novelraw Chapter 4 : Brass Lantern Base
Chapter 4 : Brass Lantern Base
Chapter 4: Brass Lantern Base
Unfortunately, the moment Lance stepped into the Adventurers’ Guild the next day, before he even had the chance to say the line he had rehearsed all night—“I want to register”—
he was suddenly grabbed by a visibly anxious Nia and dragged straight behind the counter.
“Help! We can’t finish copying the task lists!”
And so, on what was originally supposed to be a day off, Lance was forced into even more frantic overtime work.
Amid a morning so busy that his quill nearly snapped from writing, Lance finally figured out why the Guild was so overcrowded today.
It was all thanks to the overly sharp-minded branch president of Graystone Town.
That shrewd old man, seeing the business revenue decline sharply over the past few months—and with the recent dungeon rampage causing drastic changes in the surrounding mana distribution—
took advantage of the situation.
A group of low-level monsters that had lived in the central region of Copper Creek Forest had been startled and migrated outward, directly leading to frequent monster harassment incidents in nearby villages.
Slimes clogged irrigation channels in farmland, goblins roamed in groups robbing passersby, and some villagers even reported seeing packs of gnolls at the forest’s edge.
Using this as justification, the president specially applied to the nearest higher-ranking city Guild for a “special subsidy order.”
Any Adventurer who registered in Graystone Town or completed commissions here would receive a 20% increase in rewards.
The extra portion would be fully subsidized by the higher Guild.
This immediately attracted low-level Adventurers from several nearby towns, swarming in like sharks smelling blood, following merchant caravans to arrive here.
The entire morning, Nia and Lance spent in an endless cycle of registration processing and task transcription.
“Ah! Morning is finally over!”
As the clock struck twelve, Nia let out a long sigh of relief and stretched hard.
The bright midday sunlight streamed through the stained glass window at the side, pouring over her brown hair and casting a golden halo.
Today, she had deliberately worn a forest-green velvet headband adorned with several delicate white lace roses.
As she stretched her arms, the dark green Guild-issued double-breasted fitted vest clung tightly to her body, outlining the girl’s beautiful and lively curves—it was truly pleasing to the eye.
Lance found himself staring.
In her raised right hand was the final completed registration list.
Nia leaned back, crossing her long legs, her toes lightly hooking the cabinet in front as she smoothly slid the paper onto Lance’s desk.
“Mr. Scribe, if you’re done staring, please file this list for me.”
Nia blinked playfully, the corner of her lips lifting into a teasing smile.
“I’m going to enjoy a delicious lunch now.”
As she spoke, she even pushed her luck further by blowing him a light, exaggerated kiss.
However, just as she was about to withdraw her hand—
a warm, firm hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.
Nia was startled, and two rosy clouds instantly bloomed across her pale face.
Before she could react, she felt a quill and a fresh sheet of parchment forcibly pressed into her hand.
Lance looked up, his gaze intense.
“Nia, do me a favor.”
“I want to register as an Adventurer.”
Nia froze for a moment, then puffed her cheeks slightly in disappointment and muttered softly,
“Hmph, I thought you were going to invite me to lunch.”
But she quickly understood what he meant, and her entire expression stiffened, the blush fading rapidly.
Then came pure shock.
“What did you say? You want to register as an Adventurer?”
Her wide eyes were filled with doubt as she looked him up and down in disbelief.
“But… haven’t you only trained for half a month?”
Based on her experience as a senior receptionist, even the fastest record for an ordinary person to pass the test and become an official Adventurer was half a year.
And that was within the Guild, which had a complete training system. She had never heard of anyone achieving it in just half a month.
Well, the chosen heroes in bard tales didn’t count—those protagonists were monsters.
Lance had long anticipated this question.
Keeping a straight face, he brought out his tried-and-true excuse.
“You know my father was a retired soldier, right?”
Lance said mysteriously.
“Actually, I’ve been undergoing his devilish training since I was a child. My foundation has long been solid—I just needed that final push.”
At this point, his gaze toward Nia became especially sincere, even carrying a hint of gratitude.
“And that’s thanks to you for helping me rent that private training room. I was able to focus completely for half a month and break through the bottleneck, pushing my swordsmanship to the Proficient level.”
Under such earnest eyes, Nia felt her heartbeat skip, and she hurriedly looked away, too flustered to meet his gaze.
“I… am I really that important?”
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the edge of her sleeve, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
After several seconds, she raised her head again, forcing herself back into her usual professional composure—though her ears remained burning red.
“Alright, I’ll process your registration.”
“But let me be clear first—the test can’t be skipped.”
Nia picked up the quill and waved it at him, her tone carrying a hint of playful reproach.
“Even if we’re on the same side, rules are rules.”
The two-hour noon break was a fixed rest period in the Adventurers’ Guild.
The hall gradually quieted, and most of the staff behind the counters either went out in groups to find food or found somewhere to nap.
Taking advantage of this rare lull, Nia led Lance into the warehouse of the logistics department.
The warehouse was silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing.
“It should be somewhere down here…”
Nia muttered as she crouched in front of a row of old display cabinets.
Today, she wore a dark brown knee-length skirt and a pair of fitted leather boots.
To reach something deeper inside the cabinet, she had to kneel on the ground, her upper body almost entirely inside.
The posture was… somewhat improper.
The tight fabric outlined the girl’s remarkably rounded waist and hips, subtly swaying with her movements.
Standing beside her, Lance felt his throat go dry.
He quickly averted his gaze and stared at the cobwebs on the ceiling, counting the strands.
“Found it!”
Soon, Nia’s excited voice rang out.
She pulled herself out of the cabinet, holding an object covered in dust.
It was an old brass lantern base, crudely crafted with a simple, ancient design. At the center of the base was embedded a dull, inconspicuous translucent stone.
If a glass cover were placed over it, it would look just like an ordinary lantern.