Leaving the village, the three quickened their pace.
The goblin settlement they were tasked with was not too close to Stone Creek Village, located roughly between several villages.
That’s why the villagers from several villages pooled their money and sought the Adventurer’s Guild to handle this matter.
Unfortunately, the funds were insufficient, and several days passed without any adventurers accepting the task, until Gauss spotted it.
Following the stone creek upstream, nearby the village.
The babbling stream flowed incessantly.
This path was very familiar to Gauss from his memories.
He often used hand-made fish traps here to catch small fish for eating.
Worried that the traps and fish might be taken by other villagers, he usually went a bit further to find a spot with water plants on the bank for concealment.
The clear wind blew against him, nostalgia written all over Gauss’s face.
Life truly is wondrous beyond compare...
In just two fleeting years, returning to the same place, his mindset and situation were entirely different.
Before reaching the location described in the task, Gauss and his team encountered some villagers who had come on their own to scout and gather information.
They weren’t from Stone Creek Village, but likely the young adults from a nearby village.
Riding a short-legged horse, holding a homemade lance in hand.
Unarmored, but wearing several layers of clothing, seemingly with other materials inside as protective lining, wearing a straw hat woven from willow branches, holding a shield made from a converted wooden pot lid.
Though appearing somewhat comical, for an ordinary villager, this equipment was quite impressive.
When he saw Gauss and his group approaching quickly, he instinctively moved his short-legged horse away.
Gauss approached him.
"Are you a local villager? The three of us are the adventurer squad tasked with clearing out the goblins here." Gauss promptly stated his identity.
Upon revealing his identity, the young villager holding the lance sighed in relief.
His face quickly turned to one of surprise and delight.
In recent days, he had been guarding this area, wary of goblins launching a large-scale attack on nearby villages at any moment.
At any sign of an "army on the move," he would quickly relay the information to other villages.
After spending several days on edge, actual adventurers who could solve the problem had finally arrived.
Though he carried weapons himself, he could only take on the role of a scout; single-handedly confronting goblins was far beyond his abilities.
A group of over thirty goblins was a considerable threat, needing a coordinated, experienced adventurer squad to successfully combat.
And this squad in front of him...
His gaze lingered on Gauss and his companions’ equipment, suddenly catching sight of the adventure badges indicating their rank.
This caliber of a team would accept a commission for just 20 silver coins?
He couldn’t believe it at first, then an exuberant joy spread across his face.
No issues now; it truly will be problem-free!
Although he couldn’t fathom the reasons, in his understanding, even moving a single one of them ought to cost far more than 20 silver coins.
But with such a professional squad, and not rookies either, eradicating those goblins would be a sure thing, with no chance of mishap.
"Yes, esteemed adventurers, I am from Linjian Village." The young villager respectfully replied. "Today, I’m here as a scout."
"Could you point us in the direction of the Goblin Tribe?"
With someone to inquire, Gauss could save some effort.
"Would you allow me to lead you there?" The young villager said, suppressing both fear and excitement.
Had it been an ordinary bottom adventurer squad, he wouldn’t have made such an offer.
It would have been too risky and might trouble the adventurers.
But with these individuals present, he knew that the little green skins couldn’t harm them. He could confirm the goblin tribe’s destruction and observe how true professionals fight.
For one aspiring to be an adventurer, like himself, it was an invaluable opportunity.
Perhaps he could even learn precious monster-fighting experience from them.
Gauss looked into the young villager’s eager eyes, thought for a moment, then nodded.
"We’d appreciate that."
This situation was different from Cicero’s.
The other lad was an adult, capable of taking responsibility for his own actions.
Moreover, with their presence, no risk would arise.
"My privilege."
With the young villager leading the way, Gauss and his companions entered the Shallow Beach Forest.
Soon, they reached an open space before a cave, showing all signs of goblin habitation.
The goblin race paid no heed to hygiene. Feces, various animal bones, and rubble were discarded everywhere, reeking with a strong stench.
Gauss was very familiar with environments like this.
"I’ll go on ahead; you all wait here for a moment." Gauss said briskly after scanning the surroundings.
"Alright." Aaliyah nodded.
"By the way, has anyone been taken recently?" Gauss asked the nearby villager.
"Not yet."
"Good."
As the two spoke, Serdur quickly cast a blessing spell on Gauss.
Meanwhile, the light green powder butterfly on Aaliyah’s shoulder flew above him, sprinkling invisible transparent scales.
In the young villager’s gaze, Gauss’s figure slowly vanished.
Invisible? Or... why would he even learn that? The young villager blinked and his jaw slowly dropped.