"The Mercenary Guild? It's just around the corner. You can't miss it."

"Thank you."

Archer scanned the map he bought earlier and took a deep breath. "Looks like I'm not lost."

True enough, maps were only reliable if one knew how to read it. He almost got lost because he had mistakenly read the wavy lines as a river, which should have been interpreted as a sea. Unknowingly, he arrived at the westernmost part of Krabby Kraft instead of arriving at the Central Square. Luckily, he noticed his mistake and returned to his original position. This time, after a long hours of walking, he finally reached his destination.

The capital of Krabby Kraft, this seemingly small village was actually bigger than most cities back on Earth. Most merchants loved to come here because the taxes were small. Such benefits would not be missed by opportunistic individuals, and so different shops were being built from time to time. The economy was booming and even the renowned individuals from other villages would come here to buy their goods. As they say, when someone wanted to buy something, it could possibly be found in Central Square.

Archer looked around and reminisced his past life on Earth. It was just the same, the only difference was the prevalence of magic. He garnered some attention from the crowd due to his weird outfit but he did not mind them at all. His only intention was to reach his destination. After passing a few blocks, he reached a dead-end.

The right area was an empty space with a 'For Sale' sign posted at the front yard. On the left was a 2-story building with a sword and shield logo posted on its front wall. Straight ahead was a big, fat wall.

"Among these three, the left one should be the Mercenary Guild, right?"

Archer strolled on the pavement and greeted some of the mercenaries who were coming out of the building. Some replied with courtesy while others ignored him. He reached the entrance and pushed the door.

The first thing that caught his attention was the receptionist because she was not human. A fox lady with a cherry-colored hair on her head. He scanned the area and noticed that there were several people of different professions waiting in the lobby. Some of them were playing cards while the others were just plainly chatting.

Archer approached the counter and smiled. "Hello, lady. I'm Archer Griffins. Can you tell me where I should go if I want to apply as a mercenary?"

As soon as he said this, everyone inside the building looked at his direction.

Archer ignored them and repeated his question. "Lady? I want to become a mercenary. Can you tell me where I should go?"

The lady fox chuckled and answered, "Sorry, Sir Archer. I was just surprised that someone wants to register as a mercenary at this branch. Anyway, I'm Mitchelle Barcu, the Guild receptionist of Krabby Kraft Mercenary Guild."

Archer took out a note he received from Melek and gave it to her. "Well, a friend of mine told me that I can join your Guild right away if I show you this."

Mitchelle narrowed her eyes when she saw the ordinary paper. Even though she was suspicious because there were many cases of people using fraud to enter via the back gate, she still had given him a chance because of his good disposition. She opened it and her expression changed from suspicious to guilt, then finally, happiness. After reading the notes, she hid it inside her pocket. "So you are a friend of Sir Melek?"

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"Yeah, I once saved his tavern from destruction."

Mitchelle's brows were raised as she said, "I didn't know that a great axeman needs help. Anyway, please follow me."

Mitchelle led him to the door just behind the counter and walked through the narrow hall. At the end was a spiral stair, and they continued climbing up until they reached another door. She knocked on it and shouted, "Boss, someone wants to become a mercenary! He has a referral from Sir Melek!"

A few seconds had passed before a husky voice replied, "Let him inside."

Mitchelle opened the door and both of them entered the room. The area was a simple office with many books on the shelves. It was a mini-library.

"Boss, here is the referral." Mitchelle took out the note and gave it to the guild leader.

Meanwhile, Archer saw the middle-aged man took the note from Mitchelle. Muscular, handsome, calm - a good character that was fitted to be a leader, that was his judgment as soon as he saw the guy.

Then there was a painful silence. 

Archer knew that their mood was affected by the notes Melek had written on paper. No matter what, it was not his business to know. All he had to do was do his mission - gain influence. After a long time, the guild leader returned the note to Mitchelle and said, "You may leave."

Mitchelle nodded. "Okay, Sir." She looked at Archer one more time before exiting through the door.

The middle-aged man took a piece of paper and pen and started writing. After he was done, he folded the paper neatly and sealed it with wax. He picked up an envelope from his drawer and sealed the letter inside it with a spell. "So, You're Archer Griffins, I presume?"

"Yes, indeed. That's my name."

"I'm Garry Domino, the Guild Leader. Can you tell me why you are interested to become a mercenary?"

Archer collected his thoughts before answering, "I want to gain influence."

Garry paused for a bit as he stared at Archer, his lips curved in a smile. "I understand. But why a mercenary? You can just become a leader or a sect head and become famous as well, right?"

"The thing is, I just don't want to gain recognition in this place. Rather, I also want to spread my reputation all over the world. Being a mercenary can help me do the job easier because there are Mercenary Guilds in every city and they are interconnected, so the news spread faster. Does this reason satisfy you, Sir Garry?"

"Reasonable." Garry opened one of his shelves, took a white crystal, and set it on his desk. As soon as he tapped its tip, it floated and shimmered like glowing lightbulbs. "This is just a recording crystal. Now, let's do the interview."

"Go ahead."

"Profession."

"Wandering bard."

"Is that a special type of bard?"

"No. It's just a bard that loves to wander around."

"Okay...weapon specialty?"

"A stick, a pen, and a pot."

"Oh, so you use them to inspire people through your music?"

"No. I just use the stick to stab things. The pen to draw things. The pot to smash things."

"Oh. Then...do you have any support skills at all? Because you're the only bard available when you actually join this branch."

"Well, I do have some support skills but they're minor stuff. I can play the drum, lowering the enemies' defense and increasing the allies' offense."

Garry finally smiled and clapped his hands. "Good, good. That's very helpful. In any case, I am happy to inform you that you are one of us now, Archer. Mitchelle will do an orientation tomorrow. Just make sure you arrive at the Guild at exactly 8 am. Do you have any questions?"

"Actually, there is one." Archer stared around the office, and asked, "Can I borrow your books?"

"It's good to meet someone with the same habits. Yes, by all means. Go ahead. Just make sure you register what you borrow, and return it in good condition."

"No problem. Can I start now?"

Garry gave him the go-signal and started reading a book.

Archer searched the shelf, pausing from time to time as he picked up the books that caught his interest. When he was sure that he missed nothing, he set the books on Garry's desk. "I want them."

"History of the world...Royalties and their Genealogies...Professions 101...Magic: The foundation...The Art of fighting...Taxonomy...these are books with no relation at all." Garry cast the recording magic once again and urged him to leave the room.

Archer carried them all and traced his way out to the reception area.

=================================

Garry shook his head as he analyzed Archer's intentions but to no avail. "That man is deep."

"I agree." 

"I can see why you are interested in him, Melek. But I advise you to take good care and avoid involving too much with him. I don't know but he is giving me a bad vibe."

Melek chuckled. "I know. Your instinct never fails."

"But why are you doing this?"

"Because I trust my instinct as well."

Gary shook his head. "No matter, welcome back to the guild."