"Burp—"
The Red Dragon Beast was somewhat overstuffed.
It lay down to rest for a while.
Gauss, on the other hand, took this time to wander around a few circles.
"Total monsters killed: 7545."
As he "hunted" around Gold and Silver Town, he and the Red Dragon Dragon Beast Hephaestus also gained some benefits.
The monsters they encountered, this man and dragon combination, could only meet an end where they were devoured to the bone.
Their essence was harvested by Gauss, and their flesh became Hephaestus’s meal, leaving scarcely any trace of their existence in this world.
Sometimes, Gauss would wonder if, from the perspective of the monsters, he wasn’t just another "monster" himself.
However, the world often is this way, with no right or wrong, only positions: one’s enemy, another’s hero.
Gauss circled the forest a few times, unable to find more traces left by other monsters, and couldn’t help but shake his head.
Though there were a lot of monsters, they couldn’t withstand his and Hephaestus’s carpet-search style.
Whether beast or demon, the number an area could sustain was indeed limited.
He had nearly cleared out most of the sizable monster tribes around Gold and Silver Town. Of course, there were bound to be a few that slipped through, the ones that burrowed into mountain dens hiding among thickets, unless luck swung his way and he stumbled upon them, they were almost impossible to catch.
Maybe once he left, demons would surge from farther areas into this "low basin."
Casually pocketing a few decent-looking iron pieces into his storage pouch, Gauss walked over to the resting Dragon Beast Hephaestus.
He raised his hand to pat its head.
Maybe it was because it hadn’t matured yet, but Hephaestus’s head and body proportions were not exactly balanced; simply put, its head was a bit large.
He ran his hand over the two small bumps atop Hephaestus’s head.
"Is it starting to grow horns?"
Giant Dragons usually had horns, but not always, especially with Dragon Beasts where hornlessness was quite common.
Among the Chromatic Dragons, different dragon species had varying horn shapes.
Red Dragon’s horns were often large and thick, looking the most dignified, while White Dragon’s were relatively dainty, resembling icicles.
Having horns was also one way to differentiate dragon species and age.
Hence, Hephaestus starting to grow horns was actually a good thing, indicating its body was continuing to develop.
Gauss patted the Dragon Beast’s head.
Grow a bit faster, will you?
...
Gauss underestimated the time Ying spent in cultivation.
Staying in Gold and Silver Town for these days, she still hadn’t returned.
The proficiency of the 3rd-level spells "Magic Counter" and "Acceleration Spell" Gauss just purchased quietly rose to Level 3 during this time.
Albena had also sorted out her blacksmith shop.
"Creak—"
Albena looked at the empty shop, suddenly feeling a bit hollow inside.
Counting carefully, she’d run this blacksmith shop in Gold and Silver Town for over a year now.
Although Gold and Silver Town was remote and not bustling, she had unknowingly left many memories here, in this not-so-large blacksmith shop.
She gently ran her palm over the stone table surface.
She could almost recall when she first arrived in Gold and Silver Town, not being so well-off, she had chopped and polished this stone table outside town herself, then brought it back to the blacksmith shop, to the astonished gazes of the gate soldiers and passing townsfolk, carrying this thousand-pound stone table back.
A smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
Then there was that time when the blacksmith shop was burgled, she posted a job to find the culprit, then single-handedly stood at the door wielding a big axe, ultimately dismantling one of the few gangs in Gold and Silver Town, not only reclaiming her stolen goods but also completely smashing that gang, scattering its members like birds and beasts.
After that, the local guild and residents respected her more, some even feared her.
But since her shop sold not only weapons and gear but also many everyday tools usable by commoners, and prices were fair, so business wasn’t impacted.
There were many more similar memories.
"Sigh..."
Surveying the house, all sorts of past events resurfaced in her heart, causing mixed emotions.
"Albena, need help?"
Gauss’s voice came from the shopdoor.
She turned her head to see Gauss, Aaliyah, and Serdur entering from outside.
The melancholy and reluctance in her heart suddenly vanished into smoke.
Leaving Gold and Silver Town was just the beginning of a new journey.
She would create new memories with her companions.
With this thought, she forced a smile.
"Lord Gauss, I’ve already packed, just have this bit left."
In the corner sat a tightly bundled, seemingly heavy giant package.
It contained some rare metal ingots and core tools she couldn’t bear to sell.
Everything else that could be sold had been sold off.
The group walked out of the blacksmith shop.
On the street, the civilians, who had long been paying attention to the commotion, whispered among themselves.
"It seems the Daughter of the Giant has joined this adventurer squad."
"Are they leaving?"
"Sigh, the best blacksmith in Gold and Silver Town got wooed away."
"Actually, I had a hunch the day they returned from defeating the Kobolds."
"A renowned figure like the Daughter of the Giant couldn’t possibly stay long in a small place like Gold and Silver Town."
"There was a time when it was prosperous here."
"Sigh... our Gold and Silver Town has languished."
The residents discussed, ending only with a sigh.
The disadvantages of a small town were starkly apparent at that moment.
The surroundings of the town naturally lacked abundance in resources.
Not only natural resources, but even flora and fauna, demon resources weren’t abundant, which discouraged Adventurers from staying, and even those from the town would choose to take their talents to more resource-rich cities once through with their novice phase.