✦ ✦ ✦
The goblins all toyed with their pendants, a little awestruck at first. But they were proud of themselves too, and they put their hands to their chests in a sign of respect.
“Oh, Duke Baarbadal, hero of the great continent,” said Iberis, his voice trembling. “Your generosity is deeper than the sea itself, and all we can do is apologize that we have nothing for you save the gratitude in our hearts! You won’t hear us goblins talking of loneliness or bittersweet partings any longer! And I promise you this! We will return to the sea, full of its endless bounties, and we will bring them to you and all the people of Baarbadal! Let it be known, here and now, that this is our reason for returning home! You have inspired in all of us a great bravery, and for that as well, you have our gratitude!”
Iberis’s fellow goblins then chimed in with shouts.
“Glory to the duke!”
“Glory to Baarbadal!”
“May the lands be as blessed as the seas!”
“Let’s rejoice in our unbreakable bonds of brotherhood, bro!”
“We are as grateful as the sea is deep!”
I made sure to shake each goblin’s hand in turn. They would all be leaving in the next two days or so, and I had to admit that even I was feeling a little lonely about having to see them go. I felt that now more than ever, but it also warmed my heart that I’d made such good friends.
✦ ✦ ✦
With most of Iluk’s residents watching, the boat floated downstream, filled with supplies.
“To our beloved Baarbadal and all the wonderful people who call it home!” said a goblin from the deck of the boat. “I promise you we shall return!”
He looked up at the sky for a moment before one of his brothers picked up where he left off.
“Look! The river is not especially wide, but the flow is strong! This is the wonder of Baarbadal, and the wonders of their wisdom—the wisdom of the continent! We have learned much on this journey of ours!”
Iberis stood at the bow of the boat, which took the form of a baar’s head.
“Truly it is so,” he boomed. “The duke was working on this river even before our arrival, and it’s commendable in every way! We can travel downstream with ease and make our way home. His foresight is truly a thing of awe... Just how far into the future does that man see? It will be some time before the river is deep enough for active trade and transportation, but it’s not a problem at all for us.”
One of the goblins keeping an eye on things beneath the water—at the bottom of the boat—then popped up and waved their hands, giving Iberis the all clear. There were in fact two goblins under the water, whose job it was to look for danger and let the rest of the goblins know if it was necessary to stop or unload their supplies. The water’s depth shouldn’t be an issue, but one could never be too careful, and the goblins wanted to be ready for surprises.
The last goblin was in front of the boat, leading it on its path with a rope. This was the first time the goblins had ever traveled in this way, and in truth they were all a little nervous about it. Still, as worried as they were, they still trusted Iluk’s craftsmen and had no doubts that their boat was of the finest make.
“Not only were they able to craft a fine boat in a startlingly short period of time, but they gave it to us without asking for anything in return,” said Iberis. “I have no words for such generosity. It makes me question the humans we have met until now. But we must endeavor to return this generosity in kind, and that means making it to the sea and its bounties! We’ll bring them all the aromas of the sea breeze we so love!”
The goblins all raised their fists and let out roars of agreement, their teeth glimmering in the sunlight as they smiled at the future before them.
✦ ✦ ✦
“So even if there’s no water flow the goblins don’t need to use their sail,” I said to myself. “They can just pull the boat along, and that’s why it’s such a simple design.”
All the pieces only really clicked into place for me as I watched the goblins set off. Narvant was with me and he nodded.
“Basically, yep,” he said. “They don’t need rudders or any such stuff. And if we wanted to make something bigger for the open seas, nothing much would change. They don’t need a kitchen because they can hunt for what they eat in the ocean, and the ocean also means they don’t need a laundry space, a bath, or even privies. The boys can sleep on the waves so they don’t even need beds. May as well just build them a big floating box.”
“Huh,” I muttered. “Well, the goblins aren’t in danger if they fall overboard, and running out of food isn’t that big a deal for them either. Apparently they can drink seawater just fine too. The goblin people exist all over the open seas, so I don’t see them running into trouble. They can even sense when storms are coming, from what they tell me, so even without a boat they’ll be okay.”
“But with a boat you’ve got a place to rest and you can transport things without them getting wet,” said Narvant. “I reckon those are about the only real upsides for the goblins. We gave them that one with trade in mind, but in a worst-case scenario you could tie a rope to a barrel and they could bring us stuff that way. The only other real bonus is how you can transport folks like me and mine, who don’t fare well in the water.”
“Ah, now that you mention it, there is that,” I said. “I think my brain was just too stuck on the whole trade part. Boats are much more of a necessity when you start considering safe passage over the water. And if you’ve got goblins protecting you, you’re even safer. And you can travel faster over the sea than you can on land, right? Maybe there’ll be a lot of people who’ll want to ride the goblins’ boats in the future?”
“If they start taking passengers, they’ll need to set up their boats accordingly, though. But you’re right—it’ll be safe traveling with the goblins, so there’ll definitely be demand for it. Even with monsters, pirates, and other military sea vessels, the goblins are masters of that domain. And if war breaks out and you’ve got goblins delivering soldiers and supplies, your opponent might not even have a chance.”
“I see. So if we get a bunch of turtles attacking us again, we can send our boats to intercept them and help anybody in trouble.”
Narvant pulled a face that I’d never seen before, but it kind of looked like a smile. Then when he saw my confusion he burst into laughter.
“I reckon that’s enough of that, young Dias,” he said. “If we ever want boats capable of transporting troops, we’ll need a whole lot of timber that we don’t currently have. That sort of thing is like a distant dream to us at present. The goblins might not need rudders, but keels they certainly do.”
According to Narvant, just the body of a boat alone required a considerable amount of wood.
“But then again, with the goblins helping us, maybe it’ll be easier than I’m thinking,” continued Narvant. “They could buy the wood and have it delivered via the river, or maybe there are islands out there they know about flush with timber. Wood lasts a long time if it’s been soaked in seawater, and it’s much easier to float it to your destination than to pull or carry it over land. Also, if you make that timber into a raft it can carry goods for you as well. I’m no merchant, so I can’t say anything for certain, but I reckon we might see some big goblin merchants in the future if they can find themselves the trade partners.”
Some of the people around us must have been listening, because they started to get real excited. Goldia, Aisa, Ely, Ellie, Aymer, and Hubert all started jumping up and down and talking excitedly, and their excitement had them all walking off together towards the assembly hall. I figured they were heading off to keep the good vibes going, and I wondered what was on all of their minds.
I bet if any of the Peijins were here they would have been just as excited...
It was around then that Alna caught my eye. She was staring up at the sky, and the twins were right there with her doing the same thing. I watched them watching the sky, and then I noticed the birds flying over us. Alna spun to make sure I’d noticed, and a smile grew on her face.
“Migratory birds, Dias!” she declared. “Winter preparations have begun!”
The twins jumped up and cheered, and just like that, the loneliness drifting around the village lifted and Iluk was bustling all over again.