The Docks and the Vanishing Water Ghost

"Are we almost there?"

"We should be. Let me check."

On the noon wilderness, along a path that stretched as far as the eye could see, several figures slowly advanced, following an old horse pulling a cart.

As Gauss walked, he observed his surroundings, not to admire the scenery, but to compare it with the map in his mind.

Wherever he went, the surrounding area would light up.

So, when he was traveling outside, he would subconsciously name and mark landmarks or places with distinct features as he passed them.

This made the map information look richer.

Currently, this mental map was completely dark except for the area around Grayrock Town.

Several lit, winding paths extended outwards from Grayrock Town, connecting to several villages at their ends.

These were all places he had passed through on previous quests.

This map function might not sound very useful, but when you're lost in a vast sea of trees or an endless wilderness with no man-made structures in sight, you'd appreciate the sense of security that comes from always knowing where you are and how far you are from town.

Never having to worry about getting lost.

This in itself was a powerful skill, especially for adventurers at the lower levels.

In fact, once he became a Professional and had enough strength to venture into more complex ruins, secret realms, dungeons, and other areas, the map might become even more helpful.

Mazes, caves, underground worlds, sea adventures – no matter the environment, as long as he passed through it, he wouldn't lose his way afterward.

Casually marking a water source, he withdrew from his mental map.

In his vision, the outline of a sparkling river had already appeared in the distance.

That was the destination of their current commission, the Ense River.

This mission was to clear out a group of about twenty Water Ghosts that had taken up residence on the riverbank. The group needed to search the area around the dock and kill the monsters.

This was their second mission after the heavy rain; the previous one involved clearing Skeletons from a graveyard.

Ordinary Skeletons were arguably the weakest monsters he had encountered so far.

Unfortunately, there weren't many of them. Gauss had already killed many, and in the end, there were only 8.

Also, quests involving Skeletons were rare, so it was mostly by chance that Gauss and the others received this one.

Perhaps it was because Skeletons were too weak, so weak that people didn't need to pay Adventurers to deal with them; villagers could handle them with a pitchfork.

Truly the shame of monsters.

Fortunately, those eight Skeletons had pushed Gauss's monster-killing progress forward a bit. He was now only 10 kills away from reaching the total of 50.

Ten monsters – it sounded like it was quite possible to complete within a single quest.

"Everyone, be careful. This heavy rain might bring more than just Water Ghosts," Leven said, as always, before they officially entered the dock area, reminding everyone.

Gauss nodded at his words.

The river already harbored many monsters, and with the continuous heavy rain, it was indeed possible that monsters from other areas had been brought here.

A small fishing village sat on the high ground above the dock.

Below it was a flat wooden pier, with dozens of small boats docked along the edge. Beneath the boats, colorful aquatic plants swayed, and sunlight pierced the water's surface, creating a beautiful scene.

Sailors, stevedores, and fishermen worked diligently on the dock.

"It doesn't seem like anything is out of the ordinary."

The group gazed down for a long time, observing all the scenery along the riverbanks. However, they couldn't find any Water Ghosts lurking by the river as described in the quest.

"Let's go ask at the tavern first."

The group walked towards the only tavern in the village.

This mission had been issued by a trading guild from Grayrock Town, which also managed the operations of this dock.

The tavern in the village was also an establishment belonging to this guild.

It was always a good idea to ask for information at a tavern.

"Mermaid Tavern."

The tavern's sign depicted a beautiful siren with a fish tail.

Even though it was daytime, the tavern was already bustling with noise.

Workers were dining, merchants were drinking, and locals were socializing, clinking glasses.

"Creeeak—"

With a grating sound from the door hinges.

The door was pushed open, and dazzling sunlight streamed into the dim, noisy tavern.

The sudden commotion drew the attention of everyone inside.

Under the gaze of the tavern patrons, after a series of steady, muffled footsteps, a group of fully armed men and women entered the establishment.

The burly man leading the group had a stern expression. He walked in like a cold, hard wall, and the people following him also looked formidable.

Most of the people present instinctively averted their gaze from the group's imposing presence, returning to their original activities.

The previously boisterous noise seemed to abruptly halt, as if called to a stop, and conversations lowered in volume.

Gauss watched Leven, who had deliberately put on a stern face, without leaving any trace.

I've learned something, he thought to himself.

Putting on a bit of an act could also reduce unnecessary trouble from others, especially in a mixed environment like a tavern. If you looked too easy to bully, some drunken thugs might pick a fight.

Little did he know, in the eyes of others in the tavern, he looked even more unapproachable.

He wore Leather Armor and a round shield, with a longsword at his waist. Aside from his pair of emerald eyes, which were exceptionally bright, he appeared rather ordinary.

However, anyone who met his gaze would involuntarily feel a strange pressure slowly emerge from the depths of their minds.

This was the oppressive feeling that a Spirit stat of 7 could inflict on ordinary people.

Even though Gauss didn't intend it, this situation would occasionally occur.

"You're the Adventurers who took the quest, right? I'm Harvey, the owner here."

"Hello."

After standing in the hall for a while, the tavern owner quickly came to meet them.

"Let's talk in the VIP room inside."

To avoid disrupting the tavern's normal business, the owner led them to a VIP private room.

"We don't seem to have seen any Water Ghosts? Weren't there about twenty of them lurking by the riverbank?" Gauss asked casually after the door was closed.

"Heh heh." Tavern owner Harvey showed a hint of embarrassment at Gauss's question.

After meeting his gaze and feeling an inexplicable pressure, he silently looked away.

"That was indeed the case before, but yesterday a group of sailors from the village had a bit too much to drink and went to kill the Water Ghosts while they were emboldened."

"You killed them all?" Gauss asked subconsciously, thinking they had come for nothing.

Harvey shook his head with a wry smile.

"Of course not. They injured a few sailors and left two Water Ghost corpses. As for the other Water Ghosts, who knows where they've hidden. They haven't shown themselves on the riverbank at all since then."

"Quite a few merchant ships are due to dock and unload their cargo in the next few days. Esteemed warriors, could you please see if you can quickly search for the hiding Water Ghosts and exterminate them completely?"

The group exchanged glances.

They felt quite speechless. Why did those drunkards have to disturb the Water Ghosts?

Now that the Water Ghosts were scared and hiding, it would only increase their workload for no reason.

Perhaps seeing that they hadn't spoken for a while, Harvey spoke up again.

"How about this? I'll apply for an additional commission from the merchants' guild and offer you an extra compensation of 20 Silver Coins. How does that sound?"

Upon hearing this, the group began to reconsider.

Water Ghosts were inherently high-reward monsters, which was why they had chosen this quest in the first place.

The original commission reward was 1 Silver Coin per Water Ghost. Now, with the additional 20 Silver Coins and the potential loot from the Water Ghosts, the total reward for this quest would likely skyrocket to 60 Silver Coins or even more.

At that point, each person might receive over 10 Silver Coins.

To be honest, a single quest yielding over 10 Silver Coins per person was already quite substantial.

"We need to discuss it further."

"Alright, let me know once you've reached a decision." Harvey tactfully left the private room, leaving them space to discuss.

"What do you guys think?"

"An extra 20 Silver Coins, I think it's worth continuing."

"Besides, we can salvage quite a bit of loot from the Water Ghosts. Weapons, supplies they've collected from shipwrecks, even their gallbladders and internal organs, tongues, and brains can be extracted and used as raw materials for poison."

"If everyone agrees, then we'll proceed with the quest." Leven, having gathered everyone's opinions, nodded.

"However, everyone needs to be cautious. I have a bad feeling about this." Ever since arriving in the area, Leven had felt a tightness in his chest, a sense of unease lingering in his heart.

His intuition, stemming from his days as a shield soldier, seemed to be acting up again.

But he couldn't quite articulate what this feeling meant, so he could only once again urge his teammates to proceed with caution.

The others nodded, not taking his unease too seriously, as Leven often reminded them to be careful.

Gauss, meanwhile, was still pondering whether he could possibly reach his quota of 50 monsters killed this time if he put in the effort.

Monster Kill Count: 40/50 Monster Species Killed: 3/5 (Goblin, Slime Slime, Normal Skeleton)

The next few days of readership are very important, as we are heading into PK recommendations. I sincerely ask for your help during these crucial days.