Chapter 260 - 233: Mind Peeping
"Green Egg is the leader."
"Green Egg is the leader."
"Green Egg is the leader."
Every goblin who came forward to kneel and touch his ankle would shout this phrase. Even those with facial injuries would mumble it out indistinctly.
At first, Shire wanted to correct them, but he gave up after a dozen or so times. By the time he had heard "Green Egg" 600 times, he was completely numb. ’This is the single day I’ve been called Green Egg the most since I crossed over.’
Shire’s cold gaze swept over Cyan Hide, who stood beside him. Despite his blood-soaked, tattered clothes and the massive, exposed scar on his chest, the smile on Cyan Hide’s face was unwavering, as if a fire burned within him even in the dead of winter.
Sizing up the blood-soaked clothes his subordinate had stripped from god-knows-where, Shire shook his head in exasperation. ’I need to find a sufficiently difficult and tiring job for Cyan Hide. He seems quite capable.’
As more and more goblins came forward to touch his ankle, the ones who had been sitting silently on the ground began to stir. They started to get up, even pushing and shoving each other over who would be next to perform the ceremony. The corner of Shire’s mouth twitched as he watched one goblin grab another’s leg just to move up a single spot in line.
’It’s a good thing I took my shoes off beforehand,’ he thought sheepishly. ’Otherwise, they’d have been snatched by now, and those guys would probably be lining up to touch my shoes instead.’
Fortunately, Shire had two ankles, so the 600 goblins split into two lines to perform the ceremony, which sped things up considerably. ’If Evita were the one accepting their surrender, it would probably be even faster,’ he mused. ’After all, she has four hooves.’
After some time, the noisy ankle-touching ceremony finally concluded. Shire looked at the "new members" still standing cautiously before him, and his head began to ache. ’The Fortress can’t house them all. I’ll have to temporarily send some over to the Tree-man Domain. Fortunately, a lot of these guys are injured, so they can head to the Tree-man Region first and benefit from the Mother Tree’s healing effects.’
’We’re running low on food. I need to contact Mary immediately and get a new stock of provisions. And then there’s clothing, furniture, daily necessities, shoes, work tools, weapons, Armor...’
Shire pinched the bridge of his nose. Even his original followers weren’t fully equipped, and now he had another 600 members to provide for. ’At this rate, even if the artisans in Yangjiao Town work so fast their tools throw sparks, they’ll never finish in time.’
’Not to mention the Dongtou I let go... who knows when they’ll bring more newcomers. The population is expanding a little too quickly.’
But what worried Shire most right now was Gold Coins. The clan’s cash flow was nearly depleted. Although the Vampire Count Herbert had generously waived the fee for the potion bottles, their current savings were nowhere near enough to outfit these 600 new goblins.
’What am I going to do?’ Shire frowned. ’The only option right now is to take out a loan from the Commerce Bank in Yangjiao Town. But I have to go there in person to get it done.’
On the other hand, adding 600 members to the clan immediately eased their manpower shortage. The herb-gathering team and One-Eyed’s digging crew could both be expanded. They could now officially begin full-scale harvesting in the Ant Kingdom’s territory. They could also dispatch people into the large area previously controlled by the Evil Throat Army, a place Shire hadn’t had the personnel to clear out yet.
’With proper management and on-the-job training, these 600 new members will soon become an incredible productive force.’ Shire pursed his lips. He could see the clan’s potential for future growth, but the lack of funds—or rather, the slow cash flow—remained a problem.
"Looks like your clan has grown again," a voice sounded from nearby as an Owl Bear came waddling over.
"Thank you so much, Miss Sofia," Shire said earnestly. The Owl Bear, a mountain of flesh, rose onto its hind legs. It raised a paw, and then, under Shire’s astonished gaze, its brown fur seemed to ripple and retract back into its body. Its towering form began to shrink until it had reverted to its original human shape.
"Yaaawn," Sofia said, covering her mouth as she stretched. "Looks like things are finally over."
"So you didn’t leave after all." Shire looked up at the Druid Maiden before him. Her performance on the battlefield had been stunning, and she had helped him a great deal.
"I still had some unfinished business," Sofia said, looking down slightly at the goblin before her. She sized him up, extremely curious. ’What is it about him that makes Centaurs, little goblins, and even Nagas follow him so closely?’
"In that case, we’re about to eat. If you wouldn’t mind, you’re welcome to join my clan for a meal," Shire said with a warm, inviting smile. Bai Mao’s cooking was passable now, as long as she stuck to her signature dishes. Bai Mao was also practicing new recipes, which was why Shire often saw Nine-finger kneeling by the side of the underground river.
"A meal?" Sofia frowned. She looked at the goblin, her gaze seeming to ask if Shire was joking. Everyone knew what forest goblins ate. Even if his clan seemed more civilized now, their basic recipes and ingredients were probably still the same.
Seeing the look on the Druid Maiden’s face, the smile on Shire’s lips twitched. He knew what she was thinking. ’Right,’ he thought, ’without seeing it for yourself, no one’s going to change their mind. They probably think we still eat mush with our bare hands.’
"Prejudice is a mountain in the heart of man," Shire sighed softly, then said, "Of course, if you’d rather not, then don’t worry about it. But if there’s anything I can help you with, please don’t hesitate to ask."
Sofia didn’t say anything, only giving a slight nod.
Shire simply excused himself and turned to leave. He still had 600 goblins to organize, which was no easy task.
Sofia watched Shire’s retreating figure. She had previously wondered why the Main God’s glory covered the southern Nightmare Forest. Now, after these few encounters with Shire, she was certain that the Main God must have blessed him.
’It’s astonishing. For the Main God to bless a goblin, and his clan...’ She tilted her head slightly, staring at Shire’s back. ’Is there something I don’t know?’
’There aren’t any churches or altars to the God of Earth and Life in this region, either. What in the world is happening?’
Sofia thought for a moment and decided to take a closer look for herself. Her eyes locked onto Shire, and she whispered, "Mind Peeping."
In an instant, the light all around her seemed to fade, rapidly turning to Darkness, leaving only Shire in full color. As Sofia’s gaze penetrated Shire’s mind, a dazzling white light flared, and two enormous white spheres appeared before her.
’What are these? Two white spheres?’ she wondered in surprise. But she immediately realized what they were. They were eyes. Two enormous white eyes were staring right at her.
"Eyes?" Sofia froze. A wave of intense panic and discomfort washed over her. "This is..."
"A god?" Before she could finish the word, she fainted.