“Could it be... some kind of dark ritual?”

Aria spoke slowly.

“A dark ritual? Related to an evil god?” Gauss pressed, fragments of memories about malevolent gods surfacing—those beings opposed to the righteous deities, embodying chaos and evil.

“Hmm.” Aria nodded solemnly. “But the name that ratfolk mentioned just now, I’ve never heard of it.”

Gauss understood immediately.

If even Aria was unfamiliar, then the original body’s ordinary knowledge was even less reliable.

“Take this back with us.” Gauss’s gaze landed on a faded scale with slightly curled edges at the center of the dried-up pool bottom. “The guild might know something.”

The Adventurers Guild had rules that reporting special intelligence could also earn a reward.

“Be careful.” Aria reminded quietly.

Anything connected to evil gods meant bad luck for ordinary people.

“Got it.”

Gauss stepped forward, activated Mage Hand, wrapped the scale in cloth, and carefully stored it in his Storage Bag.

He didn’t really believe this weak ratfolk group could have a deep connection with an evil god.

The logic was simple: the evil god’s own power would likely favor stronger individuals.

The two examined the sacred altar room carefully again, confirmed nothing was missed, and quickly retreated.

The next task was to clean the battlefield and tally the spoils.

Except for the room thoroughly burned by the oil fire, where the embers still glowed, the other quiet chambers were piled with ratfolk living debris and crude equipment.

Aria moved swiftly, clearly more experienced than Gauss, perhaps also wanting to prove her worth.

She sorted quickly.

Rusty but salvageable metal weapons, armor fragments, a small amount of uncontaminated ore, and some strange bones or shells—maybe sellable to an alchemist—all were collected in hand.

Useful items were packed and tied up, to be stuffed into Gauss’s sizable Storage Bag later.

For adventurers, the commission fee was often just the base pay;

valuable loot usually made up the bulk of income, sometimes far exceeding the gold itself.

Back at the first extinguished room, the fire was nearly out, only stubbornly burning on a dozen or so charred ratfolk corpses.

The flames had destroyed a lot, but fortunately some ironware withstood the heat;

losses were still acceptable.

After thoroughly clearing the grim cellar, the two hurriedly left that oppressive underground space.

Back above ground, they gathered the remaining intact weapons and armor fragments left on the surface battlefield, packed them up as well.

With everything handled, both finally relaxed.

This mission wasn’t difficult but was extremely messy;

their bodies were covered in bloodstains and sticky grime, emitting a strong stench of blood.

“Magic cantrips!”

Gauss raised his hand and threw several cleaning cantrips onto himself. Invisible waves of magical energy swept over him.

The stains receded like a retreating tide;

the foul odor was neutralized by more than half.

He noticed Aria’s gaze;

her eyes showed a hint of expectation mixed with slight embarrassment.

Looking at her, she was equally dirty and sticky.

Gauss beckoned to her.

“It shouldn’t cost you much mana, right? If it’s too much, never mind;

I’m used to it anyway.” Aria’s voice was soft.

“No problem.” Gauss waved his hand. “My mana reserve... is a bit more ample than the average spellcaster’s. And it’s just cantrips;

the consumption isn’t large.”

At most, he’d just eat a bit more afterward to replenish that mana.

“Then... thank you.” Aria stepped closer.

Gauss repeated the earlier process. As mana flowed, the dirt and stench peeled away layer by layer from Aria, leaving her feeling refreshed and light, as if she’d shed several pounds.

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

“No big deal.”

Gauss found a clean stone nearby to sit on, pulled out food again, and continued with post-battle nourishment.

Aria was used to this by now.

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

She sat down beside Gauss.

“I really envy you mages. You learn so many convenient and practical cantrips and spells.” Aria said sincerely.

In the past, she wouldn’t have chatted so personally with temporary teammates.

But she felt Gauss was different—he had a special friendliness, and she wasn’t worried about accidentally saying something that might make him think badly of her.

“Don’t druids do the same?” Gauss asked curiously, chewing his food and swallowing. “I saw you use spells just now. Can’t you buy spellbooks to learn other magic?”

“No.” Aria shook her head.

“The natural power inside us differs from the mana used by mages;

it only allows us to master certain sequences of cantrips and spells.”

“For example, we can’t learn magic cantrips.”

“One similar cantrip we have is the druid cantrip, but its effects aren’t as comprehensive as the magician’s cantrip. It only has four effects: weather prediction, plant growth acceleration, small-scale simulation of natural phenomena, and manipulation of minor flames.”

“Most of our spells relate to nature, life, and elements.”

“I see.” Gauss nodded.

He had a clearer understanding of the differences between spellcasters and other magic-using professions.

“However,” he added, “you can contract animal companions and will eventually master wild shape and summoning spells. Your prospects aren’t bad at all.”

He felt that in this world, every profession had its unique path, so there was no need to envy others too much.

Just like that giant wolf—being a druid, she had not only a loyal companion but also an extra aid in battle.

Aria smiled but said nothing, only reaching out to rub the head of her giant wolf companion who had approached her.

“By the way, its name is Ulfen. In the ancient language, it means ‘Heart of the Wolf.’”

“Ulfen.”

Gauss called to the gray wolf.

Ulfen immediately turned its head, eyes fixed on him, and stuck out its tongue in friendliness.

Gauss tossed a piece of jerky;

the wolf caught it swiftly, swallowed it in one bite, then licked its mouth with longing eyes full of adoration.

“Haha, such a glutton.” Gauss laughed and threw a few more pieces.

With the Storage Bag, his supply carrying capacity had greatly increased.

So food wasn’t currently an issue. During regular adventures, he could always hunt some wild animals, put the carcasses into the Storage Bag, or gather wild fruits and vegetables to replenish his reserves.

After finishing the jerky, Ulfen came forward, affectionately licking Gauss’s palm before rolling over and showing its belly.

“Ahem.” Aria watched a bit enviously. Although she had deliberately used beast speech to encourage the wolf to get along with Gauss, this was a bit much...

Ulfen looked at her in confusion, seemingly not understanding what she was doing.

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

The two rested briefly under the shade of a tree.

After Gauss finished his supplies, they stood and headed toward the oak tree where they had agreed to meet the carriage driver. The driver was indeed waiting obediently there.

It was nearly four in the afternoon.

They boarded the carriage and returned to Barleycorn Manor.

Unexpected situations had occurred during this commission, so they needed steward Horwen to issue a supplemental explanation.

At the same time, the piles of ratfolk corpses outside the church needed to be burned by the manor staff to prevent disease.

“Be cautious.”

Before the carriage neared the manor gate, Gauss quietly reminded Aria, exchanging a knowing look.

Although it was unclear if the ratfolk several kilometers away at the manor and church were connected, being cautious was never a bad idea.

At the manor gate, the guards let them pass immediately upon seeing them.

Soon after, steward Horwen arrived quickly upon hearing the news.

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

“No rush. There’s something I need to explain to you first.”

Gauss recounted the commission process.

He concealed the information possibly related to the evil god, only stating that they had killed all the ratfolk, the number didn’t match the task, but none escaped, and many ratfolk corpses remained on site needing disposal. He asked if Horwen could issue a supplemental confirmation document.

“I understand.” Steward Horwen’s expression remained normal, showing no sign of surprise. “I will send people to verify the site later. If the situation is confirmed, I will issue the documentation for you.”

Gauss felt slightly relieved.

After the explanation, the two bathed thoroughly, changed into clean clothes, and spent a peaceful night in the manor’s comfortable guest rooms.

The night passed quietly.

The next morning, Horwen likely sent people to inspect the abandoned church surroundings.

He promptly wrote the confirmation document for the completion of their commission.

Actually, they could have carried the Mission Recorder crystal provided by the guild, but after becoming bronze-level adventurers, most people avoided it, fearing potential privacy risks. Fortunately, the guild did not mandate its use.

Coincidentally, the caravan that transported them the day before deliberately stayed one more night at the manor;

they seemed to be there for a special Celestial Sect transaction.

The two managed to hitch another ride, wobbling as they set off back toward Grayrock Town.

“Clop—clop—”

As the carriage approached Grayrock Town, Gauss and Aria got off early.

Right after stepping down, he immediately sensed something unusual. Vehicles and pedestrians waiting for inspection at the town entrance were lined up in a long queue, moving painfully slowly.

“Why is the inspection so slow today?”

“Yeah, we’ve been waiting almost half an hour;

the line isn’t moving at all!”

“Shh... such a huge incident just happened, so the checks are stricter... you have to understand.”

“What happened?” Gauss caught the whispers among the waiting crowd.

He and Aria naturally didn’t need to queue.

At the checkpoint, the guards recognized them and whispered to each other briefly before waving them through, but their eyes held a heavier gravity than usual.

“Looks like something really happened...” Gauss thought as he stepped into town. The last time he entered with Aria, it wasn’t this troublesome.

Aria also looked puzzled;

after all, they had just returned from a mission and knew nothing about what had occurred.

Walking down the main street of the town, overhearing shop customers chatting, Gauss finally learned the situation.

Just that day, an event shook the entire human world.

Roland, the legendary Sword Saint known as the Light of the Empire who had lived over 180 years, suffered a hidden injury outbreak and quietly passed away in the imperial capital’s inner palace.

Although this legendary powerhouse had withdrawn from the public eye in his later years, rarely appearing, as the uncontested strongest human warrior in turbulent times, his death caused a huge sensation.

Even Grayrock Town, a sleepy frontier town, was shrouded in this heavy news, the air filled with an invisible solemnity and unease.