“Fine, I get it!” Starlight muttered under his breath. He then forcefully pushed through the crowd and ran toward a counter.
“Hello, may I ask a few questions?”
He soon arrived at one of the counters and asked cautiously, looking at a girl with glasses who was looking down at some documents.
However, after waiting for a long while, the girl didn't seem to hear his voice, remaining focused on the folder in her hands.
“Is it because it's too noisy around here and she didn't hear me?” Starlight speculated to himself. He raised his volume and asked the girl loudly once more.
“Ah! What! What's happening!”
The girl was startled by the sudden shout. Her hands shook, causing the documents to scatter all over the floor and her glasses to slide to one side. This sudden movement immediately drew the attention of the surrounding crowd, who cast curious glances over.
The girl hurriedly picked up her glasses from the floor and put them back on before looking toward the source of the sound, spotting the black-haired youth.
She seemed a bit embarrassed by her loss of composure, her face flushing slightly. Under Starlight’s slightly puzzled gaze, she spoke up.
“This is the reception desk of the Adventurers Guild. I am the guide, Nicola. How can I help you?”
Seeing the girl finally return to normal, Starlight also relaxed and continued, “Hello, Miss Nicola. Did I scare you just now? I'm very sorry. I'm here to ask about how to join the Adventurers Guild, and... I also want to sell some things.”
“No, no! It's my fault for making a fool of myself,” Nicola waved her hands hurriedly. “It’s just that there aren't usually many people coming for consultations at this time... If you want to join the guild, please fill out this form first.”
Looking at Starlight’s serious and polite questioning, Nicola felt much better seeing his clean and handsome appearance. She thought to herself that this kid was much more polite than those rough, burly men.
Thus, she leaned down, pulled a form from under the counter, and handed it to Starlight with a smile.
Starlight nodded to her gratefully, took the form, and began to study it carefully.
In truth, the registration process for the Adventurers Guild wasn't complicated. After all, it wasn't exactly an official organization, and its screening of personnel was relatively loose; one only needed to fill in basic information like name and occupation.
However, when Starlight wrote “Mage” in the occupation column, Nicola, who had been observing him in secret, couldn't help but let out a small cry of surprise. “Little brother, you’re a Mage? No way, right?”
Starlight was a bit baffled by the question. Did he not look like a Mage? He could only ask in return, “Yes, is there a problem with being a Mage?”
Nicola waved her hands repeatedly to explain. “No, no, no, there’s no problem. It’s just that I’ve never seen a Mage as young as you come to register... Um... you aren't an adult yet, are you?”
“No, I just turned sixteen,” Starlight replied.
“Six... sixteen? Generally speaking, aren't Mages of that age still in school? Why would you be out on your own? Do you have a trainee mage rating yet?” Nicola asked curiously.
“School? Sorry, I’ve been practicing with my master since I was a child, so I’ve never been to school... By the way, what is this rating you mentioned?” Starlight frowned upon hearing this term he had never encountered before.
“Eh? You actually don't know about professional ratings?” Seeing the youth’s serious face, which didn't look like he was lying, Nicola asked in surprise.
“I don't. I've never heard of it, and there was no mention of such a thing in the books my master gave me,” Starlight answered truthfully.
Seeing this, Nicola had no choice but to patiently explain the origin of these professional ratings to him.
It turned out that in earlier times, the various guilds didn't have such a system as professional ratings. Anyone who joined only needed to fill out their own information, regardless of their ability. After all, everyone’s life was their own; if a problem occurred during an adventure, the person who lied would have to pay the price.
But the great war with the Demons fifteen years ago became a turning point. During that long, drawn-out war, the human side suffered heavy losses, which suddenly led to a shortage in the supply of talent, with many professions even experiencing brief generational gaps.
Faced with this predicament, the major guilds gradually realized they needed to perform more detailed and accurate grading of their members. Only those who obtained a corresponding rating could accept commissions that matched their level.
Although this policy caused considerable controversy when it was first introduced, with many adventurers expressing dissatisfaction, everyone eventually chose to compromise under the guilds' forceful implementation.
Yet, this decision also invisibly saved many lives. In the past, many adventurers often took chances and accepted commissions that far exceeded their abilities. While the rewards were generous, the risk factor increased exponentially. Now, with the professional rating system, such phenomena were greatly suppressed.
Therefore, if one wanted to register their identity at the Adventurers Guild now, it was best to first obtain a professional rating, even if it was just the lowest grade. Otherwise, there would be very few commissions available to accept in the guild, and most would be low-level tasks like running errands or delivering items within the city.
“I see... So you're saying I need to get a rating for the registration to be truly complete, is that it?”
After listening to Nicola’s introduction, Starlight’s frown deepened. He hadn't expected so many steps just to complete a registration.
“That's right. At the headquarters in the Violet City-State, primary assessments for various professions can be applied for directly on-site. You just need to spend some time waiting in line. This is a service other city-states don't offer,” Nicola explained with a smile.
“Alright, since I'm already here, I'll have to trouble you to submit a Mage rating assessment for me.” Starlight thought for a moment and handed back the filled-out information.
“Let me see... Starlight White, noted occupation is Mage... The information is fine. Also, I should remind you that the assessment fee is three gold coins, and it won't be refunded if you fail. Is that okay?” Nicola kindly reminded him after taking his documents.
“That's fine, but... forget it, I'll just go wait in line.” Starlight’s mouth twitched slightly. He had wanted to complain that the fee seemed a bit high, but in the end, for the sake of his pride, he swallowed his words.
“Hmm? If there’s no problem, take this tag.” Nicola took out a small iron tag marked with a number and handed it to Starlight. “Walk along that corridor, and you’ll see the professional rating rooms.”
“By the way, I also want to sell this pelt. I heard I could find a suitable buyer here. Do I need to go through any procedures?” Starlight suddenly remembered the other purpose of his trip and pointed to the luggage on his back.
“A pelt? Is it from a magical beast? Wait a moment, I'll go get some information and look it up for you.” Following Starlight’s finger, Nicola immediately saw the shimmering black fur.
Relying on her experience working at the Adventurers Guild, she immediately recognized that this pelt was worth a fortune. She turned and went into the back room, coming out a moment later carrying a thick stack of documents.
After placing the documents heavily on the table, Nicola took the beautiful pelt from Starlight and began to examine it carefully.
“This is... a Shadow Leopard pelt? The integrity... actually reached over ninety percent! This is truly rare!” After just a few glances, she recognized its source from the patterns on the fur and the faint black aura.
Under Starlight’s gaze, she opened a large folder, skillfully turned to the section on magical beast materials, and began to compare them carefully, quickly providing an answer.
“Found it. There are currently twenty-five commissions for the guild to purchase leather, but none are specifically for Shadow Leopards. Calculated based on the price of high-tier magical beast pelts, the approximate value of this hide would be around three hundred and fifty gold coins. If you factor in the guild's ten percent commission, the final amount you’ll receive, Mr. White, will be around three hundred and fifteen gold coins.”
“Over three hundred? That's even higher than I expected. I'll handle it here, then. Is there anything else I need to provide?” Starlight said in a low voice, feeling a bit surprised by the price.
Nicola quickly packed up the documents in her hands and nodded to him. “No, but for physical commissions, a professional appraisal is still required. Just leave the hide here for now, and I’ll issue you a receipt. Once you’ve finished your professional rating, come back and we can process it along with your membership.”
With that, she carefully wrapped the pelt, quickly wrote a receipt, stamped it, and handed it to Starlight.
Rate on N.U.
