With the dawn of a new day, Linnaeus and Co made their way back to the Guild branch office to learn whether or not they had passed their assessment. This was an important first step for gaining a foothold in the region as, without the Guild's support, joining the main expedition without a bit of fame or powerful connections was nigh-impossible.

As could be expected of the early morning, the Guildhall was packed with several hundred people trying to either accept Quests or receive payment for those they had completed the previous day.

Fortunately, the Guild had ten booths open so, despite more than a hundred people standing in line, it only took around twenty-to-thirty minutes before you were seen. As for everyone else, they were the members of various Parties and, unless it required them to be present, they just sat in the dining area, eating breakfast and steeling themselves for the coming day.

Seeing Renka manning the station with the largest volume of people, Linnaeus decided to avoid the hassle of causing a potential scene by directly joining her queue, this time with Eliza, Emilia, and even Krone joining. They would all be registering with the Guild so, even if it would have been better have Eliza wait at the side, it wasn't really an option this time around.

After waiting their turn in the queue, Renka pretended to have overlooked the towering figure of Krone, showing an expression of pleased surprise as she pulled out one of the files waiting on the side and said, "Good morning, Linnaeus. You're up bright and earlier today aren't you? I guess you and your Party are eager to learn the results of your assessment~?"

Adopting a practiced smile of his own, Linnaeus nodded his head, answering, "We are a bit pressed for time. The expedition is in less than a month, after all..."

Nodding her head in understanding, Renka pushed the folder of documents toward them while explaining, "Well, there weren't any issues with the goods submitted. Rather, your Party must have a pretty skilled Herbalist to have packaged them so neatly. As a result, your total reward is 4310 Soul Kindling and, if you haven't changed your mind, the contracts for Guild membership have already been prepared. I assumed you had no intention of staying in the area so I arranged four temporary contracts, each expiring within six months. It is the shortest contract we have, considering you aren't part of a famous Merchant or Mercenary group."

Since they had already planned to stick around for a few months, building up their reserves of Soul Kindling, Linnaeus didn't think a six-month contract was that bad. He had heard from Yorgen that most contracts lasted for a minimum of two years but, as potentiates, Linnaeus and Co had a few unique privileges afforded to them as a result of the laws passed by the reigning families. Since they had only been granted authority due to their contracts with Tenebrae, they had the duty of ensuring potentiates weren't unfairly suppressed.

Though Linnaeus hadn't informed Renka of their potentiate status, it didn't surprise him that she was able to figure it out. There were a number of ways to gain information so, rather than inquire as to how she learned of their status, he just nodded his head and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Miss Renka. It helps that you are so capable and astute..."

Finding Linnaeus' words amusing, Renka released a rather 'hearty' laugh, primarily due to Eliza not-so-secretly nudging his side. She felt this group of kids was pretty interesting and, for the next few months, decided to tease them whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Unfortunately, at least for the time being, she had a job to do so, with a long line behind Linnaeus, she handed out four copies of the contract before setting out a tray with a small golden pin. Binding contracts required an exchange of blood to validate them so, after ensuring there were no strange clauses within the provided documents, Linnaeus, Eliza, Emilia, and Krone all dripped a few drops of blood near their signatures.

The moment the contract was signed and sealed, Linnaeus noticed his Status change to reflect his affiliation change from 'Free' to 'Briggs City Adventurers Guild' while, within the slot designating his Titles, he now had the secondary Title of 'F-Rank Adventurer'.

If the Guild had been a powerful organization on the Outside or within the Tower, this affiliation could have provided numerous benefits depending on his Rank but, due to the unique nature of the Crucible of Souls, it only determined which types of Quests he could accept. After all, Level bonuses were impossible to obtain in a place where increasing your Level, through standard means, was all but impossible

With the registration process completed, Renka gave an approving nod before pulling out a sheet of paper, explaining, "Few people prepare a Quest for immediately after becoming Adventurers so, to save you a bit of time, I can give you another D-Rank Quest. If you don't accept this one, you'll have to go back to the end of the line. There are a lot of people waiting so make your decision quickly~."

Realizing his slight oversight, Linnaeus couldn't help but frown slightly but, after briefly considering his options, he ultimately turned to his Party, saying, "We should accept this Quest. We'll check the Quest Board on our way out and decide whether or not we want to accept anything else. For now, it is best to go with the options presented to us."

Though he alluding to his true thoughts, what Linnaeus didn't say was, 'we should try to get on the good side of the Guild'. Since Renka had prepared something specifically for them, it would improve their rapport with her and, as a result, the Guild itself. If they wanted to make a name for themselves in the shortest period of time, obtaining recognition from influential Guild members was the optimal method.

Eliza didn't like Renka but she wasn't an idiot so, immediately after Linnaeus' attempt to convince them, she nodded her head, adding, "We didn't have any trouble yesterday but it is always better to pace ourselves. Completing another D-Rank Quest would give us more time to familiarize ourselves with the territory around the Monster Ant Colony."

With Eliza agreeing with Linnaeus, Emilia and Krone had nothing to say on the matter. Thus, after a very brief discussion, they accepted the Quest, much to the amused satisfaction of Renka. She then waved them off, forcing them to make way for the disgruntled duo who had been waiting next in line...

Fortunately, while it was an opportunity to mess with them, Linnaeus was relieved to see that the Quest issued by Renka was well within their capabilities. It required them to collect an additional 50kg of Blacksweed or, if they wanted to save time, they could venture a little further into the Ant Colony, collecting a type of Fungi known as Ebony Glowshroom. Though it was significantly rarer than Blacksweed, they only needed to acquire 3kg of caps and 5kg of stems.

After showing the Quest sheet to the rest of his Party, Eliza couldn't resist snorting through her nose and commenting, "That vixen is trying to turn us into beasts of burden. I wouldn't be surprised if she had connections with a local Alchemist and is using us to earn their favor."

As it wasn't impossible, Linnaeus couldn't really refute Eliza's words. Instead, he nodded his head and, after placing the Quest sheet in his Inventory, shrugged his shoulders and said, "Even if that is the case, it isn't a bad arrangement for us. She seems to have a fair amount of influence with this branch so it is safe to assume she also has dealings with the main office as well. Since this is a Quest suitable for our Level and Rank, completing it has no real demerits."

Hearing Linnaeus' reasoning, Eliza crossed her arms in a huff before muttering, "Did you think I was unaware of that? I didn't say we should forfeit the Quest...I just don't like that woman. We shouldn't let her pick and choose the Quests we complete. We're not her gofers..."

Though she didn't particularly have any problems with Renka, Emilia also nodded her head, adding, "It might be a good idea to win the favor of someone with a higher rank but, if you want to become a capable Party Leader, you have to be the one making decisions. If you only listen to that woman's recommendations, it could become problematic later on."

Linnaeus didn't share Eliza's and Emilia's concerns, as he was a pretty cautious person, but, as he had continuously advocated having everyone sharing their opinion, he couldn't simply ignore them and insist he knew what he was doing. Rather, there were many things he didn't know and, over the last few weeks, he had learned a considerable amount from both girls.

After briefly organizing his thoughts, Linnaeus nodded his head, compromising with the concerned girls by saying, "We'll make sure to pick up Quests prior to joining the queue. Unless she provides us with something that can be completed alongside our other objectives, we'll continue going at our own pace. Even if we fail to join the main expedition, it isn't as if we'll have no way to increase our Soul Kindling. With a six-month contract, we have plenty of time to prepare for the next expedition, even if it is on a much smaller scale."

Understanding that Linnaeus had compromised on her behalf, Eliza adopted a gratified smile and, despite several hundred other Adventurers present in the surroundings, she gave him a tight hug before planting a kiss on his cheek. She didn't mean this as a particularly intimate gesture but, if it would deter the 'vixen', even a little, she didn't mind embarrassing herself a little...

Though there was much he wanted to say about Eliza's decision, Linnaeus decided it wasn't a good idea to do so in public. Instead, he halfheartedly returned her hug, an awkward smile on his face as he noticed Emilia eyeing him from the side. Fortunately, she had the wherewithal to restrain herself, at least when there was a large crowd of people, many eyeing her with covetous gazes. If she tried to repeat Eliza's display, it had the potential of causing Linnaeus a lot of unnecessary trouble so, for the time being, she began pointed her wrapped spear towards the Quest Board at the side of the hall.

Eliza immediately regretted her decision but, with her unkempt hair, it was impossible to see just how red her ears had become. If she lowered her face slightly, it was difficult to even make out her expression so, using Linnaeus as a guide, she avoided making eye contact with other Adventurers, earning a few laughs and a couple of teasing remarks as a result.

Fortunately, the early morning rush was known as such for a good reason so, rather than waste time teasing strangers, most Adventurers quickly went about their own business. Most had shown up at the Guild for a specific purpose so, while it was a funny moment, it wasn't all that important to them.

By the time Linnaeus' Party reached the Quest Board, most people had stopped paying any attention to them, the exceptions being a few Adventurers who were drawn to Emilia's beauty. Since she didn't so much as spare them a glance, however, most of them eventually gave up as, with Krone towering over the average Adventurer, it didn't seem worth it to try and approach her forcibly. The Guild also had some pretty strict policies about rabble-rousing and other, more serious, offenses, so, in more ways than one, it simply wasn't worth it.

With Eliza's embarrassing act quickly forgotten by most people, Linnaeus was able to memorize a few Quest objectives and, while he opted not to immediately accept them, there was no penalty for accepting and completing a Quest on the spot. So long as you had the requisite materials, the Guild didn't particularly care how you acquired them. Though exceptions would be made if you became a known exploiter of the system, they generally overlooked it. Thus, after picking and choosing a few overlapping Quests, Linnaeus' Party enjoyed a light breakfast before setting out, passing through the brisk morning mist alongside several other Parties with similar intentions...