"Sure." Gauss thought, as he hadn’t experienced a restaurant inside the maze before. He thought perhaps there might be some unique dishes, so he didn’t refuse.
Leading their chocobo, they wandered around the main square for most of the day until Aaliyah finally picked a barbecue place.
"Being so generous?" Gauss’s face broke into a smile.
The price of pure barbecue wasn’t cheap, especially given his considerable appetite now. Although he was powerful enough not to worry about affording it, sometimes after a meal, he’d still feel the pinch.
"Hmm." Aaliyah hesitated for a moment but nodded anyway.
She had saved quite a bit of money.
It should be enough to spend.
The three of them entered the store, and a server soon came to greet them.
The restaurant’s interior was unexpectedly serene, and one could often feel the presence of professionals from many adventurers passing by.
"Are there any private rooms left?" Aaliyah glanced around the hall and asked the server.
"Sorry, all the private rooms have been reserved for tonight, and there’s currently no availability. There is only one table left in the hall."
"Then let’s go with the hall. It’s the same." Gauss waved his hand.
Though it was a bit noisy, it was perfect for gathering some intelligence.
They found a seat near a corner and sat down.
Aaliyah began ordering dishes.
Out of the corner of his eye, Gauss casually observed the other adventurers.
According to his sixth sense, only two or three in the entire hall posed any threat to him.
Of course, this didn’t mean his current strength had advanced to such a high level.
At this stage, many truly powerful adventurers couldn’t enter the maze, as they had to wait for it to grow and open further.
In the current maze, he might already count among the top tier of fighters.
While observing, Gauss also listened in on the chats of these drunk adventurers.
Quite a few were discussing intelligence about the second and even the third dungeon levels, and although they vaguely mentioned entrance locations, they had likely changed since they last entered, making the information useless.
While he was observing and waiting for their food to arrive,
Another group of adventurers entered through the entrance.
"Captain, if you’re treating, then I’ll eat to my heart’s content, since you have the money."
"Dorian, when will you treat us for once?"
"Next time, next time. My money is needed elsewhere lately."
A familiar conversation drifted over.
"Sorry, we have no more tables available for four people at the moment. Would you like to wait a moment or choose another restaurant?"
This table happened to be the last available one.
So the four who had come in were soon stopped by the server.
Gauss looked up and happened to witness this scene, making eye contact with Quik, who was glancing around the hall.
"It’s him!"
The same thought sprang up in both their minds.
Quik was the captain of the Iron Arm squad whom Gauss had encountered during the winter hunt.
In a way, at that time, they were kind of looking out for him and Aaliyah.
With this thought, he exchanged a glance with Aaliyah.
Then he asked Serdur quietly,
"Do you mind if I invite a few friends to join us?"
"No problem."
Serdur moved the chair closer to Gauss.
After this brief communication, Gauss stood up and waved to the four people.
"These are our friends; could you please bring a few more chairs over so we can share the table?" he said to the server.
Since he said so, the server naturally had no objections.
Soon, they all sat down together.
"Didn’t expect to see you in the maze again, Gauss."
"Long time no see, Brother Quik."
Quik’s gaze hovered over the three of them.
All three were wearing Adventurer’s Badges.
A 3, 2, 2 configuration wasn’t exactly easy pickings in the current maze. Wearing the badges saved them much trouble.
Quik and his teammates felt a bit complex inside.
When they first met Gauss and Aaliyah, they were only Level 1 Professionals. Now not only had Gauss advanced to Level 2, but even Druid Aaliyah had leveled up to Level 2. Moreover, they now had a Level 3 Half-Snake Man adventurer with them.
Quik had been steadily observing Gauss from the entrance passage.
The interaction between the three indicated Gauss was in charge.
A Level 3 Professional taking orders from a new Level 2 Professional seemed to him like turning the world upside down.
It felt a little against everything he’d believed.
However, as he sat down next to Gauss, he suddenly felt the aura around them was suppressing.
It was as if his body instinctively wanted to avoid some dangerous creature.
Was it an illusion? Or was Gauss really this strong?
Quik pondered, then continued the conversation with Gauss.
"Is your maze exploration going smoothly?"
"Not too bad, last time we reached the second dungeon level, this time we’re preparing to advance to the third level." Gauss shared openly, as it wasn’t a secret.
The third level...
Quik nodded, his gaze subtly noticing the silent Half-Snake Man next to Gauss who was quietly sipping his drink.
Seeing Gauss’s confident demeanor, Quik quietly dismissed any previous sense of superiority.
This young man was indeed remarkable.
Perhaps the next time they met, Gauss’s strength and influence would far exceed his own.
He sighed.
His face forced a slightly awkward smile.
"I’ve got informants in the first level of the maze. They’ll help with the current location of the second-level entrance. We should have results by tomorrow morning. Let’s set off together then?" Quik suddenly lowered his voice.