Chapter 77: Professional Party
The entire caravan, including all personnel, numbered nearly fifty, of which about fifteen were guards.
He thought that a few dozen goblin “bandits” should not be very difficult to deal with.
However, having listened in for a while, the caravan’s caution exceeded his expectations.
The caravan prepared to camp in place, waiting to see if they could meet another caravan, and then combine multiple caravans’ guards to go clear out the highway robbers.
If they couldn’t, they preferred to take a detour despite the economic loss risk.
After a moment’s thought, Gauss could understand why they made that choice.
Whether the caravan steward or the chief guard, they were, in essence, senior wage workers for the trade guild, and naturally would not risk too much just for pay.
Not to mention that even if the odds were roughly even, or they had some advantage, they still wouldn’t actively strike unless there was a clear upper hand.
After collecting enough information, Gauss returned to the carriage he was riding in.
He was neither a guild employee nor a temporary hire—just an outsider who paid his fare—so even though he was a “respected” apprentice mage, he had no standing to speak on matters involving the caravan’s safety.
Moreover, he lacked the ability to single-handedly slay dozens of goblins, even with many bonuses aimed at goblins.
So, what could he do?
Time passed bit by bit, and just as Gauss thought the caravan must be preparing to detour toward Wormwood Town, a rumble of wagon wheels suddenly approached from behind.
“Stop!”
A squad of knights on tall horses escorted a luxurious, covered beast-drawn carriage, slowly halting behind the caravan.
Once they realized their path was blocked, a tall male warrior in ornate silver chainmail immediately dismounted to negotiate.
His steps were steady and powerful, exuding an air of composed dignity from long leadership.
Perhaps struck by the man’s air of distinction, the caravan steward’s attitude softened at once, bowing and apologizing, then patiently explaining what had occurred ahead.
Gauss leaned by the carriage, observing curiously as the situation developed.
Suddenly, the male warrior from ahead seemed to sense something, sharply turning his head and fixing his piercing gaze on the direction of Gauss’s carriage.
Their eyes met.
Gauss, who had been passively observing, felt a sudden jolt in his heart.
“Professional?”
That glance made his whole body feel uneasy, as if he’d been stared down by a fierce beast.
Magical energy quietly stirred within him, as though some protective mechanism had triggered.
Although physically uncomfortable, Gauss did not look away but stubbornly held the warrior’s gaze for two seconds—as if confirming his identity—then both smiled, nodded, and simultaneously averted their eyes.
Unbeknownst to him, the chainmail-clad warrior also felt a jolt.
Gauss’s presence subtly threatened him, a sensation identical to what professional mages and warlocks brought.
His haughty demeanor unconsciously reined itself in.
Travelers should be courteous to unknown strangers.
Once he withdrew his gaze, Gauss looked back at the convoy.
That group was not large—fewer than ten people in total.
The central carriage was noticeably more luxurious than the others.
Obviously, the man who came to negotiate was merely one of the guards; judging by the level of his skill, Gauss sensed there were a few more inside the convoy.
“Are you heading to Wormwood Town as well?”
Gauss realized the highway bandits ahead were likely no longer his concern.
This escort alone could easily handle them.
“Is the professional merely acting as a guard? I wonder who’s seated in the middle carriage? Could it be a noble?”
In this era, commoners rarely had contact with nobility.
Therefore, Gauss’s memories of nobles were pitifully low.
From what he remembered, most nobles lived in big cities—even if their fiefs were in small towns, they usually entrusted relatives or reliable governors to manage them.
Noticing several subtle glances directed his way, Gauss quickly looked away.
Sure enough, there were quite a few Professionals.
To have so many Professionals lower themselves to act as bodyguards, the person inside that carriage must be someone of unusual identity.
What followed played out just as Gauss had expected.
Only three people from the rear convoy set out, and within just ten minutes, they returned on horseback—their armor still tidy, with only some bloodstains on the horses’ hooves as proof that a battle had taken place up ahead.
The caravan gave way, allowing the rear convoy to proceed ahead.
Only after that group had left for some time did the caravan resume its journey toward Wormwood Town.
What had been a modest crisis vanished instantly with the arrival of a mysterious convoy.
About ten minutes later, the caravan moved again, and Gauss finally saw the tragic end of the “highway bandits.”
On both sides of the road, over fifty goblin corpses lay scattered in the mud.
Crimson blood soaked the earth, spreading a pungent stench and staining the originally yellow-brown soil into a deep, dark brown.
“Professionals really are strong.” Gauss couldn’t help but sigh at the sight of the battlefield.
Only three people had gone, and even if horses were faster than wagons, going back and forth still would’ve taken around ten minutes—meaning the actual time they spent killing those goblins could only have been a minute or two?
Gauss admitted the gap between him and them was significant.
Even three of himself combined wouldn’t have dealt with over fifty goblins that quickly.
And judging by how little grime the three had on them when they returned, it was clear the battle had been a breeze.
In that moment, his desire to become stronger surged.
It truly made him think, “So that’s what it means to be powerful.”
He too wanted to be a strong, free warrior, able to come and go like the wind.
By the time the wagon Gauss rode in reached the outskirts of Wormwood Town, it was already well past noon on the second day.
He had ridden the wagon for a full day.
The inspection gate at Wormwood was stricter than the one at Graystone Town.
Wagons queued up to be checked one by one, and after an hour’s wait, it was finally the caravan’s turn to be inspected.
As a passenger, Gauss also had to undergo questioning and identity verification.
Thankfully, showing his Adventurer’s Badge saved him quite a bit of time.
The moment he entered the town, Gauss immediately sensed a strong herbal fragrance in the air.
By the roadside, pack animals carrying herbs had copper bells tied to their necks. The tinkling sounds startled sparrows as herbal trade caravans unloaded their crated goods, hauling them box by box into stores.
Apothecaries in crow-blue cloaks hurried through alleyways, and young girls sat in front of shops slowly grinding stone bowls.
On both sides of the road, at least sixty percent of the shops visibly dealt in herbal-related trades.
Unlike the gray and dusty Graystone Town, this was a verdant, green town.
“Big brother, would you like a Wormwood Town Guide? Just 20 copper coins. Everything you need to know is in here!” A child had unknowingly appeared next to Gauss, enthusiastically promoting a stack of booklets.
With a sharp eye, he seemed to recognize at once that Gauss was a first-time visitor to town.
“Guide?” Gauss looked skeptically at the booklet in the boy’s hand.
He could afford 20 copper coins, but he wasn’t sure the contents were really what he needed.