Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 26 Identity is given by myself
The first to react was the one-eyed owner, who had been lazily leaning behind the bar counter.

The boss had a worn-out half-eye mask over his face, and his only remaining eye, like a laser pointer, scanned back and forth in the smoky, crowded hall. It was quite remarkable that he could see in all directions.

Most of the time, the boss was flirting with several big-breasted girls with busts comparable to minotaurs and lips painted like vampires. However, ever since Chen Mo came in, his one eye had been constantly focused on the new stranger. He also noticed Josh's little actions after hearing the waiter's report.

Naturally, they also witnessed how their own tavern had turned into an icebox.

In the suffocating atmosphere, the one-eyed boss pressed his blindfold with one hand and shouted at the top of his lungs, "A friend of mine dropped something, so please don't try to hide it, everyone. I'll have someone clean it up right away. As a token of my gratitude, I'll give each table an extra bottle of Black Snake Wine!"

"Old John, a distinguished guest has come to see you. Stop playing your old funeral violin and greet the guest!"

As soon as the one-eyed owner spoke, the tavern seemed to come alive, and the noisy atmosphere gradually returned to normal.

Only the instigator, the boastful Josie, who had blown her own horn, remained standing in the eye of the storm, trembling. The young bronze-patterned warrior stood there, his face pale, his eyes vacant, as if they had lost their focus.

Then, the one-eyed boss easily grabbed him by the back, lifted him up, and threw him in front of Chen Mo like a dead dog.

"I've brought the troublemaker over to you. May I ask where this friend is from and what his name is?"

There's an old saying in the mercenary world: When you're out in the world, you give yourself your identity.

For a visitor from another world like Chen Mo, solving the question of "who am I" is of paramount importance.

Chen Mo had been working on creating an identity for himself ever since he first came into contact with this world. The deeper his understanding of the Starry Continent became, the more complete his definition became, the richer its content, the more detailed its information, and the more logically consistent it became.

Meeting the questioning gazes of One-Eyed and Old John, Chen Mo cleared his throat and began his performance.

"First of all, please understand," he said with a perfectly measured, slightly aloof smile, "that due to certain reasons that cannot be explained, I cannot reveal the specifics of my family. I can only say... that place is quite respectable."

He paused, then clearly uttered a few words: "By the way, my name is Chen Mo."

The short break in the middle was just right. The one-eyed boss and Old John exchanged a quick glance, seemingly lost in thought.

The surname Chen is associated with far too many powerful and influential families. Generally speaking, if someone has no connection to the Chen family of the Sky Empire, they always have to immediately explain: "It's not the Chen you're thinking of!"—just like the garrison captain of White Stone City, after announcing his surname "Feng," must immediately declare, "I have no connection to the Feng family of the Norton Kingdom!"

Chen Mo smiled slightly. Very well, guess whatever you want, I haven't said anything anyway.

The one-eyed boss attentively helped Chen Mo sit down. Out of the corner of Chen Mo's eye, he glanced at the dried, blackened stains on the wooden bench. The smile on his lips seemed to freeze for a barely perceptible moment. He continued to stand upright by the table and slowly recount his origins.

Having lost his parents at a young age and left with no one to rely on, he experienced a series of tragic encounters, including provocations from spoiled brats, exclusion by petty people, a childhood sweetheart breaking off their engagement, and severing ties with old friends. In his youthful arrogance, he chose to leave home and travel far away, hoping to create a world of his own.

"At home, due to certain special reasons, I mainly focused on academic studies and didn't have the opportunity to become a professional."

"So, it wasn't until after I left the family that I managed to get a basic understanding of the skills and learn a little bit of the basics."

The one-eyed boss's eyelids twitched almost imperceptibly. He raised his hand to beckon a waiter, who soon brought Chen Mo a cushion that looked fairly clean and tidy.

Under what circumstances would a large family restrict its descendants from learning martial arts and only allow them to study literature?

Those are the outstanding offspring of the branch families. This is a world where martial prowess reigns supreme, and everyone has different talents. If the opportunity to learn martial arts were fairly given to every family member, it would likely be that the main branch would no longer hold power within two or three generations.

No matter how many, complicated, or strict the rules you set, it's useless; you can't stop human greed.

In the words of a legendary Radiant Lord surnamed Feng, the law is created by those above the rules to restrict those below them.

You can't expect a branch's Night Patrol to be at the beck and call of a main branch's silver-armored warrior.

Just as you can't expect a border general who commands 300,000 iron cavalry in the north to relinquish his military power and surrender with just an empty edict from the capital.

How did Chen Mo know about this rule? He has to "thank" Little Golden Retriever—that heartless guy has boasted to the apprentices more than once that a certain exceptionally talented offspring of the Zircon family could only end up as an accountant.

The waiter promptly brought over a soft cushion that looked fairly clean. Chen Mo sat down cautiously, and the conversation quickly turned to business.

"Unfortunately, wherever there are people, there will be conflict," he sighed, with a hint of helplessness. "Even if I just want to find a quiet corner to cultivate myself, there are always some ignorant playboys who come knocking on my door."

"I came to the Xiyue Federation after many twists and turns, just wanting to get a mercenary identity and find a magic tower to study in peace."

"As luck would have it, I met Luke on the way. He strongly recommended that I come here, saying that his old friend could help."

Old John ran his knuckles through his sparse, mostly white hair: "Luke? Oh, you mean that big, dumb Luke from Mirror Lake? You... how do you know him? He doesn't seem like the kind of guy who could be associated with someone of your status?"

“It’s quite a coincidence,” Chen Mo said, a perfectly timed blush crossing his face. “He was serving as a guide for the young princess of Cloud Mist Territory at the time. I happened to hitch a ride on a ship from Cloud Mist Territory, and that’s how we met.”

"Well, I've had a few dealings with Captain Peiwen of Cloud Mist Territory, so it might be easier to get my identity processed through them. But I've received so many favors from them, otherwise I wouldn't feel at ease repaying them."

“Master Locke of Cloud Mist Territory treated my injuries, and Princess Liushuang even gave me medicine. Look at my current state of destitution…” Chen Mo spread his hands, his posture frank yet with a touch of arrogance, “I really have nothing to repay you with, so how could I possibly bother you again?”

This part was a bit too sophisticated. As Chen Mo spoke, the one-eyed shopkeeper and Old John stared intently at Chen Mo's expression and eyes, like probes.

Chen Mo's eyes were clear, his expression was calm, and his heart was at peace: I didn't lie.

You came here on the Cloud Mist Skyship, right? You've dealt with Captain Peiwen, right? Master Locke healed my injuries, right? The princess gave me healing medicine, right?

Not a single word is false.

At this point, the whole story, the cause and effect, had been explained clearly, and the last trace of doubt in Old John's eyes disappeared.

"It's easy to get a mercenary identity, but the starting rank is a bit low. Do you mind?"

“It’s alright,” Chen Mo said decisively. “I just want to be able to study in the Mage Tower. Mercenary rank doesn’t matter, the sooner the better.”

Upon hearing this, Old John felt much more at ease: "Alright! Tomorrow, I'll trouble you to come with me to the Mercenary Guild. I'll make sure everything is taken care of perfectly!"

(End of this chapter)