Yoruichi waited in another room while Gwenn prepared her ID and contract. Using this downtime, Yoruichi thought back and reflected on what happened earlier. There was nothing special with her fight against the Mercenary aside from the fact that his level was mid-tier and had some chance to be promoted to high-tier.
The other thing that caught her attention is his dependency on his equipment, however, Yoruichi can't really use this as a standard since she didn't know if the others were also like him.
Finally, Yoruichi thought back to the moment before they started the exam, 'Those eyes... It's definitely a type of special ability. Nonetheless, I also can't discount her own ability to judge people. It's dangerous to be around her, but if I can deceive those eyes, it'll be one of the safest places around.'
She then remembered how Gwenn caught her fist while she was using a Hakuda technique, 'Those eyes could see the flow of strength and momentum. Using her own body, she was able to disperse and refocus the power behind my attack.'
Gwenn's eyes reminded Yoruichi of Riveria's eyes. While Riveria's eyes could see the [logic], Gwenn's eyes could see the [flow] and [direction], 'And it's unknown if it could do anything else. One thing is for sure, though. As I am now, I have no way of defeating her if we were to fight. I can only release the seal at the right time or when I'm about to die.'
Naturally, Yoruichi also took into account Gwenn and Jemnel's strange interaction, but as she didn't have any supporting information, there's nothing she could get out of that.
A few more minutes later, Gwenn finally arrived and the first thing she said was, "I apologize for the delay. I had to make a report on what happened earlier. It seems you discharged a large enough power within the simulation room that it triggered some safety protocols."
Gwenn then sat down in front of Yoruichi and placed a tablet and a black card in front of her. She tapped the tablet and it lit up to a page full of words, "Please read through this carefully before accepting it. If you want to change something, I apologize but this is what all the mercenaries signed when they became one. So if you don't agree with something, you'd have to find another Union that gives better terms. But since you passed the exams, you'll be able to refund what you spent and we'll even add compensation for anything you consumed or broke during the [Combat] part. Though you didn't really use any gear nor consumables."
Everyone who was trying to become a Mercenary for their Union already knew all of this since they also made the contract public. However, Gwenn has a feeling that Yoruichi had no idea about any of this.
Yoruichi grabbed the tablet and started reading through the contract.
"I also added a file that fully explains a Mercenary's work and how the ratings function. You may read that first to get the full context of what you're trying to sign. If you have a question regarding anything related, ask away. I'll do my best to answer them."
Yoruichi looked at her and said, "But I'll be taking up your time. Don't you hate doing work?"
Gwenn smiled and replied, "It's my apology for startling you earlier."
Yoruichi immediately understood what she was referring to.
"I don't usually do something like that but it seems that I lost control of myself earlier." Gwenn leaned back while sighing, "And even if I do, my targets don't usually notice it... Unless they could clearly feel the movement of Spiritual Power." Her eyes instantly became sharp.
However, Yoruichi was already expecting this and only displayed a confused expression without any delay, "Spiritual Power? Is that Magic?"
Gwenn quietly observed Yoruichi for a brief moment before her expression returned, "It seems that you only know about Magic Power and Ki. Well, that's not a surprise since not many people know about Spiritual Power, and even fewer people could take advantage of it."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I thought maybe you're one of those rare people, but let's set that topic aside for another time. Focus on the tablet's content for now. I'll be by your side while you go through it."
At that point, Yoruichi felt relieved that she was not suspecting anything else, 'Or maybe she's just trying to catch me off guard?'
.
.
.
Yoruichi quietly went through the related information about Mercenaries before going through the contract, all while asking occasional questions to Gwenn. The contract was short and precise so it only took her more than an hour to get through everything she needed to know.
It's a standard contract that focuses on the Mercenaries themselves and what they could and couldn't do and their respective consequences. As for any binding, aside from only working for the Union for the first ten Hartagertle years, there's nothing really stopping the Mercenaries to do what they want in their free time or where they choose to go. As long one completes a certain number of tasks within a certain period of time, they could indefinitely work for the Union.
As for the Mercenary work, the main focus was on the [Rating System], not to be confused with the Underworld's [Rating System]. It's a system that numerically rated the Mercenary under various categories instead of just assigning one letter, symbol, or number to denote overall rank. It's a comprehensive system to accurately gauge one's ability to do work or where they'll shine.
One example of these is escort missions. One type of escort mission is accompanying the client through the wilderness for various reasons, while the other type is accompanying the client through his business deals. The former requires a high rating for [Combat] and [Exploration] while the latter needs [Combat] and [Diplomacy].
There are many other subcategories that the Mercenary is rated and the clients could also use those to further search for the exact personnel they need. If one is lucky, they could be invited by big organizations or clans to work for them on much better terms. So despite the high cost of entry to become one, many were trying due to its very lucrative prospects.
In other words, Mercenaries are pricey experts the client could temporarily hire if they need a job to be done urgently and couldn't find someone else to do it.
"Why 10 years?" asked Yoruichi.
"For discoverability and experience. A lot of people apply to be a Mercenary to be discovered by bigger and stronger forces, so the Union is basically a training ground for these people who don't have enough ability to directly appeal for themselves. In return, the Union wants 10 years of their dedication for the opportunity it presents to them."
Yoruichi thought that 10 years was too long until she remembered that the average lifespan of these people exceeded 500 Earth years thanks to the technology they have. And the stronger the individual is, the longer they could live which means 10 years is technically a very short time for them.
"And the special situations where these 10 years couldn't be met?"
"It varies a lot but the most common reason is that someone very high up in the Etoulde society wanted that Mercenary."
And without missing a beat, Yoruichi asked another question, "Is this Union owned by someone very high up in Etoulde society?"
Gwenn was instantly startled but immediately smiled in response, "Who knows~? It might be or it might not be. But one thing is certain. Those standing on the top have enough power to destroy this Union if they get enough time and motivation for it."
Yoruichi didn't ask any questions and just signed the contract using her own Magic Power's unique wave signature. And as soon as all formalities are done, Yoruichi immediately asks for jobs she could take. Due to her skewed ratings, she could only take subjugation and bounty types of missions.