Seeing Gauss return safely, one of the people involved, Gron Beize, breathed a sigh of relief.
If something had happened to him, he might have lived with guilt for the rest of his life.
"As long as you’re okay, as long as you’re okay..."
Behind him, a little boy and girl were peeking out to check on Gauss, who had just appeared.
Gauss lowered his gaze and noticed their cat-like ears twitching.
It was an expression of nervousness and unease.
However, they neither cried nor asked about their parents, showing enough strength for children.
Thinking of this, he gave them a reassuring smile.
Then he looked at the others and spoke.
"Let’s leave here first."
Although they were some distance from the town center of Black Water Town, they were still not out of danger, especially since the centaur leader had sent his men for a large-scale search of the vicinity, they might reach them soon.
"Alright."
Knowing this, the others didn’t delay and quickly began to move through the forest.
With the two children, the return journey took longer than when they came.
Returning to the former Jackal-Wolf People village and finding the temporary campsite of the Red Dragon Team, Gauss immediately called Serdur to check the children’s health.
Spending a long time in an underground safehouse dozens of meters deep, although they had food and drink, still left some ailments in their bodies.
To be honest, listening to Aaliyah and others’ descriptions, Gauss felt very surprised.
These two children’s mental resilience might be stronger than most adults. Living in such a relatively confined space for three to four months is not something easily done.
Fortunately, it’s all over now.
Perhaps knowing that their parents would not return, they showed more strength and vigilance, only trusting the familiar Gron.
However, even so, the older sister Serafina brought her younger brother Edgar before Gauss and bowed to express their gratitude.
"Thank you for saving us."
Gauss looked at the two children who had just completed Serdur’s initial treatment, their faces still utterly pale, and he felt a mix of emotions, but he did not shy away from their thanks.
Such young children having already lost their parents’ support, it’s fortunate they have shopkeeper Gron to look after them, perhaps a blessing in disguise?
He crouched down and reached out to touch their heads.
Then he took out a few beautifully packaged candies from his storage pouch.
"Try it, it tastes good."
Perhaps knowing that the man in front of them was their greatest savior, the siblings, even though meeting Gauss for the first time, felt a kind of heartfelt closeness.
"Thank you."
After hesitating for a moment, the sister accepted the candies.
She unwrapped a candy, gave one to her brother first, then tasted one herself.
Indeed, as the handsome big brother in front of them had said, when the candy melted, a sweet taste instantly filled the whole mouth.
Perhaps that sweetness also triggered memories of their family, and tears began to blur their eyes.
It’s just that at this moment, they no longer have their parents...
...
Successfully rescuing Serafina and her brother also meant a good start for the Red Dragon Team’s current activities.
For their safety, Gauss first escorted Gron and the two children to the Adventurer’s camp.
"Shopkeeper Gron, what are your plans for the future?"
"I will raise these two children to adulthood, treating them as my own," Gron said, sitting in the carriage, as he touched the children’s cheeks with his rough hands, a gentle smile on his face.
The two children were now curled up in the seats, nestled closely on either side of Gron.
Gron had won the children’s trust with his patience.
Gauss nodded upon hearing this.
From his observation, Gron seemed unmarried and had no children of his own.
Adopting the children of a close friend might fill the gap of not experiencing fatherhood for him.
"Please forgive me for not being able to give you the promised commission right now, I need to return to Gray Rock Town first to settle those properties, then I’ll take the children to Farlim."
"Farlim is safer, and they can receive a better education there."
"That sounds good. We can also look out for each other then." Gauss supported his decision to move, but when it came to the commission, he waved it off. "As for the commission, let’s skip it. I didn’t help you for the reward. Besides, raising two children in Farlim is going to be expensive."
"But a promise is a promise, and I must give you this money." Gron stubbornly shook his head.
"I have hands and feet, and I can earn money again. As for these two children, their father had already left enough assets for them in the safehouse."
Seeing his stubborn look, Gauss said no more.
We’ll talk again when he returns to Farlim.
Maybe he can also get Gron into the Red Dragon Team, though currently, there are already quite a few blacksmiths in the team.
But in a world like this, you can never have too many skilled blacksmiths.
There are a vast number of adventurers here, among them mostly warriors. The number of lost and damaged armor needing repair is countless, naturally creating ongoing armor demand.