"Gauss, I hope you will think this through carefully. Everyone has their own path to walk."
His gaze once again swept over Aaliyah and Ying.
"So, why don’t you go back and discuss it further. For the next few days, we will all be in Sen City. You should be able to find out our exact location by asking around a bit..."
"Thank you for the kind offer from your group, but I think I’ve already made up my mind."
William looked at Gauss, who had refused again, with a complex expression in his eyes; there was a mix of slight displeasure from being offended, a tinge of regret, and a frustration with his lack of progress.
"I understand. Goodbye." He turned to leave, but suddenly paused, turning his head to leave one last sentence.
"I hope one day in the future you won’t regret the choice you made today."
With those parting words, William’s figure blended into the harbor’s crowd, disappearing from sight.
After he left, the group fell silent for a moment.
Aaliyah hesitated for a long time before softly speaking.
"Ac... actually, it’s okay for us to split up."
From her conflicted tone, it was clear she was struggling internally as well.
"I don’t think it’s a good idea." Gauss shook his head, revealing a smile.
He had indeed weighed the options in a short amount of time.
After all, taking advantage of a larger association is tempting. If the Big Snake Adventurer Group’s management were relatively lax, developing for a period of time on this platform wouldn’t be a bad option.
However, reality proved that he had thought too much.
There’s no such thing as a charitable organization that offers rights without requiring the acceptance of responsibility.
Not to mention the idea of splitting the team, which he finds rather unacceptable.
To be honest... he was a nostalgic and proud person.
He believed that with his "talents," getting stronger was only a matter of time, and he was unwilling to compromise on many things.
Moreover, joining the Big Snake Adventurer Group would mean following their needs to restructure the team, surely leading to actions dictated by their orders.
Would the other team members really agree with his desire to go out and kill large numbers of goblins or certain lesser monsters to accumulate numbers in the Monster Atlas?
Gauss knew it was impossible as soon as he thought about it.
Because it involved fundamental interests, and for many adventurers, killing small monsters seemed a meaningless act with no benefit towards growing stronger, just a waste of time.
Especially since he would be newly joined, with little influence, unlikely to propose anything, let alone have the final say.
Pausing, he confidently declared, "Trust me, it won’t be long before we establish a larger adventure group and create a more extraordinary endeavor of our own."
Aaliyah, capturing the determination in his eyes, was involuntarily touched.
Though she had said it would be alright to leave the team earlier, she knew she would be very upset if she truly had to part ways.
But thinking of William’s cold attitude just now still left her somewhat indignant.
"Then, when that time comes, we’ll just swallow the Big Snake Adventurer Group completely."
She spoke these bold words with a bit of childishness, clearly feeling "provoked."
"Alright." Gauss nodded with a smile.
Serdur remained silent.
From beginning to end, he felt no temptation toward the so-called core ranks of the Big Snake Adventurer Group, only finding them annoying.
As for Ying, he seemed to have a deeper understanding of Gauss and the small team.
The only person present who witnessed everything was Captain Fern, who felt a storm in his heart.
This was, after all, the core tier of the Big Snake Adventurer Group!
Having been active around Sen City for many years, he knew very well what that represented.
If it had been other ordinary adventurers, he would surely think they were out of their minds, and the previous "bold proclamation" was made only to save face.
But watching Gauss’s utterly serious expression without any hint of joking, Fern’s heart unconsciously sped up.
If it were him, maybe... he really could pull it off?
This thought emerged, and even he found it absurd.
The Big Snake Adventurer Group stands as one of the giants at the top of the food chain in Sen City.
Its official members are said to number over three hundred, not including a larger number of peripheral members, service personnel, and employees related to industries within the group.
The leader, Kidd, himself is a powerful Bloodline Mage, his strength unfathomable, towering at the pinnacle of Sen City’s hierarchy.
The Big Snake Adventurer Group is no longer just an adventurer group; it has become an indispensable power in certain city defense matters.
Furthermore, the Big Snake Adventurer Group has numerous connections with the true rulers of the city, the Vives Clan.
The intertwined relationships allow the Big Snake Adventurer Group to practically dominate Sen City. Whether official, guilds, or the underground world, everyone gives them a degree of deference.
Such is the formidable entity of the Big Snake Adventurer Group, with its influence deeply rooted like the roots of a tree in many corners of Sen City.
With Fern’s limited outlook, it was hard for him to imagine what scale of force would be needed to shake or "swallow" such an existence.
If it happened, it would undoubtedly be one of the greatest miracles.
Thinking this far, he felt his mouth go dry.
By that time, he might be among the few to witness the entire process, right?
Fern suddenly found himself eagerly anticipating the occurrence of that scene.
Looking at Gauss’s eyes, which held ambition as calm as water, his expression turned fervent.
"Let’s go, deal with the spoils first."
Gauss once again left the Big Snake Adventurer Group behind.
Step by step, one must walk the path, and the meal must be eaten bite by bite.
As long as one continues to get stronger, those arrogant proclamations would one day gradually become reality.