Chapter 162 - 135: The Dumbfounded Evita
Evita stood in a corner of the Fortress, regretting her decision to return to the goblins’ home. For one thing, she wasn’t used to living underground. For another...
’I don’t want to be some "curiosity" that everyone wants to come and gawk at.’
The entire Goblin Race had come to stare at her, walking back and forth no less than a hundred times. One goblin with a limp passed by five times. At first, he pretended to be glancing over casually, but for the last two passes, he shamelessly squatted nearby to get a better look.
It was also quite an eye-opener. She could accept a large group of goblins, but then a three-meter-tall Giant walked past her, and later, a Ghost Witch came over to size her up.
Looking at this Race, she desperately wanted to think, ’Unicorn, if you’re being coerced, just blink.’
After being gawked at for a long time, Evita got used to it. These goblins were surprisingly well-behaved. They just pointed and whispered from a distance instead of charging at her with clubs, chittering and chattering. This completely contradicted her impression of them. Maybe it was just as their leader had said: "We are kind, not an evil Race. Look, even a Unicorn chose us."
A few seconds later, however, she was cursing that bald, green-skinned dwarf. ’What kind of bullshit are you spouting?’
The reason was that a red-eyed goblin had just approached her, holding a Brain-Eating Monster.
’Goblins really are all evil.’ Evita gripped her Short Blade tightly as she watched the red-eyed goblin cheerfully walk away with the Brain-Eating Monster. ’They must be plotting something.’
She thought this because she had seen many little goblins flying past. For a kind Race from the forest to choose to live underground and even grow Mushrooms for goblins... ’That goblin leader must have captured these little goblins, maybe even imprisoned their Clan Leader, to keep them in Enslavement. The fate of these little goblins is truly tragic.’
"Hey, it’s time to eat. Want to join us?" Shire walked up to Evita and greeted her amicably.
"Eat?" Evita frowned.
’Is goblin food even edible? It’s probably full of floating bugs or dead rats and gives off a strange smell that could make someone pass out from ten meters away. Those black balls they threw at the Two-headed Ogre this morning... don’t tell me that was their breakfast.’
"I’m not hungry," Evita said stubbornly, tilting her head up.
"You were seriously injured. You should eat something. It will help you recover," Shire urged after a moment’s thought.
"No! I will not eat anything made by evil goblins," Evita refused adamantly.
"Alright then." Shire shrugged and walked off with the other goblins toward the platform by the underground river.
Evita wanted to keep her head held high and continue refusing the evil, bald goblin’s invitation to dine, but soon, her stomach let out a long rumble. "GROWL—"
She was, in fact, very hungry. After a night of fleeing and fighting, and having just recovered from a serious injury, she desperately needed nourishment. She felt like she could eat an entire roasted leg of a Big-horned Deer by herself.
There were hardly any goblins around anymore; they must have all gathered at the so-called "cafeteria." Evita rubbed her wailing stomach and muttered to herself, ’Should I go take a look?’
On a strange impulse, she finally set her hooves in motion, following the goblins’ path toward the "cafeteria."
As the sound of chittering and chattering grew louder, Evita knew she was getting close. Surprisingly, there was no foul smell. On the contrary, a fragrant aroma in the air kept tickling her throat, drawing her forward involuntarily.
’It must be some kind of illusion or perception Magic,’ Evita warned herself. ’Just one look. One look is all I need to see what kind of evil ritual they’re performing.’
Shire was sitting on a stool, chatting and laughing with Lame Leg, who was next to him. The guy kept asking whether the Centaur was more person or horse and what her daily life was like. Shire told him that if he wanted to know, he should take the time to learn Common Speech so he could read about it in books.
Then, he spotted Evita huddled at the entrance of the passage. She was furtively clinging to the wall, peeking and peering like a child on tiptoes, trying to sneak a look at the dishes on the stove during New Year’s dinner.
Shire got up, walked over to Bai Mao for another large portion of lunch, and then went to Evita.
"Hungry, are we? Want to try some?" he said with a smile, then pointed to the tables and stools. "You can also eat over there. It’s more convenient."
Several long tables and benches had been set up on the platform, laid out just like a university cafeteria from Shire’s past life. This way, the goblins didn’t have to sit on the ground to eat. Instead, they "squatted" on the benches.
As for why they squatted on the benches, Shire had no idea why his subordinates chose that posture.
Caught in the act, Evita’s face instantly turned bright red. Still, she lifted her head and said stubbornly, "No, I’m not eating that food."
Although her eyes were completely captivated by the wooden bowl, her reason told her not to be so easily "deceived."
"Is that so?" Shire was taken aback for a moment, but then he had a realization. "Oh, so you Centaurs don’t eat this."
"Should I have someone pull up some grass for you, then? Don’t worry, whatever kind of grass the Unicorn eats, I’ll have them get the same for you," he said sincerely. "I’ll guarantee it’s fresh, organic, and pollution-free."
"I am a Centaur, not a horse," Evita said through gritted teeth. She was sure the goblin in front of her was doing this on purpose.
"Oh, I see." Shire wasn’t angry despite being rejected. He placed the wooden bowl on the ground. "I’ll just leave this here. If you want to eat, you can give it a try. Today we’re having fried Tree-man Fruit Cakes. They’re quite delicious."
With that, he turned and left without lingering for another second.
Evita watched the goblin leave, then secretly lifted her gaze to scan the goblins in the cafeteria, noticing that no one was paying any attention to her.
She hesitated, looking at the wooden bowl before her. Her reason screamed at her not to eat it—that if she did, she’d fall under their Enchantment, just like those little goblins. But the aroma of the food and the gnawing hunger in her stomach urged her on. ’One bite. Just one bite. Nothing bad can happen from just one bite.’
Finally, she leaned her upper body down and picked up the wooden bowl from the ground. ’I’m merely testing the goblins’ evil Magic for the sake of the Centaur Race. It’s not that I actually want to eat this.’
With that thought, she scooped up some of the food and tentatively brought it to her mouth.
"Mmm," she let out a blissful sound involuntarily. The smoked meat was stewed until it was tender, the sauce had a flavor she had never tasted before, and the fried fruit cake was crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and left a wonderful aftertaste.
’I...’ she hesitated, then took a second scoop. ’This evil Magic can’t be tested with just one try. I need to test it a few more times.’
After a few more scoops, Evita let out a long breath. "This is so good."
She quickly finished all the food in the wooden bowl but felt like she was only half full. Holding the bowl, she stretched her neck, looking expectantly toward the goblins in the cafeteria. No one was watching her, and she noticed some goblins getting up to refill their bowls.
Evita hesitated, stamping her hooves. A few seconds later, she mustered her courage, walked up to the large pot, and held out her bowl to Bai Mao.
SPLAT. Another large portion of food landed in her bowl. Evita immediately clutched it with both hands and returned to her spot, quick and light on her feet, and continued to feast.
Shire ate slowly, having been secretly watching the centaur girl out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that she had finally succumbed to the temptation of food, he felt a sense of relief.
’The fact that she’s eating means we can communicate. And if we can communicate, I can get intelligence on the north,’ he thought, popping a piece of fried Tree-man Fruit into his mouth and chewing slowly. ’What’s really going on in the north? What’s the situation with those Ogres? I’ll have to rely on this Centaur to find out.’
...
After lunch, Evita found the lively-looking little goblin by herself.
"I am a Centaur. My name is Evita," she said, getting straight to the point.
"Oh, hello! I’m Shan Xi Ao," Shan Xi Ao said with a cheerful laugh. He was quite the extrovert when it came to socializing.
"I have a matter that I hope you can relay to the leader of your people," Evita said, choosing her words carefully, her expression serious.
"Oh? What is it?" Seeing her demeanor, Shan Xi Ao realized the topic might be important and wiped the smile from his face. "Go ahead. I’ll pass on the message for you."
"I want to help your little goblin Race escape while those goblins aren’t looking," Evita said gravely.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Shan Xi Ao was stunned.
"Uh, aren’t you being subjected to Enslavement by the goblins?" Evita’s voice was tinged with urgency. "Have they imprisoned your Clan Leader? I can help you rescue him."
"My father just took his afternoon nap. He’s going fishing by the river with the elders later. If you’re that bored, you can go cheer them on," Shan Xi Ao said with a pout.
"Your father?" Evita didn’t register it at first.
"Yeah, my father is our Clan Leader. If he’s ’imprisoned’ by anyone, it’s probably by my mother when she won’t let him go fishing because the fish are a bit big and it can be dangerous," Shan Xi Ao said with a shrug.
"So you weren’t imprisoned and put into Enslavement by that evil goblin?" Evita asked immediately. "The short one with no hair on his head."
"How can you talk about my big bro like that?" Shan Xi Ao retorted loudly. "What do you mean ’short’? What do you mean ’evil goblin’? Is my big bro Shire anything like that?"
"I can tell you have no idea about all the amazing things my big bro has done. Do you know what Fulu and the ants call him?" Shan Xi Ao lifted his chin proudly. "A hero."
"A hero?" Evita stood frozen. She simply couldn’t equate that word with a goblin.
"Come on, come on, let me brag a little and tell you what my big bro has done." Shan Xi Ao flew cheekily in front of the Centaur.