Chapter 77: Otherworldly Bank

In the afternoon, at the Adventurer’s Association building, Azrael and Alina are standing before one of the tables where adventurers sell their dungeon loots.

Due to its purpose of collection of monster parts, this division of the association is situated at the rear side of the building to isolate the stretch of rotting material from the main lobby.

Azrael watches the association staff meticulously check the conditions of their loot. They are serious and careful with their work, especially when they are dealing with the raw materials of luxurious products like the pelts of red fur monkeys and the silk sacks of giant spiders.

Once the male clerk appraises the value of their haul, he writes the total amount of their earnings on a piece of paper before handing it to Azrael. The clerk then points his finger to a desk across the room and tells them they can claim their rewards there.

"Here is your reward, sir. It’s two gold and four silver coins in total."

"Hm."

The female clerk then slides a rectangular tray with six coins in it across the desk for Azrael to claim it. Out of habit, Azrael sorts the coins in order before confirming it is the exact value. Before he can leave, the clerk tells him one more thing.

"If you like to, sir, would you like to deposit it in the bank?"

"The bank?"

There are banks in this world? Like modern central banking? This world is more advanced than I thought.

"Yes, sir. The Adventurer’s Association has established a system where adventurers can deposit their money into a safe and guaranteed place. You can also rent storage units to store your things in the bank as well with the spacetime magic technology."

"So like a magic storage bag but bigger and more secure?"

"That’s right. But there is more to it. While commercial magic bags mostly allow bigger capacity for a small space and some high-end bags have slow time passage, the temporal storage units in the banks can slow the flow of time at least ten times. And depending on the tier you purchase, some storage units can even fully stop the flow of time once locked."

"That is... quite the marvelous technology you got there. It’s so fantastic."

Probably because he is exposed to Claire’s magical brilliance for some time, Azrael does not know if that is an impressive thing. Even though the bank’s temporal storage units can stop time inside, Azrael still prefers storing his stuff in his own Dimension Storage, where no one can access other than him.

But given how much this magical world has advanced technologically, he gives compliments to the bank’s tech. Especially when Claire just recently built a similar room in the new house on the floating island.

Wait. If the banks are established by the association, doesn’t that mean...

"Let me guess. Is the bank created by the elves as well?"

"Who else could it be, sir?" The clerk says. "Elven technology is the best."

Since coming to this world, Azrael has been hearing the word "elves" when it comes to technology. The identification system, the associations, the calendar, and the list go on. He comes to a discernment that there is something special with the elves of this world.

In his previous life, most of the elves in the fantasy stories are stereotyped as nature-loving, forest dwellers, technologically behind, and avoid human contact. In addition, some stories even portray them as vegetarians, which is not true in this world as he observes.

But in this world, the reality is that Azrael is dropped, and the elves are actually the opposite of what they have portrayed in fiction. They are deeply associated with technological advancement and pioneers to assimilate magic and science to develop their nation.

The more incredible things he hears from the elves, the more his interest in giving the elven nation a visit someday grows. But first thing first, he has to get accustomed to living in this world.

"Would you like to open a bank account, sir?"

"I am interested, but I have many things to do in the following days. So maybe when I have time."

After claiming their rewards today, Azrael walks to Alina, who is strolling the association building, before exiting the establishment together. With that, their first day as adventurers has come to an end.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

The sky has turned dark in the imperial capital of Siafran as the stars slowly appears from the void. Nightly establishments have been fully operational in the city to accommodate the empire’s regular bustling night.

In one of the inns in the city, there is a room where Azrael and Alina stay after spending the day adventuring in the dungeon. This is the inn that Carlene secured for them.

It is not as spacious and luxurious as the hotel room where they met Carlene earlier. It is not small or shabby either. It has its own bathroom and bedroom.

In the living area, Azrael and Alina are standing in the middle of the room. He then opens his Dimension Storage wide, and from there, he takes out a thin and circular steel plate measuring six feet across the diameter and a centimeter thick. He gently lays the plate down on the red carpet over a concrete floor.

The wide plate has lines, circles, and scriptures carved on it. That place is actually a magical device made by Claire.

"Let’s get in, Alina."

"Alright."

After that, Azrael and Alina step on it before Azrael takes out a talisman and channels his mana into it to trigger the sealed magic spell in it. Once the talisman starts burning, the metallic place begins to emit vertical rays of light.

The lights blind the pair for about ten seconds. When the lights subside, Azrael and Alina ultimately find themselves on the same metallic plate on a raised platform in a dim and cold room. Upon releasing the Fast Travel spell in the talisman, they have transported them in the basement of their abode on their floating island.

"We are at home at last."

Azrael says as they step out of the presaved coordinate of the Fast Travel before he puts the metallic plate back to his subspace.

Once they exit the basement, they walk along the side corridor of the villa. Due to their location, they see that the sun is about touched the horizon. At least that is the case at their altitude, and it is probably twilight at sea level.

"Lady Carlene prepared that room for us. Are you sure we are not going to spend the night there?"

"While I appreciate her efforts to find a good inn for us, I am not sure if we could safely sleep in the city."

"Are you thinking about the men from earlier?" She asks.

"That’s one of my concerns. But, yeah."

Azrael may be overwhelmingly powerful and can be considered a walking catastrophe, but he cannot watch Alina all the time. As the amalgamation of different monsters, he does not need to restore his energy in the first place, so he can just guard her in her sleep.

But in reality, Azrael actually prefers to take rest in the only place he knows is safe. He does not fear those men or anything, except for Vordoth, who still inflicts fears on him. It is just a matter of preferences.

"But really, I just like spending the night with you here."

"If you say so, Master Azrael."

Now that they are back at home, Alina can address him the way she likes. Since he prefers to be addressed by his name, Alina just adds his name to make a new way to address him.

"Anyways, let’s take a day off tomorrow. I have to train my swordsmanship with Dareon after. I have to practice and sharpen my magic as well."

"Let me serve you your favorite meal for dinner, Master Azrael."

"You mean pasta? Sweet. I’m glad I bought ingredients earlier. You are learning well, Alina."

"It is an honor to be blessed with your wisdom."

As the modern human living in a modern age, Azrael cannot live without savoring his favorite foods from his past life. In his early days, all he ate to survive was raw monsters. He does not like it, but he has no option but to do so.

Now that he has gained a human body, he can enjoy food like a normal person. But as days went by, this world had limited food options to offer. The best thing he tasted here is probably a roasted steak. This world may be magical and somewhat advanced, but it is still lacking in the culinary aspect.

For that reason, he used his modern wisdom to teach Alina how to cook more varieties of food. There might be some missing ingredients, but they find a way to find a local alternative.

In the end, they recreated several of the dishes Azrael wanted to taste for a long time. Some of the dishes they recreated are some noodle dishes, pastries that require refined sugar like cake, pizzas, fried foods, and even some condiments.

"Have you ever thought of opening a diner to serve the recipes you have created? I am confident that you can get rich quickly by doing so."

"Well, it may have a bright future, but there are many things to consider when opening an establishment, like the logistics. Business is not my strong suit. We need to find a suitable person for that."

"I understand it now."

Afterwards, they are greeted by Claire before Alina goes to the kitchen to start cooking their dinner.