Chapter 238 - 211: Flying Goblins
Shire felt he could accept that goblins could run, jump, swim, and dive. He could even accept that with some training or education, they could learn to read and speak Common Speech. But he absolutely could not accept that goblins could fly.
"Are you sure they were flying?" He shot to his feet, his eyes locked on Broken Tooth.
And his subordinate’s only reply was a nod, then another.
’This is getting pretty fantastical,’ Shire mused, stroking his chin as he considered the situation. The subordinate standing before him, though covered in filth with mud splattered on his pants and his clothes torn in several places by forest thorns, didn’t look the least bit drowsy. Not to mention the telescope hanging from his chest, which seemed completely intact. ’Which means it wasn’t a hallucination. They’re really flying.’
No wonder the Evil Throat Army didn’t dare attack the Feathered Serpent Kingdom. Even if his Slave Soldiers drank the Anger Potion, they could only roar helplessly on the ground while the enemy flew overhead. And then there were the Petrifying Lizards. The frenzied Slave Soldiers would charge, only to be turned to stone by a Petrifying Gaze before they could even get close.
’This is a bit tricky.’ Shire clenched and unclenched his fists a few times before asking, "How far away are those guys?"
Broken Tooth thought for a moment, then gestured with his hands. "I ran for over a day."
Shire glanced at the Naga Prince beside him. If what the Prince had said earlier was true, the goblins should still be several days away from here. ’They aren’t familiar with this area, and their daily marching time is very limited. They also have to spend a lot of time gathering food. If they can march for half a day, they’d be considered very diligent.’
But for those goblins, diligence was a luxury. After a few seconds of silence, Shire asked, "Can they all fly?"
He had no idea what kind of anatomy a goblin would need to fly. ’Did they grow wings? Or can they use Magic?’
"Not many," Broken Tooth said, counting on his fingers. He was about to sit down and take off his shoes, but Shire stopped him.
"I get it. The number isn’t too high—a few dozen at most." Shire waved his hand dismissively. "That’s a relief. If the numbers were too large, it would be very tricky. As it is, they seem manageable."
More than the explosive revelation that they could fly, he was concerned about their numbers. As long as they hadn’t reached a certain scale, they weren’t a significant threat for now. After all, he still had the Centaurs, and their Bows and Arrows were no joke.
’I’ll have to start training Caocao in throwing again tomorrow,’ Shire thought as he sat back down in his chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table. ’If they fly too high, beyond the range of our Arrows, then we’ll still have Caocao to help.’
During a previous battle with the Storm Brotherhood, Shire had discovered that using a Giant as a humanoid catapult was an incredibly effective method. Caocao, who possessed the Blessing of the Evil God, was tall and strong, with a long reach. Shire had often trained the Giant using a game-like method: if Caocao hit a distant target, he would get a snack as a reward. Caocao always had a great time with it.
"Alright, I understand." Shire nodded slightly and instructed his subordinate, Broken Tooth, "Go get some rest. And remember to wash up."
He pointed at a few bits of leaves in Broken Tooth’s hair. It was clear the goblin had sprinted all the way back without a care for anything else.
Watching his subordinate leave, Shire turned to Pazani and said, "Just as the Prince said, those goblins are indeed coming for my tribe."
"Oh?" Pazani paused, his wine glass in hand, and tilted his head slightly. "Did that subordinate of yours just now tell you that?"
"Yes." Shire nodded. His conversation with Broken Tooth had been entirely in goblin speech, which the Naga couldn’t understand. At most, Pazani would have only heard gibberish like "wulla-wulla, geeli-galla." "And my subordinate told me that those goblins are still some distance away. I think we still have several days. The key thing is..."
He picked up the wine glass on the table. The stemmed glass was still a bit too large for a goblin’s hand. He slowly swirled the liquid inside, his tone calm as he said, "Among those goblins, there are some that can fly."
"They... can fly?" Pazani was stunned. He pressed his lips together, trying hard to recall. "I’m sorry, but when my Naga Race was fighting them, we never discovered that they could fly. That sounds absolutely incredible."
"It’s nothing. After all, they can also dive, and they’re not bad at it either." Shire waved his hand, indicating that the news wasn’t a big deal and there was no need to be so shocked.
Pazani sized up the Goblin Leader opposite him, then said, "Now I’m starting to think my own trial doesn’t seem so troublesome after all. You’re so calm. I imagine that even if those goblins can fly, it won’t be much of a problem for you and your tribe."
Shire smiled, his expression mysterious and confident. "I wouldn’t say that. After all, their numbers are huge, so we still need to be careful."
’After all, a Flying Dragon rush is just feeding the enemy if you don’t have enough of them.’ Shire really wanted to tell the Naga Prince, ’If you had ever seen frenzied Bear Goblins, self-destructing goblins with baskets of Bang-Bang Fruit on their backs, or Zombie Goblins that know only how to charge to their deaths, you wouldn’t be so surprised that some goblins can fly.’
"Anything can happen in this great forest," Shire shrugged. "If a group of goblins told me one day that they possessed profound and extensive knowledge, I don’t think I’d find it strange."
Pazani’s mouth twitched, and he gave a strained smile. He couldn’t believe any goblin could possess profound knowledge—except, of course, for the one in front of him.
"You mentioned before that the diving goblins you killed all wore strange clothes?" Shire picked up his wine glass again and took a small sip. ’Since the enemy is already on their way, worrying is pointless. Besides, I’m also coveting various items from the Naga Race. The supply of Shui Yumo and Magic Potions is too scarce for now, but I can wait for that Island Merchant to arrive and try to negotiate a high-priced custom order. The Naga Race are also masters of aquaculture, and those large pearls of theirs could fetch a good price on the human market.’
The only prerequisite for all this, however, was that he had to lead his tribe to victory against the invading enemy and prove his strength to Pazani.
"Yes. It’s a very strange type of clothing. It’s not particularly thick and seems to be made of leather." This time, Pazani didn’t have to think back; he answered immediately, showing that they had studied the Feathered Serpent Kingdom’s goblins for a long time. "An elder of our race said that it might be..."
"Snake Shedding."