Another day passed, and the people of Black Stone City welcomed the off-duty time of the two dungeons.

Black Stone City promptly lit up with bright Light Magic, illuminating the city once again after it had recently plunged into darkness.

When the first adventurer returned to the city, it was like a giant beast suddenly awakened. The cries of various shops immediately rang out!

The bustling crowd returned to the city from the dungeon, bringing back vitality to the place. Adventurers and the workers who rely on the dungeon for their livelihood shouted loudly, waking up many who had already fallen asleep.

According to incomplete statistics, cities with popular dungeons generally have a greater demand for sleeping pills among residents.

Although ordinary people need to go to bed early, they can’t complain about the adventurers because the entire city’s GDP depends on them driving it.

Since the appearance of Sain Dungeon, Black Stone City quickly became a favorite among various investors, with merchant teams pouring in. The local industries flourished, and everyone was given an opportunity for economic advancement.

However, some problems also arose, such as...

"Our convoy came for Sain’s gourmet ingredients, but where are the ingredients? What are those disgusting monsters?"

"Can’t defeat them, can’t defeat them. Just want to leave, just want to leave."

All sorts of noises transmitted from outside the adventurer’s guild, but fortunately, the guild’s sound insulation magic operated effectively, keeping the noise outside and preventing internal chatter from leaking out. This was a reform made after numerous complaints about disturbing the residents.

"Boss, boss?"

On the second floor of the guild, the reception room used by Silver Level adventurers was somewhat quiet, and Maru’s voice rang out.

She kept waving her hand in front of Leon, who was lost in thought, yet he didn’t see a thing.

"Huh?"

Only when Maru angrily pinched his thigh did Leon snap back to reality.

"What’s wrong?" His eyes still held a trace of clear confusion.

"Boss, you’ve been daydreaming. We don’t even have a place to stay now. Are we really going to sleep in the guild tonight?" Maru said pitiably, collapsing on the ground like a mollusk.

Because arriving in the Warrior Country today was completely unexpected, they were unprepared. Not only did they have little money, but it was also the currency from the Yanor Kingdom. Most importantly, foreigners needed documentation to stay in the Warrior Country, and they had none.

In other words, Leon and the others were almost like illegal Rune People, facing the risk of being caught and thrown into jail, keeping company with the captive Reid people.

Coincidentally, due to Prince Lanle residing permanently in Black Stone City, the streets have become stricter about checking strangers’ paperwork. Going out would likely get them caught.

Fortunately, the adventurer’s guild was very accommodating to adventurers, especially those with a reputation. It allowed them to stay temporarily in the reception room, assuring them that their documentation would eventually be handled properly.

Being cared for by an organization is genuinely wonderful.

"There’s no choice; today, we can only stay in the guild." Leon shook his head and turned to look, "See, Drew and Tal are already asleep, you should rest too."

Leon also had a lot he wanted to do. He wanted to find his father’s estate, Tepi’s place, to see what he was up to and ask why he didn’t meet him in the dungeon.

Yet, because of their undocumented status, he couldn’t do any of that, which was quite disheartening.

"Alright..."

Maru swayed and found a table to sleep on, the rigid sensation recalling the days of secretly sleeping in class during school, her small face suddenly turning pained.

Leon was about to rest too when there was a "knock, knock, knock" at the door, and opening it, sure enough, revealed a guild staff member.

"Mr. Leon, the intelligence you submitted regarding Finger Enya and Two Fingers has gained significant attention from the guild. We thank you for your contribution."

"Now, there’s some unfortunate news we need to tell you," the staff displayed a solemn expression, saying, "your documentation might not be processed in the next few weeks."

"What?" Leon asked puzzled, "It used to be processed in only a day or two."

"Firstly, because of the prince, applications here have become stricter, and secondly, there are too many applicants now, overwhelming the review process."

The staff shook their head, saying, "The guild has used its privileges to expedite your case, but there are many more expedited cases ahead of yours... If you were a Gold Level adventurer, you could get your documents tomorrow."

"..."

At this moment, Leon deeply regretted his laziness in not applying for an adventurer level promotion.

What should he do next? The concern immediately arose in his mind, along with worries for the adventurers who followed his lead.

"However, there’s another way to quickly obtain documents, though it’s unconventional..."

Facing Leon’s gaze, the staff hesitated and said:

"Recently, Black Stone City captured a large number of illegal immigrants, and judging each individually is too time-consuming and wasteful. Therefore, Prince Lanle issued a special order."

"What is it?" Leon suddenly sensed no good news.

"He constructed a huge stage in the city center, and tomorrow, those immigrants and anyone seeking rapid documentation must perform on stage according to themes requested by Prince Lanle..."

The staff covered their forehead with a sigh, saying:

"Anyone who can make him laugh will instantly receive a permit for domestic activities."

Leon spent several seconds speechless after hearing this, then revealed an expression identical to the staff, lamenting with a hand on his forehead:

"What kind of nonsense is this..."

The next day, the city center was packed with people, and the temporarily constructed gigantic stage almost reached the sky, surrounded by projection magic, projecting the situation on the stage in real time.

And sitting at the highest position was naturally Prince Lanle Zhulie Sprout, who greeted the onlooking crowd with a smile, while the attendant beside him loudly explained the rules. The contestants lined up along the edge of the stage, forming a large crowd.

"How many people did they have to catch for this?" Leon and his group, who were cloaked in presence-concealing magic to minimize their presence, were mixed in with the audience, observing the situation on the stage with very complex expressions.

They braved the risk of being caught to scout out the aerial stage, planning to discuss whether or not to register for the subsequent performance after conducting an on-site investigation.

However, judging by the current outcome... 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"There’s no way I’m going up there." Even the most steady Drew crossed his arms and firmly refused.

If you went up on that stage, with your posture being broadcast all over the city by the projection magic, it wouldn’t be a performance anymore, more like a monkey show, wouldn’t it?

Even if you got the document, it might lead to societal death!

Everyone had their pride, and if worse came to worst, they would hide in the guild, keeping a low profile. If they wanted to go out, they’d use more of the concealment type of magic and go out as little as possible.

Even in the current noisy and bustling scene, you could see guards conducting random checks on documents, which was really nerve-wracking.

The prince’s attendant continued explaining the rules. In summary, the performers just had to use their skills to make the prince laugh. Despite the simplicity of the task, the attendant had been speaking for about ten minutes, and the bloodthirsty audience was getting impatient. Some were discussing the noteworthy news from the last few days.

"Have you heard? The adventurer’s guild’s latest announcement mentions some red toxin covering the whole of Galide called something like Crimson Corruption. Isn’t that name just fantastic? Just hearing it, it sounds powerful. I can’t seem to come up with a name like that."

"The important thing isn’t the Crimson Corruption, it’s something about a woman named Marionia who brought it. I can’t accept the use of poison. Initially, with her title of Valkyrie, I thought she was a noble warrior."

Although the wave of warrior reforms was popular in the Warrior Country, some traditional concepts from previous generations still existed, like warriors wouldn’t use poison or hidden weapons or other "despicable" techniques. If anyone asked a blacksmith to poison their weapon, they’d probably be thrown out.

"But my son said he likes her, what should I do? I think his thoughts are very dangerous."

"Have you heard of Sain Dungeon’s Gwendolin? Maybe find someone else for your son to fancy."

"Wait, I think that person is a man, right?"

"Isn’t that even better?"

"...Indeed."

Leon felt like his ears were being polluted after hearing the entire dialogue of the passersby.

It was also at this moment that the prince’s attendant finally finished the long and tedious speech, announcing the start of the competition, and also stating the theme of today’s performance—

"The theme is Dungeon!"

With this statement, there was an uproar among the performers because this was completely different from the information they had heard beforehand, and everyone was unprepared.

The prince changed the theme!

The first performer was reluctantly pushed onto the stage, and finally forced a smile:

"Your Highness, let me showcase the characteristics of Giant Stone Dungeon for you!"

Saying this, he threw the stone balls he held high into the air, catching and throwing them continuously while sweating and smiling:

"How about it, Your Highness, my five-ball juggling! These balls are made from Giant Stone Dungeon’s minerals!"

"What kind of dungeon theme is that..." Maru couldn’t stand it and pulled Leon’s hand to cover her eyes.

Sure enough, Lanle didn’t laugh at all; he even cast a calming technique on himself in public.

He waved his hand, and the guard next to him shouted "Get lost!" A strong gust of wind blew the performer down. He fell from the sky stage to the ground with a loud bang amidst screams of "Ahhhh."

Although someone was there to catch him, and he wouldn’t die from the fall, fainting from fright was unavoidable.

"Next!" shouted the guard.

The next performer on stage was a muscular man with his upper body bare, wearing a confident smile. He snapped his fingers, and the sound stone on him immediately played powerful music.

"Your Highness, watch me perform a muscle dance, wave after wave!"

"Get lost!" This time, Lanle didn’t even glance before eliminating the performer.

"Your Highness, why did you—"

"Next!"

One performer after another took the stage, and one after another was blown off, with ten or so having gone up without any passing.

"I thought some of them were quite funny," Maru pouted, "Are the prince’s standards really this strict?"

"Have you ever seen someone who can make a person under the effect of calming technique laugh?" Leon retorted. "Such a person would be a one-in-a-million genius."

"Is there anyone who can succeed today?"

Under Maru’s watchful eyes, the attendant announced the name of the new performer.

"Next, Luluwo!"

With this statement, Leon and the others widened their eyes and stared closely at the stage, their minds churning as they just wanted to complain:

Why were you also caught!?