"How can there be two Star Realm Dogs?" Agatha exclaimed.
She then spun around, staring at Shire who was standing behind her. "Did you do something?"
Shire really wanted to say, ’My plan is about to succeed,’ but he just looked at Agatha with an innocent expression. "I have no idea."
Agatha suspiciously sized up the one-point-three-meter-tall, bald-headed goblin before her, trying to find a hint of duplicity on his innocent face.
"Maybe Rubus finds it so comfortable here that he brought a friend along," Shire said, spreading his hands and shrugging.
After glancing at Shire a few more times, Agatha turned her head and beckoned to Rubus. Instead of jumping, Rubus slowly walked over and sat down in front of her.
The red Star Realm Dog followed as well, but it didn’t get too close, seemingly still a bit wary.
"It looks a size smaller. Can’t tell much from its appearance for now, but it might be a female," Shire mused, rubbing his chin as he stared at the red Star Realm Dog.
"Do you think... something’s wrong with my Teleportation Gate?" Agatha asked, turning to Shire while petting Rubus.
"What kind of problem?"
"Could this Teleportation Gate have opened a rift in the Star Realm, and then..." Agatha stopped mid-sentence and turned away. "Forget it. I didn’t just say something so stupid."
Shire laughed for a moment, then suggested she try a few more times. If Rubus could bring back a Star Realm Dog every time, wouldn’t that prove a rift to the Star Realm had been opened?
After a few more tries, Agatha stared at Rubus, who was lying inside the Stone Ring. "I knew it. How could a student who got perfect scores in every subject at the Grammar School have come to such a stupid conclusion?"
"It’s not that bad. It is your first time seeing this, after all." Seeing the slightly dejected Agatha, Shire thought for a moment and said, "Didn’t you ask me before why Dilat from the Grammar School was rejected by the Countess?"
"Yes. Dilat was handsome and highly knowledgeable, and the Countess even liked him quite a bit at first."
"Well, it’s because that guy did something foolish. He wanted to create a ’chance encounter’ with the Countess, so he manufactured seven of them in a row. He even loitered outside a ladies’ lingerie shop for half a day just to run into her, but he ended up being seen by one of the Countess’s friends."
Shire smiled and waved his hand. "Even someone like Dilat, whose grades were on par with yours, can do stupid things. It’s no big deal if you do, too."
Agatha shot Shire a look. "I’m going to run a few more experiments."
"Alright, I’ll go check on things in the Fortress then," Shire said.
Before long, he arrived at the Underground River Platform and rang the small Copper Bell. WHOOSH! Rubus leaped out of the rift, along with the red Star Realm Dog.
"Well done," Shire said, his eyes filled with delight as he looked at Rubus. "You’ve already lured one back so quickly."
He circled the two Star Realm Dogs, examining them closely, eager to see if the red one showed any signs of being pregnant.
But then he chuckled sheepishly. ’No one has ever seen a Star Realm Summoned Beast give birth. I don’t even know if they reproduce through pregnancy. It would be interesting if they reproduce by splitting, though.’
"I’ll have Bai Mao prepare a double portion of innards for you two later. Keep up the good work and lure a few more over," Shire said happily, ruffling the fur under Rubus’s chin.
"Chief." A voice called out from a distance. Nine-finger crept up to Shire’s side. "The Bang-Bang Fruits have all been gathered."
"Why are you acting like a thief?" Shire stared at him, then glanced around.
"B-Bai Mao is watching me," Nine-finger whispered.
Shire smiled faintly, then said, "All the Bang-Bang Fruits have been gathered? So quickly?"
"Yes, it’s all thanks to Lame Leg. That blue sphere of his is very useful. It can fly and change shape, but its carrying capacity isn’t quite enough," Nine-finger said with a nod. "He even named the blue sphere ’Big Treasure.’"
"That name is really something..." Shire laughed out loud. ’That’s goblin naming sense for you. But this is perfect timing. I can have this batch of goblins clean up the Druid’s underground stone chamber, then send a few Worker Ants over to excavate the underground space. Once a new entrance is dug, I can seal off the original one.’
"Alright, I understand. There will be new work for you tomorrow." Shire glanced at Bai Mao, who had been watching them the whole time. "You should go now. Otherwise, you probably won’t be able to get away later."
He watched Nine-finger stick to the edge and dart off the Underground River Platform as fast as an eel. ’Nine-finger could really use a Magic Ability like the Flash Technique,’ Shire thought.
After calming Rubus, he returned to the Fortress entrance. Agatha was standing in the middle of the Stone Ring, her arms outstretched as she smiled at Shire.
"Success?" Shire asked.
"Yes! I tried it once myself, and it works," Agatha said excitedly. "I can make my own Teleportation Gates now!"
"Congratulations." Shire clapped for his old classmate. He was also very happy. ’I can finally start consolidating this area.’
"A Teleportation Array... something only a Great Mage can use. Something ordinary nobles can’t even dream of, an escape tool that high-ranking nobles can only commission for a fortune... and I can make several more of them." As Agatha spoke, her voice grew quieter. "I can create Ancient Runes, but nobody knows. Not even my sister..."
"Alright, don’t be anxious. It’s enough that we know for now. As long as we continue to grow stronger, one day the world will know that you are the greatest historian," Shire said, walking over to comfort Agatha.
’I know I can’t let anyone find out about this Rune Speech yet,’ he thought. ’Otherwise, it will definitely attract unwanted attention, or even attempts to seize it. My Goblin Race would be wiped out in an instant.’
"In any case, it’s enough that we benefit from it ourselves." He smiled confidently. "So, great historian, can you make a few more Teleportation Arrays?"
"I can. There are still some White Stones left. How many does the chairman require?" Agatha said politely, giving a slight curtsy.
"One for the Druid’s underground stone chamber, one for the ants’ cavern, and then..." Shire calculated how many he needed. After a few seconds, he looked at Agatha and said, "Let’s make eight."
"That many?" Agatha was startled.
"Mhm, I want to place six at the Fortress entrance." Shire nodded. Because he was lacking Slimes and Brain-Eating Monsters, the Fortress’s defenses had dropped drastically. If an enemy were to attack now, there would surely be heavy casualties. He decided to place a row of Teleportation Arrays in the corridor. That way, when enemies accidentally stepped on them, he could just use a Control device to teleport them away.
’It’s a defensive measure of sorts.’
"Alright, I’ll make them as soon as possible," Agatha said. Then, with swift efficiency, she went to find Fulu and the Giant to help her move the stones.
’Looks like I need to speed up the research on the Worker Ants’ Ant Saddles and cargo boxes, too. I’ll have those artisans make a prototype first,’ Shire thought, curling his knuckles as he calculated how many cargo boxes he’d need. ’After a successful test, I’ll have them make four or five to start, and then move on to other things.’
’I need to get these done quickly, then have the Worker Ants carry the Teleportation Gate Components. I’ll also need to visit the Ant Queen. This way, I can transport the honey to her. I really don’t want to carry it on my back.’
...
"Miss Mary, this cargo box you mentioned isn’t too difficult to make." The carpenter, Old Wick, studied the blueprints in his hand, examining every part of the design.
"That’s good, Mr. Carpenter." Mary finished pouring the floral tea and pushed it toward him.
"Ah, thank you." Old Wick quickly half-rose from his seat to take the teacup.
The "White Shell" trading company had almost become his biggest client. Not only had they ordered a large quantity of furniture from him, but they also wanted him to make even more items.
He had previously speculated that the Church was planning to establish a Basic Grammar School here, and as the number of orders increased, he became more and more certain of his guess.
Moreover, he had heard that many artisans in town had received orders from this Miss Mary, and the quantities requested were not small.
Old Wick looked at the beautiful young woman before him, dressed impeccably with not a single hair of her braid out of place, and couldn’t help but wonder who was backing her. ’Perhaps it’s the Church, or a noble family,’ he mused. ’It might even be the Count’s Mansion.’
"You can slow down on the previous orders if you need to. Please prioritize making these few items first," Mary said, pointing to the blueprints on the table.
"Of course, Miss Mary. We’ll do our best not to affect the previous orders." Old Wick nodded. He had already called over his former apprentice and his younger brother through the Artisan Association. He now had just enough manpower, and it seemed Miss Mary had many more orders to place.
He had heard some of the other artisans were also hiring extra help. ’This winter is definitely going to be busy.’
’But busy is good. Busy means more money.’ Miss Mary was a good person—she paid promptly and didn’t haggle much. Everyone liked doing business with her.
"Then I’ll be looking forward to seeing your products," Mary said with a smile as she saw Old Wick off.
She then closed the warehouse’s main door and walked over to a wooden crate in the corner. The crate was filled with all sorts of weapons and equipment belonging to the Storm Brotherhood.
"The inspections at the docks are getting stricter. I wonder why. I heard some big shot is coming." Mary twirled the end of her braid, frowning slightly as she looked inside the crate. "I was planning to find a ship to take these to Torch City to sell, but it looks like I’ll have to store them for a while."
"Luckily, there isn’t too much stuff yet. If any more equipment piles up, it’ll be a real problem."
She walked through the connecting door into the "Drink Undying" Alchemy Workshop and took down the "Closed" sign. Then, she took out a notebook from behind the counter.
"I’m running low on potion vials. I’ll have to wait for the supplier to visit. I wonder when he’ll arrive. The supplier Miss Virdini recommended should be reliable, right?"
"A big shot?" She drew a circle in her notebook. "I’ll have to find time to send Little John to the Ear-Cleaning Master Tavern to ask around. That’s where the best information is."
"It shouldn’t affect the boss."