Randall led the way, guiding the two Warrior Knights toward the Alliance Hall while pointing out the various sights along the street.
"That building ahead is the hall of the Adventurer’s Alliance. Identity registration, posting quests, and accepting or submitting quests—all sorts of related work are handled inside," Randall said, gesturing to the structure before them.
The Alliance Hall was close at hand. The tall, spacious four-story building was constructed entirely of white stone bricks, topped with a blue-painted domed roof, and situated right in the center of Luojie City.
A slightly faded tapestry with a dark blue background and gold trim hung on the building’s facade. It bore the Alliance’s shield emblem—a pair of crossed iron-cast hands and a giant golden eye. The massive tapestry stood out starkly against the white wall.
The oak doors, carved with the same emblem, were wide open, revealing a bustling crowd inside the hall. Randall led the two knights through the doors of the Alliance Hall.
All kinds of eccentric characters had gathered in the lobby. There was a Wolf Fang Mage wearing a robe with leather armor strapped over it, a Strongman Knight clad in full plate armor dragging a massive hammer, a bearded Hunter carrying a bow, a Beast Trap, and iron chains, and a charming exotic dancer with dark skin, a sheer veil, and gold rings adorning her wrists and ankles.
With such a diverse mix of people, individuals like Samael and Talia didn’t seem quite so conspicuous.
The side walls of the hall were plastered with quest postings of all sizes. Countless wax seals, signatures, coat-of-arms shield emblems, and lengthy text descriptions crawled densely across every sheet.
A large crowd of adventurers stood staring blankly at the quest boards. Every so often, someone would step forward, tear off a slip, and head to the administrative desks to register for the quest. A few adventurers were arguing over who had grabbed a posting first, as it seemed whoever touched the slip first claimed priority rights to accept it.
Directly opposite the main entrance was a row of administrative counters. Behind them sat neatly dressed clerks in matching uniforms: white shirts, brown vests, dark blue trousers, and ankle boots. Small copper nameplates bearing their employee numbers and names were pinned to the chests of their vests.
"Please follow me, you two. I know the receptionist at this counter; it’ll make things a bit easier." Randall squeezed through the crowd, waving them over as he headed toward a specific counter. Samael and Talia followed.
Behind the counter sat a young female receptionist. However, someone was currently standing in front of her desk, chattering endlessly.
The man leaning against the counter bragged incessantly to the receptionist. "...Ah, that Split Claw Bird’s eyes were as fierce as a dragon-griffin! And its talons, just like steel blades, slashed right at me! That flash of cold light—even the Storm Sword Arts couldn’t compare!
"And guess what? I dodged! The tips of its talons sliced past an inch from my nose. I could even smell the terrifying gust of wind! Luckily, my sword was so sharp and my body so strong. I spun around with a backslash and chopped off the Split Claw Bird’s head!"
The man had dark blue hair and messy stubble on his face. He wore simple leather armor and a gray cloak, with a Longsword strapped to his waist. Chewing on a blade of grass, he leaned his elbows on the counter and talked non-stop.
The receptionist, adhering to professional etiquette, forced a socially awkward smile, looking completely dead inside. When she saw Randall, it was as if she had seen a savior, and she hurriedly stood up to greet him.
"There are adventurers here to handle their business. Mr. Luken Roster, I... I must attend to my duties first." She nodded politely in apology to the adventurer lingering at her counter.
The adventurer named Luken Roster turned his head and gave Randall an arrogant smirk.
"Oh, if it isn’t the Garbage Beast, Randall!" he laughed obnoxiously. "Here to pick up the scraps no one else wants again?"
"If you don’t have any actual business, please step aside from the counter, Luken Roster." Randall sighed. He didn’t like getting angry, nor did he want to cause trouble. But trouble always seemed to find him.
"I do have actual business! I’m about to be promoted to the third level too!" Luken proudly picked up a promotion application form from the desk. "You relied on luck and picking up garbage quests to become a Third-level Adventurer, but not me! I fought my way up fair and square!"
"Mr. Roster, you aren’t a Third-level Adventurer yet... After the promotion application and materials are submitted, it takes two days for review. You will be notified once the results are out," the receptionist reminded him. "You don’t need to... wait around here all day."
"You’ve submitted your application, so you can move now, right?" Randall asked.
Luken scoffed. Still chewing on his blade of grass, he reluctantly stepped away from the counter.
"Randa—Mr. Riska, what can I do for you?" The receptionist was obviously quite familiar with Randall. She subconsciously started to use his first name before catching herself halfway and switching to his formal surname.
"It’s for these two, Ms. Lillian. Please help my two cleric friends register as adventurers." Randall stepped aside.
Samael and Talia stepped forward.
"Ah... hello! Alliance clerk, ID number KNL3562, L. Watson, at your service."
The receptionist, Lillian Watson, stood and offered a slight bow. She pulled two forms complete with agreement clauses from her desk drawer and placed them in front of Samael and Talia, along with a dip pen and a bottle of ink.
"Excuse me, do you two know how to read the Common tongue?" Lillian asked patiently. "Can you write? If needed, I can read it aloud to you and fill in your names. A thumbprint can also be used instead of a signature in the signing section."