In the inner city, there seems to be a more advanced public transportation system, although it has not yet spread to the more populous and extensive outer city areas.
Reading the morning paper, quickly browsing through the information on it.
Gauss soon found the content he wanted to see.
"Maze Column Section"
Frontier Express: Maze Third Layer Environment Unveiled!
According to information relayed by the pioneers, the third underground level of the maze has expanded acidic regions based on the second layer’s world, confirming the presence of corrosive spore colonies...
Association Reminder: It is recommended to purchase acid-resistant coated clothing.
Survival Class
How to distinguish a treasure chest from a treasure chest monster...
The newspaper has a dedicated section recording various information about the maze.
Actually, the ones paying attention to this information are not only potential adventurers, but many citizens also like to browse through this content during their meal breaks.
Even though the vast majority of them may never step foot in the underground maze in their lifetime, it does not prevent the maze from becoming a mainstream topic of interest.
"I didn’t expect adventurers to reach the third underground level so quickly." Aaliyah exclaimed.
"However, it feels more related to luck, doesn’t it?" Gauss shook his head.
The progress of the two of them was actually not slow either.
Bear in mind that neither of them were among the first batch of adventurers to visit the maze, and to be able to surpass many other adventurers on the first level was no small feat.
As the two were conversing.
The city bus also arrived.
The two boarded the carriage heading to the marketplace.
The carriage was elongated, and the passengers sat in threes and fours. As Gauss and Aaliyah entered, they attracted quite a bit of attention.
Although the number of professionals in Barry exceeds those in Gray Rock Town by quite a bit, most residents of a city are still primarily ordinary people.
However, the citizens’ demeanor was noticeably different, while still cautious, there was a reduction in the kind of timid uneasiness.
There were even some children who curiously cast sustained gazes at the two.
After a wobbly ride of nearly an hour, Gauss arrived at his destination.
Overall, the experience was better than he had imagined.
The driving speed wasn’t particularly fast, but it was steady and orderly.
Gauss looked up at the massive circular building in front of him.
"So, this is the pet market?"
"Yes." Having been here once, Aaliyah nodded. "I’ve heard it used to be an arena, but for the sake of urban safety considerations, it was transformed into the pet market we see today."
Entering the marketplace requires a small entrance fee.
However, due to Gauss and Aaliyah’s identity as adventurers, the government employees responsible for maintaining order and collecting fees waived the charge for them.
"Boom!"
The market was bustling.
In addition to citizens buying ordinary pets, mounts, or productivity tools, there were also many adventurers visible.
Especially after the maze opened, the place became even more lively.
"Lizards, fish, hounds, ornamental cats, various insects, cows, horses...."
At the central stalls of the market, all sorts of domesticated animals and pets were everywhere—flying in the sky, swimming in the water, running on the ground, they had it all.
Besides some pets, many large animals were not cheap.
Taking the most common horse as an example, a cheap nag could be eighty to ninety silver coins, while slightly better horses could be a few gold coins or even more expensive.
Gauss and Aaliyah now had the financial capability to afford a horse.
"Wanna check out the horses?"
"Better not, we’ll inevitably have to enter the maze later, horses might not be suitable."
As a means of transport, horses were undoubtedly the best choice.
But once entering the more complex terrain of the maze, its disadvantages became apparent—high environmental requirements, easily startled, and it couldn’t move freely once reaching the second layer.
After excluding horses, Gauss and Aaliyah continued to browse through the stalls.
Cows, donkeys, camels were also unsuitable, as they were slower than horses.
Giant hoofed goats, terrain lizards, rock sheep, chocobos, wild boars...
Gauss and Aaliyah were a bit torn.
But after some deliberation, the two still opted for chocobos.
Chocobos, an excellent mount, large bodies similar to ostriches whose wings were completely regressed, unable to fly.
An adult individual can easily carry the weight of several people.
Strong physique, well-developed lower limbs, and large sturdy bird feet made them extremely suitable for running.
Their bright yellow feathers covered their entire bodies, looking mighty in appearance with a hint of cuteness.
Priced at 7 gold coins each.
For a mount, it wasn’t too expensive and was a highly cost-effective choice.
What intrigued Gauss the most was the chocobo’s excellent jumping ability, which endowed it with a great capacity for traversing terrain, able to adapt to many complex environments.
Moreover, being omnivorous, it could eat wheat, weeds, berries, wild vegetables, shrubs, and even meat, thus it didn’t need any special feed to be carried around for it.
A fantastic partner in map exploration.
In fact, Gauss often saw these adorable creatures around.
Although he was a bit wary of spending gold coins, Gauss knew this expenditure was necessary, and the sooner the money was spent, the sooner their team’s regular operational efficiency would improve.
"Let’s go with these two then."
Aaliyah carefully selected two lively chocobos.
The seller also included riding reins and saddles.
Gauss’ chocobo was slightly more robust than Aaliyah’s, but their overall sizes were quite similar.
They had been bred, raised, and professionally trained to eventually be sold as mounts; smaller-framed individuals, frail and sickly ones, or those not robust enough, would never be mass-reared by sellers.