<h4>Volume 2, Chapter 99: Objectives</h4>
It’s been two days since Gi Go Amatsuki left the vige. The assassin, Gi Ji Arsil, strongly advised to chase after him, but I chose to leave the goblin be and begin our move to the west instead.
We took the carts we recovered from the humans, and disassembled them to create pnquins to be carried by four normal goblins, allowing easier transportation for the pregnant and younger goblins. Our destination was the Fortress of the Abyss.
When the ancient beast tamer, Gi Gi Orudo, and the shaman, Gi Ga Zakuend, saw the carts a heated debate took ce.
The topic was: What is this object?
The goblins could not imagine the use of carts to carry goods andmodities, as the forest did not have uniformly level ground. When Gi Gi noted the wheels attached to the carts, he thought them simr to the moons. And so, he concluded: Ah, this must be an idol! An idol made in the image of the moons!
“But if these are idols, how do the humans use them to worship?” Gi Za asked.
Gi Gi quickly found an answer to Gi Za’s question. He took one of his wild dogs and ced it on the other end of the cart, while he positioned himself next to the other end… And then he jumped on the cart, lifting the dog, sending it flying into the sky.
“Wooooof!?” the dog pitifully cried until it eventuallynded on a tree. Uponnding, the branches broke, and it screamed even more, and when it hit the ground, it fainted.
Must’ve been scary.
“This is how they send offerings to the moons!”
He was wrong, but Gi Gi’s short demonstration was able to convince Gi Ji Arsil and Gi Zu Ruo.
In the blink of an eye, the heated debate reached a boiling point. It was then that Shumea happened to be passing by.
“Or you know what! How about we just ask Lord Shumea!” Gi Do said.
The moring goblins all looked at each other, and then with a nod, they surrounded the human female. The pressure emanating from the debater goblins caused even the usually cool Shumea to wince.
“Lord Shumea, tell us! What is that thing!? Is it an idol or a moving shield!?” Gi Za asked.
“Umm… It’s a cart used to transport stuff? Is something the matter?”
Contrast the goblins’ zealous questioning, Shumea’s answer was so matter-of-factly that it was like pouring could water over fire. The goblins wentpletely silent.
I wasn’t intending to make fun of them, but when I saw Gi Za and Gi Gi unable to look each other in the eye, I broke outughing.
“K-King… Could it be… You knew?” Gi Za bitterly asked.
“Rather than waste your time on petty things, you should hurry up and prepare,” I said to forcefully steer the topic away.
Well, it’s good to find new things to be interested with.
◇◇◆
Along the way I pondered over our future actions.
Our biggest objective currently is to strengthen and expand the horde. I need to amass hordes of goblin warriors in order to take Reshia back with these two hands, then I need to take a country to set a foothold for us in the world of humans.
The question then is how.
The goblin race has great diversity and is the second most populous race after the humans. I checked this with Shumea, and it seems to hold true. Moreover, as far as adventurers and battle ves are concerned, the goblins are considered to be weak andmon, the kind of monster you could see anywhere.
Where there are humans, there are goblins.
If so, then there should be many more hordes of goblins in the forest… Even in the ins where the humans rule, or to the west beyond the Forest of the Abyss, or to the south, past the vige, or even to the north, beyond the orc vige; where there isnd untrodden, unknown goblins may lurk.
Gathering all of these goblins by myself is out of the question. Who knows how long it would take me to aplish such a feat alone?
Hence, I should make use of the more highly evolved goblins among my ranks to bring those goblins to me. If they fail… The female goblins are with me. Even in the worst case, we won’t be wiped out.
In an area two days away from the vige, I had Gi Gu Verbena summoned.
“Gi Gu Verbena, you are aware that Gi Go has left the vige?”
“…Yes, Your Highness, but I am fully confident that he holds no desire to incite a rebellion.”
“I know. He is not that sort of person,” generously nodded.
Being Gi Go’s rival, it seems he understands him quite well.
“I shall send you as my representative.”
“Please enlighten me, Your Highness.”
“You are to go to the south. There you shall take the local goblins and bring them before me.”
I have given the noble goblins the right to have a household. Right now, I am telling him to exercise that right.
Gi Gu Verbena seems to have understood that, as he tightly held the sword sheathed by his waist and bowed his head deeply.
“I will not fail you, my king.”
“May the fortunes of war be with you.”
“Ha!”
Then he turned around and left with the speed of a beast.
“Because I can’t go, right?” Gi Za asked from behind me.
“You and Gi Ga are as stubborn as rocks after all,” I sarcasticallyughed, at which he tooughed.
The next day I sent Gi Gi Orudo to the north and Gi Zu Ruo to the south-west.
After that we finally arrived at the Fortress of the Abyss.
“Wee home, Your Majesty!” Kuzan of Gordob said as she prostrated her small, white body before me.
“Did anything happen while I was gone?”
“Nope! I cleaned the ce up too.”
That’s not really it, but alright, it seems nothing is amiss.
“These are the goblins of Eastern Vige. Assign them rooms to sleep in.”
“Please leave it to me!”
As Kuzan was counting the goblins, she noted the elf, Selena’s, presence.
“There’s actually a small cave dwellerKoro Toku in a ce like this?” Selena said in surprise, while Kuzan looked back with confusion.
“Koro toku? I am Kuzan of Gordob… You are a wind elfSylph, yes?”
“My apologies, Lord Kuzan,” Gi Za interjected, “I have a prior engagement with this elf. There is still much to learn regarding the elf’s knowledge on magic. If you have business with her, please settle itter.”
Selena immediately hid behind Shumea when Gi Za appeared, while Kuzan ran off to count the rest of the horde.
◆◇◇
After word had been sent that the various representatives of the four tribes had all returned safely, a banquet was held. By the time the banquet had ended, Kuzan also finished assigning rooms to the goblins, while the goblins who were seeing the fortress for the first time finally managed to wake themselves up from the surprise.
It was during that time that I called Selena and Shumea over. I only had business with Selena, but I called the both of them since Selena would probably have reservations abouting alone.
“Boss, you needed something?” Shumea asked.
Selena was hiding behind Shumea as always when they entered.
I know I’m scary, but can’t she get over it already?
The image of a certain girl shed through my mind. It did not take long for her to grow ustomed to me. That didn’t change even when I evolved. For a moment, I felt my chest ache.
No… Don’t think about her.
Shaking those thoughts away, I spoke to my two guests. “Yes, my apologies for calling you at such a time… There’s something I want to know about the elves.”
“Oh, if it’s something like that, then…” Shumea said.
“Right, if it’s something like that, count me in too,” Gi Za suddenly entered the room.
Where the hell did youe from? The two girls’ looks seemed so say as they watched Gi Za leisurely take a seat beside me.
“Well, go on. Speak!” Gi Za excitedly said like a kid about to go on a trip.
Chuckling, I prompted Shumea and Selena to start.
ording to legends of old passed down among the elves of the wind, the sylphs, the gods followed after Deetna to create the various races.
The god of forest, Chenzhen, and the god of water, Iren, created the elves.
The god of wind, Castor, and the god of earth, Nmaro, sculpted the demihumans out of the ores.
The god of illusions, Famil, and the god of dreams, Jeje, weaved dreams and illusions together to create the dragons.
The god of starfaring, Tear, traveled the stars and gathered ingredients to create the giants.
Like that the various races were created.
Shumea and Selena were wide-eyed as I spoke. It seems they didn’t expect a goblin like myself to be capable of speaking such things.
“Didn’t your mother tell you it’s rude to leave your mouth open?”
Selena promptly shut her jaws closed.
“Wow, boss, I really didn’t expect a goblin such as yourself to know such things…” Shumea said as she scratched her head, seemingly still shocked.
Well, normally that would be the case.
“Anyway, let’s hear it.”
Selena turned to Shumea with a troubled look, while thetter patted her on the back while reassuring her that it was alright.
Selena nervously started to talk, and Gi Za and I listened with rapt attention.
The beings known as elves werergely divided into four types. Each type was given a name ording to the spirit they were associated with. The fire elves: the smanders, the water elves: the undines, the earth elves: the gnomes, and the wind elves: the sylphs. The most influential of the elves were the undines, who worshiped the water goddess, followed by the gnome and sylphs. Last were the smanders, who were strong individually but few in number.
Selena herself did not know much about the other elves. The sylphs lived with the forest and died with the forest. This has been their way of life since long ago. To y with the wind and die under the blessings of the forest was the greatest happiness any sylph could ask for.
The sylphs either worshiped the god of wind, Castor, or the god of forest, Chenzhen. They were long-lived, but it was at most only twice a human’s life. Supposedly, there were those who lived three times as long as humans, but Selena did not know any such sylph.
The sylphs were mostly hunters, but unlike the goblins, they hunted with their bows and offered prayers before eating to purify the meat.
Like joining your hands together to say grace?
The sylphs mostly married among themselves and rarely interfered with the other elves.
I quietly listened while Gi Za would ask questions from time to time.
Selena talked endlessly even as the dawn approached.