Lin Mo found a seat in the main hall and sat down. He waved over a nearby attendant and ordered a cup of barley tea.
He wasn't fond of drinking, and having a drink first thing in the morning was hardly a good idea, especially when he might be heading out on an adventure soon. Alcohol could dull the nerves and lead to poor judgment.
And in battle, the price of a mistake was undoubtedly steep.
He spread the pamphlets he had just acquired on the table in front of him and started with the most basic, free manual.
"Adventurers, as the name implies, are a group of people who make a living through adventure. They trade the spoils of their exploits for a life far more comfortable than that of the average person. The price, however, is extreme risk. Every adventure could be a one-way trip, but that is the very meaning of adventure—to compose the grand song of one's life in a baptism of blood and fire..."
"The Adventurer's Association was an organization founded in the year 544 of the Sun Calendar by seven of the Continent's top Adventurers. It expanded rapidly over the next 300 years and has, to this day, become one of the most widespread and influential organizations on the Continent."
He flipped through the entire pamphlet. It mainly recorded basic information related to Adventurers and the Adventurer's Association, most of which was common knowledge.
For Lin Mo, however, it still contained some relatively new information.
For instance, the Association's second floor was dedicated to selling weapons and armor, while the third floor housed counters for various Alchemy Products and potions.
Further up, the fourth through sixth floors were rest areas reserved for High Level Adventurers and senior Association staff. The requirements for using these rooms varied by region. In a small place like Roland Town, Adventurers of Bronze Level and above were granted the right to use the rest areas at any time.
Of course, Lin Mo's current Level was, without a doubt, the lowest: Black Iron.
The manual also detailed how to raise one's Adventurer Level. To become a Bronze Level Adventurer, one first needed to officially acquire a Profession and gain a Professional Level. Second, one had to complete twenty Association-issued tasks, at least two of which had to be Bronze Level.
Setting aside the less-than-informative manual for the time being, Lin Mo turned his gaze to the guidebooks he had paid good money for.
The first was the *Loran Forest Outer Area Monster Atlas*. The second was the *Roland Town Map Guide*. The third was the *Beginner's Adventurer's Guide to Plants*.
The last one had a rather odd name: *On the Professional Cultivation and Promotion Guide of Adventurers, and Daily Nutritional Meal Recommendations*.
Ignoring the last, rather strange miscellaneous book, the first three were indeed quite useful for a newcomer. The Half-Beastman young lady, who he suspected was a cat-girl, hadn't lied to him.
However, Lin Mo didn't look through these books just yet. For him, there were more pressing matters to attend to.
The time it took to register as an Adventurer, the time to read the rookie manual... Lin Mo's gaze shifted to the clock in the center of the hall. The hour hand pointed exactly to nine.
Compared to the struggling commoners, the public officials—who benefited from family connections or possessed a unique skill—undoubtedly lived much more comfortably.
Even with the town in a state of crisis, unlike normal times, it didn't affect the hefty salaries they received on time each month, nor did it make them show up for work a single minute early.
Lin Mo downed his barley tea in one gulp, quickly stood up, and walked out of the Association.
Not far from the Adventurer's Association was one of the town's temporary offices.
Just as Lin Mo had expected, there weren't many people at the office entrance at this hour.
Among the few who were there, many were injured. From their physiques and the worried expressions on their faces, it wasn't hard to guess their identities. Most were likely "conscripts" like Lin Mo, forced into service.
"Sir, when we were fighting this Goblin, we accidentally chopped the wrong spot, so this ear is damaged. Do you think you could..."
A scrawny man, one arm wrapped in bandages and held in a sling across his chest, looked pitifully at the impatient clerk behind the counter, who was yawning repeatedly.
"I've said it many times! You need a complete ear to exchange for the reward. Damaged ones like this won't do!"
"But—"
"No 'buts'! Rules are rules! Who knows if you didn't deliberately cut the ear in half to try and game the system for two rewards? Get lost, get lost..."
The man tried to say more, growing more agitated, but he was quickly restrained by the nearby Guards and unceremoniously dragged away.
"Sir, here is my ear. If you'd please..."
"100 Copper Coins. Take it."
The clerk casually tossed over a cloth pouch tied with a string, which was caught by the ecstatic young man in front of him.
He rubbed his hands together, sat down on the ground nearby, and opened the pouch to count the contents carefully. The smile on his face gradually froze.
As if worried he had miscounted, he counted them again, one by one, very carefully. He looked up, troubled. "Sir, there are only seventy Copper Coins in here..."
"I said it was a hundred, so it was a hundred. What's with all the nonsense?"
The young man flinched under the clerk's glare, but he was unwilling to let the reward he'd risked his life for be discounted just like that. He stood up, wanting to step forward and argue.
A nearby Guard, quick on the uptake, went over and kicked him, forcing him to his knees.
"Who knows if you didn't hide thirty coins yourself to try and scam us? Make any more trouble, and you won't even get these seventy!"
As he spoke, he exchanged a look with the office clerk, and they shared a knowing smile.
The young man gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tightly. In the end, he didn't dare talk back and could only leave with the pouch.
Lin Mo watched the young man walk away, not at all surprised.
'When a tree starts to rot, it's usually already riddled with termites.'
"Put the ears directly on the desk."
Watching Lin Mo approach, the clerk remained leaning back in his chair, speaking lazily.
As he spoke, he reached out to grab a pouch, apparently planning to repeat the same trick.
KNOCK KNOCK—
However, Lin Mo knocked on the desk.
The man frowned and was about to say something, but when he looked up and saw what Lin Mo had used to knock on the desk, his expression changed slightly, and he slowly sat up straight.
"Oh, so you're an Adventurer..."
'Unlike those poor bastards who were forced into this, you can't just fool a proper Adventurer.'
'No one's going to stand up for some penniless nobody, but if I mess with an officially registered Adventurer, they'll file a complaint with the Association.'
'The Adventurer's Association is very influential. Even the Lord has to give them face.'
'Besides, the Association is right next door. I'd better not try anything funny...'
So, he immediately changed his demeanor and adopted a familiar, official tone. "Please present your proof of spoils."