When Gauss left the house, he inadvertently overheard the townsfolk chatting about how several knights riding griffons had recently landed in Gray Rock Town.
At first, he thought it was just a rural rumor and didn’t believe it.
After all, roadside chatter cannot be trusted; he often heard people bragging about seeing dragons.
It wasn’t until he saw those griffons with gleaming armor and saddles in the stable outside the Adventurer’s Guild with his own eyes that he realized the idle talk he overheard was actually true.
Griffons, as wild demons, have a challenge rating of level 2 or higher, which doesn’t seem very high, but they have flight capabilities and excellent agility. Unless their hatred can be firmly attracted, once they take to the skies, most adventurers can only watch helplessly.
And griffons, meticulously bred and tamed with significant resources by humans, often possess combat power that far surpasses their wild counterparts.
In Gauss’s faint perception, those resting hawk-lion fusion creatures exuded an unusually strong sense of oppression.
Much like the ghoul he encountered at the dock as a bottom adventurer, they were formidable enemies he couldn’t yet contend with.
However, he wasn’t overly concerned. Just as he could probably now easily kill the ghoul that once had them fleeing in panic, with time, he believed his strength would surpass these griffons as well.
He lingered by the stable, taking a few more glances.
It’s a rare opportunity to get close to such demons, satisfying his curiosity.
Around him, many other "onlookers" similarly gazed from afar at these majestic creatures.
The griffons, however, remained with their eyes closed, seemingly indifferent to the surrounding audience.
"I’ll tell Aaliyah when I go back later, there’s a griffon to see here..."
After watching for a while, Gauss turned and headed toward the Adventurer’s Guild.
He wondered about the status and strength of the owner of the griffons?
He recalled Abelhard, the guild master of Gray Rock Town, who also rode a griffon, although its size and equipment were clearly superior to these ones in front of him. Could there be a connection between them?
The first-floor hall of the guild was much quieter than usual, with only a few adventurers talking in low voices, not seeming like they were there to take on tasks.
They noticed Gauss entering, their gaze briefly pausing on the badge on his chest before quickly looking away.
Without seeing any acquaintances on the first floor, Gauss headed straight up the stairs to the second floor. He had come today to return books.
One of the benefits of being a professional adventurer was free access to borrow public books from the guild library, which he often did.
After returning the books, he borrowed a few new ones.
Standing at the door of the library, he thought for a moment, then went to the Magic Items Shop.
His gaze wandered over the displayed longswords for a moment, and after asking the salesperson about the price, he politely thanked them and left.
He really needed to replace his weapon.
But these ordinary-grade magic items, though called magic items, were essentially just ordinary items with simple magical effects and functions. Truly rare-grade and higher-quality items couldn’t be found in this small town shop.
He recalled seeing similar gear in the shop while working part-time at the blacksmith’s shop.
It seemed that the weapons in the Adventurer’s Guild Magic Items Shop might also be sourced from various blacksmiths.
Of course, the most ordinary products in the guild shop were also the best weapons most blacksmiths could offer.
Rare-grade weapons required enchanters or magic circles for enchantment, which couldn’t be accomplished by mere crafting techniques and special materials.
After inquiring about the prices at the guild shop, he decided to go directly to the Black Anvil Smithy to cut out the middleman.
Heading downstairs and out the door, as he passed by the stable, he couldn’t resist taking a few more glances at the griffons before turning towards the smithy.
"Ding! Ding! Ding!"
The unique rhythm of the smithy grew closer, and the air noticeably warmed, even melting the snow outside the door.
The apprentice managing the front desk looked somewhat familiar to Gauss, but he couldn’t recall the name. It might be one of those who secretly ostracized him when he was working there.
The apprentice didn’t seem to recognize him either.
Or perhaps Gauss had changed so much compared to one or two years ago that he was unrecognizable.
Seeing the bronze two-star badge on Gauss’s chest, the apprentice immediately straightened up, speaking with deference, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
Seeing the apprentice’s nervous demeanor, Gauss had no intention of "getting even" or showing off.
Perhaps his former self indeed harbored resentment toward the few cold, ostracizing shop assistants and fantasized about being successful and prominent, but those memories had long faded and become insignificant to him now.
He spoke plainly about his purpose.
"Do you have magic-item-grade weapons for sale here?"
"Y-yes, we do! I’ll call the shop owner for you!" This kind of "big business" was beyond what a small apprentice could handle.
In fact, when he saw the vaguely familiar young two-star adventurer enter, he already wanted to run to the forge area at the back to fetch the shop owner.
Normally, such distinguished customers were personally attended to by the shop owner.
As a blacksmith apprentice, he might feel some psychological advantage over the poorest bottom adventurers, but when facing a professional with a badge, that advantage vanished.