Adventurers' Association

"..."

Without a word, the two of them, one big and one small, arrived at the entrance to the Azure Stone City Adventurers' Association.

John turned back to look at Parr, who was still lost in grief and indignation, then helplessly reached out and patted his head.

"Hey, snap out of it. So what if that little girl gave you a bath? You sure have a lot of issues for such a little runt! Plenty of people would kill for that and never get the chance! Be grateful!"

"Hmph!"

As a pure and innocent single man, Parr had no desire to speak to scumbag John. After snorting, he turned his head away, only to realize that he had unconsciously followed John out of the silent, deserted streets and onto a fairly bustling one.

It was deep into the night, yet shops here still had their doors open—weapon shops, leather armor shops, general stores, clothing shops... There was even a small Tavern with its doors wide open. Brightly lit inside, it was filled with all sorts of people drinking, bragging, chatting nonsense, and occasionally howling at the top of their lungs. Scantily clad waitresses weaved through the crowd with trays in hand, sometimes cursing at drunkards trying to take advantage of them. It was incredibly lively.

"This is..."

Parr had been in this other world for so long, yet this was the first time he had seen such a bustling scene. It inevitably reminded him of his past life.

Before Parr could reminisce for long, John pointed at the lively little Tavern and said:

"This is the busiest place in Azure Stone City. There are adventurers in there, along with Azure Stone City's drunks. The shops around here all serve adventurers, and the two-story building behind us is the Azure Stone City Adventurers' Association."

As he spoke, John turned and pointed at his destination—a two-story building with faint light and the sound of voices leaking through the cracks in its door.

"So this is the Adventurers' Association?"

Parr pulled his gaze away from the bustling Tavern and turned to look at the Azure Stone City Adventurers' Association. He had heard so much about it; this was his first time seeing it.

Creak~

Without knocking, John stepped forward and pushed open the heavy wooden door. As he entered, he paused and gave a quiet warning, "Little runt, talk less in there."

"Mm."

Parr nodded almost imperceptibly. That feeling of being watched had returned. He was certain John had noticed it too, and already had a way to deal with it.

"..."

The two entered the Adventurers' Association. Parr saw glowing crystals mounted on the walls, illuminating the hall so brightly that every detail was visible. He secretly mocked them as this world's light bulbs before shifting his gaze around.

This was a large hall. Directly opposite the entrance stood a row of counters with several wooden stools before them. On the right was a staircase leading upstairs, while on the left was a small door. A few tables stood in the hall, where people carrying fine weapons were sprawled asleep, their packs set at their feet without any fear of theft.

The voices came from behind the counters. Yawning and bleary-eyed, the staff chatted back and forth to keep themselves awake.

When they saw John and Parr enter, the staff perked up. After confirming from John's weapon that this beggar-dressed man was an adventurer, a female staff member sat behind the counter with a yawn. She tidied herself up slightly, then asked softly with a smile, "May I ask how I can help you?"

The sight reminded Parr of the receptionists at companies in his previous life. Then he saw John casually pull a sheet of white paper that seemed to emit a faint glow from his clothes and slap it onto the counter.

"Cash it in! I'm here to cash it in!"

John practically howled, his voice loud enough to wake the adventurers sleeping on the tables in the hall. The grumpy, newly awakened adventurers all turned murderous glares on John. Some even gripped their weapons, but after remembering where they were, reluctantly put them down.

One of the ironclad rules of the continent: fighting, killing, and theft were forbidden within an Adventurers' Association.

Anyone who violated it would be hunted to the ends of the earth by this colossal organization that spanned the continent, without rest until they died.

Thus, many adventurers who trusted no one and always thought someone was out to get them came to sleep in the Adventurers' Association at night. It was safe and reassuring.

But John's howl had ruined the sleep of those adventurers who had been resting so soundly. They could not fight here, but what could they do? They actually had a solution—verbal sparring did not count as fighting! Thus, most adventurers had trained themselves to talk the dead back to life.

"You..."

One particularly sharp-tongued adventurer raised a hand and pointed at John. Just as he was about to say something, he swallowed the words back down.

John was holding up a bronze badge bearing a crossed sword-and-shield design for everyone to see!

The round badge was bronze in color. The crossed sword and shield took up most of it, while the remaining portion was occupied by three gleaming silver five-pointed stars.

Every adventurer recognized this badge. It was the Three-Star Adventurer badge of the Adventurers' Association, a symbol of Advanced Bronze strength. Anyone with that badge could easily crush people like them, who did not even qualify as Bronze-level Knights.

So the adventurers fell silent. Fighting was forbidden here, but once they went outside... if the other party waited for them at the door, there was nothing they could do unless they intended to spend the rest of their lives here.

No matter how quick your tongue was, it meant nothing against someone stronger than you. This was a world where strength ruled supreme. Verbal duels existed only among pretentious nobles; among adventurers, whoever had the bigger fist was boss.

"Hmph!"

With a smug snort, John pinned the Three-Star Adventurer badge to his chest, then turned to the female staff member, whose eyes were already sparkling, and loudly said, "Cash it in! I'm here to cash it in! This is a Church bounty certificate. Damn, I'm lucky! I ran into three Plague Heretic cultists on my way here from Mist Viscount Territory. They brought me a nice little payday—enough for me to drink twice!"

Such arrogant words sounded strangely natural coming from John, as though he truly was that kind of madman.

"His acting skills are incredible!"

Parr praised him inwardly. He knew John was not actually like this, so why was John acting this way?

"Sir Knight, this is your reward. Please accept it."

It did not take long for the female staff member to verify the Church bounty. She returned with nine Wind Wolf Gold Coins and respectfully handed them to John. Then she raised her delicate face to meet John's eyes directly, the smile on her face becoming even brighter.

"Sir Knight, do you have any other needs? I can satisfy all of them."

Her meaning could not have been more obvious. Veteran adventurer John immediately understood her implication, then looked her over. Not bad! So he gave a slight nod, put away eight Wind Wolf Gold Coins, and pushed one Wind Wolf Gold Coin back toward her.

"See you at the Tavern later."

"Thank you, sir."

The staff of the Adventurers' Association were ordinary locals. Their pay was decent, but some always wanted more, so they set their sights on generous adventurers. Especially adventurers like John, who had clearly just completed a journey and were exhausted in both body and mind. Staff members with both the inclination and the looks would offer certain special services that both parties desired.

After putting away the reward, John did not leave immediately. Instead, he picked up Parr, who had been rolling his eyes behind him, and set him directly on the counter.

"Register this little runt."

"Ah?"

The female staff member froze. She had worked here for so long, but this was the first time she had encountered something like this. How old was this child? Seven? Eight? He did not even seem old enough to meet the Adventurers' Association's minimum registration age.

Thinking of this, the female staff member cautiously asked, "Sir, how old is this child?"

"Ten. Exactly old enough to register."

John answered immediately. The Adventurers' Association had an age limit for registering adventurers, and ten was the minimum age.

"Very well. Please come with me."

Nodding, the female staff member took out a sheet of white paper and wrote something on it. Then she walked out from behind the counter and led Parr toward the small door on the left.

Creak~

Beyond the door was a dim corridor, with several rooms on either side. The staff member led Parr into the innermost room on the right.

The room was small, containing only a reclining chair. A white-haired old man lay on it, sound asleep.

"President, President, wake up. Someone's here to register."

The staff member carefully shook the white-haired old man. From her words, this old man was actually the president of the Azure Stone City Adventurers' Association.

"Oh?"

The old man opened his bright eyes, then turned to look at the only outsider in the room: Parr.

"Why is it a little runt? Is he old enough?"

"President, it's like this..."

The staff member briefly explained Parr's situation. She did not quite believe Parr was ten, but given John's rank, she could not refuse him. Thus, she had brought Parr to the president of the Azure Stone City Adventurers' Association.

"Mm, I understand. I'll handle it. You may go back first!"

The old man stood up, and he was surprisingly tall—at least two meters. He wore a dark blue silk robe edged with silver patterns. After dismissing the staff member with a wave, he walked up to Parr and looked down at him.

"..."

Parr raised his head and stared back at the old man without yielding. In the end, the old man smiled.

"Hahaha, what an interesting boy."

Then the old man crouched down, extended his aged yet broad palm, and said kindly:

"Come, little one. Give me your hand. I'll test you."

"..."

Parr paused, then held out his small hand despite not understanding why. The moment he placed it in the old man's large hand, something miraculous happened.

Amid a faint green glow, an illusory circular magic array appeared in the old man's hand. It rose upward and slowly rotated as it encircled Parr's wrist.