Chapter 10: Common Sense of Life and Death
There was nothing worth mentioning inside the building. The lobby wasn’t big and was filled with long wooden tables that were full of messy scratches and suspicious stains. There wasn’t even a single seat for guests to sit down. As for the tin badge mercenaries, the leader nodded at the employees and left directly through the back door without staying long. There were only the shuffling footsteps of the applicants in the room, occasionally mixed with a few coughs. No one talked or asked questions. It seems that everyone knew what was waiting ahead of them. The air was much thicker and colder than it was on the street.
People queued up for their certification test. The line was moving quickly that Nemo suspected the staff behind the reception desk didn’t verify the identities of the participants at all.
This was completely different from what he imagined. The test should be more intense and formal, and the atmosphere should be tense rather than lifeless.
“Ann Savage.” The person in front got their certificate and quickly left through the back door. It was their turn in less than ten minutes. The receptionist was a thin red-haired young man with a soft voice. It was difficult to tell whether he wanted to talk or was simply talking to himself. “Well… This is the twenty-sixth time. One hundred gold coins.”
Nemo decided not to think too deeply about the meaning behind this number.
“Nemo Wright. One gold coin. Someone had already paid for it.” The receptionist glanced up at him hastily as he said in the same feeble voice. “Looks correct. Take it.”
The receptionist seemed to hate touching others. He threw a small piece of metal with a sling at the table and waved weakly. The object that had just been covered by fabric was exposed, showing a black round badge that didn’t look exquisite. It had a simple owl relief cast on the front.
“Thank you for choosing Garland, and I wish you all the best.” He buried his head and muttered without emotion. Nemo almost didn’t hear what he had said.
“Is this really a formal test?” Nemo twisted the dice-sized metal cube that looked very cheap. There were a few simple charms painted on it, which made it look more like a trinket sold to children in the market.