Chapter 174 - 147: Gingerbread
Inside the stone chamber, the Centaurs were quietly waiting to enter the Teleportation Gate.
It was only quiet in a relative sense. They were still whispering amongst themselves; after all, the Clan Leader had only informed everyone during the day that they would be migrating tonight, leaving no time to prepare.
They murmured to each other, furtively pointing at the few goblins nearby. Those who were better informed were already sharing what they knew with the others.
The Centaurs, laden with all sorts of belongings, had faces etched with confusion, helplessness, surprise, and fear. There was no longing for the future.
Although the Clan Leader had told them the destination was a safe place chosen by a Unicorn, the unknown still left everyone feeling helpless and uncertain.
A few young Centaurs began to cry and fuss. Their mothers had to cover their mouths and noses, alternating between scolding and comforting them, trying everything to keep their children from affecting the group’s morale.
Shire watched the Centaurs out of the corner of his eye. He noticed they only dared to glance at him occasionally before quickly looking away, as if he held the power of life and death over them. Although Oreco and a few other Centaurs were busy explaining the situation to their kin in low voices and reassuring them of a bright future, Shire could still see distrust on their faces.
These Centaurs understood their current predicament and the threat posed by the Ogres and Earth Goblins. Still, no one wanted to suddenly change their way of life, especially when the change was forced upon them. If things weren’t handled well going forward, they would only grow to miss their old lives in grass huts, herding Big-horned Deer and toiling to plant tubers. After all, they had lived those peaceful days for a long time and were completely accustomed to them.
’It’s never that simple,’ Shire thought, running a hand across the stone wall and rubbing the dust between his fingers. ’But, first I’ll get them on my side. We can slowly build a relationship later.’
The line for the Teleportation Gate was long. The female Centaurs and their children were the first to leave, followed by the youths. The able-bodied adults and the elderly were left for last, scheduled to go even after the various supplies.
This novel method of migration was something the Centaur Race had never even heard of. A few of the younger Centaurs even broke from the line to watch Broken Tooth operate the controls.
’Once they get to the Fortress, they’ll find even more things to shock them,’ Shire muttered to himself. He pulled his gaze away and went back to staring at the chamber wall.
Just as the Centaurs’ exodus was proceeding in an orderly fashion, several able-bodied Centaurs rushed in and surrounded their Clan Leader.
Shire stopped and strained to listen. He could only vaguely make out the words "Ogre" and "coming."
He immediately walked over. ’If the enemy attacks now, it’s bound to throw the Centaurs into a panic, which would be terrible for our progress,’ he thought. ’The enemy’s pretty sharp. They even know to attack while we’re halfway through.’
"They’re on their way. We don’t know if the Earth Goblins have been alerted," one of the Centaurs reported grimly. They were all part of the patrol the Clan Leader had sent out around the village.
"What’s wrong?" Shire asked, walking up to the Centaurs.
"Leader of the goblins, we may have been discovered. One of my Warriors spotted an enemy goblin," the Centaur Clan Leader said immediately. "They gave chase, but the goblin was fast and disappeared into the shadows of the night. I’m sure the Ogres will be alerted soon."
"If that’s the case, the Earth Goblins will definitely send reinforcements. The Evil Throat Army won’t just let you leave," Shire concluded without a second thought. "We need to organize a group for defense."
"Don’t worry. I anticipated this, which is why I deliberately kept the able-bodied and the elderly for last," the Centaur Clan Leader said with a nod. He then turned to his kinsmen. "Intensify the patrols and expand the perimeter! Be ready to engage the enemy at a moment’s notice!"
"Caocao, it’s time to get to work," Shire called out. The Giant, who had been sitting in a corner eating gingerbread cookies, immediately clapped his hands and stood up. He rose so quickly that he knocked over his snack bag, spilling cookies everywhere.
"All right, don’t worry about it. I’ll buy you new ones when we get back." He walked over and helped Caocao up, pulling him a few steps away. Then, he noticed a few young Centaurs tentatively approaching. They picked up the dropped gingerbread, popped it in their mouths, and cried out in surprise, as if they had never tasted anything like it.
"Give me the gingerbread," he said to Caocao with a smile. He took the bag from the Giant’s reluctant grasp and patted him. "I’ll buy you other snacks when we get back. I’ll get you three dozen of that rice pudding you like."
"Here, have some." He walked over to the young Centaurs with the bag and offered the cookies to them. Although many of them were no shorter than Shire, they still shyly took the bag.
After that, Shire turned and pulled the Giant away, paying no mind to the young Centaurs’ excited chatter. "Caocao, we need to establish a safe zone."
"Get up! Now! Go attack the Centaurs!" Scarface bellowed at the Ogres.
On his way back, he’d been spotted by a Centaur patrol and had been forced to dart between bushes and clumps of grass to hide. Under the cover of darkness, he finally made it back to the Ogre camp.
Unfortunately, the brutes were sound asleep, and it took a great deal of effort to wake them.
"We’re sleeping," a few Ogres grumbled impatiently, waving their hands as if to shoo away a fly.
"I am the Commander-in-Chief! I order you to fight now!" Scarface yelled, his hands clasped behind his back.
"You’re just a little bug." One of the Ogres held out his hand, pinching his thumb and forefinger together. The other Ogres roared with laughter at the gesture.
"The Centaurs are trying to escape! Don’t forget what the General ordered you to do: watch them!" Scarface had no other choice but to invoke General Evil Throat’s name.
Hearing this, the Ogres glanced at each other, but still, none of them wanted to get up. Such was their nature—laziness and greed were their defining traits. The word ’responsibility’ simply didn’t exist in an Ogre’s vocabulary.
"Those Centaurs..." Scarface paced anxiously. He knew that if the Centaurs escaped, General Evil Throat would surely kill him, or worse, throw him to these Ogres as a meal. He certainly didn’t want that. An idea quickly came to him. "They’re cooking Big-horned Deer! A lot of it! They’re planning to eat their fill and then run for it. If you attack now, all that food will be yours!"
The moment they heard there was deer meat, the Ogres instantly perked up. They clamored as they scrambled to their feet and grabbed their weapons.
"Deer meat good! Haven’t eaten enough lately."
"Me like it too. Tastes much better than goblins."
"All the cooked deer meat is ours!"
The Ogres bellowed as they charged out of the camp, stomping toward the Centaur Village. Scarface, however, immediately turned toward the Evil Throat Army’s encampment. He had to see the General, report his findings, and put on a little show for him.
Before long, the Ogres neared the village. At the same time, a foul stench wafted through the air.
"What’s that smell? It stinks worse than you!"
"Shut up! We share a body! It must be the guy next to us."
"Not me! Say that again and I’ll pound you!"
The Ogres started to argue, and a few even began to brawl. Soon, their leader stopped them. "It’s coming from up ahead, from the forest. Probably those farting rats."
"Nasty skunks. Their meat stinks." The Ogres quickly decided to bypass the area. Greed drove them onward, and the closer they got to the Centaur Village, the hungrier they felt. A few were already muttering about eating an entire Big-horned Deer by themselves.
General Evil Throat had expressly forbidden them from attacking the Centaur Village, much to their displeasure. Watching the Big-horned Deer prance around in their pens was like having a carrot dangled just out of reach—a carrot that was always there.
Now, not only had that goblin given them permission to attack the Centaurs, he’d also explicitly said they could eat the deer meat. The Ogres were ecstatic. If General Evil Throat got angry, they could just blame the goblin.
Besides, having tasted cooked deer meat for the past two days, they were tempted to move their camp right into the deer pen. Hearing that the Centaurs were already cooking Big-horned Deer made the Ogres drool. They tried to find a way around the stench to get to the Centaur Village as fast as possible.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. They walked back and forth, but the foul stench lingered everywhere, making the Ogres furious. "Did we kick a skunk’s nest or something?"
"Or maybe the Centaurs are cooking skunks."
"Charge through!" the lead Ogre finally gave up. They had been circling for ages, and the smell was everywhere. If they kept trying to go around it, they’d miss their chance to steal the meat.
"It stinks too much!" an Ogre protested loudly.
"Just deal with it! It only stinks a little more than you do," the leader said, covering his mouth and nose before lowering his head and charging into the woods.
The rest of them followed suit.
"These are for you," Shire said to the Centaur Clan Leader with a smile, gesturing to the items on the ground.
The items, which included several Longbows and a large number of Arrows, had been unloaded from the cargo container of a Worker Ant.
"Evita told me you have very few iron goods, and that your arrowheads are mostly made of bone. I immediately had these Arrows brought for you." He picked up a Quiver, drew an Arrow from it, and showed it to him. "Every single one has an iron head like this. I believe they’ll be a great help."
The Centaur Clan Leader looked at the spade-shaped iron arrowhead, smiled, and nodded. "Thank you, leader of the goblins."
"That stinking cordon I had the Giant create won’t stop them for long. You’d best start preparing now."