"Lord Gauss, Cicero’s little sister will surely become an outstanding warrior in the future."
Seeing Gauss looking this way, Albena quickly praised.
"If you praise her any more, her tail will be wagging towards the sky." Gauss shook his head helplessly.
"Albena, I’ll leave this little one in your care."
"Ying and I are going out for a bit."
"Alright, Lord Gauss, you can go out without worry."
Albena made a gesture promising to complete the task.
Aaliyah was busy furnishing the house bought by Gauss’s family. The family had just moved from the countryside to the town and needed assistance.
Gauss took Ying, who was the most swift, out to carry out a commission.
Their purpose this time was to conduct one last patrol in the area around the Jade Forest on the south side of Gray Rock Town before the year-end festivities, and to warm up their bodies in the process.
As they neared the forest edge, he commanded Hephaestus to land.
Hephaestus was too conspicuous.
Even though there was a low probability of encountering any creatures that could threaten it in the outer region of the Jade Forest, avoiding trouble was preferable.
Switching to terrestrial mounts, they looked at the map route once before entering the forest.
The winter forest was scarcely populated.
The road covered with a layer of snow only showed animal or monster footprints and claw prints. These forest natives frequently trod the paths walked by adventurers as well.
Or it was hard to say whether these paths were created by adventurers or were paths forged by the creatures.
"Crack!"
Suddenly, several blood-red plumes splattered in the snow.
A few goblins that were originally in front of Gauss and Ying suddenly dropped dead. Shadow Ground Spikes emerged from the ground and pierced through their bodies, claiming their lives in an instant.
The two continued moving forward on the road without stopping.
"Goblins killed: 5"
Such scenes occurred frequently during their patrol.
Gauss was not even inclined to lift a hand.
On one side, Ying could share the kills with him when within close range, making no difference whether she killed or he did. On the other side, Ying’s attack methods were more concealed and swift, often silently taking away the lives of monsters.
This was also the reason he brought Ying on this trip.
In summary, she’s quite useful.
Gauss quietly observed the situation in the snow-covered forest, occasionally glancing at the Magic Skill Book in his hand.
It was the four-circle spell [Water Manipulation] gifted to him by Pleos or Flute Castle’s governor Noah.
Having some idle time, he decided to ponder over this four-circle spell.
Normally, a four-circle spell requires a level 7 caster to master it, but... Gauss was not normal.
He had taken some time recently to study this four-circle spell, and objectively, it was a bit challenging, but not insurmountable.
At the very least, he had made some progress by now.
Possibly due to the Lake God’s blessing, his body was extremely attuned to water.
An observed small pool of water in his palm began to flow slowly, forming a tiny vortex.
He felt that this spell was very suitable for him.
Because he carried an exceptionally special kind of water with him, the Holy Water from the Lake God Methera.
He foresaw that combining this four-circle spell with water-based armament would form a sharp, regular means of attack, potentially threatening the position of his frequently used Magic Missile, and becoming his next primary attack option.
Due to their fast pace, it didn’t take long before they were deep within the forest.
"Gauss, there seems to be a situation up ahead."
Ying suddenly said alertly.
Gauss ceased his practice and looked ahead.
In the vast snowy expanse, a bare clearing with growing stumps appeared.
Upon closer inspection, after brushing off the snow on the stumps, there were clear marks of felling on the cross-sections.
Considering that the lumberjack teams from Gray Rock Town headed towards areas closer to town, it was unlikely they would venture deep into the Jade Forest. The only ones who could have done this were the demons in the forest.
"This is quite an undertaking."
Gauss blinked and murmured to himself.
Ahead, as far as the eye could see, thousands upon thousands of trees had vanished.
The ground was left with clear track marks from wheels.
This should be the work of that ogre tribe, indicating that it’s a notably large tribe.
Moreover, it appears the tribe is engaging in vigorous production activities, likely preparing for the impending war.
It’s said that the various tribes under the Green Dragon Queen’s command possess the skills of smelting and forging. Although not as refined as human craftsmanship and far from the natural forging talents of dwarves, it is sufficient to craft lethal weapons.
Anyway, for many lower-tier monsters, even the finest weapons are wasted in their hands. They cannot wield the full power of such weapons, so mass-producing crude weapons, despite their short lifespan, is enough for use as sacrificial tools.
Suddenly, a monstrous army emerged from a distance, wielding sharp axes, escorting a beast cart towing a flatbed.
This was a mixed team composed of ogres, trolls, jackal-wolf people in outer patrol, and goblin workers.
Ying glanced at him sideways.
"Attack."
Gauss nodded.
Besides taking down this group of monsters, he also intended to follow their clear tracks backward to find their camp and gather intelligence in advance.
To complete this outing’s mission.
Being aware of this monster army’s numbers and species distribution ahead of time is extremely important for the possible upcoming great battle.