Chapter 45: One-Star Mercenary

As soon as Rod entered Blue Ice City, he immediately felt a completely different atmosphere—one in stark contrast to his hometown, Fire City! Street vendors and shops could be seen everywhere on the streets, filled with the sounds of vendors calling out and people talking, presenting a thriving scene.

From time to time, he saw people dressed in warrior gear, with rough appearances, walking in groups of three or five. Clearly, these must be mercenaries! The crisscrossing streets seemed incredibly complex, and Rod even began to worry that he might get lost.

“Excuse me, sir, could you tell me how to get to the Mercenary Association here?”

After walking for a while and feeling increasingly lost and helpless, Rod stopped a burly man passing by. The man was wearing tattered armor and holding a thick double-edged sword; he probably was a mercenary as well. Seizing at straws, Rod quickly asked him for directions.

Surprised by being stopped, the burly man glanced at the young man in confusion before a smile appeared on his lips. “Heh, young man, this is your first time here, right? What brings you to the Mercenary Association?”

“Yeah, I’m from Clear Wind City. I want to register as a mercenary!” Rod nodded eagerly and replied quickly.

“Clear Wind City? Isn’t there a Mercenary Association there? Why did you come here?” Rod’s words made the burly man frown as he looked at the young man in puzzlement.

“There’s a Mercenary Association in Clear Wind City?” This time, it was Rod’s turn to be stunned, unable to believe it—he hadn’t known at all!

“Yes, there is. Well, it seems you just passed by there. Heh, never mind. I won’t ask too much. Come with me; I happen to need to return to complete a task.”

The burly man gave Rod a meaningful look and smiled knowingly.

“Then thank you very much, sir!” Rod quickly expressed his gratitude, though inwardly he cursed. Damn it, there was a Mercenary Association in Clear Wind City? He really didn’t know! Otherwise, there would have been no need to travel all the way to Blue Ice City. Despite his curses, Rod had no choice—what else could he do now that he was here?

Led by the tall man, the two of them chatted back and forth about trivial topics. Before long, they arrived in front of a building that appeared ancient in style. People were coming and going here, and from time to time, groups of warriors or magicians could be seen entering and leaving.

“That’s the place!” Looking at the building ahead, the tall man smiled and said to Rod.

Gazing at the somewhat ancient-looking building, Rod noticed it had a dark red hue. It was two stories high, about ten meters in length, with a huge sign hanging above the entrance. The words “Mercenary Association” were written in silver-white letters, bold and powerful, giving off an imposing aura.

Feeling the majestic atmosphere emanating from the building, Rod took a deep breath, tried to calm his excitement, and stepped inside.

Entering the ancient-looking building, Rod found himself in a vast hall—probably no less than 2,000 square meters in size! A large number of mercenaries and adventurers were gathered there, creating a noisy atmosphere.

The area directly in front had the most people. The chatter and occasional shouts made it extremely lively. On the right side, there were fewer people, but still a dense crowd. On the left side, there were even fewer people, making it seem much quieter compared to the other two areas.

“Well, this is it. Hehe, I’m going over there to take on a mission. If you want to register as a mercenary, go this way. If you have any questions, just ask someone—everyone will help you!” The tall man said to Rod with a smile, pointing to the right side while also indicating the left side as the place to register as a mercenary.

Seeing this, Rod had a basic understanding of the hall’s layout. Most likely, the central area was where missions were assigned.

After expressing his gratitude, Rod headed toward the left side.

“Hello, may I help you with anything?” As soon as he reached the counter, a beautiful girl in a tight, sexy outfit appeared in front of Rod and asked politely.

“Hehe, I’d like to register as a mercenary!” Looking at the girl, Rod was momentarily stunned. Her emerald green hair amazed him—she was truly beautiful.

“Register as a mercenary? Well, it’s right over here. Please show me your pass. Also, let me know if you’re a warrior or a mage. If you have one, you can show me your warrior or mage badge so we can assign you an appropriate rank!”
After carefully observing Rod’s appearance, the girl politely asked, leading him to the counter. There were also over a dozen youths around his age there, seemingly doing the same thing as him. Inside the counter area, dozens of young and beautiful women were serving customers enthusiastically.
Rod took out his pass and handed it to her. “I’m a warrior. I don’t have a badge yet. Is it really necessary?”
Looking at her in confusion, Rod asked with a frown. A warrior badge, just like a mage badge, was a seal that indicated a warrior’s or mage’s rank. It was issued by the Warrior Guild to those who passed the relevant tests. Naturally, Rod didn’t have one, as he had never been to such a place! As for the pass, fortunately, everyone in the empire received one at birth, similar to an ID card in modern society, with their personal information on it.
“It’s okay. In that case, you’ll have to start as a one-star mercenary. Once you get a badge, you can use it to raise your mercenary rank. You can also upgrade your rank by completing corresponding tasks!”
Smiling slightly, the girl patiently explained.
“Hmm, the registration fee is two gold coins, and there’s also a document fee of five gold coins!” she said with a smile after checking Rod’s pass.
“Seven gold coins?” Rod exclaimed in shock, drawing curious looks from those around him.
“Really? Beauty, are you trying to scam me? That’s seven gold coins already?” This amount was quite substantial for Rod at the moment, and even for most people, it would be surprising.
“That’s right, seven gold coins. It’s already the lowest price. That doesn’t include the three gold coins for the mercenary badge, making a total of ten gold coins. This is already the cost price. Our Mercenary Association doesn’t make any profit from mercenary registrations!”
Unfazed by Rod’s reaction, the girl continued to explain patiently with a smile.
“Why didn’t that mage need to pay anything when registering earlier?”

Just a second ago, he thought about how a magician beside him had also completed registration without spending a single penny. Rod asked in confusion. “According to our Mercenary Association’s rules, magicians don’t need to pay any fees to register as mercenaries!” “Damn this system—discriminatory too?” he complained bitterly. What could he do? If he wanted to be a mercenary, he had no choice but to accept being overcharged. Reluctantly, he took out the money bag given to him by Kiro and carefully counted out ten gold coins before handing them to the girl, his expression twisted in discomfort. “Here, take it!” Seeing the money bag shrink significantly again, Rod felt a pang of pain. After receiving the gold coins, the girl flashed a bewitching smile and quickly helped Rod complete the necessary procedures. “This is your mercenary medal. You’re currently a one-star mercenary. This is your mercenary ID card, which contains all your information. You’ll just need to show it when accepting or completing missions. There’s also some information about mercenaries that should be helpful to you! Wishing you a happy and smooth mercenary journey!” Seeing his medal and ID card, Rod rolled his eyes. He quickly left the place, thinking that the girl’s smile looked like that of a devil. He was afraid that staying any longer might result in him being cheated out of even more money. Holding his medal and ID card, he curled his lips. One-star mercenary—seemed like the lowest rank. He put the medal in his chest and carefully examined the ID card, which was made of magic crystal. Magic information must have been stored inside. Would his information be kept there from now on? He carefully stored this seemingly valuable card and, looking at the information in his hands, became quickly fascinated. Mercenaries were divided into seven ranks, from one-star to seven-star. Mercenaries of each rank could only accept missions corresponding to their rank, probably to ensure their safety and avoid unnecessary casualties. Reading about the ranks, Rod inwardly groaned. If only he had gotten a warrior medal instead. With his current strength, he might be able to reach the rank of two-star mercenary right away. He thought gloomily, wishing to explore more. As for three-star mercenaries, he didn’t dare hope for it. The requirements for even the lowest bronze warrior rank were beyond his reach—at least for now.

Taking a deep breath, she carefully tucked these documents into her arms, feeling relieved—everything that needed to be done was done, and now it was time to embark on her own adventure.