I Am Not Goblin Slayer

Chapter 465: Gauss Repays a Kind Deed

After his conversation with the big-bearded Guildmaster, Gauss gained a deeper understanding of the current battlefield situation.Although he had already communicated with Aria and the others before coming here, they were, after all, just an adventuring guild. Many developments involving the upper echelons remained completely unknown to them.

This was determined both by their strength and the unequal status and roles between the two sides.

The Adventurers Guild simply couldn't share certain important intelligence with the majority of adventurers.

After all, there might be spies from the monster side hidden among humans. The more people who knew the information, the greater the risk of exposure.

During the early stages of this war, those human traitors from the Dragon Worshipers had teamed up with Wyverns to swiftly destroy many magic cannons from the inside out.

As a result, many adventurers and soldiers not only had to guard against enemies attacking from the front but also had to stay alert to their own teammates around and behind them, adding an extra burden to combat operations.

That was why Monroe had also warned Gauss to be cautious of strangers in the camp.

Even now, there might still be undiscovered human traitors lurking within, making it difficult to distinguish these bastards by their physical appearance.

After all, the Dragon Worshipers weren't that stupid. Members who remained hidden among the crowd for long periods usually didn't tattoo religious markings on their bodies.

And with tens of thousands of people now moving in and out of the camp, it was impossible to thoroughly investigate everyone's identity and background one by one—tracing their family situations, whereabouts, property relationships, etc., to determine whether they were Dragon Worshiper members. The workload would be astronomical.

The only option was to warn those who might be targeted by the Dragon Worshipers to be extra careful.

Gauss walked out of the Adventurers Guild building.

The scene in the camp was lively, with people of all kinds of attire walking around.

Although this was the front line, a tense and oppressive wartime zone, a considerable portion of the combat members were adventurers, making it difficult to restrain them with overly strict regulations.

Moreover, because the pressure of frontline combat was immense, they needed to relax and unwind after returning to the camp even more. So, the camp was fully equipped with various shops and service personnel.

It was far more prosperous than most towns and cities.

Gauss watched a burly adventurer, reeking of alcohol, with a woman on each arm, and couldn't help shaking his head inwardly.

He couldn't agree with such a live-for-the-moment attitude toward life.

In his experience, those who achieved great things were often extremely self-disciplined, especially during special times and stages.

While wine and women could relieve a tense body and mind, they also dulled focus and alertness, reducing reaction time and physical condition. Even with a professional's physique, these effects were just negligible differences. But under normal circumstances, differences that might go unnoticed could, in a split-second of life or death, lead to one's head hitting the ground.

Take himself, for example. Facing most enemies of average strength, he could kill them at least ten times in a single second.

That was why he never touched a drop of alcohol during commissions or wartime.

He only allowed himself a few small drinks when safety was confirmed.

All the way back to the Red Dragon Guild's base, Gauss didn't lack the attention of onlookers.

Most of these were curious gazes. The scene of him descending from the sky riding a Red Dragon had been witnessed by many adventurers. Even those who didn't know much about Gauss before had now tagged him with the label of "an extraordinary figure."

A Dragon in this world was an undeniable proof of power.

And being able to subdue a Dragon as a mount made people feel that Gauss was someone truly out of reach.

It was like a limited-edition supercar with a flashy design driving down the main street of a small county town in Gauss's later life—who could resist taking a second look?

After returning to the Red Dragon Guild's base, because of the big-bearded Guildmaster's reminder, Gauss deliberately paid close attention to those around him, especially the new members who had just joined the Red Dragon Guild.

This careful perception did yield some unexpected gains.

Gauss kept his expression calm, but silently noted several people in his mind.

The way these people looked at him was off. Unlike the worship, reverence, envy, and longing in the eyes of most new members, their eyes were too calm, as if they were deliberately hiding their true thoughts.

Of course, this wasn't Gauss being so narcissistic as to demand that everyone worship him from the bottom of their hearts.

But his attributes were too high. Coupled with his Intelligence attribute breaking through 21 points, his mental power had reached an unprecedented level, giving him a deeper perception of others' mental and emotional states toward him.

Add to that the [Proof of Leadership] professional specialty, which amplified this specialized perception.

If they hadn't joined the Red Dragon Guild and were just passersby, it might have been fine. But becoming nominal insiders only made it impossible for them to hide.

However, Gauss didn't immediately apprehend them. For one thing, it could cause panic and other negative effects. For another, it might lead to "wrongful convictions." He planned to have Luna transfer their files for further verification.

Once everything was confirmed, he would deal with them.

Gauss was very cautious about this. He had already been a key target on the Dragon Worshipers' list before this. At this special time, it was only natural for them to come up with some twisted schemes.

The Dragon Worshipers couldn't possibly have a thorough understanding of his rate of improvement. They were likely still stuck on impressions from previous stages.

Silently returning to his own tent, Gauss told the others not to disturb him and began sorting through the gains from this trip.

The improvement in his strength needed no further elaboration. He started flipping through the treasures in his storage bracelet.

First were the four dragon corpses lying quietly inside the bracelet, as fresh as the moment they died.

The interior of the storage bracelet didn't have conditions for decay. Everything was locked in the state it was in when first placed inside.

This was the main reason Gauss had shamelessly asked Guildmaster Monroe for an extension on borrowing it.

If the dragon corpses were placed in ordinary storage space or left outside, many of the flesh and organs would rot and spoil before long, leaving only some dragon scales, teeth, horns, and similar materials.

"How should I use them?"

In the tent, Gauss sat alone, deep in thought.

The simplest and most straightforward approach was to sell the whole lot as a package. True Dragons were highly valuable.

From dragon hide and scales to dragon bones, blood, and meat—almost every organ and tissue on their bodies had considerable value. Whether as materials for special potions or for crafting equipment and armor, they were excellent resources.

Beyond that, there was also research value.

Some high-level spellcasters would gladly purchase the corpse of a True Dragon juvenile as a research subject. Even though as a corpse, its research value was greatly diminished compared to a live dragon, it still far exceeded monster materials of the same level.

During their conversation, Guildmaster Monroe had directly stated that they could provide some sales channels. If Gauss was interested in selling, whether directly to the Adventurers Guild official or by connecting him with high-level professionals who might need them, the Guild could handle it without charging any intermediary fees.

In this regard, the Guild had truly been nothing but good to Gauss.

Except for the very beginning, when Gauss was a low-level adventurer and still unknown, the Adventurers Guild had started paying attention to him from the moment he advanced in profession, and the privileges they offered had gradually increased.

By now, Gauss was receiving treatment almost like a favored son.

Various high-paying internal commissions, intelligence and high-level equipment loans, and the ability to use the Guild as a sales platform—not to mention the protections not visible on the surface.

Gauss wasn't naive enough to think that his smooth journey of growth, free from recruitment or suppression by other major nobles, was just luck. A little thought revealed that the Guild's hand was definitely involved.

Most likely, they had been working on two fronts—protecting his information and intelligence while also warning those major nobles in advance.

This was what created a relatively peaceful environment for him to grow.

Until today, he had successfully grown from a promising talent with great potential into a Magician with powerful combat capabilities. If other forces wanted to control him, they'd have to carefully consider their own abilities.

Although he knew the Guild was investing in and nurturing his potential, he had indeed enjoyed treatment that other ordinary adventurers couldn't access.

So, Gauss planned to sell one complete dragon corpse to the Adventurers Guild official. First, as a gesture of repaying kindness. He had obtained these four True Dragon juveniles not only through personal effort but also thanks to the Guild's commission intelligence and precious equipment support.

Especially the equipment support—without the Silent Birdcage and storage bracelet, he couldn't have smoothly killed the True Dragons, let alone brought back their corpse materials intact.

Second, selling to the Guild was also the easiest approach.

The price the Guild offered might not be the highest, but it would definitely be fair.

More importantly, he could use this to exchange for many resources and equipment needed at his current stage.

For example, the large storage bracelet on his wrist. He couldn't keep shamelessly borrowing it forever. But if he wanted to buy one, his current cash flow would make it a stretch, and there was also a waiting list.

Crafting and forging bracelets required a lot of time and materials, so every year, many high-level adventurers with purchasing qualifications were queuing up to buy one.

Large storage equipment was essential for all adventurers, and the demand for these things was enormous. Even after getting one, people would want a second and a third.

With the treatment Gauss enjoyed at the Guild, he could custom-order large storage equipment when he had sufficient funds, but the other adventurers waiting in line were no pushovers either. Even if the Guild wanted to favor Gauss, they couldn't blatantly let him cut the line.

At least as an official institution, they had to appear fair on the surface.

This was a good thing for both the Guild and Gauss.

If Gauss sold a complete True Dragon corpse, everything would be different. This counted as a special contribution to the Guild, naturally opening a green express lane for him, and no one would have anything to say after learning about it.

Even if someone was dissatisfied, the Adventurers Guild could justify it. If it really came down to it, everyone could submit dragon corpses to skip the line, and the Guild would be willing to use even its strategic reserves as rewards.

The value of a True Dragon corpse was simply too high.

Exchanging a complete dragon corpse for a high-level storage bracelet would be more than enough, and it could also exchange for a large number of other resources.

High-level spells, special curiosities, equipment.

However, since the funds involved were enormous, Guildmaster Monroe stated that they needed professional actuaries on-site with sufficient data to proceed with the next steps of the exchange.

Gauss had no objection to this. He did need to convert the dragon corpses into usable resources, but this kind of thing couldn't be rushed, nor could it achieve maximum returns.

As for the other three dragon corpses, he planned to hold onto them for now, letting the Guild contact high-level professionals to see the quotes others offered.

If the price was right, he wouldn't mind selling a few more, converting them into direct resources.

It was also a matter of comparing prices, but if the prices were similar to what the Guild offered, it would be easier to just hand them over to the Guild.

That was his current arrangement for the dragon corpses.

He shifted his focus away from the four massive dragon corpses. Beside them was a pile of miscellaneous items.

These were the spoils he had gathered from the Dragon Lair when, after killing the juvenile dragons, he had felt sleepiness surging but fought through intense drowsiness to sweep and collect the loot.

Since he had subsequently fallen unconscious and then been on the move non-stop after waking up, he hadn't had a good look at these spoils yet.

Although he thought they were just spoils from four juvenile dragons that couldn't leave their lair, and there probably wouldn't be any priceless treasures, out of habit, he decided to inspect them carefully again.

He would also use the "Identify Spell" to appraise them one by one.

With the growth of his adventuring experience, his Identify Spell was now effective enough to check the value of most items.

"Shed scales from a young Blue Dragon. With the passage of time, their vitality has been severely lost, but they're still suitable as rare materials for protective gear, and also for potion crafting..."

"Shed scales from a young Green Dragon..."

The molted skin and shed scales of True Dragons didn't need much explanation. Although their color had faded considerably, nowhere near the gleaming scales on the dragon corpses, they still held considerable value.

Good stuff.

Gauss silently gave a rating, then separated the mixed dragon scales and hide into several piles according to dragon species.

Different dragon species had scales suitable for different types of protective gear and potions.

Next were Magic Crystals and gold coins. True Dragons naturally loved shiny things—even their goblin-like creature underlings had picked up this habit. However, what True Dragons collected were often high-end jewelry, precious metals, and Magic Crystals. Goblins' treasures were mostly oddly colored pretty stones, the occasional cloudy glass they fired, and so on.

Unfortunately, as juvenile dragons living under someone else's roof, these four weren't truly independent Dragons in terms of treasure. In total, they only had about a hundred Magic Crystals and a little over a thousand gold coins.

Although for ordinary adventurers, this was still a considerable fortune, for four True Dragons, it was incredibly shabby—especially the gold coins, which were really too few.

Gauss guessed it was the result of the Green Dragon Queen "taxing" them.

There were slightly more Magic Crystals, possibly considering the juvenile dragons' physical development needed some intake, but when it came to gold, the Queen clearly had no obligation to leave much for them.

"Better than nothing, I suppose."

Gauss looked at the last pile of miscellaneous items. He hadn't had much hope for them originally, just continuing to appraise them out of habit.

Suddenly, his thoughts paused, and he looked inside an ordinary-looking chest.