Upon inquiring, they found out that this young man was one of the receptionists of the Mercenary Alliance, known by the nickname Wan Jinyou Xiao Lee.
Unlike most people who would show contempt or keep their distance upon seeing Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er’s ugly appearances, Little Li was very professional. He enthusiastically greeted Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er to register at the registration desk and patiently asked for their basic information.
"Both of you, what are your names, cultivation levels and ages, do you know any Mercenary Corps, and are you Alchemists?" Little Li asked proficiently.
"My name is Lan Lan, this is my sister Hei Yue, and the one in her arms is her Spiritual Beast Er Hei." Lan Cai’er concocted three names, earning an exceptionally large eye-roll from Little Zhiyo.
"We are both from out of town. My sister and I are Martial Artists with cultivation levels in the Elixir Realm, not Alchemists. This is our first time being mercenaries. We heard that Mercenary City is paved with gold, so we came." Lan Cai’er, truly a soldier’s daughter, spoke with a bold and unrestrained air.
Seeing her careless and straightforward demeanor, Little Li didn’t suspect anything and recorded it accordingly.
"Brother Li, we’ve just arrived and want to join a Mercenary Corps. Do you know of any that are short on people?" Ye Lingyue casually asked. Follow current novᴇls on novel·fıre·net
She had also heard that some Mercenary Corps, when short-staffed, would recruit some freelance mercenaries.
As newcomers, they were unfamiliar with the local conditions. It would be much more convenient if an experienced Mercenary Corps could show them the ropes.
"Mercenary Corps are organized, especially the large ones. Unless someone recommends you, they generally won’t hire newbies. However, some smaller mercenary teams might need people urgently. I have contact with a few mercenary teams who happen to be hiring. If you wait a moment, I’ll get in touch with them and see if they’re interested in hiring you."
Little Li said with a smile. Although he said this, he was well aware that the chances of these two female mercenaries named Lan Lan and Hei Yue being recruited were slim.
Female mercenaries make up only about twenty to thirty percent of all mercenaries, and within this small percentage, there are a few types that are most popular.
One type is the Female Alchemist; Female Alchemists can perform Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and healing. Even if they are not strong in combat, their support abilities are significant, hence whenever a Female Alchemist appears in the Mercenary Alliance, they are quickly snatched up.
Another type is a Female Mercenary with a powerful Spiritual Beast. Especially those with fierce and mighty Spiritual Beasts are equivalent to two mercenaries, so they are also in high demand. That dark and unimpressive Hei Yu might be a Spiritual Beast, but it looks like a freeloader who only eats and doesn’t work, so she clearly doesn’t meet this criterion.
The last type is the young and beautiful Female Mercenary.
For men, whether they are mercenaries or not, the sight of a beautiful woman can stop them in their tracks.
Mercenary adventuring is inherently risky and dangerous. In this process, it’s much more pleasant to be paired with a team of flower-like, curvaceous beauties than with a bunch of rough and ugly women.
This is also why Little Li specifically asked earlier if the two were Female Alchemists.
Since the answer was negative, Lan Lan and Hei Yue didn’t fit into any of the three favorable categories.
So, while Little Li verbally offered to help, he knew in his heart that these two would probably have to keep waiting within the Mercenary Alliance.
As Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er waited in the Mercenary Alliance, just as Little Li thought, several Mercenary team leaders came and went. After glancing at Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er, they were so put off by the two’s "dignified appearances" that not only did they not recruit them, but they also spared themselves a second glance.
Not long after, a few more Female Mercenaries arrived.
They were three shapely, young, and beautiful Female Mercenaries. One of them, with a waist like a serpent, sauntered up to Little Li.
"Little Li, please register us. The three of us sisters are looking for a mission." Little Li nodded, "However, Lady Xia, before you, there are Lan Lan and Hei Yue. According to the order, if other Mercenary teams are looking for members, they have to consider them first before recommending you."
These three Female Mercenaries carried the Xia surname and, thanks to their beauty, were somewhat famous in Cloud City. Their father was said to be a Core Disciple of a certain Sect.
With their distinguished status, plus their looks and cultivation, such Female Mercenaries were highly sought-after everywhere.
The one who spoke up was named Xia Meng. Her two younger sisters were named Xia Yin and Xia Qing. Xia Meng was a Seven Rank Female Alchemist, while Xia Yin and Xia Qing were Female Warriors with Elixir Realm cultivation. If one were to judge by their ages, the three women could be regarded as talents of a genius level.
They had been Female Mercenaries for two or three years now and were always popular in the city. Initially, they were part of a First Level Mercenary Group, but for some unknown reason, they left the group in recent days and became freelance Mercenaries.
"Them? Pfft, Little Li, you’re really funny. Only a blind man would choose them." Even though Xia Meng knew Little Li was just following protocol, she still felt offended. To think they were ranked after those two ugly girls?
"Lady Xia, please follow the rules," Little Li said with a sheepish smile.
The three Female Mercenaries sat opposite Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er.
"Pfft, calling them Lan Lan and Hei Yue? More like calling them ’freak show’ and ’charcoal head’ would be more apt," jeered the delicate-looking Female Mercenaries, after stealing glances at Ye Lingyue and her companion, their laughter shaking like blooming branches.
Lan Cai’er’s fists were clenched so tightly they started to creak. If not for Ye Lingyue’s warning look, she might have charged forward.
After a while, a few Mercenary teams looking for members arrived.
As soon as they saw Xia Family’s Three Sisters, the team leaders’ eyes lit up, and they immediately went forward to invite the three women to join.
However, the Xia sisters were as indifferent as peacocks to the invitations from these Mercenary teams.
Thus, the disappointed teams had to retire.
"Gentlemen, these two ladies are also looking for a suitable Mercenary team to join. Maybe you could consider..." Little Li recommended Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er at the right moment.
"Them? You must be joking. Just looking at their faces makes me want to throw up yesterday’s dinner," said one of the team leaders, irritable. After picking a couple of male Mercenaries at random, he left.
The reactions of the other Mercenary teams were much the same. After several back and forth, Ye Lingyue and Lan Cai’er were still seated on the bench.
Xia Family’s Three Sisters looked at Ye Lingyue with a mocking sneer.
"Hey, you two freaks, why don’t you just roll out of here? With your appearances, no one will ever let you join in their lifetime." Having said that, the three sisters laughed loudly.