Luojie City, Old Wood Street, No. 3 Barracks.
A few idle adventurers sat scattered around the first-floor lobby. A young Swordsman stared blankly at the staircase while sipping his tea, waiting for his dawdling teammates to come downstairs.
A middle-aged man, a long-handled barbed spear strapped to his back, stood at the entrance. Holding a bundle of snakeskins and two bottles of snake oil, he watched the passing carriages, searching for a familiar merchant’s face. As he stepped out, the shaft of his spear smacked into the doorframe with a loud THWACK, sending him stumbling. Muttering a few incomprehensible curses in a thick Floren Kingdom accent, he twisted his body to angle the spear and clumsily squeezed through the doorway.
Two young girls draped in Mage robes over women’s light leather armor sat by the window, clutching bags of Catalyst materials. One held a short wooden staff embedded with a Rune Stone, while the other wore Copper-Nailed Leather Fingerless Palm Protectors with a Rune Stone inlaid on the right palm. They leaned in, whispering to each other:
"...The Knight in Black Armor is definitely more handsome. He’s lean, and both his figure and movements are so elegant..."
"...Your taste is terrible! The one in copper armor has a much better build. Narrow waist, broad shoulders—he gives off such a strong sense of security..."
"SHH! Keep your voice down... He’s looking over!"
Samael turned his head to look at the two Mage girls behind him, who were now pretending to admire the scenery. He scratched his helmet, slowly turned back around, and continued standing beside Talia at the front desk of the adventurer’s barracks, staring blankly at the price list for the different tiers of rooms.
Randall stood right behind them. Obscured by their imposing heights, he rose on his tiptoes to peek over their shoulders.
"How... how much is the cheapest room for a month?" Talia asked dryly, trying her best to overcome her embarrassment.
"The cheapest option is a shared twin room. It’s ten Gold Coins a month per person." The slightly plump landlady behind the counter, wearing a checkered apron and a headscarf, looked at the two down-and-out Knights before her without a hint of disdain. "Are you two... staying in separate rooms? I can arrange a room for you with female roommates, and one for him with male roommates. Does that work?"
"No, no, the two of us sharing one room is fine. A twin room for twenty Gold Coins is perfect." Talia grabbed Samael’s arm. "We are... from the Monastery. Gender makes no difference to us. All living beings are equal, and trivial worldly distinctions are meaningless."
"Uh... she’s right. I’ll just listen to her." Yanked by Talia’s monstrous strength, Samael’s shoulder dipped and he nearly toppled over.
"Oh, got it. We get all kinds of adventurers here. Husbands and wives, siblings, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons—plenty of them share a room. You two aren’t any different." The landlady clearly wasn’t interested in the details. "I don’t know how long you’re staying, but let’s just charge for a month first. Rent is paid upfront. If you check out early, I’ll refund you accordingly, but at most, you’ll only get half back."
"I’ll pay." Randall poked his head over Samael’s shoulder armor, reached under his arm, and handed over a small handful of Gold Coins, placing them on the counter.
"I really don’t know how to thank you, Randall." Samael tightly grasped Randall’s hand, shaking it vigorously. The chill from his Hand Armor made Randall shiver.
"It’s a trivial matter, don’t mention it." Randall struggled, pulling his stiff hand free from the freezing grip of Samael’s Hand Armor with great difficulty. "So, you two will... go handle your rookie team-following internship tasks today? Then we’ll group up tomorrow morning after your internship ends?"
"Sure thing, no problem!" Samael readily agreed.
Randall unfastened a leather pouch from his waist and shoved it into Samael’s hands. "Also, please take these. These are a few basic Magic Potions, including Healing Potions, painkillers, and other common supplies. You might need them during your internship tasks.
"Some of the bottle shapes and labels might look a bit different from the Magic Potions on the market. They were brewed by the Alchemist in our party. While the quality might not match the expensive Magic Potions you can buy, they’re still quite effective. We’ve tested them ourselves through regular use. Most of them have their uses labeled right on the bottle, so please use them with peace of mind. Don’t be polite."
"No... we don’t really have any use for these Magic Potions..." Samael instinctively blurted out the truth, trying to return the leather pouch to Randall.
However, with the agility befitting a Third-level Hunter, Randall dodged the pouch and backed out of the lobby with a smile.
"Keep them anyway! Anything can happen during an adventure—they might come in handy when you least expect it! I’m staying right next door in Room 301 of the No. 2 Barracks, the first room on the left on the third floor. If you need anything else, feel free to find me." Standing at the door, he chuckled politely and waved goodbye to the two. "See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Randall." Samael waved back, hanging the leather pouch full of Magic Potions that Randall had forced upon him from his waist.
Meanwhile, Talia had already taken the room key from the landlady. Accompanied by a series of metallic CLANGS, she dragged the still-waving Samael briskly up two flights of stairs.
She inserted the key and pushed open the door to their room. Behind the door lay a simple, slightly dusty room. Two hard wooden beds with complete sets of bedding sat side-by-side. Beside the beds were two empty trunks with simple iron locks and keys, perfect for storing personal belongings.