Serdur’s return was not much later than the two had anticipated.
Early the next morning, he quietly appeared in his own room.
His return was as low-key as his departure, as if he had just gone for a morning walk.
When Gauss found him, he was sitting cross-legged on a simple mat in the middle of the room, holding a coiled snake-shaped silver statue – a sculpture of the Lady of Secret Scales he worshipped, forming a perfect circular loop.
Gauss witnessed this scene without interrupting him.
Serdur only performed such prayer rituals during mornings in town rooms, and not when he was out performing commissions, so Gauss rarely saw him meditating.
The room was filled with a subtle fragrance from burning special incense, calming whoever smelled it.
On the small table beside his bed were several small bottles and bundles of herbs drying.
Soon, Serdur finished his morning prayer ritual, and his pale golden vertical pupils slowly opened.
Seeing Gauss in the room didn’t surprise him; he was praying, not dead.
His keen sense of smell had detected Gauss’s arrival as soon as he entered the room.
"Successful advancement?"
"Yes. Very smooth." Serdur nodded; his expression was calm, but a closer look revealed subtle shifts indicating his good mood.
"That’s good."
Every level advancement is crucial for an Adventurer.
Especially when one is stuck at a bottleneck, unable to progress, the anxiety and self-doubt grow with time, affecting self-confidence and undermining the foundation of self-belief.
Thus, two situations often occur in the Adventurer profession.
Either they advance rapidly, bolstering their path and faith with level breakthroughs, establishing their name and achievements.
Or they lose motivation and courage in prolonged stagnation, unable to overcome a critical level barrier for life.
Watching newcomers surpass them, ambitions eroded by reality, numbly repeating routines, indulging in alcohol and bragging, or growing disgruntled and taking risks, never to return from an assignment beyond their means.
Though Serdur’s situation wasn’t that severe, the bottleneck of level advancement indeed troubled him for some time.
Now, with his mental block resolved, the scene before him seemed to open up effortlessly.
Even during this morning’s prayer, his emotions felt more peaceful.
"By the way, there’s something I need to discuss with you." Gauss confirmed everything was smooth and got straight to the point.
Like with Aaliyah, using the Communication Technique, he conveyed the confidential commission intel about the ’Blackfang’ tribe’s expedition team to Serdur.
The room fell quiet, enveloped by subtle incense, while the two exchanged a silent, swift communication.
Soon after, Aaliyah joined for a gathering.
The three had a detailed discussion on the commission matters.
After a long while.
Gauss clapped his hands.
"Good, let’s settle on that for now."
After breakfast, we’ll go to the Adventurer’s Guild to give them a clear response.
Then meet with the other party.
Aaliyah and Serdur nodded in agreement.
....
Forest Crown Town.
Second floor of the Adventurer’s Guild, inside a certain meeting room.
The Guild’s Advanced Councilor sat upright and serious.
"Mr. Gauss, you mentioned you wanted to meet with the other party first before deciding whether to accept the commission, correct?"
"If possible, please do."
"That shouldn’t be a big issue; if I remember correctly, that person arrived in town a few days ago, but has only been to the Guild once. I’ll find someone to send a message to her, see if she’s available today."
The elder called over a subordinate to distribute the task.
Soon, amidst a bird’s cry, Gauss glanced at the dazzling floor-to-ceiling window while drinking tea.
An owl flew across the sky, heading toward a direction in town.
The efficiency of this action was faster than he expected.
"Her residence isn’t far from the Guild, so we should receive a reply soon. If she’s unavailable today, further coordination may be needed."
"Let’s wait here then," Gauss said upon hearing this.
He, Aaliyah, and Serdur currently had no urgent matters, so they sat in the meeting room, drinking tea and waiting.
The staff provided some dried fruits and reading materials to pass the time.
Gauss casually picked one.
Just as he opened the front page and began reading a few pages.
A knock on the door suddenly resounded.
The knocking was quite abrupt because before the sound emerged, neither Gauss, Aaliyah, nor Serdur heard any footsteps.
"Is it the temporary team member?" Gauss put down the book and looked toward the door.
He was somewhat skeptical, as the arrival seemed too swift.
Almost like the person was strolling by the Guild entrance and, upon receiving the notice, took just a few steps to come upstairs.
"Is it really that fast?"
Such odds are rare.
So, an unrelated person?
"Squeak—"
The door handle was pulled open.
A slender, tall figure stepped in from outside.
"Hmm???
Gauss’s eyes suddenly widened.
Eye-to-eye with the woman who walked inside.