Dual Realm Exchange System

Damian looked toward Eunice. ”Is registration necessary?”

”It will prevent unnecessary trouble in most regards. Without identification, the city guards may treat you as a suspicious traveler as you have no local identity,” Eunice replied softly.

”The Guild can also help you find work and learn more about Valoria... possibly.” Janet added with a snicker on the side, making Damian give her a side-eye.

Well, it seemed that whether it was for the tutorial or for his own good, this needed to happen.

Damian was neither pedantic nor troublesome. He simply swung his legs over the side and climbed out of bed, standing to his full height of six feet.

The healing potion had restored him completely, though his damaged clothing still made him look like a survivor of some violent attack. His shirt was torn around the shoulder and stained with dried blood, while his trousers had suffered several cuts from whatever had happened during his arrival.

Eunice lent him a plain brown cloak to cover the worst of it, and the group left the room.

The four ladies had been staying inside a busy inn near the center of Rosewood Town. Damian saw humans, elves, beastfolk, dwarves, and several other races as they passed through the common hall, confirming that the women were far from unusual in this world.

A pair of broad dwarves sat around a small table drinking from wooden mugs, while an orange-furred beastwoman carried several plates between the tables with impressive balance. Near the entrance, two young men wearing leather armor argued quietly over a rolled piece of parchment.

Several patrons greeted the Valkyries as they passed, though most paused to give Damian a curious look.

He could hardly blame them.

Even with the cloak, his shoes and remaining clothing were clearly unlike anything worn by the people around him.

Outside, stone roads divided rows of wooden and brick buildings. Wagons moved through the streets beside armed adventurers, merchants, robed mages, and labourers carrying goods.

Small shops lined both sides of the road, their signs displaying swords, potions, books, cooked meat, and other easily recognizable symbols. The buildings were mostly two or three floors tall, with slanted roofs and narrow glass windows.

Rosewood Town was busy without feeling overcrowded.

Damian wanted to examine everything, but he restrained himself.

There would be time to study Valoria after he secured his identity and understood what the system could do. For now, he followed the Valkyries through the town.

Paulina walked at the front with Eunice, her grey tail swaying behind her as she greeted several passing beastfolk.

Julia remained beside Damian, though he suspected that was less for companionship and more because she still did not completely trust him.

Janet constantly moved between them, sometimes walking forward and then turning around to speak while facing the group.

”You’re taking this rather well! Most Otherworlders panic, cry, demand to see a king, or ask whether they were summoned to defeat a Demon Lord.” Janet commented, studying Damian with open curiosity.

”Have you met many Otherworlders?” Damian asked with raised eyebrows.

”No... but I’ve heard stories!” Janet replied confidently.

Julia glanced at her with disdain. ”Stories written for children.”

”No, stories based on historical events!” Janet fiercely defended herself, glaring at Julia.

”Loosely based would be a better way to describe it.” Eunice corrected with a smile.

Damian listened without commenting.

The fact that Otherworlders were known within Valoria would make his life easier, but it also meant that people might possess certain expectations about him. Whether those expectations were beneficial remained to be seen.

They eventually reached a large building overlooking a crowded plaza, a silver shield bearing a crossed sword and staff hanging above its reinforced doors.

People armed with every kind of weapon constantly entered and left. Damian saw swords, axes, spears, bows, staves, and even a large metal hammer carried over the shoulder of a muscular woman with red skin.

Several wooden boards had been erected around the plaza, covered with sheets of parchment and surrounded by adventurers discussing their contents.

Janet hurried ahead and spread her arms dramatically.

”Welcome to the Rosewood Adventurer’s Guild!”

Damian looked at the building, then at the people coming in and out of the place.

This was his first step in Valoria.

More importantly, it was his first step toward returning home.

The group climbed the short stone stairs and entered through the large double doors.

The Guild interior resembled a mixture between a tavern, government office, and private military hall. Long tables occupied one side of the ground floor, allowing adventurers to eat, drink, and discuss their work, while several counters stretched across the opposite side.

Behind them, uniformed employees handled parchment, coins, identification cards, and monster materials brought in by returning parties.

A wide staircase led to the upper floors, while several corridors extended deeper into the building.

The atmosphere was loud but orderly.

Adventurers boasted about completed missions, receptionists called out names, and the occasional argument broke out before being quickly silenced by the armed guards stationed around the hall.

Damian noticed that the Valkyries received even more attention here than they had outside.

Some adventurers greeted them warmly, while others raised mugs in their direction. Janet responded to nearly everyone, Paulina smiled proudly, and Eunice returned the greetings with practiced grace.

Julia ignored most of them.

”They seem to know you,” Damian pointed out with surprise.

”We have completed many missions around Rosewood,” Eunice explained softly.

”We’re famous and powerful!” Janet declared proudly.

”That’s because wherever we go, you are the loudest,” Julia corrected while rolling her eyes.

”Heh, that is merely another path toward fame!” Janet countered shamelessly.

Rather than joining one of the longer queues, Eunice led the group toward a counter near the far end of the hall.

An older human woman sat behind it, sorting several stacks of parchment with an increasingly irritated expression. She appeared to be in her late fifties, with greying black hair tied into a strict bun and a pair of square glasses balanced low on her nose.

Her nameplate identified her as Senior Receptionist Agnes Vale.

Agnes looked up as they approached, and her stern expression softened immediately.

”There you girls are. I heard you returned this morning. Were there any complications with the goblin nest?” Agnes greeted them, placing the parchment aside.

”Nothing we couldn’t handle,” Paulina replied proudly.

”We cleared it completely and recovered several stolen items from the nearby farms,” Eunice added.

Agnes nodded with satisfaction. ”Good. Leave the report with me, and I will process your rewards before sunset.”

Her gaze then shifted toward Damian and the warmth vanished.

Agnes slowly looked him over from his brown cloak to his foreign shoes, then narrowed her eyes.

”And who is this?” she asked.

”He’s a man!” Janet replied helpfully.

Agnes gave her a flat stare. ”Thank you, Janet. My eyesight may be worsening, but it has not yet failed me completely.”

Damian stepped forward politely. ”My name is Damian Baines. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

His courtesy only seemed to make Agnes more suspicious.

”Mhm, and how exactly did a strange young man end up following my girls into the Guild?” she murmured, looking between him and the four women.

”Errr, ’your’ girls?” Julia repeated with a baffled look.

”Hmph, I watched the four of you grow from reckless Copper-ranked brats into slightly less reckless Silver-ranked adventurers. That gives me certain rights!” Agnes declared, making Julia shrink her neck for the first time today.

”We found Damian unconscious in the forest. He was severely injured, so we brought him back and treated him.” Eunice explained patiently.

Agnes turned sharply toward Damian. ”And now you’re following them around because they saved you?”

”I was told to register with the Guild,” Damian answered calmly, though a bit amused at this older woman’s protectiveness.

”That is how it begins. First, a handsome stranger needs assistance. Then, he starts smiling politely, acting helpless, and somehow convinces four sensible young women to finance his meals while he pursues his mysterious dreams.” Agnes muttered darkly with pursed lips.

Damian blinked, feeling that this was not... entirely incorrect.

Paulina tilted her head, her wolf ears flapping in confusion.

”That sounds... oddly specific.”

”Hmph, I can foresee it all happening. Look at his hapless blue eyes, they were simply made to deceive young ladies of their virtue!” Agnes accused firmly.

Damian glanced at Eunice, who offered him an apologetic smile.

The young man decided not to argue against pointless suspicion.

Fortunately, Eunice soon returned the conversation to its purpose.

”Agnes, Damian requires registration, but his circumstances are unusual as he is an Otherworlder.” Eunice began, and the change was immediate.

Agnes’s suspicious expression disappeared, replaced by complete shock.

”He’s... an Otherworlder?” she repeated.

Her gaze moved over Damian again, though this time she seemed to be searching for something rather than judging him.

”Yes, he appeared naturally in the forest outside Rosewood. He has no knowledge of Valoria and cannot view his Character Sheet.” Eunice confirmed.

Agnes rose from her chair, glaring at the four young ladies.

”Why didn’t you begin with that?”

”You were busy interrogating him,” Janet pointed out with an innocent look.

Agnes ignored the comment and stepped out from behind the counter.

”Guild protocol for Otherworlders is different. Normal receptionists are not authorized to complete the process, especially when the individual arrived through an unrecorded dimensional event. The Guildmaster must conduct the initial interview personally.” She explained while gathering several documents.

Damian noticed the nearby receptionists glancing toward them as the word ’Otherworlder’ had attracted attention.

Agnes noticed it as well.

”Follow me, and keep your voices down,” she instructed before turning toward the staircase.

Damian and the four ladies followed her through the hall, going up to the second floor.

The upper level was quieter, containing several offices and meeting rooms rather than the crowded public areas below.

Agnes led them to a reinforced wooden door at the end of the corridor and knocked twice.

”Enter,” a deep voice called from within.

Agnes opened the door, and the office beyond was large but surprisingly simple. Shelves filled with books and mission records lined the walls, while a detailed map of the surrounding region hung behind a broad wooden desk.

The man seated there was impossible to overlook.

He was an older lion beastman with a huge, powerfully built frame that made the reinforced chair beneath him appear too small. Thick tawny hair flowed around his head and shoulders like a mane, blending into a heavy beard streaked with grey.

His face was weathered but commanding, with a broad nose, sharp golden eyes, and several scars crossing his dark skin. Even while seated, he gave Damian the impression of a veteran warrior who could crush a normal man with one hand.

Yet the smile on his face was easygoing.

”Ah, if it isn’t Little Agnes, how are you doing? Oh, and our town’s four little ladies full of spirit. This is an unexpected gathering!” The Guildmaster greeted them warmly.

Agnes, for that matter, blushed slightly at the affectionate recall, which was strange seeing on a nearly fifty-year-old woman, whereas the four ladies seemed respectful and flattered to be called out by this man.

Damian realized that this man must be extremely well respected in this town to garner such reactions.

”Has something happened?” The Guildmaster asked, seeing that they looked purposeful.

Agnes closed the door behind them.

”Guildmaster Roland, the young man with them is an Otherworlder. He appeared suddenly outside Rosewood,” she reported, nodding towards Damian.

Roland’s golden eyes widened. ”An Otherworlder? Here, in our little Rosewood Town?”

He rose from his chair, revealing that he was even larger than Damian had assumed. The Guildmaster stood well over seven feet tall, with broad shoulders and muscular arms partly exposed beneath his dark red vest.

Damian instinctively straightened his back as Roland examined him for several seconds before his surprise changed into an interested smile.

”Well, this certainly makes the day more exciting,” the muscular Lionman remarked.

”Sit down, young man. There are a few important things I must explain before we begin your registration.” Guildmaster Roland stated in a gentle tone.

Damian took the offered chair opposite the desk, while the four ladies remained behind him.

Roland returned to his seat and folded his large hands together.

”Our world, Valoria, is extremely receptive to Otherworlders like yourself. You are not the first to arrive here, nor will you be the last. Because of that, the laws and Guild regulations surrounding Otherworlders are slightly different from those applied to ordinary travelers.” Roland explained in a deep tone.

”That sounds... convenient,” Damian replied cautiously.

”It is intended to be,” Roland admitted with a nod.

”A person arriving from another realm possesses no family records, citizenship, money, education, or knowledge of local customs. Treating such people as criminals for lacking documents would be both foolish and cruel.” The Guildmaster added with a shake of his head.

Damian’s impression of the Guild improved significantly at that.

Roland leaned back slightly.

”Before I explain those regulations, Damian Baines, I need to understand how much you already know. To that end, how much do you know about the basic rules?” he continued.

Damian paused, noting that the question sounded ordinary, but the serious expression on Roland’s face suggested that he was referring to something specific.

Eunice quietly clarified from behind him. ”He means the basic rules governing power and growth in Valoria.”

Damian understood.

”Nothing,” Damian answered honestly.

Roland stared at him for a moment, then released a deep chuckle that filled the office.

”Then it is fortunate that you came here first. After all, no one in Rosewood Town could explain the beauty of Valoria better than me!” The Guildmaster declared with an easy grin.