Chapter 555

"Name?"

"Hopes Wilde."

"Sex."

"Male."

"Really? Kid, we don't discriminate against women here."

"I really am male!"

A beastman in the line behind him burst out laughing. "Why don't you just take off your pants and prove it?"

Hopes's face immediately flushed crimson, but he didn't dare argue back, leaving him in an awkward predicament.

In the end, the clerk handling registrations came to his rescue. "Haha, no need. You do look rather delicate, though. Age?"

"Sixteen."

"You're a bit young, and rather slight too. Honestly, you're really not suited to learn this. Why not consider accounting or cooking instead?"

"...I don't have any money."

The brawny beastman clerk, built like a bull and indeed sporting enormous bull horns, looked at the dejected Hopes and said with a smile, "No money isn't a problem. When I first came to Void City, I didn't have a single copper coin either. I had it even worse than you back then. At least you've got a decent set of clothes—I only had a pair of ragged shorts..."

Just as he was about to continue, a colleague beside him coughed, cutting him off.

"Sektery, don't start telling old stories. There are still people waiting in line behind him."

The clerk smiled and continued asking, "So, little Wilde, are you sure you want to enroll?"

"Yes." Hopes said firmly, "I want to learn a trade, then support myself!"

The clerk exchanged a glance with his colleague, nodded, and asked again, "Then what exactly do you plan to learn? This year, we have several specialties available. First, miners and ore sorters; then smelters and blacksmiths; armorers and leatherworkers; and finally, mechanical craftsmen."

Hopes hadn't expected there to be so many choices and couldn't help going blank. After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Which of these