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Goblin Chapter 121: House Viewing, Goodberry, Path
🕑 Added 2025-08-06 19:42:42 +0000 UTCThe early morning sun spilled slantwise across the slightly worn but tidy counter of the inn. Sophia and Gauss were chatting idly when a shadow moved by the door, and a light-footed figure stepped inside.
“Welcome,” Sophia greeted out of habit.
But the newcomer’s gaze bypassed her entirely, landing directly on Gauss with a soft, familiar smile.
“Yo. Morning, Gauss.”
“Morning,” Gauss replied.
“This is my partner, Alia—the one I said I was waiting for,” he said, introducing them.
“Sophia, the innkeeper and a good friend who’s always looked out for me.”
Alia offered a confident handshake, while Winnie, standing at the counter, glanced at her silently.
So this is Gauss’s teammate?
Sophia’s eyes instinctively scanned the woman in front of her.
Alia wasn’t the kind of beauty that stunned at first glance, but she had a clear, refreshing presence—like morning dew in the forest—tempered by a quiet wildness.
Her long pale-blue hair hung loosely over her shoulders. Her skin was smooth, her features gentle and symmetrical.
She was lean and strong, walked with the ease of someone used to trekking through the wild. The firm muscle lines on her calves made it clear—this woman had built her body through a life outdoors. She was no delicate flower.
Even Sophia could sense that this blue-haired woman wasn’t someone to underestimate.
And that gave her some peace of mind.
Gauss having a partner was much safer than working solo.
“Come eat with us sometime.”
“Of course, Miss Sophia.”
After some quick greetings, Gauss and Alia headed out together, under the watchful gaze of Sophia and Winnie.
“Boss… you okay?” Winnie asked carefully after they left.
Sophia turned and looked at her with genuine confusion.
“What would be wrong?” she asked, scratching her head as Winnie returned a look full of vague sympathy.
…
On the street—
“How’d you sleep?”
“Pretty well,” she answered at first, then caught the slight weariness under Gauss’s eyes and blinked.
“You didn’t?”
“Not really,” Gauss admitted.
Unlike with Sophia, he didn’t downplay it—he shared the details of his nightmare.
It wasn’t about favoritism. He just knew that telling Sophia wouldn’t help—she’d only worry. But Alia, as a fellow professional, might understand what it meant.
“A nightmare, huh...” Alia nodded, her expression turning serious.
Nightmares were normal. Everyone had them. But given they’d just completed an unusual quest, it was worth being cautious.
“Want me to check you with natural magic? See if there’s anything... tainted?” Alia offered.
Aside from basic spells like Speak with Animals and Entangle, she was currently learning Goodberry, though hadn’t mastered it yet.
Still, while no spell could "scan" his body directly, druids were innately sensitive to corruption, pollution, and spiritual anomalies.
Gauss nodded, and they found a clean bench along the road and sat down.
Alia had Gauss tilt slightly forward, then gently pressed her warm palm against the back of his neck.
She closed her eyes, inhaled deeply—drawing in the natural energy of the environment.
Then she focused, extending her senses, like a living detector, tuning into Gauss’s body’s subtle magical resonance. She searched for the slightest imbalance, any trace of foreign corruption or spiritual filth.
His aura was tired—clearly sleep-deprived—but stable.
There was some faint noise in his energy field, but nothing distinctly abnormal or malevolent. No signs of possession, curse, or dark influence.
It really did seem like he’d just slept poorly.
She opened her eyes slowly.
“I didn’t detect anything unusual. Though, maybe I’m just not skilled enough,” she said honestly.
“But I do think you’re a bit worn out. You’ve been taking quests back-to-back for days.”
“Give it a few days. If the nightmares keep coming or you start feeling worse, we’ll go to the church in Barry City for a full checkup.”
“Got it. Thanks,” Gauss replied sincerely.
He hadn’t been feeling unwell—he just needed reassurance. And that was enough, for now.
The two of them headed to the commercial district to sell off their loot.
To Gauss’s surprise, Alia turned out to be a master negotiator.
All he’d ever done was ask around, compare prices, and sell to the highest bidder—usually the flashiest shop. Now he felt a little embarrassed.
So, for this round, he stayed quiet and let Alia handle everything.
“This leather’s got a torn edge, sure—but look at the core! The grain, the flexibility? Top-tier stuff. Clean off these chitin plates and you’ve got perfect material for bracers or kneepads.”
“You want to smelt this? Come on, look underneath. Real steel. Just needs a rust remover, not a full melt-down.”
Thanks to her smooth talking, what should’ve taken all morning was done by midday—and the payout exceeded all expectations.
1 gold, 10 silver.
Gauss figured that if he’d sold it himself, he might’ve squeezed out 90 silver at best.
They split the earnings on the spot.
As Gauss felt the weight of the pouch in his hand, a satisfied smile spread across his face. His spirits lifted immediately.
10 gold, 40 silver.
His on-hand cash once again broke the double-digit gold threshold.
They stopped at a tavern for a simple lunch.
Alia finished eating early and quietly watched as Gauss devoured his meal. Oddly enough, after staring at him long enough, her appetite returned.
After he was done, she invited him over to check out her house.
Since Gauss was considering buying property, he agreed.
It was nearby—just a couple of quiet turns from the inn.
A charming little two-story cottage appeared before them, with a neat white fence enclosing a small, lively garden.
Ulfen, the gray wolf, was sprawled lazily on the grass, sunbathing. He barely cracked an eye when they approached, let out a soft “woof,” then went back to snoozing.
Alia gave Gauss the full tour.
Though not in a fancy district, the interior was cozy and clean—sunlight poured in through spotless windows, the scent of herbs and dried flowers lingered gently in the air.
“Tea or coffee?”
“Tea.”
After brewing a pot, Alia handed Gauss a cup. He sipped, glancing around—and finally couldn’t resist asking:
“So... how much did all this cost?”
“The house, garden, taxes—about 1 gold, 20 silver. A little pricey for the area, but I liked the quiet. Furnishing and renovation added another gold or so.”
She pushed open a window facing the garden.
“I used to stay in inns too, but once I had enough savings, I figured I’d be here a while, so I had someone help me find this place.”
“Think they could help me find something similar?” Gauss asked.
He was convinced now—having a stable base made sense. Something more permanent.
After all, inviting teammates or guests to a tavern every time wasn’t ideal.
“Leave it to me,” Alia smiled. “I’ll contact him later today.”
Gauss lingered a while longer.
He watched her roll up her sleeves and tend to the herbs and flowers in her garden.
So this is what a druid’s downtime looks like, huh?
Compared to his days—which were all quests, training, eating, and sleeping—her life seemed almost peaceful.
While she worked, a battered kitten limped into the yard, clearly injured from a recent fight.
“Meow.”
Alia stopped what she was doing, cast Speak with Animals, and had a quiet conversation with the little cat. Then she began cleaning its wounds and carefully wrapping them.
“If I’d learned Healing Word already, this would be so much easier,” she muttered, focused on the task.
That spell was on the druid spell list, but she was still working on Goodberry as her third level-1 spell.
“Still, Goodberry should come in handy for feeding you,” she added with a smirk.
Gauss immediately understood the teasing.
Goodberry created magical berries that could heal slightly and restore energy—perfect emergency rations.
Translation: you eat a lot, Gauss.
And she was right.
With Goodberry, plus his Energy Storage Gland and Quick Digestion trait, his stamina in prolonged battles would skyrocket. Not to mention the healing effect.
Mages and druids might sound like a strange combo, but Gauss thought they made a great team.
Defense, healing, melee, ranged, crowd control, and now logistical support.
That’s what a team was about—everyone had their role.
“Hurry and learn that spell, then. I’m counting on you,” Gauss said.
“I will,” Alia nodded.
“But these divine nature spells can’t be rushed. I need to feel the plants’ vitality, their rhythms. It’s not just about memorizing formulas in a room.”
“And honestly, I don’t learn that fast. Not like you.”
She sighed, a little frustrated.
She could tell Gauss was a natural talent—a prodigy. He already knew so many spells and cantrips for his age.
She was worried he’d think she wasn’t working hard. That all she did was play with plants. So she explained.
“No rush. Just go at your own pace,” Gauss replied, feeling a little awkward like he was pressuring her.
“Besides, I’m not that fast a learner either. Pretty average.”
Alia stared at him in silence.
Really?
“Okay... fine. Maybe faster than most mages,” Gauss admitted, scratching his cheek.
Alia just sighed, clearly jealous, and went back to treating the kitten.
Gauss took the moment to glance at his skill panel:
Prestidigitation Lv2 (6 → 15/20)
Message Lv2 (3 → 7/20)
Mending Lv2 (1 → 5/20)
Firebolt Lv2 (0 → 14/20)
All were progressing quickly thanks to his practice and the effects of his Spell Proficiency trait.
In his experience, once a cantrip hit Lv3, it became incredibly smooth to cast in live combat.
His plan? Max out Prestidigitation and Firebolt, then pick two more to learn.
He’d been putting serious time into spellwork, and it was paying off.
He could feel it—his "invisible cup," the metaphorical container representing his class level, was slowly being filled with every bit of knowledge and spell control he gained.
He couldn’t measure it exactly, but the sensation was real: he was getting closer to reaching Level 2.
So, more spells. More mastery. Keep pushing.
And soon—his meditation training would also pay off. He was almost done reading that complex tome, which would soon allow him to begin formal magical meditation.
He suspected that too would feed into his class advancement.
Right now, he could clearly see two paths forward:
One was through his mage duties—quests, spell research, meditation, improving magic, pushing toward Level 2, with better stats and more refined mana.
The other was through monster hunting—expanding his monster index, collecting kills, earning stat points and bonuses through practical fieldwork.
And right now, he was advancing on both fronts.
Unlike many fumbling adventurers, Gauss felt lucky—he could see exactly where he was going.
