I’m not Goblin Slayer Chapter 034

There was nothing that could be done.

Goblins, especially those from small settlements, had their iron weapons in a state of disrepair.

Although it was unclear why this group of goblins had suddenly come to occupy the ruins, most goblins preferred to live near caves or swamps because they naturally favored damp underground environments.

However, this living environment provided the necessary conditions for rust to form, as iron tools would quickly oxidize when exposed to humid air for extended periods.

Furthermore, low-ranking goblins lacked maintenance materials like rust-preventative oil, resulting in their iron weapons being severely corroded, broken, and substandard.

Gauss and the others began collecting spoils in the ruins.

Before long, a small pile had accumulated in the clearing.

Meva rummaged through it, considering the limited space in the carriage, and discarded some worthless but space-consuming junk.

“These, perhaps, are worth about 20- 30 silver coins?”

After all, it was a settlement of 20 goblins, already possessing rudimentary raiding capabilities, so the accumulated spoils were considerable.

Hearing Meva’s estimated value, Gauss silently calculated in his mind.

Adding the mission reward, it would be about 6 or 7 silver coins per person.

He was quite satisfied with the outcome.

Although it couldn’t compare to the earnings from Birch Village, that was a stroke of luck.

Normal adventures couldn’t always yield high-value magical items; otherwise, the price of magical items wouldn’t be so high.

This type of mission was a stable form of happiness, with a relatively low danger factor and considerable income for low-level adventurers.

After ten or so more, he could even buy a house in Greystone Town.

After cleaning up the battlefield, it was already close to noon.

The trivial matters before and after the battle took much longer than the actual fighting time.

Perhaps seeing that the commission was almost completed, the expressions on everyone’s faces relaxed.

Apart from Daphne, who was treating Doyle’s minor scrapes, the others had finished maintaining their weapons and were preparing to eat to replenish their energy.

It was also then that Gauss noticed, as Meva lowered her hood, that the ears beneath her black shoulder-length hair were distinctively long and pointed, unlike those of ordinary humans.

Perhaps noticing Gauss’s gaze, Meva turned her head.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s with your ears?”

“Oh, that. I have very faint elven blood.”

Meva said nothing more after that, lowering her head again to rummage for food in her pack.

No wonder he had felt her movements were particularly nimble earlier; it turned out to be the influence of her bloodline power, Gauss thought to himself.

Among intelligent life forms, elves were considered very powerful individuals: long-lived, magic-attuned, possessing superhuman perception, innate stealth abilities, and natural archery talent. Their only drawback was low reproductive capacity.

Perhaps it was precisely because of this that humans, with their more ordinary racial talents, later surpassed them, establishing human kingdoms on the land.

In the afternoon, the Night Owl Squad did not set off back to Greystone Town.

Firstly, although the morning battle was easy, it still consumed some energy.

Secondly, and most crucially, even if they set off in the afternoon, they couldn’t reach Greystone Town before nightfall.

They might as well camp in the ruins and depart the next morning, also allowing some time for the pack horses to rest and recover their strength.

In the afternoon, with nothing to do, Gauss wandered through the ruined buildings.

The ruins were filled with mottled, broken sights.

Walls and interiors were overgrown with weeds, indicating a long period of abandonment.

Apart from a few buildings with well-preserved main structures, he noticed that many buildings looked as if their tops had been blown off, with huge holes in the roofs extending down through the floorboards to the ground, as if attacks from the sky had destroyed them.

The village square was also pitted and uneven, like the surface of the moon.

So, was this ruin “artificially” destroyed? Or did a meteorite fall?

The more he observed, the more incredible Gauss felt.

If it was artificial, the being responsible was definitely a powerful one.

To create attacks comparable to artillery bombardments in his previous life’s wars, the power of individuals in this other world could actually be so strong.

Thinking of this, he swallowed.

Along with the fear, there was also a hint of longing; his desire for the realm of professional practitioners deepened.

One day, he too would be able to wield such power.

…

The journey back to Greystone Town was still uneventful.

Gauss successfully completed his second commission in life.

Submitting the mission, collecting the reward, selling the spoils, and dividing the proceeds.

Once their respective mission rewards were distributed, the group of “workers” eagerly disbanded on the spot.

Although the mission itself wasn’t difficult, the journey was tiring and laborious.

Having not bathed for days, they all smelled, and no one wanted to linger for a moment.

Gauss recounted his 7 silver coins and 15 copper coins reward, satisfied, and put it back into his wallet.

Cash: 19 silver, 30 copper.

For the next period, Gauss would need to be relatively frugal.

He had previously invested 10 silver coins in a rapier and 15 silver coins in leather armor, which were considered early investments to acquire better weapons and armor, providing greater security for future commissions.

But after investing, one naturally needed to earn returns.

He planned to follow Levin’s Night Owl Squad for a period of commissions first.

To earn some money and replenish his small treasury.

After all, to make a magic wand, the base material alone would cost at least 70 silver coins.

Of course, he wasn’t purely relying on them.

In fact, he and the Night Owl Squad were mutually beneficial.

His Magic Missile was equivalent to the Night Owl Squad’s trump card, serving the same purpose as Priest Daphne’s Life Support spell.

Even if it didn’t always come into play, their presence made the team feel more secure when undertaking missions.

After taking a hot bath at the bathhouse and feeling refreshed, Gauss walked towards the inn.

Sophia was about to close up when she suddenly spotted a familiar figure in the dark street.

She quickly stopped what she was doing and reopened the door.

“Little Gauss, you’re back? Come in quickly.”

Gauss looked up and saw the plump Sophia waving at him under the orange-yellow light. A warmth spread through his heart.

After days of work, seeing a familiar face again felt like coming home.

Speaking of which, the original owner actually had a home, it was just…

Thinking of home, he, who had absorbed the original owner’s memories and emotions, felt a complicated mix of feelings.

Perhaps he would go back and visit sometime later?

Pausing, Gauss calmed the sudden surge of emotions.

“Yes, I just successfully completed the mission,” he forced a smile at Sophia.

Although the process was somewhat uneventful, Gauss thought it would be quite nice if every time could be as uneventful and boring as this one.

“You didn’t encounter any danger, did you?” Sophia asked with concern.

“Just a few goblins, no danger at all,” Gauss said, then couldn’t help but quickly correct himself and warn, “Of course, that’s no danger for me. Sophia, if you accidentally encounter them, you really must be careful. Don’t underestimate goblins as monsters.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not as brave as you adventurers.”

“By the way, want some late-night snack? My treat.”

“Uh…”

“Already eaten?”

“Then, let’s have some.”

…

The next day.

Gauss overslept again.

It was perfectly reasonable to take a break on the second day after officially finishing the commission.

He didn’t get out of bed until noon.

Walking downstairs, Sophia was sitting at the counter, idly resting her chin, looking out at the street.

The midday sun was bright, and the street was lined with outdoor stalls from shops, with people coming and going like weaving threads.

Live mountain water flowed in the drainage ditches on both sides of the street, and moss and unknown small wild flowers thrived in the stone cracks.

On the building opposite the inn, vines covered the exterior wall, swaying and rustling in the wind.

“Ha—” Sophia and Gauss, who had just come downstairs, both yawned contentedly at the same time.

“Good morning.”

“By the way, lunch is ready for you.”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Today, Gauss planned to have lunch at the inn.

Last night’s late-night snack proved that the meager vegetarian food wasn’t filling enough, so he had requested Sophia to add meat dishes to the menu.

Sophia agreed.

Sophia’s cooking was actually good, but a clever cook can’t make a meal without ingredients. The food usually provided to guests was as cheap as possible, so she couldn’t make many varieties.

Besides, good ingredients were too expensive for a pauper like Gauss used to be.

Fortunately, now Gauss could afford to eat some meat without much trouble.

Watching Sophia run back to the kitchen, Gauss yawned again.

He planned to visit the small shop in Widow’s Alley that Boss Grolon recommended for trading magical items.

Although he hadn’t saved enough money to buy a magic wand yet, couldn’t he at least inquire about the situation?

Perhaps there would be a pleasant surprise?

At the very least, finding out the exact cost would give him a clear goal to work towards.