ebookpocket.com Chapter 379: Aria Blessed by the Divine
Chapter 379: Aria Blessed by the Divine
Gauss had no objections to Aria’s request.She probably was just curious about the Magic Academy and wanted to tag along to take a look.
“I’ll call you next time I give a lecture, if you’re free then.”
“All right.”
Gauss looked at Aria.
After breaking through to Level 5, her appearance seemed to have changed a bit.
Although her facial features were largely the same, they looked slightly refined, edging more toward traits belonging to an elf.
If every level-up brought some changes, then after climbing a few more levels she might be indistinguishable from a pure-blood elf.
Thinking that, Gauss felt a touch of envy.
Unlike humans, elves are a long-lived race.
Pure-blood high elves, even without special interventions, commonly live beyond a thousand years; Gauss had seen elves in stories with lifespans of tens of thousands of years.
I wonder what my lifespan is now?
Gauss was not yet the sort of person to obsess over this, but he was curious.
He felt his lifespan should surpass normal human limits—after all, his body had become exceptionally strong, and his internal life energy was monster-like. Living for a century or two shouldn’t be a big problem, right?
As he kept breaking through levels and various racial talents strengthened, his lifespan would surely rise further.
“By the way, how much money do you have on you? I’ll transfer some from the guild account.”
“I’ve probably got a little over twenty gold coins on me. Why are you suddenly giving me money?” Aria asked, puzzled.
Although she had been surprised by Gauss mentioning a “high salary” for the teaching position, that had felt more like flattery—she didn’t actually have many expenses.
When she needed money, she could just ask Gauss; he wouldn’t stingy refuse. For example, in this period she’d spent almost two hundred gold coins on transplanting magical plants into dreams and on experimental costs for researching them.
“For buying spells. You’ve hit Level 5, it’s about time to buy some third-circle druid spells to learn.”
Gauss sighed helplessly at Aria’s blank look and gave her a nudge.
He hadn’t expected Aria to be so lax about her cultivation.
At first he thought she might be too shy to ask for money; it turned out she was so carefree she’d forgotten such things even existed.
Luckily, he was there.
“Ah?”
Aria shook her head.
“Spells?”
“I don’t need them. After breaking through, I naturally got two additional third-circle spells. I think it was a reward from the Moonlight Lady for my successive magical plant transplants into the dream.”
“Like Gauss’s own spell awakening from his bloodline reversion.”
Hephaestus, as the oldest member outside the party, was rather vague about what spells Gauss sometimes obtained.
In this world, aside from ordinary self-learning, spells and skills could sometimes be obtained through rare channels: bloodline inheritance, sudden insight, special pacts, forbidden surgeries, sacred relics of inheritance, divine blessings, and certain rituals. Ordinary people rarely had access to such methods, so they were practically nonexistent.
Gauss felt embarrassed inside.
This was the advantage of having powerful patrons, then?
It seemed whoever watched over Aria was generous—helping trigger her elf bloodline reversion and gifting her spells.
That was fine; such bestowed exclusive skills saved Gauss some money.
Besides, the stronger Aria became, the stronger he became.
Aria’s kills could be shared to his Monster Encyclopedia.
In other words, the suspected deity behind Aria was actually giving him benefits.
“So, what spells did you get?”
Faced with Gauss’s curious question, Aria didn’t hide anything and casually answered.
“Moonlight Vines and Regal Bloom.”
“Moonlight Vines create three to five vines around me. I can control them, and they can also autonomously attack enemies.”
As she spoke, Aria demonstrated.
Silver moonlight slowly shimmered around her, and after a while three tail-like moonlight vines sprouted from the small of her back.
Clearly she had only just learned this spell and was still rather unskilled.
The moonlight vines pressed on the ground and gently lifted her body from the chair.
Gauss was not deceived by the spell’s beautiful appearance; he could sense the immense energy within its shining surface.
Any ordinary creature struck by it would likely have its soul ripped from its body instantly.
A beautiful but deadly offensive spell.
It also seemed to work well as a short-range displacement method.
For a third-circle spell, it was already very versatile.
Its only drawback was a lack of long-range attack capability; its effective reach was only a few meters.
“As for Regal Bloom.”
Aria closed her eyes and slowly mobilized the moonlight-like life energy within.
After failing several times, she finally succeeded.
When she opened her blue eyes, white-and-pink petals took shape, forming small shields of layered petals that surrounded her.
“It can block external attacks, and when the petals shatter they heal those within.”
“When applied to my animal companions, it can integrate into their bodies and boost their combat power.”
The petal shields circled around Gauss as he watched.
Offense, defense, and healing all in one.
The three-skill set Aria obtained was indeed quite good.
“These two spells are not bad, but you need to work on your proficiency.” Gauss reminded her.
Aria stuck out her tongue at his words.
“I’ve only just returned, haven’t I?”
Not long after, the other party members who had received the news came to meet Aria.
Over the next few days, Gauss went out to take some small commissions.
Aria practiced the spells she had just learned in the manor while continuing to tend and cultivate the manor’s magical plants.
Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves and fell on the ground.
In a thicket, a goblin reached out and grabbed a big blade of grass that had fallen onto a wildflower.
After swallowing saliva, it opened its mouth, revealing crooked, yellowed teeth.
The grass dropped into its mouth, and as it chewed, a yellow-green juice burst in its mouth and slid down its throat.
Its thick lips smacked, a dissatisfied expression on its face.
Too little, too little.
Since falling away from its group, it rarely hunted anything satisfying.
Separated from the tribe, large herds—deer, sheep, wild boar—were now beyond its reach.
Fortunately, goblins are omnivores.
Relying on grass roots, berries, insects, and bark, it wouldn’t starve—just be unhealthy.
So hungry! So hungry!
Long-term lack of meat maintained its life signs but made it slower.
Worse, a hunger instinct like a demon whispered to it.
The craving for fresh blood and meat gradually occupied its small mind.
It needed something better.
Not these dry little bugs.
It swallowed and a flicker of brutality flashed deep in its murky eyes, greed in its expression, tongue licking its lips.
While scavenging for food, it had once seen a human village.
At the thought of those pale, tender humans, the ember of greed within it burst into roaring flames.
It had lost reason; storming a village by itself was almost suicidal.
Or rather, the greed had tormented it so long it could not think clearly.
It was this inexplicable lust that made goblins repeatedly attack human villages despite being omnivorous and easily able to find enough to survive.
It turned and seemed to make a decision.
But no sooner had it taken a step than its feet felt rooted to the ground, heavy as if filled with metal.
It wasn’t that the goblin had changed its mind.
In its terrified daze, human figures were slowly approaching from afar.
Especially one pale figure—though only a tiny speck in its vision, it was the first thing the goblin noticed.
Or rather, that figure’s gaze had locked onto it.
With just one look, time seemed to freeze.
It felt it had seen the most terrifying thing in its life, a demonic presence.
The distant white figure was surrounded by strange “tendrils.” In the next moment, the tendrils went wild and lunged at it with terrifying speed.
It felt the tendrils bind it tight, its heart stopping, strength being siphoned from its body.
It clutched its neck, struggling to breathe.
With a thud, it collapsed into the nearby shrubbery, pupils losing all light.
“Goblin killed *1”
“Total monsters killed: 22,551”
A hundred meters away, Gauss withdrew his gaze as the Monster Encyclopedia popped up with a notification.
“What is it?”
Albenia noticed his look and glanced in that direction curiously, but saw nothing.
“Nothing, keep moving.”
Gauss shook his head.
Just a goblin intimidated to death by his presence.
No need to waste time announcing it.
The number of goblins that had died by his hand was greater than the number of loaves ordinary people had eaten.
And he hadn’t come for this goblin.
According to the commission, a gnoll force had been prowling nearby.
This force was also a remnant from several recent monster siege battles, regrouped on their northward march and now hiding in this forest.
Their arrival had sharply reduced the number of wild animals in the forest.
“They’ve already destroyed a village en route. We must stop them here.”
Gauss continued.
Although a routed force, they had regained fighting intent through looting and burning. If allowed to expand further, they would devastate surrounding villages.
Fortunately, Gauss and the others had arrived in time—almost immediately after the gnolls’ trail was exposed.
To prevent early detection and a panic retreat, he had Hephaestus land early and they entered the forest on foot.
“Locate Creature.”
Gauss used magic once more.
This time he finally caught the enemy’s trail with his senses.
“There! Move!”
“Leader, wait for us.” the dwarf Rick called out.
This time Gauss had brought the second dwarf squad, including Toga and the others.
Come to think of it, this was the first commission Gauss had led them on since officially joining the Red Dragon Guild; before that they’d taken small to medium tasks alone around Falim to gain experience.
“You need to work on your footwork.” Gauss teased as he slowed his pace.
Actually the dwarves were not that slow—after all, even the weakest dwarf here was a Level 3 warrior—but speed is relative.
Gauss’s pace was like several of their steps combined.
Even if they ran till their legs smoked, they couldn’t match Gauss’s speed.
Rick didn’t argue; he had been focusing on upper-body strength recently and had neglected systematic leg training.
After threading through the forest for a while, dense silhouettes of gnolls appeared in view.
Gauss said nothing; he gave a glance to his teammates and they quickly dispersed as if they understood.
Once everyone took position, Gauss suddenly summoned the Red Drake Hephaestus.
The air temperature rose rapidly.
He leaped onto the dragon’s back; the Rider talent activated instantly, melding man and dragon into one. In the next moment, Hephaestus flapped its wings fiercely.
The massive body soared above the treetops.
Almost immediately, many heads in the gnoll force lifted.
What met their eyes was the sight of a reddish-brown monstrous beast.
“Gurgle—”
Those thick necks rolled, and gnoll faces shrank in terror, then displayed utter despair.
Gnolls were no strangers to dragon-like creatures; such a “leader” could instantly boost morale and make their younglings fight with reckless courage during sieges.
But...
When such a being stared at them with an extremely hostile gaze and a dangerous-looking human sat upon its back, that was a totally different situation.
“Whoa whoa whoa!!!!”
Other ordinary gnolls belatedly realized the terrifying red dragon above, their hair standing on end.
Their fighting spirit vanished from their eyes; many of their legs began to tremble uncontrollably.
The gnoll leader exchanged looks with others.
They soon understood each other’s thoughts.
Run! Only run!
The battle was over before it began.
They were a reassembled routed army; don’t expect unwavering resolve.
Moreover, this enemy was massively overpowered.
They had once served the Green Dragon Queen; they knew well the terror of dragons.
“Boom!”
Flames from the sky poured down like a waterfall.
“Gnoll killed *32”
“Gnoll killed *26”
Hephaestus’s growing dragon breath became more terrifying.
In an instant, the falling dragonfire consumed over three hundred gnolls, with even more wounded.
The entire gnoll force descended into chaos.
Worse for them, any escape routes were ambushed.
Aria, Albenia and the other nine, Ulfen, Eck, Shadow’s clones, and Gauss’s fifteen clay goblins, plus thirty clay spiders—the clay construct army—had already encircled the gnoll camp like an open net from all directions to prevent them from fleeing.
In fact, since founding the Red Dragon Guild, Gauss had been steadily purchasing mana clay suitable for spellcasting.
That was why the number of clay creatures had grown to this scale.
This was also a key reason he chose to operate the Red Dragon Guild.
An adventuring guild could maximize commission profits and earn more gold. For Gauss’s team, money equaled power.
His money was never left to gather dust in the Storage Bag; it was continuously spent. Money only had value when used.
Gold would convert into skillbooks, supplies, magical plants that team members needed. Even buying mana clay alone could continually expand the clay creature army.
Kill monsters, Monster Encyclopedia breakthroughs, gain abilities, earn money, strengthen yourselves, kill faster—this was like a snowball rolling and growing into a virtuous cycle.
“Kill!”
Gauss shouted from the dragon’s back.
The Proof of Leadership effect activated across the human and beast teammates, instantly strengthening their momentum.
Toga and the other dwarves, experiencing Gauss’s combat specialization effect for the first time, looked astonished and felt blood boil; a boundless surge of strength flooded them and their thirst for slaughter rose sharply.