"Ah yes, thanks. My name's Mizuki. I just turned eighteen, and I'd like to register with the guild." (Mizuki)
I pair a polite smile with my response, then fix my gaze on her to see how she reacts to my name. She doesn't even bat an eye. I feel an immense relief wash over me. While I'm excited to acquire some magic powers, I don't particularly want to stand out everywhere I go. So, I'm glad that Azazel's prediction about my name not raising any eyebrows here was spot on.
"Oh, I see, how wonderful for you! Well, we could certainly start the process tonight if you want, but you'll have to come back tomorrow to finish the magic assessment. You see, our day shift receptionist is most qualified for that. So, it might even be best to just do the whole registration tomorrow with her, if that's okay?" (Melena)
Oh yeah, Azazel mentioned that magic assessments were a thing. I didn't expect to be doing it so soon, but I'm not going to complain! I would like to start honing my magic as soon as possible. If it has to wait until tomorrow to finish anyway, I might as well just come in the morning and do the whole registration.
"I understand, that's fine then. I'll come back first thing in the morning. Could you direct me to the nearest town inn? I'd like to get a room for a night or two." (Mizuki)
"Ah, yes, well there's an inn just across the street and to the left. However, I believe they're fully booked for the night. The guild keeps a few rooms on hand for just such occasions, and we still have a vacancy if you'd like it? The rooms aren't as nice as the inn, and we don't provide meals, but it's a little cheaper as a result." (Melena)
Well, that was a close call. I'm glad there is a room still available here. I doubt either room is as nice as modern Earth hotels, so I'm guessing I won't notice much of a difference between the two anyway. I just need somewhere to sleep safely and plan my next steps.
"That would be great, thank you! I'll take it, so how much is a room for two nights here? Also, does the guild have a current book that discusses the basic locations and histories of the different countries and territories of Azura? I've lived my whole life in a small village until now, you see, so I figured I should start learning more about the world if I'm going to be an adventurer." (Mizuki)
"Of course! That will be 7 coppers per night, so 14 coppers total. As for books…it's true that the guild allows adventurers to borrow books for research while they're here. However, you're not technically an adventurer, and you haven't paid your yearly guild fees. Hmmm…I'll tell you what, since you are staying here at the guild, and you'll be registering first thing in the morning, I'll let you borrow one book on that subject for the night so long as it doesn't leave your room." (Melena)
Wow, that's pretty kind of her, I'll have to remember to pay back her kindness somehow. I've been here less than an hour and I'm already accumulating debts.
"I really appreciate it. Here's one silver for the two nights then." (Mizuki)
I hand over the silver and she returns six coppers in change.
"Thank you for your patronage! Well then, wait here one moment and I'll hooopppp to it and grab your room key and book!" (Melena)
Nope, debt paid. Please kill me. Why'd you have to betray me like this, Melena? We had such a good thing going.
After grabbing my key and book from the betrayer bunny, I make my way up the stairs to my room. After entering, I lock the door behind me and sigh deeply – I can feel my exhaustion from the day setting in.
Looking around, it's a small room with only a chest, basic bed, and tiny bedside table. There's a small candle on the bedside table, but I have no way to light it. Fortunately, I don't plan on being awake long, and there's enough light coming in through the lone window of the room to see in front of me.
I place my books inside the chest, then sit down on the floor with my back against the bed. If I had to guess, I probably have nine or ten hours left until sunrise. I gleaned from Azazel that days are about twenty Earth hours long on Azura, years are about 400 days divided into ten equal months. Hours, minutes, and seconds exist here, but they don't have clocks.
I'm still wearing the athletic pants, t-shirt, and sneakers that I died in, which seem to have been returned to their pre-bus state along with my body. I'm lucky that nobody seemed to notice how different they were from the tunics, trousers, and leather boots here. The bunny girl did, but she didn't press me about it thankfully. Still, I know I can't keep wearing these clothes.
Also, it's pretty evident I'll be running low on money soon. It's hard to make accurate extrapolations, but I wouldn't be surprised if the two silver coins that guard gave me ere several days' worth of wages. Truly generous, so I'll need to repay him.
My first order of business is getting some less conspicuous clothes. If I'm lucky, a trading hub like Elmesia should have at least a couple large merchants I can get basic clothes from. In addition, I'm betting that my otherworlder clothes could go for a pretty penny. I won't be needing them after all. If I'm losing my pockets, though, I'll also want to get a coin purse.
Ideally, I'd like to learn that item box spell Azazel mentioned, but since it's a rare dark class spell, that seems unrealistic. After that, I should probably pick up a weapon for defense until I can learn magic. So, maybe I'll stop by a blacksmith after visiting a merchant and before returning for guild registration?
Mulling over tomorrows plans, I drag myself onto the bed and lay back heavily. A dreamless sleep comes for me just a few minutes later.
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The next morning, I am fortunately awoken by the sunrise through my room window. I've always been a light sleeper.
I check the state of my Earth clothes to make sure they are still clean and in relatively good condition, then I leave the guild quietly and walk down the street to the shop I noticed last night.