"Gauss, you’re not even waiting for us." Aaliyah was just about to reprimand him for leaving the team without permission when she noticed Levin and Medvedeva beside him.
Although she hadn’t had much contact with the two, she knew they were Gauss’s former companions, so she stopped her original jest and offered a friendly smile.
"Hello."
"Hello." Levin and the others greeted her courteously.
Even though Gauss has grown accustomed to Aaliyah’s presence, to others she appeared rather extraordinary; her Elven traits were remarkably distinct, with pointed ears, fair skin, and a beautiful face.
Originally light blue, her hair and pupils had become increasingly pale during this period of ancestral bloodline reversion; now, they exhibited a shade of light silver-grey radiating a faint blue halo.
Her height wasn’t particularly high but wasn’t short either; her overall physique was slender, limbs long and proportionate, moving with a graceful agility.
Aaliyah’s appearance now resembled that of a pure-blooded Elf, far more apparent than that of a regular half-Elf.
However, Gauss being around her nearly every day, naturally failed to notice these changes.
"Are you hurt?"
"Do you need me to heal you?"
Aaliyah had recently mastered a healing spell.
"I’m not hurt, Gauss arrived just in time." Levin shook his head.
Possibly due to unfamiliarity with Aaliyah, even though interaction with Gauss felt comfortable, the presence of a stranger turned the atmosphere awkward, a feeling of lost control of hands and feet.
Gauss keenly detected their unease.
"We’ll be setting camp here for now."
"You can also rest with us here for a while."
They were here for the Beastman Race in the swamp.
Although a battle had just erupted, he confirmed the complete annihilation of the Beastman team pursuing Levin and the others.
Hence, the Beastman Race probably wasn’t yet aware of the Red Dragon Team’s arrival; coincidentally, he also wanted to chat with Levin and his group during the break, learn about the situation within the Beastman lair in the swamp, and why they had provoked so many Beastmen.
After all, they were former teammates, and knowing Levin and Medvedeva, they weren’t reckless people, unlikely to deliberately put themselves in such dangerous circumstances.
"Alright."
Levin didn’t refuse Gauss’s suggestion.
They indeed needed some rest, moreover, he hadn’t forgotten about the various odd occurrences during this trip.
Encountering Gauss now provided a timely opportunity to seek his advice.
...
"The horses are back."
With the help of a raven, the lost mounts of Levin and the others were quickly found.
Former Druid Aaliyah naturally stepped forward to communicate.
"It was the work of some people in gray cloaks."
"It must be them, that Wandering group," Medvedeva nodded upon hearing the information provided by Aaliyah.
"Perhaps they’re not far from here." Gauss analyzed after listening to Medvedeva’s information.
His guess wasn’t wrong.
Because, right now, just a few kilometers away from the Red Dragon Team’s encampment.
A few wanderers clad in lead-grey dirty cloaks sat on a toppled dead tree, conversing quietly among themselves.
"Damn, those bastards are really lucky, encountering an adventure group like that by coincidence."
They had been observing Levin and his group from afar.
Originally, everything was proceeding according to their planned script, until a person unexpectedly appeared, like divine intervention, instantly resolving the Beastmen.
Then a skilled team arrived at the scene.
At just a glance, they realized those people were beyond their league.
"Boss, maybe we should forget about it." Their original plan was to silently eliminate Levin’s group in the swamp, but now the plan had more unpredictable variables.
"No, they must die here." The leading man stubbornly shook his head.
"Besides, the adventure group only happened to help them due to a chance encounter, and they won’t keep protecting them indefinitely. Once those people leave, we’ll seize the opportunity to strike."
"Alright, boss." The people beside him agreed that it indeed made sense.
Quickly, the group fell silent.
Called ’boss’, the man’s expression was complex, his hand reaching into a concealed pocket inside his leather jacket.
Inside lay two pieces of ancient parchment.
He hailed from an ancient family, back when these lands were known by a different name.
Unfortunately, his family declined, and after his parents died at the hands of thieves, he remained an only child. By chance, he returned to the ancestral land ruins, reminisced about his ancestors’ glory and wealth, and while yearning, unexpectedly found a piece of a map.
Through textual research, he learned it was a special piece of magic items, a unique map detailing the family’s buried treasure.
The map was divided into various sections, held by leaders of each family branch, recorded in their family’s invented code to prevent deciphering by outsiders.
Once assembled, the map would guide the descendants to a great treasure capable of reviving the family.
And the piece he held now, was precisely the map’s mother page.