Spoils of war and the journey home

The sun rose, the mist just beginning to dissipate.

Gauss arrived at the village entrance before the signpost.

He was here to see Hailiel and the others off.

Inside the village's sole horse-drawn carriage, Bell and Mia lay sprawled out, while Hailiel was also in the compartment, pressing fever-reducing towels to their burning foreheads.

Hailiel had no intention of taking her two companions back to Grayrock Town.

Though Grayrock Town was a major hub for adventurers passing through, its medical conditions were far inferior to those of a larger city.

Moreover, the journey from Birch Village back to Grayrock Town wasn't short, so it made more sense to head in the other direction toward the nearest Forest City, Barry City—which also happened to be the hometown of all three.

Once back in Barry, they could receive better treatment.

"Adventurer sir, we're about ready to set off," a villager serving as the carriage driver called out from the front.

"Don't you need me to go with you?" Gauss glanced at the carriage.

"Don't worry. Once we reach the main road to Barry, there will be plenty of people around. It won't be dangerous." Hailiel had lost the cheerfulness she'd shown on the way here, her face etched with exhaustion.

Still, upon hearing Gauss's concerned words, she forced a faint smile.

"Besides, you need to handle the finishing touches on the commission here, don't you? Leave everything to me!" Hailiel blinked, a hint of curiosity flickering in her gaze as she looked at Gauss.

Her impression of him had changed drastically. If it weren't for her childhood companions needing urgent care, she would have had many questions to ask him.

When they first met, she'd only seen Gauss as a destitute low-tier adventurer, instinctively wanting to refuse when he proactively approached to form a party.

After brief contact, her image of him had shifted to that of a low-tier Apprentice Mage who had stumbled into learning magic by chance but lacked family backing—someone who might have grasped magic but, without sufficient wealth and resources, would struggle to tread a true professional path.

But now, she couldn't figure Gauss out at all. Even with her shallow experience, she could tell he was extraordinary.

"Gauss, if you ever come to Barry, look for me at the Golden Beak Merchant Guild in West City. Then Bell, Mia, and I can play host and treat you properly."

"If the chance comes, I will." Gauss nodded.

But in the near future, he'd likely still be active around Grayrock Town.

"I'm off then."

"By the time we meet again, you might have become someone impressive."

Hailiel looked at Gauss and waved.

"Safe travels!"

Gauss waved back, standing still, quietly watching the carriage fade into the distance until the Chestnut Curly-haired Girl disappeared at the end of the dirt road.

In less than three days, the party had disbanded.

No one knew if they'd ever meet again.

This era wasn't like his past life with phones and the internet; ordinary people's connections weren't so tight. A single farewell could be a permanent goodbye.

The morning breeze brushed through Gauss's soft hair as he turned and walked back toward the village.

He couldn't say he felt any deep bond with them—they were friends worth knowing, but he'd only known them a few days, not long enough to deepen the connection.

He just couldn't help feeling a pang of sentiment.

Gauss planned to stay in the village for another day, a decision warmly welcomed by the villagers.

Common folk in this world generally held a simple reverence for Mages. Perhaps compared to other professions' skills, a Mage's methods were more arcane and spectacular. Ordinary people could see the destruction of a blade's slash but not the flow of invisible mana.

And humans always feared what they didn't understand. Magic was exactly that kind of mysterious power that inspired awe in commoners.

But Gauss wasn't staying just to bask in the villagers' admiring gazes and their offered food.

He was staying one day, partly to let his body fully recover.

And partly to collect the spoils.

He cut off the goblins' left ears as proof for the commission, obtained the Village Chief's signed commission document, and gathered the various weapons scattered across the battlefield.

Alone, he returned to the site of last night's battle.

The blood had completely dried. After a night of fermentation, the stench here had grown even thicker.

Fighting back a wave of nausea, he searched the open ground in front of the cave.

Stone and wooden weapons wouldn't fetch any price and took up space—no need to collect them.

But iron tools had to be gathered without exception. Even badly damaged iron could be sold to the Blacksmith Shop for some coin.

Besides two Short Blades and four short daggers, the most valuable item was the large Chopper used by the Large Goblin.

The only pity for Gauss was that its leather armor was badly damaged, scattered in pieces—otherwise, that would have been worth something too.

Fortunately, as he carefully collected everything, he found an unexpected bonus.

Around the Large Goblin's neck hung a rough stone emitting a faint green glow, about the size of a peanut. Inside it pulsed a comforting, pleasant aura.

Even though Gauss didn't yet know what it was, he could tell it was likely a treasure.

And that goblin's abnormal size might well have come from this Green Stone.

After clearing the outer battlefield's loot, his gaze turned toward the cave.

He lit a torch and stepped inside.

Though it was daytime, the cave lacked any light source, and visibility was still terrible.

"Cough, cough."

Both sides of the cave were covered in slimy green moss. Ever since he entered, a stench of feces and urine had lingered in the air.

This group of primitive green-skinned little monsters didn't seem to have the habit of maintaining a clean living environment.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"

From time to time, a rat scurried past his feet.

This natural cave had been transformed by the goblins into a filthy, foul-smelling tunnel, the murky air carrying who knew how many bacteria and viruses.

If it weren't for the loot, he would never have willingly come in.

Carefully stepping over a pile of excrement, he finally reached the space at the end of the cave.

This was an enlarged cavern. Animal bones of all sizes were scattered haphazardly around, with flies, rats, and maggots crawling among them.

In the center of the cave sat a stone pot.

The firewood had gone out, and inside the pot was a sticky, murky, unknown mixture of solid and liquid.

It seemed that when they arrived last night, this group of goblins had been holding a "feast"—perhaps celebrating the capture of two human women.

Unfortunately, it looked like their celebration had ended up as a funeral.

Besides the various odds and ends piled on the ground, he also spotted a goblin corpse hanging from the wall.

The body was slightly sturdier than an ordinary goblin, but far from matching a Large Goblin.

It appeared to have died only a few days ago, with not too many maggots growing on it yet.

"What's this all about?" Gauss mused, holding up the torch to observe.

According to the memories in his head, goblins, though evil, generally didn't kill their own kind—especially when a strong individual was acting as the chieftain, ruling over a group. However, conflicts and disputes could occur between different groups.

Gauss pondered thoughtfully.

Suddenly, as if a realization struck him, he slapped his forehead.

He vaguely guessed why the mission's intelligence count had been wrong.

If he wasn't mistaken, a conflict between goblins had likely already erupted here.

The Large Goblin, an outsider, had easily killed the previous chieftain, who had ruled over seven or eight underlings, and then merged the groups, expanding the force to twenty goblins in one go.

This also explained why this goblin band had only made minor harassments against the human village before, but suddenly launched a fierce attack last night.

Understanding this, a look of dawning comprehension spread across his face. Then he couldn't help gritting his teeth and letting out a long sigh.

What terrible luck.

If this unexpected situation hadn't occurred, just eight ordinary goblins would have been no match for their team.

Last night's battle wouldn't have been so brutal, either.

He could only hope that Bell and Mia would recover smoothly.

Gauss shook his head.

Even if his guess was correct, this couldn't be blamed on the Adventurer's Guild. Still, he had learned from the experience.

He made a firm decision in his heart.

From now on, aside from information he scouted himself, he would be extra cautious with all other mission intelligence.

Carrying a full load of loot—who knew how much it would sell for—he returned to the village.

After resting for a night.

He set out again on the road back to Grayrock Town.

This time, he planned to sell the loot and see if he could exchange it for suitable equipment to arm himself.

As a Mage, he didn't even have a magic wand yet—that was simply inexcusable.

He also wanted to gather information, to understand how professionals were different from ordinary people, and how one could become a professional.