Chapter 90 - 77: Bamboozle
Chapter 90: Chapter 77: Bamboozle
’Hmm? He’s truly good-natured, and genuinely grateful for my help.’ Shan Xi Ao froze for a moment; his Ability told him the other party held no ill will.
"I can try to stimulate them."
Hearing this, the goblin immediately gestured for Shan Xi Ao to help.
Shan Xi Ao flapped his wings and flew over to the Mushroom. He ceremoniously straightened his clothes, then waved his hands, circling the small Red Bull Mushroom as he intoned, "Wind of Nature."
A flicker of green starlight, like a cluster of fireflies, flashed into existence. Once the light faded, the Red Bull Mushroom quivered a few times, then began to shoot upward, tripling in height.
"Excellent, my friend," the goblin leader said with a smile.
Shan Xi Ao was also delighted. He was pleased with the effectiveness of his Magic, being able to make the Mushroom grow like that.
"You, go get a block of sugar," the goblin leader immediately ordered Buck Teeth.
Before long, a small block of sugar was brought over. The goblin handed it to Shan Xi Ao and said, "This is the honeyed sugar you wanted to borrow. Now, your debt is paid."
"This is wonderful," Shan Xi Ao said.
...
"Leader, will he come back?" Buck Teeth asked.
Shire stood at the edge of the platform, waving to the departing little goblin. "He will," he said. "I’m sure he’ll be back."
"Really?"
"Don’t worry. Aside from being a bit melodramatic, he’s a decent sort." Shire waved, shouting, "Come back anytime!"
He didn’t turn and leave the platform until the little goblin’s figure had vanished completely.
’I need to go back and take stock of our sugar reserves right away. We’ll have to buy a large quantity of sugar blocks. It seems that with winter approaching, the little goblin Race is facing food shortages.’ Shire analyzed Shan Xi Ao’s earlier behavior while giving orders to Buck Teeth, who stood behind him. "Take a few goblins and go chop down fir trees in the forest. Start with ten trees. Make sure you’re safe, and take Caocao with you."
"Yes, Leader, I..." Buck Teeth was about to launch into another verse, but he saw the look in Shire’s eyes and wisely shut his mouth.
After sending Buck Teeth on his way, Shire went to the stone chamber for cultivating Red Bull. The Red Bull Mushroom that had just grown showed no other changes. Its sturdy stalk stood tall, like a little tree.
’Why would a little goblin show up in an underground cave? Aren’t they a Race that lives in trees?’ Shire got up and paced slowly along the fir-wood cultivation medium spread across the floor. ’Are they hiding from some kind of danger?’
The only thing that could threaten a little goblin... there was really only one answer: Adventurers.
Shire had seen nobles in Plantagenet City keep little goblins as pets. They were so rare that everyone clamored for a look. The price the nobles offered on the Black Market was enough to motivate any Adventurer, but the whole business eventually fizzled out after protests from the Earth and Life Church.
’But there must still be people secretly smuggling them.’
’This is an opportunity. I can offer them safe food and lodging in exchange for help cultivating the Red Bull.’ A smile spread across Shire’s face. ’Can’t rush this. Have to be sincere. Nobody’s an idiot. The moment you treat someone like an idiot, you become the biggest idiot of all.’
With a preliminary plan in place, Shire needed to write up the next day’s shopping list immediately.
He was now using the Alchemy Cabin in the forest as a trading post. He would have his people take the potions made by Little Claw there for storage, while also hanging a shopping list on the wall. Little John would then lead his mule to the cabin, drop off supplies, load up the potions, and haul them back to the Undying Alchemy Workshop. Mary held down the fort there, dealing with Adventurers and gathering information.
Mary had been a bit frightened when Agatha first taught her about handling customers and the prices and effects of the potions. She was shocked by the Ghost Witch’s appearance, but she’d quickly calmed down. After all, if a goblin could be her boss, a Ghost Witch becoming her mentor wasn’t too hard to accept. In fact, she had grown quite fond of Lady Virdini; she benefited greatly from her elegant temperament and bearing, as well as her patient and skillful instruction.
’This trade route will have to do for now.’ Shire pinched the bridge of his nose, dissatisfied. ’The flow of goods is too slow, the product range is too narrow, our crisis response is too slow, and I still need to optimize our personnel.’
Although Agatha had cast concealing Magic around the Alchemy Cabin, a powerful Mage passing by would definitely notice something.
What dissatisfied Shire most, however, was that far from freeing up Little John, the new system had only made him busier. ’The Hero has no time to train and improve, so my Heart of the Brave can’t level up.’
’I’ll just have to wait for Agatha to get some results.’ He sighed softly. Lately, Agatha had been cooped up in the Door Room all day, muttering words like "Starry Sky," "Water Flow," and "Material World." ’It’s like she’s possessed.’
Shire didn’t disturb Agatha. Instead, he returned to the platform by the underground river, where Red Eyes was leading a team to process the Giant Snake’s carcass.
’I wonder what we’ll get out of this one?’ he muttered to himself.
...
"Mother, please, drink it." Shan Xi Ao excitedly urged his sick mother. As soon as he’d returned to their thatched hut, he had mixed a cup of honeyed water for himself. After confirming there were no ill effects, he immediately mixed a large cup for his mother.
"Shan Xi Ao, where did this come from?" His mother held the cup and smiled at her son, but a hint of worry still clouded her features.
Shan Xi Ao hesitated for a moment.
’At first, he really wanted to say, "I, all by myself, tore open a rift in space and met a group of suffering people who desperately needed saving. I chanted an Ultimate Magic and successfully helped them break their bloodline seals! These sugar blocks are just a voluntary offering from those poor souls after they saw how exhausted I was from using up all my power."’
But one look from his mother made him drop the idea. He answered honestly, "A friend of mine gave it to me."
"What kind of friend?" a slightly hoarse voice asked from behind. Shan Xi Ao turned to find his father standing there, not knowing how long he’d been there.
"A... a new friend," Shan Xi Ao stuttered, not knowing what to say.
"Be nice to our son," his mother said to his father, her voice carrying a note of complaint as she coughed a few times.
"So, you ventured out of the tree hollow all by yourself, flew into the forest, found a ’new friend,’ and got these sugar blocks?" His father’s tone wasn’t overly harsh, but his face remained stern. "You’re very lucky to have escaped the Death God twice."
"No, Father! The giant frog is dead!" Shan Xi Ao exclaimed.
"Dead?" his father asked with a frown. "What happened?"
"At that moment..." Shan Xi Ao was excited to tell his father how he had nimbly dodged the giant frog’s attacks and lured it into the river, leading to its demise. But when he looked up and met his father’s eyes, he immediately changed his tune. "I saw the ’Death God’ get eaten by a Giant Snake."
"Hmm?" His father continued to stare at Shan Xi Ao, waiting for him to continue.
Shan Xi Ao began to stammer through the story of his journey: from being attacked by the giant frog, to the Giant Snake coming ashore; from witnessing a Giant kill the snake, to being bitten by a Star Realm Dog; from being treated to a cup of honeyed water, to saving a Mushroom. He was waving his arms and legs by the end of it. "The goblin was so grateful that he gave me this block of honeyed sugar!"
Several times during the story, the Little Elf Race Leader looked like he was about to grab a handy "Weapon," but each time he was stopped by a look from his wife, who lay in bed behind Shan Xi Ao.
Finally, he sighed. "Regardless, your intentions were good. But you still have to be careful. If you continue to sense no ill will from them, you may continue to interact with them."
"Uh, Father, you..." Shan Xi Ao was a little surprised. He didn’t expect his father to say that.
"’You’re wondering why I’d agree, aren’t you?’ his father said seriously. ’Even if they are a group of goblins, Giants, and a Ghost Witch, that doesn’t automatically mean they’re evil. By the same token, human Adventurers aren’t automatically good. We cannot judge someone’s character by their Race.’"
"Does that mean I can keep going there to trade for sugar blocks?" Shan Xi Ao was ecstatic.
"Just be careful. Don’t let your excitement cloud your judgment," his father instructed, making a point to warn him again.
"Yes, I know! I can trade Magic for honeyed sugar for Mother!" Shan Xi Ao said with a smile. "It’s just... my Ability isn’t as strong as my sister’s. Her Magic Ability is much better."
"Where did I put my switch?" His father turned and began searching the wall for his "Weapon."
Meanwhile, his mother called out, telling Shan Xi Ao to run.
This was the first time in a long while that she had heard someone mention her daughter without feeling sad.
PS: Happy Qixi Festival! I hope you all find your own "Little John" and "Mary"—or that you’ve already found them.
Also, to all the students out there, today’s a day for miracles. Homework is no big deal. Go for it!