Fortunately, the egg hidden within his body didn’t consume his magic power for too long.
After quickly conveying a sense of satisfaction, it fell silent again, as if it had gone to sleep.
Gauss breathed a sigh of relief and stopped eating.
He felt the magic power in his body, which was being consumed and continuously regenerating.
He rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Actually, moderate consumption of magic power can sometimes be beneficial for accumulating experience in one’s profession tier.
Magic power is not something that can be consumed at will.
Most of the time, it can only be used through spells, but spells require concentration, and even with ample magic power, they can’t be cast indefinitely.
"Next..."
Gauss looked at the unfamiliar forest around him.
Aaliyah and Serdur should have come out as well.
But for now, he didn’t know where they were in the forest.
To prevent them from worrying or taking other rescue measures, he decided to return to the 11th base and rendezvous with them as soon as possible.
He would also submit the task along the way.
This task was considered successful, having explored the demon colonies and habitats in the forest, and he only needed to submit it upon returning.
After glancing at the map and determining the direction of the 11th base, Gauss didn’t rest further, instead getting up and continuing on his way.
Since he was on foot, and the location he emerged from was some distance from the base, it was already past noon when Gauss returned to the 11th base.
"Clack, clack—"
Inside the base, with hurried footsteps heading toward the camp, Gauss kept observing the soldiers, clad in armor, heading out in squads.
A hint of confusion flashed in his eyes.
"Did something happen?"
It couldn’t possibly be due to the commotion he caused in the Black Forest, could it?
Gauss shook his head with a wry smile.
He quickly walked into the camp.
Inside and outside the camp, workers were fervently constructing the outpost.
As he approached the temporary location of the Adventurer’s Guild, he indeed saw the figures of Aaliyah and Serdur in front of the building.
"Aaliyah! Serdur!" Gauss called out.
"Gauss! You’re back safely! That’s great!" Aaliyah, who had been pacing with her head down, heard his voice, looked up in his direction, and her previously somber expression was instantly replaced with surprise.
"Are you two unharmed?" Gauss walked over.
Ulfen came up to him, extending his tongue to lick Gauss’s palm.
"No, those monsters all chased after you and didn’t pay attention to us here." Aaliyah shook her head. "Are you alright? Did you manage to shake off those monsters, Gauss?"
She scanned Gauss from head to toe, ensuring he was only dusty from his journey but bore no obvious injuries, putting her mind at ease, although still a bit puzzled.
Gauss vaguely recounted the events to Aaliyah and Serdur.
"Really a stroke of luck within misfortune." Aaliyah patted her chest. "Is it still on you now?"
"Yes." Gauss nodded. The egg within him was now in a dormant state after being satiated.
He also didn’t want to elaborate too much in front of the temporary guild base at the Adventurer’s Guild.
Both of them shared a similar understanding.
Although they could use the trick communication technique to exchange messages, it was just a trick after all, and there might be special means of "cracking" its effects, so they remained cautious about important matters.
"Shall we go in and submit the task first?"
"Okay." Aaliyah nodded.
She and Serdur actually hadn’t been back for long.
They were waiting for Gauss here, and the original plan was to wait a while longer; if Gauss still didn’t return, they would report the situation inside and request assistance.
Now they managed to avoid that process.
They walked into the hall.
In the center of the hall, there were sets of tables and chairs for resting, as well as benches along the walls.
Some adventurers were reading through commissions while resting and chatting, sharing information, seemingly treating this place as a temporary rest area, and the staff were glad to see it this way.
Some were even selling drinks and alcohol.
Gauss glanced around and then withdrew his gaze.
Their "Elite Squad" would submit and take on tasks not in the hall, but rather directly in President Rich’s office for personal communication.
"Knock, knock."
He knocked on the door twice, but no sound came from within.
A staff member noticed this, came over, assessed the three of them, and said respectfully.
"Are the three adventurers here to submit tasks to President Rich?"
"Yes." Gauss nodded.
"I’m sorry, President Rich went out unexpectedly this noon. Would you like to come back at another time?"
Out at noon? Gauss was taken aback by this.
President Rich had previously told the three of them that, barring exceptional circumstances, he would always be stationed in this office.
It wasn’t that they specifically needed him to be present for duty, but because he was a significant part of the 11th outpost’s defensive strength and couldn’t easily leave, in case of a monster attack, they would lack high-tier defensive power.
Recalling the sight of those squads of soldiers heading out earlier, Gauss had a hint of a guess.
Was some place in urgent need of elite-level or higher forces?
Had the sub-dragons from the dragon’s nest mobilized?
Gauss could only make such a guess, as the most formidable demons nearby were the sub-dragons perched on the cliffside.
Though perplexed, he glanced at the staff member in front of him and didn’t continue speaking.
The staff member likely didn’t know the details.
He walked out of the temporary building.
Gauss found that the number of cavalry at the 11th base had indeed decreased significantly, and he couldn’t help but frown.