"Boss Glon, what brings you here?"
To Gauss, this was indeed a rare visit.
Especially since they were meeting at his doorstep.
The last time they met was a few months ago, during the beast tide crisis in Gray Rock Town, when Gron Bates appeared on the city wall to resist the demon invasion.
However, the situation was urgent then, and they barely had a chance for more than a brief exchange.
Other than that, Gauss met him mostly at his blacksmith shop.
In Gauss’s memory, he hardly ever left the blacksmith shop, like a craftsman immersed in the study of skills.
Gron Bates heard the voice and turned slightly.
Seeing Gauss’s familiar yet unfamiliar figure made him feel a bit dazed.
The Gauss of today is worlds apart from the skinny, slightly introverted boy in need of a job to make ends meet he remembered.
His gestures now exuded the confidence and ease of a strong person.
"Come in and have a seat first."
Looking at Gron’s demeanor, Gauss knew he must have come for something.
The outside of the house wasn’t a good place for conversation, so he led him inside.
It was afternoon, and seeing a familiar face visiting, Gauss’s teammates left without interrupting, each going off to find something to do.
Gauss brewed a pot of tea for Gron in the living room.
With a release of magic tricks, the tea was quickly adjusted to the right temperature.
Gauss hadn’t deliberately hidden his whereabouts, so many were aware that this house was his.
Thus, Gron coming to find him wasn’t difficult.
They exchanged a few pleasantries over tea.
Gauss took the initiative to talk about his experiences working at Gron’s shop, and as they chatted, the once distant relationship gradually grew familiar again.
"If it wasn’t for you helping me back then, I might have starved to death."
Gauss exaggerated a bit, but for the original owner of this body, those initial days in Gray Rock Town were indeed some of the hardest in his life.
Unfamiliar with the area, with little hunting skills to rely on, a stable job—though not highly paid—was extremely important for him at the time.
Otherwise, he might have been killed.
Later, upon entering this world and becoming an Adventurer, Gron offered help and information.
Gauss thought about reciprocating, but observed that Gron Bates, who had retired, seemed content with just running his blacksmith shop for the sake of having something to do, not needing assistance. So, after gaining some achievements, he refrained from disturbing Gron’s peaceful life.
A moment of hesitation flashed across Gron’s face, but ultimately, he revealed the purpose of his visit.
He wasn’t the type to keep things to himself.
Gauss sipped his hot tea, patiently listening.
It turned out Gron’s visit was connected to Black Water Town.
One of Gron’s former close Adventurer teammates chose to settle down in Black Water Town after retiring.
His teammate found a partner there and had a son and a daughter. Gron even visited during their children’s baptism.
If everything had gone smoothly, it could have been an idyllic life story, at least for most Adventurers.
But an unexpected, unannounced war shattered their peaceful existence.
The war at the start of the year saw the earliest and most devastating battles for Black Water Town.
The local Adventurer’s Guild president and many Professionals died in the conflict.
Gron’s teammate was similarly unfortunate, failing to leave Black Water Town alive.
Before dying, he entrusted an escapee to deliver a confidential letter to Gray Rock Town, but in the chaos, the letter didn’t arrive there smoothly.
Only after being passed around several times did the letter finally reach Gron a few days ago.
The letter stated he had left his children in an underground safehouse, hoping Gron could get them out if given the chance.
Gron had already packed his bags and was ready to set off alone.
Just then, he heard news of Gauss and his team returning to the town, possibly planning activities in the Black Water Town area.
And so, here was this visit.
"Why didn’t he let his children leave with the group of refugees?" Gauss wondered.
"On one hand, the situation was urgent, and they might not have been able to leave safely."
Gauss nodded; it made sense.
From what Gauss knew, many of the refugees had perished along the way.
"Additionally, my friend had a fiery temperament, having made quite a few enemies. Severely injured, he couldn’t protect his children, so leaving them in the safehouse, where there was enough food and water for a year, seemed better."
"Also, when he wrote the letter, he likely didn’t anticipate Black Water Town’s downfall would be so severe."
Gauss took another sip of tea, thinking there was another reason Gron hadn’t mentioned—that the friend probably didn’t trust outsiders and only trusted Gron from their Adventurer days.
"So, Boss Glon, are you looking to temporarily join my team?"
"Yes. I’ve saved quite a bit after retiring."
"I know this request is risky, but I’m willing to offer my entire fortune as a commission fee."
Gauss waved his hand dismissively.
Money wasn’t much of a concern to him.