Chapter 54 - 52: Registration and Assignment

Chapter 54: Chapter 52: Registration and Assignment

The hall of the association’s branch was much larger than it appeared from the outside.

The walls were made of smooth granite. A massive corkboard, densely packed with pinned quest forms, took up the left side. To the right were seven or eight heavy wooden tables and benches, as well as several tall bookshelves filled with leather-bound books.

And the row of wooden counters in the very center must have been the "service area," with several beautiful young women in matching gray linen dresses standing behind them.

’Not bad. I’ll have to come here more often.’

While Furen was looking around in a daze, Lu Wei had already scanned the entire hall.

This was his first time inside.

Without a doubt, it was the most impressive building in Heitai Town.

It was clear the Adventurer Association was extremely wealthy.

The commission on quests, subsidies from the Town Hall, and the "transaction brokerage fees" for Equipment, Weapons, potions, and Skill Books... all of these had huge profit margins.

’So if you want to make the big bucks, you have to be the one making the rules.’

’The platform is always the most profitable.’

Perhaps because he was a Professional, Lu Wei now couldn’t help but relate everything to business, sighing internally at the thought.

At the same time, a beautiful young woman walked up to them with a smile.

"Welcome home, you three. I’m Kaelin, receptionist number three for the Heitai Town branch of the Adventurer Association."

"Here to collect a bounty, correct? Please present your Adventurer’s Badges, and I’ll get you registered."

"..."

’Even the receptionist is completely unfazed!’

’Are sixteen Kobold ears really nothing special?!’

Staring blankly at Kaelin, Furen’s last hope shattered. He deflated, pulling a shield-shaped badge, slightly larger than a coin, from his bag with a look of disappointment.

It was made of bronze, with a coarse texture. A Longsword and a Scroll were engraved on it, with an embossed leaf pattern around the edge.

Lu Wei was no stranger to it, as many rookie Adventurers pinned their badges to their chests.

But considering that bronze was the lowest Adventurer Level, this practice always gave off the feeling of "showing off a failing test grade."

In short, it was pretty dumb.

"Alright, and could the other two please present their badges as well?"

Kaelin took Furen’s badge and turned her gaze to Lu Wei and Bai Ya.

Lu Wei shook his head. "We haven’t registered yet."

"Well, you might want to consider it. We offer a lot of convenient services~"

"Like what?"

"For example, free book borrowing, low-cost Equipment repair, and access to view High Level quest forms~"

"Hmm... Alright, then."

Lu Wei didn’t hesitate for long before nodding.

He hadn’t registered before because he had no money. Now that he did, there was no harm in signing up. ℯℯ𝘭.

He and Bai Ya each filled out a registration form, and a short while later, Kaelin handed over two Bronze Badges identical to Furen’s.

"Here are your badges. Your names and unique numbers are engraved on the back."

"Please be sure to memorize your numbers. If you happen to lose your badge, you’ll need the number to have a replacement made."

"Okay, thanks."

Lu Wei nodded, took the badge, and flipped it over to look at the number.

’Holy crap, why is it so long?’

Ever since graduating high school, the longest numbers he’d had to memorize were verification codes. He was getting a headache just looking at it.

So, he held the badge right out to Bai Ya.

"Memorize this for me."

"Oh, okay."

Bai Ya studied it carefully, then looked up less than two seconds later. "I’ve memorized it."

"Alright."

’Super high memory and super low Comprehension in the same person... it just feels weird...’ Lu Wei shook his head and casually stuffed the badge into his pocket.

Just then, Kaelin pushed a small pile of Copper Coins over to them.

"Sixteen Kobold right ears, at the latest bounty price of 15 Copper Coins each, comes to a total of 2 silver and 40 copper."

"After deducting the registration fees for the two of you, that leaves 40 Copper Coins. Please take them."

"Thanks."

Times had changed. An income of 40 Copper Coins no longer fazed Lu Wei in the slightest.

Furen, the rich kid, cared even less.

He was more concerned with when he could level up to a Black Iron Level Adventurer.

"Excuse me, how many points do we have now?"

"All three of you have 16 points each. It’s 3 points per Kobold, distributed evenly by default."

"Then how many points does it take to level up to Black Iron?"

"You’ll need 100 points~"

"Ah, that many..."

Furen was instantly crestfallen and could only put his badge away resentfully.

With the bounty collected, the three of them soon left the association branch.

Not long after they left, a familiar figure appeared in the hall.

Walking to the counter with a blank expression, Mirana took two blood-caked badges from her clothes and gently set them down.

"Please cancel these two badges."

"Their owners are no longer with us."

...

...

[Earn one hundred Gold Coins through mutually acknowledged, genuine transactions. (5.92/100)]

An hour later, after exiting a grocery store with a sign that read "We buy back Weapons, Equipment, and gold and silver items," Lu Wei and the others glanced around before furtively ducking into an empty alley, their faces filled with excitement.

It was finally time to divvy up the loot!

Cash confiscated from the Kobolds: 3 gold and 7 silver.

Gold-Plated Pocket Watch: 1 gold and 1 silver.

Confiscated Weapons: 3 silver and 20 copper.

Bounty: 40 copper.

Excluding the unsold Gray Gemstone, the total haul this time was 5 gold, 1 silver, and 60 copper!

Ahem, this didn’t include the earnings from the Golden Sword Hu Grocery Store.

According to Lu Wei, this was called "keeping the books separate."

They couldn’t be mixed.

Naturally, Furen and Bai Ya had no objections.

"I did the math! It should be 1 gold and 7 silver for each of us!"

Lowering his voice, Furen said excitedly, "Five years! I’ve finally made money from adventuring!"

’Look at you, acting so pathetic.’

’Do you even look like a rich kid anymore?’

Lu Wei shot him a glance and reminded him, "Not so fast. We haven’t deducted the costs yet."

Furen froze. "What costs?"

"Supplies, the Equipment we bought before we left, and that bottle of Diluted Healing Potion. These were all expenses from this adventure."

Adhering to the principle of "at least appearing fair and just," Lu Wei replied with great pain in his voice, "I calculated it. It’s about 1 gold and 8 silver, and you paid for all of it."

"So, it’s only right that we pay you back for that first, and then we’ll split what’s left."

"Ah..."

His mouth fell slightly agape. If Lu Wei hadn’t reminded him, Furen would have completely forgotten about that.

Then, for some reason, he blurted out—

"Oh, come on, you don’t have to be so meticulous with me. It’s fine if you don’t pay me back."

"Great! Then we won’t!"

Overjoyed, Lu Wei didn’t hesitate for a second and immediately nodded.

"If we split it evenly, it’s 1 gold and 7 silver each!"

"Here you go, my friend, this is yours!"

Afraid Furen would go back on his word, he had already counted out 1 Gold Coin and 7 Silver Coins as he spoke, shoving them into Furen’s hand without another word.

Furen just stared blankly at the gold and silver coins in his hand, his expression completely baffled.

’Wait a minute...’

’I don’t really care that much, but didn’t Lu Wei agree a little too quickly...?’

’And this amount...’

’I spent 1 gold and 8 silver, and got back 1 gold and 7 silver... So after all that, I actually lost a Silver Coin???’

His eyes suddenly shot wide open. The realization hit him, and he was instantly filled with regret.

But with his personality, there was no way he could say something like, "I regret it." So he could only hang his head and stay silent.

Fortunately, Lu Wei noticed his dejection and immediately consoled him:

"Don’t worry, we still have the Gray Gemstone."

"Once I sell it, everyone will get at least another seven or eight Silver Coins, so you’ll still come out ahead this time."

’Oh, right!’

’There’s still the gemstone!’

Lifting his head, Furen’s mood instantly brightened, and the aggrieved look on his face vanished.

It was as if just turning a profit was enough for him.

Little did he know he was being played like a fiddle by Lu Wei’s psychological tricks.

Well... Lu Wei didn’t know what psychological principle this was, either.

He just knew that in his past life, this was how a lot of girls treated their simps—

"You’ve pursued me for so long, and you’ve been so good to me. Logically, I should accept your confession." (The Goddess, feigning indecision.)

"Ah, if you feel pressured, I can keep waiting." (The simp, thinking he’s making a tactical retreat.)

"Really? Then can we still be friends?" (The Goddess, feigning pleasant surprise.)

"Yeah, of course." (The simp, forcing a smile.)

"No, we’re *good* friends~" (The Goddess, giving him hope.)

"Yeah, yeah! Good friends!" (The simp, ecstatic.)

The whole process wasn’t just similar; it was identical.

Tsk tsk, the principles behind everything really are interconnected.

Glancing at Furen, who was still grinning foolishly, Lu Wei pursed his lips and counted out another gold coin and seven silver coins to hand to Bai Ya.

"Here, this is for you."

"Ah..."

Staring at the "fortune" before her—more money than she’d ever seen in her life—Bai Ya bit her lip, looking conflicted.

Perhaps because her reactions were too slow, Furen’s cautionary tale failed to raise any alarms for her. A moment later, she actually murmured—

"I didn’t do anything... I don’t deserve this much..."

"..."

Lu Wei froze for a second, then was overcome with glee.

"Great! Then I won’t give it to you!"