"Please show your sect identity slip or your recommendation plaque before passing through!"
As I took the few steps let to reach the gate, I was stopped by the guard which was obviously a different kind of reaction from the one they displayed for the carriages of the 'White Spear Sect'...
'I guess that's the difference between a vip and a normal member…'
It obviously didn't mean anything for the card that I was in the same carriage that they had just allowed to pass, in fact, it seemed like they suspected me more for leaving the carriage just before passing through the gate…
"Here you go…"
Imagining what scenario I would have been in if I came without it like I intended to before knowing the whole mechanic of the recruitment, I took out the plaque given by old white for them to see.
"Oh, a recruitee as expected…"
'...'
"Alright, this plaque is valid, you may go in…"
Entering through the gate, I could see that this place wasn't too far from being called a legit city, in fact…
There was a small sign that said 'Battle City welcomes you' hung a few meters away!
The fact that it was named battle city was obviously due to the fact that the main event that this city is made to conduct is a battle tournament, but what made it feel strange was that the statement seemed oddly familiar yet not fitting…
That aside, the city seemed to be quite developed for a place that is only used for a few weeks per year which indicated that it wasn't used for tournament holding only…
Taking a simple tour around the small city, it wasn't hard to tell that it also served as a place for members of different sects to meet and interact and most importantly exchange some materials that might not be so easy to get in your region yet it would be easy to get from another sect member here for a cheap price…
It wasn't completely wrong to call this as the 'Sect Domain Summit'...
The place couldn't be considered bustling as there were still 4 days before the main event, the 'Recruitment Tournament', started but there were a few who had set some stalls to sell their own rarities, while some others were wandering around searching for their shopping target.
As for me, since it was this late already and mid night was almost there, I decided to call it a day for now, especially since I didn't really have a target other than participating in the 'Show Off Battle Royale'...
"Excuse me…"
After simple asking someone for directions, I arrived at the only lodging that was possible to rent as a recruitee…
"How can I help you?"
"I would like a room for one but with a big bed…"
"Hmmm, you see, all our rooms are of the same type, with a medium sized bed as the standard."
"Alright then, I guess that works…"
"How many days will you be staying…?"
"Until the joint meeting is concluded…"
'Isn't this pretty obvious…?'
"Well, I will give you a piece of advice as a free service, it's better to pay the rent on a daily basis instead of in one go, after all, you never know when you have to go… you know what I mean, right?"
'Ah…'
It turned out that the receptionist wasn't being dumb on purpose, as he was trying to be considerate, advising me in case I turned out to be one of those simple recruitees who would simply get knocked out at their first match, possibly losing the chance to get accepted into a sect and being forced to leave early, in this case, it would indeed be harmful to pay the full expected rent for the days that weren't even guaranteed… but…
'Not to mention that I'm not afraid of a premature loss, but does it really matter? After all, just how expensive could the daily rent here be…?'
"Nevermind, I will pay for 10 days in advance."
"Sigh… they always do that, some come to regret it soon while a few manage to prove their decision was right, I hope you will be one of the latter… and yes, that will be 10 gold coins."
"..."
"Would you like to revise your decision sir…?"
'This is no longer just expensive, this is more like daylight robbery…'
"It's nothing…"
Taking out ten gold coins from my originally empty pouch, I was still somewhat shocked at how this not too fancy lodging had such a premium price just for being situated in the location that the 'Sect Domain Summit' was held at!
"Here you go sir, here's your key room, the number of the room is displayed on it, the room itself is situated on the second floor."
"Thanks…"
Receiving the key, I already went to the stairs as I was eager to check the bed that cost me 1 gold per day…
The second thing that was going on in my mind was me confirming my guess, that coins were indeed the unified currency of the 'Lost Realm' which was quite convenient for me, though I still had my preparations in case it wasn't…
Click.
'The room isn't too big… neither is the bed'
Just like the receptionist on the desk said, it seemed like the size of the room's configurations seemed to be pretty standard, but I was more concerned about quality…
'Let's get to it already!'
Now that there was a bed right in front of me, I could no longer hold my passion for sleep as I hurriedly exchanged my clothes and lightly jumped into the bed…
Fuah…
'Just what kind of material is this?!'
As a person who is passionate about sleeping, since it was one of the only things I could enjoy back then, I had obviously slept on various beds with respectively varied quality, but if someone were to ask me about the best bed I had tried, I would undoubtedly mention this '1 gold per day's worth' bed!
'I guess that you get what you pay for…'