It’s impressive.

When it first came into view, it was already obvious that the castle sitting on the foot on the mountain is huge. And because the city is slightly elevated towards the castle, I had a good view of the overall layout of the city.

The city is separated into three districts by three walls. The innermost wall is separating the castle from the rest of the city. Then there is an area with a lot of impressive mansions and it’s obvious that is the district for all the wealthy people. Maybe even only nobles. The outer district takes the most space, but that seems to be the district for the common people.

I just arrived at the capital of Brineian, and I am lining up at the gate to enter the city. I departed from Gilicia three days ago, but I didn’t take any request on the way as I initially planned, since there was nothing of interest.

When I enter the city, I ask the guard for an inn he could recommend, and I make my way there. It’s already getting late, so I definitely want to secure a place first. I leave visiting the Guild and the Royal Library for tomorrow. Even if I don’t plan to take a request for now, I want at least to take a look at the Guild and the request board. I already decided to take some time to visit the library and do some sightseeing.

“Welcome. Do you want a meal, or are you staying for the night?” After entering, I get immediately greeted by a woman in her thirties.

“I want a room. For now, a week should be fine, but I’ll stay probably longer.” The room, including the meal, costs 6 Bronze Coins per day, including dinner. So I pay 5 Big Bronze Coins and she returns 8 Bronze Coins.

“Do you want to have dinner now?”

I think for a moment. It is a bit early, but I am already hungry. So, I have dinner now, then I can rest for the evening.

“Today’s special is an Orc Stew.”

“Oh, that sounds good.”

“Alright, I’ll tell my husband. You can already sit down.”

I sit down in the dining room and a while later, a man of a similar age than the receptionist comes out of the kitchen and brings my Orc Stew. So I guess that is her husband. Before I even take the first bite, I notice the delicious smell. And when I start eating, I am convinced that I made a good choice by staying here. The food is really delicious.

The next day I slept in, so I have a late breakfast. After eating, I ask the receptionist for the location of the Adventurer Guild and the Royal Library. Unfortunately, they are in completely different areas of the city. While the Adventurer Guild is near the main gate, the Royal Library is near the middle wall. Apparently, it is even built into the wall, so there are two entrances. One leading to the outer district and the other one leading to the inner district.

But that gives me also the opportunity to have a better look at the city, when I go to both places. So I guess it’s not that bad.

I walk to the Guild and the first thing I notice, that the building here is double the size of the Guild in Gilicia. Well, it’s the capital after all, but actually seeing it is still impressive. When I enter the Guild, there are still quite several Adventurers, but I guess it already quieted down because I am considerably late since I slept in.

There are three main hunting grounds near the capital. For one, there is the forest southwest of the capital. Then there is the mountain area in the northeast, and last, another forest further to the north.

From the requests, the last two seem to be the most interesting. The first forest southwest has mostly wolves, goblins and horned rabbits, since it’s close to the city. Well, goblins can be found everywhere. The forest in the north is a bit further away, so there are more dangerous monsters, like the F-Rank Orcs. But the mountain area is the most troublesome for me at the moment, so I should avoid it until I learned magic.

According to the information on the request board, there are a lot of harpies in the mountain area. Harpies are also F-Rank monsters, so their strength is not really a problem for me. The troublesome points are their numbers and the fact that they can fly. Of course, I can still defeat them with my Blood Needle if necessary, but I still can’t explain the wounds caused by them. So, to be safe, I think it’s the best to avoid them completely, for now.

After looking at the request board, I leave the Guild again, and take a stroll through the city while making my way to the Royal Library. There are really a lot of different shops and people. At one point, I definitely want to check out these shops, but for now, my priority is the library.

When I finally arrive there, I can’t help it but to be impressed again. The capital has impressed me quite often. But what should I do. It’s my first time visiting such a city in this world and everything is new to me. At that thought I chuckle a bit at my self.

I enter the library, and the clerk explains how the library works. To enter the library, I have to pay a fee of 1 Big Bronze Coin. Then I can read all the books here. Of course, I can take notes if I want, but I can’t write in the books or damage the books in any way. In that case, I would have to pay for them. That said, there is basically nothing special, with the exception that you can’t borrow the books.

There is also a floor plan at the entry. The first floor is part of the public area, while the second and third floor are restricted areas and I would need a special permission to enter them. But since I am not interested in these areas, for now, it doesn’t matter to me.

I look at the floor plan and think about where to start. That is the one point I couldn’t decide on even until now.

I have two reasons to visit the library. One is obviously to learn about magic. The other point is to find more information about vampires. But I don’t know where to start. One option is the history section. If there were big events concerning vampires, I think I can find them there. I could also start with studying the culture of the different countries.

I feel like I should start with researching about vampires, but in the end, I am more enthusiastic about magic and decide to visit the magic section first. Well, which book should I take first? Sadly, there is no way that I can know which one is the best, so I for now I take the first two books about the basics of magic with me to compare them against each other.

But how should I even go about learning? I can’t just try magic inside the library. After all, I don’t know what happens when I first try it. But I also can’t take these books outside. So in the end, I have no choice but to remember all the information and then practice outside the city. I groan as I realize this.