Chapter 88 - 76: A Cup of Honey Water
Chapter 88: Chapter 76: A Cup of Honey Water
"Have some warm water." Shire pushed a cup of sweetened warm water toward the little goblin.
At that moment, Shan Xi Ao was huddled in a corner, soaking wet. Draped in a piece of linen, he warily watched the goblin squatting before him.
"I mean you no harm. The situation forced my hand," Shire said with a smile.
After falling into the water, Rubus had doggy-paddled his way to shore and spat out the little goblin.
A crowd of curious goblins gathered around, staring at the unconscious Shan Xi Ao. Unsure if he was passed out from shock or from inhaling water, the little goblin lay motionless on the ground. It took a fair bit of massaging from Shire to wake him.
"Why were you spying on us while we hunted that Giant Snake?" Shire asked patiently. He understood the little goblin’s predicament and hoped to build a rapport by chatting with him.
Shan Xi Ao stared warily at the goblin before him. The creature’s grin, a mouth full of sharp teeth, only made him seem more dangerous.
Strangely, however, he couldn’t sense any evil intentions from the creature.
Little goblins were a benevolent Race of the forest. According to natural history books, they were judges of the Mind, able to sense whether another’s heart was good or evil. If they encountered an Adventurer in the forest on a quest to purge evil creatures, they might even take the initiative to follow and aid them.
Shan Xi Ao found this hard to believe. The elders of his clan had always taught that goblins were an evil Race. They were filthy and greedy, ate anything, and spared nothing. The best thing to do upon encountering goblins was to fly up high and hide; the stupid creatures would then storm off, cursing, after finding nothing.
But this goblin was neither filthy nor greedy. He hadn’t ordered anyone to tie him up, nor had he torn off his wings to torture him.
"If you really don’t want to talk, that’s fine. You can fly away on your own once you’re dry." Shire handed over a lit twig and placed it beside the little goblin to help drive away the damp chill.
Then he stood up and walked out of the stone chamber.
Seeing the goblin actually leave, Shan Xi Ao immediately used the linen cloth to dry himself off. He moved closer to the fire, spread his wings, and began to dry them.
’He really is going to let me go,’ Shan Xi Ao stroked his translucent wings, muttering to himself. ’Still, I have to be careful. Father said my sister was captured by an evil Race after she went out to play.’
The tragedy that had befallen his family was a constant reminder. His mother’s health was already poor; he couldn’t afford for anything to happen to him. If this band of goblins meant him harm, he was certain his mother would pass away soon after.
Once he felt he had recovered, Shan Xi Ao scanned his surroundings and quickly flapped his wings, taking flight. ’No one’s around. I’ll go invisible and find a way out.’
After flying only a short distance, he landed back on the ground. A long-missed scent had caught his attention—it was the cup of water.
The water gave off the scent of nectar. He hadn’t had any flowers or nectar in many days.
’This must be that goblin’s insidious scheme! He was probably afraid he couldn’t catch me, so he left a cup of sweet water to lure me in. The moment I drink it, I’ll...’
Shan Xi Ao’s thoughts trailed off. If that were the case, the goblin wouldn’t have seemed so well-intentioned earlier.
’I didn’t sense any evil intentions... Could it be that this goblin really just poured me a cup of water?’
Shan Xi Ao stood beside the wooden cup, staring at it. At only a dozen or so centimeters tall, he was the perfect height to dip his head right in for a drink.
’Maybe... just one sip.’ Shan Xi Ao stroked his chin, pacing back and forth as if making a monumental decision.
"Shan Xi Ao, this is a test from the Gods for you," he said seriously, hugging the wooden cup. "You are also a thing of nature. I believe in you, wooden cup."
Then, he took a deep breath, as if making an impossibly difficult choice, and plunged his head into the water.
GLUG, GLUG. After several large gulps, Shan Xi Ao lifted his head in satisfaction and immediately cast a Healing Spell on himself—the Wind of Revival. ’Heh heh, that should take care of it. I’m so clever.’
After waiting in silence for a few seconds, he felt no change in his body. ’That goblin wasn’t lying. This is just a normal cup of water?’
After confirming that nothing was wrong, he chuckled and plunged his head back into the cup.
Outside the stone chamber, a mysterious smile spread across Shire’s face as he listened to Broken Tooth’s report. ’He finally drank it. My only worry was that he wouldn’t.’
He had put a good amount of sugar lumps in that water. This sugar was the sun-dried nectar of the Sugar Giant Taro. Unlike the way sucrose was produced in his previous world, this world originally had methods for extracting sugar from other plants, but they were so troublesome and time-consuming that they had been completely abandoned.
When Shire first saw the unconscious little goblin, he was overjoyed. He knew this Race possessed four powerful Abilities: Benevolence—the ability to sense whether a person had good or evil intentions; Invisibility—they could cast an Invisibility Spell on themselves, rendering them undetectable to those nearby, though the Magic would fail without careful focus; Wind of Revival—a Basic Healing Spell, limited in effect due to their small size; and Wind of Nature—the ability to use Magic Power to accelerate plant growth.
The Wind of Nature was the Ability Shire coveted most. Buck Teeth had just told him about the Red Bull situation, and Shire had already been planning to give up. But now, Rubus had practically spat a "gardener" out for him, causing his hopes to be rekindled.
"Keep watching him. Come find me immediately if anything happens," Shire instructed Broken Tooth, while he himself waited patiently not far away.
"Ugh, I can’t drink another drop," Shan Xi Ao groaned, rubbing his belly as he lay on the floor. Having nectar water again after so long, he had gotten a little carried away.
’Looks like the clan elders aren’t always right. This goblin isn’t so bad after all.’ He patted his stomach in satisfaction. ’Maybe some kind of power awakened inside me that makes goblins act normal around me.’
He sat up and rubbed his cheeks, his expression turning crestfallen. ’I can’t carry this wooden cup by myself. Mother needs this nectar water for her health.’
’But that goblin might not give me the flowers... and he’s already gone.’
He slapped himself, his voice thick with regret. "Shan Xi Ao, you should have just talked to him earlier! Then you might have been able to bring some back for Mother."
A few seconds later, Shan Xi Ao stood up and dusted himself off, looking as though he had just won an internal struggle. "This is a battle I must fight alone. For Mother, I’ll risk it all!"
He flapped his wings with all his might, resolved to find that goblin, no matter what, and figure out a way to get some nectar from him.
Giving himself a constant pep talk, Shan Xi Ao finally flew out of the stone chamber, only to see Shire standing not far away.
"Hey, leaving already? Safe travels." Shire waved, his smile as sweet as a flower dripping with honey.
"Um, I wanted to..." Shan Xi Ao flew in front of him, choosing his words carefully, only to be met by Shire’s encouraging gaze.
"What is it you want, my friend?"