Chapter 78: To the Bright Red Nose Tribe

After my citizens finished eating their magic fruits, it was time for everyone to get to work.

I immediately initiated the construction of two new buildings: the Cookhouse and the Charcoal Kiln.

Gopuberry and Gopuflammy would be in charge of the Cookhouse, while Gopugiga would handle the Charcoal Kiln. With everyone assigned their respective tasks, both buildings should be completed by the end of the day.

Meanwhile, my little diplomacy team was getting ready for their mission as well.

Both Gopuro and Gopuran had brought their best equipment: the Big Iron Axe and the One-Handed Iron Sword, respectively. With their weapons at their sides, the two looked practically ready for battle.

And as for Gopushadow...

Well, I had something special prepared for him, too!

Today’s selection from the Daily Equipment Shop had turned out to be surprisingly interesting.

[Twin Iron Daggers]

Type: Weapon

Rarity: E

Description: A pair of super sharp iron daggers. Their lightweight construction makes them particularly suitable for agile fighters who favor speed over brute force.

Effects: DEF +2; SPD +4

Special Effect:

Grants the skill [Fury Strike Lv. 1]

...

[Fury Strike Lv. 1]

Description: Attacks against an enemy apply a Fury Strike debuff, increasing the damage dealt by the next attack against the same target. If the target is not attacked again within a certain period, the accumulated bonus damage is lost.

Maximum Stacks: 10

Damage Bonus per Stack: 10%

Debuff Duration: 5 seconds

Additional Effect: Applying the debuff again refreshes its duration.

....

I wasn’t able to reroll the substats to get the best possible combination, but hey, at least the skill was pretty cool!

Unlike Gopuro’s Big Iron Axe and Gopuran’s One-Handed Iron Sword, the Twin Iron Daggers came with a passive skill. That meant Fury Strike required no mana and could remain active as long as its conditions were met.

Its effect was also brutal. At maximum stack, this skill would literally double his damage output! And given how fast this guy was, he should be able to get stacks on enemies easily.

Yeah... It’s just like the weapon was practically made for him.

And so...

Gopushadow eagerly accepted the daggers, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

He immediately slipped into a fighting stance and slashed at the air. Then, he expertly twirled the daggers between his fingers before launching another series of swift strikes.

Slash! Slash!

His arms moved so quickly that they became little more than a blur.

This made me wonder where the heck did this guy learn all of these flashy knife tricks.

"So, how are they?" I asked. Although it’s pretty obvious the guy was really enjoying his new toys.

"Big boss, They’re awesome!" Gopushadow replied. "And they look so cool, too!"

Right...

Even though they were just a simple pair of iron daggers, they somehow looked incredibly cool in Gopushadow’s hands. Perhaps it was because the dude already had the look of a natural assassin, with his slender build and spiky white hair. With a gleaming dagger in each hand, he now seemed even more dangerous than before.

With that taken care of, I gave the three of them some additional food and water supplies for the journey.

And with that, all their preparations were complete.

I linked my vision to Gopushadow’s, allowing me to see everything from his perspective.

"Let’s go! To the Bright Red Nose Tribe!" Gopuro declared enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" Gopuran and Gopushadow cheered in unison.

The three waved goodbye to the others before setting off into the forest, ready to begin their recruitment mission.

******

Twenty minutes later...

We were now deep in the forest once again.

The surroundings looked much the same as before. The same dim, shadowy atmosphere. The same towering trees and tangled vines stretching across the undergrowth.

My three goblins were now Level 14, considerably stronger than before, and all of them were equipped with decent weapons. So, even if another Colossal Bear showed up, we should be able to deal with it without too much trouble.

Still, that didn’t mean we could afford to let our guard down.

The three continued moving cautiously through the forest, carefully watching their surroundings and listening for any signs of danger.

This time, Gopuro took the lead, confidently striding through the undergrowth with his massive iron axe resting on his shoulder. Gopuran and Gopushadow followed close behind, leaving their guide to choose the route.

Or, more accurately, they were trusting Gopuro not to get them hopelessly lost.

After all, neither of them remembered the way to the Bright Red Nose Tribe.

Only Gopuro knew.

Or at least... that’s what he told everyone.

...

"Ermm, brother," Gopushadow suddenly called out, glancing at the trees around them. "You sure you know where we’re going? We’ve been walking for ages!"

"Yeah!" Gopuran chimed in. "Don’t tell me you’re just wandering around and pretending you know the way!"

Gopuro burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Don’t worry! Me know the way very clearly!"

He thumped his chest confidently, looking as though he had personally memorized every single tree in the forest.

Well... that’s exactly what someone who has absolutely no idea where he’s going would say!

I couldn’t help feeling a little concerned.

But Gopuro seemed completely unfazed by their teasing. He continued marching forward with the confidence of a seasoned explorer, occasionally pushing aside branches and stepping over tangled roots as if he knew exactly where every turn would lead.

Well, at least he looked confident.

And confidence was... something, I supposed.

By this point, we were already more than five kilometers away from my castle.

I had upgraded my [Vassal’s Eyes] skill to Level 2, increasing its maximum connection range to ten kilometers. That was twice its previous range, allowing me to monitor my citizens across a much larger area.

According to Gopuro’s estimates, the Bright Red Nose Tribe should be somewhere within that range.

And apparently, he had a plan.

According to him, finding a small stream would mean the tribe was nearby.

Whether this was reliable local knowledge or just another excuse for him to keep marching confidently through the woods remained to be seen.

But soon enough... ⅇℯ𝚕.

"Hey, guys! You hear that?" Gopushadow suddenly asked, raising his head.

"Yeah!" Gopuran replied, pausing to listen.

I could hear it, too.

A faint, bubbling sound drifted through the trees, growing clearer as they approached. Water trickled over rocks somewhere ahead, its gentle murmur standing out against the rustling leaves and distant bird calls.

It was the sound of a small stream.

Gopuro’s face immediately lit up.

"SEE?! I TOLD YOU GUYS!"

He puffed out his chest, looking absolutely delighted with himself.

"Haha! Good job, Puro!" I praised him.

For once, I had to give him credit!