"I see a pretty decent commission."

Gauss spoke.

"I saw it too, and I guess the one you saw is the same one I'm thinking of."

Aria chuckled quietly.

Serlandul shook his head.

Although he didn't say anything, he had also guessed which commission it was.

"The shore-running goblins in the Tidal Cavern." Aria cut in before Gauss could speak.

"Ah — it's really the same one."

"Heh heh."

Aria smiled but said nothing.

Having been teamed up with Gauss for so long, she knew what commissions he preferred—could she not?

Especially these warm-up-type commissions: Gauss always chose goblin targets he was most familiar with. It had nearly become a path-dependent habit.

Of course, the rest of the team had no objections.

But Shadow, who had just joined the team, glanced at the three of them with a strange look.

There were so many commissions in the task crystal—how could they, without saying anything, pick the exact same one just by tacit understanding? Were they really that in tune with each other?

She and Gauss's squad had only experienced the recent special commission involving the Blackfang Tribe, so she didn't yet understand the team's quirks.

"How did you guess?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her as she looked at Aria's smug face.

"This isn't hard." Aria waved her hand, putting on the laid-back air of a long-time team member.

Although Shadow's professional level was high, Aria had been on the team the longest, and when it came to knowing Gauss, she considered herself the one who understood him best.

As an old team member, she felt obliged to brief the newbie on the team's unwritten rules.

"Anyway, Shadow, remember this: when goblins are on the list, choose goblins. Among goblin commissions, prioritize the one with the shortest travel distance and the most monsters."

"When the team hasn't taken commissions for a while, the probability of goblins being the team's target increases significantly."

...

Watching Aria ramble on, dispensing "personal experience" that wasn't particularly useful, Gauss couldn't help but rub his forehead.

"You've explained everything to her already."

"Thanks."

"That's not really a compliment."

After confirming the commission with the Adventurers Guild staff, Gauss and the others took the commission scroll and prepared to set off.

"Mr. Gauss, Director Adelle is also at the guild today."

Before they turned away, for some reason the guild staff specially reminded them of this.

"Oh. I know." Gauss nodded to acknowledge, though he felt it odd inside.

Adelle was a staff member of the Adventurers Guild and held a senior management position—wasn't it normal for her to be at the guild headquarters? Why would the staff report that to him?

Even after leaving the Adventurers Guild doors, Aria remained curious and, after thinking a moment, asked,

"Gauss, are you meeting Adelle today? If you've got something to do, we can wait for you."

"No, my sword training is already finished." Gauss shook his head. "Focus on the commission."

He vaguely sensed the guild staff might have formed some misunderstanding about him, but he couldn't be bothered to overanalyze it.

In life, a person only needs to invest energy into one thing and do it well. If one could master that one thing, they could achieve results others couldn't imagine.

For them, that thing was adventuring commissions;

everything else was just minor detail.

As long as they were out on the road, everything would come.

Leaving the guild, the four-person squad—already prepared with their gear—didn't waste any time.

After confirming the route, they swung onto their mounts and headed out of the city.

Although they had deliberately chosen a relatively nearby commission this time, travel still took a while.

There were closer commissions, of course, but most of those were non-combat tasks within the city or in the city sewers.

The city sewer wasn't a suitable choice: aside from being dark, damp, and filthy, its maze-like interior made it an excellent hideout for mutated monsters and dangerous criminals.

A gentle sea breeze accompanied them as they threaded through the city streets.

Once they passed the last buildings of the residential area, the sea lay before them without reservation.

At the shore, waves rolled in layer after layer;

foamy white crests slammed repeatedly against sand and rock.

Farther out, endless blue glittered with pinpricks of sunlight;

sea and sky blended into a single horizon where it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.

The moist, salty breeze whipped their hair.

"So vast."

The beautiful scene made them involuntarily lose themselves in it, as if they had come on holiday.

But in this world, beaches didn't have many ordinary tourists—dangerous creatures lurked in the ocean and might one day drag someone beneath the waves.

After a brief moment of sea-gazing, Gauss's squad resumed following the map toward their target.

Their target was shore-running goblins, specifically a band of monster pirates.

Unlike most land-based goblin groups, these goblin pirates had no fixed lair and moved about near the Tidal Cavern.

They needed to reach the nearest dock and board a merchant ship the Adventurers Guild had arranged, which would take them to the sea area where the goblin pirates operated.

They followed a road along the coastline for some distance.

After a while, they came upon a busy small dock.

Compared with Sena City's main ports, this one was much smaller, mostly hosting fishing boats and small coastal trading vessels.

Though compact, the dock had all the necessary functions and was bustling.

Fishermen hoisted crate after crate of catch off boats.

The air reeked more strongly of fish;

the smells of tar and damp wood mixed in.

Following the commission scroll's directions, they soon located the agreed-upon merchant ship, the Seagull, at its berth.

It was a sturdy-looking, medium-sized, two-masted sailing vessel. The hull showed age but was well maintained. Several sailors busied themselves on deck, checking rigging and washing down the planks.

They must have been notified that adventurers would board in the next day or two.

When Gauss and the others led their mounts near, the sailors immediately took notice.

A burly man in a faded blue coat and a tricorn hat came to the rail and gave them a scrutinizing look.

"Can I help you?"

Gauss dismounted from his ostrich, and the Adventurers Guild commission scroll floated slowly in front of him.

"We have a commission to clear the shore-running goblins near the Tidal Cavern. Is Captain Fourn aboard?"

When the man heard the words "shore-running goblins," his eyes brightened noticeably.

The tension in his face loosened.

"Captain, the Adventurers Guild people have arrived."

Soon a compact but extremely solid, middle-aged man with bronzed, oily-looking skin disembarked from the ship.

A professional?

Gauss's senses were sharp now.

The moment the man appeared, Gauss detected his extraordinary aura.

But then Gauss understood why: it wasn't that being a captain made him a professional;

it was that being a professional enabled him to be a captain.

The ocean held dangers not just below the surface but from human pirates as well. Far from shore, some merchant ships even slashed their own flags and turned to piracy.

Thus, those who could serve as captains on coastal routes typically possessed considerable skill—enough to handle ordinary pirates and underwater threats.

"I'm Fourn. I didn't expect you'd come so fast."

The weathered middle-aged man had a deep voice and shook Gauss's hand first.

Gauss and the others quickly introduced themselves.

"You probably already know the situation. Our task with the Seagull is to assist you in clearing those goblin pirates. Aside from me and the first mate, the rest of the crew are ordinary folk, so you'll have to handle most of the heavy lifting."

Gauss nodded.

He had already learned the gist at the Adventurers Guild beforehand.

In short, the Seagull would transport them;

everything else was the responsibility of the contracted adventurers.

From the captain's words, they seemed willing to help a bit, which, while unnecessary for Gauss, was still a kind gesture.

To his surprise, besides the captain there was another professional aboard.

The first mate was the captain's chief assistant and deck manager—second in command.

Besides them, the ship had a boatswain, helmsman, sailors, and a cook. Larger vessels might also have dedicated navigators, lookouts, surgeons, and maintenance teams.

"Can you brief us on the goblins' intel?"

"No problem. Those goblin pirates command light ships and rafts. They won't attack large vessels head-on— they prefer to prey on small merchant or fishing boats."

"They throw hooked lines to snag a ship's rail, then climb aboard like monkeys. Or they lurk underwater, trying to bore through the hull. They're vicious—some wield harpoons and sharpened bone weapons, and some toss jars filled with rotten fish and shrimp."

As he described the shore-running goblins, Burton's face showed disgust.

"They're agile in water, but they can't stay submerged for long. They still rely on boats or rafts to operate at sea."

After a quick exchange, both sides had a clear picture of the shore-running goblins.

"When do we depart?" Gauss asked.

"The wind's in our favor now;

we can leave immediately."

Fourn confirmed they didn't need extra rest and invited them aboard.

Fourn led the way.

After stowing their ostriches and mounts, Gauss and the others followed him across the wooden gangplank.

The moment they stepped on deck, a sensation unlike solid land came up through their feet.

The boat rose and fell with the waves near the shore.

Gauss subconsciously frowned.

Compared to solid ground, the ship lacked a certain stability.

"Welcome aboard the Seagull."

Fourn seemed perfectly at home.

For someone who spent years at sea, stepping onto land might feel less natural.

The slightly damp deck was swept clean. A few light bolt cannons—looking threatening—were mounted at bow and stern.

There, Gauss saw the first mate, Reyne, an experienced archer.

By his own account, Reyne had once been an adventurer, but age had driven him to give up the trade for a steadier life.

Before long, the Seagull hoisted sail and slowly slipped from the dock.

The sea breeze filled the sails and pushed the ship toward the deep blue.

Since they had little luggage, and though Captain Fourn assigned them sleeping cabins, none of them felt like going below.

Except for Serlandul, the other three had never seen the sea up close, much less been on a sailing ship.

They were still quietly excited.

Standing on deck as the Seagull sailed, the ship rocked continuously.

Once they left the calm harbor, the swaying increased noticeably.

Gauss felt a bit uncomfortable at first, but his robust constitution quickly made him immune to the dizziness from the motion.

After a short adjustment, Aria and Shadow adapted as well.

Aria even brought her pets out of the Living Bag to let them stretch.

Raven Eck circled excitedly above the deck, getting used to the sea's vastness.

"You folks might buy a ship someday for exploration. The waters near Coral Bay are fairly lively."

Captain Fourn joked as he kept company with Gauss and the others.

"But ships are expensive, right?"

"Not as expensive as you'd think." Fourn shook his head. "With your skills, if you really wanted one, you could probably afford a decent light ship in no time."

"There are countless uninhabited isles and reefs in these waters. No one has accurately counted them."

"On those islands you can sometimes find rare animals and plants, or treasure left by previous travelers, or shipwrecks. It's said a certain Legendary Sword Saint once passed through here and left treasures near these waters, waiting for later generations to find. But so far, no one has actually found them."

"Could be a lie." Gauss shook his head.

"That's possible. At least some unscrupulous merchants sell convincing but fake treasure maps under that name—if you plan to explore, be wary."

"Thanks. We'll watch out."

Gauss nodded.

Aside from main shipping lanes, the chart did show many island markers—scattered like stars across the vast ocean.

Sea and treasure go hand in hand;

the ocean always seems to carry treasure legends.

After a while, the monotonous seascape bored Aria and the others.

After greeting the captain, they each went back to their cabins to rest.

Gauss, however, stayed at the bow and continued to chat idly with Captain Fourn, mainly to learn about sailing and possible hazards.

While he didn't plan to buy a ship and shift his adventuring focus to the sea anytime soon, acquiring knowledge couldn't hurt.

Suddenly, a harpoon sliced from the water and stabbed straight for Gauss at the prow.

A sailor's shout rose at the sight, but Gauss remained calm and raised a hand, mana swirling in his palm.

He gripped the hurled harpoon tip with a speed that froze it in place.

"Impatient, aren't you?"

His calm eyes turned to the sea below.