I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 438: Haliel's Talent

Barry City remained as bustling as ever.In a big city like this, the one thing never in short supply was commoners visible everywhere. After spending some time in the maze, Gauss, walking the streets, felt himself constantly absorbing the "human atmosphere."

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

The clock tower in the central square in the distance struck three times. A flock of pigeons, startled, fluttered up from the stone-carved spire of the tower. The distant tolling of the bell first spread through the streets and alleys before being instantly drowned out by the clamor of voices from all directions.

Compared to Falim, the provincial capital, Barry seemed less orderly, but its atmosphere of daily life was more intense.

Moreover, adventurers could be seen everywhere.

This was also one of the distinctive features of a border city.

Having left the task of settling the other members to Luna and Ivan, Gauss walked the streets with the few members of his own squad.

As a person's strength and status change, even looking at the same scenery can evoke completely different feelings and experiences.

For example, right now, Gauss no longer felt the restraint and unease he had when first setting foot in this city. All of this stemmed from his increased strength.

When he was a Level 2 Magician, even with decent talent, within the vast Forest Capital, he was just an inconspicuous adventurer, like a drop of water falling into a lake, unable to create many ripples.

But now, he was already an openly recognized Level 8 spellcaster, with combat power reaching the Transcendent level. Within the entirety of Barry, he was considered a significant figure.

For instance, as he walked the streets now, he could sense many hidden gazes from the high towers falling upon him, only to quickly dart away.

He didn't think this was a coincidence.

He estimated that from the moment they passed through the city gates and entered Barry, his movements had been specially monitored by the city's guard department.

He could understand this and had no intention of hiding his tracks.

Firstly, the characteristics of their group were relatively conspicuous. Even walking normally on the street, they were highly noticeable.

He, as the captain, didn't need mentioning. Aria's pure-blooded Elf appearance, Albenia's massive physique, Serlandul's identity as a half-snake person... The only one who might be slightly more low-key was Shadow, walking on the side of the group.

Furthermore, he harbored no ill intentions, so there was no need to suddenly conceal themselves and arouse suspicion. The difference between Transcendent combat power and ordinary professionals was like heaven and earth.

If such a target were to suddenly erupt violently in the city without warning, the destruction inflicted upon ordinary people would be extremely terrifying. Barry couldn't possibly be unprepared for this.

The fact that he could enter the city so smoothly and wander freely within it was probably also thanks to his adventurer record being clean and upright.

That experience of saving Grayrock Town from the beast tide undoubtedly earned him quite a few points.

Not every adventurer was willing to risk their life to protect civilians and towns with little direct connection to them.

Gauss and his group strolled along the street, casually buying some miscellaneous items they might need.

Then, they learned from the crow about the house Ivan had booked for them, and unhurriedly made their way towards the destination.

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

During these two days in Barry, Gauss and the others lived quite low-key.

However, some invitations, somehow learning of Gauss's residence, were delivered to the team of stewards and servers temporarily hired by Ivan.

Gauss just glanced at a few of them before silently setting them aside.

A benefit of becoming stronger was that meaningless social interactions one didn't wish to engage in could be minimized as much as possible.

Freedom wasn't about being able to do whatever you wanted, but about having the freedom to *not* do what you didn't want to do.

He simply had a good sleep in his room, allowing his relatively tense mental and physical state to relax again.

Then he ate and drank heartily for several meals, accompanying his teammates on a few strolls around their residence.

After two days, even Eden, the Slime King, who had originally been extremely excited about coming to the city again due to his blurred memories of human towns, had calmed down.

Speaking of which, its current state still puzzled Gauss.

As their contact deepened, he increasingly felt that the existence known as a Demon King Seed might not be simple.

Eden wasn't parasitizing him in the form of a spiritual entity. If that were the case, with his spiritual power stronger than most Transcendents, he could probably easily detect Eden's "presence," just like detecting the presence of those ghost-type monsters.

But the reality was, no matter how hard he tried to sense it, he couldn't perceive its essence. It was as if the stream of mental voice constantly heard in his ear was just an auditory hallucination.

Eden's current state was clearly quite special. No wonder the Monster Encyclopedia had popped up the notification that he had killed Eden back then.

The annihilation of both body and spirit—wasn't that a form of death?

Apart from relaxing, Gauss and the others weren't truly idle.

Ivan and the others had also been gathering intelligence about recent happenings in Barry City over these two days.

According to their inquiries, nearly all the well-known adventuring guilds and elite adventurer squads around Barry had been recalled by the local guild. Many adventuring guilds that were usually active outside, with only a portion of administrative staff stationed here, had also returned.

From this, it could be inferred that the local guild had actually summoned the adventuring guilds for a meeting earlier than the time they received the notification. This was actually quite considerate, as adventurers like them, exploring the maze, were relatively close to Barry, so there was no need to summon them too early to just wait around.

It was said that someone even spotted members of the Golden Company and Thornheart entering the city gates. These two adventuring guilds were practically at the pinnacle of adventurer power in Barry City.

Just as Gauss had thought, although the guild's summons wasn't mandatory, the vast majority of adventurers would give them face. This was all thanks to the incredibly high credibility consistently maintained by the Adventurers Guild, that massive continental machine.

The sudden influx of a large number of adventurers, combined with the fact that Barry City had already seen many more adventurers recently due to the existence of the Timberbell Maze, caused accommodation fees at many inns and hotels to rise by several tens of percent for a time.

On this morning, Gauss woke up.

A formal invitation letter, accompanied by several luxurious carriages, was delivered to him.

The envelope's seal bore a golden wax stamp of crossed sword, staff, and shield, with a line of delicate small text inscribed: Barry Adventurers Guild · Secretary's Office.

Opening the envelope and pulling out the paper folded into a standard tri-fold, the high-quality stationery embossed with fine silver threads contained the following words written in handwriting so neat it was almost stern:

"To Guild Leader Gauss of the Red Dragon Guild:

A special meeting is hereby scheduled for the day after tomorrow at noon, in the conference hall on the third floor of the Barry Adventurers Guild headquarters building.

Having long heard of your valor and strength, we sincerely invite you to grace us with your presence.

Four carriages are attached with this letter for the convenience of yourself and your companions' travel.

Respectfully, the Barry Adventurers Guild."

A small personal seal was also stamped at the end of the text.

Although the letter still didn't mention the purpose of this meeting, it was clear the local guild showed him sufficient respect, even sending carriages and coachmen to wait at their residence two days in advance.

But the more it was like this, the more he cared about this meeting.

He had a feeling that this matter wouldn't have small origins.

Otherwise, the Barry Adventurers Guild wouldn't go to such great lengths. Especially recalling adventuring guilds exploring or executing commissions outside the city was no simple matter. Without a reason weighty enough, the subsequent repercussions probably wouldn't be minor.

After reading the letter, Gauss had people settle the coachmen sent by the guild.

Then he went to the training ground in the backyard of the house for some simple spell practice. Ivan's work was evidently thorough; when renting this residence, he had valued this spacious training ground.

After practicing some magic with low destructive power for a while, ensuring his body hadn't grown lax from the two days of rest, Gauss informed the others and went out.

He had already had someone inform Hayley in advance about his visit today.

A significant portion of the Red Dragon Guild's business, under his direction as Guild Leader, chose to cooperate with Hayley's Golden Beak Trading Company.

Hayley had originally wanted to come in person, but Gauss, considering that Aria and the others at his residence didn't have much connection with Hayley, and to avoid awkwardness, didn't have her come over.

Gauss took a carriage to the front of Hayley's family courtyard.

After all, Hayley's family owned a trading company. Although it couldn't compare to those medium-to-large companies and nobles, compared to ordinary commoners, they were considered somewhat well-off.

Their residence was also located in a relatively quiet, core area of the outer city.

Two rows of neatly trimmed low holly bushes were planted in front of the mansion's portico, clearly maintained by dedicated personnel.

As soon as Gauss stepped down from the carriage, he saw Hayley, her parents, and several servers already waiting on the steps in front of the main house entrance.

Today, she wore a dark green long dress with a short cloak of the same color scheme over it. Her hair was meticulously styled in a bun, with locks falling over one shoulder. Her entire demeanor no longer resembled the aura she had when Gauss first met her in Grayrock Town.

There was less efficiency and more of a woman's gentle grace and beauty.

Time had left its mark not just on him, but on everyone.

Gauss's heart was actually filled with mixed emotions at this moment.

With his current strength, facing this former teammate, he certainly had the ability to fulfill her original dream of becoming an adventurer. Even under his protection and guidance, advancing to become a professional was highly possible.

But it seemed she had already completely and willingly accepted her fate.

After a flash of complex thoughts in his mind, seeing the family accompanying her, he suddenly felt somewhat gratified. Not only becoming an adventurer constituted a meaningful life.

At least she was living well now.

Therefore, Gauss didn't voice that fleeting thought.

He just raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a faint smile.

"Hayley, we meet again."

The woman opposite him, seeing that bright smile under the sunlight, felt even more dazed.

Her breath hitched, and her brain seemed to enter a brief state of paralysis.

It wasn't until her mother beside her tugged at her sleeve that she, who usually appeared capable and shrewd in front of outsiders, slowly came back to her senses in a daze.

"Gauss..."

He looked too perfect, with flawless appearance that left no room for criticism, even giving an unreal feeling. Wherever he passed, even the air seemed to become fresher.

The current him looked even more remarkable than the "Gauss" described in newspaper reports.

And only at this moment did she truly feel that Gauss was no longer in the same world as her. Not a change in mundane social status or position, but a fundamental gap stemming from the hierarchy of life itself.

Especially since she wasn't completely unfamiliar with Gauss, and a significant part of her impression still lingered from before, the sense of impact felt from body to soul became exceptionally intense.

The increase in attribute values was essentially a leap in life hierarchy. For a perfect life form like Gauss, whose six attributes had all surged dramatically, the magnitude of this leap would only manifest more obviously compared to other professionals.

Her arm, about to be raised, stopped at her side. Suddenly, she felt an awkward sensation, as if her hands weren't her hands and her feet weren't her feet.

An intense sense of inferiority instantly dominated her entire being.

"Don't you recognize me anymore?"

Gauss shook his head with a light laugh. His powerful Charisma attribute released an infectious aura that could instinctively put people at ease.

Hayley's rapidly beating heart gradually calmed down. She took a few deep breaths, suppressing the complex emotions in her heart, before forcing out a smile.

"You've changed too much. Who would dare to recognize you?"

Gauss smiled and turned his gaze to the couple beside her.

"Uncle, Auntie, hello. Sorry for the intrusion."

"G-Guild Leader Gauss, you're too polite..." The two didn't dare to accept the courtesy, hurriedly bowing in return. "Please, come in, come in."

Recently, their Golden Beak Trading Company had been on a fast track, and all these changes stemmed from a single sentence from this young man before them.

One could say that a single thought of his could set their family on a different destiny.

This made the two completely unwilling to assume the airs of friends' parents.

After the group entered the house, Hayley's parents, feeling immense pressure, quickly found an excuse and left the main hall.

Gauss could tell they were very nervous and didn't insist on them staying.

"How is the trading company's business lately?"

"Thanks to you, we've opened several more branch stores recently," Hayley said gratefully.

Not just Gauss's Red Dragon Guild, but also some other adventuring guilds he had introduced, had expanded the Golden Beak Trading Company's channels significantly.

These were resources that a small trading company like Golden Beak could never have accessed otherwise.

She knew that although Gauss didn't mention it, the essence was that the Red Dragon Guild, where Gauss was, was vouching for her. The obstacles that had previously hindered the Golden Beak Trading Company's further expansion had quietly vanished.

Competition among trading companies was equally fierce. The share of the pie was just this big; if you took a bigger bite, others had to take smaller ones.

That's why many large trading companies developed by relying on nobles or adventuring guilds.

"By the way, Gauss, the Mana Clay you asked us to collect—we've temporarily gathered over two hundred kilograms. I'll have someone deliver it to you later."

Hayley said, returning the favor, not mentioning money at all.

"No rush. Have your people coordinate with Ivan from my guild."

Gauss had never stopped collecting spells and Mana Clay. Relying on the Red Dragon Guild's channels, he had accumulated nearly two tons of Mana Clay.

For him, Mana Clay was equivalent to low-level soldiers with maxed-out loyalty, which was also why he wasn't in a hurry to recruit more Red Dragon Guild members.

Two tons of Mana Clay was enough to simultaneously differentiate into 60-70 Clay Goblins, forming an extremely terrifying force on the front lines.

What surprised him was that Hayley's efficiency was so high. In just a few days, she had collected over two hundred kilograms of Mana Clay. He could only say that each had their own expertise.

Over two hundred kilograms of clay was enough to add nearly ten more to his Clay Goblin troops, bringing him one step closer to the scale of one hundred.

The uses for Mana Clay weren't particularly widespread; it wasn't a mass-market commodity. Coupled with its limited production, the amount circulating on the market was finite.

From this, it was also evident that Hayley had indeed placed collecting Mana Clay as a top priority.

"This is a long-term business, no need to rush for the moment. Feel free to collect boldly; we'll take as much as you can get," Gauss reassured.

If his conjecture about this meeting wasn't wrong, he needed to enhance his current strength as much as possible.

Although Clay Magic was just an inconspicuous 2nd-circle spell, in certain situations, its usefulness could surpass the 4th or 5th-circle spells he mastered.

Recently, he had made some new breakthroughs in his research on Clay Magic.

"Don't worry, I'll definitely have people prioritize it," Hayley quickly nodded in assurance.

In fact, Gauss's guess wasn't wrong. Regarding collecting Mana Clay, she had indeed mobilized the most manpower and had emphasized the importance of this matter multiple times in meetings, linking it to departmental performance. So, almost the entire Golden Beak Trading Company was going all out to gather information from various channels.

The amount currently purchased and delivered was just the first batch. There were more Mana Clay deals under negotiation. However, out of consideration for not wanting to excessively increase the Red Dragon Guild's procurement costs, she was further intensifying the negotiations, but results should come soon.

Hayley's ability to completely take control of the family business within just a year or two clearly indicated she had sufficient talent in business and management.

Moreover, she knew that even if Gauss was a sentimental person, as the gap in their status gradually widened, past friendship would eventually reach its limit. She had to become someone useful to Gauss.