Chapter 34: Going Home
There was nothing that could be done about it.
Goblins, especially those from small settlements like this, had poorly maintained iron weapons.
Although it was unclear why this group of goblins had suddenly taken over the ruins, most goblins preferred to live near caves or swamps, as they instinctively liked damp underground environments.
However, such living conditions happened to provide the necessary environment for rust to form, with iron exposed to moisture oxidizing quickly.
Moreover, low-tier goblins lacked rustproof oil and other maintenance materials, resulting in the iron weapons they possessed being severely rusted and poor-quality junk.
Gauss and the others began gathering spoils from the ruins.
Before long, a small pile had formed in the clearing.
Meiva picked through the items, tossing aside worthless but space-consuming junk, considering that space on the wagon was limited.
“These could probably fetch about 20 to 30 silver coins?”
After all, this was a settlement of twenty goblins, already capable of conducting raids, and the amount of loot they had accumulated was not insignificant.
Hearing Meiva’s estimated value,
Gauss also silently did the math in his heart.
Including the mission reward, that came to about six or seven silver coins per person.
All things considered, he was quite satisfied.
Though it didn’t compare to the profits from Birch Village, that time had been a stroke of luck.
Normal adventures wouldn’t regularly yield high-value magical items, otherwise magical items wouldn’t be so expensive.
This kind of mission was a steady kind of happiness, with relatively low risk and a decent return for low-level adventurers.
Do this ten more times and he could buy a house in Graystone Town.
By the time they finished cleaning up the battlefield, it was already nearing noon.
All these pre- and post-battle chores took more time than the actual fight itself.
Perhaps because they were nearly done with the commission, everyone’s expressions had relaxed.
Aside from Daphne, who was treating Doyle’s minor scrapes, the others had finished maintaining their weapons and were preparing to eat and replenish their strength.
It was only then that Gauss noticed something.
When Meiva lowered her hood, the ears beneath her shoulder-length black hair were long and pointed, different from those of ordinary humans.
Perhaps noticing Gauss’s gaze, Meiva turned her head.
“What is it?”
“What’s with your ears?”
“Oh, that. I have a trace of elven blood in me.”
After saying that, Meiva fell silent again, lowering her head to search her pack for food.
No wonder her movements had seemed particularly light earlier—it was the influence of her bloodline, Gauss thought.
Among sentient beings, elves were considered quite strong: long-lived, attuned to magic, extremely perceptive, innately stealthy, and naturally gifted with archery. Their only flaw was a low reproductive rate.
It might have been precisely because of this that humans, with their more average racial traits, eventually surpassed them and established human kingdoms across the land.
In the afternoon, the Night Owl Team did not depart for Graystone Town.
For one, though the battle in the morning had been easy, it still had drained some of their energy.
Secondly, and most importantly, even if they set off in the afternoon, there was no way they could make it back to Graystone Town by nightfall.
So they decided to camp in the ruins and depart at dawn the next day, giving the packhorse time to rest and recover its strength.
In the afternoon, Gauss, with nothing to do, strolled through the ruins.
The ruins were full of mottled, broken scenery.
The walls and interiors of the buildings were overgrown with weeds, showing clear signs of long abandonment.
Aside from a few buildings with well-preserved main structures, many of the buildings looked like their roofs had been smashed in, with huge holes extending through the floors to the underground, as if they had been struck from the sky.
The plaza in the village was also pitted and cratered, resembling the surface of the moon.
So were these ruins destroyed “artificially”? Or had some meteor fallen?
The more he observed, the more Gauss found it unbelievable.
If it had been caused by a person, then that being was definitely a powerful one.
To produce an attack comparable to an artillery barrage from his previous world’s wars—he couldn’t believe the power individuals could attain in this world.
At that thought, he swallowed hard.
Amid the fear, there was also a bit of yearning—his desire for the realm of Professionals grew deeper.
One day, he too would wield that kind of power.
...
The return journey to Graystone Town went without incident.
Gauss successfully completed the second commission of his life.
Task submission, reward collection, loot selling, reward splitting.
Once everyone had received their share, the group of “workers” eagerly disbanded on the spot.
Though the task itself wasn’t difficult, the travel had been long and exhausting.
Having not bathed in days, their bodies reeked—no one wanted to linger for a second longer.
Gauss counted his earnings again: 7 silver coins and 15 copper coins, and put them back in his purse with satisfaction.
Cash: 19 silver and 30 copper.
For the foreseeable future, Gauss would need to be more frugal.
Earlier, he had spent 10 silver coins on a rapier and 15 on leather armor, both investments made in advance—getting better weapons and armor provided greater safety in future commissions.
But after investing, one had to earn profits.
He planned to continue taking commissions with Levin’s Night Owl Team for a while.
Make some money and replenish his small treasury.
After all, just the base material for crafting a wand cost at least 70 silver coins.
Of course, it wasn’t like he was simply tagging along.
In fact, he and the Night Owl Team had a mutually beneficial relationship.
His Magic Missile was effectively their trump card, playing the same role as Daphne the priestess’s Life Stabilization spell.
Even if it didn’t always come into play, having them in the team gave everyone more peace of mind during commissions.
After a hot bath at the bathhouse, a now-clean Gauss walked toward the inn.
Sophia was about to close the door when she suddenly noticed a familiar figure in the dark street.
She immediately stopped and reopened the door.
“Little Gauss, you’re back? Hurry on in.”
Gauss looked up and saw Sophia’s plump figure waving at him under the warm orange light, and a wave of warmth rose in his heart.
After working away for a few days, seeing a familiar face again
It really felt like coming home.
Come to think of it, the original Gauss had a home too, just...
Whenever he thought of home, having absorbed the original’s memories and emotions, he felt a bit complicated.
Maybe someday he’d go back and visit?
Pausing for a moment, Gauss calmed his suddenly stirred emotions.
“Yeah, just finished the commission smoothly,” he said with a smile to Sophia.
Though it had been uneventful, Gauss felt that if every mission could go so smoothly and boringly, that wouldn’t be so bad.
“No danger, I hope?” Sophia asked with concern.
“Just a few goblins, nothing dangerous,” Gauss replied, then couldn’t help adding a reminder.
“Of course, that’s for me. If you ever run into one, you need to be careful. Don’t underestimate goblins as just some small monster.”
“Relax, I’m not as bold as you adventurers.”
“By the way, want some midnight snack? My treat.”
“Uh...”
“Already ate?”
“W-Well, maybe just a little.”
...
The next day.
Gauss overslept again.
On the second day after officially finishing the commission, slacking a bit was totally reasonable.
He didn’t get up until noon.
He came downstairs.
Sophia was sitting at the counter, chin in hand, staring idly out the window.
The midday sun was bright, and the street outside was bustling with open-air stalls and streams of pedestrians.
Mountain spring water flowed through the roadside drains, nurturing moss and tiny wildflowers between the stone cracks.
Across the street, vines climbed up the outer walls of a building, rustling softly in the breeze.
“Ha—” Sophia and Gauss yawned in unison as he came down the stairs.
“Good afternoon.”
“By the way, I made lunch for you.”
“Thanks for the trouble.”
Today, Gauss planned to eat lunch at the inn.
Last night’s midnight snack proved that meager vegetarian meals weren’t very filling, so he had asked Sophia to add some meat dishes to the menu.
Sophia agreed.
In fact, her cooking was quite good, but even the best chef couldn’t cook without ingredients.
The food usually offered to guests was cheap and simple.
Besides, good ingredients weren’t something someone like the old Gauss could afford anyway.
Fortunately, the new Gauss could now afford a bit of meat.
Watching Sophia run back into the kitchen, Gauss yawned again.
Today, he planned to visit Widow’s Lane and check out that little shop Groln had recommended—the one that dealt in magical items.
Although he hadn’t yet saved enough money to buy a wand, it couldn’t hurt to get some information first, right?
Maybe he’d be pleasantly surprised.
At the very least, finding out exactly how much he needed would give him a clear goal to strive toward.