Chapter 1 The Beginning

Upon hearing that mages needed qualifications, Hao Ren was dumbfounded. Before coming, he truly hadn't considered that he'd need such troublesome things besides trickery in the Dream Plane. It seemed the stories in movies, TV shows, and novels couldn't be trusted—even if you transmigrated, you'd still need an ID card in the real world!

He was just a newbie and hadn't considered everything. Any experienced veteran would have realized this: without any identification, let alone another world, you'd be hard-pressed even to go back to the Warring States period...

Seeing the changing expression on Hao Ren's face, Becky gave him a suspicious look: "Speaking of which, you guys didn't bring that kind of thing, did you? Or... could it be you're really just wandering mages or..."

"Anyway, we're definitely not fugitives!" Nangong Wuyue had rich experience wandering the world, having lingered near customs and police stations in various countries without proper documents multiple times (a guy who ran around the world like her with a special race couldn't get a passport even if she wanted to). Thus, seeing Becky's expression, she knew what to say: "Our situation is a bit special, but we're definitely not bad people—look, are there any villains this cheerful and carefree?" As she said that, Nangong Wuyue pulled Lily in front of her. The werewolf girl was looking around with great interest, not knowing what others were talking about. Nangong Wuyue's sudden tug made her pause, "Huh? What?"

Lily was truly capable of dispelling others' doubts. Her very nature decided that this girl couldn't be a villain. Lily was the type of sunny girl who, no matter the situation, would make people think of a wrongful conviction if she stood next to a police officer. In her positive worldview, the most heinous crime should be not buying a ticket on the bus or stealing the small dried fish from the "Gun" (rolling) mixed rice...

But Becky was looking at Izhaks: "Don't get angry, but actually, this big brother..."

Izhaks immediately straightened his clothes and put on a kind smile: "Actually, I'm a good..."

"Don't smile! Don't smile!" Becky jumped back. "Big brother, you look more like a good person when you're not smiling."

Hao Ren found it strange how Becky had lived to this day with a mouth like hers—normally, she should have been beaten to death before the third grade.

"Actually, registering as a wandering mage isn't a big deal," Becky sized up Hao Ren and the others, then looked at the "music box" in her hand with a conflicted expression. "There are all sorts of people among mercenaries. If you investigate closely, you might even find fugitives from other countries. After all, this is a life-risking business; if they're willing to risk their lives, who would ask for so much? It's just that if you're a wandering mage... no matter how strong you are, you can only register for the most basic team, and it's not easy to take on private jobs for those big nobles, which would mean losing a lot of money."

Of course, Hao Ren and the others didn't care about the later restrictions. Lily just asked curiously, "What exactly does 'wandering mage' mean?"

"Some are mages who have been expelled from the Mages' Association for various reasons or exiled from their home country. Because the associations everywhere don't accept them or provide support, they can only venture around collecting spellcasting materials. Some are from unorthodox heritages, and because they learn forbidden techniques, they can't register at all. And some are exiles due to various accidents. Anyway, they're considered unstable elements everywhere. Of course, the Mercenary Association doesn't care much about this, as long as you have the strength and, more importantly, credibility."

Hao Ren and the others discussed it briefly and unanimously decided to register under that name. In any case, being a mercenary was a kind of identity. Without a legal identity in this world, it would be difficult to move an inch. Moreover, Hao Ren thought of something else: if they were required to conjure a big fireball on the spot to prove their mage identity when registering, he wouldn't be afraid. He'd just have Izhaks do it. The great demon could cast not just a big fireball but a city-melting inferno instantly...

As a border town adjacent to the great prairie, Lundeberg had a mercenary organization. Becky led this group of confused individuals to a long, narrow building in the northwest corner of the town. This was the mercenaries' office.

The "mercenary" in this world was a loosely structured group. In fact, there was no overall guiding principle or generally recognized management system. The so-called Mercenary Association wasn't as restrictive as Hao Ren imagined. In fact, it was more like an "interface" between the authorities and the mercenaries. The association belonged to a semi-official archive that only registered mercenary information and acted as a task platform. One of its shareholders was the military of various countries, so it had a compulsory deterrent effect on mercenaries, but at the same time, it wouldn't directly manage the mercenaries in any way—anyway, it couldn't be managed.

Then one thing was very obvious: the Mercenary Associations of each country were independent.

Because it interfaced with the authorities of various countries and was also linked to the military, it naturally couldn't become an international organization (there weren't many international concepts in this world). Therefore, the mercenaries registered with the association actually had half a "nationality." They couldn't roam the world as they pleased, as many stories depicted, but were restricted by their place of registration. Of course, it wasn't to say that mercenaries were locked in one place. As a profession that sold their lives for money, it was normal for them to perform missions all over the world, but they would be subject to some restrictions from the authorities in other countries.

However, these messy rules didn't mean much to a certain five-person group. They just wanted to go to the Beinz Blood Lake and, by the way, obtain an identity that would make sense in this world.

The mercenary registration office felt like a bar. Behind a long table stood several clerks. Because it was a small stronghold in the town, many service windows were concentrated on this one long bar. The windows for registering new mercenaries and handing over tasks were very close to each other. While Becky was helping these newbies register, Hao Ren personally witnessed the scene of mercenaries handing over tasks: a young girl with a face full of acne reported that she had found the mayor's cat; she was there to return the cat. A burly man reported that he had successfully killed the leader of the New Liberty Army; he was there to deliver the head. A skinny little girl reported that she had successfully ended the turmoil in the southern region; she was there to deliver the battle report. A middle-aged man covered in oil fumes said that he came from the Red Cherry Restaurant; he was there to deliver food...

The life of a mercenary was truly rich and colorful.

The registration procedure was simpler than expected. In fact, with Becky's hints and arrangements, even Lily's casually fabricated materials were successfully approved—the clerk only checked and copied the names and professions of the personnel, and didn't look at anything else. Hao Ren couldn't help but wonder, "Aren't you afraid these are fake documents?"

The clerk was a chubby young woman. She rolled her eyes at Hao Ren. "Look at what you're saying, how can you be so direct—if it's fake, it's fake. Anyway, as long as it's worth the employer's money, we even have a macho man here just like that big brother next to you. He registered with the name Juliet, and he still hasn't changed it. He's still a level three mercenary."

As soon as she said that, a sturdy black-haired man with solid muscles in the resting area not far away slammed the table and stood up. "My name is really Juliet! If you make fun of me again, I'll smash your counter!"

Hao Ren: "..."

The life of a mercenary was truly rich and colorful.

After registering the personal information, the chubby girl looked up and asked Hao Ren, "Are you registering as a team or as individuals? It looks like a team, right?"

"Team, team!" Becky shouted before Hao Ren could speak. "I'm a special consultant!"

"It's rare to see you interacting with people. Aren't you always a loner?" The chubby girl glanced at Becky in surprise. The latter just smiled foolishly and didn't answer. She was too embarrassed to say that she had been bought off by a music box and was so active because she wanted to hitch a ride to Beinz Blood Lake to join in the fun.

"What's the team name?" the chubby girl asked as she filled out another form.

Hao Ren excitedly nudged the arms of the people next to him. "Hurry up, think of a powerful and domineering name."

Vivian was the first to speak, and she also seemed enthusiastic. "How about Bloodfang Mercenary Group?"

The chubby girl swiped twice on a shimmering metal panel and shook her head. "The name is taken."

Nangong Wuyue thought for a moment. "Wavesplitter Mercenary Group?"

"The name is taken."

Izhaks pondered. "Dawnblade Mercenary Group?"

As he said that, he nudged Hao Ren's arm and explained the origin of the name in a low voice. "A team of heroes who formed a group to attack me back then was called this name. They almost fought to my doorstep. I have a particularly deep impression."

As a result, this name was also taken.

Lily frowned. "Snow Wolf Mercenary Group?"

"The name is taken."

"Snow Dog Mercenary Group?"

"The name is taken."

Lily was dumbfounded. "This is also taken?!"

"Snow Wolf, Snow Dog, Snowland Wolf, Snowland Dog, even Sled Dog and Sled-Pulling Dog are taken. Too many new mercenaries are registering these days, and the old mercenary groups haven't all died off. It's hard to find a name."

Hao Ren didn't expect to face this situation even after coming to another world. He slapped the counter. "Damn, all the good names have been taken by dogs!"

"Oh, this name is available."