In a corner on the west side of Yangjiao Town stood a wooden house. Like most homes in the area, it was a mix of brick and wood. This was a common building style, as the town bordered the Nightmare Forest and the West River Region was mostly populated by commoners.
The house looked rather dilapidated, though. Its exterior walls were unpainted, and a layer of green vegetation covered the roof.
A man in a brown, hooded half-cape shuffled to the door, his back hunched and one leg dragging behind him. He covertly scanned his surroundings, then took out a key.
He waited a moment before opening the door. As soon as he did, he saw someone sitting in a chair just inside.
The person was clad in gleaming Armor and held a Crossbow aimed right at him. "Ricardo. It’s been a while."
Ricardo knew at once that he’d been found. He dropped the hunch and the limp, straightening up and cracking his neck. "Captain of the Guard, sir. What brings you all the way out here to find me?"
"Come in and we’ll talk," Yu Le said with a smile, gesturing for him to enter. At the same time, Ricardo heard the clash of Armor from behind.
Ricardo walked into the wooden house with his hands raised. Behind him, two guards SLAMMED the door shut and took up positions, vigilantly watching the area.
"I’m surprised you found me," Ricardo said, frowning.
"It wasn’t difficult. Don’t underestimate the town watch." Yu Le got up and walked to the center of the room, keeping his Crossbow trained on Ricardo the entire time.
"Where have they all gone?" he asked.
"You mean Matel and the others?" Ricardo said, his eyes fixed on the Crossbow in Yu Le’s hands. "They’re probably all dead."
"All of them?" Yu Le sounded surprised. He knew the strength of the Storm Brotherhood. While they couldn’t match the guards from the Count’s Mansion, they were far superior to ordinary Adventurers. "You’re lying. They’re just in hiding too, aren’t they?"
"No, I’m not lying. As I was leaving, I watched my comrades get killed with my own eyes," Ricardo said calmly.
"You went into the forest? What did you run into?" Yu Le asked, his expression turning serious. The near-total annihilation of the Storm Brotherhood was a major incident.
"We went into the forest to explore a Relic. Matel found the map to it on a corpse." Ricardo stared at the half-burnt candle on the table, trying to recall what happened. "He and Qige scouted it out for a long time before finally deciding to take a team in. I wasn’t too concerned at the time. I never thought there would actually be a Relic."
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "The Relic was dangerous. Hordes of Slimes and Brain-Eating Monsters caught us completely off guard. Many of our men lost their lives, but we had no choice. You know humans can only stay in the forest for three days. We gave everyone two Awakening Potions, but there was still no guarantee we could explore the entire Relic in one trip. And if we couldn’t finish it in one go, word would get out. Who knows who might have shown up then."
When Ricardo finished, he shot a glance at Yu Le, the implication clear.
"And then you were all wiped out?" Yu Le ignored the taunt in his eyes.
"That’s right. All of them are dead," Ricardo confirmed with a nod.
"What did it?" Yu Le asked.
"Goblins." Ricardo glanced at the ceiling and closed his eyes. The painful memories of his comrades’ deaths had been replaying in his mind for days.
"Goblins?" Yu Le exclaimed. The answer was completely unexpected. He had thought they would have run into a mob of axe-wielding Minotaurs inside the Relic.
"That’s right. Surprising, isn’t it? We didn’t believe it either. We’ve gotten sick of killing those little green-skinned runts. We’ve killed them with swords, with arrows, for sport—we’ve killed them every which way. But in the end," Ricardo gave a bitter laugh, "we were the ones slaughtered by goblins."
"Are you telling me a fairy tale?" Yu Le stared at him intently, still finding it hard to believe that the Brotherhood had been annihilated by goblins.
"No, Captain of the Guard, sir. They’re strong. They set traps, anticipate your plans, and even build fortifications. They throw iron balls that explode. Some of our men were blown up by those things," Ricardo said earnestly. "They even have three-meter-tall Giants, goblins who use strange Magic, and even a goblin Infiltrator."
"Infiltrators? I thought they only recruited humans," Yu Le said, shocked. "How could there be a goblin Infiltrator?"
"It’s true. The Infiltrator attacked Qige and wounded him gravely. He ended up dying to the mandibles of a Brain-Eating Monster." Ricardo put on a sorrowful expression. "We thought victory was assured before we even set out. Even when we saw the goblins inside, we thought it was a done deal. But in the end..."
"In the end, they all died in there, and you ran off ahead of time?" Yu Le asked, watching him closely.
"Yes, I fled," Ricardo admitted. He sighed and glanced at the ceiling, where a small squirrel was poking its head out of a little hole.
"Goblins..." Yu Le repeated the word a few times. "I have heard rumors among the Adventurers lately about a large, active group of goblins. I must report this to the Count. We need to deal with them quickly, before they pour out of the forest and start raiding the nearby villages."
"As for you, I can’t be sure if you’re telling the truth," he called out the door. "You’re coming back with me to Black Lion City to see Young Master Philip. He can decide what to do with you."
A short time later, several guards in Steel Armor, their breastplates engraved with the head of a black lion, led Ricardo away. A red squirrel followed after them.
* * *
"Are you insane? No, ahhh—!" An Adventurer looked down at the Long Spear impaled in his chest. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then swung his Longsword with all his might, slitting the throat of the teammate in front of him.
Both of them collapsed to the ground. The Adventurer with the slit throat made a GURGLING sound as several wisps of white smoke rose from his back, gradually coalescing into a short, humanoid figure.
Scarface floated in the air, glancing dispassionately at the dead Adventurers on the ground. Over thirty goblins stood before him—his tribe.
"Take their gear," he ordered, his shrill voice like metal scraping against glass.
A few goblins scurried forward and stripped the Adventurers of their belongings.
"Keep searching for the next group of goblins," Scarface commanded. He had already checked several burrows without finding any goblins who knew about the Explosive Fruit, nor had he found Green Egg. ’But it seems my followers now outnumber my old tribe. Once I find Green Egg, I’ll definitely be able to kill *him*.’
Scarface scanned the area, pointed in a direction, and was about to sink back into the ground when he felt a powerful constraining force, as if something had bound his body.
A voice echoed in his mind. "You haven’t found it yet?"
Scarface knew it was the human woman who had summoned him. "Not yet, Master," he replied deferentially.
HISS! Several arcs of red electricity manifested, and Scarface shrieked in agony. The piercing sound sent the nearby goblins scrambling away, their hands clamped over their ears.
"Find it. And quickly. No slacking," the voice warned.
"Yes, Master," Scarface whispered in pain.
A moment later, the pain subsided; the effect of the Soul Burning had passed. ’I’m a chieftain now. I don’t want to suffer like this anymore.’
Scarface’s face was grim as he glared at his cowering minions. None of them dared to look upon their chieftain’s terrifying visage.
’Just you wait, human woman,’ Scarface thought with a sinister smirk. ’Once I find your target, I’ll be the one making threats. If you dare to harm me again, I’ll kill your precious target.’ He felt he had finally found a way to control her.
"Go find them! Now!" he roared. The terrified goblins around him dropped to the ground in unison.
They scrambled back to their feet and sprinted in the direction Scarface had indicated.
Scarface watched the goblins recede into the distance, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.
’I am the true chieftain.’ With that thought, he vanished into the ground.
* * *
"A horde of goblins?" Shire stared at Mary’s handwriting on the intelligence report. ’Has another powerful figure appeared on the outskirts of the forest? And a Goblin Ghost, too?’
He found it hard to believe that a large number of goblins could appear on the forest’s edge. Adventurers were always running around out there; a goblin tribe with more than ten members was already impressive. For a massive horde to gather was almost unthinkable.
’Are the Adventurers slacking off?’ he mused, letting out a soft breath. ’Or did the Storm Brotherhood recruit all the competent ones, leaving only greenhorns behind?’
He couldn’t be bothered to worry about it, though. His own operation was developing nicely, and Adventurers rarely ventured this deep into the forest unless a veteran was specifically coming for him.
’Best not to make contact with those goblins. If that old codger Valentine really sends his guards or the Knight Order, they’ll be much harder to deal with.’
Shire knew that both the Knight Order and the Guard Team were equipped with full sets of Steel Half-Body Plate Armor and Chain Armor. They were also highly trained and disciplined in combat. Compared to the Brotherhood and their mismatched gear, the Count’s forces were far more professional and powerful.
’The Hand Grenade Fruit works well enough against the Brotherhood, but its effectiveness will be greatly diminished against those guys,’ he thought, making a note in his book. ’I need to stock up on more Blazing Fire Glue.’
’The town watch is looking for the Storm Brotherhood?’ Shire continued reading. ’It’s probably the Count’s Mansion that’s really behind it. A pity for you, but you’re not going to find them.’
He chuckled. ’Mary was right. I shouldn’t sell that equipment yet. I’ll see if I can offload it somewhere else.’
"Chief!" Broken Tooth came running over, calling out.
"Yes? What is it?" Shire set down the report and looked at him. He’d sent Broken Tooth with a few other goblins to scout a little deeper to the east, but he hadn’t expected him back so soon.
"Found... strange thing," Broken Tooth said, making gestures with his hands.
"’A strange thing?’" Shire was puzzled. ’What does he mean by a "strange thing"?’
"Yes. Found a..." Broken Tooth thought for a moment. "Giant ant."