Leaving Barry through the West Gate, the massive city walls gradually receded behind them.
Gauss sat atop the chocobo, slightly moving with its rhythm, watching the vast, magnificent scenery slowly recede from view.
He truly realized the benefits of having his own mount.
Compared to riding a caravan carriage, it was incredibly freeing.
Go wherever you want, leave whenever you want.
If only I’d known earlier, I would have bought one sooner...
Gauss thought this, unable to resist as the wind brushed his face.
However, when his gaze fell on Serdur, who easily kept pace beside him, he felt lost for words.
Yes, while he was silently appreciating the convenience of owning a mount, this half-snake man companion had never considered it necessary.
This traveling ability is truly impressive...
"Captain, why did you choose to specifically take on goblin extermination?"
Serdur asked curiously using the Communication Technique.
The question wasn’t due to the task itself.
His thoughts drifted back to the morning at the Adventurer’s Guild South Branch, where Gauss was specifically selecting from a pile of goblin-related tasks.
He was curious back then but hadn’t asked.
Now, on the way to the mission, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
"Because there are enough of them?"
Gauss’s answer made Serdur even more puzzled.
What he knew was that some adventurers either chose tasks or demons for money or selected challenging opponents to enhance their experience against different demons, thus improving their skills and gaining advancement.
But more of them? What kind of answer was that?
Could it be that the abundance of goblins made them the most likely threat to ordinary humans, so the captain was inclined to exterminate them for the villagers’ sake?
Thinking of this, Serdur was immediately filled with respect.
Although he himself generally didn’t consider profits when taking tasks but chose randomly,
He wouldn’t do it explicitly like Gauss, who adjusted his task list to consider ordinary people.
Gauss was unaware of the conclusions Serdur made in his mind.
Instead, he focused on the information about the task.
Having over a hundred goblins appear at once was unusual.
Since goblins were low-intelligence creatures, a gathering of a hundred was prone to conflict, unless led by a "strong leader" who could command all the ordinary goblins.
This "strong leader" could be an elite unit born among goblins or another elite demon.
Goblins inherently worship the power of stronger demons, often becoming cannon fodder for elite demons.
So, although Gauss hoped that the leader of those hundred ordinary goblins might be an elite goblin with a challenging level, without confronting them directly, it was impossible to conclude.
——
The two didn’t delay much time.
Aside from occasionally stopping on the road to feed the chocobo [Gold Tassel] and for Gauss and Serdur to rest, there were no other halts.
The surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate as they progressed.
The farther they got from Barry, the faster traces of humanity disappeared.
[Frost Leaf Village]
This small village, primarily engaged in animal husbandry, wasn’t close to Barry and was on the verge of exiting its jurisdiction.
At this moment in the village.
There was a noisy crowd.
An elder, hair and beard gray with age, with skin seemingly etched by wind and frost, struggled to stand straight despite his bent back, his cloudy eyes fixed with deep concern on the damaged livestock pens.
"Hasn’t any adventurer come from Barry yet?"
"Not yet." A young man beside him replied helplessly, having specifically observed the entrance leading to Barry before coming over. "Father, I heard a labyrinth appeared outside Barry City recently, and many adventurers have ventured into it. Our remote village will probably find it hard to attract adventurers."
The old village chief, elderly as he was, might not grasp the specifics.
But like the young men responsible for procuring supplies from Barry, they undoubtedly knew the significant events happening in the city of forests.
The most significant news recently had to be the labyrinth’s appearance.
For adventurers, especially low-level ones, such early-stage labyrinths were a major draw.
This resulted in an awkward situation around Barry: adventurers were all in the labyrinth, and even if they emerged briefly to resupply and rest, relaxation was their priority, and they’d refrain from accepting tasks.
Even if short on money, they’d take tasks nearby. For remote villages like theirs, finding suitable adventurers in a short time was improbable.
There was indeed an adventurer squad passing by a few days ago, but the team lacked professionals. Upon hearing of the goblin scale, they turned back straight away.
Though the villagers felt a bit helpless, they could well understand the other’s choice.
Without professionals, facing those monsters would be nearly equivalent to courting death for ordinary adventurers.
If it were them, they’d make the same choice.
There are always opportunities to earn money, but life is singular.
"So what do we do about this? Doesn’t anyone from Barry’s Adventurer’s Guild have anything to say?" The old village chief’s frail hands grasped a coarse walking stick, knuckles whitening from exertion.