The Forest Feeds No Idle Goblins

Shire froze when he heard the goblin speak. The creature’s face was swollen and caked with black mud, and his voice had been as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, but Shire had still managed to hear his answer.

"So loyal?" He raised an eyebrow, surprised by the goblin’s answer.

"Leader, he must be a Dongtou," Cyan Hide said, moving closer on the platform.

"A Dongtou? What’s that?" Shire looked down at his subordinate and asked, "The leader of a burrow?"

Cyan Hide quickly explained the situation in the Feathered Serpent Kingdom, which was a real eye-opener for Shire.

’Interesting. Twenty goblins to a burrow, with a Dongtou as the manager.’ He stroked his chin, gazing with great interest at the 600 goblins before him. Cyan Hide had previously told him that the Feathered Serpent Kingdom limited the number of goblins in a burrow to just twenty. If a female goblin gave birth, the young Bear Goblins were driven out immediately. As for the other goblin children, they would have to draw lots along with all the adults to decide who would be exiled from the Kingdom.

This bizarre method of population control made the corner of Shire’s mouth twitch. From his vantage point on the platform, he could see several female goblins with their arms protectively wrapped around one or two young goblins, one of whom was even a swaddled infant.

’So they completely ignore individual development and just rely on a lottery. If your luck is bad, even a baby gets thrown out of the Kingdom.’ The corner of his mouth twitched again. He thought of the infants recently born in his own tribe, their traits still a blank slate. With the right nurturing, they could develop many excellent qualities. The Feathered Serpent Kingdom’s practice made Shire feel as if he’d been robbed of a great treasure.

He desperately wanted to shout, ’Those are my SSRs! All of them!’

After taking a few calming breaths, Shire said irritably to Cyan Hide, "Since the Dongtou don’t have to participate in the lottery, go in there and drag out all the ones that are still alive."

With his hands clasped behind his back, he watched Cyan Hide lead his men into the throng of goblins. After a bout of shouting and cursing, Dongtou were kicked out of the crowd one after another.

Bald Hide kept his head down, looking back at his fellow goblins from the Feathered Serpent Kingdom. He watched as more and more Dongtou were dragged out. His expression turned grim, feeling that only death awaited him. ’They’re going to kill the Dongtou first,’ he thought, ’to terrify the others and force them to become the Centaurs’ slaves.’

He shot a furtive glance at the goblin on the high platform and sneered. ’So proud of being a slave to another Race,’ he thought contemptuously. ’Just as I thought. Life is clearly terrible for these outcasts from the Kingdom.’

Then again, the clothes on those enemy goblins looked much better than his own tattered rags. Back in the Kingdom, some goblins might collect fallen grouse feathers and animal fur to stuff into their clothes for warmth, but their effectiveness couldn’t compare to what these goblins were wearing.

’And what is that on his feet?’ Bald Hide stared intently at Shire. He didn’t have to lift his head far to see the shoes on Shire’s feet, the first time he’d ever seen such things. ’A goblin actually wearing something on his feet? Is he even a goblin anymore?’

’Do the Centaurs treat their slaves this well?’ He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

The other Dongtou were herded like ducks to Bald Hide’s side. Just as Bald Hide was debating whether to beg for his life now and look for a chance to escape later, a squad of Centaurs came running over, their hooves going CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP.

"Leader, we found no sign of runaway goblins. We’ve checked all the others on the battlefield; they’re all dead," Evita, who led the group, reported respectfully with her head bowed.

"Mm, good," Shire said, nodding from the platform with his hands behind his back. He then waved a hand. "Search farther out. Make sure they don’t have any tricks left up their sleeves."

The Centaurs respectfully accepted the command, turned, and galloped off with their Longbows in hand.

The entire exchange took no more than a dozen seconds, with not a single word wasted, but it was enough to leave Bald Hide completely stunned.

Although he couldn’t understand their language, he could read their expressions and body language. The deference of the Centaurs and the "arrogance" of the goblin on the platform completely overturned his perception of the world. ’It looks like... those Centaurs are his subordinates? That can’t be right.’

He gaped up at the goblin on the platform. He was a bit short and bald—he looked perfectly ordinary. Green skin, two eyes, one mouth... so why would Centaurs serve as his subordinates?

No matter how he tried, Bald Hide couldn’t make sense of it. In his world, goblins had to serve a powerful Race to survive, just as his people served the Feathered Serpent God.

"Who... who do you serve?" Bald Hide asked. He had already made up his mind. If this goblin served an even greater power, then immediate surrender wouldn’t be out of the question. After all, there was no shame in following the strong.

"Serve?" Shire watched the Centaurs gallop into the distance before looking down at the goblin who had spoken. Half the creature’s face was swollen, muffling his words, but Shire had understood him perfectly. "I don’t serve anyone."

"You don’t serve a greater power in the forest?" Bald Hide asked again, his voice a little louder this time, which made him wince as the swollen flesh of his face pulled taut.

"I don’t serve any power. I *am* the greatest power." Shire stood proudly on the platform, looking down at the goblin with unshakable confidence. "You must be their leader, right?"

He looked at Bald Hide, behind whom the other Dongtou were cowering, terrified that Shire would notice them.

Hearing the goblin’s words from the platform, the corner of Bald Hide’s mouth twitched. He’d never expected a goblin to be so confident, so arrogant. "I am their leader."

He narrowed his eyes, sizing Shire up. But no matter how he looked, Shire just seemed like an ordinary goblin. He had no dazzling special effects, no terrifying features, and wasn’t even as tall as Bald Hide himself.

"I rely on this." Shire smiled faintly and tapped his own head.

Bald Hide frowned. He understood Shire was calling himself smart. He scoffed, "If we had brought more Petrifying Lizards and Snake Shedding Garments, we might not have lost. My strategy was already pinning you down."

Shire listened and smiled, recalling the battle he’d observed in its entirety through a telescope from Caocao’s neck. He glanced at the number of prisoners. If this Supreme Commander from the Feathered Serpent Kingdom had used his scouts more effectively, dispersed his troops in an organized fashion, and adopted a "tank-and-infantry" tactic with the Petrifying Lizards at the fore and goblins in the rear, Shire’s tribe would have had a very difficult time. And that wasn’t even factoring in the enemy’s initial air superiority.

"You have a point," Shire said with a smile. "It seems you’re not ready to admit defeat. In that case..."

"I’ll let you Dongtou go."