After all preparations were complete, Gauss and his companion waited several more days in Grayrock Town. The weather grew increasingly colder during this time.
Finally, after their eager anticipation, they received the final assembly notice from the Adventurers Guild. On Grayrock Town's main avenue, pedestrians had cleared the street, leaving the empty thoroughfare for the Winter Hunt expedition preparing to depart. Townsfolk crowded at windows, watching with curious awe.
Bronze-rank adventurers, rarely seen in ordinary times, now gathered in streams. Children seeing such an expedition for the first time shouted excitedly. Along the street, adventurers grouped in twos and threes, waiting to board carriage compartments. Some Bronze-rank adventurers chose to ride their own mounts.
Gauss stood by the roadside, his gaze involuntarily drawn to the figure at the head of the procession—Eberhard, head of Grayrock Town's Adventurers Guild. The man whose intangible presence had dominated the conference room, whom Gauss tentatively considered the strongest professional he'd ever encountered. He rode a magnificent white stallion.
Yet what truly captured Gauss's attention wasn't the man or his horse, but the mythical creature accompanying them—a griffin. Perhaps due to leading the expedition, Eberhard wasn't riding the griffin, but their close bond was evident to any observer.
Gauss wasn't alone in noticing the griffin mount. Many Bronze-rank adventurers in the procession secretly observed it too. As mounts went, especially flying ones, griffins were exceptionally eye-catching. Eagle-headed with a lion's body, its front half was a massive golden eagle covered in dark gold feathers, its curved beak like black iron talons. The rear half was an amber lion's frame, its thick tail lashing the air with audible cracks.
Beyond its powerful physique, the griffin wore strangely glowing head and chest armor, with a riding saddle fitted at its waist, adding to its majestic presence. Simply observing from afar conveyed its formidable strength. Moreover, griffins weren't native to Grayrock Town's vicinity—they typically inhabited mountain peaks, building nests on steep cliffs with branches, leaves and prey bones.
Thus for Gauss and many others, this was their first encounter with such a creature. "Wonder how many gold coins that griffin mount is worth?" The thought popped unbidden into Gauss's mind, perhaps because he'd been considering purchasing a mount recently. "Must be an astronomical sum," he shook his head. Such mounts remained far beyond his current means—even with sufficient funds, taming such a wild creature would require considerable strength.
Though to be fair, among flying mounts, griffins weren't the most extraordinary. Gauss recalled this world had dragon riders—not mere wyverns but true pure-blooded dragons. In terms of value, dragon mounts were truly beyond reckoning.
Gauss lifted the carriage window curtain. Townsfolk lining the buildings knew this Bronze-rank expedition aimed to conduct Grayrock Town's final large-scale purge of gathering forest monster armies before winter's arrival. Combined with the rare sight of such an elite force and fantastical creatures, they cheered excitedly, faces flushed, waving enthusiastically.
Most adventurers, anticipating monster hunting and gold earnings, returned the cheerful waves. Gauss too immersed himself in this electric atmosphere as the convoy began moving. Just as he prepared to withdraw into the carriage, his gaze caught familiar figures outside a tavern—Levin, swordsman apprentice Doyle, archer Oliver, priest apprentice Daphne, and Meva. The Night Owl Squad members waved vigorously at him.
Gauss's lips curved upward as he leaned halfway out the window, waving back energetically. They seemed to be shouting something, but distance and noise drowned their voices. Back at the tavern, Meva noted, "Gauss saw us!" "So impressive! If I could ever depart to such cheers, it'd be worth dying for," Doyle said enviously. "Don't jinx him just because you're jealous!" "No! I meant for myself... Wonder if he heard us say we'd drink when he returns." "This is your fault," Oliver deadpanned. "Meva wanted to meet earlier, but you were too prideful to agree." "What about you and Levin?" Their bickering continued as Gauss's carriage disappeared from view.
Settling back inside, Gauss calmed his excitement. "Why's this year's expedition so grand?" Aria mused quietly. "Wasn't it before?" Gauss asked, surprised. "No, last year's wasn't," Aria replied. "Though anyone could learn about our departure, we assembled outside town then." Gauss nodded understandingly—he'd arrived in Grayrock Town around this time last winter yet recalled no similar fanfare.
"Perhaps to boost morale," she continued. "After the Sword Saint's death, rumors spread about impending war with monsters in coming years. Border towns like ours directly facing monster territories have nervous residents—some with connections are already relocating inland. The Guild might be using this spectacle to... strengthen the townsfolk's resolve." Gauss nodded. "That makes sense..."