Taking out the dagger, Gauss cut off all the left ears of the goblins, while casually delivering coup de graces to ensure the goblins were truly dead.
Due to the frequent use of Magic Missiles, some goblins’ ears had already been blown to bits.
Fortunately, this mission had a fixed commission amount; it only required submitting items as a formality.
The sun continued to bake the earth, making the goblin village unbearably stinky.
Excrement, the stench of blood, various intestinal secretions, bile, and organs scattered on the ground all mixed together under the high temperature, creating a foul odor lingering in the camp, turning faces pale.
Gauss could hardly stand the smell either.
Yet he still had to finish handling the commission’s aftermath.
He began searching around the village.
Not only collecting loot but also checking for hidden goblins, or possibly a human survivor or two.
Unfortunately, after a thorough search, nothing extra was found.
Aside from a few bodies hanging on racks, no survivors were in sight.
Truly brutal, capturing and killing them all as food?
Judging by the thigh size, the victims were likely some men.
Whether they were Hunters living off the Jade Forest, naive new Adventurers, or ones caught by goblins while hunting outside, remains unknown.
For human males, goblins treated them no differently from wild animals — as food. For females, the process might be more complicated.
This was why Gauss had held a principle of eradicating goblins since his first commission.
Taking down some human remains off the racks, Gauss buried them simply, allowing them a peaceful rest.
As for the goblin-made jerky, Gauss had no interest in tasting it.
Who knew the hygiene level of these goblin foods? Based on his intel, they likely weren’t processed well. Better not try to save a little only to risk something.
There was much to loot, though.
This was, after all, a goblin village of over fifty members, existing for several years. Even if most amassed goods were worthless junk, some useful items could still be found.
Speaking of weapons, most were wooden, with a few iron or iron-containing ones.
After scouring, he found over ten daggers, short blades, several buckets of arrows with metal tips, sickles, and other weapons. Gauss estimated these iron weapons could sell for over fifty Silver Coins.
Adding this mission’s commission, 90 Silver Coins.
The earnings from just these two items were nearly 1.5 Gold Coins. The money-making speed for a Professional accepting initial-level tasks was indeed much faster than that of a Bottom Adventurer.
"No onions, bandages, hmm, these look new; I’ll take them. No need for broken clay bowls..."
Wielding a stick, Gauss picked through the camp, quickly finding quite a few eye-catching goodies.
"What’s this?"
In the Red Hat leader’s tent, Gauss looked at the two scrolls in his hands.
A glimmer of surprise flashed in his eyes.
These two scrolls looked anything but ordinary.
After some thought, Gauss didn’t open them rashly.
Who knew what was inside these scrolls? If it was just some informational literature, that’d be fine, but if a Magic Scroll or other functional scroll activated upon opening, it’d be wasted.
"I’ll take these back for Andri to examine. Last time I went to see her, she was out; this time I can thank her too. Had she not pointed me to Bitter Wormwood Town, my Profession advancement might have been delayed."
"Should bring some fruits."
Besides the two scrolls, there were books on herbs and mineral knowledge in the tent.
The Red Hat goblins might not understand the text, but knowing they were valuables sufficed, so they were neatly piled in the tent corner.
After a while, new findings emerged continuously.
A few pieces of cloth, two or three copper bowls and utensils, some strange ceramic sculptures, seemingly looted from somewhere — once Gauss finished packing, he wrapped them all up with tent fabric.
As he gazed at the now-ruined goblin village and his packed-full baggage and bundles,
Gauss felt a strong sense of achievement.
This trip’s total earnings exceeded at least 2 Gold Coins.
This commission’s money-making speed, compared to the past, was unimaginable for Gauss.
The dungeon incident was merely an exception.
His early mission gains were mostly a few Silver Coins, tens at best, even with his outstanding skills. For a normal Bottom Adventurer, scoring one or two Silver Coins per mission, or even less, was common.
Casting a glance at the sky, it was nearing dusk.
Gauss thought for a moment and decided to find a nearby spot to camp for the night.
If he left now, he wouldn’t exit the Jade Forest by midnight.
Moreover, in the forest, with moonlight barely penetrating the canopy, navigating in pitch darkness was far more perilous than in daylight.
Since this area was chosen by the goblins for their village, it indicated there were no significant threats within twenty kilometers. Even goblins preferred to avoid danger and stay safe.
To prevent beast-attracting goblin corpses, Gauss moved a little distance away, found a flat clearing, set up a temporary camp, lit a bonfire, scattered insect-and-beast-repelling powder around, and set up alarm traps.
Only then did he start his dinner.
After a busy day, even with constant supplies during fights, he still felt famished.
The once-dreaded tasteless jerky and dry bread suddenly became much tastier.
Hunger really made anything delicious.
"Hmm?"
As food settled in his belly, Gauss’s face showed surprise.
Was the Rapid Digestion effect getting stronger?
He checked his Adventurer’s Handbook panel info.
"Racial Talent: Rapid Digestion (Initial Level)"
The data remained at the initial level, not upgraded yet.
But the intense and substantial warm flow post-digestion was no illusion.
Was it due to the high goblin kill count?
With the fire flickering, Gauss, face covered with grime, cared little, instead immersed in pondering his body’s enhancements.
"How many goblins have I slain?"
"123."
Glancing at the catalog’s bottom right, Gauss knew the exact number.
The total monster kills amounted to 240, with goblins making up just over half.
"Wait, I didn’t have Rapid Digestion at the outset. After acquiring this talent... I killed about 100 goblins?"
So, did the effect increase after accumulating around 100 kills?
Gauss had a clear grasp now.
After eating, a tired Gauss called it a day.
He extinguished the fire, hid his gear and loot securely, took his sleeping bag and rope, and climbed onto a carefully selected tall tree branch.
The branch was a main fork, wide enough, about several-dozen centimeters, to securely attach a sleeping bag with ropes.
With everything set, Gauss finally yawned and nestled into his sleeping bag.
Closing his eyes, he soon fell asleep.