That year, with various real-world factors at play, Host first broke his leg, which cost a lot of savings, and in the end, he was still limping, affecting his hunting ability.
It was just a barren year, with poor harvests in the fields and most of the game in the mountains having run away.
Although the family still had some savings and reserve grain, the two young men had huge appetites, and there were many mouths to feed, so it was decided that one person should venture out to make a living and ease the burden.
And since he was already married, with Meilin expecting a child, he naturally couldn’t leave. So, it fell on seventeen-year-old Gauss, who took some dried food and set out to seek his own path.
The eldest son inheriting the family business, and the second son striking out on his own was actually quite common in this era.
But in the past two years, he constantly worried about Gauss and felt a bit guilty.
He had thought about asking someone to inquire about Gauss’s whereabouts, but in such a remote rural area, just an ordinary farmer, where would he find such channels?
"Alright, let’s make dinner first. I bought some vegetables over."
While cooking, seeing the large beef tenderloin and various vegetables Gauss took out, the family was taken aback, finally getting a direct understanding of his current condition.
Previously, they could only surmise from his attire that he was doing well outside, but they didn’t really know the value of those clothes.
But that beef tenderloin, even with money, was hard to come by.
Younger sister Cicero was swallowing her saliva, eyeing the red, firm chunks of meat with beautiful marbling, her eyes gleaming as if she wished to dive in and take a bite.
Aaliyah, holding Cicero, watched the drool trickle down her mouth, barely resisting a silent chuckle inwardly.
She just knew, the foodie talent in Gauss had a family hereditary factor.
Gauss had brought a lot of ingredients, so at the table, everyone was soon full, except for him.
As the family was about to continue their conversation.
"Mom, Dad, I’ve got to head out." Gauss spoke up.
"Is something the matter?"
"I took a commission this time, to get rid of those goblins upstream of Stone Creek," Gauss briefly explained.
"Ah? Do you have to go now?" Rosa, just done clearing the dishes, was worried.
Goblins are very dangerous creatures.
Though she understood that Gauss was now an adventurer, and fighting monsters was part of his job, hearing he was going to fight those non-human monsters still made her heart skip a beat.
"Don’t worry, I’ll be back in no time, it’s not dangerous. I’ve handled a lot of such tasks." Gauss reassured.
"Brother, can I come along?" Little sister Cicero asked excitedly.
She was at the age of enjoying play, and with the looming threat of goblin tribes recently, older brother Hawke wouldn’t let her play with other kids in the village, insisting she followed him even when farming, ensuring nothing unexpected would happen.
"No!" Gauss sternly refused, leaving no room for negotiation.
Even though there was a 99.9% chance nothing would happen, there was no need to bring a child.
Taking on demons is not a game; even a lion fights a rabbit with all its strength.
Moreover, goblins were easy for him to kill, but if Cicero were there as he dispatched them so effortlessly, she might come to misjudge the threat posed by goblins, which could later lead to irreversible consequences.
Children at that age have not yet fully formed their worldview.
Cicero was startled by his stern tone, retreating a couple of steps in distress.
"Then I won’t go. I’ll wait for you to come back."
"Be careful." "Stay safe." Mother Rosa and sister-in-law Meilin were still a bit uneasy.
But father Host showed no concern on his face.
He had seen the world in his youth, though he didn’t like to mention it; as the second son, when he first ventured out, he had dreamed of becoming an adventurer, but reality soon showed him his place, and he settled down to find a rural home, marry, and have children.
As such, he knew all too well what the adventurer’s badge hanging in front of Gauss and the other two represented.
Although he couldn’t quite imagine how Gauss achieved it in two years, the adventurer’s badge was genuine.
His youngest son had achieved what was beyond the family’s wildest imaginations outside.
Watching the figures of Gauss and the other two exit through the doorway, Host felt both sentimental and proud.
"Ma, relax. Gauss killing those goblins is really easy. Remember George from the neighboring village, right, the one who taught swordsmanship? He’s far worse than Gauss..." Elder brother Hawke continued to explain Gauss’ current strength level to mother Rosa, trying to reassure her.
Meanwhile, Cicero still harbored a little regret.
She had wanted to see how Gauss dealt with goblins.
But earlier, Gauss’ tone left her with no thoughts of protest at that time.
...
Gauss and his two companions rode their mounts, slowly walking along the village path.
Discussions could be heard from the villagers around.
Some had seen him stay a long while at the hunter Host’s house, and when he emerged, they guessed his identity but still could not believe it.
Some shrewd ones had already grabbed eggs and vegetables, heading to the Host family for a visit.
Apart from his own family, Gauss didn’t harbor many feelings for the other villagers.
"Didn’t expect you were really born here," Aaliyah couldn’t confirm even now.
When she first met Gauss, she thought he was some noble’s offspring or at worst an illegitimate child, because only such people enjoyed resources and talents beyond commoners.
But the scene just now clearly showed Gauss grew up here, born and raised, and was nothing more than an ordinary village boy.
In less than two years, could someone really leap across so many social classes, experiencing such a radical life change?
Imagining herself in Gauss’s shoes, she felt she couldn’t achieve that.
Talent, luck, spells, and effort—none could be missing.
"The captain is truly a genius," Serdur remarked calmly.
He had already decided that Gauss’s talent was beyond a normal person’s comprehension.
No matter how unbelievable the things, they were all reasonable.
Moreover, he suspected the captain was the legendary...
He glanced at Gauss from the corner of his eye, his heart couldn’t help but race.
He pondered secretly.
The Child of Providence.
A great existence from the legends of their Half-Snake Man kind.