While they traveled toward the nearest city, Lucien used his free time to research everything he could about the Western continent—Varnhym—and possibly the other two continents called Neravon and Kytherra.
Varnhym yielded the most information, followed by Neravon. He couldn’t uncover much about Neravon, though, because the continent contained more undiscovered territories than the Western continent.
But it hosted numerous powerful individuals, and reports suggested that a higher percentage of players level 300 and above were more active in Neravon than in Varnhym. The majority of this activity stemmed from the influence of the Daltian Empire.
Lucien discovered there were forty-three countries across the continents of Varnhym and Neravon. Nothing about Kytherra was known at all—players who ventured there never wanted to return, always claiming there was nothing there.
Hence, the place and its contents remained a mystery.
The Western Continent, which people often called the continent of Varnhym, was known to possess nineteen main countries along with six major tribes that occupied regions—at least, these were the identified ones. As far as Evolution Online was concerned, anyone could make discoveries at any moment.
Just like how the Moonshade Elves had been brought back to life by a certain player, Cien. As a matter of fact, regarding that matter, since there was no official announcement, no players knew of the reappearance of the strongest race of elves.
And certainly none of them knew one was casually walking through a large and popular nation like Rhamira. Ordinarily, light elves and dark elves were rare enough to encounter, not to mention the first of their kinds.
Lucien stood before a massive building with double doors. This was what every player called the Adventurer’s Guild Hall.
When a player entered any major city—whether Rhamira, Skyland, or Daltian—they had a responsibility to visit the Adventurer’s Guild and register themselves as Adventurers. Often this was how the tutorial was completed, because you would be tested before you could become an Adventurer.
However, because of his choice of starting location, he had missed that and had now come to take the tutorial and become an adventurer now that he was level 85.
’I just overslept, that’s all.’
He sighed heavily and pushed the doors open.
As he stepped into the space, the pungent smell of wood assaulted his nose. He instinctively wrinkled his nose, paused, and looked at the people who had turned to stare at him.
It seemed like there was a celebration—all of them were clutching large mugs of foamy liquid in their hands. They were diverse in every shape and form.
From the ones bristling with brown beards and boasting massive muscled bodies, to the ones skinny with gaunt faces and deep shadowy eyes. From the busty ladies to the barely chested ones, all of them laughed and played in the reception of the guild hall.
The sudden opening of the doors had made most of them turn their heads, but it barely lasted a second before the men continued their revelry.
"Have you ever seen the Ash Thorn? I hear she’s an elf born from a human womb, that she’s ashamed of her human lineage."
"And yet she’s the Ash Throne, one of the three fiercest Druids on the continent. She’s up there ruling while you—a man with a tiny weenie—are down here gossiping about her."
"Oi mate, you better watch that nasty mouth of yours."
The man speaking was large and fat, with his eyelids nearly closing and his speech slurring. He lifted his hand and threw back a mouthful of ale. Then he exhaled sharply.
"Ahhh! It doesn’t have to be a fight. We’re just celebrating."
Another person called out from another seat.
"Ravel loves to be serious all the time—fuck him!"
Lucien and Gayanna silently weaved through the crowd and stopped before the counter.
To the left side of the counter table, a man in a bamboo hat sat leaning against the surface while swirling the crimson drink he had ordered.
"Hello, esteemed visitors. Is this your first time in Vel? If yes, would you like me to walk you through the details? If no, then how may I help you?"
The man behind the counter was quite young—he had tousled auburn hair, striking green eyes, and wore an emerald vest with gold detailing over a white shirt. His voice was measured, dripping with sweetness and refinement.
Lucien studied him carefully.
’He looks more like some reckless noble who owns this place.’
The attendant continued smiling, staring directly at Lucien as he awaited a response.
"I am... we are new here."
The attendant nodded and turned to Gayanna, who stood beside Lucien. Then he winked and blew a kiss.
’This fool... what does he...?’
To Lucien’s shock, Gayanna caught the kiss and pressed it to her chest, smiling pleasantly while looking away.
Lucien’s brows furrowed instantly, though no one could see it behind his mask.
"If you’re new here, then you’ll need to take the Adventurers Trial. There are eleven tiers of adventurers, with the strongest being Tier 11—or as we call them, Platinum Adventurers."
The young man smiled subtly, especially at Gayanna.
"The Trial is straightforward. For one week, you’ll be trained on the fundamentals, then tested afterwards. You’ll be examined on what you learn about the world and the continent. You’ll also face a one-on-one battle with the High Warden—if you can block one of his strikes, you pass. Based on his recommendation, you’ll be tiered as an Adventurer. If you’re exceptional enough, you could even receive a warden’s token."
He tilted his head slightly.
"That concludes the introductory part."
He produced a book and a quill pen, then offered them to Gayanna first, beaming at her.
"Please write down your name."
Lucien intercepted Gayanna and slid the paper toward himself, fixing the attendant with a cold stare.
He wrote his name and also jotted down Gaya’s, then slid the paper back across the counter.
The boy received the book with an appreciative nod, then opened it to confirm the entries. However, he suddenly froze. His eyes widened as if he’d just witnessed something impossible.
He immediately slammed his hand on the table, his eyes growing wider still.
"Player Cien! You’re Player Cien?!"
Instantly, the atmosphere in the hall shifted.