This is also why Gauss sought out a town to land in.
Gauss lay on the bed in the tavern’s guest room, quietly watching the night sky outside the window.
He hadn’t let the praise from others go to his head.
"After leaving Flute Castle, Lord Gauss, you must be extra careful."
"Be wary of those maniacs from the Dragon Worship Sect, their worship and desire for dragons have become pathological."
Recalling the advice from Pleos the night before departure, Gauss pondered silently.
The Dragon Worship Sect is not easy to eradicate; in many towns, more or less, their members or scouts are scattered around.
Fortunately, the higher-ups of the Dragon Worship Sect have erratic movements and generally do not reside around densely populated towns. They often station themselves at their hidden bases or live on territories inhabited by demons.
Gathering high-level forces to capture him is not a simple task.
Moreover, if that Cecilia appeared before him now, even if he couldn’t win in a battle, escaping would still be well within his capability.
Gauss was not in a hurry to clash with the Dragon Worship Sect.
He needed time, giving him a few more years to enhance his power to a higher level, and these seemingly troublesome enemies would crumble.
The next morning.
Gauss woke up early.
"How is it?"
While having breakfast, Gauss communicated with Aaliyah.
Yesterday, Raven Aik and its little raven subordinates were already sent out in advance to act as the ears of Gauss’s team, gathering intelligence about the town.
After Aaliyah’s breakthrough and advancement, Raven Aik gained magic power and has already become capable of serving as an information reception and summary station.
"There’s nothing unusual in the town."
"Everyone is talking about us."
"An adventurer squad is planning to challenge you at the town’s entrance this morning."
"Aside from these, there have been a lot of demons appearing in the ice river east of the town recently, and several people have died in the past few days, so the townspeople have stopped going there."
"..."
Aaliyah picked a few points to discuss simply.
Although Gauss’s team had just arrived at the small town named Snow River Town, the presence of the Raven Intelligence Squad allowed them to have a thorough understanding of the place after just one night.
After breakfast, stepping out of the tavern and entering the town square.
Sure enough, an adventurer squad was waiting at the entrance for them.
"Mr. Gauss." The leading warrior stepped forward, his voice loud and filled with a strong fighting spirit. "I am Split Rock Harold. We have heard many tales of your exploits and greatly admire you. This time, we rudely intercepted you merely to request a friendly spar, to witness firsthand the demeanor of someone capable of commanding a Red Dragon!"
The crowd let out a burst of excited murmurs.
Albena frowned.
As his fame rose, adventurers seeking renown began to come one after another, hoping to leverage Gauss’s reputation.
They may not truly want to defeat Gauss, but even in battle, losing after exchanging a few moves provides them a chance to boast and enhance their own reputations.
Before Gauss could respond, Albena stepped forward proactively.
"If you want to challenge Lord Gauss, first get past me."
Albena stood like a mountain before everyone.
"You can all come at once!"
"But, let me remind you, I won’t be holding back."
She took out a giant axe, far larger than the average human, her tall stature emitting a terrifying aura, a presence filled with oppressive hostility.
The solidified aura enveloped the three individuals, instantly causing their complexions to change.
The ranger’s fingers froze on the bowstring.
The mage’s breath became rapid.
The heavy, water-like pressure, along with the gleaming, sharp giant axe, made them realize instantly that this was an extremely dangerous woman.
"What a terrifying giantess."
"..."
Albena caught the terror and hesitance flickering in their eyes, shook her head, and chuckled softly.
"It seems you’re not ready yet. Well then, let’s just part ways here."
The onlookers automatically parted to form a path, allowing Gauss’s team to calmly leave the square.
"Albena, you scared them." Serdur commented.
"It was a necessary deterrent. If just anyone could freely challenge Lord Gauss, we would waste countless hours on every person wanting to test our strength."
Gauss didn’t interject, his eyes simply looking towards the ice river outside the town.
As they drew closer to the snow-capped mountain, this river also originated from the snow mountain; perhaps the river’s anomaly is related to the Lake God’s request.