Aside from finalizing the arrangements for selling the loot, the meeting also determined a few things.
Firstly, Gauss will not be rushing to open the maze of the sixth layer of Timbel, mainly considering that the exploration of the fifth layer is far from over. Additionally, rushing to open the sixth layer offers little advantage to Gauss, as his map only shows the first five layers. Starting from the sixth layer, he will begin at the same level as the other adventure groups.
Moreover, the loot their own adventure group plundered can conveniently be sent out for sale, and they can replenish basic supplies, ensuring that the resource reserves are always at a healthy level.
So he decided to first "rest" a bit on the fifth layer.
And the item to open the maze layer is with him, who had conquered Eden, so he naturally needs to inform the others.
Regarding this notification, most of those present had no objections.
After all, not to mention the fifth layer, even the exploration degree of the fourth layer hasn’t reached a particularly full level yet, and the reason is that Gauss’s efficiency in pushing through the maze is simply too fast.
Rashly entering the sixth layer is an adverse competition for everyone.
Large-scale adventuring requires taking one step at a time, going too fast tends to increase the likelihood of encountering uncontrollable unknown risks.
A few people showed slight hesitation, but seeing that others had no opinions and that it was something Gauss had decided upon, they wisely remained silent.
After all, Gauss is the one who accomplished the feat of conquering the lord demon, and he inherently has the right to decide when to open the next layer. Being able to openly inform them is already doing more than enough.
The next task was the distribution of exploration directions to avoid all adventurers running in the same direction en masse.
Of course, this was not rigidly enforced, adventurers are free, and during exploration, it’s inevitable not to distinguish directions clearly; diverging paths is a common occurrence.
No one opposed this suggestion either.
For everyone, it was inherently a good thing.
Moreover, everyone was still clueless about the situation on the sixth layer, so choosing directions was random; it wasn’t a matter of who would benefit or suffer.
The meeting concluded, and after some courteous exchanges, the group finally dispersed.
"It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so many people."
Eden’s voice sounded in Gauss’s ear.
Despite its fondness for chatting, when Gauss was busy with formal matters, it kept silent, thus not inconveniencing Gauss.
To be honest, Gauss had some admiration for Eden, possessing human consciousness yet trapped in a maze unable to escape, surrounded by entities unsuitable for communication; it’s difficult not to develop psychological issues after a long time.
But it seemed to be doing quite well.
Although it had some memory issues, its communication and interaction skills remained intact.
He faintly suspected, if the Slime Eden’s account of its origin wasn’t a lie, it was certainly not an ordinary person in its human life.
Normal people wouldn’t have such a strong and stable consciousness.
Even Gauss, with his current spiritual power, was not confident he could maintain his true self under the erosion of time and the demon’s instincts.
"I’ll be relying on you for the continued exploration of the fifth layer."
"No problem."
Though Eden spent most of its time idling or sleeping, it was still fairly familiar with the environment of the fifth layer maze.
Gauss planned to let the Red Dragon Team rest for a day at the current position, allowing members to recover their physical strength, and for the injured to receive treatment.
He took advantage of this time to continue training the Red Dragon.
After acquiring the Racial Talent [Bearer] and Professional Specialties [Leader’s Certificate], Hephaestus’s intelligence level began to subtly increase steadily.
In actuality, upon reaching the fifth layer of the maze and releasing Hephaestus, he discovered this good news, possibly owing to Gauss’s influence reaching a certain threshold, triggering a qualitative change from a quantitative one; today, Hephaestus finally fully "awakened."
The specific manifestation was the considerable increase in its command of Dragon Language.
And not just producing meanings simply; it could mobilize its deeper power through Dragon Language, namely awakening a stronger mastery of magic power.
Previously, Hephaestus could only barely summon flames, and when in good condition, it could execute a few tricks, but the effects weren’t stable, a result of low intelligence attribute.
Now, with complete awakening, things should be different.
"Release a trick Flaming Arrow."
Gauss spoke in standard Dragon Language, resembling a mother teaching a young child.
"Alright."
Hephaestus nodded.
It then closed its eyelids, presumably concentrating, and the next moment, a Flaming Arrow appeared before it, swiftly shooting toward Gauss ahead.
"Whoosh!"
A Flaming Arrow far larger than those released by ordinary human casters shot forward at high speed.
The surrounding air rapidly heated due to the arrival of the Flaming Arrow.
Gauss didn’t deliberately dodge.
Allowing the Flaming Arrow to hit his body directly.
In an instant, the Flaming Arrow erupted into a surging blaze, engulfing Gauss completely.
The consuming fiery mass persisted for over ten seconds before gradually extinguishing.
"Not bad, your aim is quite precise."
As the flames receded, the unharmed Gauss stood naturally intact within.
On the other side, Hephaestus lowered its head, a bit sheepishly.
Naturally, Gauss, as its master, wouldn’t mind this minor act of retaliation.