125: Mission Hall

When Xu Bai recovered and asked him, he replied,

“You've figured it out. After all, if it were underground, the light might be greatly affected. That's why Card Maker Guilds are all located in the mountains. You’ll have a chance to visit the headquarters in C Province later; that’s where the real scale is. There’s a whole range of mountains, hollowed out inside. It’s much livelier there than our branch.”

Xu Bai nodded. He would definitely go when he had time.

“Why not the capital?”

“You’ll gradually find out later.”

Wu Zijin smiled meaningfully.

Seeing that the other person didn't intend to elaborate, Xu Bai didn't press for details and directly skipped the topic.

“Hmm, where should I go next?”

“I'll take you to the Mission Hall to register first. See, it's that house with the most understated bronze roof right in front of us.”

“Alright.”

…Wu Zijin led Xu Bai and Xu Le towards a house with a bronze roof. Compared to the roofs of other houses, it was more subdued.

The material of the house looked like brick, but it also had unique wooden textures on it.

Xu Bai casually touched it; it was cool to the touch.

Seeing his brother’s action, Xu Le also reached out his small hand to touch the wall.

“Cool, Big Brother.”

“Yes, cool.”

Pushing open the bronze door, a slightly noisy hall came into view.

People were talking in twos and threes in the hall.

Wu Zijin introduced to Xu Bai,

“This is the Mission Hall. Card Makers come here to accept missions. Of course, there are also some missions that require both the Mercenary Guild and Card Makers to complete, and these will also be displayed at the Mercenary Guild, though such missions are not many.

After joining the Guild, you need to complete at least one mission each year. Completing missions not only earns you monetary rewards but also Guild points.

If a mission is of great importance to the country, it might even increase your citizen points, and then your citizen level might also increase.”

Of course, such missions are rare, and even if they exist, ordinary Card Makers wouldn't be able to complete them.

Wu Zijin just mentioned it in passing; these words were just for listening.

He led Xu Bai to the left side, to a relatively empty counter.

“Knock knock knock. Wake up, Old Lu, don’t sleep. I’ve brought a newcomer to register.”

Following Wu Zijin’s voice, Xu Bai only saw a head of white hair.

Hearing the sound, Lu Hong raised his head, rubbed his aching eyes, and squinted at the front.

The old man had thin cheeks, white hair, and was not dressed as formally as the staff at other counters, but rather casually in a white sleeveless top.

“Who is it?”

“It's me, Little Wu. I’m on duty today, and I’ve brought a newcomer to register.”

“Alright,” the old man replied, then rummaged through the desk, making the already cluttered desk even more chaotic.

Xu Bai wanted to go up and help him, but seeing that the guide next to him made no move, he also waited patiently.

Xu Le had no such qualms. As a good child, he possessed the traditional virtue of respecting the old and loving the young.

“Grandpa, Lele will help you.”

Lu Hong’s eyesight wasn't good, and only then did he notice a child.

“No, no, I can only find it myself. If someone else helps me, I’ll never find it.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Hong found what he was looking for.

Lele also retracted his small hand.

“Here, this is the registration form. First, fill in your information according to the form, and then we need to go to the room in the back to conduct an assessment for you. Based on the assessment, we will give you your initial Guild points.”

Taking the registration form, Xu Bai expected it to be similar to the Guard Team’s registration form, but he didn’t expect to be stumped by the very first item.

‘Create a new identity information…’

Seeing Xu Bai pause, Wu Zijin asked enthusiastically, “Is there anything you need help with?”

“Why do I need to choose a new name? Can’t my original name be known to others?”

“The new name is mainly for external display, for example, when you take on a mission and complete it—”

“What you’re saying is no different from saying nothing.”

Lu Hong interrupted Wu Zijin’s words and re-explained to Xu Bai.

“Young man, do you know the difference between a 'gonghui' (union/association) and a 'gonghui' (guild)?”

After asking, without waiting for Xu Bai to reply, Lu Hong continued.

“A 'gonghui' (union/association) is a legally protected organization that needs to apply to the Government, while a 'gonghui' (guild) is self-formed, not legal, and not mandatory.

Although the current three major Guilds are all called 'gonghui', the other two have already deviated from their original intentions and are controlled by the Government.

Only our Card Maker Guild was spontaneously formed by us Card Makers, and after many years of development, it has grown to such a large scale.”

At this point, Lu Hong thought for a moment and added,

“I'm only talking about large-scale Guilds. I'm not clear about other small Guilds, as the officials are too lazy to bother with them.

Coming back to the topic, when a Guild becomes large, many people join it, and these people can be good or bad.

We maintain a neutral stance; everything is for the development of cardss. Some Card Makers have a need for identity confidentiality, so we added this service.

Only the person who invited you to join the Guild knows your real information.

You can use your real name for some official missions. For other missions, you can use this pseudonym and wear a mask; no one minds.

Of course, some people just use pseudonyms to sell cardss they didn't make well, not wanting to tarnish their reputation.

Anyway, it's up to you. If you want to add a new identity later, you'll need to exchange Guild points for it. This time, it will be processed for free.”

Xu Bai nodded.

Indeed, where there are people, there are Jianghu (jianghu, literally “rivers and lakes”, referring to the martial arts world or a complex social network), and to get by in the Jianghu, having an alternate identity is quite necessary.

However, if he filled it out directly in front of them, wouldn’t they know?

What kind of operation was this?

He looked up at the two people beside him again.

“Then do you know my real information?”

Both of them nodded.

Black lines filled Xu Bai’s head.

No, if you all know my real information, and you’ll also know about this fake identity, then what’s the difference between creating this fake identity and not creating it?

Receiving Xu Bai’s gaze, Wu Zijin explained.

“Ahem, don’t misunderstand. Old Lu is the manager of this branch, and everyone in Z Province who is invited to join needs his approval.

And I am the one who invited you. I am responsible for you joining and understanding the Guild. The new identity will also be given to you by me, so it’s fine that we know; we won’t leak your information.

I'll also make it clear to you: after I invite you and you pass the assessment, I will also receive a certain amount of Guild points. I will only be responsible for you for three months. After three months, you can create new identities again, one point for one new identity. I’ve already made over a dozen.”