know what she meant.

Why was I even here? I wanted to leave right now.

I blankly stared at her, not knowing what else to say.

After a few seconds, she drawled, “Ver gar kajare~ Sprecipalis?”

I nervously chuckled, lowering my head and focusing on the desk.

She then waved her hand before my eyes to call my attention. When I looked up, she had a warm smile on her face, with her eyelids slightly squinted.

She looked young, with light brown eyes and straight hair tied in a high ponytail, bangs covering her forehead, and dimples showing as she smiled.

She pointed at me with her right hand and pointed at her mouth with her left, mimicking speaking, and then lowered her left hand to point at herself.

She was most likely asking me what I wanted to tell her.

However, I had completely forgotten why I entered the building in the first place.

“Hmm…” I muttered, thinking about it.

I wanted to verify if this was really the guild, which seemed to be the case, but I also had other questions to ask.

“Ah!” I blurted after a minute of thinking, when I finally remembered my intentions. I wanted to find a place to stay, as well as know where Riges' important places were located and how I could make money.

I began trying to draw the shape of a house in the air.

Was I after an inn or a house? I had rented in Japan, but that was different. Could I really settle here, in the city the Old Man wanted me to reach? Could I even meet my goals by staying?

I hated the fact that I was so clueless about everything.

She attentively looked at my gestures, trying to decipher what I wanted. After a few seconds her expression lit up, as if she finally understood what I was asking.

She turned around and began talking to a guy and a girl behind her. They were also dressed as receptionists, with relaxed grey waistcoats over white shirts and black trousers.

Perhaps they worked on different things in the back. However, I couldn’t hear their conversation at all.

The chatter and laughter crashed over me. Was it always this loud?

The guy in the back seemed to be checking some documents as they talked. Were they already finding me a house? I hadn’t even given them a budget or asked the rest of my questions.

This was happening too fast.

Maybe I shouldn’t ask where the things in Riges were yet, but I needed to know about the money.

I wanted to call the attention of the receptionist, but I was afraid of touching her.

I tried waving my hand slightly to the side in the hopes that she could see it from the corner of her eye, but she didn’t seem to notice.

“Hey…” I repeatedly droned hesitantly.

The girl in the back seemed to notice my attempts to talk to the receptionist and pointed at me. She then quickly turned around to face me.

I hadn’t thought about how to signal that I wanted to know how to make money, so I decided the best way would be to just show her a coin and wait until she understood.

I grabbed my backpack and laid it over the counter, leaning my spear against the desk.

I pushed the fur blanket down, rummaged through my things, and pulled out a copper coin, placing it on the desk to show her.

“U versa e cor,” she said, looking at the coin.

That wasn’t a question. Was she telling me what it was? I needed a way to ask her how I could get more.

I had no idea what types of quests there would be in this town.

Normally, in other fantasies I read, most of the quests would be for killing monsters or helping with something around town. But I hadn’t seen anything like real monsters here yet.

All the creatures looked extremely real. Maybe monsters didn’t exist.

My safest bet would be attempting to gesture at some kind of common work.

I shakily pointed at the coin and mimed different tasks, like hammering and chopping, before clutching it to my chest.

But I failed miserably. She didn’t seem to understand.

She placed her left elbow on the table and rested her hand on her thumb while looking up, her mouth slightly open. I trembled, waiting for her reply.

After a few seconds, she looked at me and shook her head. She then turned to the other girl behind her and asked her something while pointing towards the board by the entrance.

She most likely wanted to show me what I believed to be the quest board, but there was still a small problem. I didn’t know how to read in their language.

The girl left through the back and shortly appeared next to me, the creaks of a door echoing through a corridor on the left.

She smiled and urged, “Ver gokare~ siger lhantire,” while signalling for me to follow.

I put the coin back inside the pouch and closed my bag. I picked up both my things, holding the spear in my hand, and went after her.