After all, this is human nature.
Otherwise, how could those merchants constantly deceive people?
"Let me see..."
Gauss cast the spell [Comprehend Languages]
He gently placed his palm next to the leather map, over the blurred cinnabar markings, and concentrated.
A faint magical glow flowed from his fingertips.
Then it seeped into the characters and symbols.
The spell’s light flickered on those characters.
After about ten seconds.
He withdrew his hand, frowning slightly.
"I’ve deciphered part of the information, but it’s incomplete." Gauss shook his head.
Some of the symbols appear to be a cipher, not ordinary written language, so this spell couldn’t decode it.
"When three stars fall into the Dragon’s Eye, the fire within the mirror will ignite the true path, in the whispers of the moon’s shadow, cross the wall of the dead’s sigh, offer... and reach the Golden Kingdom."
Gauss shook his head.
No clue, the text does not directly indicate any specific location.
This left him unable to find the corresponding location on the partially abstract map on the leather.
"I don’t get it." Aaliyah shook her head.
Ying and Serdur were also at a loss.
Truth be told, apart from Gauss, the others had very little formal academic education.
Essentially illiterate in the Otherworld.
"Feels like a deliberate mystification." Gauss looked at the leather map again.
At the most critical points, there’s some kind of cipher that obscures the content.
The appearance of a cipher is quite mysterious; it could be some profound text, or it might be nothing at all.
Just the creator’s random drawings, so comprehend language cannot decipher it.
"Sigh..." Aaliyah laid on the table, sighing. "I thought we could really find some clues to a big treasure?"
She wasn’t lacking small money now, but she needed a lot of money. If there was a treasure that could give her tens of thousands of gold coins or high-tier magical equipment, it would be ideal.
The treasure from such a treasure map, if true, wouldn’t be a small amount.
The four of them studied the treasure map once more.
Included but not limited to dripping blood, heating, and dripping water, all sorts of haphazard operations, but nothing abnormal appeared.
"Forget it, let’s put it away for now."
Gauss shook his head.
"We’ll slowly figure it out later."
Even now, they were unsure if the treasure map was real or fake.
He had tested it with an identification technique, and the result was very disappointing.
"A suspected ’treasure map’ of tanned leather craftsmanship, the material itself has no special magical attachment, seems to record special information in some kind of cipher."
After putting away the treasure map,
Everyone dispersed to attend to their own affairs.
During the task completion time, everyone needed to practice and train individually, digest the gains from the adventure, and enhance various abilities.
Gauss was no exception.
Even though the adventure commission had temporarily concluded, he became even busier.
Especially yesterday, after taking a cup of Dragon Blood Moss Extract, his current physical condition was particularly suited for various physical training; naturally, he needed to strike while the iron was hot and rigorously practice the White Falcon Sword Skill to speed up the condensation process of the sword profession’s sub-vocation.
In addition, he also needed to continue attempting to construct the spell models of Flying Technique and Fireball Technique.
Very busy indeed.
He specifically mentioned to Aaliyah and others that he might not be going out to perform commissions recently.
They didn’t object either.
Because they also had many skills and abilities that needed to be practiced.
...
In the blink of an eye, a few days passed.
In a spacious room on the third floor of the Adventurer’s Guild.
"Boom!!"
Wrapped in white light and vibrating minutely at high speed, the rapier, imbued with the results of Gauss’s days of diligent practice, suddenly thrust towards a burly woman.
This strike was incredibly terrifying.
The surrounding air warped, being forced aside by the blade.
The White Falcon Sword Skill, inherently extremely sharp with piercing properties, combined with the effects of the Windstrider’s [Combo] and [Wind Pressure], and at this moment, he also activated [Resilient Scales Bloodline]; although his right hand didn’t morph into a claw, the energy scales that wrapped around greatly enhanced the strength of his arm.
With multiple layers of power combined, even refined steel armor would struggle to endure.
However.
"Bang—"
A dull sound rang out.
Gauss’s full-force thrust failed to achieve the expected result.
The sensation transmitted from the rapier through his hand felt like piercing the incredibly tough hide of a Giant Dragon.
Extreme flexibility and firmness!
All the accumulated power, vibrations, wind pressure, and sword qi on the blade were forcibly dispelled by an abyssal, unshakable force!
A massive counter-force traveled up the hilt, numbing Gauss’s grip.
His body involuntarily flew backward.
After staggering two steps, he barely stabilized himself.
The woman who bore the brunt of this attack, Rachel, stood there steadily.
Upon closer observation, one would even find that she hadn’t moved an inch.
She merely leisurely raised a sturdy arm, using the smooth line of her forearm to take the brunt of the Falcon Strike.
Except for a small tear in her training uniform’s sleeve, revealing white skin beneath, it left no mark on her body, not even a red spot or a white trace.
"The force was a bit scattered, not enough strength." Rachel lowered her arm.
The tear in her training uniform’s sleeve seemed to have a life of its own, swiftly mending itself, restored in an instant.