Sylutia and Talier didn’t squeeze up to the bulletin board crowded with people; they watched from afar and listened to the discussions. The girl also took a quick survey of the people in the guild hall.

There were six adventurers who had reached the first-tier Aspect, and most of the others could at least use the Breathing Technique or other abilities—so they weren’t ordinary civilians. It seemed the Breathing Technique was the basic requirement for becoming an adventurer.

At present Sylutia’s Breathing Technique had already advanced to the second stage.

[Breathing Method Lv.2] (Bloodline): Regulates the speed of blood flow through breath control, driving and enhancing full-body strength and reaction speed. This ability places stress on the heart and body and cannot be used for prolonged periods (recommended no more than 3 minutes per day); (Completion 21/600)

So far she still hadn’t encountered the bottleneck Frien had mentioned. Each time she practiced the Breathing Technique she gains +5 completion, and because of the training her physical qualities had improved a lot over the past half month. She could now practice four times a day, which meant +20 progress per day. At that rate, in about a month she could reach Breathing Method Stage Three.

She would have to stop once she entered the third stage; if she continued training, her fate Aspect might directly shift into (First-Tier — Bloodline), and that was not a result she wanted.

As for swordsmanship and spear technique, they were currently at Basic Swordsmanship Lv.4 and Basic Spear Technique Lv.4 respectively. Their proficiency rose slowly. Sylutia guessed that to further improve those skills, she would need combat experience.

Around noon many people went to eat, and the adventurer hall became a bit quieter.

Sylutia walked to the front desk and asked, “Excuse me, is there a girl named Mareen here?”

“I’m Mareen. You are?” She was sure she didn’t know this girl.

“I’m from Lindenwood Village. I had an accident and got lost in the forest, lost some memories, and I’ve come to Scorchstone City seeking help. This is a letter of introduction from Mr. Frien.” She handed over the prepared letter from her bosom.

Mareen opened the envelope and, seeing the familiar handwriting, her expression softened. Her previous suspicion vanished.

“Oh, so you’re an acquaintance of Uncle Frien. Hmm, he praised Miss Tia a lot in this letter and asked me to take good care of you.” Mareen read out the letter’s gist.

“This hall isn’t a good place to talk. Come over here. By the way, this is Talier, right?” She actually recognized the wild girl.

“You know me?” Talier stared in amazement.

“Heh heh. Of course—being the Adventurers’ Guild receptionist means remembering faces is my job.” Mareen winked and led the two to a side room off the hall to sit.

“When Uncle Frien mentioned Lindenwood Village, I immediately thought of Old Ponde. You’re his granddaughter—I guessed right away.” Mareen explained.

“Is Grandpa that famous?” Sitting at the small round table, Talier puffed up with a bit of pride and happiness.

“Old Ponde is a registered famous figure in the Scorchstone City Adventurers’ Guild. He’s also the only living legend left,” Mareen said, shaking her head slightly to indicate he was no ordinary person.

“Many people come to the guild as adventurers, but only a handful stay in this line for over ten years.”

“Adventurers can make a lot of money, but there are also countless dangers and accidents. Many die on tasks, and many are gravely injured and forced to quit.” Mareen sighed.

“So if an adventurer is very strong, they should be able to overcome dangers and come through unscathed, right?” Talier fantasized about her future.

“Rarely. If an adventurer reaches Third Tier or above, they usually stop doing this work.” Mareen brought simple tea for the two of them.

“A Third-Tier transcendent is enough to become a powerful knight, swear fealty to a noble, and receive a small fief.”

“If they choose another profession, they can join large organizations and gain high status without the daily wandering life of an adventurer.” She sat down across from them.

“Are you here because you’re interested in becoming an adventurer?”

“Yes.” Sylutia thought for a moment and briefly explained her situation.

“I see. Miss Tia, if you don’t want to rely on your looks to get by, you’ll need a profession to support yourself. Fortunately I have the most complete information here.” Mareen blinked cleverly.

“Since Uncle Frien recommended you, he must have recognized and praised some aspect of you. I know his personality well.”

“You mentioned the Apothecary Guild earlier. It’s a good choice, but becoming an apothecary isn’t easy.” She shook her head slightly.

“First,” she raised a finger.

“You must learn how to identify, pick, and process various herbs. These tasks are tedious, and written records are often incomplete.”

“Second, if you don’t know the Sniffing Method, it’s hard to go far as an apothecary.”

“As the name implies, the Sniffing Method uses smell to distinguish herbs’ properties, boiling degrees, and resulting effects.”

“Just like not everyone can learn the Breathing Technique, learning the Sniffing Method depends on talent.”

“If you master those two things, you could become an ordinary apothecary apprentice, join the Apothecary Guild, and make common potions to make a living.”

“To truly become an apothecary, you must also learn the Harmonizing Method. This is more complex than the Sniffing Method: it harmonizes and extracts an ingredient’s Aspect so you can make special medicines above First Tier.”

“Currently in Scorchstone City there are only four apothecaries who know the Harmonizing Method. They are the Apothecary Guild’s elites; most of their medicines don’t circulate on the market. Only a few healing or antidote potions are sold to adventurers.”

“So, I suggest Miss Tia postpone becoming an apothecary and aim to be a gardener first.”

“A common gardener only needs to care for and prune plants. A professional gardener must learn how to cultivate the Verdant Nectar Aspect; they can grow high-quality flowers, vegetables, and fruit, and even rare flora that contain Aspect power.”

“There’s no clear superiority between the two, but a gardener’s work is relatively easier, giving Miss Tia more time to do other things.”

“For you, this job is just transitional, right?” As the guild receptionist, Mareen had seen a lot and knew the girl wouldn’t stay limited to this.

Sylutia didn’t pay much heed to Mareen’s earlier warnings about the difficulty of becoming an apothecary, but she listened when Mareen mentioned time.

Indeed, if she studied under Scholar Hyde, she’d likely spend most of her time learning theory. Apothecaries also require two ability card slots. If both were used, she’d have no room to learn other abilities later.

In terms of time, energy, and reasonable planning of ability cards, being a gardener was the better choice.

“It seems I’ll need to be a gardener for a while.” The girl tucked her fingers through the hair in front of her and lifted her head.

“Could Sister Mareen guide me on how to get started?” Her soft, pleasant voice made Mareen pause for a few seconds.

“You’re wasting a voice like that not being a songstress—that’s a shame.” Mareen shook her head.

“How to start? That’s easy. I can try to get a manual from a well-known gardener in the city. I’m somewhat familiar with Lady Franne, though ordinary people don’t know of her existence.”

“As for repayment, don’t rush to pay me back. First make sure you can live comfortably, Tia.”