"Finally back!"
Gauss and his companions stood before the gate of Gray Rock Town, which was far less grand than Barry City’s, with a tone of barely noticeable relief.
Having grown accustomed to the towering walls of Barry City, adorned with watchtowers and fortifications, the low walls before them, built with rough stone and only two or three meters high, surprisingly exuded a kind of familiar warmth and nostalgia.
Aaliyah couldn’t help but gesture at the height in the air.
Gauss also took a deep breath, the air filled with the mixed scents of earth, chimney smoke, and a trace of livestock, the familiar fragrance of Gray Rock Town.
Since crossing into this world, it was also his first time venturing far from home.
Now, returning to the familiar Gray Rock Town, his heart was full of emotion.
After all, this was the place where his adventure began.
In front of the gate, a young, unfamiliar guard was just about to step forward to instruct them to queue up when he was immediately stopped by an older, bearded soldier beside him.
The old soldier flashed a smile, slightly bowing.
"Lady Aaliyah, Lord Gauss, and this gentleman, welcome back. It’s been a hard journey."
After nodding in gratitude to the soldier, Gauss led the chocobo onto the familiar main road.
In the town, nothing much had changed since they left.
The street, wide enough for two carriages to pass, was lined with simple goods in the shops on both sides. A few women sat on small benches under their eaves, chatting while vigorously scrubbing clothes in wooden basins.
A farmer with fresh vegetables was haggling with the grocer.
The air was filled with the mundane and trivial scent of the market.
"It’s still the same."
Serdur also looked around, examining everything. He couldn’t help but look around a bit more at the town where his two teammates had once lived.
After a while, he came to a conclusion.
It was just an extremely ordinary frontier adventurer town.
As they surveyed their surroundings, the other townspeople were also curiously observing them.
Especially Serdur at the back of the group.
Many people were quite startled.
The appearance of a Half-Snake Man was a rare occurrence in this town.
Gauss noticed this scene.
"Let’s go home first."
The three headed toward their homes in the town.
Along the way, the number of adventurers they encountered was noticeably fewer.
Many had been drawn to the dungeons outside Barry City.
However, a large number of adventurers should be returning soon.
They turned into a narrow stone-paved alley.
As they passed through the street, Gauss glanced in a certain direction.
Only after identifying a familiar figure did he breathe a sigh of relief.
In the inn, Sofia and the clerk Winnie were having a casual chat at the counter.
Suddenly, Sofia seemed to feel something.
She turned her head toward the door, her eyes instantly filled with surprise and delight.
"Gauss, when did you all get back?"
"Just now, we haven’t even put down our luggage," Gauss said, patting the storage pouch at his waist.
"By the way, Sofia." He remembered something and patted Serdur beside him. "Let me introduce you, this is my new teammate, Serdur, a priest."
"Serdur, this is Sofia, who has looked after me before."
"Hello."
"Hello."
The two exchanged simple greetings.
Sofia’s gaze toward Serdur was initially a bit evasive.
After all, his appearance indeed didn’t resemble a normal human, and he carried a somewhat chilling aura.
But upon hearing that he was Gauss’s new teammate, and that his profession was a priest, she forced a smile.
She wasn’t entirely ignorant about the adventurer profession, as adventurers would occasionally stay at the inn.
So she knew that a priest likely had a healing-related profession.
Hearing that Gauss had a healer teammate truly made her happy for him.
Having a doctor around should reduce the risk of injury, right?
"Have you eaten yet?"
"Not yet," Gauss waved his hand. "We’re going to rest at home first, then come back to have a chat with you later."
After bidding Sofia farewell, Gauss and Aaliyah temporarily parted ways, each heading to their own home.
Of course, Serdur followed Gauss, whose house was large with two spare guest rooms.
Upon entering the living room, the furniture was already covered in dust.
Gauss’s first task upon returning home was to use magic to thoroughly clean inside and outside of the house.
Serdur initially wanted to offer help but, seeing Gauss cleaning so deftly with magic, swallowed his words.
"Captain, which room am I staying in?"
He curiously explored the first floor.
"Both of the guest rooms on the first floor haven’t been used, so choose whichever one you like."
Gauss was engrossed in cleaning.
The White Magic Wand also provided a considerable boost to his magic tricks.
Originally limited to a small area, the magical tricks’ range was expanded several times.
Moreover, the cleaning and stain removal abilities became stronger.
Before long, the entire two-story house looked brand new.
All the furniture seemed to be shining.
Gauss looked at his work with great satisfaction.
After instructing the four clay spiders "not to leave the house and not to damage anything inside," he joined Serdur, who had already stored away his luggage, to meet up with Aaliyah.
As half-host, he naturally felt obliged to properly entertain Serdur.
Aaliyah’s progress in cleaning her house was relatively slower, and when Gauss arrived, she was busy cleaning enthusiastically, with Ulfen occasionally causing trouble.
Fortunately, Gauss arrived in time.
In just a few minutes, he managed to quickly clean her home.