102 Alanna

"…" Lin Li was about to go crazy. The fat aristocrat who intended to hire him had yet to leave, and here came another invitation for him to join the mercenary corps.

"Mr Mage, would you consider it? The Silver Hand has a well-known welfare system. We have a monthly salary of 300 gold coins plus team rewards after the completion of the task, and there is a 30 percent discount for all internal purchases. With the strength of you two, you could be promoted to a leader position very soon; and when the time comes, you will be able to command a team of adventurers on a large scale…"

The adventurer with missing teeth was rattling on and on, but Lin Li felt all the more drowsy as he listened.

He really had the heart to kill someone now. He hadn't slept for most of the night. He had finally managed to kill the robbers, but now he was being harassed by these two fellows.

Lin Li had endured all he could so that he would not blast them all away with a fireball even when he was towering with rage.

"Moreover, Mr Mage…" The toothless mercenary who was still chattering endlessly was not aware that he was in great danger. There was a lewd smile on his face as he leaned forward to Lin Li, obviously intending to share some secret with him. "The Silver Hand is famous for having many beauties. Not to mention our captain—Alanna's most prominent beauty, there are several other squad leaders who are all cream of the crop, especially the beautiful warrior who has just joined the mercenary a few days ago. Her blonde hair and beautiful legs are totally gorgeous…"

"Blonde hair?" Lin Li's heart tingled. "And beautiful legs?"

"Yes…"

"What's her name?"

"I think it's Ina…"

"F*ck!" Lin Li grabbed the toothless mercenary by the collar and dragged him into the carriage, at the same time threatening, "If there's no such person, you are going to die!"

"…" The toothless mercenary looked at Lin Li contemptuously. Damn it, everyone said that mages had cleansed their heart of all desire. How could there still be such a devilish pervert? He could even give up his life upon hearing the blonde hair and long legs…

"By the way, Mr Aristocrat, aren't you going to Alanna?" Lin Li thought it made no difference bringing both along since he was already bringing this one. So, he decided to count the fat boss in as well. "5,000 gold coins for a single trip, do you want to come or not?"

"Come! Of course I'll come!" The fat aristocrat got into the carriage without another word. These days, it would cost about 3,000 to 4,000 gold coins to hire one mercenary. It took him only 5,000 to find two such powerful bodyguards. Only fools would reject it…

To the surprise of the fat man, the journey after that turned out to be a safe one. They set off from Blackstone Town at dawn and saw Alanna by evening. Not to mention thieves and robbers, they did not even come across any decent magical beast along the way, causing the fat boss much regret. If he had known, he'd have set off on his own; he had also spent 5,000 gold coins in vain. This ride had cost him too much.

As the carriage was about to enter the city, the toothless adventurer pointed at a building outside the city as he introduced it to Lin Li enthusiastically. "Mr Mage, the mercenary station is right in front. Would you like to say hello first?"

Lin Li wanted to meet Ina quickly; but looking at the weather, he shook his head regretfully. "I have something to do today, how about tomorrow? You tell me the place, and I'll come to see you early tomorrow morning."

The official letter from Alanna Council had made it clear that all mages participating in the trial had to arrive within five days, and those who failed to arrive within the stated time period would be unable to participate in the trial. Lin Li carefully counted the days—they were delayed for three days in Jarrosus and had spent more than a day on the road. If they hadn't reported at Alanna Council before sunset, he could imagine the unpleasant look on Gerian's chubby face…

"No problem," the toothless adventurer replied coolly. "Look for me at the Adventurers Guild tomorrow. I am just going to submit a task there."

"Okay."

Accompanied by the crisp sound of horses' hooves, the carriage drove briskly towards the capital of Felan Kingdom.

Alanna was a hundred times more prosperous than Jarrosus. After being bombarded with questions by the city guards, their carriage passed through the lofty gate. What appeared before Lin Li was a straight, wide road paved with shiny stone slabs. The clear sound of the horses' hooves rang whenever they came in contact with the ground.

"What's that?" Lin Li seemed to return to the time when he'd first arrived at Jarrosus City. Everything in front of him was so novel and curious. At this time, he was looking up at the sky in surprise—a few magical beasts had just flown by…

"Mr Mage…" The fat man in the carriage had never seen such a bumpkin mage before. In order not to disgrace himself, he had to whisper to that fellow, "That's the Skyguards' Gryphon Riders."

"Gryphons?" At the fat man's mention of it, Lin Li recalled that Andoine had once told him about the Gryphon, a level-thirteen magical beast. They were suitable to use as a flying ride after being tamed.

"Nobody's controlling them?" However, Lin Li still had some doubts. The capital of Felan Kingdom actually allowed anyone to fly in the air? What if one day they decided to throw something down from the sky? It could crush a person to death.

"They are one of Felan's imperial guards directly subordinate to His Majesty, who dares to control them…?"

"Oh…" Lin Li nodded his head earnestly, but he envied those guys who were able to fly in the sky. He secretly made up his mind that he had to ride on one of those someday.

The carriage slowly entered the city and drove steadily forward along the crowded street.

With Gerian's familiarity with Lin Li, how could he not have known that this fellow was a country bumpkin? So, he had drawn a map of Alanna for Lin Li before he left. In order to prevent the latter from losing his way, he also marked the location of the Guild of Magic with a red circle.

At present, Lin Li was staring at the red circle.

To be honest, Gerian was thoughtful; the old fellow was certainly much more considerate than Andoine, who didn't even provide him with a map.

The bad thing was that the map he drew was a little abstract. Lin Li was unable to understand it even after flipping through it for half a day.

What on earth was painted on it? Except for the red circle, there were only messy lines on it. Lin Li couldn't help scratching his head. "This… Is this east or west?"

"Uh… Mr Aristocrat, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"May I ask, where is the Guild of Magic?"

"You're from the Guild of Magic?" The fat man who claimed to be an aristocrat was astonished. The young maged seemed so unsophisticated and was dressed in shabby clothes. He definitely did not look like someone from the Guild of Magic. Could it be that this was all an act?

"No." Lin Li shook his head honestly. Before he reported to the Council, he was not really a member of the Alanna Guild of Magic.

"Oh…" The fat man let out a sigh of relief as he helped Lin Li with the directions, all the while thinking in his heart, He scared me there. How could someone from the Guild of Magic be so poor?

Under the guidance of the aristocrat, Lin Li finally found a magnificent building.

The Alanna Guild of Magic and Jarrosus' Emerald Tower were completely different in appearance. The Emerald Tower stood alone, and here was an infinitely huge complex of buildings. The main building alone occupied almost the whole street. From a distance, it felt solemn and primitive, while at the same time emitting a mysterious aura.

As the carriage approached the main building, they saw an open gate. A dozen mages in long robes were entering and leaving the building hastily. Lin Li stood on the carriage and looked inside—the guild hall was at least several times more spacious than the Emerald Tower's. Large groups of mages were busying themselves in it, but it did not seem crowded at all.

"Mr Aristocrat, I have something to see to, so I won't see you anymore." As soon as he halted the carriage by the street, Lin Li took Sean and walked towards the direction of the gate, regardless of whether the aristocrat agreed or not.

"Darn it…" The fat man cursed, but there was nothing he could do about it. That was the Guild of Magic—he wouldn't have the guts to rush in and haul them out anyhow.

Lin Li entered the spacious guild hall when he suddenly remembered that he did not know whom to report to, so he cleared his throat and intercepted the mage next to him, who looked to be in his forties. "Hello, excuse me, where should mages who have come to participate in the trial report to?

"Participate in the trial?" The middle-aged mage shot an indifferent glance at him, and there were some mockery on his face. "Are you from the Jarrosus Guild of Magic? You've arrived early… Why didn't you just wait until the trial was over?"

"Ah?" Lin Li was bewildered.

"Which Guild of Magic did not arrive a few days ahead of schedule for the trial arranged by the Supreme Council? Only Jarrosus is the most promising indeed, arriving just before the deadline…" The middle-aged man finished his sentence with a poker face and looked at Lin Li again. "Gerian must give the Alanna Council an explanation for this matter. For now… You'll go handle the paperwork with me first."

On the way to handle the paperwork, the middle-aged mage continued, "My name is Darian, but you'd better call me Mr Darian because I'm one of the in charge of this trial."

Darian your head... Lin Li cursed in his heart, but he was all smiles. "Understood, Mr Darian."

The trial procedure was not complicated. Other than filling in the necessary information, it was Darian who would be arranging the temporary lodging. Lin Li was also notified of the points needing attention in this trial.