"Are there any commission tasks near Stone Creek Village?" Gauss surveyed the pile of parchment on the table, dismissing the idea of searching through them, and looked directly at Petra.
"Stone Creek Village... let me think?"
The sudden mention of a village name from Gauss’ mouth made the girl in her early twenties ponder for a moment.
"It does sound a bit familiar."
She pinched her chin and reached out, flipping through the sheets of commission papers one by one.
Before long, she pulled out one piece of parchment.
"As it happens, there is a commission in Stone Creek Village."
She realized she had some impression of the small village because she had seen this commission earlier.
Gauss took the parchment and discovered that the task location was indeed his hometown, Stone Creek Village.
[Standard Extermination Task]
Task Reward: 20 Silver Coins.
Task Description: A group of goblins has occupied the Shallow Beach Forest upstream of Stone Creek. According to villagers’ sightings, the estimated number of this group exceeds 30, and their activity range has spread from the woods outside the village to several surrounding villages.
Task Deadline: Within 5 days.
After reading the text, Gauss understood that the task wasn’t issued solely by Stone Creek Village but was jointly funded by several nearby villages.
However...
Gauss could understand why no one had taken it up yet.
Compared to other tasks, this commission’s price was truly low, and its difficulty wasn’t.
With more than 30 goblins, an ordinary bottom adventurer squad would need some real skills to dare take it on, even if they believed they could handle it, the cost-effectiveness might not make the commission worth it.
It seemed that his hometown wasn’t affluent, or perhaps they were reluctant to spend money.
Several villages in total could only gather 20 silver coins.
"Alright, I’ll take it," Gauss didn’t think too much about it.
He was looking for a commission to practice, and finding something to do on the side, as his squad didn’t rely on this kind of ordinary task commission to make a living.
If he didn’t take it, who knew when another adventurer squad might?
Soon, Petra helped him complete the task registration.
"So, shall we set off?" Although the commission sheet didn’t specify any particularly urgent situations, Gauss thought it over and decided not to delay.
If something unexpected happened, especially if it involved his family, he’d feel guilty for a long while.
"Alright. The commission is important."
Aaliyah and Serdur had no objections, nodding in agreement.
They even moved faster than Gauss.
Mounting their chocobos, Gauss’ squad set out again.
Stone Creek Village lies in the northwest direction of Gray Rock Town, not very close to the town, which was also why no adventurer had taken the task.
A short distance from the town, the road visibly narrowed and became bumpy, flanked by unkempt shrubs and wild grasses.
The town’s smoke and bustle faded from the air, replaced by a raw, rustic breath of the countryside.
Fortunately, the chocobos were fast-paced, and even Serdur’s mobility, which differed from ordinary people, didn’t pose much of a hindrance to the team.
The sun shone down.
The strong and powerful legs of the chocobo trod the ground, stirring up dust in their wake.
Serdur glided smoothly over the dry ground, producing a consistent rustling sound.
The roadside scenery became increasingly raw as they progressed.
Time quietly shifted from early morning to afternoon.
As Stone Creek Village came closer, memories gradually surfaced in Gauss’s mind.
An indescribable emotion spread through his heart.
The scenery became increasingly familiar.
Years of experiences seemed vivid, learning to farm, fishing in the river, setting traps in the mountains, learning to make capture traps and tools.
It was like rereading a long-unvisited book.
Finally, as they rounded a bald, small hill with a few crooked old trees, the distant, low, dilapidated outline of Stone Creek Village appeared at the end of the vision.
"Is this your hometown?" Aaliyah, perched on the tall chocobo’s saddle, looked down at the small village in the distance and turned to Gauss.
"Yes." Gauss’s voice was very calm as he gazed at the village. "Let’s go, let’s check out the village first."
The village’s appearance seemed unchanged from a year ago, and his house was at one corner of the village.
"Captain, shall I wait outside?" Serdur suddenly spoke.
Gauss knew that Serdur was concerned that his appearance might scare his parents.
Generally, the more backward and feudal a place was, the more they would hold a bias or even fear towards half-human races like him.
"It’s alright, let’s go together," Gauss shook his head.
Seeing Gauss say so, Serdur no longer hesitated.
Soon, the two chocobos carrying Gauss and Aaliyah, accompanied by a sliding half-snake man, a large gray wolf, and a raven, slowly walked along the dirt village path into the village.
The children playing and frolicking in the village were the first to spot them.
"Monsters are here again!!"
"Run away!"
"Dad, come look!"
The children screamed, unclear whether with excitement or fear, scattering upon seeing them, and constantly called for the adults in the village.
Soon, several villagers with farm tools scolded the children back home.
Then, carrying strong fear, their legs trembling, they cautiously eyed the group standing on the village path.
However, once one of them noticed the adventurer’s badge on Gauss and company’s chests and informed the others, their fear abated somewhat.