Klein sat down at the counter and, clenching his fist, rapped it against the surface. "One South Wil beer."
Behind him, several guards hesitated, unsure whether to warn him or pretend they hadn't seen anyone draw a gun. The bartender gave a wink to the guards, picked up a glass, and chuckled. "Why not try a 'Sweet Lemon'?
"Our boss studied mixology in Trier and mastered many of the cocktail recipes left by Emperor Roselle. He even created Orayvi's most popular drink, the 'Sweet Lemon'."
Klein didn't feel tempted in the slightest. He replied calmly. "I only drink beer."
"Alright," the bartender said, taking his time before pouring the South Wil beer. His smile remained fixed as he asked, "Sir, are you an adventurer?"
Klein nodded without answering.
Without hesitation, the bartender smiled. "Maybe you should meet our boss. He's always very friendly to new adventurers, happy to buy them a drink. And it might help you in other ways, too."
Klein, who had intended to buy the supplementary ingredients for the 'Marionettist' here anyway, didn't refuse. He took out a coppery penny, flicked it into the air with a snap, and caught it securely. Placing the one-penny coin on the counter as a tip for the bartender's advice, he slowly stood up and, accompanied by a guard, climbed the stairs to the second floor. They entered a room at the far end of the corridor.
The room was carpeted in a thick, soft, brownish-yellow rug. It smelled faintly of burning high-quality coal, mixed with the aroma of a cigar.
A middle-aged man with slicked-back blonde hair was leaning back in an easy chair, smoking a cigar and reading a newspaper. There were at least six bodyguards around him.
Although Klein wasn't a Beyonder of the 'Spectator' pathway and couldn't judge the guards' traits and strength from the small details, nor was he on the 'Mystery Pryer' or 'Monster' pathways to perceive hidden aspects and find things others couldn't, his spirit intuition told him that there were definitely Beyonders among the guards, ones who could pose a threat to him.
The middle-aged man put down his newspaper, pulled lightly at the collar of his black shirt, slowly stood up, and extended his right hand. "Welcome to Orayvi, my adventurer friend."
There was a glint of mirth in his blue eyes, and they looked quite sincere.
Klein extended his right hand as well, lightly touched the other's hand, and waited for him to speak without saying a word.
The middle-aged man pointed to the sofa opposite the easy chair and chuckled. "I'm Bilt Barlondo, the owner here. I was an adventurer once too, and I was pretty decent at it. At least, I'm still alive, and I've made a good amount of money."
(Confident in his own strength, so he dares to speak so directly...) Klein sat down without hesitation, leaning forward slightly. He expressionlessly waited for Bilt to continue.
Seeing that his opposite number hadn't replied, Bilt sat back down, took a puff of his cigar, and said leisurely. "To be frank, I do have my own reasons for meeting every new adventurer."
He pointed to the nautical chart spread out on the study desk and, in his magnetic voice, described. "The farther east you go from the Rorsted Archipelago, the more chaotic the sea becomes. The influence of the army and the Church gets weaker and weaker, barely able to protect even their own ports. This patch of sea is a paradise for pirates and very disadvantageous for us adventurers. So, I want to organize everyone and establish a loose alliance, so we can unite when we face danger.
"This alliance won't be overly binding. You can choose to stand by and watch when another adventurer is in danger, and no one will punish you. It's just that if you find yourself in a similar situation later, don't rely on anyone for help.
"Also, one thing I can promise is that adventurers in this alliance can buy items from me at close to base price, and at the very least, sell their gains at market price."
Having finished his introduction, Bilt smiled at the new adventurer across from him and said. "Well? Are you interested in joining this loose alliance? Don't worry, there won't be any extra expenses for you. Our principle is just to help each other when we encounter pirates."
Klein nodded. "Sounds good."
"Haha, I thought so too. I once wanted to name it the 'Adventurer Brotherhood,' but then I thought the word 'brotherhood' sounded too coercive, so I changed it to the 'Adventurer Mutual Aid Association'," Bilt said with a self-deprecating laugh.
At this point, he lowered his hand holding the cigar, smacked his lips, and shook his head. "Sorry, I forgot to ask your name."
Klein didn't change his posture and replied in a low voice. "Gehrman Sparrow."
"Gehrman Sparrow...?" Bilt's eyelid twitched. His smile stiffened for an instant. The bodyguards around him immediately tensed up, on high alert.
Bilt quickly recovered his composure. Instead of probing whether this was the real Gehrman Sparrow or a faker, he smiled and said.