Sales Pitch

"Hello."

Lin Mo walked up to the only vacant counter and greeted the receptionist in front of him.

She looked very young, around sixteen or seventeen. She wore the Association's standard uniform, her silver-gray medium-length hair smooth and neatly groomed beneath a beret. She was quite adorable.

"Ah, hello!"

Laina snapped out of her daze and looked at the customer before her.

It was still early in the morning, and she had been at work for less than half an hour, so she still had plenty of patience. Of course, more importantly, her performance over the past two months had been rather dismal.

If this continued, she would not get a bonus and would have to consider moving somewhere worse. She would also need to cut back on food and clothing expenses.

So she pulled herself together and looked at the customer before her.

His clothes were somewhat strange, and he had neat black short hair. His looks leaned toward handsome, with relatively soft facial lines, yet his bearing was capable. His eyes were clear and bright, giving him none of a delicate or effeminate impression. Instead, he seemed remarkably sunny.

An outstanding appearance always made a good first impression. Besides, Laina rarely got to receive customers like this. Most people who came to her counter to handle business were rough-looking Half-beastmen, or people who had no choice but to come here because the lines at the other counters were too long.

"How may I help you?"

she asked, somewhat nervously.

"Can I apply for an Adventurer Identification here?"

Lin Mo found it somewhat difficult to tear his gaze away from the pretty receptionist. Honestly, he did not understand why this counter had so few people.

In his opinion, this receptionist should have been the prettiest among the five.

"Would you like to register as an adventurer?"

Laina paused, then said somewhat hesitantly, "Of course you can. However, registering as an official adventurer requires a fee of 20 Copper Coins to make the Badge, as well as at least five goblin ears as proof of qualification. Naturally, the Association also provides corresponding rewards for subjugation... at the current rates."

In her eyes, the young and handsome man before her really did not look like someone who could produce five goblin ears.

It was not strange for registering as an adventurer to have requirements, and Lin Mo happened to have enough spoils on hand.

Lin Mo took five ears from his cloth bag, then counted out 20 Copper Coins stained with a little blood and looked at the surprised girl.

"Sorry, the money is a little dirty."

"It's fine."

Laina shook her head. After all, they dealt with adventurers who went out hunting every day, so they had long grown accustomed to such things.

"Please wait a moment..."

After counting the Copper Coins, she took out a form from beneath the counter. "Please fill in your information."

Lin Mo took it and glanced over it. Most of it was basic information, such as name, gender, and age. Aside from that, there was also a field for occupation.

"Ah, you can leave that blank."

Seeing Lin Mo's confusion, Laina explained, "If you have not formally taken up a profession, you can just leave it empty."

After all, adventurers who had formally taken up a profession were in the minority. The vast majority of low-level adventurers did not have that kind of ability, but the form could not omit that field, so situations like this happened often.

"Done."

Lin Mo filled out the information and handed the form back to the girl.

"Alright, I'll process it for you right away."

As she spoke, the girl entered Lin Mo's information into the adventurer system the Association had constructed with magic.

Before long, a staff member emerged from the back room with a black Badge and a small cloth pouch in hand.

"This is your Adventurer Identification, along with the reward for subjugating the goblins."

Lin Mo weighed the pouch. It was very light. Opening it, he saw five Silver Coins lying quietly inside.

As for the Badge, Lin Mo picked it up and examined it carefully. It seemed to be an ordinary mass-produced item, nothing special about it.

A Badge like this cost 20 Copper Coins?

Well, the Association was not a charity. It had to make money somehow.

After putting away the Badge and Silver Coins, Lin Mo was about to turn and leave when the girl before him reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

"Please wait!"

Lin Mo turned back in confusion. A flash of anxiety crossed the girl's face.

"Ahem—"

She cleared her throat and returned to her polite demeanor from before.

"When you register as an adventurer for the first time, the Association gives you a free Adventurer Handbook. You forgot to collect it."

As Laina spoke, she took a thin booklet from a cabinet beside her.

"Thank you."

Lin Mo nodded and accepted the booklet from her.

Looking at the girl, who still had not let go, Lin Mo asked in confusion, "Is there anything else?"

"Um, actually... aside from this most basic handbook, the Association also has a more detailed Complete Adventurer Strategy Guide set. Would you like one?"

Lin Mo saw her slightly embarrassed expression and immediately understood.

So it was a sales pitch.

To be honest, having seen all sorts of scam reports in his previous life and frequently suffered through barrages of nuisance calls, Lin Mo instinctively resisted this kind of sales tactic.

But—

The girl blinked at him, her soft fingers reluctantly tugging at his clothes as she looked at him with a pleading expression. A faint mist clouded her gemlike azure-blue eyes...

Damn it, how was he supposed to refuse that?

After thinking it over, he had only just arrived in this world. He knew far less about it than ordinary adventurers, and he genuinely needed a guidebook that recorded so much information.

"Alright, how much is it?"

"Only 30 Copper Coins!"

Laina's eyes immediately lit up. She took out a packaged set of booklets from the cabinet. "The contents are very comprehensive. They can answer more than eighty percent of the questions you'll have as a beginner!"

Lin Mo clicked his tongue. That was expensive.

Thirty Copper Coins were several days' wages for a low-level laborer.

With the same money, he could stay one night at an inn on Flower Cluster Street, with two hearty meals included, or buy the services of a young and beautiful girl three whole times.

But Lin Mo, who was somewhat socially anxious, had not had the heart to leave just now. Now, it was even harder for him to refuse. He could only helplessly take a Silver Coin from his cloth pouch.

Laina's eyes lit up. She accepted the Silver Coin and counted out 70 Copper Coins from the cabinet as change.

"Thank you very much for your patronage, meow!"

The girl was in an exceptionally good mood. Including the Badge from earlier, she could earn a full 10 Copper Coins in commission! That was almost a day's salary!

For a moment, the girl was so delighted that she nearly forgot herself, and the tail behind her began to sway as well.

Lin Mo immediately revealed a stunned expression. Only then did he realize that this Association receptionist was actually a Half-beastman.

"Ah... sorry!"

Following Lin Mo's gaze, Laina quickly realized the problem as well. She hurriedly hid her tail with her hands, lowered her head, and did not dare look at him out of guilt.

Lin Mo did not mind. He waved a hand and turned to leave with the guidebook he had just bought.

Laina, however, drooped her head as her mood rapidly sank.

This was bad. That customer probably would not come to her counter again in the future...