"And that’s how my big bro led his goblins to where we are today." Shan Xi Ao held his head high, hovering in front of Evita with an expression that screamed, ’My big bro is amazing, which means I’m amazing too!’
"You’re not lying to me, are you?" Evita eyed the little goblin suspiciously. She couldn’t believe the things he was telling her—evil Druids, ferocious Giant Spider Giant Bees, foolish human nobles, a Mother Tree in an Illusion Realm, and a massive Ant Queen in an underground cavern.
"Why would I lie to you?" Shan Xi Ao said, turning his head impatiently. "Come with me and see the Tree-man Race. Plenty of goblins are taking care of them right now."
"You can’t go to the Ant Race’s territory yet—my big bro has to take you, or the Soldier Ants will attack. But I can show you the huge craters left after the human army fought those two giant monsters." He flapped his wings and flew on ahead, posturing like he was about to show her the world.
Evita thought for a moment and decided to follow him to see for herself. She wanted to spend a few more days getting to know this group of goblins. If things were truly as Shan Xi Ao described, then moving her people here might not be out of the question. After all, the Unicorn had also settled here.
The two of them quickly entered the Teleportation Room. Just as they left, Shire emerged from behind a nearby wall where they had been talking.
’I didn’t expect Shan Xi Ao to pull off such a perfect assist.’ He watched them disappear, a smile in his eyes. ’I estimate the centaur girl will come looking for me on her own in a few days.’
Based on what she’d let slip, Shire had already pieced together the general situation. The Unicorn had voluntarily left its original territory and migrated south. Whether it was guided by something or fleeing an enemy, it had moved far from the centaurs’ forest village. Now, it seemed a band of Ogres had targeted the centaurs, which was why Evita had come out searching for the Unicorn.
’That scumbag beast,’ Shire complained about the Unicorn. ’You migrate without even giving them a heads-up.’
However, once she came to find him, he could get a detailed understanding of the situation in the north. This would aid his future exploration of the Rune Language Material Library.
’I still need to take inventory of the potion bottles later, and I have something important to do tonight.’ He glanced at the notes in his book; there were still a few things to handle this afternoon.
"What are you doing hiding here?" Agatha’s voice came from the side. Shire looked over and saw her frowning at him.
"Nothing much. Just studying the Fortress’s wall structure," Shire said, brushing her off with a random excuse. "What do you need?"
"The experiment for that potion is finished. Do you want to come see?"
"You mean the formula from the Druid’s Alchemy Manual?" Shire’s interest was immediately piqued. "You’ve already tested it?"
"Mhm."
"Let’s go, let’s go see." Shire eagerly followed Agatha toward her laboratory.
Inside the stone room was a small alchemy crucible, various glass vessels on a table, and three iron cages in the corner, each holding a monkey.
"I gave the potion to these monkeys and observed them. The effects are quite good, and there are no side effects." Agatha picked up a vial of green potion from the table and handed it to Shire.
"What changes happened after they drank it?" Shire took the potion, holding it up to his eyes to examine it carefully.
"Their strength increased a little; they can shake the iron cages now. Their agility seems to have improved, too. I tried poking them with a wooden stick, and they became much more nimble at dodging," Agatha said, flipping through her notes on the table. "Also, after drinking it, their bodies get slightly larger, as if hit by a very minor enlargement spell. The whole effect lasts for about ten minutes."
"Is the size change significant?" Shire walked to the cages, watching the three monkeys.
"Not very. Visually, I’d say they grew by about a tenth. It’s limited."
"One-tenth is excellent," Shire laughed, pleased that it had any effect at all. "This way, the goblins won’t be that much shorter than humans."
"The ingredients are also easy to acquire. They can be found in the forest, and your men have already gathered a good amount." Agatha placed her experimental notes on the table. "You should give it a name. It’s a new formula, after all."
Shire stared at the list of ingredients in the notes and thought for a moment. "It contains a small amount of strong spirits, and it was successfully developed in winter. Let’s call it Winter Spring Fire Wine."
"Winter Spring Fire Wine?" Agatha looked at the potion in Shire’s hand, then considered it. "Yes, that’s a good name. It sounds much better than something like ’Enlargement Potion.’"
"Then I’ll go tell Little Claw and the others to start producing this potion at once," Shire said with a smile. The success of this potion was a huge help. From now on, drinking a single bottle of Winter Spring Fire Wine before battle would boost strength, agility, stamina, and more. This was far more convenient than downing several different potions. In field combat, a second or two could make all the difference; saving that time would give the goblins a greater advantage in any sudden encounter.
"By the way, what are your plans for that centaur?" Agatha called out to the departing, enthusiastic Shire. "She seems a bit difficult to get along with."
"Don’t worry, I’ve got help," Shire said with a laugh. He imagined Evita was probably being cornered by Buck Teeth to listen to his poetry right about now.
"I’m going to find Little Claw. Come find me if you need anything else." He gave a wave and turned to leave.
After watching him leave, Agatha picked up *Nobles behind the Bed Curtain of Plantagenet City* from the table. "Now, why would Baron Rochar claim he only likes men?"
...
That night, in the reception room behind the Drink Undying Alchemy Workshop, Shire sat upright on the sofa, awaiting his guest’s arrival.
"Mr. Herbert, this way, please." Mary’s voice drifted in, and a moment later, a tall, middle-aged man was led into the reception room.
"This is my boss, Mr. Shire," Mary introduced.
"Hello, Mr. Herbert. Please forgive my attire," Shire said with a welcoming tone. He was completely wrapped in a long Cloak, with only his eyes showing. "I previously contracted a terrible plague in the Island Region that left my face covered in scars. I must dress this way to avoid frightening you."
"I am very sorry to hear that, Mr. Shire." Herbert nodded sympathetically. Then, he gave a quick sniff and a mysterious smile. "Shall we discuss business now?"
"Yes, my apologies for making you wait so long," Shire said, gesturing for the man to sit. "Tea or coffee?"
"Think nothing of it. I had other business here in Yangjiao Town," Herbert said with a smile. "While I prefer red wine to tea or coffee... Miss Mary, plain water will be fine."
"This is the draft of the purchase agreement prepared by our Alchemy Workshop. Please look it over." Shire carefully handed over a piece of paper, afraid his green skin would be exposed through a gap in his clothes or gloves.
Herbert took the purchase order and carefully examined the prices listed.
"This is a huge quantity—fifty thousand potion bottles?" He was slightly taken aback. "I will need to make arrangements for an order this large. I likely won’t be able to deliver them all at once."
"You can deliver in several shipments. I was just giving you the total amount. It will also take us some time to gather the funds," Shire quickly explained.
"Mr. Herbert, your water." Mary came over and placed a glass of water on the table.
Herbert looked at the glass in front of him, then asked with feigned casualness, "Mr. Shire, aren’t you having anything to drink?"
"I’m fine. I don’t like to drink anything at night."
"Very well," Herbert said after taking a sip of water. He placed the purchase order on the coffee table. "I can accept this price and quantity. If there are no other issues, I can send a message now to have the glass workshop prepare the first shipment for transport."
"That would be wonderful." Shire nodded. He had just taken inventory of their potion bottles that afternoon and knew they were running very low. In another ten days of sales, they would be completely out.
"Then, for the amount specified on the order, I’ll have Mary go to the Commerce Bank tomorrow to process the funds transfer." He picked up the purchase order and handed it to Mary beside him. The banks were, of course, closed at night.
"That works," Herbert said, putting down his water glass. He stared at Shire for a few seconds, then smiled. "A pleasure doing business with you."
"A pleasure doing business with you."
The two of them exchanged strange smiles, neither making any move to shake hands.
A short while later, after seeing Herbert out, Mary returned to the reception room. "Boss, that Herbert... he seemed a little strange this time."
"How so?" Shire asked, pulling off his gloves and the covering on his face.
"At first, I thought he was very cautious, but this time he decided on such a large order so quickly. Something just feels off," Mary said, tilting her head as she thought back on their meeting.
"Maybe he just wanted to confirm that we were genuinely planning to purchase that much from him," Shire said with a laugh. To be honest, he also thought the man was strange for agreeing to such a big deal so quickly. However, Shire had double-checked himself and was sure he hadn’t given anything away. "Don’t overthink it. I’m heading back now. Contact me if anything comes up."
Meanwhile, at the Moonlight Inn in West River, a waiter opened the door to VIP Room 8 for Herbert.
"Interesting. To think the boss of the Alchemy Workshop is actually a goblin," Herbert murmured with a smile.
He slowly pulled off his silk gloves and took off his overcoat. But then, Herbert’s nose twitched, and he frowned. "Come out. I know you’re here."
CREAK. The swivel chair at the desk turned around. A middle-aged man with a full beard, wearing an elegant jacket, smiled at Herbert.
"I knew you’d discover me, you damn bat."