novelhk Chapter 384: Red Dragon Guild Sets Out
Chapter 384: Red Dragon Guild Sets Out
Gauss had not been to the Adventurers Guild hall for some time.Because he handed all the small commissions and submissions to the Red Dragon Guild staff to handle, he didn’t need to come in person.
Picking up commissions as a guild meant submissions could also be handled without the principal showing up, which saved him a lot of time for private magic practice.
From his current vantage, some of the idle figures in the hall were clearly guild staff.
They wore light civilian clothes, their eyes drifting over bulletin boards and the crowds.
The Adventurers Guild hall was as lively as ever today.
“We’ve killed enough goblins! Time to take on something tougher!”
“Derrick, if you want to gamble your life away, I’m not joining.”
“What about that toxin spore task?”
“We don’t have a specialized archer in our party. Let’s look for another one.”
...
Gauss watched the young men and women grouped here and there, studying commissions, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Let’s go, Shadow.”
After pausing briefly, he and Shadow walked deeper into the hall.
The Falim Southern District guild had a special layout: only one floor, but very large, like an exhibition center or civic center from Gauss’s previous life.
The deeper you went, the higher the difficulty of the commissions you could accept, laid out in concentric rings.
“Derrick, what’s up?”
“Nothing, it’s just that the person standing at the entrance just now felt... different.”
“Stop spacing out and keep picking commissions, time’s tight.”
“Alright.”
The further inside they went, the higher the levels of adventurers they saw.
Teams that were familiar with each other cooperated, taking on larger commissions together,
so in a way the hall was also a social and information-sharing platform.
“Have you heard? A dungeon near Barry is opening. I’m planning to head there early, otherwise it’ll be too late once it fully opens.”
“We can take some commissions around that area.”
“Same here.”
Gauss wasn’t the only one constantly scanning the news and bulletins; other adventurers were equally well informed.
Adventuring is a profession heavily influenced by information.
From bottom-tier adventurers up through Elites, Masters and even Transcendents, everyone needed to gather external intel.
Whether it was to earn resources faster, rush to new opportunities, or evacuate ahead of disasters, information guided the next moves.
Gauss was planning to take a somewhat distant commission.
On one hand, around Falim the chance of encountering a large nest was low; on the other hand, considering the maze, it made sense to head south first.
The Red Dragon Guild was headquartered in Falim, but that didn’t mean he and his members were tied to the city.
The stronger a guild, the wider its activity area.
Many guilds crossed cities and provinces to conduct hunts; some roamed the entire country.
As for the target, Gauss had already decided.
He intended to head toward Blackwater Town.
Blackwater Town was the small town that had fallen a few months earlier. After the great victory in the Grayrock Town defense, he had helped guide many refugees from Blackwater Town outside the city.
There must be many monsters and nests there.
And although it was dangerous, compared to the initial collapse it was gradually stabilizing; monsters had occupied the areas around Blackwater Town in clans.
The Green Dragon Queen had sent subordinates, trying to permanently take the human lands that had been swallowed.
So recently, adventurers and guilds had been departing for the Blackwater Town area, fighting monsters.
He had planned to set out days ago, but considering the Red Dragon Guild was still newly formed, taking his members into a relatively high-difficulty area would be reckless, so they’d been operating near Falim to gain experience.
Now the time was right — whether donkey or horse, it was time to put them to the test.
They couldn’t hide in the guild’s manor forever.
A healthy, steadily developing adventuring guild would not be content to stay put; it had to head to dangerous regions to seize opportunities.
In the VIP room, after explaining his needs to the steward, the steward quickly brought over a stack of commissions.
“Guild Leader Gauss, these are all commissions near Blackwater Town. Please take a look.”
The steward’s tone was very respectful.
Those who handled important adventurers memorized the faces of powerful adventurers, especially guild leaders; it was part of professional skill.
Besides, the man before her was fairly recognizable among guild leaders.
Dark hair, blue eyes, a white robe, young and extremely handsome.
Although some adventurers naturally improved in appearance as their power increased, it was still rare to be so striking that strangers recognized you at a glance.
“Good.”
Gauss scanned the commission list.
Most of the items were marked six stars or higher, with conspicuous red notes for high danger.
A guild commission’s star rating corresponded to monster challenge levels, sometimes even more informative.
A monster challenge level of, say, level 2 meant a reasonably configured team of all level-2 adventurers could succeed with a relatively small cost.
A two-star guild commission implied at least one level-2 monster in the area and usually its companions, perhaps similar or weaker in level, often with a greater number of minions and lackeys.
“Since the monsters occupied the area outside Blackwater Town, a steady stream of monsters has been entering from the Emerald Forest, so you can encounter a richer variety of monster types.”
Gauss nodded as the steward explained.
Indeed there were many commanding monsters on the list he had not previously encountered,
which was why he targeted the Blackwater Town vicinity: more types and numbers of monsters without the extreme danger of venturing deep into the Emerald Forest.
“How many commissions can our guild take at once?”
“For these tiers, you can take three at a time.”
“Good.”
Gauss nodded.
After browsing, he finalized three commissions.
“Clear the marsh orc clan in White River Valley outside Blackwater Town. Commission difficulty: seven stars.”
“Clear the goblin-like clan at the Hot Stone Mine outside Blackwater Town. Commission difficulty: seven stars.”
“Clear the goblin clan in the Wolfwood outside Blackwater Town. Commission difficulty: seven stars.”
The surrounding areas of Blackwater Town were occupied by monster clans of various sizes, so commissions mostly took the form of clan extermination.
“Let’s go back.”
Gauss didn’t delay long.
After he’d given his second lecture at the magic academy a few days ago, he had mentioned the plan for a field operation to the deputy dean, and Ivan had already ordered preparations be made.
Back at the guild base, Gauss announced the plan to everyone.
This time Ivan, the warlock and alchemist, was especially excited.
He wouldn’t have to stay at the manor like before; finally, he could go out on a hunt with the team.
Even ordinary field staff had gone on missions twice; he had never gone once.
Until now, he’d only heard of Gauss’s power from others; now he could witness it and fight shoulder to shoulder.
After all, he was a level-3 spellcaster from the academy with solid fundamentals.
At the conference table, Gauss circled three areas on a large spread map with his pen.
Around him were the core members of the Red Dragon Guild: his four teammates, Toga’s dwarf squad, and the chief steward Ivan.
“The nearest human town to the fallen Blackwater Town is Grayrock Town.”
“Perfect, we can return there.”
Aria said with a smile.
In a sense, this was a triumphant homecoming.
When they left at the start of the year there were only five of them; months later they were a fledgling guild.
They could be considered the dominant local force in Grayrock Town.
Compared to bustling Falim, she actually preferred Grayrock Town — it was where her dream began.
“Ivan and Toga, you two take the others by large ship downriver.”
“We’ll go ahead to scout intelligence toward Blackwater Town.”
After a short discussion, Gauss decided to split the group.
Hephaestus couldn’t carry so many people on his back, and they had necessary supplies, so traveling by ship then by land was the best choice.
Ivan and Toga’s squad would secure the main convoy.
Although Toga might have been someone Gauss once rescued, she was a capable fighter in the field: a level-6 dwarf warrior, supported by competent professionals — enough to deter troublemakers.
After the meeting, the Red Dragon Guild machine began to run.
They packed supplies: food, medical resources, equipment, weapons.
At the grassroots level they carried out mobilization; group leaders read out field arrangements and precautions.
Many in this group were not front-line fighters; because they would be away from their city for a time, they needed extra reminders.
For example, when traveling, contact the leader first if you encounter conflict; notify Toga or Ivan.
Do not leave the team without permission; report issues ahead of time, etc.
Two days passed in a blink.
At the river port outside the city, Gauss watched his members board a large ship.
Then, to the astonished looks of passengers and onlookers, he summoned the Red Drake Hephaestus on the ship, and several of his team nimbly leapt onto the dragon’s back.
Once settled, Hephaestus beat his wings and they were quickly hundreds of meters in the sky.
Turning his head toward the south and flapping again, he left a red afterimage in the air and soon vanished from sight.
“It’s great having a dragon.”
Toga couldn’t help but sigh.
Flying at will like that was enviable.
The only consolation was that this dragon belonged to their boss, so she could occasionally enjoy the convenience of a dragon ride.
Provided Bruno didn’t come along; for some reason, the guild leader’s dragon particularly disliked her fiancé.
When they’d done commissions together before, Bruno had always been carried by the dragon in its claws.
Other members gradually lowered their gazes.
Watching passersby marvel and shout, most guild members straightened instinctively, swelling with pride.
That was the confidence the Red Dragon Guild gave them.
Those civilians were so impressed by seeing a dragon once.
They were guild members who saw Hephaestus daily in the forest and some had even brought food to the dragon.
If it were those inexperienced people, they might have peed themselves on approaching the dragon. Heh.
If one looked more closely, there was indeed a clear boundary on the deck between the Red Dragon Guild area and ordinary passengers; other passengers instinctively kept their distance.
They flew for more than a day.
Grayrock Town came into Gauss’s view.
“Roar—”
Recognizing the town, Hephaestus gave a happy bellow.
“Prepare to land.”
It was early April, sunny, and plants were sprouting green from the earth.
The plains outside Grayrock Town had endured a harsh winter and war, but this year vegetation grew particularly lush.
Gauss and the others found an open area outside town and landed discreetly.
“There are even more people than when we left.”
Serlandul said, looking at the line of people waiting to enter town.
“After all, Grayrock Town is one of the human towns closest to the Blackwater Town area.”
“Adventurers need a nearby foothold if they’re heading into Blackwater Town.”
Gauss nodded.
He even saw a fierce monster guild banner fluttering ahead.
Clearly the Red Dragon Guild was not the only group arriving in Grayrock Town.
“Let’s go in first.”
Perhaps because the major battle had ended only recently and many outsiders had come to the town, the gate inspections had tightened.
Gauss and the others approached the gate.
The soldiers who had been loudly maintaining order turned at the sight of them, froze for a moment, then blinked.
Almost without hesitation, the captain among them ran forward to greet them.
“You’ve returned! Lord Gauss!”
No city defense soldiers in Grayrock Town failed to recognize this man.
In the months prior, many lives had been saved by him.
That they could still breathe the fresh air on this land was because he had turned the tide in battle, cutting down the enemy leader amidst the host.
“Yes, I took some commissions nearby.”
“Good timing. Now that you’ve returned, we can relax a bit. The town’s been chaotic lately.” The captain exhaled, then seemed to remember something and hurriedly stepped aside.
“Please come in quickly, this sun is scorching.”
Nearby, other adventurers passing through town were undergoing inspection; seeing Gauss and company allowed through respectfully without checks, they blinked.
Watching themselves still stopped outside the gate, they immediately frowned and patted the soldier’s arm, complaining loudly,
“Why aren’t you checking them? I saw it—they were just let through!”
“Yeah, why do we have to be delayed this long? On what grounds?”
“Why aren’t you saying they might pose a threat to the town? Unfair! We demand equal treatment!”
The soldiers looked at the indignant adventurers and only chuckled.
“That gentleman is the hero who saved Grayrock Town a few months ago.”
“If we were to make him undergo checks, that would be the real injustice.”
“All right, show your packages and ID badges quickly. Don’t hold up the line. If you have complaints about our work, you’re welcome to file them at the town hall.”