The first day of the formal commission was calmer than Gauss had anticipated.
Basically, Ying was the one working.
They claimed to be on alert, but the situation on the surface was much safer than they had originally expected.
Throughout the day, not a single monster emerged from the mine to catch some air.
This extremely desolate scene made it hard to associate with the fact that there were so many monsters hidden underground.
"Something feels off."
Gauss rubbed his chin.
Logically, even for a monster nest, with this many in numbers, they wouldn’t be so cautious, right?
Not a single monster sneaked out.
Could it be militarized management?
Gauss shook his head.
Not to mention monsters, even if you were to restrain a thousand people in one location, unable to move for a long period, it wouldn’t be possible to maintain such strict discipline, would it?
At their temporary camp.
A hand-drawn map with freshly dried ink was spread open.
Every now and then, Ying would come out to report her progress and depict the network of tunnels beneath the Brenan Mine in images.
Apart from the tunnel discovered by chance on the first day, with Ying’s prolonged efforts, other passages leading to the depths of the nest were also found.
The design of this monster nest was quite complex.
Not all mine tunnels led to the nest; most of the assessed passages were dead ends, and some were even rigged with traps.
Ying’s abilities were exceedingly impressive; an ordinary Wanderer might not only get injured, but might also trigger traps and alert the monsters in the nest in such harsh conditions.
"This group of monsters is indeed peculiar."
Faced with Gauss’s observation, Aaliyah nodded in agreement.
This wasn’t the first time they had encountered a monster nest of this level.
The last goblin nest they encountered had nearly a thousand monsters as well, but at that time, they could clearly observe signs of goblin activity around when they were nearby.
This time, if not for Ying’s field investigation, standing on the surface, they could only assume this was a mine long abandoned.
"Their equipment is quite good," Ying added. "They have iron tools, iron picks, iron swords, and so on."
Due to the peculiar energy lingering in the central nest, she couldn’t inspect the nest too deeply, and observing from the outside was as if looking at a flower in the fog due to the barrier’s presence.
However, by observing the kobolds distributed in the outer mines, she could analyze that the monster’s equipment in this den was quite well-made.
"They forge their weapons," Gauss concluded.
Even though this mine had been abandoned for many years, to kobolds, who are naturally "master miners," it’s like water from a sponge—something can always be extracted.
He reasonably suspected the nest had formed a self-sufficient microcosm inside.
Otherwise, what would they eat, staying underground without emerging?
As night fell, the air quickly grew colder.
Rather than staying near the Brenan Mine, Gauss and his group rode their mounts a little farther away before setting up the "foldable house" to camp and rest.
The use of the foldable house had become quite frequent this past month.
Once accustomed, it felt like home to the team.
In contrast, city inns didn’t feel very comfortable anymore.
Gauss led Sif Albena, who was entering for the first time, to the house’s second floor.
"Albena, you can pick either of these two empty rooms."
Thankfully, the foldable house had six rooms, so there wasn’t an awkward situation where someone had no place to stay due to a temporary extra person.
"Lord Gauss, where is your room?"
Albena instinctively asked.
"Mine is downstairs."
"Can I choose downstairs then?"
"..." Gauss paused for a moment.
"Sorry, they’re already taken."
The three rooms on the first floor were occupied by Aaliyah, him, and Serdur.
Ying had a room to herself upstairs.
"If you want to stay on the first floor, I could switch with you."
Gauss didn’t have much luggage, just a few items like mattresses and clothing, which could be packed up quickly.
Aaliyah, following quietly, wanted to say something but refrained.
However, Albena simply shook her head upon hearing this.
"I’ll stay upstairs then."
Aaliyah nodded.
"Albena, I’ll get you some quilts and daily necessities." Satisfied with the result, Aaliyah turned and went to the storeroom to find supplies for the "new resident."
"By the way, Lord Gauss, are you hungry?"
Albena somehow produced food, offering it to Gauss.
Though not very hungry, considering he’d already declined several times today,
Gauss reached out and accepted it.
Albena handed him a piece of compressed nut bar this time.
Seeing Gauss accept it, she took a piece herself and began chewing.
Gauss took a couple of bites.
The taste was good, with solid ingredients.
What slightly concerned him was that Albena seemed to have developed a habit of feeding him.
Before she ate, she subconsciously offered him food first.
In reality, he didn’t have an appetite as big as Albena’s.
"Sigh..."
Eat it then.
At most, he’d meditate a bit longer after returning to his room tonight.
....
The next morning, the weather was clear.
The vast outdoor sky was vividly blue, and waking up from a soft bed in a comfortable room put one in a good mood.
Gauss once again marveled.
Serdur’s choice of this [foldable house] was extraordinary, significantly enhancing the happiness of executing commissions outdoors.