The hustle and bustle in Barry City remains unchanged.
In such a big city, what is most abundant is the civilians you can see everywhere. Gauss, who has been staying in the maze for a while, walks the streets and feels as though he is constantly absorbing the "human scent."
"Dong! Dong! Dong!"
Far away, the clock tower in the central square strikes three times, startling a flock of pigeons that flutter from the stone-carved spire. The distant bell toll first echoes through the streets and alleys and is then quickly drowned by the voices from all directions.
Compared to Farlim, which serves as a provincial capital, Barry seems less orderly but has a stronger sense of life.
Moreover, you can see adventurers everywhere.
This is also one of the notable features of border cities.
Gauss leaves the task of settling other members to Luna and Ivan, and walks the streets with several members of his own team.
As strength and status change, even looking at the same scenery will bring totally different feelings and experiences.
For example, Gauss now no longer feels the same caution and unease as when he first set foot in this city, all thanks to the improvement of his strength.
When he was a Level 2 Mage, even with decent talent, he was just an inconspicuous adventurer in the vast Forest City, like a drop in the lake, unable to stir much ripple.
But now he is already an openly acknowledged Level 8 Caster, and his combat power has reached the Extraordinary Level, making him a significant figure in all of Barry.
For instance, walking the streets now, he can feel numerous hidden gazes from atop high towers fixed upon him, only to quickly shift away.
He doesn’t consider this a coincidence.
Presumably, from the moment they passed through the city gate and entered Barry, his movements have been given special attention by the city’s guard department.
He can well understand this, and doesn’t have the intention to hide his whereabouts.
First, the group’s features are relatively noticeable; even walking normally on the street, they attract quite a lot of attention.
The mention of this team leader isn’t necessary; Aaliyah’s pure elf appearance, Albena’s massive stature, Serdur’s Half-Snake Man identity, and the only somewhat low-key one might be Ying walking at the side of the team.
Moreover, he holds no malice, so there’s no need to suddenly conceal and arouse suspicion. Extraordinary Combat Power, compared to ordinary Professionals, is a world of difference.
If such a target were to suddenly erupt without warning in the city, the destruction it would bring to ordinary people would be extremely terrifying, something Barry cannot leave unprepared for.
The fact he can enter the city so smoothly and walk freely is perhaps attributed to the good roots of his adventurer resume.
That experience of saving Gray Rock Town from the beast tide certainly scored him a lot of points.
Not every adventurer is willing to risk their life to protect civilians and towns unrelated to them.
Gauss and his group strolled down the street, casually buying some miscellaneous items that might be needed.
Afterward, they learned from the crow about the houses Ivan had booked for them, and they nonchalantly headed toward their destination.
Two days passed in no time.
During these two days in Barry, Gauss and the others remained quite low-key.
There were some invitations that somehow got hold of Gauss’s residence, delivered by the butler and servant team Ivan temporarily hired.
Gauss merely glanced at them and silently put them aside.
The advantage of becoming stronger is the ability to reduce unwanted, meaningless social interactions as much as possible.
Freedom has never been about doing whatever one wants; rather, it’s the freedom to not do what one doesn’t want to.
He simply enjoyed a good sleep in his room, easing the relatively tense mind and body.
He then indulged in a few hearty meals and accompanied teammates for a few strolls around the vicinity.
After two days, even Eden, the King of Slime, who initially felt exhilarated to return to the city due to faded memories of human towns, had calmed down.
Speaking of which, its current state still puzzles Gauss.
With further contact, he increasingly feels that the existence of Demon King Species might not be simple.
Eden doesn’t reside in him as a spiritual entity; if it were, his Spiritual Power, stronger than most extraordinary beings, would likely easily capture Eden’s "presence," like capturing the presence of those ghost demons.
Yet in reality, no matter how he detects it, he cannot feel its essence, as if the constantly transmitted voice by his ear is nothing but a hallucination.
Eden’s current state is undoubtedly quite special, no wonder the Monster Atlas displayed the notification when he killed Eden.
The annihilation of both body and spirit is also a form of death.
Besides relaxing their bodies and minds, Gauss and the others haven’t completely taken a break from all activities.
Over the last two days, Eden and others have also been gathering recent intelligence within Barry City.
According to what they discovered, almost all prominent adventure groups and elite adventurer teams around Barry have been recruited back by the local Guild, even many that operate outside all year round, leaving only a part of administrative staff stationed, have also returned.
This suggests that the local Guild actually convened adventure groups earlier than the time they received the notice. This is rather considerate since adventurers like them exploring the maze near Barry have no need to be called too early for idle waiting.