Chapter 121: Viewing the Room, Berry Spell, and the Path to Power

The morning sunlight slanted across the slightly old but clean counter of the Inn. Sophia and Gauss were chatting casually when the light at the entrance shifted—someone stepped in lightly.

"Welcome." Sophia greeted out of habit.

But the newcomer’s gaze passed over her directly and landed on Gauss with a faint smile.

"Yo, morning, Gauss."

"Good morning." Gauss responded.

"This is my partner, Arya. The one I mentioned earlier that I was waiting for."

Gauss introduced them.

"Sophia, the proprietress of the Inn, and also a friend who's always taken good care of me."

Arya gracefully shook hands with Sophia, while Winnie at the counter silently looked over.

Gauss's partner?

Sophia couldn't help but examine this guest more closely.

She wasn’t the kind of beauty that stunned at first glance, but she carried a unique air—clear like morning dew in the forest, yet imbued with a wild resilience.

Her light blue hair draped casually over her shoulders. Her face was smooth and taut, with gentle and regular features.

Her build was balanced and strong, her stride steady. The smooth lines of her calves revealed a physique shaped by long-term travel and communion with nature—clearly not a frail body.

Even Sophia could feel that this blue-haired woman was no ordinary person.

Thinking this, she felt somewhat reassured.

It was safer for Gauss to have a partner than to venture out alone.

"Come for a meal when you're free next time."

"Okay, Sister Sophia."

After a few brief exchanges,

Under the gaze of Sophia and Winnie, Gauss and Arya left the Inn side by side.

"Boss, are you okay?" After the two had left, the always-silent Winnie looked cautiously at Sophia.

But all she got was a puzzled smile.

"What could be wrong with me?" Sophia scratched her head at Winnie’s sympathetic gaze.

On the street.

"How did you sleep last night?"

"Very well, really well." Arya responded instinctively,

Then her gaze landed on Gauss’s face, catching that hard-to-notice trace of fatigue in his eyes, and suddenly realized.

"You didn’t rest well?"

"A bit." This time Gauss didn’t brush it off like he had with Sophia. Facing Arya, he didn’t hide it and shared the details of last night's nightmare with her.

It wasn’t favoritism—he simply knew that telling Sophia would only cause unnecessary worry.

But Arya, as a Professional, might understand what could lie behind it.

"A nightmare, huh?" Arya nodded, her expression turning serious.

Nightmares themselves weren’t rare; everyone had them. But since the two had just completed a special mission, it was something to be alert about.

"Want me to use the power of Nature to examine your body? See if there’s any filth lingering?" Arya suggested.

Besides the relatively simple Animal Communication, she also knew Entangling Spell. The third Tier 1 Spell she was learning was Berry Spell, though she hadn’t mastered it yet.

But regardless of which spell it was, none could help diagnose the body.

Fortunately, Nature’s power had an innate sensitivity to corruption, pollution, and abnormal mental invasions.

Once Gauss nodded in agreement, the two found a clean bench on the street and sat down.

Arya gestured for Gauss to lean slightly, then raised her hand and gently placed her warm palm on the back of his neck.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if absorbing the surrounding natural aura.

Then, she activated the Druid’s innate sensitivity to life energy and natural balance, like a precise detector, carefully "scanning" the invisible field and energy waves around Gauss, attempting to sense any disharmony or traces of foreign corruption.

Arya focused deeply, her perception extending outward.

She could indeed feel the fatigue emanating from Gauss—caused by lack of sleep.

Though his energy field carried some chaotic "noise", it was generally normal. She didn’t detect any clear traces of evil, filth, or negative energy invasions.

It felt more like he just hadn’t slept well.

She slowly opened her eyes.

"I didn’t sense anything unusual, though it’s also possible that I’m not skilled enough yet," she added honestly. "But I do think you’re a bit exhausted. You seem to take on missions quite frequently."

"See how things go over the next few days. If that nightmare keeps recurring or anything feels off, we’ll head to the church in Barry City for a more thorough examination."

"Got it. Thank you." Gauss expressed his sincere thanks.

He hadn’t felt particularly unwell. Letting Arya investigate was mostly for peace of mind.

Having a preliminary judgment, he decided to put the matter aside for now.

The two then started on the main task of the day: heading to the Market to deal with their spoils.

To Gauss's surprise, Arya turned out to be a skilled negotiator.

It made Gauss, who usually just compared three shops and picked the most expensive one to sell to, feel a bit embarrassed.

So, during negotiations, Gauss simply kept silent and let Arya handle everything.

"Though the edge of this hide is a bit damaged, look at the texture and toughness in the core area—this is top-grade stuff! Skin these intact plates off and with a bit of treatment, they’re perfect material for wrist and knee guard linings."

"Rusty? Needs reforging? Boss, underneath this is solid fine steel! Just rub on some rust remover and it’ll shine like new—no need to remake anything."

Thanks to Arya’s bargaining, the spoils that were supposed to take the whole morning to sell were all gone before noon.

And at prices far beyond Gauss’s expectations.

A full 1 gold and 10 silver!

Gauss estimated that, by his own methods, he could’ve only gotten 90 silver coins at best.

They split the money evenly on the spot.

Feeling the satisfying weight of the coin pouch, Gauss smiled with genuine contentment, his spirits lifted.

10 gold and 40 silver.

His cash assets once again surpassed the double-digit gold coin threshold.

They found a tavern for a simple lunch. Arya put down her utensils early and quietly watched Gauss eat heartily. Strangely enough, after watching for a while, her appetite returned a little.

Once he finished eating, Arya invited Gauss to visit her house.

Coincidentally, Gauss was also interested in buying a house, so he did not decline.

Arya's cottage was not far from the Inn. Taking a side path, turning past two quiet corners, they arrived.

A quaint, standalone two-story cottage appeared before Gauss, surrounded by a low fence enclosing a vibrant little courtyard.

The gray wolf Ulfen was lazily sprawled on the soft lawn, sunbathing. Hearing the familiar footsteps, it lazily lifted its eyelids, let out a soft "woof" in greeting, and then closed its eyes again in contentment.

Arya led Gauss through a thorough tour inside and out.

Although the location of the cottage was not bustling, the interior was warmly and comfortably arranged. The windows were clean and bright, reflecting the owner’s meticulous care.

Sunlight streamed through the windows onto the wooden furniture, and a faint fragrance of herbs and dried flowers filled the air.

"Tea or coffee?"

"Tea."

After Arya prepared the tea,

Gauss took the cup and glanced around the house, growing a bit tempted. He couldn’t help but ask the price.

"The house, the yard, plus all the taxes, cost about 1 gold and 20 silver in total. It's a bit more expensive than nearby places, but I like the quiet here."

"The renovations and these simple furnishings cost nearly another 1 gold."

She pushed open a window facing the yard.

"When I first arrived at Graystone Town, I also stayed at an Inn. Later, when I had more savings and planned to stay long-term, I had a middleman help me find this house."

"If convenient, could you also ask that middleman to keep an eye out for a similar one for me? Quiet area, preferably with a small yard." Gauss thought for a moment and then spoke.

He also agreed with Arya’s thinking.

He needed a stable place to stay.

Otherwise, if he needed to entertain teammates or guests in the future, he couldn’t always use the Inn or look for a tavern outside.

"Sure, leave it to me." Arya agreed readily. "I’ll contact him later."

Gauss lingered a while longer at Arya’s cottage.

Watching her roll up her sleeves and carefully tend to the various herbs and ornamental plants in the yard, he couldn’t help but sigh. Was this the everyday life of a Professional Druid during downtime?

Thinking of his own rest time—just eating, sleeping, and practicing magic—he suddenly felt his life was a bit monotonous.

During this time, a small calico cat, clearly just out of a tough fight with wounds all over, timidly snuck into the yard and meowed at Arya.

Arya had to stop what she was doing, use Animal Communication, exchanged meows with it for a bit, then began cleaning and dressing its wounds carefully.

"If I could use Healing Spell, it wouldn’t be so troublesome." Noticing Gauss approaching, Arya spoke without lifting her head, continuing to dress the kitten’s wounds.

Healing Spell was also part of the Druid spell repertoire.

But as mentioned earlier, Arya’s third Tier 1 Spell in progress was Berry Spell, so she likely wouldn’t be learning Healing Spell anytime soon.

"But Berry Spell will probably be very useful for your kind of partner," Arya said with a smile.

Gauss felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this.

He understood her meaning.

The Tier 1 Spell Berry Spell was a versatile divine spell that created berries imbued with natural magical energy.

When eaten, these berries provided light Basic Medicine effects, nutritional replenishment, and energy to stave off hunger.

So Arya’s subtle implication was that he was a food bucket.

Once she mastered Berry Spell, even when out on remote commissions with no supply access, she could conjure magical berries,

to keep Gauss fed.

Gauss did not argue with Arya’s words.

Food supplies were indeed crucial for him.

Once Arya mastered Berry Spell, those high-energy berries, combined with his Energy Storage Gland and low-level Rapid Digestion trait, would greatly enhance his combat endurance!

Not to mention the berries also offered basic healing effects.

Though this pairing of Spellcaster and Druid might sound odd, Gauss truly felt their partnership worked well.

Tank, healing, melee, ranged, control, and logistics support—all covered.

This was the meaning of a team, where everyone had their role.

"Then hurry and practice. I’m waiting for your Berry Spell."

"Alright, I’ll master it as soon as I can." Arya nodded. "But, natural divine spells can’t be rushed. You have to truly understand the vitality of plants, feel their rhythm—it’s not something you can cram inside a room."

"And I’m not that fast at learning these spells—maybe because I’m not too smart, not like you." She sighed in frustration as if remembering something.

She could sense that Gauss was likely a genius spellcaster who learned magic very quickly.

One could tell from the sheer number of Cantrips and Spells he had mastered at such a young age.

Afraid Gauss might think she wasn’t putting in effort, she explained her earlier time spent tending plants.

"Ahem, it’s fine. Just follow your own pace." Gauss felt awkward seeing how serious she was, as if he were pressuring her.

"And my magic learning speed... uh, is just average."

Arya said nothing, just quietly looked at him.

You say that, what else is there to say?

"Alright, maybe faster than other spellcasters." Gauss instinctively tried to be modest, but felt it came off as humblebragging, so he just admitted it.

Arya sighed enviously and continued dressing the kitten.

Meanwhile, he took the chance to glance at the skill information on his panel.

As for Tier 0 Cantrips:

Prestidigitation lv2 (6→15/20)

Message lv2 (3→7/20)

Mending lv2 (1→5/20)

Fire Bolt lv2 (0→14/20)

These recently learned Cantrips were improving quickly.

Especially Prestidigitation and Fire Bolt, which he used most frequently in practice and combat. With the boost from the Spell Mastery trait, proficiency was rising rapidly.

In his view, once Cantrip proficiency reached lv3, casting it in real combat would become very smooth.

He planned to train Prestidigitation and Fire Bolt to lv3 in the next few days, then pick two more Cantrips to learn.

Besides commissions, the time he spent on spell practice lately had paid off significantly.

He could clearly feel that the invisible "cup-shaped vessel" representing his Professional Class Rank was becoming more solid and full with each increase in spell proficiency and deeper understanding of spell models.

Though the growth couldn’t be quantified, this tangible sense of progress strongly indicated that learning new spells and improving control over current ones would help him advance from lv1 to lv2.

So, as long as his Mental Energy could handle it, he needed to master more Cantrips.

Also, his nightly reading of Meditation Method was nearing a milestone. That difficult book was almost finished, meaning he could soon begin meditation practice officially.

He believed that meditation itself would likely contribute to Class Rank experience.

At this moment, two clear paths to becoming stronger lay before Gauss.

One was to fulfill the duties of a Spellcaster—adventure commissions, studying magic, meditation, striving for lv2 rank, gaining Attribute Points, and more importantly, enhancing magical energy purity, boosting spell power.

The other was to hunt monsters, complete entries in the Monster Encyclopedia, gain Attribute Points, and earn various other rewards for all-round enhancement.

And now, he was progressing steadily in both directions.

Compared to others still fumbling forward, he truly felt fortunate to have a clear direction of growth.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.