Chapter 204: Deformed Refugees

It had been a while, and the earth goblin looked more vibrant than ever. The raids on Carolina had apparently satisfied his need for war, and the mental fulfillment was reflected in his physical appearance.

"My lord?" The two bear goblins were stunned. 'This doesn't seem right. Why does Lord Klade act so familiar with this person?'

If that was true, then weren't they… completely screwed?

"You two idiots, get over here and polish his boots!" Klade landed a flying kick on one of the bear goblin's rears. "The master of this place is back! How dare you stop them at the gate? You want to die?!"

"I'll pass on the boot-polishing," Ron said, sidestepping the bear goblin that scrambled to curry his favor. "See this man? Delaford. It's more fitting for you to polish his boots."

Having two six-foot-three giants crowding around his feet didn't make Ron feel safe in the slightest. Delaford, however, was thoroughly enjoying the service, his eyes full of gratitude for Ron.

"That kid hit the jackpot following you," Klade chuckled. "I heard from Seymour and the others that you all left in a hurry after taking down that Elf. What exactly happened? Did you solve the problem?"

"If you couldn't solve it, well, I'm back with my—our army. You can use these guys however you see fit!"

"It's not resolved, and it's not a problem that can be solved with sheer numbers," Ron said as he walked inside. "But what about you? When did you get back? This chariot is quite impressive!"

"You bet! We raided a Carolina merchant caravan of over a hundred people and cobbled this war chariot together from their goods and other materials," Klade said, proudly patting the beast hides on its exterior. "If we hadn't agreed to a truce, I was planning to build three more and use them to spearhead a charge against Carolina's city walls!"

"Those fat-headed slave owners would never be able to withstand that. Then we wouldn't have to be cooped up here anymore. We could go out and conquer vaster lands!"

"Raiding merchant caravans is one thing; assaulting a fortified city is another," Ron said, shaking his head with a smile. "I'm afraid it would still be a bit difficult to try and take a city with these."

"Based on current intelligence, Carolina is harboring a motley crew of skilled individuals—Necromancers, Shadow Spirits, and probably some other remnants of the Hailan Empire. Besides, if we actually went through with it, the attitude of the City-State Alliance, led by Rose City, would become an issue."

"It's essential to know when to quit while you're ahead."

"I figured as much," Klade nodded. "That's why I brought all my troops back. Since we've been putting up a lot of new buildings and settlements, they can help with the development and expansion."

"You guys know how to farm?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" the earth goblin shrugged. "We're not in some inferno. It makes no sense to be at war every single day. We have to rest, too."

"But I must warn you, these men of mine live for war. Peace can only be a temporary transition. Otherwise, things will inevitably devolve into infighting and turmoil. I am their Commander-in-Chief, it's true, but even I can't prevent that."

"Then you don't have to worry," Sera interjected. "We just stumbled into a whole nest of Undead Creatures. As long as you all want to fight, you will absolutely not be lacking for enemies!"

"Just as Sera said," Ron nodded. "You don't have to worry on that front. But you still need to do your best to keep your men in line. After all, ordinary civilians make up the majority here. If a conflict breaks out involving someone with a bear goblin's build, it's bound to be fatal."

Klade grunted. "The bear goblins are in the minority; they're mostly my personal guard. The main body of the force is still goblins. While I was out, I incorporated several Goblin Nests and managed to gather a few Priests. We can even put together a small squad of Casters now."

"This is Pello, one of my personal guards," Klade said, pointing to the bear goblin who was about to eagerly polish Yelena's shoes. The Shadow Spirit looked up just in time to see Ron's disapproving gaze and quickly retracted her foot. "He used to lead a small goblin tribe of twenty. After I beat him into submission, he started following me. These last few days, I've had him stand guard at the entrance and prevent anyone from coming in."

"Yes, he told me about that—but why? Did something happen at the trading post?"

"Something did happen," Klade said, his expression darkening. "Not long after I got back, a group of refugees led by a Tiffling came to us for protection. I didn't pay them much mind at first, especially since the Tiffling claimed to be acquainted with you."

"I took them in temporarily, intending to wait for you to get back before deciding where they'd be settled—the Tiffling said they should have a separate, remote living area. But a few days later, other guests at the trading post started losing things. First, it was just worthless trinkets, but then it escalated to goods, money, and other valuables."

"Suspicion quickly fell on the refugees, but guess what? Aside from the Tiffling, all the others had changed their appearances, even their species!"

The Earth Goblin Warlord pointed at his own bright yellow eyes. "I might not remember their exact faces, but I can damn well count how many Elves, humans, and Dwarves there are in a group!"

Hearing Klade's description, Ron knew who he was talking about. "So, how did you handle it?"

"Couldn't handle it!" Klade grunted, frustrated. "If it were up to me, I'd have separated them all and started the torture. I guarantee they'd sing! But that Tiffling kept getting in the way, and the people he brought were causing a scene around him. He was caught between a rock and a hard place, and I couldn't just force the issue. I had to just confine them and wait for you to return and make the final call."

"That would be Mr. Quest, right?" said Silvia. "No wonder he left that night without saying goodbye. So that's what was going on."

"But why would a Tiffling be leading Elves, humans, and Dwarves? Unless…"

"It's exactly that 'unless.' They're all actually Shapeshifters," Ron sighed. "To be honest, I thought the people he picked would at least wait until they were properly settled before revealing their true forms. I didn't expect them to start causing trouble this early."

"Victoria, prepare your magic. It seems that if we want to accept these 'refugees,' we'll have to put them through a little trial first."

"Understood," Victoria nodded. "But allow me to remind you: while the Domain of Honesty can prevent lies, affected creatures are aware of the effect's existence. Therefore, they can actively avoid answering questions they would normally respond to with a lie. They can be evasive or skirt the important issues, and as long as they don't stray from the truth, the spell won't react."

"As Shapeshifters, they've probably long been accustomed to dealing with this sort of magic."