"Watch your step."
"It's really cold today."
...
After resting for a night and recovering their abundant energy, the group took to the streets.
The season had quietly entered late autumn, and the bleak wind felt like little knives scraping across their flushed cheeks, making people shiver uncontrollably.
Gauss strode through the streets.
As he walked, he observed the city's scenery.
"Sir, would you like so citrus? It's very sweet."
"I'll take a basket."
Gauss glanced over, and after confirming the price was reasonable, he bought the entire basket directly.
Citrus was a fairly decent fruit.
It was juicy, could replenish essential trace elents for the human body, and was relatively durable for storage.
After casually asking the vendor, whose eyes were crinkled with a smile from being able to go ho and rest early, for the specific location of the Adventurers Guild, Gauss and his group continued on their way.
After a while.
They entered a stone building.
The temperature inside the building was noticeably much warr than outside.
Inside the huge fireplace on the side of the main hall, firewood crackled and burned.
In the Adventurers Guild hall, adventurers of various races were a mixed bunch.
Apart from the most nurous humans, one could also see many Dwarves, Halflings, Half-Orcs, Gnos, and tieflings. Gauss even spotted a half-dragonkin.
The diversity in a big city was indeed different from ordinary small towns.
Gauss's arrival also attracted quite a few glances.
"Hello, sir."
"What can I do for you?"
"I'd like to inquire about the location of the Golden Eagle Family's local office."
Upon hearing his inquiry, the counter staff first sized him up from head to toe, then inford Gauss of the location.
Before leaving, Gauss also asked for a stack of property sale commissions.
York and his daughter Abby intended to settle down in Longdi Fort.
As for the funds for purchasing a ho, Gauss didn't need to worry either.
After Gauss hinted at it, the Village Chief of Herbal dicine Village and the other villagers, out of guilt, pooled together 20 gold coins for the York family before York left. The Village Chief and a few other village elders contributed the majority.
This amount was extrely impressive for an ordinary rural village, but Herbal dicine Village was already prosperous. Additionally, the Village Chief had been in contact with Witch gan for years, and the things that slipped through her fingers accumulated into a considerable sum over ti, so gathering this amount wasn't difficult.
Of course, 20 gold coins were only barely adequate for purchasing property in Longdi Fort.
Considering they still needed to keep enough funds for living expenses, the choice of neighborhoods beca limited.
Gauss glanced through the property sale commissions. It shouldn't be a problem for York and Abby to settle down in so normal residential areas, but they would need to investigate the surrounding neighborhood environnt beforehand. That task would have to be left to York to complete.
After all, their group would only stay in Longdi Fort for a while; afterwards, they would have to rely on themselves to live in this city.
"Shall we head to the Golden Eagle Family's city office first?"
Gauss's gaze turned toward a distant tower-like structure; one of the goals of this trip was there.
He mounted his steed and rged into the traffic.
The tower looked close, but it actually took so ti to ride there.
Fortunately, the closer they got to the city center, the sparser the vehicles on the road and pedestrians on the sidewalks beca.
"Halt!"
Gauss tightened the reins beneath the magnificent, grand white tower.
A guard in shining silver armor swept his gaze over the attire of Gauss's group, then withdrew his gaze. His voice was steady and clear, and his words were still relatively polite.
"Gentlen, this is a place for city administration and official business, not for sightseeing. If you have no official business or appointnt, please stop here."
Gauss presented the credentials provided by Mage Layman; this docunt bore the seal of the Golden Eagle Family.
"We need to enter the Golden Eagle Family's office here. I wonder if this docunt can serve as proof."
The guard inspected it briefly, then had another guard go upstairs to relay the ssage.
Not long after.
A blond-haired man walked out from the tower.
"You must be Mr. Gauss?"
"Mage Layman inford us about your situation via ssenger raven."
"Yes, I am Gauss."
"Please co inside."
Gauss followed the blond man leading the way into the tower.
The mont he passed through the tower entrance, he distinctly felt a strange energy sweep over his entire body.
At the entrance of the first-floor hall, many magic arrays engraved on the walls all lit up simultaneously.
Gauss felt as if he were firmly locked onto by countless gazes.
"Distinguished guests arrive, all arrays... temporarily cease."
As the blond man recited unhurriedly, the invisible pressure perating the air abruptly eased.
The glow of nurous magical runes quickly dimd and receded.
"Please don't be nervous, everyone. The tower houses the offices of many important institutions and guilds within the city; security is always the top priority. Please follow ."
"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet. My na is Adrian, the reception steward of this office."
Gauss stepped onto a central platform resembling an elevator. As the blond man pressed a button, the circular platform beneath their feet rapidly ascended.
The platform rose for quite a while before gradually coming to a stop.
"We're here."
When Gauss stepped out of the "elevator," he was greeted by a resplendent, golden hall.
Banners bearing the Golden Eagle Family's coat of arms were hung everywhere.
People coming and going wore combat cloaks; most were likely combat personnel, with a low proportion of clerical staff.
The blond man led Gauss to an office to discuss the specific details of the commission.
After checking the credentials Gauss provided.
The blond man promptly had soone fetch the remaining 400 gold coins owed for the commission from the inventory.
"As for the Desolate Wolf you ntioned..." The blond man looked up from the dossier, pushing several yellowed parchnts and a sowhat crude hand-drawn sketch toward Gauss, his expression turning a bit more serious.
"It is indeed not a creature of this world, but a demon from the Abyss. It also has the na 'Undying Wolf.' Its combat prowess is quite formidable, but after coming to the surface, its strength is greatly weakened."
"In battle, it can absorb the life force from its surroundings in a small area, creating a temporary miniature 'Desolate Domain.'"
"Thank you for taking action to eliminate it."
At this point, a flicker of surprise passed through the blond man Adrian's eyes.
Although the configuration of the team before him wasn't weak, in his view, taking down a Desolate Wolf was still too incredible.
Since it involved personal privacy, he didn't inquire about the specific process in detail, even though he was very curious about it.
Logically, he even felt that Mage Layman entrusting this commission to a 5th-level professional like Gauss was sowhat overconfident.
But he thought a Master-level mage must have his considerations for doing so.
"It was our duty."
Gauss and the blond man Adrian exchanged only a few pleasantries before the staff mber very efficiently brought the commission reward balance of 400 gold coins.
While Aria was counting the gold coins, that staff mber silently said sothing to Adrian.
"The count is correct; it's 400 gold coins."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Steward Adrian. We'll take our leave now and not disturb your work further."
"Mr. Gauss, please wait a mont."
"Hmm?"
Gauss, who was being asked to stay, sat back down on the chair, looking at Adrian with a curious gaze.
"A distinguished personage wishes to et with you."
"Now?"
"Yes."
Upon hearing this, Gauss raised an eyebrow slightly and exchanged glances with his companions.
They were newcors here; besides the Golden Eagle Family, who in Longdi Fort would be looking for him?
And judging by Adrian's tone, that person's identity seed not so simple.
"Well..." Gauss deliberately put on a troubled expression. "Is it convenient to reveal the other party's identity?"
"It is Lord Praelius, the capable assistant of Longdi Fort's Magistrate, Noah Shard." Steward Adrian answered quite straightforwardly.
Presumably, he had obtained that person's permission in advance.
Praelius, Magistrate of Longdi Fort, Noah Shard...
Gauss quickly mulled over these nas in his mind.
Clearly, the identity of the person receiving him this ti was not simple. Magistrates were often related by blood to the local most powerful noble families, or were even core scions of those families.
And the nas Noah Shard and Praelius were also very telling.
The forr's surna, Shard, was a common surna among noble bastards.
As for Praelius, it was a male naming style for tieflings, evolved from the Infernal language. An ordinary person simply couldn't have this na.
Considering their team still needed to stay in Longdi Fort for a while, facing an invitation that seed to co from the city magistrate's office, Gauss naturally couldn't refuse.
Moreover, he was also very curious about the other party's purpose for eting him.
"Then... I can make ti. May I ask where I need to go?"
"No, Lord Praelius will arrive shortly."
"Please move to the VIP Room to wait."
Since he didn't need to travel anywhere, that was even better.
Gauss and his companions entered a lavishly decorated room. Soon, a server brought over pastries and tea that looked extrely luxurious and expensive at first glance.
Aria held a golden teacup, silently examining it.
The combination of gold and gemstones made this teacup look exquisite and beautiful, full of a sense of opulent beauty.
She lowered her head and took a small sip.
"Mmm!"
"Excellent tea! Excellent tea!"
Gauss glanced at her, then withdrew his gaze.
He also took a sip.
The taste was good; it was indeed sowhat different from the usual tea. But if he really had to explain the intricacies, it would indeed be difficult for him.
They waited for a while, enjoying the pastries and tea.
"Click—"
Suddenly, the sound of a doorknob turning ca from the main door.
A male wearing solemn blue-and-white armor walked out from behind the door.
"Indeed."
A flash of understanding passed through Gauss's eyes.
The visitor's head bore a pair of huge silver ram horns curving backward, very clear tiefling physical characteristics.
However, unlike ordinary tieflings, this person's skin tone was quite pale. No, to be precise, it was almost indistinguishable from that of an ordinary human.
If not for the distinctive horns growing on his head and the slender demon tail swishing behind him, one couldn't see any tiefling racial characteristics at all.
And...
Gauss noticed a very discordant detail.
That was, his attire made him look like a solemn paladin?
A tiefling paladin?
It didn't sound like a very common combination of race and profession.
This also gave Gauss a very contradictory first impression of him—an aura that was both righteous and sinister.
He had infernal blood flowing in his veins, yet he had chosen the path of the paladin, which required the purest faith and the first will.
"Lord Praelius, we shall take our leave now."
"Thank you for your trouble, gentlen."
The other staff mbers consciously left the room and closed the door, leaving space for both parties.
"It is an honor to et you, Lord Gauss."
"My humble na is Praelius, serving the great Magistrate Lord Noah."
The tiefling Praelius proactively stepped forward and shook hands with Gauss.
"Lord Praelius has heard of ?"
Gauss was also very polite.
From this tiefling paladin, he sensed a long-absent feeling of pressure.
Clearly, beneath his humble deanor, the strength he possessed was quite formidable.
Even...
"I heard Mr. Layman ntion you. He praised you as a once-in-a-century genius, the nightmare and bane of monsters."
Layman again?
Gauss muttered inwardly, but his expression remained unperturbed.
"Originally, Magistrate Lord Noah should have received you in person. But unfortunately, he has been troubled by trivial matters recently and cannot spare the ti to et with you, so he asked to convey his greetings."
"Please also convey my greetings to Lord Noah."
After so pleasantries.
Everyone who had taken their seats exchanged nas.
Only then did Praelius continue.
"I wonder how Lord Gauss views the tiefling race? What is the relationship between tieflings and humans?"
The question he posed surprised Gauss a bit. Although he wondered why Praelius would ask such a question in this setting, the question itself wasn't particularly difficult to answer.
"Since tieflings are born from humans, they should logically be considered part of humanity."
"People cannot choose their birth."
Gauss said calmly.
This was his genuine opinion, not sothing he said just because Praelius before him was a tiefling.
To be precise, the tiefling bloodline had now integrated into human genes.
It was like a kind of recessive gene. Although the probability was small, ordinary human parents could also give birth to tieflings.
In other words, even if he were to have descendants in the future, the probability of his offspring being tieflings was not zero.
"The wise Lord Noah thinks so too. He has formulated many policies attempting to reconcile the conflicts between tieflings and ordinary residents."
"So in recent years, the number of tiefling residents in the city has grown imperceptibly."
Gauss listened patiently to Praelius's words.
He knew the other party likely didn't co to discuss the status and social issues of tieflings with an outsider like him for no reason.
"However, although this infernal blood in us does not affect our minds, the blood itself is evil."
"Recently, cases of tiefling orphans disappearing have been occurring frequently in the city. I'm afraid there are people with ulterior motives plotting unknown sches behind the scenes."
Praelius's voice remained steady as ever, but deep within those red pupils, a cold and sharp light flickered briefly.
"Lord Noah knows that you, Mr. Gauss, are an expert at executing commissions, so he wishes to hire you at a high price to investigate this matter."
After listening, Gauss fell into brief silence.
Praelius's words were very clear: after testing his views on tieflings, he was entrusting him with the investigation of the city's tiefling disappearance cases.
But... there were still so doubts here.
His gaze turned to Praelius.
"Forgive my bluntness, Lord Praelius. With your strength, wouldn't you be the best candidate to investigate these disappearance cases? Even if you are busy with affairs, surely the vast Longdi Fort cannot find a more suitable adventurer?"
He stared into Praelius's eyes.
His strength was considered top-tier in an ordinary town, but in such a large city, finding adventurers stronger than him shouldn't be difficult.
Moreover, this matter didn't even need to trouble outsiders; Praelius's strength, as Gauss vaguely sensed, was very formidable.
"I cannot personally investigate." A bitter expression appeared on Praelius's face.
"Because of my tiefling identity, the city's important figures are not comfortable entrusting this investigation to ."
"And, the powerful adventurers in the city are not interested in taking on the commission to investigate this matter."
"..."
"Not interested?" Gauss blinked.
Even he, a newcor, could tell there was a problem with that statent.
A highly paid commission from the magistrate should be very attractive. Why would local adventurers not be interested?
"Alright, they don't want to get involved in this muddy water." Praelius sighed. "The situation behind it is complicated."
"Broadly speaking, there are people who want to obstruct Lord Noah's actions."
Praelius leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice.
"Using this matter to stir up panic and rejection towards the tiefling community, and even... using it to attack Lord Noah's governance policy as 'weak, indulgent towards aberrations.'"
"..."
"I wonder, what is your opinion, Lord Gauss?"
Gauss remained silent for a mont, exchanged glances with his teammates, and thought it over.
Finally, he spoke.
"Lord Praelius, this matter is of great importance. Please allow to return and give it more consideration."
Upon hearing Gauss's reply, a flicker of disappointnt passed over Praelius's face, but he quickly composed himself.
"Of course, of course."
"If you decide, please feel free to contact through the Golden Eagle Family at any ti."
Praelius sighed and stood up.
"Well then, gentlen, I shall take my leave now."
He gave a slight bow, then walked out of the room.
After he left, Aria sighed.
"That gentleman seed quite polite, but..."
What Gauss had just said, "give it more consideration," was actually an implied refusal.
But Aria could also understand why Gauss didn't accept the commission.
They didn't need to get involved in Longdi Fort's political struggles.
Although they sympathized with the tieflings' plight, they still had to prioritize their own safety.
"Aria, do you need to find a place to go into seclusion?"
Gauss looked at Aria and asked.
Every ti she leveled up, she needed to return to the wilderness, finding a place rich in natural energy to ditate.
"Yes, it's already been delayed for several days."
Aria nodded.
In fact, she had felt the urge to break through a few days ago.
But on the road, there was no suitable opportunity, so she suppressed it.
Now that they had co to Longdi Fort, a relatively calm place, she no longer needed to restrain that instinctive impulse.
"Alright, then you can go ahead and focus on your seclusion. We'll wait for you in Longdi Fort."
"..."
Gauss looked at Aria, and suddenly his eyelids twitched.
"Oh, right, Aria, after you pick a place, let know, so I have an idea."
"Alright."
Aria gave an OK gesture.
Afterwards, the group left the VIP Room and returned to the streets.
Aria left the group first, heading off to find a suitable place for quiet cultivation.
anwhile, Gauss and the others mounted their steeds and returned to the inn they had rented last night.
York and Abby still needed to buy a house in the city; he planned to give them the property sale commission forms he had for them to choose from.
As they neared the inn.
Gauss dismounted from his steed in front of an alley.
He led his steed toward the inn.
Deep in the alley.
"Child, are you starving?"
"Auntie here has bread, soft and fragrant white bread. Would you like so?"
A plump woman leaned on her knees, extending a palm-sized bread from her basket to a tiefling child slumped in the corner of the wall.
The child was already so hungry that his lips were pale.
His gaze warily scrutinized the bread in the woman's hand for a good while.
"Gurgle—"
But he was just too hungry.
So hungry that his brain subconsciously gave up thinking, all his attention captivated by the piece of white bread gradually enlarging in his vision.
It looked so fluffy, dotted with dried fruit on the surface, emitting a sweet scent.
Upon closer look, it even seed to have wisps of steam, as if freshly baked. It looked utterly delicious.
"Gulp—"
He swallowed his saliva.
How could such fragrant, sweet bread possibly be problematic?
"Tha... thank you, Auntie."
He lifted his crimson hand, trying to take the bread the woman offered.
Suddenly.
"Slap."
A pale hand firmly grabbed the woman's wrist, rendering her unable to move.
"Hold on."
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