"Alright, alright." I raised my hands in mock surrender. "If I need you, I'll just call you at the information counter, right?"
"Correct. Glad to know that you're not entirely clueless of the outside world."
"Of course not. Even though I'm a shut in I'm not ignorant to how things work." I cracked a grin again. "Thanks. Now if you'll excuse me—I've got stars to earn!"
And without waiting another second, I bolted straight toward the glowing sign of the Mission Department.
The place was enormous, like the quest board of an MMORPG cranked up to maximum. Screens floated in the air, each displaying a different mission—one with a burning city, another with a snowy wasteland, another with a haunted mansion crawling with shadows. Beside each mission was the difficulty rank, star reward, and "recommended party size."
