Chapter 78 - 70: Little John Tours the Fortress
Chapter 78: Chapter 70: Little John Tours the Fortress
Little John sat in silence at the entrance to the Goblin Fortress.
The morning’s crisis was still fresh in his mind. Just when he and Mary had been on the verge of despair, Shire had practically descended from the heavens to save them.
When he first fled into the forest with Mary, he had hoped to run into his boss. But then he realized it was a fool’s hope. The forest was vast, and it was so early in the morning; there was no way they’d meet.
But thank heavens, it was all over.
After Shire shot the tax collector dead, a group of goblins had rushed out and made short work of the three underlings. Then, Shire had told him and Mary to follow, and they had come here in silence.
Little John sat on the ground, idly digging at the dirt with a stick. He felt like a beggar who had toiled on the streets since childhood, only to have a luxurious carriage pull up one day. A group of impeccably dressed attendants would clatter down, bow before him, and say, "Young Master, we can go home now. The Count is waiting for you."
It was only now that he was learning the true extent of his boss’s wealth and the real meaning of "don’t judge a goblin by its cover."
Little John had seen other goblin nests. He’d even first met Shire at the entrance to a small burrow. But only after walking into the tunnel just now did he realize how shallow his understanding had been.
Although the Fortress was underground and lit only by Blue Fluorescent Mushrooms, the living space was immense—far larger than the houses of any rich person. With proper ventilation, sanitation, and some improved lighting, it would truly be an excellent place to live.
The seventeen large wooden chests, with wooden plaques labeled "Beast Core," "Gold Coins," and "Magic Equipment" hanging on them, drew Little John’s attention even more. He could imagine the dazzling, brilliant golden light that would pour out if the lids were opened. Out of courtesy, however, he only stole a few extra glances.
’I used to think that no matter what, my life was better than a goblin’s,’ he thought. ’Now it seems that’s not the case at all.’
"What are you thinking about?" Shire’s voice sounded from behind him.
Little John scrambled to get up but was pushed back down.
"Watching them train," Little John said. Shire sat down cross-legged beside him.
"Ready, throw!" In the distance, Red Eyes was directing thirty goblins in a drill. They were arranged in six rows, taking turns throwing a wooden block, retrieving it, and then throwing it again.
"They’re practicing throwing Hand Grenade Fruit," Shire said with a smile.
Little John knew of them. Their power was decent; he had seen his boss test one during a previous delivery.
At the time, he hadn’t been very impressed. After all, in the open forest, the kill radius of a single Hand Grenade Fruit was limited.
But if thirty of them were thrown at the same spot, their destructive power would be immense.
"They’re doing a great job," Little John said. It was the first time he’d realized goblins also conducted combat training.
It was almost laughable; many Adventurers never bothered with dedicated combat practice. They just shuttled between the forest, the association, and the tavern.
Every day they’d brag about how many goblins they’d killed and how many ears they’d turned in. But what if they encountered this squad of goblins before him?
"A team of Adventurers would stand no chance against them," Little John said.
"We won’t proactively harm humans, but we need the ability to protect ourselves." Shire shrugged. "There’s a saying: When others suspect you have weapons of mass destruction, you’d better actually have them."
Little John considered his words for a moment, then nodded.
"What do you think of that guy?" Shire asked, pointing at Red Eyes.
"Hm? What about him?" Little John asked.
"Red Eyes." Shire called his subordinate over and invited the two to spar for a couple of rounds with wooden sticks.
"Me, Red Eyes." Red Eyes patted his chest, introducing himself.
Little John looked up, his eyes widening at the floating Fulu. One of its eyestalks was looking at him curiously, while the other was fixed on Shire. He quickly realized what was happening and said in his mind, ’My name is Little John.’
"Begin." After Shire briefly explained the rules, the sound of CLACK! CLACK! from colliding wooden sticks and goblin shouts filled the air.
Little John tightened his grip on the wooden stick, his eyes locked on his opponent. Red Eyes was the most skilled goblin fighter he had ever seen. Although there were still many flaws in his Sword Techniques, his strength and agility were on par with Little John’s own.
Soon, the two sparring rounds were over. They fought to a draw.
"Not bad. You still need practice," Red Eyes said brazenly.
Shire laughed and gave his subordinate a playful kick. "Get back to training."
"He’s very strong. I only managed to restrain him because of my height and reach. If we were the same size, the outcome would be uncertain," Little John said calmly. There was something he left unsaid: if he truly wanted to kill Red Eyes, he would only need to fight with the same life-or-death desperation he’d used to take down the Hound.
But then Little John’s pupils constricted. He noticed that the marks left on Red Eyes’s arm from their spar had vanished in an instant.
’With that kind of recovery speed, he wouldn’t be at a disadvantage even against one or two veteran Adventurers.’
Furthermore, not far away, a Giant carrying a log walked into the Fortress. As it passed by them, it greeted the boss enthusiastically.
"That’s Caocao. You probably couldn’t beat him right now." Shire waved, watching Caocao walk into the tunnel.
Little John lowered his head and gave a self-deprecating laugh. He thought about the Storm Brotherhood everyone bragged about in the taverns. He’d heard they only cleared the outer edges of the forest. If they ever came to this Fortress, they would surely suffer devastating losses.
Shire smiled as he looked at Mary, who was standing stunned by the tunnel entrance. He then asked, "So, tell me. What happened today?"
Little John took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "You know why I became an Adventurer in the first place. A few days ago..."
He recounted the whole story. He spoke calmly about the conspiracy, the danger, and the despair, but Shire could sense the thrilling peril within his words.
"So, you saved me and Mary," Little John said sincerely.
"It was nothing." Shire smiled and waved his hand dismissively. Fortunately, during their last meeting, he had placed a Star of the Domain marker on Little John. This morning, while leading his subordinates out to survey trade routes, he had been surprised to find Little John appearing within his Domain and moving quickly.
At the time, Shire had assumed Little John was being attacked by other Adventurers and immediately moved toward him with his men. He never expected this to be the situation.
"No, to you it might have been nothing." After speaking, Little John stood up and dusted himself off.
Then, he stood before Shire, his gaze resolute. He placed his left hand over his chest, knelt on one knee, and declared solemnly, "I, Little John Franklin, swear today that I will be forever loyal to Mr. Shire."
Shire’s smile vanished. He looked at him seriously and nodded.
At the same time, he felt a change on his panel.
[Own State: Advanced Transformation Curse (Negative), Heart of the Brave (Positive)]