She always felt that there was a strange sense of competitiveness between these two.
But she had no evidence.
This was just a judgment based on her understanding of Gauss’s usual appetite.
Normally, Gauss would have stopped eating when seven or eight-tenths full, but today he continued!
He ate another piece of stew.
Gauss silently put down his utensils.
Then leaned back on the chair.
He admitted defeat.
Albena’s advantage in size was simply too overwhelming.
Even though he had a "special stomach" that could convert excess food into a secondary mana bar as a postnatal talent, he couldn’t beat a true innate power even with all his strength.
Albena quietly ate alone for a while longer until she cleared the food on the table, then she picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth.
She felt truly satisfied.
She turned her head to glance at Gauss.
A look of surprise flashed in her eyes.
She didn’t expect Lord Gauss, who looked so refined and elegant, to eat so much?
Really...
Really... quite charming.
Truly worthy of being a man who earned her recognition upon first meeting.
...
The next day.
After leaving the Adventurer’s Guild.
Aaliyah came from another direction.
Behind her was a flat cart loaded with ingredients.
"Isn’t this a bit too much? We actually don’t need to spend many days, do we?"
Gauss looked at the impressive reserve of ingredients and nervously asked.
He knew the reason for this scene.
It was because last night’s "King of Foods Competition" had scared the team logistics manager.
But in reality, it wasn’t necessary to go to such lengths.
Yesterday was a match between equals, and he ate due to the competition.
His normal appetite wasn’t that exaggerated.
Moreover, if necessary, he had prepared some gems and precious metal powder fragments as temporary food.
When short-term replenishment of magic power was needed, his "special stomach" could quickly convert these special minerals and metals into energy.
"No, we must be prepared for any situation."
Aaliyah stubbornly shook her head.
With two big eaters in the team, the material reserves must keep up.
Gauss nodded.
Then he had no choice but to pack these foods into a medium-sized storage pouch.
"Let’s get ready to set off."
Albena also had a mount.
"Northern Reindeer."
This was the breed of her mount, not a common type of steed.
Albena’s Northern Reindeer was a creature with a shoulder height of nearly two meters and twenty, exceptionally robust and sturdy.
Its fur was thick and fluffy, with a mottled pattern of deep brown and grey-white, resembling a natural camouflaged protective coloring.
Albena had also specially forged a metal helmet for it, wrapping most of its head while leaving only a pair of eyes that conveyed a mix of stability and fierceness.
This gigantic beast just by standing there.
Emitted an aura similar to Albena’s own robust and imposing presence.
Of course, only such a beast could support her; ordinary mounts couldn’t undertake this heavy task.
Gauss’s "Chocobo" stepped a few steps away.
This was its instinctive unease as a creature.
It could only slowly adapt over time.
This spectacular team quickly departed from Gold and Silver Town, under the curious gazes of many townspeople, heading towards the Brenan Mine.
On the journey, Gauss was surprised to find that although the Northern Reindeer was large in size, its speed and endurance were both outstanding.
Carrying Albena, it managed to steadily follow the team.
Just from this point alone, Gauss could confidently say many elite professionals might not be able to overcome such a reindeer mount.
Before long, the group reached the location where they had observed Brenan Mine last time.
The desolate scene reappeared in their sights.
Just like yesterday when they came, unchanged.
"Albena, are you familiar with this area?"
"I haven’t been here either, Lord Gauss." Albena shook her head apologetically.
She could not serve as a local guide.
Because she too was an outsider, coming from the distant northern territories.
"Alright, then Ying, please work hard to scout further, record the environment inside, monster distribution, and traps set by monsters."
Although Ying had already scouted a path to the monster town yesterday, one path was far from enough; if something happened to the passage, the group wouldn’t even know which direction to retreat to.
They must explore several paths, ideally to thoroughly understand the underground environment of Brenan Mine.
"Understood."
Ying nodded.
This was already her duty.
Yesterday, the reason she withdrew early without further investigation was merely to inform Gauss and the others of the scouting results, allowing him to decide the subsequent actions.
Now that they confirmed a major operation today.
She was prepared to thoroughly scout the complex tunnels of Brenan Mine.
And this would clearly be a huge undertaking.
At the same time, this was also the value of the scouting position.
A mature team definitely needs different professional characteristics to complement each other.
Relying solely on Gauss and Level 6 Warrior Albena wouldn’t be able to handle all the work.
Gauss first applied a "Gauss Position" protective shield on Ying, then Alyiah and Serdur began to apply attribute buffs.
Very soon, Ying, fully stacked with enhancements, affirmed with a nod to Gauss, her figure suddenly enveloped in shadow, and then silently "merged" with the ground, transforming into a shadow and speeding swiftly along the hillside towards the entrance of the mine.