The New Year festival passed, ushering in the year 1015 of the new calendar.
Just two days into the new year, the snow and ice began to melt.
Yet the thawing period was often colder than the snowfall itself, forcing even Gauss with his cold-resistant physique to add extra layers for warmth.
"Knock knock knock!"
As Gauss was packing his belongings to go train in magic, brute strength, and swordsmanship, knocking sounded at his door.
Opening it, he found Aria standing outside.
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year."
The past two days had been too cold, keeping Aria holed up at home without venturing out.
This was their first meeting since the new year began.Gauss welcomed her inside.
"Is something the matter?" Gauss asked curiously.
There was still time before their scheduled mission departure date.
"Big news!" Aria's voice brimmed with excitement. "I just heard this when I went out to buy meat for Ulfen and the others!"
"Don't rush, take your time."
Gauss poured her a cup of hot black tea, gesturing for her to drink first.
Settling into a chair, Aria cradled the clay cup, took a sip to calm herself, then continued:
"A newly emerged underground maze has been discovered near Barry, the Forest Capital - just these past two days!"
"Oh?" Gauss's eyes lit up.
This was truly explosive news!
Unlike the dungeons he'd experienced before, mazes were far more complex - multi-layered structures with unique ecosystems inside, presenting greater challenges but also promising more monsters, traps, and potential treasures.
A newly discovered maze would inevitably draw swarms of adventurers from surrounding areas, potentially spawning temporary settlements nearby.
Most importantly, it wasn't too far - right at Barry!
"Can we explore it?" Gauss asked eagerly.
"Probably?" Aria sounded uncertain. "I think we should go check out Barry first? What do you think? We were planning to go there after the new year anyway - this just moves up our schedule."
After brief consideration, Gauss didn't object.
However it turned out, checking it out couldn't hurt.
A maze teeming with monsters and treasures? Impossible to resist.
Yet one thought nagged at him:
The unusually early heavy snow before the new year, the attacking poison wyvern, the griffin knights visiting town, and now this newly emerged maze - could these events be connected?
Perhaps the maze's appearance had been foretold?
Even with their decision to go to Barry, they couldn't leave immediately. They needed to wait for further snowmelt to clear the roads and gather sufficient supplies.
Maze exploration differed from short surface missions where villages and inns were usually nearby. Challenging a maze required extensive preparation - food, water, clothing, cooking equipment, and various tools.
Once underground, adventurers could only rely on what they carried, what they found inside, or trading with strangers unless they returned to the surface.
"We'll need to stock up on supplies," Gauss said, looking at the equally excited Aria.
While they could purchase goods in Barry, unfamiliarity with the environment and potentially higher city prices made shopping in their hometown more reassuring.
"Right, I've already prepared a list," Aria produced a piece of parchment, clearly having come prepared.
Gauss scanned the detailed list and nodded approvingly.
Aria's thoroughness left virtually nothing overlooked.
Over the next few days, they simply needed to purchase items according to the list and await the snowmelt for caravans to resume travel to Barry.
The trade route between Grayrock Town and Barry was normally busy - caravans would depart at the first opportunity after roads became passable.
...
Amid their quiet anticipation and frequent meetings to prepare supplies, several days passed in a blink.
Though remnants of snow lingered in the wilds, caravans were already preparing to depart for Barry.
The maze attracted not just adventurers but merchant groups hoping to profit from the influx.
Being the first caravan heading to Barry, seats were unusually competitive.
Normally, merchant groups posted notices inviting bronze-rank adventurers to join. This time the tables had turned - adventurers had to request seats from the caravans.
And even that didn't guarantee success.
With limited spare seats after accounting for their own cargo, even one-star adventurers struggled to secure spots.
Gauss's two-person team only obtained seats thanks to his status as a level 2 spellcaster, though they'd have to share a carriage with others.
"Probably fellow maze-seekers wanting first-hand information," Aria remarked, observing the bustling scene outside their carriage window.
Glancing at Gauss who had taken out a book for the journey, she felt grateful.
Without Gauss, she likely wouldn't have secured seats on this first caravan.
"The maze..." she murmured as their specially-designed anti-skid ox-carriage slowly departed town.
Though Barry was the nearest major city to Grayrock Town, the distance wasn't insignificant - the journey would take several days.
The caravan progressed in starts and stops - making camp, eating, resting, occasionally requiring adventurers to help with snowmelt-induced road damage.
Fortunately, no major incidents occurred as the caravan maintained steady progress.
During one rest stop, Gauss encountered the Iron Arms team. After brief exchanges, Quick and others expressed astonishment and congratulations on his promotion to level 2.
But currently, everyone's attention remained firmly fixed on Barry's maze.
For most low-level adventurers, a new maze represented a rare opportunity.
Successful exploration could yield rare herbs, treasures, even magical items.
Moreover, the maze's unstable spatial rules initially only permitted entry to lower-level professionals, giving them better odds.
Rumors said many had broken through long-stagnant level barriers during maze explorations.
Such was the maze - filled with traps, dangers and monsters, yet brimming with hope and surprises - an adventurer's dreamland!
After days of monotonous snowy landscapes, the terrain grew damper as they approached the warmer Forest Capital region.
Gradually, greenery appeared - trees, grass, moss - though the crisp air reminded them winter hadn't fully retreated.
"Barry's climate is so pleasant," Aria remarked, stretching as she watched the revitalized scenery, clearly preferring vibrant green forests to winter's unchanging snowscapes as a druid.
"Yeah," Gauss nodded.
Had he known Barry's climate was this agreeable, he'd have visited sooner.
"I wonder about Barry's housing prices? Probably much higher than Grayrock Town's," Gauss mused silently.
With better security, thriving commerce and pleasant climate, he could understand why many would want to settle here - making higher prices inevitable.
The only question was how much higher.
As greenery returned, more caravans from different directions converged onto the main road leading to the Forest Capital's gates.
So lively...
Peering out, Gauss saw more carriages, ox-carts and special mounts than ever before.
Even before reaching Barry, the city's prosperity and activity were palpable.
Hours later at Aria's prompting, Gauss looked out to see a magnificent mountain city's silhouette gradually emerging in the distance.
The Forest Capital flourished with greenery, its terrain rising gradually toward the center where an unimaginably colossal tree stood majestically, its enormous canopy seemingly propping up the sky itself.
The Forest Capital - Barry - had arrived!
"Line up properly!"
Outside the towering city walls dozens of meters high, caravans queued in long lines awaiting entry.
"Merchant groups register here! Visitors this way!"
Well-armored guards maintained order.
"Professionals," Gauss observed, sensing familiar energy from the ordinary gate guards.
This was merely one of Barry's gatehouses. If even regular guards possessed professional power, what about their superiors and other city forces?
He immediately realized professionals weren't exceptionally rare here.
For a metropolis of millions, substantial security forces were necessary.
As the secondary hub of the Emerald Province and humanity's stronghold facing the Emerald Forest, such strength made sense.
Gauss quietly tempered the pride from his recent promotion to level 2.
Talent was talent, strength was strength.
Even if he believed himself stronger than typical level 2 professionals with faster future advancement, he'd be helpless against level 4, 5 or stronger opponents.
Unlike Grayrock Town where level 2 professionals stood out among mostly level 1s, Barry undoubtedly housed many stronger individuals.
Guild Leader Eberhard possessed level 9 or higher strength.
Barry certainly contained professionals exceeding level 10, likely numbering more than a handful.
While waiting in the long registration line, Gauss realized he'd likely be operating around the Forest Capital for quite some time.
Hopefully he could make a name for himself soon...
After patient waiting, their turn finally came.
"Gauss, Grayrock Town, level 2 professional..." the guard verified Gauss's identity. "Everything checks out. Here for the maze exploration?"
"Yes, this is my companion Aria."
The guard nodded - he'd processed countless similar adventurers recently.
Dozens of surrounding towns and cities' adventurers found the new maze's allure irresistible.
With their characteristic initiative, more would keep arriving steadily.
Barry's town hall had even reinforced gate security to prevent disorder.
After identity verification, they were permitted entry.
Passing through the small gate and the thick stone-walled tunnel, light suddenly poured in ahead - the view opened dramatically!
A vibrant panorama of noise, color and vitality abruptly filled Gauss's vision.
A main thoroughfare wide enough for ten carriages abreast.
Neat stone-paved roads flanked by lush green trees separating pedestrian walkways.
Beyond the bustling gatehouse, his gaze climbed the towering inner walls covered in vine reliefs to the distant city center's sky-piercing giant tree!
Even from this distance, he could feel the tree's overwhelming vitality and ancient aura.
Midway up the trunk, magnificent structures clung like an elven city within the canopy.
This was Barry's heart - the Mother Tree Tel'ashir, namesake of the Forest Capital and the city's mightiest guardian and symbol.
"Whew-" Gauss exhaled deeply, steadying his overwhelmed senses.
The cacophony, powerful guards, simultaneously distant yet immediate Mother Tree - everything bombarded his perceptions intensely.
Turning his attention to nearby streets:
Rows of neatly arranged, colorful-roofed buildings lined both sides.
Shop windows displayed dazzling arrays of goods - fashionable clothing, exquisite pastries, spices, leathers and fabrics.
Even the citizens carried themselves differently from small-town folk - neatly dressed and composed.
Seeing passing adventurers, they showed little fear beyond minor avoidance while continuing conversations.
Gauss noticed families strolling streets, children playing around parents - scenes of tranquility.
And this was merely one gatehouse?
Of course, Gauss knew this might be a prosperous area catering to visitors.
A city of millions undoubtedly had less developed districts like slums, yet the sight still awed him.
Though he'd visited metropolises in his past life, this exotic mountain city's impact differed entirely from steel-and-glass skyscrapers.
After six months in Grayrock Town's mundane surroundings, Barry gave him distinct "country bumpkin in the big city" vibes.
"Sorry, let's keep going." Only after some time did Gauss collect himself.
Noticing Aria waiting patiently, he spoke up.
Having visited before, Aria hadn't shared his stunned reaction.
"Yes, let's pass through the gatehouse to the outer city and find the Adventurers Guild," Aria said softly.
As they walked, they surveyed shops lining the streets.
"That looks delicious," Gauss swallowed hard.
Shop windows displayed exquisite foods - fruit tarts, sponge cakes, cream puffs, crème brûlée, velvet cakes, honey...
Merchants clearly understood travelers' cravings after long journeys.
"Want to buy some?" Aria asked knowingly, glancing sideways.
"Better focus first - let's get maze intel from the Adventurers Guild," Gauss said, chewing jerky from his storage bag.
His sword thirsted for action.
With others already exploring the maze, speed was essential.
As for food...he could resist for now.
Just window-shopping would suffice, he told himself.
All flashy, insubstantial stuff - his jerky was more filling...
Suddenly, he remembered an old promise from when he first became an adventurer:
"West Barry, Golden Beak caravan..."
Hayley had left hurriedly with scant information he'd thought sufficient then.
Now facing Barry's immensity, finding them seemed daunting.
He'd have to inquire around when possible...