"You can take a look first," the child said, sensibly handing Gauss a sample booklet.
Gauss took it and flipped through it. Although he couldn’t confirm the accuracy of all the contents, it was well-organized and full of illustrations—it looked fairly legit.
There was a basic map of the town marking important shops and districts, as well as information on the apprentice spellcaster gathering: its location, time, and relevant notes.
Calling it a "guide" was really just a euphemism for a strategy manual aimed at first-time visitors to Wormwood Town.
After confirming that the content likely wasn’t nonsense, Gauss handed the child twenty copper coins.
As he passed through the town square and walked by what appeared to be the busiest tavern, he spotted a familiar luxury canopy carriage parked outside—it was the same one from the day before.
So they really were headed to Wormwood Town.
While Gauss was observing, sure enough, the tall man in silver chainmail stepped out of the tavern.
Their eyes met again across the space, and the man furrowed his brows slightly.
It wasn’t that he was surprised to see Gauss in town—he’d already asked around yesterday and knew the caravan’s destination.
He just hadn’t expected to bump into him again so soon, and right in front of the tavern.
The two exchanged nods again but had no desire for conversation and quickly went their separate ways.
Gauss found an affordable inn and checked in.
Then he sat down and began carefully reading through the guidebook.
As he read, he discovered something interesting besides the gathering: Wormwood Town also had a place called the Spellcaster Apprentice Mutual Aid Association.
According to the guide, it wasn’t an official institution, but rather a loose, grassroots organization formed by local spellcaster apprentices. It had a history spanning several decades and served as a place where apprentices could exchange information, team up, train together, and help each other.
Since the main gathering would only open in the evening, Gauss decided to visit this Mutual Aid Association first to see if there might be any unexpected benefits.
Following the map in the guide, Gauss arrived at a three-story red-brick building.
It looked no different from the surrounding residential homes. If not for the nameplate hanging at the entrance, Gauss wouldn’t have been able to distinguish it from the buildings around it.
As soon as he stepped inside, Gauss’s eyes were drawn to a statue in the main hall.
It wasn’t very large—maybe around 90 centimeters tall—and stood proudly atop a central display platform. It was carved with great detail.
Upon closer inspection, it resembled a miniature adult woman standing with her hands on her hips, looking down from her pedestal with a smug expression.
Gauss squinted, scanning the statue from top to bottom. The more he looked, the more familiar it felt—until it hit him.
"Isn’t this... Andeni?!"
The face of the statue was nearly identical to hers.
"Welcome to the Spellcaster Apprentice Mutual Aid Association. I’m the vice president, Lawrence." A man emerged from an adjacent office.
"Hello, I’m Gauss. May I ask about this statue?" Gauss asked, pretending to be unsure, wanting to confirm his suspicion.
"That’s our association’s founding president—Madam Andeni, a powerful halfling mage."
I knew it! No wonder Andeni had recommended this place to him.
His thoughts drifted back to a few days ago:
"If you really want to train thoroughly, I suggest heading to Wormwood Town. It’s a place where spellcaster apprentices stick together. I went there years ago, and I hear it hasn’t changed much." That’s what she had said so earnestly before he left.
‘Went there,’ huh? So she didn’t just go—she founded the entire organization.
Gauss couldn’t help but shake his head.
"Can you tell me more about Madam Andeni?" he asked, curious.
Although he’d met the halfling Andeni twice and received a lot of help, he still knew very little about her. This was the perfect chance to learn more.
"Heh..." To Gauss’s surprise, Lawrence scratched his head awkwardly at the question.
"Madam Andeni founded this association a long time ago. All we really know is that she was a kind woman. Rumor has it, the last time she visited the association, she had already reached Black Iron rank."
Black Iron? Gauss blinked, surprised.
Bronze, Black Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum—those were the standard adventurer ranks.
Black Iron might only be the second tier, but as someone who had spent a fair amount of time as a low-ranking adventurer, Gauss knew that even Bronze-ranked adventurers were the top of the food chain in places like Grayrock.
Black Iron-ranked adventurers were important figures, even in mid-sized cities like Barry, capable of handling town-level crises.
He couldn’t help but recall the image of Andeni snoozing in a chair, drooling under a blanket like a lazy shut-in, and his mouth twitched slightly.
He began to wonder if Lawrence was exaggerating her rank to lend prestige to the association.
Originally, he had pegged Andeni as a Bronze-ranked adventurer at most.
Putting aside doubts about Andeni’s true strength, Gauss turned to the main reason he’d come.
As the name suggested, the Mutual Aid Association was easy to understand.
After speaking with Lawrence, Gauss found it aligned pretty closely with his expectations.
The association really was about mutual help—no money involved, just labor exchange.
The most common activity was helping each other train, especially through simulated combat.
"But if you want to officially join, you’ll need either five letters of recommendation from ordinary members or one formal introduction letter. Are you aware of that?" Lawrence asked.
Gauss thought for a moment. He definitely didn’t have five recommendation letters—but he did remember Andeni giving him a sealed envelope.
When he opened it, there was nothing inside except a single sheet of paper with a golden seal.
He offered the letter hesitantly.
Lawrence took it, and a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes.
The magical energy radiating from the letter was familiar—similar to traces he had sensed on the third floor, remnants of Madam Andeni’s magic.
That kind of magical imprint couldn’t be faked.
And now, realizing Gauss had asked about Andeni earlier, Lawrence gave him a curious look.
Still, since Gauss held a formal recommendation, it meant he was trustworthy.
So Lawrence helped him complete the membership registration.
A few minutes later, Gauss received his official member badge and stated his reason for visiting.