Lin Mo found a seat in the hall, waved to a nearby attendant, and ordered a cup of barley tea.
He didn't really like drinking alcohol, and doing so early in the morning was never a good idea. Especially since he might go out on an adventure later, alcohol would paralyze a person's nerves, causing them to make errors in judgment. And the price of making a mistake in combat was undoubtedly heavy.
He spread the booklets he had just acquired in front of him, starting with the most basic free manual.
"Adventurers, as the name suggests, are a group of people who make a living through adventuring. They rely on the spoils of their adventures in exchange for a much more comfortable life than ordinary people. The price is extremely high risk—every adventure could be a journey of no return. But this is exactly the meaning of adventuring: composing the high anthem of one's life through the baptism of blood and fire...
"The Adventurer's Association is an organization founded in Year 544 of the Sun Calendar by seven Adventurers who stood at the pinnacle of the Continent at that time. It expanded rapidly over the following 300 years, and today, it has become one of the most widely distributed and influential organizations on the Continent."
Flipping through the entire booklet, he found it mainly recorded basic information related to Adventurers and the Adventurer's Association, most of which was widely known common sense. However, for Lin Mo, there was still some rather novel content.
For example, the second floor of the Association was specifically for selling weapons and armor, while the third floor housed display cabinets for various Alchemy Products and medicines. Further up, the fourth to sixth floors were reserved lounges for High Level Adventurers and Association executives. The check-in requirements varied among Associations in different regions. In a small place like Roland Town, Bronze Level and above Adventurers could obtain the right to use the lounge at any time.
Of course, Lin Mo's current Level was undoubtedly Black Iron, the lowest Level.
The manual also recorded the methods for Adventurer Level advancement. To become a Bronze Level Adventurer, one first needed to officially take up a Profession and obtain a Professional Level. Secondly, they had to complete twenty Association-issued quests, which must include at least two Bronze Level quests.
Setting this sparse manual aside for now, Lin Mo turned his attention to the guidebooks he had bought with actual money.
The first book was the *Loran Forest Outer Area Monster Atlas*, the second was the *Roland Town Map Guide*, and the third was the *Beginner's Adventurer's Guide to Plants*. The last one had a rather bizarre name, called *On the Professional Cultivation and Promotion Guide of Adventurers, and Daily Nutritional Meal Recommendations*.
Setting aside the bizarre final miscellaneous book, the first three were indeed quite useful for newcomers. That Half-Beastman lady, who looked suspiciously like a catgirl, hadn't lied.
However, Lin Mo didn't flip through these books for the time being. To him, there were more pressing matters at hand. Between the time spent processing the Adventurer procedures and reading the newcomer's manual, Lin Mo's gaze fell on the clock in the center of the hall. At this moment, the hour hand pointed exactly to nine o'clock.
Compared to the vast majority of hard-working commoners, those civil servants who benefited from family connections or had unique skills undoubtedly lived much more comfortably. Even if the town was in a state of crisis unlike its usual peaceful days, it didn't affect the generous salaries they received punctually every month, nor did it make them start work a minute earlier.
Lin Mo downed the rest of his barley tea in one gulp, quickly got up, and walked out of the Association.
Not far from the Adventurer's Association was a temporary town office. As Lin Mo had expected, there weren't many people at the entrance of the office at this hour. Among the few present, many were injured. From their physiques and the sorrowful expressions on their faces, it wasn't hard to guess their identities. Most were likely like Lin Mo—conscripts who had been driven to enlist against their will.
"Sir, we accidentally slashed the wrong place when fighting this Goblin, so this ear is damaged. Could you perhaps..."
A frail man, whose arm was heavily bandaged and resting in a sling across his chest, looked pitifully at the visibly impatient staff member yawning continuously behind the counter.
"I've said it many times. You must have an intact ear to exchange for the reward. Defective ones like this won't do!"
"But—"
"No buts! Rules are rules! Who knows if you deliberately cut the ear in half to try Slacking Off and claim two rewards? Get out, get out..."
The man wanted to say more, his emotions growing increasingly agitated, but he was quickly restrained by the nearby Guards and unceremoniously dragged away.
"Sir, here are the ears I brought. Please take a look..."
"One hundred Copper Coins, take it."
The staff member casually tossed out a small cloth bag tied with string, which was eagerly caught by the ecstatic youth in front of him. Rubbing his hands together, the youth sat on the ground nearby, opened the cloth bag, and counted carefully. The smile on his face gradually froze.
As if worried he had miscounted, he carefully counted them again, one by one. Looking up with difficulty, he said, "Sir, there are only seventy Copper Coins in here..."
"I said it's one hundred, so it's one hundred. Where is all this nonsense coming from?"
The youth shrank back after being glared at, but unwilling to accept that the reward he had risked his life for was discounted just like that, he stood up and tried to step forward to argue. The observant Guards nearby immediately stepped up and delivered a swift kick, forcing him to his knees.
"Who knows if you intentionally hid thirty of them to blackmail us? If you keep causing trouble, you won't even get to keep these seventy!"
As they spoke, they exchanged a glance with the office staff, sharing a tacit, knowing smile. The youth gritted his teeth, clenching his fists tightly. Ultimately, he didn't dare talk back anymore and could only leave with the cloth bag.
Watching the retreating youth, Lin Mo wasn't surprised. When a tree begins to rot, it is usually already crawling with pests.
"Put the ears directly on the table." Seeing Lin Mo approach, the staff member remained leaning back in his chair and spoke lazily. As he spoke, he reached out to grab the cloth bag, looking as if he was going to repeat the same trick.
KNOCK KNOCK—
However, Lin Mo simply knocked on the table.
The man frowned, just about to snap at him, but when he looked up and saw what Lin Mo had used to knock on the table, his expression instantly shifted slightly, and he slowly sat upright.
"Ah, so you're an Adventurer..."
Unlike those poor wretches who were forced to enlist, an official Adventurer couldn't be fooled so easily. No one would stand up for the poor commoners with no background, but if one messed around with formally registered Adventurers, they would file complaints with the Association. The Adventurer's Association held immense influence, and even the Lord had to give them face. Not to mention, the Association was right next door. He definitely wouldn't dare pull any tricks now.
So, he immediately changed his demeanor, adopting a familiar, bureaucratic tone. "Please present your proof of spoils."