The Magic Missile took away the Warrior’s last breath, and Gauss carefully gave two more stabs.
After confirming that he was thoroughly dead, he and Aaliyah began to tidy up the chaotic battlefield.
"I didn’t expect...to encounter such a thing," Aaliyah gazed at the bloodstains and mess on the snow, sighing softly.
Gauss, on the other hand, was very calm.
Although he was the one who killed, during his travels, he had encountered blind highwaymen before, so this wasn’t his first time killing.
From the moment they launched the surprise attack, attacking the unconscious Aaliyah, it was decided that the two groups could no longer part peacefully.
So Gauss didn’t have much psychological burden.
Imagine, if the weaker side were the two of them, what would the situation be like now?
If he were an ordinary Caster, he might have already been decapitated by that Warrior’s slash just now.
Initiating a conflict, then wanting to flee for peace upon realizing they couldn’t win, where’s the good in that?
"Will the Guild hold us responsible?" But since this was Gauss’s first encounter with such a scenario, he asked more.
Aaliyah shook her head.
"No. They initiated the attack, even if there’s a Rewind Magic to trace the scene, the responsibility wouldn’t fall on us; we acted in self-defense. But if we took the initiative to rob and got caught, there might be trouble, especially since this Winter Hunt was initiated by the Adventurer’s Guild..."
After a brief exchange, the two began collecting the spoils of war.
From the four bodies that were thoroughly dead, they scavenged about 12 gold coins in total.
"A bit poor..."
About 3 gold coins per person.
Gauss remarked.
These savings didn’t even match his own shortly after being promoted to a Bronze Adventurer.
No wonder they attacked the two, probably driven mad by poverty.
"Maybe they usually spent on repairing equipment, buying Skill Books?"
Apart from cash, there were also some small-scale equipment, items, and supplies.
The most surprising to Gauss was finding a storage pouch similar to his own on the Mage.
"25 gold coins!"
Their eyes lit up simultaneously.
"Let’s keep this as our squad’s common storage pouch," Aaliyah said happily. "Especially since only Gauss has a storage pouch, and it doesn’t hold much."
"I just wonder if he bought it full price, or on credit, and if it’s paid off," Gauss thought of a more crucial issue.
"Doesn’t matter, it’s not our concern," Aaliyah chuckled.
Having an additional storage pouch means carrying more reserves or collected spoils. For any Adventurer Squad, storage pouches are never too many.
Gauss took the enemy’s storage pouch and let his Magic Power ripple through it for a while, erasing the enemy’s leftover Magic Power aura inside.
Then left his own Magic Power in the pouch.
Looked at the time.
It wasn’t early.
The two packed the spoils collected from the four into the new storage pouch.
Carelessly tossed the bodies into a corner.
Then began heading towards the meeting location.
Throughout today, the two were very satisfied with their harvest.
The Winter Hunt itself, the bounty from killing monsters, and the gains from the spoils should amount to 20-30 gold coins.
That squad just now probably exploded with a total revenue of about 50 gold coins or more.
Unfortunately, besides that storage pouch, most of the early rewards for nascent adventurers who have just embarked on their Profession path are reinvested back into themselves.
As for Skill Books or some potions, once successfully used, they lose their original value.
Otherwise, the earnings would be even higher.
They walked some more.
Gauss and Aaliyah began encountering members of other squads.
Winter Hunt squads kept some distance from each other, rushing towards the designated meeting point.
Upon arriving at the meeting point, several adventurer squads were already gathered there. Gauss didn’t see the Guild Leader Abelhard but did see a Black Iron Level Adventurer present.
Once nearly ten squads gathered, Gauss’s group, led by the Black Iron Level Adventurer, began heading toward the camp outside the forest.
On the way, they didn’t encounter too much danger.
Or, this group themselves were "dangerous elements" in the forest, and most ordinary monsters didn’t dare to launch an attack, daunted by the imposing numbers of several dozen people.
Back at camp.
The sky was completely dark.
Gauss instinctively breathed a sigh of relief.
In the Jade Forest, the tension in his body eased somewhat.
During the group’s outings, the cart-encircled camp had been significantly expanded, and the defenses like fences became sturdier.
Under the pitch-black night sky, bonfires crackled in the campgrounds, illuminating the clearing and giving one a sense of returning to a town.
The caravan followed along, setting up large tents in the camp and establishing temporary "stores," not only selling raw materials like meat and vegetables but also offering services like canteens, bathhouses, and other add-ons.
Gauss and Aaliyah spent money to buy some fresh meat and fruits and vegetables.
Returned to their tent.
"The price is really high, nearly five times more than in town..." Aaliyah said softly, feeding a big chunk of fresh meat to the Gray Wolf Ulfen.
But she also knew the price was quite reasonable.
More expensive transportation costs, more dangerous environment...
If they couldn’t earn more money, why would the caravan members follow adventurers to the dangerous outskirts of the Jade Forest in the cold, providing services needed by adventurers?
Charity work?
Even profit-driven merchants wouldn’t, let alone adventurers themselves were there for profit to clear out demons here.
On the clearing in front of their tent, Aaliyah lit a bonfire.
Gauss had already prepared the ingredients, throwing them into the pot with various spices for a stew.
While waiting for dinner to cook, he continuously cast "Magic Tricks" to clean their bodies.
Once, twice...
Although there was a "tent bathhouse" in the camp for bathing, Gauss and Aaliyah returned quite late, and going there now would mean queuing up.
So they made do with Magic Tricks.
Magic Tricks might not have the comfort of a bath, but its cleaning effect was quite good.
...
Late at night, inside the central tent of the camp.
Abelhard sat at the table, spreading out a map.
If other adventurers were here, they’d notice the map displayed the area of activity for the Winter Hunt today.
Moreover, this wasn’t an ordinary map but a magic item.
On the vast map, various information was displayed.
Including the geographical location of each squad, positions where signal smoke had risen, types and numbers of monsters killed, and so forth.
He only needed to pause a quill at a certain point for corresponding information to pop up.
Suddenly, his gaze focused on a small red dot on the map.
Having summoned his subordinates in charge of intelligence and resource gathering, he soon received a recall stone that intrigued him.
A cloak-wearing man activated the recall stone before him.
Quickly, the scenes of Gauss’s squad and the Warrior squad appeared on the tent’s central clearing.
The footage, from Gauss clearing monsters to the Warrior squad appearing to launch an assault, and finally the end of the battle, was fully recorded.
After the imagery ceased, the tent fell into brief silence.
"Lord Abelhard," the man in the mage’s cloak cautiously began. "Should we...send someone to remind Mr. Gauss to restrain himself a bit because..."
Abelhard’s gaze lingered on Gauss’s youthful face in the imagery, revealing a smile full of interest.
"Not necessary," his voice was low and steady.
"Then these records..."
"Erase them," Abelhard’s fingers lightly touched the recall stone. "As for those four unlucky fellows...record that they encountered a Level 2 demon ’ogre,’ fought valiantly, but perished entirely."
The man in the mage’s cloak bowed deeply, a hint of understanding in his eyes: "Understood, my lord."