Chapter 11: Capturing the Eight Trigrams, catching the goblin, the goblin traitor...
Lai and Reese staked out the home of a Self-Defense Force member that had not yet been robbed.
This time, the hiding place was even worse. Perhaps because the weather had improved, the mosquitoes had become more active, and soon the three of them had several large welts from their bites.
To increase the success rate of the operation, the Self-Defense Forces set up several traps, so the atmosphere wasn't as tense as it had been the night before. It was still early, so the three chatted quietly.
"Didn't Lamb insist on coming along?"
The team member asked in a low voice.
“No way,” Reese scratched the mosquito bite on his face. “He’s in a group with Brian.”
"Was the village's troubles really caused by goblins?"
"It's hard to say. Lei and his group did see a goblin-like creature yesterday. But it's still uncertain whether the others did too."
"All right."
"Sigh, I heard that the city lord of the main city died suddenly two months ago. Life is getting harder and harder."
"Who told you that?"
The teammate's words successfully piqued Reese's interest.
“My cousin who lives in Eaton told me this when he came to Rosen to visit relatives a while ago.”
"So who succeeded to the throne?"
"It's said to be an illegitimate child..."
Lei listened quietly as the two chatted about gossip in the main city.
Eaton is a small town belonging to Rosen. The main city, however, is Speth, the main city of Eaton, where the castle lord resides.
Speth has the third largest area of the entire known continent, but unfortunately, although it is adjacent to the Great Forest of Eton, it is only a quarter of the size of the Great Forest of Eton.
Speth is in a very awkward position because it is surrounded by many other small kingdoms established by various races.
Nobles place great importance on the continuation of bloodlines, and the story behind the successful succession of an illegitimate son inevitably arouses all sorts of speculation.
"It's already good that there hasn't been any major upheaval."
Ries sighed deeply.
"Who says it isn't?"
The team members nodded in agreement.
The two chatted about recent events in Eaton City, including the arrival of mercenaries from various places and the policies the city lord had implemented.
Aside from swatting away mosquitoes, Lai would occasionally respond, and time passed quickly.
It was nearing midnight, and dawn was just hours away, but there was still no movement from their hiding place. The three men yawned repeatedly, taking turns to rest.
After Ray rested, Reese lay down, still warm from the heat. Not long after, a series of rapid knocking sounds suddenly echoed through the village.
Rhys sprang up from the thatch with a somersault.
"Where was it caught?"
"It seems to be near Corey!"
The three of them didn't linger any longer and hurriedly ran to his house.
Torches illuminated the small courtyard, where a group of people had already gathered around Corey's house. Some were members of the team that night's operation, while others were villagers who had come to see what was happening.
Rhys led the two to the front. There, they saw two dark, humanoid creatures tied up in the circle.
Their hands and feet were tightly bound, rendering them virtually immobile, yet they were still biting people on the ground, baring their teeth and claws.
"Ugh! They really are goblins!"
Someone in the crowd shouted excitedly, causing a small commotion.
"What should we do?"
"If you ask me, I'll deliver them to the church at dawn, and then distribute the money to everyone!"
The villagers were talking about it.
“Send them to the clan elder and let him decide.”
"Reese shouted."
"Yes! Let the clan elders handle it!"
The Self-Defense Force members responded loudly to Reese.
Before the villagers could react, they swiftly pushed through the crowd of onlookers, impaled the goblin's hands and feet on thick wooden sticks, and carried him directly to the elder's courtyard. The onlookers were also driven away.
"Elder, elder!"
Barnett didn't bother to change his clothes; he came out in his pajamas, draped in an animal skin.
"You caught them?"
"We've caught them."
He saw two goblins by the firelight.
One of them bared his teeth and threatened the person next to him, while the other stared at him with cold eyes. They had the same skin color and looked very similar.
"Where did you come from?"
Barnett asked.
The two goblins didn't react, as if they couldn't understand what he was saying.
Kari plunged a knife deep into the face of the snarling goblin. His eyes widened, his pupils contracting like those of a beast.
"Where did you come from?"
Kari repeated Barnett's words.
"Hoo, hoo, Eaton."
Barnett could barely make out what he was saying, and was somewhat shocked.
The Great Forest of Eton is a long way from here, and the terrain is treacherous. How did these goblins get here? Barnett thought of the monster attack last year.
Is this place no longer safe?
Barnett broke out in a cold sweat.
How did you get here?
He then asked.
"underground."
"How many goblins are coming?"
"ha!"
The goblin that had been silent suddenly let out a threatening sound, and the other one trembled and stopped speaking no matter how much it was threatened.
The goblin grinned at the crowd, his eyes cold, reminding Ray of a snake.
"I can lead you to capture other goblins, but only if you release us."
"Hru!?"
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
Lei frowned as he looked at the goblin named Hru.
Why did you...?
The other goblin clearly didn't understand why its companion would say that either.
They had gone through countless hardships to leave the Great Forest of Eton. Some had abandoned their wives, some had abandoned their children, but they had helped each other along the way.
"Shut up!"
Khru was furious.
"You know they won't save us, so you might as well save yourselves instead of relying on them."
The goblins knew Hru was right. Their own kind wouldn't save them, and if they were captured by humans, they would only face death.
He fell silent, his eyes darkening, and he stopped speaking.
Barnett stroked his not-so-long beard, clearly pondering Hru's words.
Goblins are the most cunning creatures, and he was somewhat skeptical of him.
"Isn't this a very good deal?"
Hru continued.
"You can exchange for more silver coins, and you don't have to worry about other goblins disturbing the villagers' lives."
Hru's words struck a nerve with Barnett, but he remained expressionless. The most crucial element of negotiation is psychological warfare.
"I will answer all your questions."
Khru gave a fawning smile and continued.
"If you don't agree to my conditions, we won't say another word. But the safety of the village can't be guaranteed in the future."
Everyone was shocked by Khru's cunning and shamelessness. They gripped their weapons tightly, and the veins on their foreheads bulged.
"I can promise you that, but why should we believe what you say?"
“Jeru is my only brother. You can keep him in the village as a hostage.”
Barnett glanced around at the group of people, whose expressions varied. For the sake of the village's safety, he finally agreed.
The night was very dark, as if it had been splashed with ink.
Yilu returned to the cave with the bird eggs and wild vegetables he had painstakingly found. His wife was due to give birth in a little over ten days, so it was really inconvenient for them to move.
As usual, his wife gently kissed his cheek, and his child affectionately called him "Dad." Everything was as beautiful as something out of a story.
"This is it."
Khru led the villagers to hide far away in the woods.
There are five goblins here.
Khru smirked maliciously.
Kari, along with several villagers, carried a large net woven from hemp rope and tiptoed towards the cave.
After a while, a commotion arose from the cave. There were angry roars from goblins and desperate cries from little goblins.
Kari and his men successfully captured the Iru family. The goblins were tightly bound together with hemp rope, resembling five dumplings.
Ray followed the group forward and saw the goblin struggling on the ground. He recognized Iru as the one he had encountered yesterday. There was a ten-centimeter-long scar on Iru's right arm.
Iru wriggled to shield his wife and children behind him, and by the firelight, he saw Heru standing at the front, his hands tied by the villagers.
"Hru!"
Anger filled his chest, making his expression increasingly ferocious.
"You filthy bug! I'm going to kill you!"
Iru lunged at Heru without hesitation, biting his calf. The villagers rushed forward to try and separate the two goblins.
But Iru held on too tightly, refusing to let go no matter how the villagers beat him, until he bit off a piece of Hru's flesh.
"Pah!" Iru spat out the blood-stained chunk of meat.
"You son of a bitch, you damned freak!"
Khru wailed and cursed.
No one wanted to deal with this goblin traitor. But there were other goblins to capture, and Hru kept rolling around on the ground. Kari couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he sprinkled some hemostatic powder on him and simply bandaged him up with strips of cloth.
A few villagers took Iru's family back to the warehouse in the village, which served as a temporary detention center, while the others continued to follow the limping Heru in the arrests.
They captured eight more goblins in different locations.
This time, they arrived at a larger cave, guarded by a goblin.
Hru acted as bait, luring away the goblins guarding the position, and all the villagers swarmed in. This capture was clearly not as successful as the last one; the area was full of strong, young goblins, and a chaotic battle ensued.
Ray discovered that there were goblins who could use earth magic, so he used magic to create a short wall behind him to block the villagers who were chasing him.
The scene was chaotic at one point.
The manhunt lasted a long time, only ending as dawn broke. By the time it was all over, Khru had vanished without a trace, and the villagers no longer cared about him.
The warehouse held more than twenty goblins of all sizes, and even Barnett, who had seen many big scenes, was surprised by the sight.
News of the capture spread throughout the village, and early in the morning, villagers rushed to the warehouse to see what was happening. They found the dark-skinned, large-limbed goblin quite astonishing.
"What should we do?"
Barnett puffed on his tobacco.
The long table in his living room was surrounded by the village's most important elders.
Lai and the men who participated in the arrest yesterday stood behind them to attend the village meeting.
"Why don't we send them all to the church?"
Someone made a suggestion.
"There are also children and pregnant goblins inside."
"That's what the other person said."
Everyone understood what he meant.
Sending them to the church would at most earn them two gold coins, while the goblins would only face certain death.
"How about selling it to a mining farm?"
"That is one way."
But if they're sold to the mines, these goblins will work there until they die.
Everyone knows that only black market mines dare to take in goblins, but the conditions there are extremely harsh. Although you can earn more gold coins, you still feel a little guilty about it.
The group argued back and forth, their heated debate making it seem like they were about to come to blows.
"Elder, what do you say we should do? We'll listen to you!"
"Yes, I'll do whatever you say!"
The living room fell silent, and Barnett remained silent, simply chain-smoking one cigarette after another.
What are your thoughts?
He looked at the crowd standing there.
"Or we could send it directly to the town mayor."
Kari asked tentatively, and Barnett shot him a glare, clearly dissatisfied with the method.
Hagrid turned his head and glanced at his three sons and eldest nephew standing behind him.
"If any of you have any ideas, just say them. It's okay, just talking about it."
"Can't we just move them further away?"
Lamb asked, looking completely bewildered.
Hagrid was somewhat exasperated by his youngest son's simple-minded thought process.
"What if something goes wrong later?"
When Rhys questioned him, Lamb shut his mouth and said nothing more.
“I…I have an idea.”
Lai feigned timidity and stammered. All eyes immediately turned to Lai.
"Ray, it's okay, just say it."
Barnett looked at Ray with encouragement and kindness.
"Goblins are so good at digging tunnels, why don't we have them help us dig a tunnel in the mountains that block our way into the city?"
Ray's suggestion surprised everyone. Hagrid and Reese looked at Ray with astonishment, as if they were seeing him for the first time.
"Child, please continue."
Barnett was clearly also interested in what Ray had to say.
“In the past, we had to take a long detour to get into the city. Sometimes when we got to the town, the things we wanted to sell were either sour or wilted.”
Everyone nodded; the road was too far, that was indeed the case. Some valuable items had to be used within a few hours of being picked, otherwise they would spoil, and these were often the most valuable of all.
"All the goblins want is food. We provide them with food regularly and don't have to pay them any silver coins. In return, they will dig a road for us to easily enter the city. Why not?"
"What if the hole they dug isn't sturdy enough?"
Someone asked.
"Wouldn't it be enough to hire a reliable dwarf craftsman for technical guidance?"
Lamb interface.
"What if the goblin runs away?"
"This is where our respected elders come in."
"Ray answered," everyone replied. All eyes turned to Barnett.
"I'm sure the elders have a better way to deal with the goblins."
Flattery will get you everywhere, and he didn't want to put himself in the spotlight. It was better for the villagers to handle the trouble themselves.
Barnett looked at Ray with a slightly appreciative gaze, but without saying what would happen in the end, he ended the meeting.
Everyone went home for dinner, waiting for the clan elders to hold another meeting to discuss the final solution.
A note from the author:
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Iru was born in a forest, a place full of dangers and adventures.
During his childhood, his parents—two hardworking goblins—traveled with him and his siblings through various corners of the forest, struggling to avoid attacks from monsters.
In his tiny eyes, the forest was the whole world.
He didn't understand why all the intelligent creatures in the forest bullied them, even their own kind. He also didn't understand why the goblins had no neighbors, only parents and brothers and sisters.
They hide and live underground. They move with the sunset and rest with the sunrise, living forever in darkness.
Iru loathed this kind of life and hated always being chased.
He wanted to live in the sunshine, he wanted a permanent home and friendly neighbors.
He told his father about his idea.
His father told him that this was how goblins lived.
His siblings also mocked his unconventionality.
When he came of age, he gave himself a name – Yilu.
Soon after, his parents, following tradition, sent him away, and he embarked on a long journey.
Iru was destined to be a lonely and strange goblin.
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