Not only do the patrol soldiers frequently patrol this street and alley, but they also often visit this establishment known as the inn, which is gradually transforming into a tavern and restaurant.
Of course, their visits aren’t for free meals. In fact, those soldiers are quite courteous, so courteous it feels like visiting the establishment is an administrative order from above; even when she offers to treat them, the soldiers often pay for their food and drinks in full.
This results in excellent order in the establishment, further promoting its business.
Suddenly, the somewhat distracted Sofia heard footsteps coming from outside the store, along with the waiter at the door welcoming the guests.
She instinctively looked up.
Her gaze then suddenly froze.
"Gauss...you’ve returned?"
Her eyes first landed on Gauss, the leader, scrutinizing him up and down. Then, as if recalling something, she stood up and walked toward the group.
Compared to the last meeting, Gauss had changed significantly.
He seemed to have grown up, changing profoundly.
He was quite tall, and even though it was snowing heavily outside, his clothes showed no traces of snow, glowing as if illuminated, looking attractive.
He gave her a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.
"I’ve returned, Sister Sofia," Gauss replied with a smile.
He looked around the inn’s arrangements, relaxing as if he had returned home.
"Sofia, let me introduce my new teammates."
"This is Ying, and this is Albena."
"I won’t introduce Aaliyah and Serdur since they’ve been here before."
"Ying, Albena, this is Sister Sofia who helped me when I couldn’t afford food."
Gauss completed the introductions quickly.
Upon hearing about the woman’s help for Gauss, Ying and Albena took the initiative to shake hands with Sofia.
"Don’t make it sound so serious, I didn’t really help you much," Sofia said, somewhat embarrassed, waving her hand.
"Have you eaten?"
"Not yet; I’ll prepare lunch for you." Sofia hurriedly headed to the kitchen.
Though the inn had grown, with several chefs in the kitchen, since Gauss and the others had finally returned, she naturally planned to cook personally.
She was so quick that Gauss, who wanted her to rest, didn’t have time to speak.
"Sister Sofia is still so enthusiastic," Aaliyah remarked.
The other customers dining in the inn all raised their heads simultaneously, looking at this adventurer squad that seemed "terrifyingly strong."
"Gulp—"
Someone couldn’t help but swallow.
"Could they be..."
"Shh, let’s eat."
"Yes, eat."
The appearance of Gauss and his companions added pressure to many customers who vaguely realized something, making their behavior strange; hands weren’t hands, feet weren’t feet.
Gauss nodded at the customers looking over to greet them, then found a vacant seat to sit down.
His gaze drifted toward the kitchen, but his thoughts began to wander.
Though he said there wasn’t much change in the street when he entered town, he also noticed an apparent increase in the city’s guard strength.
Given the special geographical location of Gray Rock Town, situated at the front line with Jade Forest, had the situation become more tense during his absence?
Jade Forest...
The place he first ventured into the outskirts, where he killed his first goblin, once dangerous to him, but now he could view it with relative ease.
During his time outside, he also kept up with the situation around Jade Forest through newspapers.
It was said that the Green Dragon Queen, who had been slumbering in her lair, showed signs of activity in the forest skies seen by adventurers venturing into the inner regions.
This seemed to indicate a shift in the peaceful status established by the past contract.