Chapter 118: Sensational News

“Could it be—a heretical ritual?”

Arya slowly spoke.

“Heretical? Related to an evil god?” Gauss pursued the question, fragments of memories about malevolent deities surfacing—those opposed to righteous gods, embodiments of chaos and evil.

“Mm.” Arya nodded solemnly. “But the name that Ratman mentioned earlier, I’ve never heard of it.”

Gauss understood.

If even Arya was unaware, then the original body's limited knowledge as an ordinary person would be of no help.

“Let’s take this back.” Gauss's gaze fell upon a faded scale with slightly curled edges at the dried basin's center. “Maybe the Guild knows something.”

The Adventurer’s Guild had rules stating that reporting special information could also earn rewards.

“Be careful.” Arya reminded softly.

To ordinary people, anything associated with evil gods meant misfortune.

“Alright.”

Gauss stepped forward, cast Mage Hand, wrapped the scale in cloth and cautiously stored it in the Small Storage Bag.

He didn’t truly believe that these feeble Ratmen could have established any meaningful connection with an evil god.

The logic was simple—an evil god’s attention would likely be drawn to stronger individuals.

The two of them thoroughly inspected the altar chamber again. After confirming nothing was overlooked, they quickly withdrew.

Next came battlefield cleanup and loot collection.

Aside from the room burned down completely by the fire oil, where flames still lingered, the other quiet chambers were filled with miscellaneous Ratman belongings and rudimentary equipment.

Arya moved efficiently, clearly more experienced than Gauss—perhaps also carrying a hint of a desire to prove her worth.

She sorted through items quickly.

Rusty yet recyclable metal weapons, pieces of armor, a small quantity of uncontaminated ore, and some peculiar bones or shells that might fetch a price from an alchemist—she took it all.

Usable items were bundled together, to be stored later in Gauss’s generously-sized Small Storage Bag.

For adventurers, the Mission Commission reward was often just the base; valuable loot was usually the main source of income, sometimes far exceeding the commission itself.

Back in the room where the fire had first started, the flames had nearly died out, burning stubbornly only on a dozen charred Ratman corpses.

Many items were destroyed by the flames, but thankfully some ironware had endured the heat—the losses remained acceptable.

Once the eerie cellar was completely cleared, the two finally left that oppressive underground space.

Returning to the surface.

They also gathered the relatively intact weapons and armor fragments left behind on the ground-level battlefield.

When everything was handled, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief.

This commission hadn’t been difficult, but it had been particularly foul. Both were now covered in blood and sticky grime, exuding a strong stench.

“Prestidigitation!”

Gauss raised his hand, casting several cleaning cantrips on himself. A few invisible waves of magical energy swept over his body.

The filth vanished rapidly like a receding tide, and much of the stench was neutralized.

He noticed Arya’s gaze—a look of mild expectation mixed with embarrassment.

Her body, too, was smeared with dirt and stickiness.

Gauss beckoned to her.

“Won’t it consume too much of your magical energy? If it does, don’t worry about it. I’m used to it,” Arya said softly.

“It’s fine.” Gauss waved it off. “I have a bit more magical energy than the average spellcaster. And for a cantrip, the cost is negligible.”

At most, he’d just eat a bit more later to recover the magic.

“Then I’ll trouble you.” Arya stepped closer. Gauss repeated the spell. As the magical energy flowed, the grime and stench on Arya’s body peeled away layer by layer. The refreshing sensation made her stretch a little—her body felt a few pounds lighter.

“Much better.” Arya sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Gauss found a clean stone nearby and sat down, taking out food again to continue his post-battle recovery.

Arya was used to this by now.

She simply thought he had a big appetite and got hungry quickly,

and sat down beside him.

“I’m so envious of you mages, being able to learn so many convenient and practical cantrips and spells,” Arya remarked sincerely.

In the past, she would never have made such personal small talk with temporary teammates.

But she felt Gauss was different. He had a special kind of warmth, and she didn’t worry about saying something wrong that would make him think poorly of her.

“Don’t Druids have access to such spells?” Gauss asked while chewing, swallowing with the aid of clean water. “Didn’t you cast a spell just now? Can’t you buy spellbooks to learn other magic?”

“No.” Arya shook her head.

“The nature power in us is different from the magical energy you mages use. It only allows us to master a specific sequence of cantrips and spells.”

“For example, we can’t learn Prestidigitation.”

“Our equivalent cantrip is called Druidcraft, but its effects aren’t as versatile. It only has four effects: weather prediction, plant growth, minor nature simulations, and controlling small flames.”

“Most spells we can use are related to nature, life, and elements.”

“I see.” Gauss nodded.

He now had a clearer understanding of the distinctions between spellcasters and other magic-using classes.

“But…” he added, “you can form bonds with animal companions, and in the future, master Wild Shape and summoning spells. That’s a pretty good prospect too.”

He felt that in this world, each class had its unique path—no need to envy others too much.

Like that big wolf—for her as a Druid, it was both a loyal companion and a fighting ally.

Arya smiled without replying, simply reached out and rubbed the head of her Wolf Companion as it came over.

“Right, his name is Ulfen. It means ‘Heart of the Wolf’ in ancient tongue.”

“Ulfen.”

Gauss called out to the gray wolf.

The gray wolf Ulfen immediately turned its head, eyes fixed on him, tongue hanging out in a friendly gesture.

Gauss tossed a piece of dried meat. The gray wolf caught it mid-air, swallowed it in one gulp, then licked its lips with longing, its gaze full of eager flattery.

“Haha, such greed.” Gauss laughed and tossed out a few more pieces.

With the Small Storage Bag, his capacity for carrying supplies had greatly increased,

so food was not a pressing issue for now. Besides, during a normal adventuring journey, he could always hunt wild animals, butcher them, and store the meat in the Small Storage Bag, or gather wild fruits and vegetables to replenish his provisions.

After finishing the dried meat, the gray wolf Ulfen came forward, affectionately licking Gauss’s palm before flipping onto its back and exposing its belly to him.

“Ahem.” Arya watched with a hint of envy. Although she had used Animal Communication to deliberately encourage it to build a good relationship with Gauss, this was just too...

Ulfen turned its head and glanced at her in confusion,

seemingly not understanding what she was doing.

“Sigh...” Arya smiled helplessly and let it be.

The two rested briefly under the shade of a tree.

Once Gauss finished his resupply,

they stood and headed toward the oak tree where they had agreed to meet the Cart Owner. As expected, the Cart Owner was still waiting there dutifully.

It was nearly four in the afternoon.

They boarded the cart and returned to Wheat Valley Manor.

An unexpected development had occurred during this commission, and they needed Steward Hoven to issue a supplemental explanation.

At the same time, the mountain of Ratman corpses outside the church also required the manor to send people to burn and dispose of them to prevent disease.

“Be careful.” As the cart approached the manor gates, Gauss reminded Arya in a low voice, giving her a knowing look.

Although it was unclear whether the manor a few kilometers away had any special connection with the Ratmen at the church, it never hurt to be cautious.

When the two arrived at the manor gates, the guards let them through without question.

Before long, Steward Hoven arrived swiftly upon hearing the news.

“Thank you both for your efforts. The servants have prepared hot water. Would you like to wash up first?”

“No rush, there's something we need to report to you first.”

Gauss recounted the events of the commission,

concealing the information potentially related to an evil god. He only said that all Ratmen had been killed, that the number didn’t match the mission details, but they hadn’t let any escape. He also mentioned that many Ratman corpses remained at the scene and asked if Hoven could issue a supplemental mission statement.

“I understand.” Steward Hoven’s expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of surprise. “I will send someone to verify the scene shortly. If what you say is true, I’ll provide a formal explanation document.”

Gauss felt a bit more assured.

With the explanation complete, the two each went to bathe thoroughly, changed into clean clothes, and spent a peaceful night in the manor’s comfortable guest rooms.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning,

Hoven had likely sent people to inspect the abandoned church and its surroundings.

He promptly wrote a confirmation note detailing the completion of the commission.

In fact, the two of them could have carried a Record Crystal provided by the Adventurer’s Guild, but after becoming Bronze-rank Adventurers, most people preferred not to carry one, considering the potential privacy risks. Fortunately, the Guild did not mandate its use.

Coincidentally, the caravan that had brought them had stayed at the manor for an extra night. They seemed to be conducting bulk trade.

This gave the two a chance to hitch a ride again, and they set off, swaying along the path back to Graystone Town.

“Auxiliary Shaft One—”

As the cart approached Graystone Town, Gauss and Arya disembarked in advance.

The moment they stepped off, Gauss immediately sensed something was off. At the town’s entrance, a long line of carriages and pedestrians waited for inspection, moving at an unusually sluggish pace.

“Why’s the inspection dragging on so much today?”

“Yeah, been waiting nearly half an hour—hasn’t budged!”

“Shh, something big just happened. They’re being more thorough—sigh, just try to understand.”

“Something happened?” Gauss caught snippets of whispered gossip from the people in line.

Naturally, he and Arya did not need to queue.

At the checkpoint, the Town Guard on duty recognized them. After a brief whispered exchange, they were let through, though the guards’ expressions were far more solemn than usual.

“Looks like something really happened—” Gauss thought as he stepped into the town. The last time he entered with Arya, things had gone much more smoothly.

Arya looked equally puzzled. Having just returned from a mission, the two of them had no idea what had transpired.

Walking along the town’s main avenue,

Gauss overheard customer conversations in nearby shops and finally understood the situation.

Just a few days ago, a monumental event had shaken the entire human world.

The legendary Sword Saint Roland, hailed as the Light of the Empire and having lived over one hundred eighty years, succumbed to a latent internal injury and passed away peacefully in the Imperial Capital’s inner palace.

Though this legendary figure had lived reclusively in his later years and rarely appeared in public, his passing—being humanity’s undisputed greatest strength during the turbulent times—caused an immense stir.

Even a remote frontier town like Graystone Town was shrouded in the weight of this heavy news, the air thick with an invisible sense of solemnity and unease.

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