Xilutaiya and Taliel did not push their way into the crowd clustered beneath the notice board. Instead, they watched from a distance, listening to the discussions around them. By now, the young girl had finished scanning the people in the guildhall.
There were six adventurers who had reached the first-order attribute; most of the rest also knew a Breathing Method or other abilities and were by no means ordinary folk. It seemed knowing a Breathing Method was the bare minimum requirement to become an adventurer.
At present, Xilutaiya's own Breathing Method had advanced, reaching its second stage.
[Breathing Method lv. 2] (Blood Law): Relies on breathing to regulate the rate of blood flow, stimulating and enhancing the body's overall strength and reaction speed. This ability places a strain on both heart and body and cannot be maintained for extended periods (recommended not to exceed 3 minutes per day); (Completion: 21/600).
So far, she had still encountered none of the bottlenecks Frien had mentioned. Each session practicing the Breathing Method granted +5 to her completion. Furthermore, because of that training, her physical condition had improved considerably over the past half-month. She could now practice four times a day, meaning +20 points of progress daily. At this rate, she would likely reach the third stage in roughly a month.
Once she reached the third stage, she would have to stop. If she continued cultivating it, her destiny attribute would very likely shift directly into (first-order - Blood Law), which was not the outcome she wanted.
As for her swordsmanship and spearmanship, they were currently at Basic Swordsmanship lv. 4 and Basic Spearmanship lv. 4. Her proficiency gains from practice were slow, and Xilutaiya guessed that if she wanted to improve those two skills further, she would need the experience of real combat.
Around noon, many people headed off to eat, and the adventurer hall grew quieter and less crowded.
Xilutaiya walked up to the front desk and asked, "Excuse me, is there a girl named Mailin here?"
Hearing the young girl ask this, the auburn-haired receptionist behind the counter looked puzzled. She studied the hooded girl closely for a long moment before answering.
"I'm Mailin. And you are...?" She was certain she did not know her.
"I came from Linden Village. An accident left me lost in the forest and took some of my memories. Now that I've arrived in Burnt Stone City, I'm hoping to find some help. This is a letter of introduction from Mr. Frien." She handed over the letter she had prepared inside her robe.
Opening the envelope and seeing the familiar handwriting, Mailin's expression softened, her earlier suspicion vanishing.
"Ah, you're an acquaintance of Uncle Frien's! Mm, he had a great deal of praise for you in the letter, Miss Tiya, and told me to take good care of you," Mailin summarized aloud.
"It isn't convenient to talk here. Come this way. Oh, and this must be Taliel, right?" She actually recognized the wild country girl.
"You actually know who I am?" Taliel stared back in disbelief.
"Hehe, of course. As a receptionist for the Adventurers' Guild, the first requirement is a good memory." Mailin gave a wink and led the two into a room off to the side of the hall to sit down.
"When Uncle Frien mentioned Linden Village, I thought of Old Master Pang De. Since you're his granddaughter, it wasn't hard to guess," Mailin explained.
"Is Grandfather really that famous?" Sitting by the small round table, Taliel rested her chin in her hands, looking pleased and proud.
"Old Master Pang De is a renowned figure recorded in the Burnt Stone City Adventurers' Guild, and the only living legend remaining today," Mailin explained with a gentle shake of her head, making it clear he was no ordinary man.
"Many adventurers come to the guild, but those who can stay in the trade for over ten years can be counted on one hand.
"Adventurers certainly make good money, but dangers and mishaps abound. Many either perish on missions or sustain grave injuries and have no choice but to retire," Mailin remarked with a sigh.
"Well, if an adventurer is very strong, shouldn't they be able to overcome every danger and stay safe?" Taliel asked, daydreaming about her own future.
"Rarely. If an adventurer reaches the third order or above, they hardly ever stay in this line of work," Mailin said as she brought simple tea for them both.
"A third-order transcendent has enough strength to become a formidable knight, swear fealty to a noble, and receive a small fiefdom.
"And with other professions, they can join major organizations and achieve high standing, without having to wander from place to place like an adventurer, constantly on the run." She then sat down across from the two.
"Did you come today because you're interested in becoming adventurers?"
"Yes." Xilutaiya thought for a moment and gave an overview of her situation.
"I see. If Miss Tiya doesn't want to simply rely on her looks to enjoy an easy life, you'll need a profession to earn a living. As it happens, I have plenty of information on that." Mailin blinked with a clever smile.
"Uncle Frien must have recognized and praised your talents in some way to write this recommendation. I know his character very well.
"The Apothecary Guild you mentioned earlier is indeed an excellent choice, but becoming an apothecary is no simple matter." She shook her head slightly.
"First," she said, holding up a finger.
"You have to learn how to identify, sort, and process all manner of herbs. Those details are tedious and intricate, and written texts rarely cover everything.
"Second, if you don't know the Scent-Sniffing Method, you won't get far in this field.
"As the name implies, the Scent-Sniffing Method uses smell to determine an herb's medicinal properties, the brewing state of a potion, the reaction's effects, and so on.
"Just as not everyone can master a Breathing Method, learning the Scent-Sniffing Method depends on innate talent.
"If you manage those two things, you should be able to become an ordinary apothecary apprentice, join the Apothecary Guild, and brew common potions to earn a living.
"Yet to become a true apothecary, you must also learn the Harmonization Method. That ability is even more complex than the Scent-Sniffing Method, allowing one to harmonize and extract attributes from ingredients, which is the only way to brew special potions of the first order and above.
"In Burnt Stone City right now, there are only four apothecaries who know the Harmonization Method. They are the elite of the Apothecary Guild, and most of their creations never circulate on the open market, with only a small portion of healing and antivenom potions sold to adventurers.
"So, I would suggest Miss Tiya hold off on pursuing the path of an apothecary and aim to become a gardener instead.
"An ordinary gardener only needs to know how to tend and prune plants. A professional gardener, on the other hand, learns cultivation abilities of the Emerald Honey attribute. They can grow top-quality herbs, vegetables, and fruits—or even rare flora infused with the power of attributes.
"There is no clear difference in standing between the two, but gardening work is relatively relaxed, leaving Miss Tiya more time for other pursuits.
"For you, your current work will only be a stepping stone anyway." As a receptionist for the Adventurers' Guild, Mailin had seen much of the world and knew a girl like this would never remain confined to such a place for long.
Xilutaiya had not paid much mind to the difficulties of becoming an apothecary, but what Mailin had said about time struck a chord.
Indeed, if she studied under Scholar Haide, most of her time would likely be swallowed up by acquiring knowledge. What was more, becoming an apothecary required two empty Ability Card slots; if she used them both, she would have none left to learn other abilities.
Whether in terms of time, energy, or careful planning of her Ability Cards, "gardener" was the better choice.
"It seems I'll need to be a gardener for a while." Combing a lock of hair before her chest with her fingers, the young girl looked up.
"Could Sister Mailin guide me on how to get started?" Her soft, melodious voice left even Mailin dazed for a few seconds.
"It really is a shame you didn't become a songstress," Mailin said, shaking her head.
"As for getting started, that's simple enough. I can ask a well-known gardener in the city for an instructional tome. I'm reasonably acquainted with that Madame Falan; ordinary folk simply don't know she exists.
"As for thanking me, there's no rush for that. Just get your life sorted out first, Tiya."
Chapter 14