Ad aspera

- I need an Alchemist! There's talk of a paid job.

-- Ah, a mercenary. Ahem. Come in. We don't need extra ears around...

Letting Krait in, the alchemist locks the door again, although, it would seem, the spirit of his lair should have scared away all living things within a dozen meters. The master of secret science looks, to put it mildly, wild: thin, dirty, in rags that even a beggar would be ashamed of, he coughs often and moves slowly and awkwardly. Experiments, apparently, have left their mark... The dwelling fully corresponds to its owner: dirty, smoky, and with a terrible smell: something is boiling on the fire that the alchemist has lit right in the middle of the room in a large tray, and the fumes rise in a column. One corner is piled with all sorts of ingredients: some in sacks, some on shelves, some in sealed jars, some lying on the floor, the second is filled with bottles of dubious contents, the third has a dirty bedding, and the fourth has a staircase to the basement. Several books, none of whose pages have escaped the alchemist's own notes, are scattered on the floor.
-- Ahem. You found your way here quickly... So, listen, there are several tasks. First, I need to test something. On myself and, ahem, in the field. Second, I need to get a certain book from our university. I, ahem, am not in good standing there... And finally, I, ahem, have some problems with the local riffraff. Criminals. What are your skills?

Added 4 minutes ago

What locations can I go to.

Noted:
City center, town hall
Eastern quarter, guard post
Noble quarter
Stronghold
Artisan quarter

This is "fast travel." You can always, like a guard in the beginning, randomly choose a location/encounter in the current quarter. I can basically count the Town Crier as one – the announcement can be heard throughout the city.
By the way, the Town Crier appears every three days, except in case of force majeure. If you are not on a quest/job, you can consider that you automatically receive the News. And he also repeats old announcements.