The Lich of Glory Knight Spirit: Moving towards Krimasha!

Swaying casually, Andrew quickly found the "adventurer service center" mentioned by the Guard Commander on the top floor. It was a long counter staffed by four human girls dressed in uniforms. On the opposite side of the counter, there were four neatly aligned chairs. At that moment, only the far-left chair was occupied, with four leather-clad adventurers standing nearby—seemingly members of a mercenary group handling registration procedures.

The other three chairs were empty, and their corresponding human girls were chatting away, laughing cheerfully. "Giggling non-stop."

"Hi, hello." Andrew sat on the far-right chair and said, "I'd like to register a mercenary group. Could you tell me what I need to do?"

"You... Hello, it's simple! You can just register with us." The girl inside the counter turned red in an instant.

It couldn't be helped—elves were known for their striking features. The men were handsome, the women exquisite, and they seemed to have a lethal effect on humans, especially those who were young and inexperienced.

Andrew smiled gently, his gaze soft as he said, "I don't know much about this. Could you guide me?"

"Of course!" She nearly cheered out loud, fumbling awkwardly as she began searching for documents.

At that moment, a middle-aged woman with an extravagant perm walked over and gave the girl a subtle signal with her hand. The girl froze momentarily before bowing to Andrew and quickly walking away.

The woman sat across from Andrew, expressionless as she said, "Apologies, our staff is still gaining experience and may have caused you inconveniences."

Andrew had no choice but to take a deep breath and reply with a blank face, "It's alright—I liked her quite a lot."

What followed was a completely formal dialogue, with the woman maintaining the same impassive expression throughout, as if she were wearing a mask.

"What's the name of your mercenary group?"

"Dragon and... no, no, no, Blood Elf and Dragon Mercenary Group. Yes, that's the name."

"Who is the leader?"

"Me—Duru."

"Members?"

"Can't it just be me?"

"No, it's against our rules. A mercenary group must have at least five members to register. If you're alone, you're considered an independent adventurer."

"Can't I form the group first and recruit members later?"

"No."

"What if I give you four names for the registration?"

"No. They must come in person. Otherwise, how can I confirm they're joining voluntarily? Furthermore, mercenary groups must renew their registration annually, and all members must be present during the review."

The woman's blank expression remained as she stared at Andrew, a perfect water-tight demeanor.

The young girl standing behind her grew visibly anxious.

Andrew took another deep breath, straightened his posture, leaned against the chair's backrest, rubbed his chin, and stared silently back at the woman.

"Alternatively, you could register some animals, like mice. We've already approved a group called 'Mouse and Dragon Mercenary Group,' consisting of one dragon and four mice. However, I must warn you: if you register like this, you'll become a focus of our observation. You'll need to treat the mice as actual members, with their own living spaces. You can't randomly replace them to deceive us, or you'll face severe penalties."

"Can you really tell if it's the same mouse?"

"Of course." The woman casually picked up a jade-green tablet and placed it in front of Andrew. "Every mercenary must leave a fingerprint here—even mice are required. As long as someone places their finger on this, we can verify if they've previously joined any mercenary group."

Oh? Who would've thought… This process seemed more advanced than the adventurer guilds in the south. Even this technology looked non-human—valuable, no doubt.

"Got it. Thanks." Andrew smiled and stood up, leaning against the armrest. "Is there anything else I need to prepare besides members? I'd rather avoid making another trip."

"You'll also need ten gold coins for the registration fee."

"Thanks." Andrew nodded with a smile, then glanced over his shoulder and flashed a grin at the human girl standing behind the woman before turning to leave.

Find four mice? What a joke—that's the kind of thing Christina would do. Haven't you already heard how registered animal groups become subject to scrutiny? Andrew would never stoop to that.

Leaving the adventurer service center, Andrew wandered along the circular paths while discreetly eyeing his surroundings. Wherever the crowds gathered, he'd slip his way through without attracting attention.

Before long, a few money pouches had accumulated in his hands. Finding a quiet corner, he leisurely whistled as he emptied the contents and discarded the pouches.

"Twenty-five gold coins, twelve silver coins, and forty-two copper coins. That should be enough."

Sauntering casually, Andrew returned to the adventurer service center. This time, though, he didn't approach directly but observed from a distance.

Soon enough, the girl who was supposed to help him earlier spotted him as well, giving him a distant glance.

Andrew curled his finger slightly in her direction. She whispered something to her companions and quietly left the counter, heading toward Andrew.

The two of them moved to a less crowded corner.

"Sir, I apologize on behalf of our supervisor. She's usually quite welcoming."

"No, it's alright. I don't mind at all." Lowering his voice, Andrew said to her softly, "But I've run into a bit of a problem. I hope you can help me solve it."

"What problem?" she asked quickly.

Feigning melancholy, Andrew sighed, "I don't have any group members, but I need to form a mercenary group. Can you help me?"

"Uh... I'm afraid not," the girl replied reluctantly. "This is the rule; it can't be changed."

"But I can't just randomly gather people to create a mercenary group. As a responsible leader, that would be reckless. My dream is to become a great mercenary corps commander—I can't afford to make a mistake with the very first step. It wouldn't be right."

"But… there's truly no solution." The girl lowered her head and rubbed her thumb thoughtfully. "I really want to help you, but I can't. Every mercenary must leave a fingerprint for verification—that's the rule. My fingerprints are already in the system. Even if I wanted to help fill the quota, I couldn't."

Andrew paused before asking softly, "Fingerprint… How many fingers are required?"

"Just one—the thumb," she answered, still looking slightly bewildered.

Andrew slowly began to laugh. "Then you can help me."

Before long, under Andrew's persuasion, the girl nervously returned to the counter. Shortly after, the middle-aged woman walked away, leaving only the four human girls behind the counter. Andrew casually strolled over, sitting down across from the girl who had helped him.

He proceeded to leave five fingerprints on the jade-green tablet.

Yes—five fingers, each one different. He even entertained the idea of registering ten members, utilizing his toes, but decided that might be a bit too much.

Throughout the process, the girl was visibly terrified, constantly glancing around to ensure none of her companions were watching. Fortunately, everyone was busy and didn't seem to notice.

Soon enough, the fingerprints were recorded, and Andrew filled in four random names on the form—or perhaps five. After all, even his own name, "Duru," was fake.

The paperwork was completed, the fee paid, and with five stamped mercenary ID cards in hand, Andrew left the center.

"You know, you're the most beautiful human I've ever met. Truly, I was smitten from the very first glance. I'll probably be looking for excuses to process more forms with you in the future."

Before leaving, he even sent her an air kiss, leaving the girl utterly flustered, her face red like an apple.

Rules? Ha! Rules mean nothing to this Blood Elf. Otherwise, do you think he'd have been forced to flee to the Human World after failing to fit in with his own kind?

"Next stop: the adventurer hall to pick up a mission and solve this dilemma once and for all!"