Serlandul hesitated for a mont but ultimately did not voice the confusion weighing on his mind.
After all, the two were not yet official teammates, and it was a grave taboo to recklessly pry into each other’s strength.
But waiting idly was boring. Discover more novels at NoveI★Fire
So the two of them simply headed toward the entrance hall.
They planned to wait outside for Aria and pass the ti.
The entrance hall provided free fruit juice drinks and assorted dried fruits. Although most spellcasters showed no interest in such trivial perks, Gauss did not mind trying so.
The two found an empty spot to sit down.
Gauss brought over a large plate of dried fruits and two cups of drinks.
Passing by Serlandul, his gaze was drawn to Serlandul’s sitting posture.
That thick snake tail skillfully slipped through the gap under the armrest of the chair, coiling on the floor like a stable spring base supporting his upper body.
He looked very practiced at sitting like that.
Gauss recalled what the books recorded: if the tiline were a thousand years earlier, humans and these non-pure-blood races would still be enemies, and such calm coexistence and casual chatting would be impossible.
Even today, so primitive demi-human tribes still do not welco ordinary humans and, in rare cases, even drive out or hunt humans who enter their territories.
The reconciliation between humans and other intelligent beings only began after a thousand years, as the demonic forces gradually grew rampant.
Faced with the pressure from demons and their monstrous commanders, all intelligent races were forced to unite and put aside their differences, which laid the foundation for today’s prosperous multi-race coexistence.
“Serlandul, where is your hotown?” Gauss asked curiously.
Although he had not yet decided whether to accept Serlandul into the team, he felt it was necessary to understand a mber’s background in advance. Well, actually, it was just pure curiosity.
“It’s not on this continent. My hotown is a small island on the western coast. The climate is hot and rainy, humid and dark, making it very suitable for us half-snake people to live.”
Serlandul smiled involuntarily as he spoke of his holand, but to outsiders, that smile seed sowhat eerie.
Gauss looked at that smile and wanted to suggest he smile less to avoid misunderstandings, but the words died on his tongue.
Expressing joy is everyone’s right, and whether it seems unfriendly or prone to misinterpretation is trivial.
Once Serlandul started talking about his hotown, he opened up.
From the semi-underground village in the rainforest, to the fate of the low-intelligence kin being exiled, to the tribe’s strict hierarchy, he recounted it all in detail.
“If I ever get a chance, I’ll visit your hotown.”
“Better not,” Serlandul said with a bitter smile, shaking his head. “My half-snake tribe is extrely hostile toward humans.”
“The tribespeople firmly believe that humans plundered our holand and drove us from the mainland to the archipelago.”
“If you set foot on the island, being driven out would probably be the best outco.”
Serlandul sighed.
Gauss, if he wasn’t mistaken, seed capable of judging a person’s background just by looking at them.
He originally thought that since Serlandul was so friendly to him, his upbringing must have been in a relatively human-friendly tribe.
Unexpectedly, it was the opposite.
While the two talked, Aria approached with light, brisk steps.
Noticing Gauss silently looking at Serlandul opposite him, she looked up and saw Aria.
“Are you done?” Gauss asked curiously.
“Yes,” Aria smiled brightly, clearly satisfied with the results.
Today she had co to inquire about the druid’s level 2 advancent and to discuss with other druids.
“Congratulations.”
Aria was about to modestly reply when her gaze landed on the familiar yet strange figure opposite Gauss, and her body stiffened subtly.
Although she knew he was a good person, the golden scales covering his cheeks and neck, the cold vertical pupils, and other eerie features made her a bit uncomfortable.
“Hello.”
“Hello.”
After a brief greeting, Aria chose a chair close to Gauss and quietly moved it closer to him, sending a questioning look.
Gauss quickly introduced.
“This is Serlandul, a half-snake adventurer and professional priest. Aria, you should know him well.”
“Serlandul, this is my companion, Aria, a professional druid.”
The two nodded respectfully to each other.
After the brief introductions, Gauss imdiately got to the point.
“Serlandul, what do you think about joining our team, Aria?”
Upon hearing this, Aria’s face showed the sa surprise she had when Gauss first ntioned the request.
Joining the team?
Priests and clerics like that were highly sought after in many teams.
During the months she had adventured with Gauss, they had indeed received requests from strangers to join their team, but after several screenings, they hadn’t recruited anyone suitable.
Most applicants were level 1 warriors or level 1 rangers.
Never had a priest actively sought to join.
Why?
Firstly, compared to warriors, rangers, and rogues, priests are relatively few, and many have no desire to beco adventurers.
They mostly work in churches, temples, monasteries, hospitals, and similar institutions. Only a few priests with a natural adventurous spirit are willing to endure hardships outside.
Therefore, priests, especially senior priests, are often highly sought-after talents.
Though tribal priests like Serlandul’s half-snake clan have a narrower employnt scope than priests, it is easy for a level 3 professional priest to join a team mainly composed of level 4 or 5 professionals.
But what about the two of them? Despite Aria’s impending level 2 advancent and Gauss’s strength surpassing ordinary level 2 spellcasters, their team was hardly prestigious.
Even in Grayrock Town, they didn’t rank, and in the talent-rich Barry City, they barely made a ripple.
For Serlandul to want to join them was more like a favor.
Moreover, he had helped them before.
This was a good thing!
Aria turned to Gauss.
“I have no objection. You decide.”
In the end, as usual, she left the final decision to Gauss.
“Then...”
Under Serlandul’s watchful gaze, Gauss nodded firmly.
“Welco to the team, Serlandul!”
He extended his hand, officially welcoming the third mber to Gauss’s team.
Serlandul breathed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly, shaking Gauss’s hand.
“Hello, Captain.”
“Just call Gauss.” Gauss waved his hand.
Though nominally the captain, he was not domineering or bossy.
Many important decisions were actually discussed with the other mber, Aria, and now there might be a third.
He disliked putting on a captain’s airs.
“That’s just my personal habit, Captain.” Serlandul nodded.
Seeing he did not insist on the title, Gauss let it go.
After all, it was just a form of address.
Looking at the two teammates beside him, Gauss smiled.
With three people, they finally looked like a proper adventuring team.
Though most adventuring teams maintained 4-5 mbers, many small teams had only three.
Team size wasn’t about more being better;
factors like profit sharing and power synergy mattered.
“Let’s find sowhere to eat and celebrate Serlandul joining us.”
Aria instinctively wanted to nod, but as her head lowered, she suddenly rembered sothing.
“But Gauss, you can only eat light food now. You haven’t passed the doctor’s restrictions yet.”
“Heh... don’t worry. Am I that much of a glutton? You guys order whatever you want. I’ll just eat so light stuff.” Gauss smiled awkwardly.
The two walked ahead, and Serlandul watched their easy, natural conversation, feeling a faint, easing smile rise in his heart.
Joining such a fixed team felt quite good.
“Hey, Serlandul.”
Gauss rode his tall, majestic ostrich, Golden Spike, galloping down the main road of the Forest Capital.
Beside him, Serlandul slid along at no slower speed.
“What’s up, Captain?”
Serlandul also used the cantrip ssage spell to respond, his hoarse voice ringing directly in Gauss’s ear.
“Haven’t you considered buying a mount? It’s very convenient.” Gauss looked at his sliding companion and sincerely suggested.
“No need, Captain. Your ostrich’s endurance and speed don’t match mine. Don’t worry, I’m keeping up easily.”
Serlandul was straightforward.
...
Gauss fell silent for a mont.
Is this the racial advantage of half-snake people?
Still, even if Serlandul was keeping up easily, he worried others might mistakenly think he was abusing his teammate.
Silent and thoughtful.
Two days had passed since Serlandul officially joined the team.
During these two days, Gauss’s body had fully recovered and he was able to resu adventuring activities.
However, Aria was in quiet ditation, busy comprehending nature to break through to level 2 as soon as possible, so since yesterday they had temporarily parted ways.
This ditation would last about a week.
Therefore, Gauss did not plan to delve deep into the Maze this week but intended to take so simple nearby tasks, such as clearing out goblin tribes, as a transition.
But before starting the tasks officially, the information he had asked about finally ca back.
“That’s really far, west side of the city...”
Gauss rode Golden Spike, traveling for several hours from the south to the west of the city.
“So this is the Golden Beak Trading Company?”
Gauss dismounted and looked at the vertical plaque on the side of a four-story building, speaking softly.
Observing the surrounding environnt, an indescribable complex expression flickered across his usually calm face.
Half a year had already passed...
People always rembered their “firsts” most vividly.
As a newbie, the mory of forming a team with three other rookies might never fade even after many years.
He adjusted his clothes. Today he wore relatively casual attire, not expensive but very proper.
As for Serlandul, he was just tagging along out of boredom to see the place.
Old teammates... what was there to keep in touch about?
Watching the storms and clouds swirl across Gauss’s face, Serlandul shook his head slightly, murmuring to himself.
He could not empathize, for when he was a low-level adventurer, his first team had broken apart violently due to fighting over a silver stash looted from a monster cave.
Perhaps that experience caused him to keep others at a distance throughout his adventuring career.
Gauss took a deep breath and strode into the trading company lobby.
The Golden Beak Trading Company was a small-scale ordinary trading company in the west of Barry City.
Gauss was able to find it from the south purely by using his “cash power” to buy information from an informant.
In this era, there was no map navigation software to pinpoint addresses instantly in a huge city.
Upon entering the lobby, a receptionist ca forward.
“Sir, how may I help you?”
Though Gauss considered his attire casual, his outstanding aura and charm were impossible to ignore.
“I’m looking for Hayley. Is she here?” Gauss glanced around.
Except for a few ordinary employees, he saw no familiar faces.
Upon hearing the na of the chairman’s daughter, the receptionist hesitated slightly.
Her service industry instincts vaguely sensed a kind of “upper-class” aura from him.
“May I ask who you are?”
“My na is Gauss. I used to be Hayley’s adventuring teammate. Didn’t she travel to Grayrock Town for a while last year? That’s when we t.”
Noticing the other’s guarded expression, Gauss added more information.
The receptionist thought for a mont.
The information roughly matched.
Last year, Miss Hayley did travel with two other companions for a while, destination Grayrock Town.
But since returning from that trip, she had completely given up on becoming an adventurer, as if she had recognized reality, becoming much steadier, putting down her longbow, and focusing on managing the family business.
“Please wait a mont. I’ll check with Miss Hayley.” She turned and left.
After she left, Serlandul, who had been silently standing nearby, finally spoke.
“Captain, your forr teammate’s family is quite well off.”
Though the headquarters was just a four-story building, being located on this busy comrcial street indicated a good business.
Of course, it probably couldn’t compare to truly dium or large trading companies.
But heirs of such companies usually wouldn’t beco adventurers just to experience life.
While the two whispered quietly, hurried footsteps ca from the stairs.
A woman with chestnut curly hair ran down quickly.
Reaching the first floor, her eyes scanned the hall swiftly and locked onto the conspicuous Gauss.
She rubbed her eyes as if reconfirming.
After a long mont, she opened her mouth in disbelief and walked step by step toward Gauss.
“It really is you, Gauss!”
She stood before Gauss, her pale pupils full of surprise.
The figure before her was completely different from the Gauss she rembered.
The Gauss of the past was thin and small.
But now the young man was tall and slender, with an extraordinary presence that exuded calm confidence just by standing there.
As if he were not a visiting stranger but the owner of the place.
If it weren’t for employees notifying her of the na in advance, and the facial features only barely recognizable, she wouldn’t have believed this was her forr teammate Gauss.
“You’ve changed so much!”
“Long ti no see, Hayley.” Gauss’s lips curled into a gentle smile.
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