Lin En woke up early the next morning because she was hungry.
I've already digested the flatbread from last night, and I'm starving right now.
He still owed the system two million Mora, and he felt his future was bleak. However, the system didn't require him to pay it off by a certain time, which was a good thing.
He turned over and saw that Ronava was already sitting on the edge of the bed, her silver hair neatly combed, holding a money pouch in her hand and turning it upside down, revealing a hint of embarrassment.
"Let's go find Zhongli first."
Ronava slowly stood up from the bedside. She hadn't eaten for a long time, and even her voice sounded weak and listless.
Let's eat first.
Lin En suggested, "After all, we borrowed a million from the system; when is a better time to use it?"
Do you have Mora?
Ronava looked him up and down; he didn't seem to have any money.
There are still some.
Lin En took out the one million Mora and handed it to her for safekeeping. Women are much better at managing money than men, and he definitely didn't hand it over because he was forced.
After having breakfast, the two left the inn and walked along the port towards the north of the city, intending to go to Wangsheng Funeral Parlor to find Zhongli.
The door to the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was half-open, and the red lanterns at the entrance swayed gently in the morning breeze.
Hu Tao was squatting on the steps in front of the door, teasing a small bird with a twig, when she heard footsteps and looked up.
"Oh, it's you guys."
She stood up and clapped her hands.
"Looking for Zhongli? He's not here."
"Where did you go?"
Ronava asked.
" Wangshu Inn "
Hu Tao pointed north.
He just left this morning, saying he was going to have tea with some old friends. He probably won't be back until tonight.
Lin En and Ronava exchanged a glance. Since Zhongli wasn't there, they couldn't just wait around. Ronava nodded and turned to leave.
Thanks.
"Don't mention it."
Hu Tao waved to them.
Lin En followed behind Ronava toward the dock, intending to take on a few jobs to earn some money, at least enough to cover the food and lodging expenses for the next few days. One million Mora was simply not enough for the two of them.
The Adventurers' Guild's counter is located by the harbor; you can see Katheryne standing behind the counter from afar, wearing her iconic uniform.
The two walked over, Katheryne looked up, her gaze first falling on Lin En.
Welcome to...
Just as she was about to ask if she was there to accept a commission, Lin En interrupted her.
Are there any challenging commissions that can earn more Mora?
Her gaze shifted behind Lin En and she saw Ronava. Katheryne's expression remained unchanged, but her mouth opened slightly and then closed again, as if she were carefully choosing her words.
Katheryne did not answer; her gaze remained fixed on Ronava.
Lin En suddenly realized something: Katheryne was a product of Snezhnaya, and she was a liaison for the associations that Snezhnaya had placed in various places. She must know Ronava.
Yes, there are.
Katheryne finally spoke, turning her gaze to Lin En, her tone returning to its usual gentleness.
"But before that, I need to confirm whether you two are registered as official adventurers. It would be dangerous for ordinary people to accept adventure quests."
Ronava frowned.
"Making a request is so complicated, how do I do it?"
He can register.
Katheryne pointed at Lin En and said.
But you can't.
"Ha?"
Ronava paused for a moment.
"What's the meaning?"
" The Adventurers' Guild stipulates that registered adventurers must have no criminal record, no major security threat assessment, and no international arrest warrant."
Katheryne spoke very politely, as if she were reading a proclamation.
"This La Signora's case is rather unique."
Ronava looked at her with displeasure in her tone; naturally, she didn't know that Katheryne was Snezhnaya's doll.
What annotation?
Katheryne didn't answer directly, but instead took out a thick register from under the counter, flipped through a few pages, and pushed it in front of Lin En.
"You can sign here. The list of commissions is on the board next to you. You need to accept one commission first to test your capabilities so that subsequent commissions can be assigned."
Lin En glanced at the register, then at Ronava, and it was clear to anyone with eyes that Snezhnaya was targeting Ronava.
Why can't she?
He asked directly.
Katheryne raised her head, her gaze calmly sweeping between him and Ronava.
"The association's rules apply equally to everyone."
She said.
"If this La Signora wants to take the case, she needs to go to Snezhnaya for an additional security assessment, which will take at least a month."
" Snezhnaya? A month?"
Ronava's brow furrowed even deeper. She didn't have the time to wait for this security assessment, much less go to Snezhnaya now.
Lin En quickly calculated in his mind that a month was too long, and they didn't have much money.
Moreover, with Zhongli absent and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor unable to offer any assistance, Katheryne is clearly setting them up for failure.
"Then I'll register first."
Lin En picked up the pen and signed the register.
Katheryne nodded and handed him a badge for evaluation.
"The commission board is on the right. Please select one as your commission for the evaluation. An appraiser will accompany you this afternoon."
Lin En walked to the quest board with the badge in hand. It was covered with slips of paper of all sizes, most of them low-paying jobs like delivering items, finding cats and dogs, or cleaning up Hilichurl. Occasionally, there were a few higher-paying ones, which either required a team of two or more people or required "extensive combat experience".
He picked one that seemed manageable: clearing out the Hilichurl camp in the abandoned mines west of the city. The reward was eight thousand Mora, which was acceptable.
"This is it."
He tore off the note and gave it to Katheryne.
Katheryne glanced at it and noted it down in the register.
"The mine requires a combat assessment; are you sure you can handle it?"
"He can fight."
Lin En nodded.
"Okay. Return and submit your work after completion; payment will be settled on the spot."
The two left the Adventurers' Guild, with Ronava walking beside them, her expression not looking too good.
"This is targeting me!"
She said it in an annoyed tone.
"Yes, Katheryne is Snezhnaya's puppet, she definitely knows your background. The evaluation commission also needs someone to accompany you, so you should rest for a few days. I'll handle Mora's matter."
Lin En pinned the bronze badge to his chest and then carefully put the commission slip away.
Ronava gave him a puzzled look.
"You're fighting alone? I'll just rest at the hotel?"
"I've got some combat strength now, clearing out a Hilichurl shouldn't be a problem. Consider it training."
Lin En smiled; with his current strength, completing this small task was more than enough.
After hesitating for a moment, Ronawa agreed.
"Okay, be careful on the road."