"Hello."
Lin Mo walked up to the only free counter and greeted the receptionist before him.
She looked very young, about sixteen or seventeen, and was dressed in the standard Association uniform. Her silver-gray, medium-length hair was immaculately smooth, and she wore a beret on her head. She was quite cute.
"Ah, hello!"
Lena was startled out of her daze and looked at the customer in front of her.
It was still early in the morning, not even half an hour after her shift had started, so she still had plenty of patience. Of course, the most important thing was that her performance over the past two months had been less than stellar.
If this continued, she wouldn't get her bonus. She'd have to consider moving to a worse neighborhood, and she'd have to cut back on food and clothing expenses too.
So, she roused her spirits and focused on the customer before her.
His clothes were a bit strange, but he had neat black hair and handsome, almost pretty, features. The lines of his face were soft, but his demeanor was capable. His eyes were bright, giving off a sunny disposition rather than an effeminate impression.
An outstanding appearance always made for a good first impression. Besides, Lena rarely got to serve customers like him. Most of the people who came to her counter were Half-Beastmen with rough features, or those who chose her line only because the others were too long and they couldn't wait any longer.
"How may I help you?"
she asked, a little nervously.
"Can I get an Adventurer identification processed here?"
Lin Mo struggled to tear his gaze away from the beautiful receptionist. To be honest, he didn't quite understand why there were so few people at this counter.
In his opinion, she was clearly the prettiest of the five receptionists.
"Are you looking to register as an Adventurer?"
Lena paused, then said hesitantly, "Of course. However, to officially register as an Adventurer, you need to pay a fee of 20 Copper Coins for the badge, and you need to provide at least five Goblin ears as proof of qualification. The Association will, of course, issue a corresponding subjugation reward... at the current rate."
In her eyes, this handsome young man didn't seem like the type who could produce five Goblin ears.
It wasn't surprising that there was a barrier to entry for becoming an Adventurer, and Lin Mo happened to have enough spoils of war on hand.
Lin Mo took five ears from his cloth bag, then counted out 20 Copper Coins tinged with blood, and looked at the surprised girl.
"Sorry, the money's a little dirty."
"That's alright."
Lena shook her head. After all, they dealt with Adventurers who went out hunting every day, so they were long used to this sort of thing.
"Please wait a moment..."
After counting the Copper Coins, she took out a form from under the counter. "Please fill out your information."
Lin Mo took it and glanced over it. It was mostly basic information like Name, gender, and age. Besides those, there was also a field for [Profession].
"Ah, you can leave that one blank."
Lena noticed Lin Mo's confusion and explained, "If you don't have an official profession, you can just leave it empty."
Only a minority of Adventurers had official professions; the vast majority of low-level Adventurers lacked the strength for one. Still, the form couldn't be without that field, so situations like this were common.
"Done."
Lin Mo filled out the form and handed it back to the girl.
"Okay, I'll process this for you right away."
As she spoke, the girl entered Lin Mo's information into the Association's Adventurer system, which was constructed with Magic Power.
A short while later, a staff member came out from the back, holding a black badge and a small cloth pouch.
"Here is your Adventurer identification, along with the reward for the Goblin subjugation."
Lin Mo weighed the pouch in his hand. It was very light. He opened it and saw 5 Silver Coins lying inside.
As for the badge, Lin Mo picked it up and examined it closely. It seemed to be an Ordinary mass-produced item, nothing special about it.
'A badge like this costs 20 Copper Coins?'
'Then again, the Association isn't a charity. It has to make money somehow.'
After putting away the badge and Silver Coins, Lin Mo was about to turn and leave when the girl in front of him reached out and grabbed the corner of his shirt.
"Please wait!"
Lin Mo turned around, confused. An anxious expression flashed across the girl's face.
"Ahem—"
She gave a light cough, composing herself and reverting to her earlier polite demeanor.
"When you first register as an Adventurer, the Association provides a complimentary adventurer's handbook. You forgot to pick it up."
As she spoke, Lena took a thin booklet from a nearby cabinet.
"Thanks."
Lin Mo nodded and took the booklet from the girl's hand.
...
Looking at the girl who still hadn't let go of him, Lin Mo asked in confusion, "Is there something else?"
"Um, actually... besides this basic handbook, the Association also has a much more detailed, complete set of guides for adventurers. Would you be interested?"
Lin Mo looked at her slightly embarrassed expression and immediately understood.
'So it's a sales pitch.'
To be honest, having seen all sorts of scam news and been constantly bombarded by spam calls in his previous life, Lin Mo had an instinctive aversion to sales pitches.
But—
The girl before him blinked, her delicate fingers reluctantly tugging at the corner of his shirt. She gazed at him with a look of longing, her jewel-like, crystal-blue eyes shimmering with a faint mist...
'Damn it, how could anyone say no to this!'
He thought it over. After all, he had just transmigrated here. His understanding of this world was far less than that of a typical adventurer, and he really could use a guide packed with so much information.
"Alright, how much is it?"
"Only 30 Copper Coins!"
Lena's eyes instantly lit up. She pulled a packaged set of booklets from the cabinet. "The content is very comprehensive! It can answer more than eighty percent of any questions you'll have as a beginner!"
Lin Mo clicked his tongue. 'That's so expensive.'
30 Copper Coins was several days' wages for a low-level laborer.
For the same amount of money, you could stay a night at an inn on "Flower Beds" street, with two hearty meals included. Or, you could buy the services of a beautiful young girl three whole times.
But for the somewhat socially awkward Lin Mo, who hadn't had the heart to just leave a moment ago, it was even harder to refuse now. He could only sigh and reluctantly take a Silver Coin from his pouch.
Lena's eyes lit up again. She accepted the Silver Coin and counted out 70 Copper Coins in change for him from the cabinet.
"Thank you so much for your patronage, meow!"
The girl was in a fantastic mood. Including the badge fee, she would get a commission of a full 10 Copper Coins! That was almost a whole day's salary!
So overjoyed she could barely keep from cheering, the girl got carried away, and the tail behind her back started to wag.
Lin Mo's expression turned to one of shock. It was only then that he realized the Association receptionist was actually a Half-Beastman.
"Ah... I'm sorry!"
Following Lin Mo's gaze, Lena quickly realized the problem. She hurriedly tucked her tail away with her hands, lowered her head, and didn't dare to look at him, feeling guilty.
Lin Mo didn't mind. He waved his hand, took the guide he had just bought, and turned to leave.
But Lena's head drooped, her mood quickly souring.
'It's over now. This customer will probably never come to my counter again...'