High Priest

There were originally dozens of goblin tribes of varying sizes scattered along the mountain range. The higher you go, the stronger the tribe becomes. In Pika's memory, their tribe had occupied the mountaintop a long time ago.

The vast mountains embraced its children like a mother. Even though a year has passed, the place is still as green as when the pickup truck left.

It's strange. It's daytime for hunting, so why are there no other goblins on the mountain?

Confusion flashed through Pika's mind as it carefully bypassed a vine trap, knowing that it was close to its destination.

The goblin walked a little further and saw the trees rustling in the distance. Before being attacked, it stood there and shouted in goblin language: "Pika is back! Pika is back with enough offerings!"

The shaking trees suddenly quieted down, and a green head popped out. The two goblins looked at each other carefully, confirmed their identities in goblin language, and the hunting goblin welcomed it warmly: "Welcome back! Pika!"

In the goblin tribe, being able to get a name is a big deal. Only goblins who have lived long enough and have potential can get a name. In most cases, even goblins can't tell each other apart. Pika proudly puffed out his chest: "Pika wants to see the elder, and Pika brought back an offering for the elder!"

The hunting goblin's eyes darted around, looking for offerings on it: "The high priest died a long time ago! Now we don't have a great elder, all the priests are dead!"

Dead?

All the priests died? Even the most powerful elder died?

Pika opened his mouth wide and stared at it blankly. Then his eyes rolled back and he passed out.

Pika had a dream.

It had long dreamed of its childhood. In its memory, the great elder was the best person to the little goblins in the tribe. The goblins in the tribe were always very cruel to the young ones, and would even eat the weak goblins when they couldn't find food. After all, if you cut off a crop of goblins, more will grow. There will be no tribe if there are goblins that cannot be killed.

Only the Great Elder always took care of the young children and shared food with those wasting food. Its green skin was already full of grooves, but its expression was very kind.

The great elder in the dream was beckoning to it, with a few fruits in his palm. The young Pika swallowed his saliva, and immediately ran over at the other party's beckoning, staring at the fruits eagerly.

The elder touched the child's head and stuffed the fruit into Pika's mouth with a smile. The fruit, which should have been juicy, became as hard as iron in the instant it entered his mouth. Pika wanted to scream in fear, but the elder's skinny hand pinched his neck and stubbornly stuffed the fruit into his throat. His abnormally bulging eyes stared at Pika, and his voice was strange and hoarse.

"It's all your fault! It's all your fault! It's all your fault!"

"Why did you come back! Why did you come back! Everything will be ruined, it's all your fault!"

It screamed and its face was twisted and shrunken. When Pika was about to faint, it saw the elder's head fall off his neck with a thump.

Pika's expression was frozen, but no blood gushed out from the broken skull. An ominous scream echoed in the air, hitting Pika's stomach. It lay on the ground and vomited, and the fruit rolled all over the ground, with its rotten surface grinning:

"...little devil...dirty..."

"...head...pointy ears and big nose...crazy..."

Tiny children's voices sang in laughter, and sticky sweat from fear seeped through the skin. Pika vomited all the gastric juice, and tears and snot flowed down his face. Gauze-like mist overflowed from the edge of the dream and flew lightly toward the kneeling goblin. Wherever he passed, he was invincible. Time and space were divided into scattered dim fragments, winding up and down. When the prey was still unaware, it was already locked in the cage.

The goblin felt dizzy and in unbearable pain. He suddenly felt a pain in his ankle, which was so severe that Pica shuddered in pain while vomiting. He looked down subconsciously and saw the face of the great elder. There was a hint of pain and struggle in his eyes, and the old goblin said hoarsely: "Run..."

“Run!!!!”

The scream instantly woke Pika up, and he realized the strangeness around him. Without time to think, the goblin turned around and ran back the way he came. The angry black mist surged and swallowed up everything that was already dark. Wailing, desperate sobbing, and the cries of the elders that Pika was familiar with came from behind him, but the goblin never dared to stop.

run!

run!

run!!

"You can't escape! You can't escape! You've been caught!"

The voices of the fruits followed the goblin like ghosts. They sang the song that was vague but made Pica's heart beat wildly. It ran forward in vain, trying every means to get rid of this terrible nightmare. At the moment when the spreading fog was about to catch it, Pica finally ran to the edge of the dream. It screamed and jumped forward. With a heavy feeling of falling, the goblin suddenly opened his eyes and sat up from the bed.

It panted and looked around in horror. There was no other creature in the stinking mud house. In the corners were piles of garbage, fur, and wind-dried goblin excrement. The dirty and messy environment made Pica feel relaxed. It touched the fur under its body and repeated hypnotically.

"The pickup is safe, this is the tribe... The pickup is safe, this is the tribe..."

Before the goblin could calm down completely, the door of the mud house was pushed open with a creak. A tall goblin walked in from outside. Compared with the general height of his kind, which was less than 1.2 meters, this goblin, who was the same height as a normal human, was like a giant. He was wearing a leather armor and carrying a huge axe on his back. When he saw the axe clearly, Pika couldn't help but shiver and lowered his head deeply.

This is the hobgoblin who drove him out of the tribe, the current leader. All goblins are afraid of the hobgoblin's majesty and its axe. Pica once saw it easily chop up an offending greenskin. That scene was deeply engraved in Pica's mind and became the source of his nightmares for a long time. The hobgoblin also looked down on Pica. Although the elder took good care of this greenskin, it turned out that he only enjoyed the tribe's resources, but did not have the talent to make the tribe strong.

In the silence, the hobgoblin spoke first: "I didn't expect the high priest was right. You really came back."

"The Great Elder said I would come back...?"

If the Great Elder hadn't bitten it at the last moment, it would have died there! But thinking of that terrifying face, Pica's hair stood on end. He listened to the goblin in silence, "I felt something was wrong when it insisted on giving you a name. That old thing always does things that goblins can't understand. Later, you were driven out of the tribe, and it said you would come back one day. I didn't believe it at the time. With your little ability, you would definitely be killed by the monster."

The leader walked to the bed, looked down at Pika, and a fierce light flashed in his eyes.

"The Great Elder gave you the Earth Escape Technique, right?"

There are actually very few goblins who can learn magic. Pica is timid by nature and can only run away. If the Great Elder had not taught him this magic before he left, the goblin would have died in countless crises.

But its talent only goes so far, and it has no way of becoming a leader of the tribe like the high priest. Pica stammered in response, and the hobgoblin sneered, "It really makes me angry to see you like this. You don't look like a descendant of the beast god at all. We are powerful goblins! The masters of this mountain range! The owners of the treasure! A race that once conquered the entire continent!"

The powerful roar spread to the inside and outside of the house, making all the goblins who heard it feel excited. But Pika is no longer the young goblin who believed everything he heard. He has seen the world now and thinks that as long as the strange priest living in the grassland comes up to tell a story, even the goblin will be beaten to pieces.

Thinking of the silver-haired young man who came with him, Pica suddenly calmed down. The hobgoblin became even more unhappy when he saw his calm expression.

But it didn't lose its temper on the spot. It just ordered with a sullen face: "Since you are back, I have also received your offerings. As a salute to the beast god, you have proved your ability. I allow you to return to the tribe. From today on, you are the new high priest."

Pika's calmness was so great that his voice broke: "Pika, Pika wants to be the high priest?"

"Do you think I want to? You are the only one in the tribe who knows magic!"

The hobgoblin's face turned livid: "We have asked other tribes, and their priests have also encountered accidents. The tribe cannot be without priests, so from today on, you will be responsible for teaching the little greenskins spells - even if there is only one!"

The leader defends the safety of the tribe, and the priest teaches the greenskins wisdom. Without either, the tribe will be destroyed.

The basis for becoming a priest is to master magic. When faced with danger, powerful magic will become the tribe's last trump card. In this regard, Pika is undoubtedly unqualified.

But the hobgoblin didn't care about that. It just notified everyone and left without looking back. After it left, two goblin warriors came in, said a lot of flattering words to Pika, and took it away from this temporary house.

The mud house is a symbol of status and is built around the tribal center. When Pika walked out of the mud house, the oncoming sunlight made him squint his eyes. His eyes fell on the tall totem column in the center of the square, and then he looked away in awe, not daring to look any further.

Only the chief and the priests dared to approach the totem pillar. The two goblins did not dare to act rashly either, and led it around the totem pillar and came to the most beautiful mud house. It was sturdy and strong enough to accommodate the trolls. The walls were decorated with animal bones and furs. It was warm, dry, comfortable and safe. There was even a simple bookshelf in the house, on which precious books were placed.

This is a house that only the high priest can live in. Pica once came here to visit the high priest, and now the goblin who lives here has become it. The green warriors standing beside it rushed to express their sincerity: "High priest, if you have any questions, just leave them to us! We will definitely do a good job!"

Pica was a little dazed. He nodded stiffly and dismissed the two goblins. After walking around the room, the goblins sat on the only chair, not knowing what to do.

This is the high priest, the one who is supposed to lead the tribe forward! Can it do this job well?

Pica was thinking with a frown on his face, and out of the corner of his eye he saw a few little green heads sticking out of the window. When the two sides made eye contact, the little greenskins immediately scattered. The goblin was stunned for a moment, then stood up and walked out in confusion.

Those who stayed in the tribe during the day were all old, weak, sick and disabled, probably because the hobgoblin had given instructions in advance. When they saw Pika, every goblin put down their work and shouted in curiosity and respect: "Hello, High Priest!"

"Hey, hey, hello!"

Pika answered randomly. He got two fruits from this goblin, and a few beautiful stones from that goblin. When he passed the corner of the square, he saw a few dodgy little greenskins and waved to them. The goblins ran over hesitantly, and Pika placed the fruits in their hands with a smile. He watched the children fighting over it, and a smile spread across his ugly face. His original worry about the nightmare had long gone.

Hehe, do whatever you want, it’s great to be a high priest!