Chapter 116 - 97: Combat Training
"Put this fanny pack on your back." Shire personally adjusted the gear on Red Eyes. "Stop looking over there. You can go pet your Brain-Eating Monsters once you’re all set."
"Adventurers... they all deserve to die," Red Eyes said through gritted teeth.
"I left you with five of them, didn’t I? Just raise them slowly. They have plenty of food, and their numbers will grow again in time." Shire picked up a leather waterskin and attached it to Red Eyes’s gear. "No crying."
The Storm Brotherhood’s attack had led to the deaths of numerous Brain-Eating Monsters in the Fortress. Red Eyes had personally led a few goblins to dig large pits and bury them. Shire had even heard that Red Eyes named several of the Brain-Eating Monsters; he honestly couldn’t understand how Red Eyes told them apart.
"There, that looks good." Shire took a few steps back, sized up the Red Eyes before him, and nodded.
This was the standard set of equipment he was issuing to the combat personnel of his clan.
The base layer was a long-sleeved shirt of off-white linen. He hadn’t used cotton because it clings to the skin when wet, rapidly sapping body heat and causing hypothermia. With the onset of winter, the temperature had already dropped considerably, so Shire had stuck with linen.
Over that was a sheepskin leather jacket, similar to ones he was familiar with, painted with a yellow-green camouflage pattern. For the lower body, a pair of leather pants provided warmth.
A newly-made suit of Chain Armor went over everything. This particular set had been custom-modified at the Blacksmith Shop. Shire had heard Little John relay the Blacksmith’s comment: "Nobles these days have no shame, training children to be soldiers at such a young age."
A pair of iron-studded leather gloves and a multi-function fanny pack completed the set. The pack contained a few potions, a standard-issue Acceleration Technique Scroll, three Hand Grenade Fruits, and two small jars of Blazing Fire Glue. Shire had previously debated stockpiling the Blazing Fire Glue, but using it in the forest could be catastrophic. Given the goblins’ intelligence, they would most likely set their own burrows ablaze and roast everyone inside like Peking ducks.
After the battle with the Storm Brotherhood, however, Shire had come to a new conclusion. His goblins had witnessed the destructive power of these weapons and would be more careful about fire safety. Besides, the Hand Grenade Fruits hadn’t caused a single accident to date. So, he had Mary purchase a large quantity of Blazing Fire Glue for the goblins, planning to use it to compensate for the defensive gaps left by the missing Brain-Eating Monsters.
He had also prepared a small backpack for each combatant, containing a flint and steel, a Compass, some dried meat, and honey.
The helmets and boots hadn’t been made yet. The helmets needed to be custom-fitted to the shape of a goblin’s head. Goblins had different head shapes from humans; theirs were smaller, more oval, and they also had two long, pointed ears. This would require finding a specialized Blacksmith, one who could be trusted to keep quiet.
As for the boots, he was in contact with a cobbler to develop them. The "forest boots" Shire had designed were different from standard Adventurer gear. They were based more on his memory of modern hiking brands, combined with some features of military boots. This required the cobbler to do constant research and prototyping, so Shire could only wait for the final design to be perfected.
For now, only twenty-two of these sets had been produced. It wasn’t many, and it would require Mary to make frequent pickups. Still, he was confident that the entire clan could be switched over to their winter gear in less than a month.
"Chief, how do I wear this?" Bai Mao asked, walking up to Shire while holding a white apron.
She wore a specially-made, deep blue, narrow-sleeved woolen dress, with lace trim at the waist and hem. Her long, white hair was tied up with two red ribbons into a high, sectioned ponytail.
"This goes over your neck, and then you tie the straps in the back." Shire personally helped Bai Mao put on the long apron. "This way, you won’t get your clothes dirty when you’re working or cooking."
Bai Mao looked down at the apron, then happily spun in place, her long dress twirling with the motion.
"Winter... not cold," she said with a smile, her gaze on Shire full of warmth.
"No, not cold. Everyone will get one," Shire replied with a smile and a nod.
Just as Bai Mao had said, goblins used to survive the winter simply by shivering. With this warm clothing, they would no longer be frozen to the point of snot running down their faces, their mouths twisted from the cold. Shire remembered Buck Teeth once saying, "The forest in winter will teach any goblin to dance by stomping its feet." He had said it with the lyrical tone of a poet, but his face had remained as deadpan as ever.
’We need to keep making winter clothes, a few extra sets for everyone so they have something to change into. And we’ll need some wardrobes, too.’ Shire mused. The Fortress had just over a thousand Gold Coins in its coffers. The bulk of that money came from the "gifts" of the Heart Stealer and the Storm Brotherhood, and it was more than enough to outfit his subordinates with winter clothes and furniture.
’Still, I need to develop our own trade goods as soon as possible,’ Shire thought. As the number of his subordinates grew, so did their demand for resources. Selling Healing Potions from the Drink Undying Alchemy Workshop was a promising trade route.
Mary’s reply detailed the trade agreement she had negotiated with the Island Merchant. It was a combined payment of Gold Coins and Healing Potions, with the potions making up the bulk of the deal. Shire did a quick calculation: even after using their current inventory, it would take Little Claw brewing nonstop for five full days to meet the order.
Chief Engineer Claw’s status in Shire’s eyes had skyrocketed. His old wooden bowl had also received a massive upgrade—it was now a spacious, gleaming glass tank half a meter in diameter, constantly filled with Magic Potion to ensure he could "recharge" the moment he got tired.
Shire had also promised him he would help search for news of his former master. When they began exploring to the west in a few days, he would be sure to keep an eye out for any Relics in the forest.