Li Xiuman, who had rested for an entire day, suddenly remembered something.
He and Ilu seemed to have agreed to meet.
Having rented the house, he had been too relaxed for a moment and completely forgot such an important matter!
Li Xiuman patted his head.
Then he began fumbling around his body.
But Ilu had written down her address for him.
Feeling to the left.
Feeling to the right.
Feeling up.
Feeling down.
It was gone.
It was gone!
Li Xiuman quickly did a thorough search: inside his skull, inside his ribs, inside his pelvis, and inside his leg bones.
Still, he found nothing!
Wait, think carefully. Where did he put it at the time?
Right, think carefully and trust his own memory.
Li Xiuman frowned in thought.
“Oh! It was in the inner pocket sewn into my shirt!”
“Thank goodness I remembered!”
Li Xiuman patted his head, going to find that torn shirt.
Yes, to find that torn shirt.
The torn shirt...
Oh shit, I threw it away!
Aghast, Li Xiuman grabbed his cloak from the hanger, rushed out of the house, and looked toward the trash bin outside the courtyard.
He threw open the trash bin.
It was completely empty.
Just like his head, completely empty.
“Damn it, does trash collection really need to be this efficient in a world of magic?!”
Li Xiuman cursed internally.
This was trouble.
What was the address written on that slip of paper again?
Ma-something-lu Street.
Something-wenlu Street.
Mawen-something Street...
Damn it, he couldn't remember it at all, let alone the exact address.
Since that was the case...
He might as well just stand her up.
Li Xiuman figured this counted as an act of God anyway.
However, he really couldn't keep idling around at home today; he needed to go out and look around.
Returning inside, he hung his cloak back on the hanger, took off his t-shirt, and headed into the bathroom.
Before going out, he might as well enjoy a nice bath.
“Water. Fire.”
A two-layered magic circle of red and blue unfolded in his palm as water and flames intertwined, pouring into the bathtub.
The bathtub had been made by Li Xiuman using Earth Magic.
Testing the water temperature and finding it just right, Li Xiuman climbed into the tub.
“Ahhh~”
He could feel the water washing over his ribs, pelvis, and spine.
Submerging his head, his skull was instantly filled with water, which then bubbled out from his eye sockets.
The flames in his chest cavity and eye sockets burned without the slightest hindrance underwater, flickering comfortably instead.
After all, it was his soul fire, which had no physical form and couldn't possibly be extinguished by mere water.
After soaking for a while, Li Xiuman climbed out of the bathtub.
A red and indigo magic circle unfolded above his head, and Wind Magic heated by Fire Magic blew down from above, drying the moisture off his bones.
Then, Li Xiuman put on his clothes piece by piece: his leather armor, light armor, and finally threw on his cloak.
The long wand was strapped to his back.
Pushing open the door, he left his cozy little skeleton home.
Today, he was planning to check out White Bear City's Adventurer's Association.
The Adventurer's Association was primarily responsible for mobilizing and coordinating adventurers.
Their tasks included dungeon expeditions, defending against wild monsters, subjugating dangerous magic beasts, and even warfare.
By employing a system of posting quests and distributing rewards, they categorized quest difficulty to effectively deploy adventurers.
In White Bear City, there were three main forces tackling the dungeon.
Namely, the nobility, the Adventurer's Association, and the merchant guild.
Li Xiuman wanted to get registered for some documentation at the Adventurer's Association.
Things like normal residency permits, lord-subject certifications, or kingdom citizenship certificates that could prove one's identity were out of Li Xiuman's reach.
But he might just have a shot at getting an adventurer's license.
This would be of great help in disguising himself as a human to blend into human society.
He couldn't stay in White Bear City forever; if he left for other cities in the future, he would definitely need some form of identification.
And his purpose for renting the house was also to facilitate the acquisition of this adventurer's license.
Applying for an adventurer's license required a residency permit or similar identification.
But Li Xiuman didn't have anything of the sort.
And applying for a residency permit required some form of identification.
And so, a catch-22 was formed.
“Applying for an adventurer's license requires a residency permit.”
“But I don't have a residency permit.”
“Then go get a residency permit first, and then come back to apply for the adventurer's license.”
“But I'm applying for an adventurer's license precisely because I need a residency permit!”
“Well, you still need a residency permit first.”
An endless loop.
Thus, Li Xiuman planned to use his lease agreement to substitute for a residency permit as proof of residence.
And then, in one fell swoop, he would apply for the adventurer's license and secure a legitimate, official identity document.
He made his way to the Adventurer's Association and pushed open the doors.
In an instant, the noisy, crowded Adventurer's Association—filled with people drinking alcohol, eating meat, and chatting loudly—fell dead silent.
“It's Skeleton, right? That outfit definitely belongs to Skeleton!”
“The same Skeleton who dove over twenty floors deep into the dungeon all by himself to complete a harvesting quest and came back alive?!”
“Don't stare at him. I heard he gouges out the eyes of anyone who stares.”
“Why did he come to the Adventurer's Association?”
“...”
Rumors sure travel fast in a magic world.
Li Xiuman couldn't help but complain internally as he watched everyone stealing glances at him.
However, this might actually be a good thing.
The fact that everyone knew him and his name to some extent served as proof of his identity.
He marched toward the counter.
With each of his footsteps, the chatter within this branch of the Adventurer's Association ground to a halt.
After all, this was merely a small branch. While it was called an association, it was more like a tavern and barbecue joint for low-tier adventurers.
The sudden silence lent his walking figure an exceptionally domineering aura.
It gave off a strong sense of déjà vu, like a cowboy in the American West walking into a saloon for a duel at the beginning of the last century.
When he stopped in front of the counter, the young girl behind the counter couldn't help but swallow hard.
She felt an oppressive pressure, as if she were facing a monster.
Perhaps only someone who slaughtered monsters day in and day out could exude such a monster-like pressure.
She managed to force a tight smile onto her face.
“S-Sir Skeleton, is there anything I can help you with today?”
As she spoke, the adventurers present all pricked up their ears, eager to hear what business this legendary Skeleton had here.
That way, they would have something to brag about when they went on quests with other adventurers in the future.
“I am here...”
“...to apply for an adventurer's license.”
“Hiss—”
Waves of sharp intakes of breath echoed one after another.
The legendary Skeleton who had supposedly conquered over twenty floors of the dungeon all on his own wasn't even a registered adventurer.
He didn't even have an adventurer's license.
“You... You said you want to apply for an adventurer's license?”
The receptionist almost thought she had misheard.
“That is correct.”
Li Xiuman nodded.
“...Uh, in that case, please present some proof of identity.”
The receptionist requested cautiously.
Li Xiuman pulled out the lease agreement and slid it across the counter.
“This is my lease agreement. It can prove my residency here.”
“Uh... It does indeed prove your residency, but...”
“But?”
Li Xiuman simply spoke in a flat tone.
The receptionist's legs couldn't stop shaking.
She was just a receptionist at a tiny branch office; who on earth had she offended to deserve this?
“N-Nothing! It's nothing!”
“I will process it for you right away... Please wait a moment.”
Fumbling in a panic, she pulled out a sheet of paper and placed it in front of Li Xiuman.
The moment he saw the registration form, Li Xiuman knew he was in the clear.
He didn't expect the rumors to be so helpful, solving his problem by building up his reputation.
As he went to write his name, Li Xiuman noticed that this form also held magical binding power; only a true name could be written on it.
Thus, he had no choice but to write his full name: Li Xiuman Pound.
Class: Elementalist.
Once everything was filled out, Li Xiuman handed the registration form back.
The receptionist took it, checked it over, and then took out a metal card, placing it on top of the registration form.
“In the name of adventure, register this adventurer.”
“Manifest here!”
The registration form and the card slowly floated up. Then, the registration form burst into flames, enveloping the card.
Subsequently, the flames dispersed, and the card slowly drifted back down to the counter.
Intricate patterns and text had appeared upon its surface.
The edges of the card were bordered by patterns representing fire, with text written inside the border.
It displayed his name, class, and adventurer rank.
And on the back was the crest of the adventurers.
A feather symbolizing freedom surrounded a longsword.
The longsword was the legendary holy sword that symbolized adventure and endless journey.
The Sword of Eternity.
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