I Am Not A Goblin Slayer

Chapter 680 - 357: [Conductor]

Soon, one commission after another, carefully selected, was presented before Gauss.

Though the majority of goblin-related commissions had been filtered out, the remaining ones were mostly types Gauss had already slain before.

"Oh?"

Gauss, browsing through the commissions, suddenly let out a surprised sound.

"Could it really be such a coincidence?"

Near the Ensi River Pier, there’s a Demon Ghost (Elite Level) appearing.

This place, to say the least, holds a significant connection to Gauss.

Back when he was still in the Night Owl Squad, he had once taken a regular commission to hunt Water Ghosts, and the location was here.

That night, it was also his first time as an adventurer to flee in panic.

Because after they had slain the Water Ghost, a Ghoul landed on the riverbank, forcing their squad to flee the scene.

Luckily, the Ghoul at that time was attracted to the corpses of numerous Water Ghosts on the shore and didn’t focus its attention on them.

Otherwise, that night the squad might have suffered heavy losses, or even been wiped out.

Later on, after they returned to Gray Rock Town, they reported this information to the Adventurer’s Guild, but unfortunately, after inquiries, it was said that the Ghoul didn’t appear again.

And a Demon Ghost, in essence, is a more intelligent Ghoul, unlike its beast-like counterparts, it is more cunning and can command groups of Ghouls.

Gauss squinted his eyes slightly, his mind seeming to return to that terrifying night.

If he remembered correctly, that night the "Ghoul" seemed unusually calm, almost as if it intentionally let them go.

Perhaps it recognized their attire and worried about attracting more humans, so it avoided trouble?

If it were an ordinary Ghoul, it might have kept them there that night, even though the Water Ghosts on the shore were enough to feed it.

So could this "Demon Ghost" from the commission very likely be the same one that made them flee in panic that night?

For a moment, Gauss couldn’t help but reflect on how fate was so coincidental.

He happens to be short of an Elite Level entry in the Monster Atlas.

"Let’s go with this one."

Seeing the curious expressions of the others, Gauss briefly explained the situation.

Knowing this Demon Ghost once forced Gauss to retreat and flee, everyone wore amused expressions.

This was an "achievement" that even Commander Level or Extraordinary Level opponents hadn’t accomplished.

Unfortunately, things are different now, and Gauss is back with renewed vigor.

Aaliyah and Ying had no objections and were instead quite interested in this commission because of this little anecdote, feeling it was indeed an opportunity for "revenge."

"Then be more cautious."

Seeing Aaliyah and Ying eager to try, Abelhard was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

Honestly, assigning a high-level force like Gauss to handle such a small commission is indeed somewhat wasteful, and the reward isn’t worthwhile, but...

As long as Gauss and the others are happy with it.

Adventuring is inherently a free profession, not always about profit margins.

"Then let’s set out."

After bidding farewell to Abelhard, Gauss and the others left the town, mounted Hephaestus, and headed toward the pier at the commission site.

This path, once needing to traverse mountains and rivers, was now reached after a brief flight.

Gauss landed on the small hill outside the pier.

The river still partially frozen, a small dock stood there, with a nameless little fishing village nearby.

The scenery remained beautiful.

The monster-initiated war from the Jade Forest hadn’t affected this secluded yet tranquil little pier.

Walking down the hill, they entered the small fishing village.

Gauss stopped for a moment in front of the village’s only tavern, the Mermaid Tavern.

Glancing inside, the bustle of the tavern still thrived in the afternoon.

The sounds of sailors and fishermen clinking glasses and drinking constantly emanated from it.

Entertainment options for ordinary people of this era were quite limited, especially during winter’s downtime with no work, many would head to taverns to have a few drinks and relax.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, let’s go."

Gauss didn’t intend to go inside.

After a brief pause, he strode towards the direction of the riverbank.

The villagers they passed couldn’t help but take a few more glances at this pair of handsome men and women.

Inside the Mermaid Tavern.

Holding a list and checking the accounts, the owner Harvey suddenly looked up at the doorway, rubbing his eyes, seemingly recognizing a somewhat familiar figure.

"Boss, is everything alright?"

The employee beside him, seeing him rub his eyes, couldn’t help but ask softly.

At Harvey’s words, he suspiciously glanced at him.

Though his distraction had nothing to do with accounting, the employee’s uneasy expression made him think a bit more.

Come to think of it, the person he just saw outside the window seemed familiar?

Such a handsome person, if he’d seen him once, he should’ve remembered him well.

...

Arriving at the riverbank.

Gauss looked at the frozen ice surface.

The ice was slowly melting, and one could vaguely see the rushing river below.

Returning to an old haunt brought so many emotions.

He seemed to be back on that thrilling night.

Speaking of which, although the Demon Ghost let them go that time, Gauss didn’t intend to be lenient this time.

After all, Gauss was very clear that the demon had spared them not out of mercy; if there weren’t so much food around, it wouldn’t have hesitated to leave them for a feast.

Demon Ghosts, essentially Ghouls, though they prefer corpses, will kill to create their own meals if they can’t find decaying bodies.