Continuing on with their "grocery shopping", Brat led Adam away from the market.
"Where are we going, Milly?" [Adam]
"Don't call me that." [Brat]
"I thought your name was Brat." [Adam]
"It is." [Brat]
"If you say so, Milly." [Adam]
Brat punched him in the gut. Of course, it did nothing to his highly durable body.
"Haha. That doesn't hurt one bit." [Adam]
Brat did it once again. This time, a ripping pain pierced Adam's abdomen.
"Oof!" [Adam]
Confusion took root as Adam was left dumbfounded by what hurt him.
"Ow… What was that…?" [Adam]
"Retribution." [Brat]
"That still doesn't explain-" [Adam]
"This way." [Brat]
He dragged him along to a strange building with the signpost: "City Hall". Inside were several lines of people of various races waiting for their turn at one of the many kiosks and reception counters. The interior itself looked very simple. White tiles lined the floor, a simple blue paint for the walls, strange floating lights on the ceiling, and wooden chairs put aside for those who were waiting to be called upon.
"What is this?" [Adam]
"We need to get you identification." [Brat]
"I do?" [Adam]
It was very odd to see how things functioned. The kiosks were composed of crystal balls and the reception had people taking their blood directly.
"Let's skip the line." [Brat]
"Huh? We can do that?" [Adam]
Without hesitation, Brat pulled Adam past everyone and landed themselves in front of the nearest receptionist. It appeared to be a male, but it was difficult to tell because of how similar they looked to a fish. It was a question of how they got an orange floating fish to be a worker. They even had a miniature suit tailored for it.
"Excuse me, but you can't just cut the-" [Fish Receptionist]
He froze upon eye contact with Brat.
"Ah, I see. Fortis' Cyderian. I apologize. How can I help you?" [Fish Receptionist]
"I'd like you to register my friend here." [Brat]
"Of course. Right away." [Fish Receptionist]
The floating fish swam through the air to grab a needle from under the counter before handing it over to Adam.
"...What do I do with this?" [Adam]
"Please prick your finger and apply your blood to the crystal." [Fish Receptionist]
The fish nodded towards a transparent crystal ball placed near the corner of the counter.
"Man…" [Adam]
Though not afraid of pain, the thought of pricking himself with a needle sent shivers down his spine. In the end, Adam stood there staring at the slim and sharp piece of metal.
"What are you waiting for?" [Brat]
"Hold on. I'm… preparing myself." [Adam]
He slowly brought the sharp tip of the needle to his index finger and pushed slowly.
"...Huh." [Adam]
As he continued to apply pressure, he found that the needle couldn't pierce his skin.
"What are you doing?" [Brat]
"I'm trying to stab myself, but it's not going in. Just give me a sec." [Adam]
He applied more pressure. Unfortunately, it yielded no results.
"Wow, I'm pretty tough. Let me try going harder." [Adam]
He started to press with all his might, causing the needle to snap and let out a metallic ring as it hit the floor.
"Ah." [Adam]
Brat, the fish receptionist, and Adam himself merely glanced at each other with surprise.
"I'll pick it up." [Brat]
She retrieved the broken half of the needle from the ground and placed it on the counter.
"You don't by any chance have a stronger and sharper needle?" [Adam]
"We do. We have one for the thicker skinned races, one for races with exoskeletons, and one for carapace based life forms. Which one would you like?" [Fish Receptionist]
"Can you just bring one of each?" [Brat]
"By all means. They're in the back. Allow me to bring it up front." [Fish Receptionist]
With that, the fish air-swam away.
"...It's really odd to see a fish swimming through the air. Also, it's weird that they don't blink." [Adam]
"It's because they don't have eyelids." [Brat]
"I noticed. Still weird though." [Adam]
The fish soon returned carrying the needles using some kind of levitation magic. Strangely, there was also a hammer.
"Here we are. Please, take your pick." [Fish Receptionist]
The fish gently laid out three needles before Adam. They were each thicker than the first needle provided, and each were progressively bigger.
"I'm going to try this one." [Adam]
He picked the smallest of the bunch. It also kind of looked like the tip of a spearhead. More oval than cylindrical.
"That one is for thicker skin." [Fish Receptionist]
"Hm." [Adam]
Acknowledging the information, Adam pressed it against his finger. It managed to slice into the tissue a little bit, but was unable to go any deeper.
"I'm not going to keep testing this. I don't want to break it." [Adam]
Plucking the needle out of his finger, he picked up the one meant for exoskeletons. Just like the original needle, it was cylindrical. The only difference was the tip being crossed like an X.
"Here we go." [Adam]
He promptly stuck it into the same spot as before. However, it appeared to get a bit stuck.
"...Help?" [Adam]
"Just try to take it out." [Brat]
With a sigh of resignation, Adam ripped it out of his finger. The needle took a bit of his skin with it, but no sign of blood.
"...I knew that'd happen." [Adam]
He then took the last needle. It was strangely large and had a flat end.
"Oh, before you use that; allow me to instruct you." [Fish Receptionist]
"Okay." [Adam]
"Please take the hammer." [Fish Receptionist]
Though it was an odd request, Adam did as told.
"Next, go ahead and stick the needle onto your finger." [Fish Receptionist]
"Uh-huh." [Adam]
He carefully inserted the needle to his torn tissue. Adam somewhat expected it to fall out, yet it remained still.
"What now?" [Adam]
"Smack the back end with the hammer." [Fish Receptionist]
Adam stared at the fish.
"...For real?" [Adam]
"For real." [Fish Receptionist]
Adam was very hesitant. Thoughts of whether or not it might pierce through his finger made him freeze.
"This is kind of like a chisel, isn't it?" [Adam]
"Exactly so." [Fish Receptionist]
Adam wasn't sure how to feel being informed by an expressionless fish.
"Just checking, but… Is this safe?" [Adam]
"We have run it through several safety checks and it has been verified to be the best carapace piercing tool modern technology can produce." [Fish Receptionist]
"In other words…?" [Adam]
"For the love of- I'll do it!" [Brat]
Snatching the hammer from Adam, she smashed it into his index finger.
"Ouch!" [Adam]
The needle punctured his finger successfully, allowing blood to be drawn. Thankfully, Adam's fears didn't turn to reality since the needle didn't go in very far.
"Phew." [Adam]
"Now, please drop your blood onto the crystal ball." [Fish Receptionist]
Adam did as told.
"Congratulations. You have been registered into the Empire's database. Is there anything else I can do for you?" [Fish Receptionist]
"We're fine. Thank you." [Brat]
She tugged on Adam.
"Let's go." [Brat]
"Wait, can I get a bandaid first?" [Adam]
"Whatever that is, they don't have it." [Brat]
"Aw." [Adam]