◎Pocket Guide and Loyalty◎
"Chief! Your shield is cracked!" Theodore, who couldn't read people's expressions, exclaimed with wide eyes. This was their great chief's masterpiece, and yet... it was broken so easily by this human! How terrifying!
Antoine looked at Theodore's surprised expression and just wanted to rush up and chop his head off. Everyone is aware that the shield made by the patriarch himself is cracked. Is it necessary to shout so loudly, as if he is afraid that they are hard of hearing and can't hear him?
However, Antoine did not dare to speak his mind. He just stared at Ralph timidly and called him "Chief". His previous arrogant look disappeared, replaced by an expression of extreme shame because his boasting was exposed.
Ralph said nothing, just holding up the shield he was so proud of.
Due to several cracks on the surface, the shield soon began to deform under the uneven force. A small piece of debris fell from the shield and hit Ralph's foot, making a muffled sound.
There was silence all around. Seeing that Ralph said nothing, Antoine was even more frightened and didn't dare to say another word. He just stood there timidly, neither moving nor standing still, like a piece of wood.
Little Theodore looked at Antoine, then at the patriarch, and felt that the atmosphere seemed a little strange, so he shut up and waited for the patriarch to speak.
Various emotions flashed in Ralph's eyes, including shock, disbelief, and of course embarrassment and awkwardness for losing face as the patriarch. But in the very end, Xia Li saw something different in his gaze.
"Can you tell me why you were able to defeat my shield without a weapon?" Surprisingly, Ralph didn't get angry because the shield cracked. Instead, he calmed down and looked at her sincerely and seriously. "Is it because you're a professional?"
hiss--
Antoine gasped, "Professional!" So this is what the old patriarchs used to call a professional!
No wonder he'd dodged the goblins' attacks several times before, and no wonder he'd broken the chief's shield with a single strike. Professionals are the top warriors among humans! Some wield broadswords, some bows and arrows, and some even use long, thin sticks. In short, as long as they have a weapon, they can unleash their full potential.
Antoine realized belatedly that the human who had entered their territory was a professional, and she felt a chill in her heart. If she really wanted to fight with them, she was afraid that twenty of them would not be a match for her alone!
Meanwhile, Xia Li was hearing the term "professional" for the first time. She frowned and asked, "Are you talking about humans who can use various skills?"
Ralph nodded. "Yes, it's the one that emits colorful lights."
Oh, so they were referring to their professional skills. Xia Li suddenly realized and explained Ralph's question, "We do have our own skills, and most of them require weapons as a guide. It's just that my skills are special and don't require weapons."
"Then..." Ralph looked at Xia Li and spoke tentatively. He paused, as if to encourage himself, "Is it possible for us goblins to learn these skills?"
"Chief Ralph?" Antoine's eyes widened. He thought he had misheard and said quickly, "The human race is so selfish, how could they possibly help us!"
"You don't need to tell me, I know..." Ralph interrupted Antoine, his brows gradually furrowing. "I know how important these skills are to humans, just like how various blacksmithing and mining techniques are so important to us goblins. But we can't be so complacent any longer. Antoine, do you think we can live a peaceful life hiding in the Ceylon Mountains forever? No, we can't. The outside world is constantly progressing. Both the demons and humans are constantly becoming stronger. Only we goblins are still guarding the three inches of land in front of us and refusing to look beyond. If we continue like this, we will perish sooner or later."
"Destroy...destroy..." Antoine couldn't believe their leader would actually say such harsh words. Then, with a sudden change of mind, he immediately raised his chin and sternly assured, "No, leader! We young goblins are willing to endure hardships and study hard, and our skills are passed down from generation to generation. We will absolutely not be destroyed."
"Ah..." Ralph sighed helplessly, knowing Antoine was still so stubborn. He didn't intend to explain any further. He simply focused his gaze back on Xia Li and pleaded sincerely again, "If possible, could you please guide us goblins and tell us how we can learn your skills?"
Although it is quite shameful to make a request to the race that once persecuted them, at this point, apart from lowering his head and frowning, what other way does Ralph have to make the goblins grow quickly?
Should he send the goblins directly to negotiate with the humans in the royal city? This was too risky. He couldn't possibly trade his compatriots' lives for a treaty of peaceful coexistence.
What about developing new skills on their own? Even less so. The lifespans of the new generation of goblins are getting shorter and shorter. They haven't even mastered the skills passed down by the older generation, let alone developing new skills. How could they possibly do anything else?
After thinking about it for many years, Ralph still couldn't find a solution. Now, he finally waited for God's favor and let a powerful professional appear before them. How could he miss the opportunity to inquire because of such a trivial matter as face?
Ralph's face was sincere, with the simplicity and honesty unique to the goblins. Xia Li met his gaze, and although she felt a little reluctant, she finally had to tell the truth: "I'm really sorry, these skills can only be learned by humans, and only by a specific group. You can think of this as a racial talent. Goblins probably can't master it."
Even among humans, not everyone has professional skills. She was right. For example, the NPCs in the royal city do not have these skills.
"Is that so..." The flame of hope was extinguished in an instant. Her words were like a basin of cold water, poured on Ralph's head. Ralph lowered his eyes in despair, unable to utter a word.
"However, I do have something to give you, maybe it can help a little." Xia Li suddenly changed the subject.
"What is it?!" Ralph's dim eyes suddenly lit up, and he looked up at Xia Li with anticipation.
Xia Li said as she pulled something out of her backpack: "An engineering atlas, please?"
[Engineering Atlas: Learning it can enhance your understanding of the engineering field. Requirements: Character level 20 or above, Sewing level 5 or above, Mining level 5 or above, Forging level 10 or above]
"Engineering...atlas?!" Ralph was stunned. He stared at the book cover in Xia Li's palm in shock. The huge words were as clear as iron, burning into his eyes. "This is a great thing, priceless! You can't buy it anywhere now. I haven't heard of it in decades! If we can complete the atlas, our goblin clan's understanding of engineering will be greatly enhanced!"
Antoine and Theodore had never heard of this thing, but seeing the patriarch's reaction, they immediately understood how precious the map in Xia Li's hand was. But... could she easily give them such a precious thing? Antoine and Theodore looked at each other, and then saw the word "impossible" in each other's eyes.
Ralph clearly didn't believe Xia Li would give up the atlas. He suppressed his inner excitement and desire, and with difficulty turned his eyes away from the atlas. Finally, he asked cautiously, "Do you... have any requests?"
Xia Li smiled slightly: "I do have a request."
Sure enough, Antoine and Theodore looked at each other again. There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world, and there is no human being in the Xia continent who is not cunning.
Ralph thought the request was reasonable, since maps were rare. So he continued to ask, "What do you need us to do?"
Xia Li counted on her fingers, then, under the fixed gaze of the three goblins, she said slowly, "12 catapults, 5 shields. Emmm, it would be even better if there were an extra set of armor for four-legged pets."
Ralph paused for a few seconds: "No more?"
Xia Li: "No more."
Ralph breathed a sigh of relief. He'd assumed that given the rarity of engineering diagrams on the Shia continent, the humans would have to kill at least half of them. He hadn't expected them to just want weapons, weapons that required little technical skill for them. So, he immediately responded, "The things you mentioned are easy to deal with. We already have the catapults in the mines, so you can take them away right away. As for the shields, I'll work on them right away. They'll be ready in three days at the latest. As for the armor you mentioned for your four-legged pets... what is that?"
The concept of a battle pet probably didn't exist in the minds of goblins. Xia Li thought for a moment, then explained, gesturing with her hands, "It's an animal this big, with four legs. I want to make it a custom-made battle armor, preferably one with high defense."
Currently, there aren't many pet armors for sale in the mall, and they're expensive. Xia Li had just casually browsed the trading center, but when she saw the prices, she was immediately scared and stalked away. Poor people don't deserve to shop in the mall, she had to admit tearfully. But if she could get a free set of armor from Ralph, she wouldn't miss the opportunity.
Ralph understood what she meant and nodded immediately in response, "Okay, okay, no problem. We can make the armor, but we'll pick it up in three days. Do you think the time is right?"
Perhaps fearing that she would change her mind, Ralph asked for her opinion in a concise and polite manner.
Xia Li: "Okay, I'll leave the things here for now. I'll send someone to pick them up in three days."
Of course, there would be no problem after 3 days. She remembered that the guild battle mode would be opened when the proportion of players above level 30 in the entire continent reached 15%. At this stage, a small number of players on the leaderboard had already broken through level 30, and her experience value would soon reach 30. In 3 days, it should be about the same.
When the time comes, she will just tell Baili Xi and ask him to send a few people to the mine in the Ceylon Mountains to pick up the goods.
This was the reason why she was willing to hand over the Engineering Atlas. She had picked up this item after defeating the afterimage of Van Arnold. Was she happy at that time? She was quite happy, after all, the Engineering Atlas was hard to come by. But the next problem was that neither she nor Baili Xi, Qingzhengyu and others could find anyone in the entire guild who was qualified to study this atlas.
The priceless treasure became useless in her hands. At that time, she was still planning to wait for an engineer player to appear in the guild and give it to him. Unexpectedly, after waiting for so long, she still couldn't find a qualified player!
Instead of wasting things in her own hands, Xia Li changed her mind and decided to take this opportunity to give the map to the goblins who needed it more. On the one hand, she could exchange it for some props that would be beneficial to the guild, and on the other hand, she could get closer to them and gain their favor.
Facts proved that her little calculation was right. The simple Ralph was very grateful for her gift (although it was not a complete gift). After learning that the goblins were very likely to regain their strength with the help of this atlas, he was immediately moved to tears.
"Thank you, human. We were too narrow-minded before and said so many unpleasant things to your face. I feel so guilty! Thank you, thank you for being so honest and giving us such a precious gift!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Li received a pop-up message from the system.
[Congratulations, you have gained 80 points of loyalty from the Goblin Chieftain Ralph (click to view loyalty details)]
Loyalty? Xia Li was stunned. Shouldn't players gain favorability from NPCs? Loyalty... Aside from battle pets, this was the first time she had seen it from an NPC.
Noticing the text in brackets telling her she could view the details, Xia Li clicked on it without hesitation.
A goblin atlas that had never been seen before appeared before his eyes, slowly unfolding from left to right in the form of a scroll, and in the grid in the upper left corner was Ralph's information.
【Goblin Illustrated Guide】
No.1
Name: Ralph
Identity: Goblin Chief
Age: Over 100
Normal Skill: Armor Crafting (Level 5) [Additional Skill Bonus: Indestructible (Level 5): What cannot be pierced becomes even tougher. When armor is hit by a physical attack exceeding 5 times its own defense coefficient, it passively increases its physical defense by 150%. Each increase lasts for 10 seconds.]...
Special Skills: [Hidden for now, come back when your loyalty is higher]
Loyalty: 80/100
Making shields is indeed Ralph's strong point, and it also comes with a skill bonus. Xia Li secretly thought that when the time comes, the five shields will be distributed to the five warriors of Fengyun Tianxia, and their defensive capabilities will definitely be top-notch!
Speaking of why the shield that Ralph was so proud of was broken by her, it was not because the shield's defensive ability was not enough, but because this kind of weapon must be combined with the player's skills to play its maximum effect. The goblins did not know the player's skills, so their defensive ability was naturally greatly reduced, which allowed her to take advantage of a small loophole.
There is a column of special skills below the ordinary skills, but the system has hidden the content, so she can't see it for the time being. She probably has to wait until her loyalty reaches 100 to unlock it. Thinking of this, Xia Li no longer worries about what is written in that column. She will know it sooner or later anyway, so there is no need to rush.
Ralph was still expressing his gratitude with tears in his eyes. Theodore quickly handed him a handkerchief and held his hand while comforting him politely, "Chief, don't cry. Look, we have the map. I will study hard and never bring shame to our goblins."
After saying that, Xia Li received another system message.
[Congratulations, you have gained 50 points of loyalty from the Goblin Theodore (click to view loyalty details)]
Oh my, another one! Xia Li was secretly delighted. At the same time, the space in the second column of the first row of the illustrated scroll was also occupied, right next to Ralph's information.
No.2
Name: Theodore
Identity: Little Goblin
Age: Unknown
General Skill: Armor Repair (Level 1)
Special Skills: [Hidden for now, come back when your loyalty is higher]
Loyalty: 50/100
Wow! Repair skills! Even though it's only level 1, I can slowly cultivate it in the future. Xia Li felt her eyes almost light up when she thought about having her own equipment to repair NPCs.
Perhaps noticing that both the patriarch and Theodore had expressed their reluctance to say anything, Antoine clenched his fist, placed it to his lips, and coughed, then said awkwardly, "Um...thank you."
Xia Li smiled and said, "Thank you for what?"
Antoine's cheeks flushed. "That's it, the atlas."
Xia Li: "Oh."
"Oh? This thing is so valuable, you know! It's absolutely useful to us goblins. You just gave it to us without hesitation. Do you have any brains? You're still human, after all." After saying this, Antoine realized that he had said a lot of strange things. Wasn't the atlas a good thing to give them? Why was he blaming them for being stupid? It was really strange.
Antoine shook his head, feeling that something was slowly changing.
Ding~ The third message pops up.
[Congratulations, you have gained 50 points of loyalty from the goblin Antoine (click to view loyalty details)]
No.3
Name: Antoine
Identity: Young Goblin
Age: Over 50
General Skill: Trench Bridge Construction (Level 2)
Special Skills: [Hidden for now, come back when your loyalty is higher]
Loyalty: 50/100
-over-
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