Under Gauss’s "escort," the Tiefling boy smoothly entered the grocery store.
Gauss watched him picking and choosing among a pile of trinkets.
"What’s your name?"
"Are you talking to me, sir?"
"Mmm hmm."
"Dreil, my name is Dreil."
Dreil sneakily lifted his head and stole a few glances at Gauss.
It was the first time someone of such noble status had proactively inquired about his name, making him feel a bit flattered.
"Not enough money?"
Gauss saw that he was selecting toys among the cheapest second-hand cotton dolls and caught his hesitant expression, so he spoke up.
One of the more delicately made rabbit dolls, Gauss had seen him pick up and put down several times.
"I’ll keep looking." Dreil didn’t answer directly.
"Take this one then."
Gauss took the light red doll himself.
"If you’re short on money, I can help cover a bit."
He didn’t say he’d pay for the gift in full; although this amount was nothing to him, since it was a gift Dreil was picking for someone else, a complete gift might dilute the sentiment, which wouldn’t be ideal.
The boy hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he nodded in agreement.
Mainly because he truly thought his sister would really like the doll.
"Then, thank you very much."
"Just don’t call me a fool next time."
Gauss waved his hand.
Arriving at the counter, they packed up, and checked out.
Gauss covered the remaining 14 Copper Coins for Dreil.
Watching him carefully carrying the gift-wrapped package, Gauss’s lips curled up slightly.
How nice.
Sometimes, happiness indeed cannot be measured by money.
The joy brought by this few-dozen-Copper-Coin second-hand doll wouldn’t be less than that of an expensive trinket costing tens or hundreds of Gold Coins.
"I really appreciate it."
"I’ll definitely repay you if I get the chance."
"I wonder if you could tell me your name."
"Gauss."
Dreil bowed deeply to Gauss.
"Hurry home now."
"Be careful the shopkeepers don’t spot you."
With Gauss’s reminder, Dreil didn’t care about manners anymore, waved goodbye to him, and disappeared nimbly like a little fox at the end of the street.
Gauss watched him leave, and the smile quickly faded from his face.
He subtlely looked at a certain spot on the street.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the gaze that made him uncomfortable just now came from there.
It seemed like he was talking to Dreil, but in reality, he was always alert to the movements around the street.
As expected...
The feeling of being watched wasn’t an illusion.
A shadow loomed over his heart.
He hated being secretly observed like this.
"Is it you?"
His gaze fixed tightly on a male figure walking away quickly with his back turned.
He was dressed in the most ordinary linen clothes.
Holding a stack of newspapers.
He quickly followed.
Though there were many pedestrians on the street, his agility allowed him to skillfully and effortlessly weave through the crowd.
And it was like he had a pair of god’s-eye viewpoints, making it nearly impossible for the targeted person to shake him off.
The distance between him and the newspaper vendor was closing rapidly.
"So, he does have something to hide?"
Gauss could feel it, the person was clearly avoiding him.
After realizing that Gauss had spotted him, he didn’t even bother pretending and sprinted away.
"Don’t squeeze in!"
"Move aside, don’t hold up our delivery!"
A convoy blocked Gauss’s path ahead.
But soon, he leaped up, his body as nimble as a light bird, tapping the stacked goods with his toe, and vaulted over the wagon.
His body flickered through the crowd like a phantom.
In no time, he was right behind the suspect.
His palm lightly rested on the person’s shoulder.
Just as he was about to say something.
The person suddenly went limp.
His whole body slumped forward.
"Boom!"
The suspect fell to the ground, thick blood flowing from his mouth.
Quickly soaking the ground beside his face.
"Ah!!!!!"
"Someone’s dead!!!"
The surrounding crowd burst into terrified screams.
The instinctive fear of death made the civilians scramble away from the scene.
Soon, a "vacuum zone" formed around the corpse.
Gauss was the only figure still moving in the scene.
Gauss crouched down, placing a finger gently under the person’s nose.
"Already dead."
He shook his head.
Before long, a patrol surrounded the site.
"Put down your weapon, submit to an inspection!"
Gauss calmly raised his hands, indicating he was unarmed.
On the contrary, the soldiers surrounding him were armed to the teeth but still shook like leaves.
"Did someone commit murder?"
"Why?"
"Looks quite handsome? Probably not him."
"Then, you’re wrong; the good-looking ones are more likely to turn bad."
The distant crowd, maintaining a safe distance, looked over, speculating and whispering.
"Retreat! Everyone step back! Maintain the scene!"
A steady, authoritative command came from behind the soldiers.
The crowd parted, and a middle-aged military officer, donned in fine chainmail and bearing the captain’s insignia, strode in.
He had a rugged face, sporting a thick mustache, his sharp eyes scanning the scene.
The fallen deceased, the blood on the ground, and Gauss in the center, seemingly calm, with his hands raised in surrender.
He gestured for the soldiers to relax their weapons slightly, but the encirclement was not lifted.