Vermin

Lin Mo found a seat in the hall, waved over an attendant, and ordered a cup of Barley Tea.

He did not particularly enjoy drinking, and drinking first thing in the morning was hardly a good idea—especially when he might be heading out on an adventure soon. Alcohol dulled the nerves and led people to make poor judgments.

In battle, the price of a mistake was undoubtedly steep.

He spread the booklets he had just received before him and began with the most basic free handbook.

"Adventurers, as the name implies, are people who make their living through adventure. They trade the spoils of their adventures for lives far more comfortable than those of ordinary people, at the cost of extraordinary risk. Every adventure may be a journey with no return, but that is precisely the meaning of adventure: to sing the grand song of one's life amid the baptism of blood and fire..."

"The Adventurer's Guild was founded in Sun Calendar 544 by seven adventurers who stood at the pinnacle of the continent at the time. Over the following three hundred years, it expanded rapidly. Today, it has become one of the most widespread and influential organizations on the continent."

He flipped through the entire booklet. It mainly recorded basic information related to adventurers and the Adventurer's Guild, most of which was common knowledge known to nearly everyone.

Still, for Lin Mo, there were quite a few things that felt novel.

For instance, the second floor of the Guild was dedicated to selling weapons and armor, while the third floor housed counters selling various alchemical products and medicines.

Higher up, the fourth through sixth floors were Rest Rooms reserved for high-ranking adventurers and Guild officials. The requirements for staying there differed from region to region. In a small place like Roland Town, adventurers of Bronze rank or above could use the Rest Rooms whenever they wished.

Naturally, Lin Mo's current rank was undoubtedly the lowest—Black Iron.

The handbook also recorded the method for raising one's adventurer rank. To become a Bronze-rank adventurer, one first had to formally take up a profession and obtain a class level. Then, one had to complete twenty Guild-issued missions, including at least two Bronze-rank missions.

Setting aside the handbook, which contained little information, Lin Mo turned his attention to the strategy guides he had actually paid for.

The first was "Monster Compendium of Lorraine Forest Outer Area," the second was "Roland Town Map Strategy Guide," and the third was "Adventurer's Handbook: Plant Compendium (Beginner)."

The final book had a rather bizarre title: "On the Professional Accomplishment of Adventurers, Advancement Strategies, and Recommendations for Daily Nutritious Meal Plans."

Leaving aside that odd miscellaneous book, the first three were indeed highly useful for newcomers. That half-beastman young lady who had seemed to be a catgirl had not lied to him.

However, Lin Mo did not open those books for the moment. He had something more urgent to do.

The time spent registering as an adventurer, the time spent reading the Novice Handbook... Lin Mo looked toward the clock in the center of the hall. At that exact moment, the hour hand pointed to nine.

Compared with most struggling commoners, public officials who benefited from family connections or possessed some unique skill undoubtedly lived far more comfortably.

Even if the town was in a crisis unlike its usual peaceful days, it would not affect the generous pay that arrived in their hands on schedule every month, nor would it make them start work a minute earlier.

Lin Mo drained his Barley Tea in one gulp, quickly rose to his feet, and left the Guild.

Not far from the Adventurer's Guild was one of the town's temporary administrative offices.

Just as Lin Mo had expected, there were not many people outside the office at this hour.

Among the few present, many were wounded. Their builds and the troubled expressions on their faces made their identities easy to guess. Most were probably, like Lin Mo, "recruits" forced into service.

"Sir, when we fought this goblin, we accidentally cut in the wrong place, so this ear is damaged. Could you perhaps..."

A frail man with one arm wrapped in bandages and suspended against his chest by a sling looked pleadingly at the impatient staff member behind the counter, who was yawning repeatedly.

"I've said it many times already. Only intact ears can be exchanged for rewards. Damaged ones don't count!"

"But—"

"No buts. Rules are rules! Who knows whether you deliberately chopped the ear in half so you could pass off one ear as two and claim two rewards? Get lost, get lost..."

The man tried to say something else, growing increasingly agitated. He was swiftly restrained by the guards beside him and dragged away without ceremony.

"Sir, this is my ear. Please take a look..."

"One hundred Copper Coins. Take it."

The staff member casually tossed over a cloth pouch tied with string. The ecstatic youth standing before him caught it.

Rubbing his hands together, he sat down on the ground nearby, opened the pouch, and carefully counted its contents. The smile on his face gradually froze.

Perhaps worried that he had counted wrong, he counted them again one by one, cautiously and meticulously. Then he looked up with some difficulty. "Sir, there are only seventy Copper Coins in here..."

"If I said one hundred, then it's one hundred. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

The youth shrank under the glare, but unwilling to let the reward he had earned with his life be shortchanged, he stood up and tried to step forward to argue.

The guard beside him was quick to read the situation. He walked over and kicked the youth, sending him to his knees.

"Who knows whether you deliberately hid thirty coins to swindle us? Cause any more trouble, and you won't even get to keep these seventy!"

As he spoke, he exchanged a glance with the office staff member. They smiled knowingly at each other.

The youth gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. In the end, he did not dare talk back again and could only leave with the pouch.

Lin Mo was not surprised as he watched the youth walk away.

When a tree began to rot, it was often already full of vermin.

"Put the ears directly on the table."

When Lin Mo approached, the staff member remained reclined in his chair and spoke lazily.

As he spoke, he reached out for the pouch, apparently intending to repeat the same trick.

Knock, knock—

However, Lin Mo tapped the table.

The man frowned, about to say something, but when he looked up and saw what Lin Mo had used to knock on the table, his expression changed slightly. He slowly sat upright.

"So you're an adventurer..."

Unlike those poor wretches forced into service, formal adventurers could not be so easily brushed off.

No one would stand up for poor people without connections, but if they tried anything with officially registered adventurers, those adventurers would file a complaint with the Adventurer's Guild.

The Adventurer's Guild held enormous influence. Even the lord had to show it some respect.

Besides, the Guild was right next door. He did not dare act recklessly...

So he immediately changed his demeanor and adopted the familiar tone of official bureaucracy. "Please present proof of your spoils."