And Gauss learned a little tip about equipment.
The vast majority of adventurers, under normal circumstances, can only enjoy the attribute enhancement effect of one piece of equipment.
What does this mean?
It means that after Serdur enhanced his Constitution attribute by equipping his waist wrap, he cannot benefit from the Perception and Charm attributes of the [Intuition Bracelet].
So, under normal circumstances, adventurers will choose the equipment that best suits their needs for daily use.
Other equipment is either sold or kept as backup to be used in corresponding situations.
But now...
The White Magic Wand ignored this basic rule.
On the basis of equipping the [Intuition Bracelet], it also provided him with new attribute enhancements.
Thinking of this, Gauss’s heartbeat quickened.
From various perspectives, the White Magic Wand seemed to be an incredible "artifact."
If others found out, the value of the White Magic Wand might be estimated to skyrocket to the heavens, or more likely, it could bring him endless danger.
However, he would never sell the White Magic Wand.
For some reason, just looking at it made him feel at ease, and no matter how much money he was offered, he couldn’t bear to sell it.
Gauss did a simple test of other spells on the spot.
He discovered they all had varying degrees of enhancements.
Of course, the most noticeable effects were with Magic Missile and Gauss Force Field.
The Gauss Force Field on his body could now simply shape its form and extend outwards slightly, not just limited to the surface of his skin.
For example, under his control, the solid-like [Gauss Force Field] began to "melt," then extended out another ten centimeters at the fingertips of his right hand, looking like a diamond blade wrapped around his hand.
Further abilities may require additional development.
Since Serdur was waiting nearby, Gauss didn’t waste much time.
Soon, he mounted the chocobo again.
There was still plenty of time left, so he could take it slow during tasks and exploration, there was no rush.
Serdur and Gauss returned to the city and submitted their task items and documents at the Adventurer’s Guild outpost.
They successfully received 1 gold coin.
In fact, the amount wasn’t much, but the reward was close by, less than a day’s journey, and it was still afternoon.
He took the spoils he collected to a shop of the [Golden Beak Trading Company] not far from the city gate.
This was not his first visit here.
The receptionist at the front desk spotted him quickly and ran out to greet him.
"You’re here, Lord Gauss."
"Yes, I’ve got some spoils from a commission, please have your appraiser provide a valuation, and if it’s acceptable, I’ll sell them to you."
"Rest assured, we will definitely offer you the most reasonable price," the receptionist nodded repeatedly by his side.
As the young owner, Haylir had already informed the staff in advance.
The staff knew that this handsome, black-haired adventurer was a friend of the guild master’s daughter, so the buyback price would be slightly higher than that of other shops.
Gauss took out the spoils from his storage pouch one by one, and soon an appraiser came out to provide a valuation.
He and Serdur sat in seats, silently waiting for the appraiser to finish, with snacks and tea prepared by the trading company on the table.
"This fruit cake is nice, Serdur, give it a try."
Gauss picked up a piece of jiggly, transparent crystal cake, popped it into his mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and showed a satisfied expression.
He could tell how good the food was as soon as he tasted it.
This cake was elastic without being too sticky, and the gelatinous texture was just right.
Taste-wise, it beautifully balanced the real sweet and sour flavors of various berries, rather than the false sweet greasiness of flavoring, with the sweet and sour exactly right.
"Yes, Miss Haylir had us specially prepare this; other guests don’t get this treat." The receptionist sighed in relief.
She felt a bit fortunate that she hadn’t skimped on the preparation.
Haylir had also emphasized Gauss’s preference for gourmet food, so the snacks prepared couldn’t be substandard; they had to use the finest to entertain him.
"Thank you, I’m very satisfied."
The soft smile on Gauss’s face caused the receptionist to stare in a daze for two seconds before realizing her impropriety and quickly averting her eyes.
"You’re... glad to hear you like it."
Serdur glanced at Gauss with a teasing look, saying nothing.
But privately, he used the Communication Technique, his voice reaching only Gauss’s ear.
"Captain, it seems you should also be more mindful of your image in the future, like me, and not smile at people casually."
Of course, he restrained smiles to avoid scaring people, while Gauss’s case was quite the opposite.
Gauss was speechless, remained silent for a moment, then steered the conversation to another topic.
"Serdur, Aaliyah’s been in cultivation for almost a week now, should be finishing soon, right?"
"Seems it’s been a few days," Serdur recalled.
He hadn’t been paying much attention to Aaliyah’s matters.
Mainly, he hadn’t interacted much with Aaliyah; she went into "cultivation" to break through to level 2 shortly after joining the team.
These days, just he and Gauss were undertaking commissions together.
If Gauss hadn’t mentioned it, he might have thought it was a two-person squad.
"I hope everything’s going well for her."
After selling the spoils,
Gauss and Serdur headed back to the South District.
The sun set slowly.
At dusk, Gauss and Serdur arrived in front of the inn.
"Caw caw!"
Gauss heard a cry and looked up.
In the sky, a majestic black raven was spiraling down.
"Tap!" The raven landed at his feet, rubbing its head against the hem of his magic robe.
"Aik, you’re back?"
Gauss spoke to it.
Since Raven Aik was back, it likely meant Aaliyah had completed her "cultivation."
Sure enough, a window in a room above opened suddenly.
Then, an upper body leaned out.
Aaliyah looked down into the small courtyard outside the inn, her face showing an enthusiastic smile, waving to them.
"Where have you been? I came back and couldn’t find you."
"Out on a commission."
Gauss responded.
"Wait, I’ll be up there."
Entering the lobby, the landlady at the front desk still greeted them with a smile, but her smile turned awkward when she noticed Serdur behind him.
After greeting, Gauss and Serdur went upstairs.
The two arrived in Aaliyah’s room.
Aaliyah’s demeanor had significantly changed.
To describe it, her natural aura had become more intense.
"Successfully advanced?"
Gauss moved a chair over for himself and Serdur.
"Yes, luckily," Aaliyah said, though her face was beaming with happiness.
Leveling up is not a trivial matter for any professional.
She was young and advancing smoothly from level 1 to level 2 meant she had a strong chance of reaching even higher tiers in the future.
"How about we go out for a big dinner to celebrate tonight?" Gauss suggested.
"I think that sounds great," Aaliyah agreed.
"Okay." Serdur also nodded.
His words became a bit less, and he seemed a bit uncomfortable while sitting in the room.
But Gauss understood, unlike with him, Serdur and Aaliyah were still relatively unfamiliar with each other.
Gauss took everything in his stride.
It seems that building the team is still a long way to go.
But that doesn’t matter, he will coordinate everything.
If they can’t even handle the internal relationships of a three-person team, then what about adding a fourth, fifth, or even more members in the future?
Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and smiled once more.
As the team leader, he still had a lot to learn.