Chapter 12: The Disposal of the Mountain-Opening Goblin, Compensation, and the Commencement of Tunnel Construction...
"Brother, how did you come up with this method?"
Lamb asked curiously.
“For decades, the village has taken the same old road to get to the town, which is really inconvenient. When it rains, it turns into a muddy mess and it’s impossible to pass. I’ve always thought since I was a child that it would be great if a road could be built from the mountain.”
Lei's half-true, half-false explanation.
"That's certainly true."
Lamb said, and Brian and Reese nodded in agreement.
They had to take a long detour to get to town from a young age, and sometimes when they went to town to run errands, it would take them several days to get back. It was a huge waste of time.
In fact, Ray's motives were not as simple as he claimed.
There's an old saying that goes, "To get rich, build roads first." Lai, a farmer selling vegetables, wanted to improve his life, but the vegetables rotting in the fields was a problem. So, after visiting town, he thought about building a road through the mountains, but he didn't know how to implement it.
"Lay, go home and rest first. If anything happens, I'll have Lamb come to your house to find you."
"Okay, Uncle."
Hagrid stared intently at Ray's departing figure, as if he saw a shadow of someone else in him.
After getting home, Lai washed his face, made himself a bowl of oatmeal porridge for breakfast, and then fell into a deep sleep.
In the afternoon, Hagrid asked Lamb to call him to the elder's house, saying he needed to speak with him. As soon as Ray entered, he saw Elder Barnett, Hagrid, and three unfamiliar middle-aged men sitting together drinking barley tea.
"Come sit down, kid.
Barnett greeted him.
Lai sat respectfully to the left of the group.
"Lei, please elaborate on your thoughts from this morning."
Ray looked at Hagrid with a puzzled expression. Hagrid smiled at Ray and said encouragingly.
"It's alright, go ahead and speak."
Relieved, Lei gave a brief explanation, omitting anything too advanced, as he trusted the elders to find a solution.
However, he had some other concerns, which he did not hide.
"We also need to consider the resettlement of the goblins after they finish their work. We can't leave them with nowhere to go after they've finished, especially with children and pregnant women."
"That's also a problem."
Barnett pondered for a moment, then continued.
"Or we could just let them settle down on that mountain."
"Barnett, goblins and humans have never lived together since ancient times. Aren't you afraid the villagers will curse you to death for making this arrangement?"
Luke slammed his fist on the table in excitement.
"What do you think we should do?"
“Just send him to the church and that will solve everything.”
"No one is as capable as you."
The other man looked at Luke with a mocking expression, clearly disagreeing with his idea. The two men started arguing about it.
The others calmly sipped their barley tea, letting the two argue. After a while, they quieted down, clearly indicating that such scenes had played out many times in the past.
“If we really need to build a road in the mountains, this is a task that our village can’t handle alone.”
Barnett put down his glass and began to speak.
"The other villages also go to the town from here, so it would be best to involve them as well. As for the goblin resettlement issue, we can discuss that later."
“If we want to use this road when we pay taxes in the fall, we really don’t have enough people in our village, plus those goblins. I support the elder’s idea.”
Hagrid agreed, and no one else raised any further objections.
"How do we resolve the village's losses? We can't just expect those goblins to give them back."
The other middle-aged man, who had been silent all along, finally spoke.
This involves the interests of all the affected villagers and cannot be ignored. Moreover, if this matter is not resolved properly, it will inevitably create conflict between the villagers and the goblins, which will be very detrimental to future operations.
“Let’s buy some bird eggs in the village and give some silver coins to the experienced villagers to hatch a batch of red rockbirds. If we lose one, we’ll compensate with two chicks.”
Barnett took a drag on his cigarette and exhaled a long plume of smoke.
"We'll buy from villagers who haven't suffered any losses, and then we'll make anyone who wants baby birds pay for them. That's the only way we can do it."
"Take the money from me."
Hagrid and the other three fell silent. Barnett had already contributed money to the village more than once; none of them were wealthy. Although Barnett didn't mind, he also had a family to support and needed to make a living.
"Accounts are handled by the village."
Hagrid made the final decision, and everyone else nodded in agreement. That's how the matter was settled.
Lai sat there for a while longer. The subsequent discussion had nothing to do with him, and it wasn't convenient for him to participate. He tactfully said goodbye and left.
In fact, no results were reached this time, and the matter needs to be discussed again.
The goblins were locked in a warehouse and guarded by designated personnel. They were given food and water every day, so they didn't starve.
Ray also visited them.
The goblins had gathered in three groups in different corners, which should be three different groups.
The last group of able-bodied men captured were one group, the second group of eight were another group, and Iru's family was yet another group. Only Heru's younger brother, Jeru, a goblin, sat expressionlessly in a corner with his head down.
His brother betrayed all the goblins, escaping in the chaos; he was a traitor. He was abandoned by his brother and isolated by his former companions because of his identity.
When he got home, the first thing Lei did was to check on his vegetable garden.
The abundant rainfall over this period has resulted in excellent growth of the vegetables in the garden, each one lush and vibrant. Similarly, the weeds in the garden are also growing exceptionally well.
Lei often avoids the hottest time of day when he pulls weeds in the fields.
The potatoes and sweet potatoes in the field have already sprouted green leaves, the pea shoots have just budded, and the cucumbers have already produced small fruits. Other varieties of vegetables have also entered their rapid growth period.
The lack of chili peppers was a bit of a disappointment for someone like Lai who loves spicy food. While there are other alternatives, none are as stimulating to the taste buds as chili peppers.
Food without spiciness also lacks that unique flavor.
Lai picked a bunch of greens, planning to stir-fry some for dinner.
After a few more days of sunshine, I can go hunting in the forest and won't have to eat vegetarian food every day anymore.
The plan for dealing with the red rockbirds has been finalized, and the clan elders informed each household a few days later. Some families, like Maggie, were not entirely satisfied with the outcome, but it didn't cause much of a stir.
The clan elder's attitude was, "Take it or leave it; if you don't want it, other families are waiting to buy it." In the end, those families let the matter drop.
The Lai family could also get two for free; raising two was the same as raising three or four. So he simply spent an extra silver coin to order ten more.
When it gets cold and it's inconvenient to go into the mountains, if you're craving meat, you can just kill a dog and eat it.
The wheat in the field is about to enter its flowering period, so there's no need to do anything about it for now.
While Ray was hunting with Rhys and the others, Neil hadn't been idle these past few days either. Whenever he had time, he would carry stones to his yard and pile them up. After a few days, he had accumulated quite a few, enough to repair the low wall.
Lai demolished the crooked section of the wall, cleaned it up, and rebuilt it with suitable stones. He also carefully repaired the missing parts.
While Rye was busy building the wall and cutting down dead trees in the forest, the plan to open a tunnel through the mountains was finally finalized.
The elders of the three villages took the lead in reporting the matter to the town. After the town mayor's wife received the "gift" from the villages, the mayor readily approved their application and even allocated some funds to them.
Barnett also asked Timuch to bring back a reliable old craftsman from Eton to provide guidance.
Let's get back to the goblins.
Eventually, the elders of the other two villages found out about this, but their emotions weren't as intense as one might expect.
Eaton City has a unique geographical location, and it is located on the most established and safe route to the Great Forest of Eaton. People of various races come and go in the city, so the residents here are more tolerant than people in other places.
After several discussions, the elders finally decided on the goblins' arrangements.
The three villages would send some young men who were tight-lipped and strong to work during the day, providing them with two meals a day, at noon and in the evening, as well as a reward of 50 copper coins.
At night, the goblins continue their daytime work, receiving food as usual, but without copper coins. They can settle on a nearby barren mountain, but they cannot escape or disturb the villagers' lives again. Any goblins found trying to escape are captured and sent directly to the church for processing.
This result surprised everyone.
The villagers, since the goblins would provide free labor and the issue of the red field birds had been resolved, didn't have many complaints. The goblins, who had thought they were doomed, never expected the village to make such a decision.
Does this mean that they, the lowly goblins who have always been looked down upon by everyone, can finally have a home of their own?
Tears welled up in Iru's eyes when he learned of the result; the life he had been searching for for decades could finally be realized.
Since leaving his parents, he had been searching for a place to settle down and live, but for various reasons, he had not been able to find one, and the hardships he had endured were beyond the comprehension of outsiders. He was deeply grateful to the villagers and ashamed of his theft.
Actually, he didn't intend to do this at first.
The prolonged rainy season meant he couldn't catch anything alive, and his wife was about to give birth and needed nutrition. After more than ten days without any success, he finally made up his mind to sneak into the house on the very edge of the village—the Lai family's house—and steal a red rockbird.
Little did Hru know that he had successfully captured a Red Wild Bird in the village and was leading his young goblins on a rampage of theft. Things escalated rapidly.
Construction on the tunnel began soon afterward.
On the day construction began, the clan elders arranged for a sacrifice to the heavens, and each family received several pounds of meat.
This matter concerns the interests of all the villagers in several villages, and everyone takes it very seriously. After hearing that the goblins would work all night, their attitude towards them improved somewhat.
Unwanted rocks were piled up by the roadside for villagers from all villages to take freely, which greatly facilitated each household. Every day, people from various villages would drive their livestock to haul away the rocks.
Although these stones are not suitable for building houses, they are excellent for paving roads, and everything is proceeding in an orderly manner.
With the rising temperatures, the small mountain village has finally ushered in the height of summer.
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