The hospitality at Lawrence’s Camp exceeded Gauss’s expectations, and the laborers repeatedly praised and thanked their group.

It made Gauss and the others feel a little embarrassed.

After all, from their perspective, they had only done what the commission required.

They returned the ballista to Miller.

“That helped a lot, Miller. The ballista and the alchemical bombs were a huge help this time.”

Gauss thanked him sincerely.

That Goblin Chieftain had died because of the alchemical bombs and the subsequent fires.

“As long as they worked.” Miller smiled.

The same tool can have different effects depending on who uses it.

Those alchemical bombs looked valuable, but they only became meaningful after successful use;

otherwise they just gather dust in a warehouse.

Although Gauss couldn’t disclose the commission details because of confidentiality, Miller, as a local resident, could guess that those goblins were no small matter. If they were allowed to grow in strength, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Gauss and Miller asked about the camp’s current situation. After staying for a while, they politely declined Miller and the others’ invitation to entertain them, citing the urgency of reporting intelligence, and hurriedly left.

What Gauss didn’t know was that not long after he left, an ordinary bard joyfully finished composing a song about them.

The team traveled through the boundless wilderness.

“Where will we go to claim the commission reward?” Aria glanced back at Gauss.

Gauss was holding the map scroll, studying its contents carefully.

“We’ll have to go to a big city.”

A small town’s Adventurers Guild might accept commission submissions, but could it quickly provide the resources they needed in short order?

“The nearest big city is... Sena City in Coral Bay.”

Judging by the map, they had traveled far west. The Forest Capital Barry lay to the east, and, in a straight line, Sena City—somewhere Gauss had never been before—was actually closer this time.

Sena City sits at the mouth of Coral Bay.

Coral Bay is a naturally deep, beautifully curved harbor. Its inner waters are calm and deep enough to accommodate ocean-going vessels, and such unique geography grants it unparalleled strategic and economic value.

Sena is the easternmost of the three cities that ring Coral Bay.

The other two are Oakwood, the “White Cliff City” at the bay’s western promontory, and Hesperia, “Wheatfield,” which lies between Oakwood and Sena on the bay’s central coastline, supported by fertile farming plains.

These three cities are like three brilliant pearls embedded along Coral Bay’s edge, jointly controlling this prosperous sea.

Sena City, the closest to Gauss and his group, has thriving trade, diplomacy, and cultural exchanges. Wide ports, dense merchant fleets, and bustling markets bring together people of different races and faiths.

It’s a good place for them to cash in their commission rewards.

No one in the group objected to Gauss’s plan.

After settling on their destination, Gauss rolled up the map and headed west.

“Serlandul, did you come from this direction?”

On the road, Gauss turned to ask Serlandul.

If he remembered correctly, Serlandul came from islands off the west coast. Although Coral Bay was still quite far from the west coast, the general direction matched.

“I’ve never been to Coral Bay. When I left the west coast, I traveled along the inland route,” Serlandul shook their head. “Captain, you’ve never seen the sea, have you?”

Gauss hesitated for a moment and shook his head.

“No.”

This was under the premise that since coming to this world he hadn’t seen the sea. In his previous life he had visited the seaside a few times.

Serlandul’s reply didn’t surprise him. In this world, many ordinary people have never seen the sea unless they were born in coastal areas. Even if the straight-line distance isn’t that far, the dangers of the wild often discourage people from making the trip.

“The ocean is more dangerous than the land, but also more fascinating.” Serlandul’s snake-like pupils hinted at a trace of reminiscence, as if recalling their homeland, their voice low. “Underfoot isn’t solid ground;

a sudden storm can shred the sturdiest ship like straw. In the open sea there’s thick, unending fog, cataclysmic hurricanes, enormous sea beasts and sea monsters below the waves, and countless seafolk...”

His words piqued the curiosity of the other three in the party.

“But that’s part of the fascination.” Serlandul’s hoarse voice shifted tone. “The freedom and vastness of the coast can’t be found on land. When you sail you might see schools of bioluminescent fish passing like a galaxy beneath the ship;

dolphins that seem to speak under moonlight. In some seas you’ll find the water glowing a ghostly blue—the ship seems to sail through the stars.”

Aria listened with longing. She too was a child of the inland.

“The most peculiar thing is the many islands.”

“Many islands develop their own unique magical environments;

their ecologies evolve differently from the continent, teeming with strange plants, rare beasts, and monsters. You can even find ancient ruins, unique ocean products, and rare deep-sea magical materials there.”

Gauss listened quietly, his mind unconsciously sketching an unknown azure picture.

A region with a completely different ecosystem held exploration value for him, because it meant an untapped blue ocean—more undiscovered monster species and resources.

Thinking that, beyond simply claiming the reward, he couldn’t help feeling a surge of anticipation.

The group rode on for several more days across the wilderness. They lodged in a few small villages for several nights, and along the way they cleared out a few scattered goblin skirmishers lying in ambush by the roadside. Having just come through a major battle, these stray goblins were hardly a warm-up.

As they traveled west, the air gradually became more humid.

When a faint salty tang—unique to sea waves—slipped into the wind, Gauss knew Sena City was near!

Sure enough, after another half day’s ride, on a clear afternoon they climbed a long coastal hill.

When their mounts’ hooves reached the crest, the view suddenly opened up, and a dazzling, magnificent seascape unfolded before them without warning.

The first thing to strike their eyes was the limitless blue stretching to the edge of the world. Sunlight scattered across the vast surface in a billion shimmering, moving gold patches, extending to the hazy line where sea meets sky.

This was a spectacle entirely different from forests, mountains, or plains—an awe-inspiring sight that made Aria, seeing the sea for the first time, involuntarily part her lips and gasp in restrained amazement.

“This is the ocean?”

Aria hopped down from her mount and stood at the hilltop, breathing in the sea breeze and stretching lazily.

Gauss also dismounted and gazed at the distant view.

Before them lay Coral Bay. The bay resembled a massive inverted blue shell, its curved coastline stretching into the distance, embracing a calm water area.

Their destination, Sena City, lay on the easternmost estuary plain of the bay.

The city was vast;

white buildings glinted in the sunlight, spreading from the coastline into the land plain.

The most striking feature was the enormous harbor.

The port stretched along the shore, counting countless ships berthed within. Tall masts crowded together, with their furled sails giving the impression of a leafless winter forest.

Besides bulky cargo ships, there were nimble oared sailboats, and even some sleek, cannon-laden vessels flying unfamiliar banners.

Looking closely, people moved like ants across the docks, cranes slowly swung as goods were loaded and unloaded.

Above the city, seagulls and other nameless sea birds wheeled in flocks.

The party stood on the hillside for a long time.

After quite a while, Gauss finally broke the silence.

“Let’s go.”

He swung onto his ostrich, nudged its flank, and led the group down the winding slope toward the noisy, bustling seaside city.

“Fresh fish! Just landed! Anyone want to take a look?”

“Tom, hurry up, the captain is calling everyone to assemble.”

“Going out to fish again? Really... I wanted to rest a few more days.”

“Damn it, the harbormaster raised the taxes again, this business is getting impossible!”

“Then leave?”

“I’ll hold on a bit longer, see how it goes.”

“...Come to think of it, there’ve been more storms this year than usual.”

Sena City had no obvious gates or walls.

Before Gauss realized it, they had unconsciously entered Sena’s outer city and were met with a lively, noisy scene.

Shops stood in dense rows, signs and banners everywhere. Racks along the streets displayed dried fish and shrimp, and exotic spices from distant lands. Pedestrians jostled shoulder-to-shoulder. Aside from many sailors and merchants with sun-darkened skin, Gauss also saw several “humans” with fish scales on their skin.

“Those people are humans with seafolk blood,” Serlandul introduced softly. “You see them often in coastal cities.”

Gauss nodded.

Seafolk isn’t a specific species so much as a general term for intelligent ocean-dwelling beings;

many are humanoid. Those that aren’t humanoid are typically called sea beasts, sea sprites, or sea monsters.

As he watched, a few scaly-skinned humans happened to be pouring water over themselves.

“Seafolk blood is both a gift and a curse,” Serlandul continued, familiar with coastal regions. “If they stay on land too long, their scales dry and crack;

in severe cases they blister and bleed, suffering like fish out of water. So they must frequently wet their skin or even stay immersed in seawater.”

There was pity in Serlandul’s tone.

“Some people discriminate against them, but for many captains or ocean workers, they make excellent sailors and labor.”

As if to prove Serlandul’s point, not far along their route they saw several slightly older boys surrounding a pair of younger siblings and cornering them. The children being bullied had unhealthy pale-gray skin, dull scales on their cheeks and arms, and faint gill lines behind their ears.

The smaller boy crouched in the corner while his sister stood in front of him, arms spread protectively.

“You two fish-stinkers—what are you doing on land instead of soaking in the water?” One tall boy deliberately kicked up dust and scattered it toward the two children.

“You smell awful! No wonder—my mom says you stink! Don’t play with you!” A chubby boy pinched his nose and made an exaggerated disgusted face.

Another boy reached to pull the girl down and snatch a few pretty shells tightly clutched in the corner boy’s hands.

Children’s malice can sometimes run deeper than adults’.

At that moment, the sunlight dimmed, and the air seemed to cool several degrees.

A cold, flat voice without inflection sounded behind the boys, “What are you doing?”

The boys turned in panic and saw a tall adult woman, and behind her stood several other imposing men and women.

Feeling the pressure radiating from the black-haired woman, the boys’ faces went pale, but they still tried to sound composed: “Si… sister, they’re just a couple of stinky seafolk. And they… they stole our shells first.”

At his words, the cornered siblings lowered their heads.

“Really?” Shadow did not reply either way.

Her black pupils fixed tightly on the boys.

The boys felt guilty and didn’t dare answer.

“So you’re lying, huh?”

“Apologize to the two of them.”

As Gauss and the others approached, some neighbors who noticed the commotion came over;

among them were probably the boys’ parents. The group of supposed tough guys steeled themselves and then, upon seeing the four newcomers’ adventurer attire and badges, instantly lost their swagger and timidly stepped forward.

“Adventurers, sir, our kids were only playing and making trouble—kids play, nothing serious.” The parents grabbed their children and began to pull them back.

Shadow watched the scene with no expression.

Gauss sighed inwardly. Children are a mirror of their parents.

“You care about your kids—do you think those children don’t have parents who care about them too? If you did something wrong, apologize.” Gauss spoke.

Perhaps intimidated by the presence of Gauss’s golden eyes, the parents hesitated briefly, then had their children bow and apologize. After glancing cautiously at Gauss and seeing no further reaction, they hurriedly dragged their kids away.

Gauss stepped forward and helped the siblings up. He used his magician abilities to clean the dirt off their clothes briefly.

“Thank you, big brother.”

“Where do you live? We’ll take you home.”

Though Gauss and his party carried an imposing aura, the earlier incident had lowered the children’s guard. After learning the location, Gauss took one child by the hand and led them home.

Finding the Adventurers Guild could wait a bit.

After walking, Gauss arrived at a fish market and encountered the children’s father—a middle-aged vendor with some seafolk blood, selling sea fish. When he learned Gauss had helped his bullied children, the honest man thanked them profusely, insistently grabbing a few of his freshest large fish to give to them.

Gauss and the others politely declined and quickly left the market.

As they walked out, Gauss’s gaze lingered on Shadow. He felt that after helping the siblings, she seemed a little happier, a little more relaxed. Was she that driven by a sense of justice? He recalled seeing her earlier, helping someone in the street as well. And just now, she had seen the commotion from afar and told Gauss before rushing over first.

“Thanks, Captain. Sorry to have delayed you,” Shadow said softly, somewhat embarrassed.

“It’s fine. Even if you hadn’t been here, I would have stepped in,” Gauss waved his hand.

In truth, Shadow had suggested the group head to the Adventurers Guild first and said she’d catch up. Gauss had wanted to follow.

Still, thinking of those boys and their parents made Gauss thoughtful. Though it was just a childish altercation, it reflected deeper issues.

Gauss shook his head. Their first day in Sena City, beautiful as it was, had already hinted at the city’s complexities.

They asked for directions from passersby and continued toward the Adventurers Guild.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

“Stop.”

Gauss pulled the reins and the group halted in front of a tall, pure-white building. If not for the familiar sword-and-shield-and-staff emblem hanging above the entrance, Gauss might not have recognized the guildhouse’s style.