Chapter 1069: 510: Crisis at Warren Castle

Chapter 1069: Chapter 510: Crisis at Warren Castle

After receiving a warm reception from the tribe’s chief, all the residents of the underground town welcomed Gauss and his group. They even prepared to hold a welcome celebration for their new friends.

However, Gauss politely declined. Instead, with a flip of his hand, he gifted them a pile of “goodies” they had never seen before. Well, in reality, it was just some rations, nuts, seasonings, pickles, and ale. In this resource-poor world, these ordinary supplies transformed into rare treasures.

One tribal resident impatiently dipped a finger into a clay pot filled with fish paste, scooped some up, and popped it into his mouth. The next second, a gleam of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes. Seeing his exaggerated expression, his initially reserved companions also reached out for a taste. Soon, one by one, they all revealed delighted expressions.

“I apologize. My people have never eaten these things, so…” Seeing her tribesmen frantically scrambling for the food, You felt a bit embarrassed.

“I understand,” Gauss smiled. Let alone these human compatriots living in a barren world, even ordinary residents in the remote villages and small towns of the Material Realm where he came from rarely got to eat refined seasonings. It was not shameful to act this way.

Aside from the relative scarcity of basic supplies, this tribe of fewer than two hundred people was actually stronger than expected. It could even be considered the strongest “village” Gauss had seen so far. Every adult human in sight possessed a physique far exceeding that of an ordinary person. They were natural-born Warriors. The flowing patterns on their skin seemed to grant them special powers, ensuring that they would acquire a Profession level as soon as they reached adulthood. Therefore, excluding children whose bodies were not yet fully developed and the elderly whose physical functions had deteriorated, nearly everyone in this tribe had a Profession.

However, considering the much harsher environment of this world, this kind of “bloodline superiority” seemed understandable. The weak simply could not survive in a world teeming with danger at every turn. As long as they needed to venture out to explore and acquire survival resources, they had to strive to become stronger. Otherwise, a stone scorpion burrowing out from the ground, a gust of fierce wind sweeping in from afar, or a pile of falling rocks from above could claim their lives at any moment. This harsh living environment had forced the native humans to evolve.

“There isn’t much time left. Are you planning to return with us, or stay in the tribe?” Gauss looked at You.

Their activity time in the Plane of Earth was limited to half a night each time. This trip had caused a slight delay, but fortunately, it was not a loss. They had acquired a precious map, which would accelerate Gauss’s subjugation of this world’s monster bosses for the foreseeable future.

Hearing this, You hesitated for a moment before whispering, “I want to keep following you.” She hadn’t struggled with the decision for long. Clearly, she had already thought this question through when she was preparing to return to the tribe.

“All right,” Gauss nodded.

His straightforwardness caught You a bit off guard. To be honest, she had braced herself for all sorts of scenarios. For example, she thought Gauss might refuse her request to follow him after escorting her home, or he might press her for reasons why she wasn’t staying. She hadn’t expected Gauss to simply nod and agree without saying a word.

“Aren’t you going to ask anything?” You looked up at Gauss.

“Do I need to ask anything?” Gauss tilted his head. “Let’s go, it’s getting late. If we dawdle any longer, it will be dawn outside.”

In truth, Gauss could somewhat guess You’s thoughts. However, his perspective had always been very simple: as long as they were friendly humans, he had a natural degree of trust in them. Whether You, her chief, and her tribesmen wanted to remain in their homeland or migrate to the outside world, that was their freedom. Of course, the major premise for this mindset was his absolute advantage in strength. He could feel that everything was well within his control, which made him much more relaxed.

The return journey was even smoother than the trip there. Just as the sky began to break dawn, Gauss and the others retraced their steps and left the Plane of Earth.

However, just as their group was flying toward Lavender Manor, where the Red Dragon Team was stationed…

RUMBLE!!! A powerful tremor echoed from the distant horizon.

“What happened?”

Sensing the commotion, Aaliyah immediately turned her head toward the southeast. Countless birds took flight in massive flocks from the dense forest beneath them. Affected by the tremors, some hillsides began to experience mudslides and landslides, with dozens, if not hundreds, of tons of soil burying the forests below. Gauss and the others could clearly see these various anomalies triggered by the rumbling.

“It’s a massive earthquake, coming from the Giant Tooth Highlands,” Gauss said, narrowing his eyes slightly as he gazed into the distance. However, the distance from which the commotion originated had already exceeded the range his vision could detect. Even though his eyesight far surpassed that of a falcon, he still couldn’t see the scene at the source of the disturbance.

You shrank back. The outside world seemed even more frightening than her hometown in certain places. To be honest, she slightly regretted coming out. Her homeland was fraught with constant minor dangers, but sudden disasters of this magnitude rarely occurred.

“Let’s go back first,” Gauss said, retracting his gaze.

When they returned to Lavender Manor, sure enough, almost everyone had awakened.

“Lord Gauss!” Knight Jack of the manor wore a faint look of panic on his face. Seeing Gauss and the others walking back from the road outside the estate, he quickly rushed out to greet them, as if he had found his pillar of support.

“Nothing happened in the manor, right?”

“No, aside from a few collapsed walls, no one was hurt. But my lord, that earthquake just now…?” Jack urgently wanted to know what had happened.