Chapter 135 - 111: Setting Off
"Why are we lining up like this?" Lame Leg watched the goblins in front of him. They were all standing with their legs splayed apart like crabs, holding wooden bowls as they waited for their meal.
He had only been in this place for a few days, having just been freed from the Mushroom Tree colony. ’Yes, freed,’ he thought. ’Even though I didn’t have to eat, I could only sit there blankly, watching the leaves fall. My only thought was for the Mushroom Tree to open its great gate and welcome the goblins of the colony inside.’
In truth, Lame Leg couldn’t stand that kind of life. He was curious about so many things around him: the forest, the Tree-men, and especially the new Chief.
He had been sitting on the white roots, numbly staring at the sky above, when someone had grabbed him from behind and carried him all the way out.
The pain... a piercing screech had filled his ears, like sharp spikes stabbing into them and twisting around. Even though he had scrambled with all his might to run back, that agony was now deeply etched into his memory.
Afterward, the Mushroom Tree finally caught fire and fell. Although he felt weak and dispirited, that sound no longer rang in his ears.
The Chief said he had rescued him and promised to keep him well-fed. Lame Leg had been confused at the time, his mind feeling like a bowl of Tree-man Fruit paste that had been vigorously shaken a few times. But in the end, he had clearly heard the Chief’s words: "If you don’t pledge loyalty, you can go back to being with the Mushroom Tree." He was the first to rush toward the Chief.
Now he had been brought to this enormous "cave." There were many goblins here, and they had a lot of work to do every day. Lame Leg liked having work to do; he didn’t want to sit on the ground all day, dazed and hearing nothing. The other goblins felt the same way.
"Smells so good." The aroma of food wafted over from the front. Lame Leg craned his neck and sniffed the air eagerly.
’It’s so wonderful to be able to smell things again. And I can get good food here.’ Back when he was sitting on the white roots, he never felt hungry, but it had been a long time since he’d chewed any food or felt his mouth water. At most, he could only gnaw on the bitter leaves that fell from the Mushroom Tree.
’I wonder what we’re having today?’ Lame Leg glanced curiously toward the front of the line. He shuffled forward on his partially disabled left leg, one step at a time. ’Almost my turn.’
"It’s smoked fish over rice." He looked at the food in his wooden bowl and chuckled.
The fish was tender and came with a ladleful of fish broth. The rice grains were even more delicious after soaking it all up. ’Much better than Tree-man Fruit paste.’
"How is it? To your liking?" A voice sounded beside him. Lame Leg saw that the Chief was sitting next to him.
"Delicious," he managed to mumble, his mouth full of food.
"Eat slowly and be careful of the bones. There’s sweet water over there, too," the Chief said with a smile.
Lame Leg nodded quickly to show he understood.
He scooped another large mouthful of food with his spoon and then glanced around at the other goblins. In this corner of the Underground River Platform, many goblins sat eating around a massive white beast skull.
Lame Leg had asked another goblin about it, who had puffed out his chest and declared, "That’s the Fearsome Claw Bear we killed."
’Such a large skull must have belonged to a huge beast,’ Lame Leg thought, looking at it with envy before finishing all the food in his bowl.
He limped over to the large pot to get a bowl of sweet water. However, if he held the spoon in one hand and the bowl in the other, he would likely spill the honeyed water, since it was difficult for him to walk.
He looked at the spoon in his hand, thought for a moment, and then, in a flash of inspiration, tucked it behind his ear. ’This way, I won’t drop it.’
Holding the wooden bowl with both hands, Lame Leg filled it to the brim with honeyed water. He loved the taste. It was sweet.
In the afternoon, he had to continue gathering the last of the Bang-Bang Fruits with the other goblins and inspect the condition of all the ropes to ensure their future safety.
Lame Leg had previously watched the other goblins climb up and down, having to start a new climb every time they moved to a different tree. He had suggested to the Chief: why not tie two ropes between the canopies of two trees? A goblin could hang from one rope, and then by pulling the other, they could pull themselves across to the next canopy.
He remembered the Chief asking him how he’d thought of it. "I got the idea when I was helping to catch monkeys. I saw them swinging back and forth on the vines."
At the time, the Chief had told him the method had safety risks. Some goblins might not be strong enough and could get stuck hanging in the middle of the rope. But later, the Chief encouraged him to keep observing and thinking, saying there were many interesting things in the tribe.
Lame Leg deeply agreed with the Chief. He found two things the most interesting. One was the bed. Some goblins slept on beds, and they even had two animal pelts for warmth.
It was the first time he had ever seen such a thing as a "bed." Lame Leg had always thought that goblins just slept on the ground, no matter how cold or hard it was, at most using some weeds for padding.
He curiously circled the beds, studying their construction. He even tried touching the pelts. They were very soft.
Later, he even built a miniature version of a bed himself using sticks. It just wasn’t sturdy; it fell apart the moment he placed a small rock on it.
"I still have to wait a few more days for my bed." Lame Leg took a sip of the honeyed water and muttered to himself, "When I get it, should I take it apart to see how it’s made, and then put it back together?"
The other interesting thing was the little goblin’s wooden house. It was so small, yet it seemed to have everything inside. He had once tried to get a closer look, but Nine-finger had pulled him away. "The Chief says it’s not good to spy on other people’s homes. Anyone who does should get a beating."
But he really wanted to study that little wooden house.
’Maybe I’ll get a chance later.’
He drank the last of the honeyed water and placed his wooden bowl on a large rock where many other bowls were waiting to be washed.
Then, he shuffled away and left the platform.
...
Shire watched Lame Leg leave, a smile touching the corners of his mouth.
[Name: Lame Leg]
[Race: goblin]
[Danger Level: 0.7, a somewhat useful piece of trash]
[personality: Curious and Inquisitive]
[Ability: Secret Servant (Unawakened)]
Lame Leg’s panel slowly faded away. Shire also got up and went to get himself a bowl of sweet water.
Among the goblins he had taken in, Lame Leg’s personality was the most interesting, and he was the one Shire had the highest hopes for.
He had even bestowed upon him the Magic Ability obtained from the Storm Brotherhood and placed him in Nine-finger’s work crew, hoping he would awaken his Magic soon.
’If we’re going to look for the ants tomorrow, I should take him along. Maybe it’ll stimulate his awakening,’ Shire mused, stroking his chin.
He hoped Lame Leg would grow quickly, ideally becoming Agatha’s deputy. That way, as the tribe grew larger, they would have some research-oriented talent as well.
There were still many goblins in the forest, and among them, there were bound to be others with unique personalities. His mission was to find them and nurture them.
He even imagined a scene at an Alchemist conference: a group of well-dressed human Alchemists in top hats, listening quietly as a goblin Alchemist in a white lab coat and gold-rimmed glasses explained how to formulate a new potion.
’Maybe that day will come.’
...
「The next day」
Shire led a team and set off to the east. He was eager to see what surprises this new region would bring.
"Caocao, hold up," Shire said, patting the Giant’s forehead. He needed to wait for the goblin team behind them to catch up.
To deal with the Giant Spiders and Giant Ants, he had specifically brought Caocao along this time. However, the Giant’s massive frame made it difficult for the other goblins to keep up with his pace.
"How are you doing?" Shire looked down and asked Lame Leg. Caocao had been carrying Lame Leg the entire way.
"I’m... I’m okay, Chief," Lame Leg said dizzily. Aside from feeling a little nauseous, he was otherwise fine. Plus, this way, his bad leg wouldn’t slow down the other goblins.
A few seconds later, the other goblins gradually caught up with the group.
"Go slowly, Caocao," Shire ordered. They had now entered the eastern region and needed to be careful.
He let the team rest for a bit before they started moving forward again.
"Do you sense anything?" Shire asked, looking up.
A Fulu swiveled its two eyestalks and looked pitifully at Shire. Its tentacles had turned a sorrowful deep blue, and it was desperately clutching a wooden stick, the other end of which was held in Caocao’s hand.
The Giant, Caocao, currently had Shire riding on his neck. In one hand, he carried Lame Leg, and in the other, he held a stick that the Fulu was clinging to. Despite all this, he still strode along effortlessly.
Shire was quite proud of himself for coming up with this arrangement.
"Yes... I sense something... just ahead... very ferocious," the Fulu said intermittently.
"Everyone, spread out! Get your Blazing Fire Glue ready!" Shire commanded immediately, while also having Caocao put them down.
’What’s coming? A Giant Spider or a Giant Ant?’ he wondered, staring ahead nervously, a flicker of anticipation in his heart.
After waiting for some time with no movement up ahead, Shire had no choice but to order his subordinates to advance slowly.
BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ. A sound of beating wings made all the goblins look up. They saw a giant black shadow in the canopy of a tree ahead, looking like a giant hornet.
The creature seemed to have spotted the group of goblins as well, and it immediately flapped its wings and charged toward Shire and his followers.
"Caocao, throw it! Now!" Shire shouted instantly.
BANG. A few vials of Blazing Fire Glue were thrown, smashing against the creature. Flames erupted. The Giant Bee reeled from the pain and stumbled to the side, but its wings had already been set ablaze. It soon crashed to the ground, unable to fly again.
"Why is there such a large bee here?" Shire slowly approached the struggling enemy as it was being consumed by flames.
[Name: Giant Burrow Bee (Worker Bee)]
[Race: Magical Beast]
[Danger Level: 6, a bit strong]
[personality: Ferocious]
[Ability: Poison Needle]
"Why are there Burrow Bees here too?" Shire’s eyes widened in surprise.